Chapter 3
Adrienne walked slowly around her chamber, taking in every detail lest she would suddenly leave it again and be in the surroundings of her own bedroom, which paled in comparison.
She looked out over Imladris from one of the windows. It was times like this she wished she carried a camera everywhere. Interestingly, the view was not dissimilar to that of Rivendell's portrayal in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy made a few years previously. Nature was integrated into the flowing architecture of the Elves in every way possible. Several tree branches reached into Adrienne's own chamber from outside. These were trees that had stood there for thousands upon thousands of years, from long before Imladris was built, for the hidden city was built as such to damage nothing. It was made to camouflage into its surroundings, for the benefit of both the environment and as a defence against evil's prying eyes.
Adrienne turned her glance to the dress laid out on her bed. It was as she expected it would be: beautiful. She moved behind the wide screen that stood against the wall without a window. Also there was a bathtub, basin and a tall silver jug full of water. She quickly shed her own clothes and put on the Elven garment. She was very surprised to find it fitted perfectly, and chuckled to herself about an old joke between her and her friends about the supplied clothes in movies always being the perfect size. She cast no thought to the fact that she would probably never see those friends again.
Adrienne poured a little of the water into the basin, cupped her hands and scooped some up. She splashed her face, and then dried herself off with a towel that had lain on her bed next to her dress. She then glanced to the mirror.
The dress was dark blue, with silver vines embroidered down the left sleeve and down the left side of the body. The sleeves were very long, and were extremely flared. She felt so regal and feminine. It was a nice change from the just-wear-as-little-as-possible fashions of Adrienne's own world. She felt like a princess.
***
The remainder of the day was spent with Elladan and Legolas, who showed Adrienne around Rivendell. She enjoyed speaking with the two, particularly Legolas, who seemed to have taken a shine to the mortal girl.
Finally, when the sky was growing dark, they stopped back at Elladan's chambers to eat dinner. Once again the attendant, Gilhena, stood by the door, only this time she had set the table for three.
Adrienne noticed a glass wine decanter on the table, filled with a golden liquid that seemed to glow. She didn't even have to ask to know what it was. Miruvor.
She eagerly accepted a glass of the ambrosia-like drink when the invitation came up, and did not wait to put the glass to her lips.
Not only did it appear golden, it tasted it too. As the gentle, yet intense taste caressed her mouth, she could feel the warmth of the calefacient spreading throughout her body. After only a couple of sips, she began to feel refreshed and relaxed. Must be strong. She thought as she put down the glass, and decided that she had better play it safe, and drink slowly.
***
She retired to bed late, though she still did not feel tired. The next day she could sleep in, she had been told, for she needed to rest. Upon assuring Elladan that she was not that tired, he smiled to himself, and said that the next day would be very important.
"Believe me, you'll need your rest." He had said, though not revealing anything else.
***
The earlier part of the day was spend much the same as the latter of the day before, wandering and chatting. After lunch though, she returned to her bedchamber for a while, and had not been there long when she heard a gentle knock at the door. "Lady Adrienne?" Called a familiar voice.
"Yes?" Replied Adrienne, walking over to the door and opening it. Elladan stood in front of her.
He hesitated for a moment, looking into her eyes. He knew before that he recognised those eyes, and now he was certain of whom they belonged to. "I am to take you to my father now, if that is alright, Adrienne." He smiled warmly.
"Of course, Elladan." Replied Adrienne, puzzled by his gaze.
***
Elrond paced the floor of his office, mixed emotions flashing through his head.
While, by elvish standards, it had been a very short time since she had left Middle-earth, it felt like an eternity to him. He was not quite sure what to expect, after all of the spells that had been performed to protect her identity. He knew she would have no memory of her former self, or former life for that matter - but that would return with time.
She was mortal now, for now. That would be strange. Would she even look the same? These were fine details that even Gandalf had not been sure of. Nothing like this had ever been done before. They had made a bond with an entirely different dimension - sending their own in hopes of protection and secrecy.
Is she even ready to be told of all this? Should he wait? More questions flooded through the Elven Lord's head than ever before.
"No, I must not wait." He decided. "I must tell her now."
There would be a lot to explain, and a lot to teach. Soon she would be facing the very danger she had been protected from all these years. Soon the prophecy would be fulfilled.
***
They walked along the same passages Adrienne had come earlier to get to her chamber, and passed where they had had breakfast. Eventually they reached a seemingly extra-secluded part of Rivendell, if that was possible, where a grand building stood.
