Disclaimer: Hop along back to Chapter One and take a looksee fer yerself!
Author's Explanation (Because it's going to be way too long to be classified as a note):
First, to EVERYBODY, reviewer or not, I AM SORRY. I looked at the date for Chapter 17 and it was sometime in *February*! I'm rather surprised that I haven't had any death threats or anything. My most humble apologies.
Second, I would like to explain my tardiness. The hard drive to my laptop was creamed by a falling object from on high. (Translation: a statue fell off my shelf and -WHAM! - it was all over.) It took somewhere around half a semester to fix, and then I had to restore all my files. So here I am, with Chapter 18 finished, and 19 near completion.
And now to you faithful many:
Contia Mirian: I agree with you on the details part. I live for a little bit of description here and there. Trust me, if I thought I could go off for two pages about Lothlórien, then I would. Unfortunately, I think I would eventually begin to bore myself. I value your reviews (everybody take note, model reviewer right here! Ha ha.) and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
DDR Freak: Brilliance? Strong term, I am honored. I prefer to think of it as madness with a *lot* of rules to remember. But that of course makes it all the more interesting.
The Critic: Thank you. I am honored.
MentalMidget008: As soon as I get the file back from Drake, we can continue with the collaboration. I think he's on vacation right now, but I'll get on his case soon enough. As for Nikome . . . the file was lost in the laptop crash. We can restart, if you'd like? Take care, melamin.
Narcissus: I think Katie lives by Murphey's law, as someone else pointed out. If it can go wrong, I'll make sure it does! I'm so happy that you're still with me, and that this chapter doesn't scare you off!
Rabid Squirrel: Okay, okay! Stay with me, there's more! (
Lady Moon: I laughed at your review when it came in email, and it brightened my day. Nothing like talking to oneself to relieve a bit of stress. What happened is not Meriweather's author, but the canonical characters trying to solve the problem, and therefore 'rebelling' against Tolkien's plotline somewhat. Reading will help, trust me!
Tifa: You'll have to tell me if this qualifies under the category of 'great work.' It wouldn't do to lose what little edge I have!
Me: Oh, it's simple. It keeps me entertained and away from an evil genre of fanfiction that I have already delved to deeply into . . .
Celtic Dreamer: Four reviews to answer at once! Je suis shocke! Your comments and sidenotes are wonderful! I always look for reviews from you, and you make such excellent points. Thanks!
C.L. Rhodes: Crush might be too tame a term. Perhaps 'avalanche of affection' would be slightly more accurate. Hmm . . . not sure about that one.
Goddess Isis: That is *so* true. I don't think such a perfect person exists. I'm drooling thinking about it. You're welcome for the book, I personally love writing from it, but Meriweather needs to keep up her hate factor, so she gets in from time to time.
Spider: I'm pleased, and I hope you stay with me.
DeeSarrachi: I checked the date on your review, sometime in February, begging me to hurry . . . and I'm sorry that it wasn't possible for it to be sooner, but Chapter 19 will be following this one shortly, so maybe that makes up for it?
Dazzle: Hey! Another old-timer! Well, I'm still writing, and you're still reviewing! So read!
Sabriel Elysium: *Yeah* he is! I don't know, for some strange reason, everyone wants more. You'd think my story was popular or something. (
Lady Tamarisk: Oh, there is no way I will stop. I fully intend to finish, so keep reading.
ScarsOnAScribbler'sHeart: I just wanted to say: I love your name. And there's a fangirl or fanguy deep inside everyone of us. Except mine's not so deep. Go Glorfindel!
Rabia: Hi, I've missed you! No, there's no connection between "To Kill A Mockingbird" and Meriweather. Except perhaps subconsciously. I picked the name Meriweather because I wanted something long and ridiculous. Does it work? Must remember to go to your short fic. And finals actually went all right. I only nearly failed one, but I wasn't in danger of failing the course, so I scraped by. What about you? You done with school?
Laura: Oh, the girls have no idea. When my friend gets done with her Glorfindel fanfiction, you'll have to read it. It's all about fangirls 'missing' Glorfindel. It promises to be entertaining. At least for Mary Sue-haters. I think I know some people like that . . .
Katie Tann: Another someone I've missed! Go elf groupies! 'Manually challenged.' I'll have to remember that one. Now you can go see which way canon went. I hope it's not too painful . . .
Europa: Yeah! Go Glorfindel! Tune in for the conclusion to the Glorfindel Incident . . .
SaiyanGirlCheetah: Hey, you deserved it! Yes, I have won another convert to the Glorfindel cause! And about Meriweather's return, read on . . .
Earendil: Aww, it wasn't really a cliffhanger, was it? I mean, she wasn't staring down Meriweather's sword or anthing . . . I'm receiving murderous glares. Shutting up . . .
Katakanadian: I fought the canon, and the canon won . . . or will it? Cue the cheesy scary music! I leave you to read and find out!
Azaelia Sapphire: I'm thinking we should start a club for Glorfindel fans. He's *so* undervalued.
Zurizip: Oh, of course! Motto away!
Wellduh: I'm sorry. I'll stop with the hunky mental imagery.
WeaselyTwinsLover: You must be in Europe or something, because I looked at the time on the email and it said 3 a.m. EST. Tell me that you have something better to do than read my fanfiction at 3 in the morning! Incidentally, I apologize that I didn't have time to reply, but my mother deleted the email, and we're having some hacking problems with our account. To answer your question, it was recently decided last week that the story will continue through The Two Towers at least, because the movie hit the theatres before I was finished. Return of the King, however, we'll have to see . . .
The FLAMER: Oh, I thought I was in trouble for a moment . . . Happy you liked, and I hope you like what's to come, too!
Menlathiel: Thanks for the heads-up about the confusion. I'll have to remember that not everybody can follow my spasmodic neural leaps of illogic. (
Shiggity-shiggity: Ha, ha, slow down! I've only taken two semesters of French! Je ne comprend pas, mais merci. (I probably broke 37 grammar laws right there.)
Philippa: Didn't I tell you that I have exclusive rights to be slothful? Just kidding! I was looking for your picket signs, by the way. Ah, there's too much administration. Red tape, phooey! Nothing a knife can't handle . . .
NightShade: Ah, yes, my Murphey's law contributor. And the code of Katie's rather unlucky entrapment. I hope you like!
