Dawn awoke to the gentle sounds of wildlife surrounding her.
Sunlight was filtering in through leaves and branches all around, and she
was in a large bed. She pulled herself into a sitting position, drawing
her knees up to her chest. It took a moment for her memory of the previous
day to return to her.
She looked down at her torn and bloodied dress and remembered how she'd killed herself, left all her family behind so they could live, and that instead of being reunited with her mother as she'd been praying for, she was in this strange land called Middle-Earth with no obvious way of finding home again. She absently noted that though the blood and the tears were still on her dress, the cuts that Doc had made were gone.
Dawn burst into tears. Hugging her knees, she rocked back and forth, sobbing like she hadn't sobbed since her mother's death four years ago. Her shoulders shook and she bit hard on her lip to mute the sounds.
A few minutes later, having let her stress out, Dawn took several deep breaths and forced herself to calm down. She threw her head back, stretching out the muscles in her neck. She looked to the door, surprised to find two sets of bright eyes staring back at her.
"Oh!" Pippin squeaked, having been caught. "We're sorry," he stammered, embarrassed. "Merry and I just came up from breakfast. We wanted to see if you were ok, we didn't mean to spy, Lady Dawn. Honest."
Merry just stood, nodding at Pippin's words. He and Pippin had decided they liked Dawn when they had been staring at each other the day before. She seemed like she was a lot of fun when she laughed.
Dawn sniffed and wiped her hand over her eyes. "It's ok. You guys can come in," she assured them, her voice still thick with tears.
The Hobbits approached her cautiously. Dawn shifted over on the bed and patted the mattress. "Have a seat."
She snickered a little as they had to actually climb just to be able to sit on her bed. "Are you all right, Lady Dawn?" Merry asked when they were all comfortable.
"Five by five," she borrowed one of her favourite phrases of Faith's. "But do me a favour, call me Dawn- it's just Dawn, ok?"
"Ok. Uh, Dawn, can I ask you a question?" Merry asked.
"Sure, shoot," Dawn replied.
"What does 'five by five' mean?"
"It means I'm all right. Sorry- I kinda tend to forget you guys don't know half the words I'd use at home."
"Where is your home?" Pippin asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
For a moment, Dawn didn't know what to say to that. Finally, she decided to just say what she could about Sunnydale without scaring them too much. "My home was a place called Sunnydale, and it is nothing like any place here." Dawn shook her head, unable to explain the differences in their worlds.
"Are there Hobbits?" Merry asked eagerly. "Do you know any Hobbits in Sunnydale?"
Dawn gave a sad smile. "No. There are no Hobbits in Sunnydale, or anywhere in my world." She looked at them fondly, already having warmed to them. "I wish there were, though."
"No Hobbits," they gasped together, aghast.
"No Hobbits," Dawn repeated. "No Elves, either. Or what did Aragorn call them yesterday? Orcs. Whatever they are, we don't have 'em. Or Dwarves either. I mean, we do have some incredibly short people but they don't have hairy feet and none of those chunky braided beards that Gimli has. Or... most of them don't," she amended.
Merry and Pippin laughed at Dawn's description. "What do you have?" Pippin asked, feeling as if Dawn's world didn't have a whole lot.
"Besides people? Mostly, just demons and vamps," she spoke without thinking, then cringed. She couldn't believe how carelessly she'd just opened up to her new friends. She had told them too much, and it was too late to take it back. None of them noticed two tall figures hesitate in the doorway. Aragorn was about to walk straight in with the Lady's breakfast, but Legolas shook his head. Dawn seemed relaxed around the younger Hobbits, and he wanted her to feel as comfortable as she could after her ordeal. Aragorn shrugged. Maybe they could learn something from her conversation with the Hobbits.
At the mention of a new word, the Hobbits' curiosity redoubled. "Demons we have heard a little of, though we'd like to know what kinds you have. But what are these 'vamps' as you call them?"
Dawn sighed and launched into a description of vampires, telling them that they were a form of demon, undead beings who drank the blood of people to survive. When they asked where vampires came from, Dawn explained the process of making a vampire, the exchange of blood. By the time she'd outlined a few of the greater demons the Scooby Gang had faced in its day, Merry and Pippin were very glad they'd never been to Sunnydale.
Dawn laughed when Pippin told her that. "Oh, it's not all bad," she assured them. "There's all sorts of cool stuff in my world. But where are you guys from?" she decided it was time to change the subject, now that she'd spilled more than a few of her world's deepest darkest secrets.
Merry and Pippin became instantly animated, giving her a vivid description of the Shire, emphasising it's beauty and simplicity, and the sense of peace that seemed connected with the land.
"Buckland is the fairest part of the Shire," Merry told her with a wink.
"Nay, Tookland!" Pippin cried, accepting Merry's challenge of the lands.
"Well, Brandy Hall is the greatest homestead in all the Shire, I'll wager any day," Merry shot back.
Dawn laughed at the banter between the friends until Merry turned to her. "You must come and see for yourself, Dawn. I think we'll be needing a judge to settle the matter for us."
"I'd love to," Dawn told him.
"After the quest is over, of course," Pippin reminded them.
"What quest?" Dawn asked, her forehead wrinkling slightly in confusion. It hadn't occurred to her before now to ask why eight men of various species and different areas of the world would be traipsing about together all over the countryside.
For once both Merry and Pippin were at a loss for words. The uncomfortable silence was broken by a quick knock at the door. Those on the bed turned to see Aragorn and Legolas standing in the doorway, arms laden with Dawn's breakfast.
Never willing to hinder the serving of a good meal, Merry and Pippin obligingly climbed off Dawn's bed so Aragorn and Legolas could set up a makeshift table over Dawn's lap, laying a large platter of food on it.
