Disclaimer: If you recognize it, then it's not mine. Characters belong to the amazing J.R.R. Tolkien, (Except for Ellen, who is of my mind.) and some of the ideas portrayed probably came from other fanfics and stories I've read.
Notes: ** is the thoughts of our main character Ellen.
Chapter 6 -
It turned out that Ellen did not get to bed as early as she had wished to. The dress she had been wearing had a very complicated sort of clasp in a very hard to reach spot, so she found it necessary to wait for Arwen's return. Which was not until late. *Apparently elves do not need much sleep.* Ellen thought to herself as she felt the minutes pass slowly. She considered sleeping in the gown, but she knew Arwen would pitch a fit.
Rather than just sit around waiting for Arwen's return, Ellen decided to explore her room and see what kind of things elves needed for daily life. All she had seen so far and used was her bed, the wardrobe, and the balcony with a breakfast table. There had to be more to life than that. Walking around the edge of the room, she found a hallway she had not seen before, it blended in very well with the wall. Walking a short way, Ellen found it lead to a small pool. *Bathtub!!!* She realized happily. There was a cabinet which held all sorts of bottles. Opening one, she found it filled with a familiar lavender-smelling substance. *Bubbles or shampoo, either way - it's a good thing.* There was also a bowl of fresh flower petals. *Wow! Just like a spa!* It was a wonderful discovery for Ellen, in fact, the only thing she didn't like about it was that there didn't seem to be a solid wall around the bath. There was a thick hedge of flower bushes which did offer some privacy, but not much else.
Seeing that that was all to see in that particular room, Ellen made her way back to her bedroom, where there were still some things left to explore. There was a large cabinet made of dark wood in the far corner. Going over to it, she flung it open. It was empty, except for a pair of knives, a long bow, and a quiver full of arrows. The drawers beneath held some dark colored clothing: shirts and leggings, and a cape or two, as well as a plain, dark coloured dress. It was not so large and pretty as the ones she had been wearing that day.
Over at the desk, Ellen found some coarse paper and a bottle of ink. Realizing what that meant, she though: *You must be joking.* As she expected, further investigation produced a large feather quill. She highly doubted she would ever figure out the proper way to use it. Looking again, she discovered a smaller pen, undoubtedly used the same way, only it was made of delicately carved wood. *That's more like it.* She placed it on the desk top with the other items. There were a few envelopes and a candle inside the drawer. She picked up the candle, wondering what it was for. *Sealing wax!* She finally determined. Taking a last look in the desk drawer, she found that to be the last of the contents. Placing all the objects back in, she carefully closed it. Examining the rest of the room, she found the last thing that remained to be seen was the chest at the end of the end of the bed. It was a large wooden thing, with a lock on front, the kind that was built in. Eying it up, she walked over and tried to open it. *Locked.* Kneeling down beside it, she ran her hand over the light coloured wood, finely carved. That was how Arwen found her. She stood up as Arwen walked in.
"Heard me coming did you? Those ears served you well." Arwen commented.
"Yes. I didn't even think about that." Ellen stood up, slightly figiting. "I'm glad you're here."
"Why are you still awake? I thought you had left dinner so as to retire early."
"I did. Unfortunately, this clasp had other plans for me. It is impossible to reach, let alone undo! I realized I would have to wait for you to come back, to undo it for me." Arwen walked over and undid the clasp in a snap.
"It's too bad you had to leave dinner early. My brothers arrived soon after you left."
"Did I miss something?" Pondered Ellen. "Wait, do you mean your brothers: the twins? Don't they tend to play a lot of practical jokes? I bet I did miss something!"
"It is true that when they become bored, their minds seem to grow more creative. They are well known for their pranks. I often find myself a target." A wry smile emerged on her face. "I find it difficult to put up with them and their games sometimes."
"Well. We'll just have to see what we can do about that." Ellen's eyes glinted with a bit of mischief.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I've played my fair share of pranks. I'm sure I can come up with something they'll never suspect."
"Are you suggesting that we, that I fight back?" Arwen acted as though she had never heard of such a thing.
"What do you think I'm saying?"
"I'm a married elf! I don't play children's games!"
"Alright. Of course you realize you are subjecting yourself to torture for the rest of your elven life…"
"Hmm. On second thought, maybe just a trick…or two. To keep them in their place. They deserve it after all they've put me through." Considered Arwen. "Now, I will leave you to rest. Goodnight."
Ellen slipped out of the dress and into the purple coloured night gown. Climbing into her bed, she fell asleep thinking about home.
