Chapter 4
Adrienne paced about her bedroom, going over and over everything Elrond had said earlier. His words were beginning to take full impact on her mind.
"How could any of this be true?" She said aloud to herself. "How could I even be here?"
Adrienne had come to realise that she was inside what was supposedly a work of fiction. Her mind over-flowed with questions. She didn't even know who she was any more. Anything she thought she knew could now be questioned, and her whole life as she remembered it was a lie.
Mixed emotions swarmed violently through her brain. She was angry that her true self had been kept a secret from her, excited that she was in Middle- earth and that she now knew who she was, but mostly confused and upset by all that she had been told. She didn't know what to think. She didn't understand any of it, of how it could all work. So she wept, for it was the only thing her subconscious could think to do.
***
Legolas walked quickly to where Elladan had told him Adrienne's chambers were. It was only a short walk from where he had been with Elladan. The old friends had talked long, and Elladan had told Legolas all about his sister's return. Legolas had known none of it, as he had been away from Rivendell for many, many a year - in fact not since the Council of Elrond over one hundred-and-fifty years beforehand.
Legolas did not know whether Elrond would have finished talking to her yet, but he had a feeling he had, and he had a feeling that the girl needed someone right now. Legolas, being an Elf, had the heightened intuitions of his race, and had always seemed particularly in tune with people's emotions, more so even than other Elves.
Of course, Elrond or Elladan may well have stayed to comfort Adrienne, but chances were they were also dealing with her arrival, and how she had changed. It was also likely that they thought she'd need time alone. She would, he knew, but not right now.
He came up the steps to her chambers, and paused for a moment. He could hear her crying faintly through the solid wooden door. He entered without invitation, knowing that she probably would not hear him knock anyway.
He walked silently through to her bedroom, and slowly pushed the door open.
She lay sprawled out on the bed, her eyes red and her hair soaking. He slipped though into the room, unnoticed.
"Adrienne." He said quietly, not wanting to startle her.
Adrienne let out a tiny gasp of surprise and turned her face to meet the intruder, but, like in the forest, she did not feel threatened. She quickly hid her face, not wanting to be seen in this state.
Legolas gently pushed the hair away that was hiding Adrienne's face. She looked up at his sympathetic face with curiosity.
"I suppose you've known all along." Adrienne said, the anger she had experienced earlier returning to her.
"No, Elladan only told me today." Legolas replied calmly. "My confusion upon finding you in the woods was sincere." He smiled, and sat on the edge of the bed.
"You think you were confused?" She laughed lightly, "You didn't wake up in an alternate dimension!"
Adrienne's face took on a serious, but tender expression. "It was lucky you found me. Who knows what could have happened if you hadn't."
"Indeed," replied Legolas, "but why waste time with 'ifs'? You are here now, and you are safe, and while you may not feel alright, you will in time."
Adrienne shifted up on the bed and supported her head with her hand. The sad, confused expression returned to her eyes.
"But I don't know if I'll even be able to understand all of this, let alone accept it."
"You're not the only one to find this confusing," said Legolas, "it is a very complicated chain of events. But remember, all of your memory, not to mention other aspects of yourself, will return to you."
"While I look forward to that, I'm also terrified of what I might find. What if I lose the 'me' I am now as well." Celebhiril replied.
"I do not think that will happen. You will change but you will not lose yourself, and remember: you are who you want to be."
These words seemed to have the desired affect on Adrienne, and her face calmed again.
"Surely you are tired!" Legolas continued. "Get some sleep, things will seem clearer in the morning."
"I do think I think I will be able to sleep! My mind is far too busy!" Celebhiril replied, sounding resilient.
"Well, if you are adamant of that, perhaps -" He hesitated a moment, "perhaps look for the answers you seek around here." Legolas gestured to the surrounding rooms.
"Good idea. I think I will." Adrienne's eyes flicked around the various draws and cupboards in her bedroom, suddenly hungry.
"Goodnight, Adrienne."
"Goodnight Legolas, and thank you."
