Chapter Eleven
Estela slapped a hand over her mouth. Though she had said the word so soft that it was almost inaudible, she knew that Elrond, if not all the Elves (thanks to their enhanced hearing), had heard her. She had now sealed her soon-to-come fate. 'I'm going to get it so bad...'
"Crud?" said Elrond, screwing up his face and making himself look quite comical. "Well, come forth, Crud. Show yourself and tell us why you are here."
If Estela hadn't been scared out of her mind she would have laughed to see such a high Elf calling her crud and say it with such a serious expression.
"Well?" prompted Elrond.
Knowing nothing else would help her escape she slowly stood up and stepped out of the bushes and in front of the counsel. Trying not to blush or make a fool of herself she calmly met the stares of each of them. Noticing the shocked look of Frodo and the covered up surprise on Aragorn's face she couldn't help but snicker.
"I should have known it was a woman," Boromir muttered.
"Would you please explain what you were doing?" said Elrond. It seemed more like a command than a question.
"I was hoping to talk to you, milord," she replied. "I believe that you are the only one that can help me."
Elrond was quiet for a moment before he responded. "There are punishments for what you have done," he said.
"I am willing to face them if they will come, milord," she responded grimly.
"I see."
The counsel and its members were suddenly gone, replaced with a small room. Two people were standing in it. A male that appeared to be Silen, and the other person had his back facing Estela's vision.
"You must not come with me!" cried Silen desperately. "You will be punished for disobeying your Lord!"
"I do not care, Silen," said the other softly. He took a sword and its sheath off a table and armed herself with it, followed by a bow, and a small dagger. "I must protect him."
"I think the Lord Elrond is fully capable of protecting himself! Please reconsider! You will die if you go!"
"You speak ill words, Silen. I am hurt at your lack of confidence in me. After all, *you* are going. You may die as well as I. But *he* must live. He is my father, Silen."
"No, he is not."
The other stood silently for a moment before he walked to the only door and opened it. "Silen," said the other before leaving, "I know I am disobeying. I know that his strict orders were to be followed. But..."
"But what?"
"I have a feeling...it gives me great pain and desire. Desire to follow him."
"You will die!" yelled Silen. He turned his back on the other, the beginning of tears in his eyes.
"I do not care," said the other softly.
The vision vanished and Estela was now standing in back at the counsel.
"Milady?" asked Elrond. He was standing in front of her, a concerned look on his face.
"Elrond...? Silen...? Élestor? Lenaro?" whispered Estela. "But...you're all...didn't you...?" The weak feeling in her body was back, only this time it was stronger.
"Milady, are you alright?"
"Too late...too late." Estela looked around her in disbelief. "He disobeyed...and they..."
'It hurts so badly...' she thought. 'But...what is it?'
The face of Lord Elrond drew back and the feeling of falling was once again felt.
"Estela!" cried Aragorn.
'Élestor? No...impossible...?'
Strong hands grabbed her, preventing the fall onto the stone ground. "Estela," said Aragorn again. "Are you alright? Estela? Estela! What is wrong?"
"Oh, Valar," whispered Elrond. "It is her."
That was the last thing Estela heard.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn was sitting in a chair positioned next to the bed in one of the guest bedrooms. Estela was laying on the bed, her eyes open and blank. She appeared to be asleep.
'How did she get to Rivendell?' thought Aragorn, staring at the still young woman. 'More importantly, how did she survive?'
The scouts that the Lord Elrond had sent to find her had come back empty handed, saying that she either disappeared or she was dead. And now...
When she just appeared in the counsel it had startled and shocked both him and Frodo beyond words. Like someone back from the dead.
Aragorn chuckled.
Once he thought about it, it was quite funny.
And the Lord Elrond... He had seemed...shaken in a way. Before he had stood up and was standing in front of the woman, he treated her like any normal person. But when her eyes glazed over and she seemed to be looking at another world and after which she when she said the names "Élestor" and "Lenaro" the Lord had treated her differently, ordering quickly for her to be brought to a room and a healer to check her.
The names meant nothing to Aragorn and, he supposed, they meant nothing to the Lord. It was most likely her voice or her face that had brought forth something. A memory perhaps.
And now, here he sat. Wondering about this strange girl. Had she once said she was from a different world?