Elladan knocked on the door. He half opened the door and moved his head around it. "Adar?" ((Father))
Elrond smiled and nodded to Elladan. "Tolo ned." ((Come in)
Elladan slipped into Elrond's chambers, followed by a timorous Adrienne. She had a strange feeling, and she couldn't pinpoint quite what it was. Just the excitement of being here. She told herself.
Elladan uttered a greeting in Elvish to his father, and turned to Adrienne. "I'll leave you now." He smiled, and was gone.
***
Adrienne felt very self-conscious, yet also very safe. She averted her eyes from the Elven lord, of course still not sure of their customs regarding status. Elrond examined her face with his eyes, as Elladan had. He was smiling as he walked over to her. Still neither had said anything.
Still standing at a slight distance from her, Elrond reached out a hand and gently pushed Adrienne's head up straight. He was so close, but this did not bother her. She couldn't pin down why. There was something.
Their eyes met. Elrond's face took the same expression of recognition and certainty as Elladan's had. Finally he spoke. "Welcome home, Celebhiril."
"Huh?" Adrienne replied, more confused than she had ever felt in her life. "Celebhiril?" Why did that name feel so familiar to her?
Elrond did but smile, "Come, sit." He said, gesturing to a pair of couches near the back of the room. "There is a lot to tell."
She sank into one of the seats, both of which were a deep crimson, to match the room of crimsons and browns.
"Where to begin?" Elrond stated, drawing in a deep breath. "I suppose I should start by explaining why you are here."
Adrienne watched attentively, wide eyed. He knew why she was here, and how she had gotten here?
"This may sound very strange, but trust me, it will make sense eventually." Adrienne nodded. "Cele-, uh, Adrienne, you are not who you think you are."
Adrienne's reaction to this sentence alone, the expression on her face, would have been amusing had the situation have been different.
Elrond continued, "Your name is Celebhiril, and you are Elvenkind. You are my daughter."
Amidst the shock, some part of Adrienne's brain thought, Aha! Hence the familiarity! But she would not actually think about this properly till later though, for now she was far to busy being dumbfounded. Her face registered this by doing nothing expect blinking exaggeratedly.
"You are human at current though, obviously." He paused, thinking of how to word things. "This is where it starts to become complicated, so I'll tell the tale from the beginning.
"Long ago, several thousand human years, a prophecy was told regarding an elf-woman who would, ultimately, save the world from some unnamed peril. But it said that if she remained here, in Middle-earth, during a specific time - the past hundred and twelve years to be exact, she would be killed, and this world would fall.
"There was meant to be a sign in the sky the night that girl was born; fire bolting through the sky. Our forest was lit up on the night you were born."
Elrond stopped for a moment. Adrienne, or Celebhiril, was still lost for words, more so in fact. She waited in anticipation for more, like a child being read a storybook.
"You grew up knowing all this, and one hundred and twelve years ago you agreed that you must be sent somewhere safe during this time. Somewhere no one would ever find you. We thought of Valinor, but getting you back from there would have been difficult - and you could still have been found.
"An old friend, Mithrandir, a wizard, had a different idea. Use magic to make you literally disappear. He thought we could send you to another world entirely.
"This was of great risk though, nothing like this had ever been attempted before, and of course we had no idea what any of these 'other worlds' were like.
"Using Mithrandir's magic we sent scouts into several of the worlds, and settled on a place called Earth. At first we were going to send you there in your original form, but we quickly realised that would never work. This world, Earth, is ignorant of magic and of any race but human. They simply do not exist there. If we had sent you as you were, how would you have covered immortality, manner, even your ears?"
Both chuckled at this, and Adrienne turned her gaze to Elrond's own pointed ears. She thought of the time spent in her early teens, literally pulling at her ears in a desperate attempt to be like the Elves, and to have some further connection with the books and dive further into the escapism of fantasy. She laughed openly at this memory. It seemed so amazingly absurd to know that she actually was one of these people. An elf.
"What?" Asked Elrond, at her laughter.
"Just something I remembered." Replied Adrienne. "I will tell you later. Please, continue."
Elrond smiled, and did so. "Yes." He thought for a moment. "You would have been an outcast, a lusus naturae. So Mithrandir came up with yet another solution, this one far more complicated than the first. We would send you to earth, but as a human. We would erase your memory, to remove all risk of the secret getting out.