"Thanks," Dawn told them, her eyes widening as they took in the mountains of food covering the huge plate. Legolas poured her a glass of water and set it beside the plate. She looked at the food, but did not eat. Dawn knew she should be famished, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd eaten, but her stomach was strangely neutral.
Meanwhile, Aragorn was sternly lecturing the Hobbits. "You weren't disturbing Lady Dawn, were you?"
Before they could answer, Dawn broke in. "No. Aragorn, I'm fine. Merry and Pippin came to visit me. They were keeping me company is all." She smiled at her new friends.
Relieved, they began to chatter excitedly. "Dawn told us all about her home, a place called Sunnydale," Pippin began.
"Yes, they don't have Hobbits and Elves and Dwarves and all that like we do. But they have demons, some like giant snakes and some are big and blue and nearly indestructible," Merry joined in Pippin's chatter. "And they have these things -what did you call them Dawn?- Vampires? Yes, vampires. They're like these demons that suck people's blood and drink it and they can even turn people into vampires by drinking their blood and then letting people drink their blood and..."
"Enough!" cried Aragorn, barely able to conceal the amusement in his voice. "Merry, Pippin, you must've exhausted Lady Dawn. And in her weakened condition as well!"
Dawn prickled a bit. "I feel fine!" She hadn't meant to speak so abruptly, and she could tell that the others were startled by her tone. But she still hated being called weak. "Sorry, Aragorn. Didn't mean to go all Billion Dollar Princess on you there," she relented, ignoring the four confused looks she got for the phrase.
"You should eat something, my Lady," Legolas gently prodded, indicating her untouched plate.
"I'm really not hungry," Dawn tried to persuade them, but Legolas and Aragorn refused to leave her side until she had eaten at least something that they'd brought her. Dawn sighed and began to pick at a bread roll.
She tore it into tiny pieces before popping it into her mouth, rationalising that if she only took tiny pieces, at least she could feel like she wasn't really swallowing anything at all. She ended up giving most of what was left over to Merry and Pippin, winning over their hearts completely with the gesture.
Aragorn looked at her, consternation written all over his face. Dawn shrugged cheekily. "No sense in wasting it," she quipped.
He nodded slowly. "Merry, Pippin, why don't you take your second breakfast down to the ground. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable there."
Too happy with their food to care about being sent away, the Hobbits agreed readily. "Ok, Strider. Thanks, Dawn! We'll see you later."
"Bye," Dawn called after them, waving happily as they disappeared. She leaned back on her pillows, staring up at Legolas and Aragorn expectantly. "Ok, they're gone. What do you want?" Her tone was flat and she spoke directly, but there was no rudeness or hostility about her.
Legolas and Aragorn looked at each other, then at her. "We'd like to know where you came from, my Lady," Legolas began slowly.
"Sunnydale. And do you think you could drop the 'my Lady' deal, Legsy? It kinda gives me the wiggins."
"Pardon, Lady? I do not understand you," the Elf replied.
"What I mean is, call me Dawn. Just Dawn."
"As you wish, Dawn. You say you are from a place called Sunnydale?" Legolas was still speaking. Aragorn had dropped out of the conversation, preferring to concentrate on observing Dawn's behaviour as she answered Legolas' questions.
"Of course I say I'm from Sunnydale- that's where I'm from. What do you really wanna know, Legolas, coz the twenty questions is getting old, fast." It did not escape Aragorn's, nor Legolas' notice that Dawn was becoming slightly defensive. A guarded look had come into her eyes, her face became an emotionless mask, and her answers were deliberately short, as if she was afraid to say too much.
Taking a risk, Legolas decided to try being completely blunt with her. "How did you die?"
His words achieved their desired effect. Dawn's eyes locked onto him, and she faltered. He watched with sympathy as pain flooded back over her features, making her green eyes look even more brilliant. A tear slid down her cheek.
Legolas brushed it away. "It's all right, Dawn. You can trust us."
Dawn nodded. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, and any man other than Aragorn would not have heard a word she said. She started from the beginning, telling them all about how they'd had to move to Sunnydale, which was also know as Boca Del Infierno, the mouth of Hell. When they did not understand what Hell was, she told them about that, too. She outlined how her sister was the Slayer, the warrior of the people. Legolas and Aragorn were silent, engrossed not only in her tale, but the way that Dawn told it. Through her words they could feel not only Dawn's pain, but a lot of Buffy's as well. But Legolas noted a tiny hint of resentment in Dawn's voice as she spoke of the Slayer.
"Then, four years ago, everything changed. A Hell-God named Glorificus- Glory, came to Sunnydale looking for this thing, this Key. It was mystical energy which was supposed to give her the power to open up the barriers between dimensions so she could return to the Hell Dimension she was banished form. And not long after that, I accidentally found out that this Key thing, it was me. There were these monks, religious guys from the Order of Dagon, who had been keeping the Key safe since, like, the dawn of time. But Glory caught up with them and she woulda gotten the Key. So they did the only thing they could think. They made me. They channelled all the Key's energy into the body of a helpless fourteen year old girl and altered everyone's memories to think I'd existed all along. They sent me to the strongest warrior- the Slayer.... Buffy. They made me into her sister, made me outta Buffy's blood, coz they had to be sure Buffy would protect the Key with her life."
Legolas and Aragorn were staring now, completely dumbfounded. Dawn noticed the looks they were giving her.
"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked. Her voice was a little sad. She'd wanted for four years to let someone of her choice in, to let someone see what she really was. But she'd always been terrified that nobody would believe her, and that she'd lose people she could care about because of it. It was why she'd never had any real friends. She had friends, sure, but nobody close, nobody who really knew her.
"We believe you, Dawn," Legolas swore. His voice dropped as he murmured to himself, "Power without control," remembering what she'd said to Frodo yesterday.
