Frodo, Ariel, Merry, Pippin, and Sam took seats around the room while Gandalf went and stood by a wall in thought. No one said anything and Kaysie was starting to get impatient. Legolas sensed this and was about to ask Gandalf when this meeting would start (for he already knew what it was about) when the door opened. It was Elrond.
Elrond nodded to everyone as Gandalf turned away from the wall to look at him.
"Elrond," Gandalf greeted.
"Gandalf," replied Elrond. "I do apologize for being late but I had other matters to attend to first."
"It is quite alright," answered Gandalf. "But now we must begin for I'm sure we all have other things that we would rather be doing now." His gaze fell upon the couples in the room and a small smile played on his lips.
Elrond caught on to this and said, "I see. Well then. To start with I would like to say that I am both pleased and honored to meet you, Sarah, Ariel, Kaysie, and Ley; and also I would like to answer the question that I'm sure has been plaguing your minds: Has a way home been found for you? And this is it…"
Elrond gestured to Gandalf who was in the center of the room laying papers out on a table. He motioned for everyone to gather around. Everyone obeyed.
"I believe," said Gandalf to Kaysie, Ariel, Sarah, and Ley, "That this is what you're looking for."
He lifted a sheet of paper off of the table and handed it to Kaysie who was nearest to him. She took it and glanced at the scrawly writing on it. After a moment she read the paper out loud.
"'On the night the world's fate is placed in the hands of a company of nine, four shall be born: One, an elf who seems to be one but is many; The second, a child in the eyes of men, a Halfling; The third, one that binds men and elves for eternity; The last, an immortal quick to learn. With their first breath will come their destiny: To defeat an unknown enemy, an heir to the evil that is ever watchful. With friends and the ones that hold their hearts, the four who will vanish and then reappear will fulfill that of which is spoken of to the end'," Kaysie finished reading and looked around at everyone around her. She locked eyes with Legolas for a moment and then looked back at Gandalf. "What does that mean?"
"Well, you see," he said, "It is a prophecy concerning you and your friends. It is the answers to all… or most of your questions."
"But, it doesn't say how we're supposed to get home," stated Ley.
"Ah, but it does," answered Gandalf.
"But…" Ariel went to say but was cut off by Legolas.
"The prophecy says, 'the four who will vanish and then reappear'." It means that you four," Legolas pointed to Ley, Kaysie, Sarah, and Ariel and then continued, "left Middle-Earth eighteen years ago and now you have returned. You are home."
A tense silence filled the room. Gandalf and Elrond were studying Ariel, Kaysie, Sarah, and Ley, who were thinking very hard about what they had just been told. Ariel was the first to say anything.
"So…you mean that me, Sarah, Kaysie, and Ley are actually from this world?"
"Ah, so you have solved the puzzle," said Gandalf. "I assume that everyone else has too?"
Gandalf received his answer in nods from Sarah, Kaysie, and Ley. Gandalf did not say anything else only waited to hear any questions that they might have.
"Okay, so we are the four in the prophecy. But what does it mean that we will complete our destinies by defeating an unknown enemy?" asked Ley.
"Well," answered Elrond, "It means that a new enemy, one that we never knew existed is soon to rise and that you four and everyone else in this room, is destined to destroy it."
"But it is said an heir to the evil that is ever watchful. The only person that I can think of is Sauron. But he never had any children, did he?" questioned Kaysie.
"Actually," said Elrond, "He did though we never knew about it."
"How is that possible?" Sarah asked.
"Well Sauron was not always Sauron; meaning he was not always evil. Once upon a time he was Belegceleb, the son of a wizard and an elf. He lived in Mirkwood or 'Greenwood the Great' as it was known. His father dies when he was only a small boy and then his mother was left to raise him and since Sauron's father was such a great friend of the king, they lived in the palace. Sauron grew to become a strong army general but he wasn't just that but also the king's confident. They were like father and son for a long time… that is until Sauron decided that he wanted power. Disagreements became more and more frequent between the two. Finally Sauron went mad and started practicing the dark arts. He would stop at nothing to gain power. Eventually Sauron tried having the king assassinated but he was caught and banished to Dol Guldor in southern Mirkwood, away from society. Sauron brought with him his wife though against her will. She was frightened for her life and that of her unborn child. She eventually ran from him and after only a few days, Sauron gave up the chase. He never knew that he was a father. His wife lived on her own in a secluded area away from all the societies and raised their child on her on own. The child was a son," Elrond informed them.