* * * * *
The moon was bright and shining in through the balcony of Ellen's room. She lay on her oversized bed, with a single sheet for cover. She had inadvertently pushed the comforter and everything else to the foot of the bed and over the sides. The cool evening air was disturbed by her soft mumbling and whispers. She tossed from one side to the other.
Ellen was having a dream. She could see her home clearly: right in front of her. It was late afternoon and there was a picnic of some sort going on. She could see many of her relatives and cousins in the back yard, sitting at benches and tables. All their cars were parked in the driveway in front of the garage. She weaved between the tables, no one took any notice of her. She stood at the end of the steps, just watching all that was happening. Her mother walked by her, without so much as muttering a word; not even a glance. That struck Ellen as odd. Her mother was always giving her something to do during family gathers. "Get more chips.", "We need more ice.", or "Where did I put the napkins?" were some of the things she would say. Ellen found herself walking up the back porch steps and opening the screen door to step inside. After standing in the hall for a moment, Ellen heard the phone ringing. No one else seemed to hear it. She went over and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Ellen?" A familiar voice.
"Hello? Conrad? Is it you?"
"Yes. Listen, don't worry. I'll be fine." Click. That was it. That was a strange phone call. Confused, she set the phone on the receiver.
All of a sudden, sirens filled the air. Then she knew. Something was wrong and the first thought that leaked into her mind was Conrad. She had to find Conrad. Ellen stumbled out the back door. The picnic was still going on. Everyone was happy and laughing. They paid no attention to the sirens. Ellen headed to the garage. She would take the car and go and find him. The keys were in the ignition, but the car was blocked in. She couldn't get out. Conrad was in trouble, and she couldn't get out, she couldn't find him. What was happening. What if she couldn't find him. How could she go without ever seeing him again? After a few unsuccessful attempts in searching other cars for unlocked doors and keys, she found one car that she could get out of the drive with. She passed many police cars on the road; lights flashing, speeding on their way. She was worried sick. Where could he be? She couldn't find him anywhere! She was lost on the back roads, but she didn't care. She only felt the pressing need to find him, and she didn't even know where to start. She cried out in frustration.
"Conrad! Help!"
Ellen woke up, jumping out of sleep. "No!" She looked around. She was back in her oversized bed, covers strewn everywhere. There was no light, except for that of the moon. The stars twinkled happily, but not enough to warm her insides or comfort her. She was stuck here, in Middle Earth; and she didn't know how to get home. It seemed so far out of reach. She looked to the entry way of the room to see Arwen standing there in her nightgown. Ellen stay where she was, sitting up in bed. Her eyes were wet with tears.
Arwen rushed over when she saw the girl was truly awake. She had been standing there for a few minutes, watching Ellen in her fitful sleep. Now she walked over to the bed where Ellen was sitting. Crawling onto the bed, Arwen embraced her, comforting her as a mother would. Ellen was silently crying, trying not to disturb the silence in her room; trying to hold her feelings inside.
"It was only a dream." Arwen whispered. "Whatever scared you, it is gone now. It was only a dream." She was surprised to feel the girl shaking slightly, yet uncontrollably. Ellen took a shaky, deep breath.
"Only a dream? What kind of console is that? I though people like you would know better." She sniffed.
"I am only trying to comfort you. You are shaken." Arwen spoke softly, soothingly. "You swore your skin tone would not change, yet here you are, your skin white and pale. You have had a fright."
"Nothing I can't handle. I'm ok." Ellen sat up and tried to dry away any evidence of tears with a corner of her sheet. Arwen released her, trying to read her face. "Really. You can go back to bed. I'm sorry I disturbed you."
"If one is distressed by night, they cannot help crying out in their sleep."
"I screamed? Out loud?"
"Yes, you did."
"I am sorry. I've never done that before."
"There is no need for an apology. If you are sure there is nothing wrong, I will allow you to return to sleep." She got up to leave, but hesitated at the entry.
"Yes. I'm ok." Ellen tried to convince her, though there was still streaks of tears on her cheeks. "Thanks for checking in on me."
Arwen could see that she just needed some time to herself. "That's what friends are for." And with that being said, she glided from the room.
*Friend?* Instantly, Ellen felt better. The dream was still fresh in her mind, and it still hurt inside. *She did say friend. I'm not alone.* That thought comforted her more than anything else, more than anything anyone could have said. After a few minutes of looking up to the sky, Ellen closed her eyes and fell asleep.
* * * * *
Ellen didn't need to open her eyes the next morning to know that someone was on her bed with her. Considering the previous day, she could take a pretty good guess as to who it was.