Aragorn had come forward to stand beside her bed. "Yes, we do. Will you continue? Will you tell us your story?"
Dawn nodded and went on. "I freaked when I found out. I couldn't understand it- I wasn't real." she broke off, and without even looking, she pulled the left sleeve of her gown up, exposing a long scar, now no more than a line in the skin on her wrist. Legolas and Aragorn stared at it.
"I cut myself. I thought that if I bled, if I could feel pain, see my own blood, it would prove that I was really me, not just a Key. I didn't understand anything anymore. I didn't even want to understand for a while. When someone tells you you're not real- you're just a thing, it's like the world stops turning for you. I kinda started to think that nothing I did mattered." She covered her scar again and met both of their gazes.
"But everything has to matter, sooner or later. At the same time as all this was going down, our Mom was sick. She had a brain tumour.... a growth pressing on her brain that shouldn't have been there. They did an operation on her, and they said they got all the tumour out." She looked down a moment, struggling to continue. Letting them know she was the Key felt like saying she preferred apples to oranges compared to what she had to say next.
"But a few months later, right when we thought everything was back to normal, pfft- normal as possible for us, Buffy came home and found her..... Buffy came to my school and told me- Mom was dead. There had been a complication from the tumour, it caused an aneurysm. It made her bleed in her brain and the blood clots from that killed her, stopped her brain from working," she explained. She wasn't crying, but pain was radiating in her from waves that almost floored her audience.
Legolas sat beside her, taking her hand in his own. He couldn't fathom the pain this one young woman had endured in eighteen short years, he'd been alive for almost three thousand years and had never even come remotely close to hurting like she had. And through it all, both he and Aragorn could feel the strength emanating from her.
"After that it was just me and Buffy. And we did ok, with the help of Buffy's friends- Willow and Xander, her best friends. And there were others too- Tara, Spike, Giles, Anya. Somehow we kept it all together. But then Glory found out I was the Key. She ended up abducting me.... that was three days ago now. I never even found out how she knew." Dawn glanced down at her ruined clothing. "She had me put in this dress, and her minions tied me to the top of a tower. I can fight, but they drugged me, there was nothing I could do. By the time I was recovered enough to put up a fight, the ropes were on me and there was no-one left up there to fight. They'd all gone down to await the ritual. See, blood was the key to the Key. My blood would tear the fabric between dimensions, and the tears would not heal until my blood was stopped. Glory planned to use my blood to open her world up and pass through, not caring that all manner of hell would be leashed upon my dimension, and every other, including Middle- Earth, till my blood was stopped."
Legolas' grip tightened on Dawn's hand. He was horrified at what she must've felt, the weight of the world... every world, on her shoulders. She continued as if she didn't feel the pressure of his hand.
"The stupid thing is, Glory never even got up the tower to me. Buffy kept her down, incapacitated her so she couldn't start the ritual. But one of her minions took it upon himself to do so." She gestured to the tears in her dress, the bloodstains that she'd become almost used to. "That's all these cuts. Him letting my blood out. I could feel it dribbling down my skin... and then Buffy was there. She had me, she pulled me free. But it was too late- just one drop, one drop of my blood had dripped on the portal opening and it was happening- worlds were collapsing into each other."
Dawn had real difficulty speaking the next words aloud. Something inside her screamed in protest to her saying she had killed herself. It was true, she had slit her wrist once, but she knew she wasn't suicidal. She didn't embrace death for the sake of ending her life. "I had no choice. Buffy tried to stop me, like I knew she would. She'd rather see the end of the world than let me hurt myself. But I can't let innocent people suffer when I know I have the power to stop it. So I jumped. I killed myself. I chose death so my sister could have life, and the world along with her."
She looked up at them now, tears forming in her eyes. To Aragorn, she looked just like a lost child, terrified and alone. "I don't know why I'm here. How I got here. I mean, if anything, I should fallen through the portal into Glory's hell dimension. This wasn't supposed to happen. I wish my Mom was here!" she burst out, breaking down.
Legolas slid his arms around her shoulders, letting Dawn lean into him for support. There was something about her that made him want so badly to make her feel safe. He had the distinct impression, confirmed by her tale so far, that safe was not a common feeling for her.
Dawn quickly regained her composure. She wiped her tears away and pulled gently out of Legolas' embrace. "You're always picking me up, aren't you," she said apologetically to the Elf.
"Ta nae amin saesa, Arwenamin" he responded with a soft smile. Dawn was beginning to like that smile.
She furrowed her brow at his strange language.
"That was Elvish for 'it was my pleasure, my Lady'," Aragorn translated for her.
"Pretty language," she mused. "So what now?"
"Now, we let you take a bath," Aragorn told her. "There will be someone coming to draw you a bath and bring you clothing. Then we will meet with the Lady Galadriel. Perhaps she could help you understand your situation a little better."
Dawn nodded her thanks as Aragorn made his way out the door. Legolas leaned in close to her before standing up. "We will be close by if you should need us, Dawn."
"Oh I can bathe all by myself," Dawn teased with a weak grin.
He smiled and moved to leave, but Dawn grabbed his arm. "Hey," she called softly. "Thanks... for everything." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Legolas looked surprised, but smiled at her again before he left.
Aragorn was waiting for him just outside the door.
"Let's go," Legolas urged him on to meet Galadriel.
He noticed the man studying him intently. "Are you blushing?" Aragorn finally asked, laughter creeping into his voice.
"Lady Galadriel will be waiting," Legolas replied shortly.
* * * * *
Legolas and Aragorn found Galadriel by her mirror. They quickly related Dawn's story to them and she nodded her head, as if things were becoming clear to her as they spoke.
"Even she does not know what she is," Galadriel mused. "But I have ascertained where her power and strength come from. The mix of powers from the Key and the blood of the Slayer have made her something remarkable. Part energy, part warrior, part girl, and another part which I will discuss when she arrives."