CrimsonElf: I'm so surprised that you sat down and read the *whole thing* through at once! I didn't think anybody could do that, not even me! You get my Perseverance Award! I've heard varying things about the Aragorn POV, and I was really just testing the waters for something a little different. Thanks for the feedback!
Deòiridh: It's a trick to spell your name! Great criticism. Yeah, I'm guilty of overusing some phrases. My defense is that I love synonym- istics. I hate repeating names over and over. But I will attempt to control myself underneath such high praise.
Sprite: I give you permission to breathe again. Go forth and read!
Mizalaye: Give Katie a break? Are you crazy? If she's lucky she'll get an uninterrupted, undrugged night's sleep. ( I've missed you too, and I hope you'll forgive my rather long absence.
Alaina: Sure, I'll join your club, and I think about half of the other people that reviewed will too! About Galadriel . . . according to the book she tempted the Fellowship with the things they most desired. For example, one of the hobbits (pardon me, I don't remember which off the top of my head) wanted to go back to the Shire, and Galadriel offered him the choice. That's basically what she did with Katie, testing her as you said.
Fly Without Wings: Thanks!
Wen Quendalie: Someone has hit the nail on the head . . . Bravo!
AerinBrown: I'm chuggin' along! It's hard work, entertaining the masses!
Stage-Rose: Aw, thanks for the cheer, I feel special. And now, on to the best part!
Author's Note: Before I began answering reviews, this chapter was nine pages long. Now it's twelve. Go figure.
And last, but *certainly* not least, dedication of this chapter goes to Contia Mirian, for her questions, encouragements, and support. Thank you, thank you so *very* much.
TRAPPED AS A MARY SUE
Chapter Eighteen
"Lady, are you all right?" the elf lord asked in a smooth baritone that would have definitely made Katie weak in the knees, had she not already been on the ground. He extended one strong hand and easily brought her back to her feet.
"The only things hurt are the tattered shreds of my pride," she replied a bit sourly, hiding her open-mouthed adoration behind the irritation she felt toward herself and the Mary Sue's cursed author. And the fates, darn them all!
"Lord Elrond has requested to speak with you, about the matter that concerns all of Middle-earth. Will you accompany me, Lady?"
His eyes are so green . . . Katie caught herself thinking, before the better part of her senses took over. "It would appear that I have no choice. However, please do not call me 'Lady', for you are giving me a title that I certainly do not deserve."
"As you wish, Katie." Glorfindel did not argue, but beckoned her to follow him. Somehow the syllables of her name didn't sound as odd as they did when Arwen or Legolas had pronounced them.
Okay, knock it off, you're making *me* look pathetic, her voice broke in. And you need to be on your toes for this, comprendez-vous?
Hey, when did you learn to speak French?
*Pay attention, will ya?*
Glorfindel descended the ladder where the three elves in silver mail were still standing sentry, and waited while the girl behind him cautiously (and rather slowly) made her way down. Then the elf lord led her down a series of stairs, to a small glade set in a natural depression in the earth. Ivy had been allowed to overgrow the rim and cascade onto the soft grass, and there were white stone benches ringing the entire circle. And in the center, Elrond, Arwen, and Aragorn stood waiting.
There was no warning as Galadriel and Celeborn passed into view from behind, their footfalls silent. Katie started, blinked, and immediately wished she was somewhere else. There were *far* too many important people here. And while she knew the Fellowship was important, all the elves were still considered the "wisest and fairest of all beings," to quote an actress she knew. This did not sit well with her.
"Pray be seated," Galadriel bid them, wasting no time in getting to the point.
Umm . . . this isn't right, is it? I'm *positive* this didn't happen, especially since I think the whole thing concerns me.
You're right, it didn't. This is a knot in the canon, caused by Meriweather's misweaving of the threads of the story and your subsequent involvement. One thing I'll say: this can't be good.
Galadriel and Celeborn seated themselves together on a bench, Elrond and Glorfindel to their right, Arwen and Aragorn to their left. Which left Katie feeling like the odd one out. She hesitated, feeling like a deer caught in headlights as all six of them looked at her expectantly. At last the girl took the only seat left to her, the one right across from Galadriel. A shivery tingle of apprehension crept along her spine.
"Do you know, Katie, why we have called this meeting?" the Lady of the Wood began.
She licked her lips and cleared her throat, hands unconsciously gripping the edge of the bench she sat on until her knuckles turned white. Katie felt like she was in the dean's office, being interrogated. Darting another uncertain glance around at the stoic faces looking at her, she answered, "To address the threat we all face, so I believe." She was careful to keep her reply as canonically phrased as possible, though in the end it probably would not matter.
"Correct," Elrond confirmed, piercing eyes resting on her. He pinned her in place with a demanding gaze, not unkind, merely concerned. "We understand some of what you have encountered, and have gathered instances of our own, but now you must reveal all in its entirety, if we are to solve this problem."
Who knew one teenage girl could have created such a fiasco? her voice asked dryly. Tell 'em, and don't leave anything out.
Katie obeyed, slowly and haltingly at first, afraid to reveal too much. "There is a fierce battle being waged here, and I am in the center of it. This is no magic or evil force of your world, and I do not think there is anything that can be done in your power to remedy it. I know that you all, perhaps with the exception of Glorfindel and Arwen, know what I speak of when I say that there is an evil in all our minds. It appears as a small voice, but it is a danger far greater than that. It is what you would be forced to become, should I lose control."
"'Control?'" Elrond repeated. "Of what do you speak?"
She took a calming breath, before continuing. "You see me as I am because I have defeated Meriweather. You are yourselves because of my battles with her. But it is not a lasting thing. In essence, we fight for control of reality as you know it. You, Lord Elrond, and Aragorn as well," Katie nodded her head toward him, "understand the other reality. It is a twisted, malformed version of Middle-earth, one whose existence should never have been allowed to occur."
"Agreed," Celeborn interrupted. "Tell us of your encounters with this foe."
"Meriweather," the name came to her lips as a snarled word and Katie let it escape as such. "Three times have I fought her. The first, we were both unconscious on the pass of Caradhras. I was blinded by rage for what she had caused me to endure, and I attacked her, gaining the upper hand because she did not expect me to resist, or for there to be a flaw in her plan. Upon her defeat, I came here, as Aragorn will tell you, as I appear, shocking and odd as I am.