"But one problem seemed to be leading to another. You would be completely lost without any memory at all, so when you were made human, you became a baby - a few months old. Drastic measures yes, but they were to ensure your safety, and the safety of Middle-earth.
"You were then adopted by a human couple who knew nothing of who you were, and you grew up for the second time, away from danger.
"And so you did just disappear for one hundred and twelve years, by our time of course. Time on Earth moves a great deal slower."
Adrienne nodded. She was beginning to understand, but she still could not believe that he was talking about her. She felt like she was in a soap opera.
"We still do not know for certain that you are the girl from the prophecy though, but we are fairly sure. There were other signs during your life here. Your strength, and agility was far superior to that of others. Your senses also seemed heightened. These things will return to you in time of course, as will your memory and your true form. In time."
They sat there for a moment, watching each other in silence.
"I still don't know what to say." Began Adrienne "I need some time to think - a lot of time to think."
Elrond looked sympathetically at his overwhelmed daughter. "I can understand that. Perhaps you would like to return to your chambers now, and rest. By morning you might have collected your thoughts, and I will answer your questions then."
Adrienne nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with this idea.
"I will take you, if you wish."
Adrienne smiled as if to say, "That would be nice." The thought struck her again that this man, this elf, was her father - her own flesh and blood. Yes, she definitely needed to go and think!
"You left nothing in the room you were in earlier, I trust?" Asked Elrond.
Adrienne nodded, inquisitive. "Just my other clothes."
"Then I will take you to your own chambers, where you lived before you left. Forgive me, you were in the other room earlier as Elladan was not certain it was you, for you look quite different."
"Okay." Adrienne nodded and smiled, excited at the prospect of seeing her own room. Perhaps there she could find something that would explain more about herself.
***
Adrienne's, or Celebhiril's chambers were not far from Elrond's, and the walk in the twilight had been pleasant. Adrienne was amazed that it was getting dark, for she had not realised how long they had been talking.
"Would you like me to get dinner sent up for you?" Asked Elrond, a little worried by her pale face.
"Ah, no thank you. I'm not hungry." Adrienne's mind was far too busy to be hungry.
Elrond acknowledged this, and with that they said their goodbyes. Adrienne was left with her thoughts in this place that seemed so familiar, and yet she had no memory of: her rooms.
Adrienne walked slowly around her chamber, taking in every detail lest she would suddenly leave it again and be in the surroundings of her own bedroom, which paled in comparison.
She looked out over Imladris from one of the windows. It was times like this she wished she carried a camera everywhere. Interestingly, the view was not dissimilar to that of Rivendell's portrayal in the Lord of the Rings movie trilogy made a few years previously. Nature was integrated into the flowing architecture of the Elves in every way possible. Several tree branches reached into Adrienne's own chamber from outside. These were trees that had stood there for thousands upon thousands of years, from long before Imladris was built, for the hidden city was built as such to damage nothing. It was made to camouflage into its surroundings, for the benefit of both the environment and as a defence against evil's prying eyes.
Adrienne turned her glance to the dress laid out on her bed. It was as she expected it would be: beautiful. She moved behind the wide screen that stood against the wall without a window. Also there was a bathtub, basin and a tall silver jug full of water. She quickly shed her own clothes and put on the Elven garment. She was very surprised to find it fitted perfectly, and chuckled to herself about an old joke between her and her friends about the supplied clothes in movies always being the perfect size. She cast no thought to the fact that she would probably never see those friends again.
Adrienne poured a little of the water into the basin, cupped her hands and scooped some up. She splashed her face, and then dried herself off with a towel that had lain on her bed next to her dress. She then glanced to the mirror.
The dress was dark blue, with silver vines embroidered down the left sleeve and down the left side of the body. The sleeves were very long, and were extremely flared. She felt so regal and feminine. It was a nice change from the just-wear-as-little-as-possible fashions of Adrienne's own world. She felt like a princess.
***
The remainder of the day was spent with Elladan and Legolas, who showed Adrienne around Rivendell. She enjoyed speaking with the two, particularly Legolas, who seemed to have taken a shine to the mortal girl.
Finally, when the sky was growing dark, they stopped back at Elladan's chambers to eat dinner. Once again the attendant, Gilhena, stood by the door, only this time she had set the table for three.
Adrienne noticed a glass wine decanter on the table, filled with a golden liquid that seemed to glow. She didn't even have to ask to know what it was. Miruvor.
She eagerly accepted a glass of the ambrosia-like drink when the invitation came up, and did not wait to put the glass to her lips.