"But what happened to Sauron after that and to his wife and son?" asked Kaysie.
"Well," said Gandalf. "We know that Sauron eventually fell in with Melkor, the beginning of evil, and then when Melkor was destroyed Sauron gained full power and created the 'Rings' and then the war started. As for his wife and son, we never found out any more about them. They both seemed to disappear after their encounter with an elvish scout, which is how we learned about them in the first place. We've sent many parties out throughout the years to find them but so far it has all been in vain."
"No, not in vain, my friend," said Elrond. "For nothing we do is ever in vain. It will just take time."
"Yes, you are right, Elrond," said Gandalf.
Elrond smiled and hen addressed Sarah, Ley, Ariel, and Kaysie.
"Is there anything about the prophecy that you would like to know about?" he asked them.
"Umm, yes," said Ashley. "When it talks about us I know that the first one of us is mentioned is Sarah and the second one is obviously Ariel, but that leaves me and Kaysie. Which line refers to us?"
"You," said Gandalf to Ley, "Are the last of the four that is mentioned: 'an immortal quick to learn'. And as for Kaysie," Gandalf turned to Kaysie. "You are the third one mentioned: 'one that binds the races of men and elves for eternity'."
"What does that mean?" asked Kaysie.
"You are half-elven," spoke up Legolas though he said it quietly.
Kaysie's eyes widen in shock.
"Am… am I immortal though?" she stammered.
"That is for you to decide," answered Elrond. "Though I think that you have already made that choice." His eyes flashed to Legolas and then back at her. Kaysie understood what he meant and nodded. Legolas gave her a small smile also knowing what Elrond meant. Apparently he wasn't the only one that caught on to Kaysie's answer because Ley narrowed her eyes while the other smirked.
"I have a question," said Ariel. "How did we get sent to Earth?"
"Ah, now that is quite interesting," said Gandalf. "While I was looking for information on the Ring just before Frodo left the Shire, I came upon a document written in an ancient language. I could only read bits of pieces of it but nonetheless, it caught my interest and so I saved it. While in Rivendell for the Council, I had the writing deciphered. It was the prophecy that you've just read. Since it was only days until the Council, we acted quickly. The Lady of the Wood was contacted and she confirmed it. She sent messengers to your homes, for she saw your births in the Mirror. You four were retrieved with the consent of your parents and brought to Lothlorien, where the Lady opened a portal to Earth, as you call it. You were sent there for your protection."
"How did we get back?" asked Sarah.
This time Elrond spoke. "Another portal was created that only you four would be able to find and even then it would only open on the date of your eighteenth birthdays: October 24, 3036."
"This is weird," said Kaysie.
"Indeed," said Gandalf with a chuckle. "But true."
"Who else knows about us?" Ley asked. Negolas was now holding her hand.
"The only ones who know of you are here in this very room," Gandalf said.
"Did they all already know about the prophecy?" asked Sarah.
Gandalf nodded. "The only ones that did not know about it were Negolas and Edro."
Negolas nodded in agreement.
The sky outside had started to dim. It was now late in the day and everyone was starting to tire of talking about the prophecy. Elrond cleared his throat.
"It is getting late," he said. "And I am sure that there are other things that you would all like to do."
"Yes," agreed Gandalf. "This is enough information for one day."
"Wait. I still have one more question," said Kaysie. "Are you going to tell others about the prophecy?"
"We will," answered Elrond. "Tomorrow messengers will be sent to every king, lady, and lord with the information. The only place that the messengers will not go is Lothlorien for the Lady Galadriel already knows of these tidings."
Kaysie nodded and everyone made for the door.
Out in the hall, Frodo, Legolas, Ariel, Kaysie, Negolas, Ley, and Sarah gathered together.
"You know," said Ariel, "There was something I forgot to ask."
"What?" asked Sarah.
"What about our families and friends on Earth? Do they even know we're gone?"
"No," said Frodo. "I asked Gandalf about that myself. Any indication of you ever being alive is gone from Earth."