"The second time, I had an unfortunate incident with a rock," Katie explained delicately, "and while I was again unconscious, Meriweather in turn took advantage of me and strangled me into submission. It was at that time that the Fellowship gained Moria, and it was as we departed, under Meriweather's spell, that the third altercation occurred. Once more I defeated her, and ever since Middle-earth has been somewhat intact, except for my presence."
The circle of people around her stirred as she finished her account. Glorfindel and Elrond looked thoughtful, as did Celeborn. Galadriel remained impassive, and Arwen was regarding Aragorn silently as he seemed to consider a blade of grass between his boots to be of utmost importance.
"Did you ever injure one another in your encounters?" Elrond questioned, brow furrowed as if he were working on a complicated puzzle.
Katie nodded. "It does not show when either of us return to consciousness. Only previously sustained wounds remain, such as the orc arrow wounds Meriweather received in Moria."
"So Meriweather is the only one to have been harmed?"
Aragorn cleared his throat conspicuously as she hesitated. Katie favored him with a glare before responding, "No, she is untouched. I take all wounds inflicted to her. It is one of the evils she possesses over me."
"So her hold has increased ere I saw you last?" Arwen asked quietly, her question not really needing an answer.
"I fear so, yes," the girl affirmed. "And my plea to you is that if you know of any way to remedy this great menace, please tell me! I know of no solution, short of murdering Meriweather in cold blood, and I do not possess the will or the strength to commit such an act." Katie's admittance of her deep-rooted fear stuck in her throat, but only for a moment. She had known all along that she could not do away with Meriweather, but she also knew that simply killing the Sue would not stop the problem. But Katie didn't know how to explain the existence of a fanfic author to them, and she didn't dare try.
This repercussions thing is really beginning to get on my nerves, she observed to herself.
Don't stress about it for the time being. Listen, that's all. They may have an idea.
"It would seem that Meriweather is the being we must contend with," Glorfindel at last surmised. "Does she serve a greater power that you have not mentioned?"
What is this guy, psychic?
No, that would be Galadriel you're thinking of.
"Yes, Meriweather does not act of her own accord. She is at the mercy of a being as great as Melkor."
The elves started and looked amongst themselves at Katie's analogy. "Surely that cannot be true!" Aragorn spoke for the first time. "How can one mere child face a force with that much strength?"
Katie half-flinched at the Ranger's use of 'child,' but refused to react. "Alone, if I must and no other way can be found. But I pray that there may," she added.
The impromptu council fell silent, until Galadriel spoke. "This matter requires much thought and contemplation. You have faced much already, Katie, unaided. You have proven yourself strong, and now may you rest in peace. The Golden Wood has always been a haven from evil, and I pray you find it as such. We will adjourn for the night, and speak again on these things three eves from now. A solution must be reached as swiftly as possible." She rose on those words, as did the rest of the council.
With a few murmured farewells, the seven disbanded. Katie remained where she sat, hands still firmly glued to the edge of her bench. She bent to the task of commanding her fingers to release themselves, letting out a relieved sigh as she did so.
That could have gone a lot worse, Katie muttered mentally as she rubbed feeling back into her hands.
Under the circumstances, I don't think it could have gone any better.
"Katie?" A gentle hand touched her shoulder, but the girl was far too weary to jump in surprise. Her fading nervousness, coupled with a long day of travel, had finally taken its toll, and Katie was dead tired.
She looked up blearily to see Arwen bending over her, raven hair spilling over one slim shoulder. Her unblemished beauty made Katie feel that much grimier.
"Will you come with me? I requested that you be given a flet away from the Company, unless you prefer otherwise?"
"No, no, that's perfectly all right. I appreciate your thought of me," she smiled and rose clumsily to her feet, tiredness weighing down her every step. Arwen led her slowly, coaching her every step.
Normally, Katie would have vociferously protested any sort of fuss over her, but at the moment her mind refused to even attempt anything near cognitive thought. However, when a bath was offered, there was no way, asleep or awake, she was going to turn that down. And so it was, clean, wearing proper nightclothes, and sleeping in a soft bed, that Katie ended her third day in Lothlorien.
The days passed, eventfully and uneventfully in their turns, and though Katie was determined to keep track somehow the hours slipped away from her like so many grains of sand between her fingers. There was something about the Enchanted Wood that defied definition and muddled one's senses. The sun always shone in Lothlorien and there was never a rainy day or hardly a cloud in the sky, or that was how it seemed.
Many of Katie's time passing activities, if they could be called such, were simply wandering through the many flets in the great city with careless abandon, trusting that someone would find her and bring her back to her room before nightfall. She would go and talk with the members of the Fellowship that would have her, such as the hobbits and Gimli, from time to time. Boromir stilled seemed leery of her presence and she did not fault him for it. Legolas, as a general rule, was always off with his elven kindred, but that was to be an expected occurrence. Aragorn had his frequent appearances as he was the leader of the Fellowship, but he divided his attention between his comrades and his girlfriend. As such, it left Katie with some very short conversation companions.
It was somewhere around the sixth night of their stay under the boughs of the Golden Wood when again the Council of Galadriel, as Katie had come to all it, met again.
"You all know our purpose, thus there is no use in restating it," Galadriel opened without preamble. "Have any of you a solution?"
"Before you ask for an answer, perhaps we might know if we have been given all the clues," Elrond returned shrewdly, steepling his fingers and looking at Katie across the circle.
Katie's mind whirled as she tried to remember what she had neglected to mention besides the blatant fact that everybody before her was fictional. "I do not understand . . ." she hedged. "I have told all I know to tell."
The lord of Imladris held up one hand for her silence. "I recalled something Elladan and Elrohir told me of, that night when they thought to take your life. You said there was an 'author' controlling Middle-earth, is that not so?"
How did you manage to let that one slip?
Hey, it was a near-death experience, all right?! Gimme a break! Katie tried to calm herself and come up with a logical answer that could be explained without having to go into terms such as 'fanfic' and 'Mary Sue.'
"I did say that," the girl confirmed, nodding slowly. When it was clear that the six people before her demanded that she expound upon that notion, Katie took a deep breath. "To put it simply, we are all characters in the gigantic play that is life. I can't tell you everything you wish to know because it would likely crush your fragile world into fragments that can't be mended. Let us leave it at this: I belong to a different stage, a different scene than yours. You may call it a future scene to yours."