"Here she comes," Aragorn gestured to the stairs leading to their clearing.
Dawn had reached the bottom step, and felt the cool grass beneath her feet as she crossed the clearing. Her hair was washed and brushed out, hanging loose on the shoulders of her white dress. She nodded to them, not really sure how to greet Galadriel.
Galadriel smiled encouragingly at her. "I am pleased to see you recovered, Dawn."
"Thank you... my Lady," she returned, taking her lead from how the Fellowship had addressed her upon their meeting. She began to chew on her thumbnail in her nervousness. They were all staring at her.
"Perhaps to look into the mirror would answer some of your questions," Galadriel indicated her mirror on a pedestal beside her. She had already filled it with water.
Dawn's hands flew to her hair. "Why? Is there something wrong with my hair?" she asked in a panic.
The others laughed. "No, my dear," Galadriel responded. "The mirror shows many things...."
"Oh! A magic mirror! 'Kay, sure I'll look."
Dawn moved to the mirror and looked at the water. It clouded over, then cleared and began to show a series of images. Dawn saw herself jump from the tower. She saw her own body broken on the concrete, Buffy and the other Scoobies sobbing over her. To them she was dead. She saw Frodo, felt his anguish and a ring hanging around his neck. Dawn shuddered. The ring was the power she'd felt coming from him the day before. It was complete evil, almost as terrifying as her encounters with the First Evil. She saw a series of horrible fates befalling the Fellowship, and then she saw herself, standing alone with a woman she'd never seen before. The woman was tall, pale and blonde. Something about her demeanour reminded her of Buffy, and she felt an affinity with the woman. They were both wielding swords, watching as something heavy pounded on a closed door, about to break in on them. She felt no fear in herself or the woman as they waited. She saw an ash-covered field, a battleground with a raging volcano in the background. A final rush of images told her a lot about the Fellowship, their road so far and their purpose.
Dawn stepped back, looking at the trio watching her. Forgetting her own situation, she immediately asked, "How can I help?"
"It is too dangerous," Aragorn responded, almost automatically.
Galadriel smothered a smile as Dawn arched an eyebrow at Aragorn. The Key was clearly not amused. "Believe it or not, Aragorn, I've faced worse evil than this little ring thingy you're all so stressed over. I've faced the First Evil- beyond sin, beyond death. I've faced the thing the darkness fears, the reason things like Sauron and his tacky ring are able to exist, and it tried to destroy me. Guess what- it failed, big time. Don't you dare stand there and talk down to me about danger. My life is danger. Why the hell would I have seen all that crap about you guys if I didn't need to? Obviously, it has something to do with me."
"You may be right, Dawn," Galadriel interrupted. "And you may be wrong. In any event, we will find out along the road, as you must travel with the Fellowship."
Aragorn and Legolas gasped. To have the Lady travel with them was impossible. "She'll be killed!" Aragorn protested.
"Honey, I'm already dead," came the sarcastic reply.
"Death is no longer a threat to Dawn," Galadriel announced. Gaining their complete attention, she continued. "You felt your power awakening within some time ago. You have been learning that the combination of your energy with your sister's blood gives you something of an irregular power. You now are more able to fight than you have ever been before. What you have not yet felt is that you are immortal."
Dawn blinked. "Bullshit!" She coloured immediately after she spoke, ashamed of her language. "Sorry, just kinda slipped out," she squeaked.
Legolas and Aragorn were equally amazed at Galadriel's revelation.
Galadriel nodded. "Yes, immortal. The Key had to be made to endure, and so you were made to endure. The power took effect on your eighteenth birthday. But nobody foresaw your spirit. Instead the Higher Powers had deduced that your world would end. That there would be no more need for the Key in that reality, and so you would perish along with the rest. But since that world did not end, your power could not be terminated. The Powers had to act quickly to counteract your decision to jump. Your essence was sent here, so that you might go on fighting for good as you have done in your world."
For a moment, nobody in the clearing moved or spoke.
Then Dawn threw a self-satisfied glance at Aragorn. "See- who's the weak little girly girl now?" she teased, a smirk creeping over her features. She knew from looking into the mirror that Aragorn was destined to be the great King of Men, but she still couldn't resist taunting him when the opportunity had arisen.
"The decision should be Frodo's," Aragorn said, annoyed.
"Dawn shall come with us if she wishes," declared a small voice from behind them. They turned to see that Frodo and Sam had slipped down the stairs. They had heard everything that had passed between the group since Dawn had looked into the mirror.
"Thank you, Frodo. I'm in," she told him. "Besides, no offence, Lady Galadriel, but this place kinda wigs me out."
Galadriel laughed. "Your discomfort is readily excused. See, there is a deep mystical energy running through Lothlorien, and for some reason, it has reacted badly with your own mystical energy. I have managed to limit the effects for the duration of your stay, but you could not remain here permanently."
Dawn and Legolas both nodded, remembering how her condition had become so much worse as soon as they'd entered the woods. Then Legolas remembered that she had been unwell before they had even reached Lothlorien.
"My Lady, will Dawn be all right once we leave Lorien?" He asked. "It's true she did worsen while she was here, but she was unwell before we'd reached the woods. Will she not be affected at our departure?"
Galadriel nodded. "I believe so. Her initial illness was just her essence adjusting to a new world. Passing through a portal is no easy task, there were bound to be some side effects. Dawn will be fully adjusted to Middle-Earth by now."
She dismissed Legolas, Aragorn and Dawn, but requested that Frodo and Sam stay to look into her mirror for themselves. The three made their way up the stairs.
"Well, Dawn," murmured Aragorn. "Welcome to the Fellowship of the Ring."