"Well, I'll miss them anyway," said Sarah.
The group of friends lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Legolas and Negolas were yet to speak to one another and Kaysie and Ley, though they had eventually reached an understanding, were still a little moody towards each other.
"Dinner will be in just a couple of hours," said Negolas. "Perhaps we should retire till then?"
"Good idea," said Frodo. He took Ariel's hand. "See you all in a while."
Frodo led Ariel down the hall and was soon out of sight. The rest of the group dissipated and went their own ways.
Kaysie found herself walking around outside of the castle instead of in her room. The air was cool and crickets could be heard chirping in the distance. Many thoughts rolled through her mind, most about the prophecy. All of a sudden Kaysie tripped over an upturned tree root. She braced herself for the impact of the hard ground but it never came. Instead, she felt strong hands grasping her shoulders. She turned only to see Legolas. She wasn't surprised it was him.
"Legolas," said Kaysie with a grin. "You always seem to pop out of nowhere."
He looked at her confusedly. He didn't understand what she meant by that. Kaysie realized this and corrected herself.
"I mean you always seem to come out of nowhere."
"Oh," replied Legolas. "But if I didn't then you would surely get into some sort of trouble."
"Is that so?" questioned Kaysie with raised eyebrows.
"Possibly," was all Legolas said. He smiled at her.
"I think I would get into more trouble in your company than I would alone," Kaysie retorted.
Legolas laughed softly. "Most-likely," he said.
Kaysie also laughed softly. She began walking again and Legolas followed her. Together they walked over the drawbridge and into the grassy hills surrounding the castle. After a while they found a spot that gave them a clear view of the castle and the town.
"During the meeting, when you were discussing your immortality with Elrond; did you mean what you said?" asked Legolas when they were comfortable.
"What I said?"
"Yes. When Elrond said it was for you to decide, he looked towards me and then back at you, and you nodded yes."
Kaysie shifted a little uneasily under Legolas' piercing gaze. She made to say something but stopped. Instead she looked away from Legolas and gazed at the land around them. He was still looking at her.
"Yes," she simply stated.
Legolas' face remained expressionless but his blue eyes were gleaming. He moved closer to her and embraced her in his arms. Kaysie leaned into him and at once felt at ease.
"I think I have met my match," she said with a dry humor.
"That you have, melamin (my love)."
Kaysie smiled and snuggled closer to Legolas who tightened his embrace and kissed her forehead.
"Amin mela lle (I love you)," he said. Kaysie lifted her head and met his eyes. "I know we have only known each other for a couple of weeks," continued Legolas. "But already I feel drawn to you. I cannot explain. You are my soul mate."
Kaysie's eyes widen. She knew that she and Legolas would be together eventually but this was moving just a bit too fast… wasn't it? Kaysie shrugged mentally as she reminded herself that elves were very serious when it comes to love and could even die of a broken heart. She did not want to see this happen to Legolas so she said what her heart told her to say.
"I love you, too," Kaysie replied meaning every word.
Legolas flashed another heart melting smile and hugged Kaysie tightly. They stayed like this until the shrill sound of a horn pierced the air. It was time for dinner. Legolas stood up and then helped Kaysie to her feet. They walked back to the castle to the warm meals awaiting them.
At dinner no one spoke of the prophecy much to the relief of Ariel, Ley, Sarah, and Kaysie. In fact the dining hall was almost silent which was odd. Not even Merry and Pippin said anything though that could be the cause of their water filled glasses. They had been banned from ale or any other drink along those lines.
When dessert was being served however, the mood changed. The sudden change was brought on when Merry, being bored, purposely knocked over his glass of water over on the table. The water spilled over the edge and into Gimli's lap. The stout dwarf tried pushing his chair back quickly but only succeeded in knocking it over and tripping over it. Hysterical laughter escaped from Pippin and Merry and then to everyone's surprise, Gimli. Before long laughter could be heard in every corner of the room.
"It seems," said Gandalf, "That some hobbits will always be drunk no matter what type of drink it is that fills their stomachs."
Everyone laughed harder at that except Merry and Pippin who didn't understand what Gandalf had meant. It seemed that dinner was not meant to be eaten in silence.