She cast a careful glance at her listeners, hoping they would understand her analogy. Nobody looked completely lost yet, and Katie took that as a good sign.
"Do you mean to say that you know what will happen?" Celeborn spoke, aged eyes focused intently on Katie.
"I can't answer that, for I don't even know anymore. Someone from my stage has created the menace of Meriweather, trapped myself and you as her pawns, and has somehow linked Middle-Earth and my Earth together. I call the person an author, and the effects of her power are steadily growing worse as the story progresses. Our two stages, two *worlds* are slowly being mixed together." Katie paused, lowering her hands from where they had been gesticulating madly throughout her speech.
"What will it take to unravel these 'stages?'" Arwen asked, glancing first at her father and then her grandmother.
"I do not think this problem can be remedied at this point in time. If I discern what Katie says rightly, to attempt any attack on Meriweather or this 'author' could prove disastrous to Middle-Earth. The two worlds could become permanently bound to one another, and we would slowly be overrun and defeated," Galadriel summed up, blond tresses flowing slightly in a gentle breath of wind.
"Then you suggest letting the play run through its acts and scenes?" Glorfindel questioned, crossing his arms and looking to the she-elf.
"That would seem the most prudent option, yes."
That was not exactly the answer Katie wanted to hear. The story could go right on through 'The Return of the King,' and by then she would certainly be stark, raving mad. "You have *got* to be kidding," she groaned under her breath, trying not to panic.
Six pairs of eyes were immediately locked on her.
"'Kidding?'" questioned Aragorn.
"Jesting," Katie explained, and immediately wished she hadn't.
"Why would we jest about such a thing?" the Ranger demanded. "You know what is at stake here!" He glared at her with a look of impatience.
Don't you dare . . . ! Her voice was too late. Katie's simmering anger and frustration over the entire situation finally boiled over. And to the elves, it was a sight to behold.
"Yeah, more than you do! I have had it up to here-" and Katie made a vicious gesture to her throat, "-with your attitude! What is your problem anyway? I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be here, and I know you think I'm some kind of useless fool-don't roll your eyes at me, you jerk-but for pity's sake give me a break! If you knew *half* of what I do, you wouldn't be so quick to judge and condemn me all at once." She was on her feet and shouting. Even Elrond looked a little cowed at her outburst. But Katie wasn't finished with her un-canonized speech.
"And now you tell me that I'm going to be stuck here until the Scouring of the Shire takes place, forced to kiss up to you *and* Boromir! *Yes*, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, I *do* know what is at stake." Katie fixed him with a deadly glower. "Don't you treat me as if I am a stupid child with nothing better to do than get in the way. I feel like that often enough without you constantly reminding me. Just stay out of my way," she growled, then turned on her heel and stalked out of the council. And it was entirely more satisfying than the last time, because she didn't smack into an invisible barrier.
A smart thing you did back there, you moron, her voice grumbled. I bet they didn't even understand half of what you said.
More's the pity, Katie shot back. Don't mess with me. I've had enough. If you'll excuse me, I think I need to go find someone to beat up. Breathing deeply, fists clenched at her side, she tried to relax, but was still too upset.
"Katie?"
She would know that voice anywhere. Katie spun on her heel and snapped, "Yes?"
Aragorn didn't flinch at her tone, or the rather murderous anger in her eyes. "Will you walk with me?"
No, was her first instinct.
Yes, her voice insisted. At the very least you owe him an apology.
Right, Katie replied sarcastically. After he gives one to me.
Just do it, her voice sighed. Stop acting like a five-year-old. No wonder Aragorn thinks you're a little kid.
Katie was silent a moment. At last she nodded, not meeting Aragorn's eyes. "I will accompany you."
As is often the case when two people feel guilty about earlier actions but are loathe to apologize first, there was a long silence as Katie and Aragorn navigated several stairways. She had her arms crossed over her chest in a hostile posture and he had his hands clasped behind his back, a closed expression on his face.
"Putting off what we mean to say will get us nowhere," Katie finally began. She left off studying the hem of her elven dress and cast a sideways look at the Ranger. "I am sorry for my actions at the council. I acted inappropriately and I should not have said those things to you. I ask your forgiveness."
Aragorn's blue-gray eyes studied her for a moment. "You have it. And I too must ask for your pardon. Rarely have the women in Middle-earth been involved in something so dangerous, and never at your age. It is true that you are by far the youngest one, and that leads the Fellowship to consider you a child. Your experiences and knowledge have aged you, and I must beg of you your forgiveness for not seeing the large part you play on our stage right now. I had not known of your battles, for they leave no wounds. I considered you a nuisance, and I am sorry."
"It is forgotten," Katie said, looking at the ground six feet or so below the open stairwell they stood upon. "I cannot say the same for your tricks, however."
Aragorn failed to note the mischievous gleam in the girl's eye, nor his own precarious position as he replied, "The wiles of a Ranger are numerous," he said, a self-satisfied half-smirk pulling at his lips.
"Indeed." Katie narrowed her eyes, struggling to conceal her own half- smile. "But then, as I am sure Arwen will teach you, the wiles of a woman far outnumber those of a man, be he a Ranger or not." With that, she sprang forward and pushed Aragorn so that he went teetering off balance on the edge of the stairs. His arms pinwheeled in the air for a moment, a look of utter surprise and shock on his face, before his feet slipped. He tried to throw his upper body forward in order to catch the edge of the steps, but he missed miserably and instead his fast reflexes caught the hem of Katie's dress.
She let out a shriek such as had never before been heard in the Golden Wood, for two reasons. One was because Aragorn was *impossible* to get revenge upon. The second was far more serious: she knew her head was going to hit something. In the split second before the back of her skull greeted the edge of the stairs, Katie cringed and immediately began sorting through her mental knowledge of interesting weapons.
Aragorn would never know why one moment he was lying on the ground, the wind knocked out of him from Katie's revenge tactic, and the next he was back in the tiny cell he had come to recognize as his mental prison, where he was kept at bay by a power he could not overcome.
But as he renewed his struggle against his mental bonds, he saw the answer before him, in the girl with Katie's face.
Meriweather was back.
[Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Page 349.]