"Thanks, King-guy," she quipped with a very large, mischievous smirk on her face. Aragorn frowned. Legolas grinned.
* * * * *
She looked down at her torn and bloodied dress and remembered how she'd killed herself, left all her family behind so they could live, and that instead of being reunited with her mother as she'd been praying for, she was in this strange land called Middle-Earth with no obvious way of finding home again. She absently noted that though the blood and the tears were still on her dress, the cuts that Doc had made were gone.
Dawn burst into tears. Hugging her knees, she rocked back and forth, sobbing like she hadn't sobbed since her mother's death four years ago. Her shoulders shook and she bit hard on her lip to mute the sounds.
A few minutes later, having let her stress out, Dawn took several deep breaths and forced herself to calm down. She threw her head back, stretching out the muscles in her neck. She looked to the door, surprised to find two sets of bright eyes staring back at her.
"Oh!" Pippin squeaked, having been caught. "We're sorry," he stammered, embarrassed. "Merry and I just came up from breakfast. We wanted to see if you were ok, we didn't mean to spy, Lady Dawn. Honest."
Merry just stood, nodding at Pippin's words. He and Pippin had decided they liked Dawn when they had been staring at each other the day before. She seemed like she was a lot of fun when she laughed.
Dawn sniffed and wiped her hand over her eyes. "It's ok. You guys can come in," she assured them, her voice still thick with tears.
The Hobbits approached her cautiously. Dawn shifted over on the bed and patted the mattress. "Have a seat."
She snickered a little as they had to actually climb just to be able to sit on her bed. "Are you all right, Lady Dawn?" Merry asked when they were all comfortable.
"Five by five," she borrowed one of her favourite phrases of Faith's. "But do me a favour, call me Dawn- it's just Dawn, ok?"
"Ok. Uh, Dawn, can I ask you a question?" Merry asked.
"Sure, shoot," Dawn replied.
"What does 'five by five' mean?"
"It means I'm all right. Sorry- I kinda tend to forget you guys don't know half the words I'd use at home."
"Where is your home?" Pippin asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
For a moment, Dawn didn't know what to say to that. Finally, she decided to just say what she could about Sunnydale without scaring them too much. "My home was a place called Sunnydale, and it is nothing like any place here." Dawn shook her head, unable to explain the differences in their worlds.
"Are there Hobbits?" Merry asked eagerly. "Do you know any Hobbits in Sunnydale?"
Dawn gave a sad smile. "No. There are no Hobbits in Sunnydale, or anywhere in my world." She looked at them fondly, already having warmed to them. "I wish there were, though."
"No Hobbits," they gasped together, aghast.
"No Hobbits," Dawn repeated. "No Elves, either. Or what did Aragorn call them yesterday? Orcs. Whatever they are, we don't have 'em. Or Dwarves either. I mean, we do have some incredibly short people but they don't have hairy feet and none of those chunky braided beards that Gimli has. Or... most of them don't," she amended.
Merry and Pippin laughed at Dawn's description. "What do you have?" Pippin asked, feeling as if Dawn's world didn't have a whole lot.
"Besides people? Mostly, just demons and vamps," she spoke without thinking, then cringed. She couldn't believe how carelessly she'd just opened up to her new friends. She had told them too much, and it was too late to take it back. None of them noticed two tall figures hesitate in the doorway. Aragorn was about to walk straight in with the Lady's breakfast, but Legolas shook his head. Dawn seemed relaxed around the younger Hobbits, and he wanted her to feel as comfortable as she could after her ordeal. Aragorn shrugged. Maybe they could learn something from her conversation with the Hobbits.
At the mention of a new word, the Hobbits' curiosity redoubled. "Demons we have heard a little of, though we'd like to know what kinds you have. But what are these 'vamps' as you call them?"
Dawn sighed and launched into a description of vampires, telling them that they were a form of demon, undead beings who drank the blood of people to survive. When they asked where vampires came from, Dawn explained the process of making a vampire, the exchange of blood. By the time she'd outlined a few of the greater demons the Scooby Gang had faced in its day, Merry and Pippin were very glad they'd never been to Sunnydale.
Dawn laughed when Pippin told her that. "Oh, it's not all bad," she assured them. "There's all sorts of cool stuff in my world. But where are you guys from?" she decided it was time to change the subject, now that she'd spilled more than a few of her world's deepest darkest secrets.
Merry and Pippin became instantly animated, giving her a vivid description of the Shire, emphasising it's beauty and simplicity, and the sense of peace that seemed connected with the land.
"Buckland is the fairest part of the Shire," Merry told her with a wink.
"Nay, Tookland!" Pippin cried, accepting Merry's challenge of the lands.
"Well, Brandy Hall is the greatest homestead in all the Shire, I'll wager any day," Merry shot back.
Dawn laughed at the banter between the friends until Merry turned to her. "You must come and see for yourself, Dawn. I think we'll be needing a judge to settle the matter for us."
"I'd love to," Dawn told him.
"After the quest is over, of course," Pippin reminded them.
"What quest?" Dawn asked, her forehead wrinkling slightly in confusion. It hadn't occurred to her before now to ask why eight men of various species and different areas of the world would be traipsing about together all over the countryside.
For once both Merry and Pippin were at a loss for words. The uncomfortable silence was broken by a quick knock at the door. Those on the bed turned to see Aragorn and Legolas standing in the doorway, arms laden with Dawn's breakfast.
Never willing to hinder the serving of a good meal, Merry and Pippin obligingly climbed off Dawn's bed so Aragorn and Legolas could set up a makeshift table over Dawn's lap, laying a large platter of food on it.
"Thanks," Dawn told them, her eyes widening as they took in the mountains of food covering the huge plate. Legolas poured her a glass of water and set it beside the plate. She looked at the food, but did not eat. Dawn knew she should be famished, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd eaten, but her stomach was strangely neutral.