'Yes...I believe she did.'
"Mani are lle doing here?"
Aragorn looked up at Estela. She was sitting up in the bed, staring at him blankly. Was she...speaking Sindarin?
"Lle will get e' a lot en' rashwe manka Myrian finds n'e tanya lle are il reading tanya parma re gave lle," she said, wagging a finger at him.
"Excuse me?"
"Do il act dim yassen amin, Élestor. Lle know. Lle parma. Aiya, mani was ta called?" she sighed. "Aiya, Amin suppose ta does il really matter, ten' lle are il reading ta."
"Milady, I do not know what book you are talking about. How do you know Elvish?"
Her blank look was replaced by puzzlement and, closing her eyes, she rubbed her head as if it hurt.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Aragorn. I don't know what's wrong with me. First I have these strange visions, then I have another one in the middle of talking to Elrond, and then, to top it all off, I faint in front of all of them."
"You are having visions?"
"Please, I don't really want to talk about it."
"Yes. How, may I ask, did you survive?"
"Alassé."
"Alassé?"
"My---no, Halendir and Falenwé's horse. I found him and he brought me to Rivendell. And you know what? I think that horse understands me."
"Yes, Elven horses respond to Sindarin. They may not speak it, but they understand it. Who are Halendir and Falenwé?"
"Aragorn, do you know what a headache is?"
"Yes."
"Well I have a *really* large one."
"I am sorry, milady. I will bother you no more. Though I expect a thorough tale after you are feeling better. Oh, and the Lord Elrond wishes to speak to you."
Estela's headache left her immediately. "He what?"
"He wishes to speak to you," repeated Aragorn.
"When?"
"I suppose as soon as you are well."
"But I can see him any time?"
"I...suppose."
"Like, right now?"
"I am not sure..."
"How about later?"
"I think that is alright."
"Great. Thanks, Aragorn."
"You are welcome, milady."
"You can call me Estela. In fact, *please* call me Estela."
"As you wish, Estela."
Aragorn left, closing the door after Estela asked him to.
Estela stood up. Instantly, the pain in her head flared, making her quickly sit back down. Her arms and legs hurt. Not to mention the nauseating feeling she felt in her stomach whenever she moved.
'I guess walking to the Lord's chambers are out of the question, huh?' she said to herself.
Sighing, she sat back down on the bed and laid her head down on the soft pillows.
Closing her eyes was out of the question. Every time she did so little snippets of past visions flashed in her mind. And sleeping was not going to happen either. She, unlike most humans, didn't need much sleep. A few hours was okay, but otherwise she was fine.
So all she could do was to lay there and think of the past events.
Adrian...the poor girl. She was either still back on good ol' planet Earth or...she was running madly away from the evil creatures in Middle-Earth.
She had only seen Frodo, Sam, and Aragorn at the counsel earlier that day. Could Merry and Pippin have been less fortunate than them, or where they just not invited to the meeting?
And the Elves she saw in her visions...who were they and what did they have to do with her? And the Lord Elrond? What about him? He had said something before she passed out... 'It is her' perhaps?
She groaned and turned on her side.
Yes, she noted grimly, it was going to be a *long* time before she saw Elrond.
I am *really* tired. You don't know what I do for you wonderful readers. It is...one in the morning in Missouri. Yep. Hey, I can *read* stories at this time, but, man! It is hard to *write* them.
This chapter is really stupid and it's probably because of the wonderful time in which it was written...
I most likely would have had this up earlier, but my family and I went to the Pasta House for lunch. Then we went to Wal-Mart (I bought the Lord of the Rings soundtrack : )) then we went to...blah blah blah...You probably aren't interested in my pathetic attempts for decent excuses.
Sorry for such a lame and short chapter. Hopefully things will get better as I go along.
Oh, and I have one more thing to say: YOU STUPID KEYBOARD! I keep miss-typing words. AHH! I did it again!
...Yeah...it's time for bed.
Oh, and yet another thing: How old do you think I am? You are probably wondering why in the world I'm asking such a dumb question, but from now on I'm going to add a stupid line from movies and things or a really stupid question from now on in the Author's Note.
So please, I beg you...just answer the question...or...okay! I'm going to stop writing now. Good-night to you all, Lúthien Arnatuilë.