Author's Explanation (Because it's going to be way too long to be classified as a note):
First, to EVERYBODY, reviewer or not, I AM SORRY. I looked at the date for Chapter 17 and it was sometime in *February*! I'm rather surprised that I haven't had any death threats or anything. My most humble apologies.
Second, I would like to explain my tardiness. The hard drive to my laptop was creamed by a falling object from on high. (Translation: a statue fell off my shelf and -WHAM! - it was all over.) It took somewhere around half a semester to fix, and then I had to restore all my files. So here I am, with Chapter 18 finished, and 19 near completion.
And now to you faithful many:
Contia Mirian: I agree with you on the details part. I live for a little bit of description here and there. Trust me, if I thought I could go off for two pages about Lothlórien, then I would. Unfortunately, I think I would eventually begin to bore myself. I value your reviews (everybody take note, model reviewer right here! Ha ha.) and I hope you enjoy the chapter.
DDR Freak: Brilliance? Strong term, I am honored. I prefer to think of it as madness with a *lot* of rules to remember. But that of course makes it all the more interesting.
The Critic: Thank you. I am honored.
MentalMidget008: As soon as I get the file back from Drake, we can continue with the collaboration. I think he's on vacation right now, but I'll get on his case soon enough. As for Nikome . . . the file was lost in the laptop crash. We can restart, if you'd like? Take care, melamin.
Narcissus: I think Katie lives by Murphey's law, as someone else pointed out. If it can go wrong, I'll make sure it does! I'm so happy that you're still with me, and that this chapter doesn't scare you off!
Rabid Squirrel: Okay, okay! Stay with me, there's more! (
Lady Moon: I laughed at your review when it came in email, and it brightened my day. Nothing like talking to oneself to relieve a bit of stress. What happened is not Meriweather's author, but the canonical characters trying to solve the problem, and therefore 'rebelling' against Tolkien's plotline somewhat. Reading will help, trust me!
Tifa: You'll have to tell me if this qualifies under the category of 'great work.' It wouldn't do to lose what little edge I have!
Me: Oh, it's simple. It keeps me entertained and away from an evil genre of fanfiction that I have already delved to deeply into . . .
Celtic Dreamer: Four reviews to answer at once! Je suis shocke! Your comments and sidenotes are wonderful! I always look for reviews from you, and you make such excellent points. Thanks!
C.L. Rhodes: Crush might be too tame a term. Perhaps 'avalanche of affection' would be slightly more accurate. Hmm . . . not sure about that one.
Goddess Isis: That is *so* true. I don't think such a perfect person exists. I'm drooling thinking about it. You're welcome for the book, I personally love writing from it, but Meriweather needs to keep up her hate factor, so she gets in from time to time.
Spider: I'm pleased, and I hope you stay with me.
DeeSarrachi: I checked the date on your review, sometime in February, begging me to hurry . . . and I'm sorry that it wasn't possible for it to be sooner, but Chapter 19 will be following this one shortly, so maybe that makes up for it?
Dazzle: Hey! Another old-timer! Well, I'm still writing, and you're still reviewing! So read!
Sabriel Elysium: *Yeah* he is! I don't know, for some strange reason, everyone wants more. You'd think my story was popular or something. (
Lady Tamarisk: Oh, there is no way I will stop. I fully intend to finish, so keep reading.
ScarsOnAScribbler'sHeart: I just wanted to say: I love your name. And there's a fangirl or fanguy deep inside everyone of us. Except mine's not so deep. Go Glorfindel!
Rabia: Hi, I've missed you! No, there's no connection between "To Kill A Mockingbird" and Meriweather. Except perhaps subconsciously. I picked the name Meriweather because I wanted something long and ridiculous. Does it work? Must remember to go to your short fic. And finals actually went all right. I only nearly failed one, but I wasn't in danger of failing the course, so I scraped by. What about you? You done with school?
Laura: Oh, the girls have no idea. When my friend gets done with her Glorfindel fanfiction, you'll have to read it. It's all about fangirls 'missing' Glorfindel. It promises to be entertaining. At least for Mary Sue-haters. I think I know some people like that . . .
Katie Tann: Another someone I've missed! Go elf groupies! 'Manually challenged.' I'll have to remember that one. Now you can go see which way canon went. I hope it's not too painful . . .
Europa: Yeah! Go Glorfindel! Tune in for the conclusion to the Glorfindel Incident . . .
SaiyanGirlCheetah: Hey, you deserved it! Yes, I have won another convert to the Glorfindel cause! And about Meriweather's return, read on . . .
Earendil: Aww, it wasn't really a cliffhanger, was it? I mean, she wasn't staring down Meriweather's sword or anthing . . . I'm receiving murderous glares. Shutting up . . .
Katakanadian: I fought the canon, and the canon won . . . or will it? Cue the cheesy scary music! I leave you to read and find out!
Azaelia Sapphire: I'm thinking we should start a club for Glorfindel fans. He's *so* undervalued.
Zurizip: Oh, of course! Motto away!
Wellduh: I'm sorry. I'll stop with the hunky mental imagery.
WeaselyTwinsLover: You must be in Europe or something, because I looked at the time on the email and it said 3 a.m. EST. Tell me that you have something better to do than read my fanfiction at 3 in the morning! Incidentally, I apologize that I didn't have time to reply, but my mother deleted the email, and we're having some hacking problems with our account. To answer your question, it was recently decided last week that the story will continue through The Two Towers at least, because the movie hit the theatres before I was finished. Return of the King, however, we'll have to see . . .
The FLAMER: Oh, I thought I was in trouble for a moment . . . Happy you liked, and I hope you like what's to come, too!
Menlathiel: Thanks for the heads-up about the confusion. I'll have to remember that not everybody can follow my spasmodic neural leaps of illogic. (
Shiggity-shiggity: Ha, ha, slow down! I've only taken two semesters of French! Je ne comprend pas, mais merci. (I probably broke 37 grammar laws right there.)
Philippa: Didn't I tell you that I have exclusive rights to be slothful? Just kidding! I was looking for your picket signs, by the way. Ah, there's too much administration. Red tape, phooey! Nothing a knife can't handle . . .
NightShade: Ah, yes, my Murphey's law contributor. And the code of Katie's rather unlucky entrapment. I hope you like!