Meanwhile, Aragorn was sternly lecturing the Hobbits. "You weren't disturbing Lady Dawn, were you?"
Before they could answer, Dawn broke in. "No. Aragorn, I'm fine. Merry and Pippin came to visit me. They were keeping me company is all." She smiled at her new friends.
Relieved, they began to chatter excitedly. "Dawn told us all about her home, a place called Sunnydale," Pippin began.
"Yes, they don't have Hobbits and Elves and Dwarves and all that like we do. But they have demons, some like giant snakes and some are big and blue and nearly indestructible," Merry joined in Pippin's chatter. "And they have these things -what did you call them Dawn?- Vampires? Yes, vampires. They're like these demons that suck people's blood and drink it and they can even turn people into vampires by drinking their blood and then letting people drink their blood and..."
"Enough!" cried Aragorn, barely able to conceal the amusement in his voice. "Merry, Pippin, you must've exhausted Lady Dawn. And in her weakened condition as well!"
Dawn prickled a bit. "I feel fine!" She hadn't meant to speak so abruptly, and she could tell that the others were startled by her tone. But she still hated being called weak. "Sorry, Aragorn. Didn't mean to go all Billion Dollar Princess on you there," she relented, ignoring the four confused looks she got for the phrase.
"You should eat something, my Lady," Legolas gently prodded, indicating her untouched plate.
"I'm really not hungry," Dawn tried to persuade them, but Legolas and Aragorn refused to leave her side until she had eaten at least something that they'd brought her. Dawn sighed and began to pick at a bread roll.
She tore it into tiny pieces before popping it into her mouth, rationalising that if she only took tiny pieces, at least she could feel like she wasn't really swallowing anything at all. She ended up giving most of what was left over to Merry and Pippin, winning over their hearts completely with the gesture.
Aragorn looked at her, consternation written all over his face. Dawn shrugged cheekily. "No sense in wasting it," she quipped.
He nodded slowly. "Merry, Pippin, why don't you take your second breakfast down to the ground. I'm sure you'll be more comfortable there."
Too happy with their food to care about being sent away, the Hobbits agreed readily. "Ok, Strider. Thanks, Dawn! We'll see you later."
"Bye," Dawn called after them, waving happily as they disappeared. She leaned back on her pillows, staring up at Legolas and Aragorn expectantly. "Ok, they're gone. What do you want?" Her tone was flat and she spoke directly, but there was no rudeness or hostility about her.
Legolas and Aragorn looked at each other, then at her. "We'd like to know where you came from, my Lady," Legolas began slowly.
"Sunnydale. And do you think you could drop the 'my Lady' deal, Legsy? It kinda gives me the wiggins."
"Pardon, Lady? I do not understand you," the Elf replied.
"What I mean is, call me Dawn. Just Dawn."
"As you wish, Dawn. You say you are from a place called Sunnydale?" Legolas was still speaking. Aragorn had dropped out of the conversation, preferring to concentrate on observing Dawn's behaviour as she answered Legolas' questions.
"Of course I say I'm from Sunnydale- that's where I'm from. What do you really wanna know, Legolas, coz the twenty questions is getting old, fast." It did not escape Aragorn's, nor Legolas' notice that Dawn was becoming slightly defensive. A guarded look had come into her eyes, her face became an emotionless mask, and her answers were deliberately short, as if she was afraid to say too much.
Taking a risk, Legolas decided to try being completely blunt with her. "How did you die?"
His words achieved their desired effect. Dawn's eyes locked onto him, and she faltered. He watched with sympathy as pain flooded back over her features, making her green eyes look even more brilliant. A tear slid down her cheek.
Legolas brushed it away. "It's all right, Dawn. You can trust us."
Dawn nodded. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, and any man other than Aragorn would not have heard a word she said. She started from the beginning, telling them all about how they'd had to move to Sunnydale, which was also know as Boca Del Infierno, the mouth of Hell. When they did not understand what Hell was, she told them about that, too. She outlined how her sister was the Slayer, the warrior of the people. Legolas and Aragorn were silent, engrossed not only in her tale, but the way that Dawn told it. Through her words they could feel not only Dawn's pain, but a lot of Buffy's as well. But Legolas noted a tiny hint of resentment in Dawn's voice as she spoke of the Slayer.
"Then, four years ago, everything changed. A Hell-God named Glorificus- Glory, came to Sunnydale looking for this thing, this Key. It was mystical energy which was supposed to give her the power to open up the barriers between dimensions so she could return to the Hell Dimension she was banished form. And not long after that, I accidentally found out that this Key thing, it was me. There were these monks, religious guys from the Order of Dagon, who had been keeping the Key safe since, like, the dawn of time. But Glory caught up with them and she woulda gotten the Key. So they did the only thing they could think. They made me. They channelled all the Key's energy into the body of a helpless fourteen year old girl and altered everyone's memories to think I'd existed all along. They sent me to the strongest warrior- the Slayer.... Buffy. They made me into her sister, made me outta Buffy's blood, coz they had to be sure Buffy would protect the Key with her life."
Legolas and Aragorn were staring now, completely dumbfounded. Dawn noticed the looks they were giving her.
"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked. Her voice was a little sad. She'd wanted for four years to let someone of her choice in, to let someone see what she really was. But she'd always been terrified that nobody would believe her, and that she'd lose people she could care about because of it. It was why she'd never had any real friends. She had friends, sure, but nobody close, nobody who really knew her.
"We believe you, Dawn," Legolas swore. His voice dropped as he murmured to himself, "Power without control," remembering what she'd said to Frodo yesterday.
Aragorn had come forward to stand beside her bed. "Yes, we do. Will you continue? Will you tell us your story?"