Legolas did but smile in reply and slowly headed for the door. He hoped the girl would be alright now, but after what he had just suggested (something he now partly regretted due to the hour of night) he assumed she would get no sleep tonight. Of course, she probably would have thought of it herself soon enough, so it did not matter much.
Legolas wondered how long it would be until the changes started taking place, and hoped Adrienne could cope. It would not be easy. He decided he would stay here in Imladris until she was definitely alright. After all that had happened in the past three days, Legolas felt an obligation to take care of her. He wondered how long he would end up staying in Rivendell.
***
As soon as Legolas had left Adrienne began rummaging through her draws and cupboards. Mostly she found clothes, trinkets and books that meant nothing to her, and the odd notebook that seemed promising, but contained nothing of use. This was until she came across one particularly thick book, leather bound.
Inside the front cover, written in a fine hand, was a string of Elvish. That's when it struck Adrienne; there was no way she would be able to read any of these things anyway. She had not even thought about it before. Her limited knowledge of Sindarin from playful studies back home stretched no further than the writing system, the Tengwar, and she certainly wouldn't be able to translate the whole book.
Desperate, Adrienne used the little knowledge she had of the Tengwar and stared at the front page, searching for something familiar. After a time, her eyes settled on a 'c' and an 'e', then a 'l', another 'e'. Celebhiril.
Slowly, she read the whole page.
An Celebhiril, Na pân lin nauth teitha. O Adar.
She barely knew where one word ended and the next began, and had no idea of what the words meant. She recollected joking with her friends:
"Seriously guys, it's not like we're ever going to be able to use this."
Now she wished that she had taken the language seriously, but of course how could she have known that all of this would happen anyway? She was normal before, just another person - but now.
Adrienne decided that first thing in the morning she would get Legolas to translate for her. She knew they were 'her' private thoughts, but somehow she trusted Legolas more than anyone she'd ever known. She didn't know why, she'd only met the man a couple of days previously, but she felt there was something - some sort of connection between them. She didn't know he'd felt it too.
Having given up on finding anything that she could understand in her room, she crawled, exhausted, into bed, but her dreams didn't allow her much rest.
Adrienne paced about her bedroom, going over and over everything Elrond had said earlier. His words were beginning to take full impact on her mind.
"How could any of this be true?" She said aloud to herself. "How could I even be here?"
Adrienne had come to realise that she was inside what was supposedly a work of fiction. Her mind over-flowed with questions. She didn't even know who she was any more. Anything she thought she knew could now be questioned, and her whole life as she remembered it was a lie.
Mixed emotions swarmed violently through her brain. She was angry that her true self had been kept a secret from her, excited that she was in Middle- earth and that she now knew who she was, but mostly confused and upset by all that she had been told. She didn't know what to think. She didn't understand any of it, of how it could all work. So she wept, for it was the only thing her subconscious could think to do.
***
Legolas walked quickly to where Elladan had told him Adrienne's chambers were. It was only a short walk from where he had been with Elladan. The old friends had talked long, and Elladan had told Legolas all about his sister's return. Legolas had known none of it, as he had been away from Rivendell for many, many a year - in fact not since the Council of Elrond over one hundred-and-fifty years beforehand.
Legolas did not know whether Elrond would have finished talking to her yet, but he had a feeling he had, and he had a feeling that the girl needed someone right now. Legolas, being an Elf, had the heightened intuitions of his race, and had always seemed particularly in tune with people's emotions, more so even than other Elves.
Of course, Elrond or Elladan may well have stayed to comfort Adrienne, but chances were they were also dealing with her arrival, and how she had changed. It was also likely that they thought she'd need time alone. She would, he knew, but not right now.
He came up the steps to her chambers, and paused for a moment. He could hear her crying faintly through the solid wooden door. He entered without invitation, knowing that she probably would not hear him knock anyway.
He walked silently through to her bedroom, and slowly pushed the door open.
She lay sprawled out on the bed, her eyes red and her hair soaking. He slipped though into the room, unnoticed.
"Adrienne." He said quietly, not wanting to startle her.
Adrienne let out a tiny gasp of surprise and turned her face to meet the intruder, but, like in the forest, she did not feel threatened. She quickly hid her face, not wanting to be seen in this state.