CrimsonElf: I'm so surprised that you sat down and read the *whole thing* through at once! I didn't think anybody could do that, not even me! You get my Perseverance Award! I've heard varying things about the Aragorn POV, and I was really just testing the waters for something a little different. Thanks for the feedback!
Deòiridh: It's a trick to spell your name! Great criticism. Yeah, I'm guilty of overusing some phrases. My defense is that I love synonym- istics. I hate repeating names over and over. But I will attempt to control myself underneath such high praise.
Sprite: I give you permission to breathe again. Go forth and read!
Mizalaye: Give Katie a break? Are you crazy? If she's lucky she'll get an uninterrupted, undrugged night's sleep. ( I've missed you too, and I hope you'll forgive my rather long absence.
Alaina: Sure, I'll join your club, and I think about half of the other people that reviewed will too! About Galadriel . . . according to the book she tempted the Fellowship with the things they most desired. For example, one of the hobbits (pardon me, I don't remember which off the top of my head) wanted to go back to the Shire, and Galadriel offered him the choice. That's basically what she did with Katie, testing her as you said.
Fly Without Wings: Thanks!
Wen Quendalie: Someone has hit the nail on the head . . . Bravo!
AerinBrown: I'm chuggin' along! It's hard work, entertaining the masses!
Stage-Rose: Aw, thanks for the cheer, I feel special. And now, on to the best part!
Author's Note: Before I began answering reviews, this chapter was nine pages long. Now it's twelve. Go figure.
And last, but *certainly* not least, dedication of this chapter goes to Contia Mirian, for her questions, encouragements, and support. Thank you, thank you so *very* much.
TRAPPED AS A MARY SUE
Chapter Eighteen
"Lady, are you all right?" the elf lord asked in a smooth baritone that would have definitely made Katie weak in the knees, had she not already been on the ground. He extended one strong hand and easily brought her back to her feet.
"The only things hurt are the tattered shreds of my pride," she replied a bit sourly, hiding her open-mouthed adoration behind the irritation she felt toward herself and the Mary Sue's cursed author. And the fates, darn them all!
"Lord Elrond has requested to speak with you, about the matter that concerns all of Middle-earth. Will you accompany me, Lady?"
His eyes are so green . . . Katie caught herself thinking, before the better part of her senses took over. "It would appear that I have no choice. However, please do not call me 'Lady', for you are giving me a title that I certainly do not deserve."
"As you wish, Katie." Glorfindel did not argue, but beckoned her to follow him. Somehow the syllables of her name didn't sound as odd as they did when Arwen or Legolas had pronounced them.
Okay, knock it off, you're making *me* look pathetic, her voice broke in. And you need to be on your toes for this, comprendez-vous?
Hey, when did you learn to speak French?
*Pay attention, will ya?*
Glorfindel descended the ladder where the three elves in silver mail were still standing sentry, and waited while the girl behind him cautiously (and rather slowly) made her way down. Then the elf lord led her down a series of stairs, to a small glade set in a natural depression in the earth. Ivy had been allowed to overgrow the rim and cascade onto the soft grass, and there were white stone benches ringing the entire circle. And in the center, Elrond, Arwen, and Aragorn stood waiting.
There was no warning as Galadriel and Celeborn passed into view from behind, their footfalls silent. Katie started, blinked, and immediately wished she was somewhere else. There were *far* too many important people here. And while she knew the Fellowship was important, all the elves were still considered the "wisest and fairest of all beings," to quote an actress she knew. This did not sit well with her.
"Pray be seated," Galadriel bid them, wasting no time in getting to the point.
Umm . . . this isn't right, is it? I'm *positive* this didn't happen, especially since I think the whole thing concerns me.
You're right, it didn't. This is a knot in the canon, caused by Meriweather's misweaving of the threads of the story and your subsequent involvement. One thing I'll say: this can't be good.
Galadriel and Celeborn seated themselves together on a bench, Elrond and Glorfindel to their right, Arwen and Aragorn to their left. Which left Katie feeling like the odd one out. She hesitated, feeling like a deer caught in headlights as all six of them looked at her expectantly. At last the girl took the only seat left to her, the one right across from Galadriel. A shivery tingle of apprehension crept along her spine.
"Do you know, Katie, why we have called this meeting?" the Lady of the Wood began.
She licked her lips and cleared her throat, hands unconsciously gripping the edge of the bench she sat on until her knuckles turned white. Katie felt like she was in the dean's office, being interrogated. Darting another uncertain glance around at the stoic faces looking at her, she answered, "To address the threat we all face, so I believe." She was careful to keep her reply as canonically phrased as possible, though in the end it probably would not matter.
"Correct," Elrond confirmed, piercing eyes resting on her. He pinned her in place with a demanding gaze, not unkind, merely concerned. "We understand some of what you have encountered, and have gathered instances of our own, but now you must reveal all in its entirety, if we are to solve this problem."
Who knew one teenage girl could have created such a fiasco? her voice asked dryly. Tell 'em, and don't leave anything out.
Katie obeyed, slowly and haltingly at first, afraid to reveal too much. "There is a fierce battle being waged here, and I am in the center of it. This is no magic or evil force of your world, and I do not think there is anything that can be done in your power to remedy it. I know that you all, perhaps with the exception of Glorfindel and Arwen, know what I speak of when I say that there is an evil in all our minds. It appears as a small voice, but it is a danger far greater than that. It is what you would be forced to become, should I lose control."
"'Control?'" Elrond repeated. "Of what do you speak?"
She took a calming breath, before continuing. "You see me as I am because I have defeated Meriweather. You are yourselves because of my battles with her. But it is not a lasting thing. In essence, we fight for control of reality as you know it. You, Lord Elrond, and Aragorn as well," Katie nodded her head toward him, "understand the other reality. It is a twisted, malformed version of Middle-earth, one whose existence should never have been allowed to occur."
"Agreed," Celeborn interrupted. "Tell us of your encounters with this foe."
"Meriweather," the name came to her lips as a snarled word and Katie let it escape as such. "Three times have I fought her. The first, we were both unconscious on the pass of Caradhras. I was blinded by rage for what she had caused me to endure, and I attacked her, gaining the upper hand because she did not expect me to resist, or for there to be a flaw in her plan. Upon her defeat, I came here, as Aragorn will tell you, as I appear, shocking and odd as I am.