Estela slapped a hand over her mouth. Though she had said the word so soft that it was almost inaudible, she knew that Elrond, if not all the Elves (thanks to their enhanced hearing), had heard her. She had now sealed her soon-to-come fate. 'I'm going to get it so bad...'
"Crud?" said Elrond, screwing up his face and making himself look quite comical. "Well, come forth, Crud. Show yourself and tell us why you are here."
If Estela hadn't been scared out of her mind she would have laughed to see such a high Elf calling her crud and say it with such a serious expression.
"Well?" prompted Elrond.
Knowing nothing else would help her escape she slowly stood up and stepped out of the bushes and in front of the counsel. Trying not to blush or make a fool of herself she calmly met the stares of each of them. Noticing the shocked look of Frodo and the covered up surprise on Aragorn's face she couldn't help but snicker.
"I should have known it was a woman," Boromir muttered.
"Would you please explain what you were doing?" said Elrond. It seemed more like a command than a question.
"I was hoping to talk to you, milord," she replied. "I believe that you are the only one that can help me."
Elrond was quiet for a moment before he responded. "There are punishments for what you have done," he said.
"I am willing to face them if they will come, milord," she responded grimly.
"I see."
The counsel and its members were suddenly gone, replaced with a small room. Two people were standing in it. A male that appeared to be Silen, and the other person had his back facing Estela's vision.
"You must not come with me!" cried Silen desperately. "You will be punished for disobeying your Lord!"
"I do not care, Silen," said the other softly. He took a sword and its sheath off a table and armed herself with it, followed by a bow, and a small dagger. "I must protect him."
"I think the Lord Elrond is fully capable of protecting himself! Please reconsider! You will die if you go!"
"You speak ill words, Silen. I am hurt at your lack of confidence in me. After all, *you* are going. You may die as well as I. But *he* must live. He is my father, Silen."
"No, he is not."
The other stood silently for a moment before he walked to the only door and opened it. "Silen," said the other before leaving, "I know I am disobeying. I know that his strict orders were to be followed. But..."
"But what?"
"I have a feeling...it gives me great pain and desire. Desire to follow him."
"You will die!" yelled Silen. He turned his back on the other, the beginning of tears in his eyes.
"I do not care," said the other softly.
The vision vanished and Estela was now standing in back at the counsel.
"Milady?" asked Elrond. He was standing in front of her, a concerned look on his face.
"Elrond...? Silen...? Élestor? Lenaro?" whispered Estela. "But...you're all...didn't you...?" The weak feeling in her body was back, only this time it was stronger.
"Milady, are you alright?"
"Too late...too late." Estela looked around her in disbelief. "He disobeyed...and they..."
'It hurts so badly...' she thought. 'But...what is it?'
The face of Lord Elrond drew back and the feeling of falling was once again felt.
"Estela!" cried Aragorn.
'Élestor? No...impossible...?'
Strong hands grabbed her, preventing the fall onto the stone ground. "Estela," said Aragorn again. "Are you alright? Estela? Estela! What is wrong?"
"Oh, Valar," whispered Elrond. "It is her."
That was the last thing Estela heard.
~~~~~~~~~~~
Aragorn was sitting in a chair positioned next to the bed in one of the guest bedrooms. Estela was laying on the bed, her eyes open and blank. She appeared to be asleep.
'How did she get to Rivendell?' thought Aragorn, staring at the still young woman. 'More importantly, how did she survive?'
The scouts that the Lord Elrond had sent to find her had come back empty handed, saying that she either disappeared or she was dead. And now...
When she just appeared in the counsel it had startled and shocked both him and Frodo beyond words. Like someone back from the dead.
Aragorn chuckled.
Once he thought about it, it was quite funny.
And the Lord Elrond... He had seemed...shaken in a way. Before he had stood up and was standing in front of the woman, he treated her like any normal person. But when her eyes glazed over and she seemed to be looking at another world and after which she when she said the names "Élestor" and "Lenaro" the Lord had treated her differently, ordering quickly for her to be brought to a room and a healer to check her.
The names meant nothing to Aragorn and, he supposed, they meant nothing to the Lord. It was most likely her voice or her face that had brought forth something. A memory perhaps.
And now, here he sat. Wondering about this strange girl. Had she once said she was from a different world?