Determined not to let the hobbits get the best of her- again, she made her move. Acting as though she was just waking up, she stretched her arms up next to her head. In one swift movement, she pulled the pillow out from beneath her and whipped it at the form on her right, who was undoubtedly caught off guard. There was a muffled yell and then a thump on the floor. Ellen opened her eyes to see Merry grinning over the edge of the bed at poor Pippin, lying in a heap on the floor.
The night terror momentarily forgotten, Ellen giggled as she sympathized with the hobbit. "Oh, I'm sorry Pippin. You should know better than to disturb someone who is sleeping."
"You weren't sleeping! That was intentional!" He cried as he sat up. "Why am I always the one to suffer?" He asked as he glared at Merry. Then he confronted Ellen. "I suppose you think this was all my idea to see that you wake up - in time for breakfast?" He added as he stood up and brushed himself off.
"You guys came to make sure I got breakfast? That's so nice! Well if I had known that, I wouldn't have knocked you quite so hard."
"So it was on purpose!" Pippin accused her.
"Second breakfast actually." Merry informed her, changing the conversation around. "You missed first breakfast, which is unfortunately the only meal these elves eat in the morning. So, we brought you some!" He waved over to her breakfast table where a tray of food was set.
"Good service. Wow. I'm sure you guys do this for all the guests right?" She jumped off the bed and ran out to the balcony to check it out. Pippin followed her over.
"Nope. Just you." Pippin stated. "Can we eat now?"
"Oh I see how it is. You bring me breakfast, and that's how you manage a second breakfast. By picking off mine!" Ellen laughed as she pulled off the tray cover.
"We're hobbits! You cannot expect us to survive a day without the proper amount of meals. We would waste away to nothing if we only ate what these elves fed us!" Merry nodded his agreement with Pippin as he joined them on the balcony.
"I don't know… Your plates looked pretty full last night. Did you get enough to eat at the dinner?" She sat down on the chair, tearing the sweet, flat bread into pieces before eating it.
"That's right! You did attend the evening meal!" Merry remembered. "But I thought you would come and sit with us."
"Well I guess Arwen had other plans. She made me change." Ellen stopped to chew. "Apparently its not proper to wear the same thing to dinner that you wore during the day. I'm really glad she's here to help me fit in. She's a really good friend." Ellen didn't want to sound ungrateful. "Well anyway, once I had changed, I thought I could go down and find you guys, but she had already arranged for…escorts." By now Pippin had helped himself to the tray and he was happily munching on a piece of fruit.
"Hmmm… that's right." Said Pippin. "We saw you with Legolas. We didn't know you had actually met him and we didn't realize you were so uncomfortable with him. That must have really bothered him, we saw in the garden when…
"You what?!" She almost choked on the bread.
"What Pippin means is…" Merry tried to cover up Pippin's mistake, but it was too late.
"You were in the garden? What were you doing? Spying on me?" She laughed. "I don't believe it! Do I look like I need a nursemaid? At home, I considered old enough to take care of myself, to a reasonable extent anyway."
"We just wanted to make sure he behaved himself." Pippin excused himself and Merry. "You aren't the only one who hears stories. Most of the maiden elves here would die just to be escorted by him, but you didn't look too happy at the time. In fact, you turned a nice pale shade when he lead you up to the front. We thought you might get sick in front of everyone. You almost looked like an elf, except for the ears of course." Then Merry gasped, almost dropping the roll he was holding.
"What?" Ellen looked at his face, wondering what had him so worked up.
"Your ears! They are pointy! Like elves ears! What did you do?!" He walked over to where she was sitting and pinched the tip of her ear to see if it was real.
"Oh, that." She fended Merry off when he began to pull at it. "Galadriel thought it would be a good idea to change my appearance just a bit, so I would look more like an elf. Then I wouldn't have to explain my presence here. If you blend in, you don't get asked as many questions."
"Well we'll have to start calling you Valanar now!" Merry exclaimed teasingly. "Pointy ears! How did you do it?"
"It was really weird, you should have been there! I just did it: made a wish and they popped up. I don't know how else to explain."
"Made a wish? Really? You think you could wish up something else?" Pippin wondered aloud.
*What is he talking about? What else would I need?* But her curiosity got the better of her. "Like what?", she asked.
"Butter. I forgot to ask for some down in the kitchen. These rolls are delicious, but you can't eat them without butter." Pippin stated as he shoved one in his mouth.