"The second time, I had an unfortunate incident with a rock," Katie explained delicately, "and while I was again unconscious, Meriweather in turn took advantage of me and strangled me into submission. It was at that time that the Fellowship gained Moria, and it was as we departed, under Meriweather's spell, that the third altercation occurred. Once more I defeated her, and ever since Middle-earth has been somewhat intact, except for my presence."
The circle of people around her stirred as she finished her account. Glorfindel and Elrond looked thoughtful, as did Celeborn. Galadriel remained impassive, and Arwen was regarding Aragorn silently as he seemed to consider a blade of grass between his boots to be of utmost importance.
"Did you ever injure one another in your encounters?" Elrond questioned, brow furrowed as if he were working on a complicated puzzle.
Katie nodded. "It does not show when either of us return to consciousness. Only previously sustained wounds remain, such as the orc arrow wounds Meriweather received in Moria."
"So Meriweather is the only one to have been harmed?"
Aragorn cleared his throat conspicuously as she hesitated. Katie favored him with a glare before responding, "No, she is untouched. I take all wounds inflicted to her. It is one of the evils she possesses over me."
"So her hold has increased ere I saw you last?" Arwen asked quietly, her question not really needing an answer.
"I fear so, yes," the girl affirmed. "And my plea to you is that if you know of any way to remedy this great menace, please tell me! I know of no solution, short of murdering Meriweather in cold blood, and I do not possess the will or the strength to commit such an act." Katie's admittance of her deep-rooted fear stuck in her throat, but only for a moment. She had known all along that she could not do away with Meriweather, but she also knew that simply killing the Sue would not stop the problem. But Katie didn't know how to explain the existence of a fanfic author to them, and she didn't dare try.
This repercussions thing is really beginning to get on my nerves, she observed to herself.
Don't stress about it for the time being. Listen, that's all. They may have an idea.
"It would seem that Meriweather is the being we must contend with," Glorfindel at last surmised. "Does she serve a greater power that you have not mentioned?"
What is this guy, psychic?
No, that would be Galadriel you're thinking of.
"Yes, Meriweather does not act of her own accord. She is at the mercy of a being as great as Melkor."
The elves started and looked amongst themselves at Katie's analogy. "Surely that cannot be true!" Aragorn spoke for the first time. "How can one mere child face a force with that much strength?"
Katie half-flinched at the Ranger's use of 'child,' but refused to react. "Alone, if I must and no other way can be found. But I pray that there may," she added.
The impromptu council fell silent, until Galadriel spoke. "This matter requires much thought and contemplation. You have faced much already, Katie, unaided. You have proven yourself strong, and now may you rest in peace. The Golden Wood has always been a haven from evil, and I pray you find it as such. We will adjourn for the night, and speak again on these things three eves from now. A solution must be reached as swiftly as possible." She rose on those words, as did the rest of the council.
With a few murmured farewells, the seven disbanded. Katie remained where she sat, hands still firmly glued to the edge of her bench. She bent to the task of commanding her fingers to release themselves, letting out a relieved sigh as she did so.
That could have gone a lot worse, Katie muttered mentally as she rubbed feeling back into her hands.
Under the circumstances, I don't think it could have gone any better.
"Katie?" A gentle hand touched her shoulder, but the girl was far too weary to jump in surprise. Her fading nervousness, coupled with a long day of travel, had finally taken its toll, and Katie was dead tired.
She looked up blearily to see Arwen bending over her, raven hair spilling over one slim shoulder. Her unblemished beauty made Katie feel that much grimier.
"Will you come with me? I requested that you be given a flet away from the Company, unless you prefer otherwise?"
"No, no, that's perfectly all right. I appreciate your thought of me," she smiled and rose clumsily to her feet, tiredness weighing down her every step. Arwen led her slowly, coaching her every step.
Normally, Katie would have vociferously protested any sort of fuss over her, but at the moment her mind refused to even attempt anything near cognitive thought. However, when a bath was offered, there was no way, asleep or awake, she was going to turn that down. And so it was, clean, wearing proper nightclothes, and sleeping in a soft bed, that Katie ended her third day in Lothlorien.
The days passed, eventfully and uneventfully in their turns, and though Katie was determined to keep track somehow the hours slipped away from her like so many grains of sand between her fingers. There was something about the Enchanted Wood that defied definition and muddled one's senses. The sun always shone in Lothlorien and there was never a rainy day or hardly a cloud in the sky, or that was how it seemed.
Many of Katie's time passing activities, if they could be called such, were simply wandering through the many flets in the great city with careless abandon, trusting that someone would find her and bring her back to her room before nightfall. She would go and talk with the members of the Fellowship that would have her, such as the hobbits and Gimli, from time to time. Boromir stilled seemed leery of her presence and she did not fault him for it. Legolas, as a general rule, was always off with his elven kindred, but that was to be an expected occurrence. Aragorn had his frequent appearances as he was the leader of the Fellowship, but he divided his attention between his comrades and his girlfriend. As such, it left Katie with some very short conversation companions.
It was somewhere around the sixth night of their stay under the boughs of the Golden Wood when again the Council of Galadriel, as Katie had come to all it, met again.
"You all know our purpose, thus there is no use in restating it," Galadriel opened without preamble. "Have any of you a solution?"
"Before you ask for an answer, perhaps we might know if we have been given all the clues," Elrond returned shrewdly, steepling his fingers and looking at Katie across the circle.
Katie's mind whirled as she tried to remember what she had neglected to mention besides the blatant fact that everybody before her was fictional. "I do not understand . . ." she hedged. "I have told all I know to tell."
The lord of Imladris held up one hand for her silence. "I recalled something Elladan and Elrohir told me of, that night when they thought to take your life. You said there was an 'author' controlling Middle-earth, is that not so?"
How did you manage to let that one slip?
Hey, it was a near-death experience, all right?! Gimme a break! Katie tried to calm herself and come up with a logical answer that could be explained without having to go into terms such as 'fanfic' and 'Mary Sue.'
"I did say that," the girl confirmed, nodding slowly. When it was clear that the six people before her demanded that she expound upon that notion, Katie took a deep breath. "To put it simply, we are all characters in the gigantic play that is life. I can't tell you everything you wish to know because it would likely crush your fragile world into fragments that can't be mended. Let us leave it at this: I belong to a different stage, a different scene than yours. You may call it a future scene to yours."