Dawn nodded and went on. "I freaked when I found out. I couldn't understand it- I wasn't real." she broke off, and without even looking, she pulled the left sleeve of her gown up, exposing a long scar, now no more than a line in the skin on her wrist. Legolas and Aragorn stared at it.
"I cut myself. I thought that if I bled, if I could feel pain, see my own blood, it would prove that I was really me, not just a Key. I didn't understand anything anymore. I didn't even want to understand for a while. When someone tells you you're not real- you're just a thing, it's like the world stops turning for you. I kinda started to think that nothing I did mattered." She covered her scar again and met both of their gazes.
"But everything has to matter, sooner or later. At the same time as all this was going down, our Mom was sick. She had a brain tumour.... a growth pressing on her brain that shouldn't have been there. They did an operation on her, and they said they got all the tumour out." She looked down a moment, struggling to continue. Letting them know she was the Key felt like saying she preferred apples to oranges compared to what she had to say next.
"But a few months later, right when we thought everything was back to normal, pfft- normal as possible for us, Buffy came home and found her..... Buffy came to my school and told me- Mom was dead. There had been a complication from the tumour, it caused an aneurysm. It made her bleed in her brain and the blood clots from that killed her, stopped her brain from working," she explained. She wasn't crying, but pain was radiating in her from waves that almost floored her audience.
Legolas sat beside her, taking her hand in his own. He couldn't fathom the pain this one young woman had endured in eighteen short years, he'd been alive for almost three thousand years and had never even come remotely close to hurting like she had. And through it all, both he and Aragorn could feel the strength emanating from her.
"After that it was just me and Buffy. And we did ok, with the help of Buffy's friends- Willow and Xander, her best friends. And there were others too- Tara, Spike, Giles, Anya. Somehow we kept it all together. But then Glory found out I was the Key. She ended up abducting me.... that was three days ago now. I never even found out how she knew." Dawn glanced down at her ruined clothing. "She had me put in this dress, and her minions tied me to the top of a tower. I can fight, but they drugged me, there was nothing I could do. By the time I was recovered enough to put up a fight, the ropes were on me and there was no-one left up there to fight. They'd all gone down to await the ritual. See, blood was the key to the Key. My blood would tear the fabric between dimensions, and the tears would not heal until my blood was stopped. Glory planned to use my blood to open her world up and pass through, not caring that all manner of hell would be leashed upon my dimension, and every other, including Middle- Earth, till my blood was stopped."
Legolas' grip tightened on Dawn's hand. He was horrified at what she must've felt, the weight of the world... every world, on her shoulders. She continued as if she didn't feel the pressure of his hand.
"The stupid thing is, Glory never even got up the tower to me. Buffy kept her down, incapacitated her so she couldn't start the ritual. But one of her minions took it upon himself to do so." She gestured to the tears in her dress, the bloodstains that she'd become almost used to. "That's all these cuts. Him letting my blood out. I could feel it dribbling down my skin... and then Buffy was there. She had me, she pulled me free. But it was too late- just one drop, one drop of my blood had dripped on the portal opening and it was happening- worlds were collapsing into each other."
Dawn had real difficulty speaking the next words aloud. Something inside her screamed in protest to her saying she had killed herself. It was true, she had slit her wrist once, but she knew she wasn't suicidal. She didn't embrace death for the sake of ending her life. "I had no choice. Buffy tried to stop me, like I knew she would. She'd rather see the end of the world than let me hurt myself. But I can't let innocent people suffer when I know I have the power to stop it. So I jumped. I killed myself. I chose death so my sister could have life, and the world along with her."
She looked up at them now, tears forming in her eyes. To Aragorn, she looked just like a lost child, terrified and alone. "I don't know why I'm here. How I got here. I mean, if anything, I should fallen through the portal into Glory's hell dimension. This wasn't supposed to happen. I wish my Mom was here!" she burst out, breaking down.
Legolas slid his arms around her shoulders, letting Dawn lean into him for support. There was something about her that made him want so badly to make her feel safe. He had the distinct impression, confirmed by her tale so far, that safe was not a common feeling for her.
Dawn quickly regained her composure. She wiped her tears away and pulled gently out of Legolas' embrace. "You're always picking me up, aren't you," she said apologetically to the Elf.
"Ta nae amin saesa, Arwenamin" he responded with a soft smile. Dawn was beginning to like that smile.
She furrowed her brow at his strange language.
"That was Elvish for 'it was my pleasure, my Lady'," Aragorn translated for her.
"Pretty language," she mused. "So what now?"
"Now, we let you take a bath," Aragorn told her. "There will be someone coming to draw you a bath and bring you clothing. Then we will meet with the Lady Galadriel. Perhaps she could help you understand your situation a little better."
Dawn nodded her thanks as Aragorn made his way out the door. Legolas leaned in close to her before standing up. "We will be close by if you should need us, Dawn."
"Oh I can bathe all by myself," Dawn teased with a weak grin.
He smiled and moved to leave, but Dawn grabbed his arm. "Hey," she called softly. "Thanks... for everything." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Legolas looked surprised, but smiled at her again before he left.
Aragorn was waiting for him just outside the door.
"Let's go," Legolas urged him on to meet Galadriel.
He noticed the man studying him intently. "Are you blushing?" Aragorn finally asked, laughter creeping into his voice.
"Lady Galadriel will be waiting," Legolas replied shortly.
* * * * *
Legolas and Aragorn found Galadriel by her mirror. They quickly related Dawn's story to them and she nodded her head, as if things were becoming clear to her as they spoke.
"Even she does not know what she is," Galadriel mused. "But I have ascertained where her power and strength come from. The mix of powers from the Key and the blood of the Slayer have made her something remarkable. Part energy, part warrior, part girl, and another part which I will discuss when she arrives."