Legolas gently pushed the hair away that was hiding Adrienne's face. She looked up at his sympathetic face with curiosity.
"I suppose you've known all along." Adrienne said, the anger she had experienced earlier returning to her.
"No, Elladan only told me today." Legolas replied calmly. "My confusion upon finding you in the woods was sincere." He smiled, and sat on the edge of the bed.
"You think you were confused?" She laughed lightly, "You didn't wake up in an alternate dimension!"
Adrienne's face took on a serious, but tender expression. "It was lucky you found me. Who knows what could have happened if you hadn't."
"Indeed," replied Legolas, "but why waste time with 'ifs'? You are here now, and you are safe, and while you may not feel alright, you will in time."
Adrienne shifted up on the bed and supported her head with her hand. The sad, confused expression returned to her eyes.
"But I don't know if I'll even be able to understand all of this, let alone accept it."
"You're not the only one to find this confusing," said Legolas, "it is a very complicated chain of events. But remember, all of your memory, not to mention other aspects of yourself, will return to you."
"While I look forward to that, I'm also terrified of what I might find. What if I lose the 'me' I am now as well." Celebhiril replied.
"I do not think that will happen. You will change but you will not lose yourself, and remember: you are who you want to be."
These words seemed to have the desired affect on Adrienne, and her face calmed again.
"Surely you are tired!" Legolas continued. "Get some sleep, things will seem clearer in the morning."
"I do think I think I will be able to sleep! My mind is far too busy!" Celebhiril replied, sounding resilient.
"Well, if you are adamant of that, perhaps -" He hesitated a moment, "perhaps look for the answers you seek around here." Legolas gestured to the surrounding rooms.
"Good idea. I think I will." Adrienne's eyes flicked around the various draws and cupboards in her bedroom, suddenly hungry.
"Goodnight, Adrienne."
"Goodnight Legolas, and thank you."
Legolas did but smile in reply and slowly headed for the door. He hoped the girl would be alright now, but after what he had just suggested (something he now partly regretted due to the hour of night) he assumed she would get no sleep tonight. Of course, she probably would have thought of it herself soon enough, so it did not matter much.
Legolas wondered how long it would be until the changes started taking place, and hoped Adrienne could cope. It would not be easy. He decided he would stay here in Imladris until she was definitely alright. After all that had happened in the past three days, Legolas felt an obligation to take care of her. He wondered how long he would end up staying in Rivendell.
***
As soon as Legolas had left Adrienne began rummaging through her draws and cupboards. Mostly she found clothes, trinkets and books that meant nothing to her, and the odd notebook that seemed promising, but contained nothing of use. This was until she came across one particularly thick book, leather bound.
Inside the front cover, written in a fine hand, was a string of Elvish. That's when it struck Adrienne; there was no way she would be able to read any of these things anyway. She had not even thought about it before. Her limited knowledge of Sindarin from playful studies back home stretched no further than the writing system, the Tengwar, and she certainly wouldn't be able to translate the whole book.
Desperate, Adrienne used the little knowledge she had of the Tengwar and stared at the front page, searching for something familiar. After a time, her eyes settled on a 'c' and an 'e', then a 'l', another 'e'. Celebhiril.
Slowly, she read the whole page.
An Celebhiril, Na pân lin nauth teitha. O Adar.
She barely knew where one word ended and the next began, and had no idea of what the words meant. She recollected joking with her friends:
"Seriously guys, it's not like we're ever going to be able to use this."
Now she wished that she had taken the language seriously, but of course how could she have known that all of this would happen anyway? She was normal before, just another person - but now.
Adrienne decided that first thing in the morning she would get Legolas to translate for her. She knew they were 'her' private thoughts, but somehow she trusted Legolas more than anyone she'd ever known. She didn't know why, she'd only met the man a couple of days previously, but she felt there was something - some sort of connection between them. She didn't know he'd felt it too.
Having given up on finding anything that she could understand in her room, she crawled, exhausted, into bed, but her dreams didn't allow her much rest.