Not only did it appear golden, it tasted it too. As the gentle, yet intense taste caressed her mouth, she could feel the warmth of the calefacient spreading throughout her body. After only a couple of sips, she began to feel refreshed and relaxed. Must be strong. She thought as she put down the glass, and decided that she had better play it safe, and drink slowly.
***
She retired to bed late, though she still did not feel tired. The next day she could sleep in, she had been told, for she needed to rest. Upon assuring Elladan that she was not that tired, he smiled to himself, and said that the next day would be very important.
"Believe me, you'll need your rest." He had said, though not revealing anything else.
***
The earlier part of the day was spend much the same as the latter of the day before, wandering and chatting. After lunch though, she returned to her bedchamber for a while, and had not been there long when she heard a gentle knock at the door. "Lady Adrienne?" Called a familiar voice.
"Yes?" Replied Adrienne, walking over to the door and opening it. Elladan stood in front of her.
He hesitated for a moment, looking into her eyes. He knew before that he recognised those eyes, and now he was certain of whom they belonged to. "I am to take you to my father now, if that is alright, Adrienne." He smiled warmly.
"Of course, Elladan." Replied Adrienne, puzzled by his gaze.
***
Elrond paced the floor of his office, mixed emotions flashing through his head.
While, by elvish standards, it had been a very short time since she had left Middle-earth, it felt like an eternity to him. He was not quite sure what to expect, after all of the spells that had been performed to protect her identity. He knew she would have no memory of her former self, or former life for that matter - but that would return with time.
She was mortal now, for now. That would be strange. Would she even look the same? These were fine details that even Gandalf had not been sure of. Nothing like this had ever been done before. They had made a bond with an entirely different dimension - sending their own in hopes of protection and secrecy.
Is she even ready to be told of all this? Should he wait? More questions flooded through the Elven Lord's head than ever before.
"No, I must not wait." He decided. "I must tell her now."
There would be a lot to explain, and a lot to teach. Soon she would be facing the very danger she had been protected from all these years. Soon the prophecy would be fulfilled.
***
They walked along the same passages Adrienne had come earlier to get to her chamber, and passed where they had had breakfast. Eventually they reached a seemingly extra-secluded part of Rivendell, if that was possible, where a grand building stood.
Elladan knocked on the door. He half opened the door and moved his head around it. "Adar?" ((Father))
Elrond smiled and nodded to Elladan. "Tolo ned." ((Come in)
Elladan slipped into Elrond's chambers, followed by a timorous Adrienne. She had a strange feeling, and she couldn't pinpoint quite what it was. Just the excitement of being here. She told herself.
Elladan uttered a greeting in Elvish to his father, and turned to Adrienne. "I'll leave you now." He smiled, and was gone.
***
Adrienne felt very self-conscious, yet also very safe. She averted her eyes from the Elven lord, of course still not sure of their customs regarding status. Elrond examined her face with his eyes, as Elladan had. He was smiling as he walked over to her. Still neither had said anything.
Still standing at a slight distance from her, Elrond reached out a hand and gently pushed Adrienne's head up straight. He was so close, but this did not bother her. She couldn't pin down why. There was something.
Their eyes met. Elrond's face took the same expression of recognition and certainty as Elladan's had. Finally he spoke. "Welcome home, Celebhiril."
"Huh?" Adrienne replied, more confused than she had ever felt in her life. "Celebhiril?" Why did that name feel so familiar to her?
Elrond did but smile, "Come, sit." He said, gesturing to a pair of couches near the back of the room. "There is a lot to tell."
She sank into one of the seats, both of which were a deep crimson, to match the room of crimsons and browns.
"Where to begin?" Elrond stated, drawing in a deep breath. "I suppose I should start by explaining why you are here."
Adrienne watched attentively, wide eyed. He knew why she was here, and how she had gotten here?
"This may sound very strange, but trust me, it will make sense eventually." Adrienne nodded. "Cele-, uh, Adrienne, you are not who you think you are."
Adrienne's reaction to this sentence alone, the expression on her face, would have been amusing had the situation have been different.
Elrond continued, "Your name is Celebhiril, and you are Elvenkind. You are my daughter."
Amidst the shock, some part of Adrienne's brain thought, Aha! Hence the familiarity! But she would not actually think about this properly till later though, for now she was far to busy being dumbfounded. Her face registered this by doing nothing expect blinking exaggeratedly.