She cast a careful glance at her listeners, hoping they would understand her analogy. Nobody looked completely lost yet, and Katie took that as a good sign.
"Do you mean to say that you know what will happen?" Celeborn spoke, aged eyes focused intently on Katie.
"I can't answer that, for I don't even know anymore. Someone from my stage has created the menace of Meriweather, trapped myself and you as her pawns, and has somehow linked Middle-Earth and my Earth together. I call the person an author, and the effects of her power are steadily growing worse as the story progresses. Our two stages, two *worlds* are slowly being mixed together." Katie paused, lowering her hands from where they had been gesticulating madly throughout her speech.
"What will it take to unravel these 'stages?'" Arwen asked, glancing first at her father and then her grandmother.
"I do not think this problem can be remedied at this point in time. If I discern what Katie says rightly, to attempt any attack on Meriweather or this 'author' could prove disastrous to Middle-Earth. The two worlds could become permanently bound to one another, and we would slowly be overrun and defeated," Galadriel summed up, blond tresses flowing slightly in a gentle breath of wind.
"Then you suggest letting the play run through its acts and scenes?" Glorfindel questioned, crossing his arms and looking to the she-elf.
"That would seem the most prudent option, yes."
That was not exactly the answer Katie wanted to hear. The story could go right on through 'The Return of the King,' and by then she would certainly be stark, raving mad. "You have *got* to be kidding," she groaned under her breath, trying not to panic.
Six pairs of eyes were immediately locked on her.
"'Kidding?'" questioned Aragorn.
"Jesting," Katie explained, and immediately wished she hadn't.
"Why would we jest about such a thing?" the Ranger demanded. "You know what is at stake here!" He glared at her with a look of impatience.
Don't you dare . . . ! Her voice was too late. Katie's simmering anger and frustration over the entire situation finally boiled over. And to the elves, it was a sight to behold.
"Yeah, more than you do! I have had it up to here-" and Katie made a vicious gesture to her throat, "-with your attitude! What is your problem anyway? I don't want to be here any more than you want me to be here, and I know you think I'm some kind of useless fool-don't roll your eyes at me, you jerk-but for pity's sake give me a break! If you knew *half* of what I do, you wouldn't be so quick to judge and condemn me all at once." She was on her feet and shouting. Even Elrond looked a little cowed at her outburst. But Katie wasn't finished with her un-canonized speech.
"And now you tell me that I'm going to be stuck here until the Scouring of the Shire takes place, forced to kiss up to you *and* Boromir! *Yes*, Aragorn, son of Arathorn, I *do* know what is at stake." Katie fixed him with a deadly glower. "Don't you treat me as if I am a stupid child with nothing better to do than get in the way. I feel like that often enough without you constantly reminding me. Just stay out of my way," she growled, then turned on her heel and stalked out of the council. And it was entirely more satisfying than the last time, because she didn't smack into an invisible barrier.
A smart thing you did back there, you moron, her voice grumbled. I bet they didn't even understand half of what you said.
More's the pity, Katie shot back. Don't mess with me. I've had enough. If you'll excuse me, I think I need to go find someone to beat up. Breathing deeply, fists clenched at her side, she tried to relax, but was still too upset.
"Katie?"
She would know that voice anywhere. Katie spun on her heel and snapped, "Yes?"
Aragorn didn't flinch at her tone, or the rather murderous anger in her eyes. "Will you walk with me?"
No, was her first instinct.
Yes, her voice insisted. At the very least you owe him an apology.
Right, Katie replied sarcastically. After he gives one to me.
Just do it, her voice sighed. Stop acting like a five-year-old. No wonder Aragorn thinks you're a little kid.
Katie was silent a moment. At last she nodded, not meeting Aragorn's eyes. "I will accompany you."
As is often the case when two people feel guilty about earlier actions but are loathe to apologize first, there was a long silence as Katie and Aragorn navigated several stairways. She had her arms crossed over her chest in a hostile posture and he had his hands clasped behind his back, a closed expression on his face.
"Putting off what we mean to say will get us nowhere," Katie finally began. She left off studying the hem of her elven dress and cast a sideways look at the Ranger. "I am sorry for my actions at the council. I acted inappropriately and I should not have said those things to you. I ask your forgiveness."
Aragorn's blue-gray eyes studied her for a moment. "You have it. And I too must ask for your pardon. Rarely have the women in Middle-earth been involved in something so dangerous, and never at your age. It is true that you are by far the youngest one, and that leads the Fellowship to consider you a child. Your experiences and knowledge have aged you, and I must beg of you your forgiveness for not seeing the large part you play on our stage right now. I had not known of your battles, for they leave no wounds. I considered you a nuisance, and I am sorry."
"It is forgotten," Katie said, looking at the ground six feet or so below the open stairwell they stood upon. "I cannot say the same for your tricks, however."
Aragorn failed to note the mischievous gleam in the girl's eye, nor his own precarious position as he replied, "The wiles of a Ranger are numerous," he said, a self-satisfied half-smirk pulling at his lips.
"Indeed." Katie narrowed her eyes, struggling to conceal her own half- smile. "But then, as I am sure Arwen will teach you, the wiles of a woman far outnumber those of a man, be he a Ranger or not." With that, she sprang forward and pushed Aragorn so that he went teetering off balance on the edge of the stairs. His arms pinwheeled in the air for a moment, a look of utter surprise and shock on his face, before his feet slipped. He tried to throw his upper body forward in order to catch the edge of the steps, but he missed miserably and instead his fast reflexes caught the hem of Katie's dress.
She let out a shriek such as had never before been heard in the Golden Wood, for two reasons. One was because Aragorn was *impossible* to get revenge upon. The second was far more serious: she knew her head was going to hit something. In the split second before the back of her skull greeted the edge of the stairs, Katie cringed and immediately began sorting through her mental knowledge of interesting weapons.
Aragorn would never know why one moment he was lying on the ground, the wind knocked out of him from Katie's revenge tactic, and the next he was back in the tiny cell he had come to recognize as his mental prison, where he was kept at bay by a power he could not overcome.
But as he renewed his struggle against his mental bonds, he saw the answer before him, in the girl with Katie's face.
Meriweather was back.
[Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994. Page 349.]