'Yes...I believe she did.'
"Mani are lle doing here?"
Aragorn looked up at Estela. She was sitting up in the bed, staring at him blankly. Was she...speaking Sindarin?
"Lle will get e' a lot en' rashwe manka Myrian finds n'e tanya lle are il reading tanya parma re gave lle," she said, wagging a finger at him.
"Excuse me?"
"Do il act dim yassen amin, Élestor. Lle know. Lle parma. Aiya, mani was ta called?" she sighed. "Aiya, Amin suppose ta does il really matter, ten' lle are il reading ta."
"Milady, I do not know what book you are talking about. How do you know Elvish?"
Her blank look was replaced by puzzlement and, closing her eyes, she rubbed her head as if it hurt.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Aragorn. I don't know what's wrong with me. First I have these strange visions, then I have another one in the middle of talking to Elrond, and then, to top it all off, I faint in front of all of them."
"You are having visions?"
"Please, I don't really want to talk about it."
"Yes. How, may I ask, did you survive?"
"Alassé."
"Alassé?"
"My---no, Halendir and Falenwé's horse. I found him and he brought me to Rivendell. And you know what? I think that horse understands me."
"Yes, Elven horses respond to Sindarin. They may not speak it, but they understand it. Who are Halendir and Falenwé?"
"Aragorn, do you know what a headache is?"
"Yes."
"Well I have a *really* large one."
"I am sorry, milady. I will bother you no more. Though I expect a thorough tale after you are feeling better. Oh, and the Lord Elrond wishes to speak to you."
Estela's headache left her immediately. "He what?"
"He wishes to speak to you," repeated Aragorn.
"When?"
"I suppose as soon as you are well."
"But I can see him any time?"
"I...suppose."
"Like, right now?"
"I am not sure..."
"How about later?"
"I think that is alright."
"Great. Thanks, Aragorn."
"You are welcome, milady."
"You can call me Estela. In fact, *please* call me Estela."
"As you wish, Estela."
Aragorn left, closing the door after Estela asked him to.
Estela stood up. Instantly, the pain in her head flared, making her quickly sit back down. Her arms and legs hurt. Not to mention the nauseating feeling she felt in her stomach whenever she moved.
'I guess walking to the Lord's chambers are out of the question, huh?' she said to herself.
Sighing, she sat back down on the bed and laid her head down on the soft pillows.
Closing her eyes was out of the question. Every time she did so little snippets of past visions flashed in her mind. And sleeping was not going to happen either. She, unlike most humans, didn't need much sleep. A few hours was okay, but otherwise she was fine.
So all she could do was to lay there and think of the past events.
Adrian...the poor girl. She was either still back on good ol' planet Earth or...she was running madly away from the evil creatures in Middle-Earth.
She had only seen Frodo, Sam, and Aragorn at the counsel earlier that day. Could Merry and Pippin have been less fortunate than them, or where they just not invited to the meeting?
And the Elves she saw in her visions...who were they and what did they have to do with her? And the Lord Elrond? What about him? He had said something before she passed out... 'It is her' perhaps?
She groaned and turned on her side.
Yes, she noted grimly, it was going to be a *long* time before she saw Elrond.
I am *really* tired. You don't know what I do for you wonderful readers. It is...one in the morning in Missouri. Yep. Hey, I can *read* stories at this time, but, man! It is hard to *write* them.
This chapter is really stupid and it's probably because of the wonderful time in which it was written...
I most likely would have had this up earlier, but my family and I went to the Pasta House for lunch. Then we went to Wal-Mart (I bought the Lord of the Rings soundtrack : )) then we went to...blah blah blah...You probably aren't interested in my pathetic attempts for decent excuses.
Sorry for such a lame and short chapter. Hopefully things will get better as I go along.
Oh, and I have one more thing to say: YOU STUPID KEYBOARD! I keep miss-typing words. AHH! I did it again!
...Yeah...it's time for bed.
Oh, and yet another thing: How old do you think I am? You are probably wondering why in the world I'm asking such a dumb question, but from now on I'm going to add a stupid line from movies and things or a really stupid question from now on in the Author's Note.
So please, I beg you...just answer the question...or...okay! I'm going to stop writing now. Good-night to you all, Lúthien Arnatuilë.