"Here she comes," Aragorn gestured to the stairs leading to their clearing.
Dawn had reached the bottom step, and felt the cool grass beneath her feet as she crossed the clearing. Her hair was washed and brushed out, hanging loose on the shoulders of her white dress. She nodded to them, not really sure how to greet Galadriel.
Galadriel smiled encouragingly at her. "I am pleased to see you recovered, Dawn."
"Thank you... my Lady," she returned, taking her lead from how the Fellowship had addressed her upon their meeting. She began to chew on her thumbnail in her nervousness. They were all staring at her.
"Perhaps to look into the mirror would answer some of your questions," Galadriel indicated her mirror on a pedestal beside her. She had already filled it with water.
Dawn's hands flew to her hair. "Why? Is there something wrong with my hair?" she asked in a panic.
The others laughed. "No, my dear," Galadriel responded. "The mirror shows many things...."
"Oh! A magic mirror! 'Kay, sure I'll look."
Dawn moved to the mirror and looked at the water. It clouded over, then cleared and began to show a series of images. Dawn saw herself jump from the tower. She saw her own body broken on the concrete, Buffy and the other Scoobies sobbing over her. To them she was dead. She saw Frodo, felt his anguish and a ring hanging around his neck. Dawn shuddered. The ring was the power she'd felt coming from him the day before. It was complete evil, almost as terrifying as her encounters with the First Evil. She saw a series of horrible fates befalling the Fellowship, and then she saw herself, standing alone with a woman she'd never seen before. The woman was tall, pale and blonde. Something about her demeanour reminded her of Buffy, and she felt an affinity with the woman. They were both wielding swords, watching as something heavy pounded on a closed door, about to break in on them. She felt no fear in herself or the woman as they waited. She saw an ash-covered field, a battleground with a raging volcano in the background. A final rush of images told her a lot about the Fellowship, their road so far and their purpose.
Dawn stepped back, looking at the trio watching her. Forgetting her own situation, she immediately asked, "How can I help?"
"It is too dangerous," Aragorn responded, almost automatically.
Galadriel smothered a smile as Dawn arched an eyebrow at Aragorn. The Key was clearly not amused. "Believe it or not, Aragorn, I've faced worse evil than this little ring thingy you're all so stressed over. I've faced the First Evil- beyond sin, beyond death. I've faced the thing the darkness fears, the reason things like Sauron and his tacky ring are able to exist, and it tried to destroy me. Guess what- it failed, big time. Don't you dare stand there and talk down to me about danger. My life is danger. Why the hell would I have seen all that crap about you guys if I didn't need to? Obviously, it has something to do with me."
"You may be right, Dawn," Galadriel interrupted. "And you may be wrong. In any event, we will find out along the road, as you must travel with the Fellowship."
Aragorn and Legolas gasped. To have the Lady travel with them was impossible. "She'll be killed!" Aragorn protested.
"Honey, I'm already dead," came the sarcastic reply.
"Death is no longer a threat to Dawn," Galadriel announced. Gaining their complete attention, she continued. "You felt your power awakening within some time ago. You have been learning that the combination of your energy with your sister's blood gives you something of an irregular power. You now are more able to fight than you have ever been before. What you have not yet felt is that you are immortal."
Dawn blinked. "Bullshit!" She coloured immediately after she spoke, ashamed of her language. "Sorry, just kinda slipped out," she squeaked.
Legolas and Aragorn were equally amazed at Galadriel's revelation.
Galadriel nodded. "Yes, immortal. The Key had to be made to endure, and so you were made to endure. The power took effect on your eighteenth birthday. But nobody foresaw your spirit. Instead the Higher Powers had deduced that your world would end. That there would be no more need for the Key in that reality, and so you would perish along with the rest. But since that world did not end, your power could not be terminated. The Powers had to act quickly to counteract your decision to jump. Your essence was sent here, so that you might go on fighting for good as you have done in your world."
For a moment, nobody in the clearing moved or spoke.
Then Dawn threw a self-satisfied glance at Aragorn. "See- who's the weak little girly girl now?" she teased, a smirk creeping over her features. She knew from looking into the mirror that Aragorn was destined to be the great King of Men, but she still couldn't resist taunting him when the opportunity had arisen.
"The decision should be Frodo's," Aragorn said, annoyed.
"Dawn shall come with us if she wishes," declared a small voice from behind them. They turned to see that Frodo and Sam had slipped down the stairs. They had heard everything that had passed between the group since Dawn had looked into the mirror.
"Thank you, Frodo. I'm in," she told him. "Besides, no offence, Lady Galadriel, but this place kinda wigs me out."
Galadriel laughed. "Your discomfort is readily excused. See, there is a deep mystical energy running through Lothlorien, and for some reason, it has reacted badly with your own mystical energy. I have managed to limit the effects for the duration of your stay, but you could not remain here permanently."
Dawn and Legolas both nodded, remembering how her condition had become so much worse as soon as they'd entered the woods. Then Legolas remembered that she had been unwell before they had even reached Lothlorien.
"My Lady, will Dawn be all right once we leave Lorien?" He asked. "It's true she did worsen while she was here, but she was unwell before we'd reached the woods. Will she not be affected at our departure?"
Galadriel nodded. "I believe so. Her initial illness was just her essence adjusting to a new world. Passing through a portal is no easy task, there were bound to be some side effects. Dawn will be fully adjusted to Middle-Earth by now."
She dismissed Legolas, Aragorn and Dawn, but requested that Frodo and Sam stay to look into her mirror for themselves. The three made their way up the stairs.
"Well, Dawn," murmured Aragorn. "Welcome to the Fellowship of the Ring."
"Thanks, King-guy," she quipped with a very large, mischievous smirk on her face. Aragorn frowned. Legolas grinned.
* * * * *