"You are human at current though, obviously." He paused, thinking of how to word things. "This is where it starts to become complicated, so I'll tell the tale from the beginning.
"Long ago, several thousand human years, a prophecy was told regarding an elf-woman who would, ultimately, save the world from some unnamed peril. But it said that if she remained here, in Middle-earth, during a specific time - the past hundred and twelve years to be exact, she would be killed, and this world would fall.
"There was meant to be a sign in the sky the night that girl was born; fire bolting through the sky. Our forest was lit up on the night you were born."
Elrond stopped for a moment. Adrienne, or Celebhiril, was still lost for words, more so in fact. She waited in anticipation for more, like a child being read a storybook.
"You grew up knowing all this, and one hundred and twelve years ago you agreed that you must be sent somewhere safe during this time. Somewhere no one would ever find you. We thought of Valinor, but getting you back from there would have been difficult - and you could still have been found.
"An old friend, Mithrandir, a wizard, had a different idea. Use magic to make you literally disappear. He thought we could send you to another world entirely.
"This was of great risk though, nothing like this had ever been attempted before, and of course we had no idea what any of these 'other worlds' were like.
"Using Mithrandir's magic we sent scouts into several of the worlds, and settled on a place called Earth. At first we were going to send you there in your original form, but we quickly realised that would never work. This world, Earth, is ignorant of magic and of any race but human. They simply do not exist there. If we had sent you as you were, how would you have covered immortality, manner, even your ears?"
Both chuckled at this, and Adrienne turned her gaze to Elrond's own pointed ears. She thought of the time spent in her early teens, literally pulling at her ears in a desperate attempt to be like the Elves, and to have some further connection with the books and dive further into the escapism of fantasy. She laughed openly at this memory. It seemed so amazingly absurd to know that she actually was one of these people. An elf.
"What?" Asked Elrond, at her laughter.
"Just something I remembered." Replied Adrienne. "I will tell you later. Please, continue."
Elrond smiled, and did so. "Yes." He thought for a moment. "You would have been an outcast, a lusus naturae. So Mithrandir came up with yet another solution, this one far more complicated than the first. We would send you to earth, but as a human. We would erase your memory, to remove all risk of the secret getting out.
"But one problem seemed to be leading to another. You would be completely lost without any memory at all, so when you were made human, you became a baby - a few months old. Drastic measures yes, but they were to ensure your safety, and the safety of Middle-earth.
"You were then adopted by a human couple who knew nothing of who you were, and you grew up for the second time, away from danger.
"And so you did just disappear for one hundred and twelve years, by our time of course. Time on Earth moves a great deal slower."
Adrienne nodded. She was beginning to understand, but she still could not believe that he was talking about her. She felt like she was in a soap opera.
"We still do not know for certain that you are the girl from the prophecy though, but we are fairly sure. There were other signs during your life here. Your strength, and agility was far superior to that of others. Your senses also seemed heightened. These things will return to you in time of course, as will your memory and your true form. In time."
They sat there for a moment, watching each other in silence.
"I still don't know what to say." Began Adrienne "I need some time to think - a lot of time to think."
Elrond looked sympathetically at his overwhelmed daughter. "I can understand that. Perhaps you would like to return to your chambers now, and rest. By morning you might have collected your thoughts, and I will answer your questions then."
Adrienne nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with this idea.
"I will take you, if you wish."
Adrienne smiled as if to say, "That would be nice." The thought struck her again that this man, this elf, was her father - her own flesh and blood. Yes, she definitely needed to go and think!
"You left nothing in the room you were in earlier, I trust?" Asked Elrond.
Adrienne nodded, inquisitive. "Just my other clothes."
"Then I will take you to your own chambers, where you lived before you left. Forgive me, you were in the other room earlier as Elladan was not certain it was you, for you look quite different."
"Okay." Adrienne nodded and smiled, excited at the prospect of seeing her own room. Perhaps there she could find something that would explain more about herself.
***
Adrienne's, or Celebhiril's chambers were not far from Elrond's, and the walk in the twilight had been pleasant. Adrienne was amazed that it was getting dark, for she had not realised how long they had been talking.
"Would you like me to get dinner sent up for you?" Asked Elrond, a little worried by her pale face.
"Ah, no thank you. I'm not hungry." Adrienne's mind was far too busy to be hungry.
Elrond acknowledged this, and with that they said their goodbyes. Adrienne was left with her thoughts in this place that seemed so familiar, and yet she had no memory of: her rooms.