*You just did.* Ellen was about to speak her mind to Pippin when Arwen walked in, looking slightly flushed; for an elf that is. Her hair was pulled up in a mass of braids and curls: Ellen thought it looked nice, she had only ever seen Arwens hair down. *Now that I think about it, I've never seen an elf who wore their hair up.*
"Forgive me." Arwen said. "I was not aware you were entertaining visitors. I shall return at a more appropriate time." Doing a little bow, she prepared to leave.
"Wait!" Ellen could see that this was perhaps more important than her social life and second breakfast. "Hey guys, would it be a problem if we hang out some time later today?"
"Sure, no problem." Merry understood, though he had to kick Pippin to give him the message. Taking a hint, and some of Ellen's breakfast, the hobbits waved goodbye to Ellen as they left the room.
"Ok, Arwen. My schedule just opened, you have me for the morning."
"First thing is first, Ellen. What shall you wear today?"
"Well I was thinking I really don't care, because either way I know it will be beautiful and slightly uncomfortable and colorful and soft and…" She teasingly tried giving Arwen a hard time, to make her more cheery.
"Then I will choose for you once more." Arwen interrupted her and walked over to the wardrobe, pulling out a rich, red dress. Ellen's face fell when she saw it.
"Arwen? Red really isn't my color. Remember the hair? Red highlights?"
"Yes of course. See, you do have some sense when it comes to clothing." Arwen replaced it and pulled out a dark blue coloured gown. Ellen's eyes lit up.
"Yes! The sleeves aren't even puffed! Bonus points to Arwen!!" Arwen managed a smile and gave her the dress, allowing her a few minutes to change. Ellen speedily stripped off the night gown and slipped on the blue one. Emerging from the dressing corner, she had an idea.
"Arwen, I think I'll go barefoot today. That is if its acceptable to the elven society. This gown is pretty long, so no one will ever notice."
"Yes of course, as long as you do not plan on attending any formal occasions or meals, for that matter. There is a pair of matching slippers in the bottom drawer of the wardrobe if you find that you need them. Let me get them out for you." Arwen removed them and set them on the floor by the wardrobe.
"Excellent."
"Now how about if we do something about your hair? I know you don't want it brushed. I'll just twist some of it so it is out of your way. I know you are planning on exploring some today."
"Oh, alright. Lets go out on the balcony." Ellen lead Arwen out to the breakfast table and sat down. Arwen stood behind her and gathered some of the hair that fell in her face. "So," Ellen thought she's start the conversation. "I'm really sorry I woke you up last night. Did you get to sleep afterwards?"
"Yes. I slept fine. However this morning was quite a bit more interesting, even with your nightmare taken into consideration."
"And why is that?" Ellen hoped nothing bad had happened. Arwen looked pretty upset. *I hope I didn't do something wrong.* The thought occurred to her that maybe she had offended someone or did something unacceptable.
"I awoke this morning with the intentions of a soothing bath." Arwen began. "I was preparing to wash my hair when I noticed some of the water had turned a deep red." As she said this, Arwen stopped playing with Ellen's hair to pull a few pins from her own hair and let it down. Turning around, Ellen was amazed to see that hidden in Arwen's black tresses were long streaks of bright red. Arwen had fixed it just so the red was out of sight. *That was why her hair was up!* Ellen, realized her mouth was hanging open and abruptly shut it. "Luckily I had just poured the soap into my hair and not worked it in. But I was unable to wash the rest from my hair. What am I going to do?"
"Well can't you colour it back? But how did you get it mixed up with your soaps? I didn't know you coloured your hair Arwen."
"Colour my hair? I don't do it, and I certainly don't know of anyone else who does. Why would anyone want to change their hair colour?"
"Well then how did the red dye get into your soap…oh." Ellen knew now without Arwen having to tell her.
"I have a feeling my brothers had an early start this morning." Arwen sighed. "They are often playing tricks on me. But never like this. The red is permanent. It won't come out. I tried using other soaps…nothing worked. My hair is ruined!"
"Relax Arwen. If it doesn't wash out, we'll just colour it black again." Ellen said, remembering the black ink in her desk. "Its no big deal. A lot of girls in my world have two-toned hair colouring."
"Yes. In your world." Arwen was close to tears.
"I told you, its not a problem. Goodness stop crying! I can fix it so no one will ever know it was red. But now what are you going to do about your brothers?"
"Do? You mean this calls for some sort of punishment?" Arwen looked up.
"Unless you want to chance taking a bath tomorrow and ending up with green in your hair." *What would I do in this situation? They don't expect her to do anything, so waiting to act won't cause them to be paranoid. But then again, if they don't expect a return from her, we could catch them off guard. Which could really make things fun."
"Enough said. What can we do?" Arwen asked.
Ellen smiled defiantly as she got up and walked over to the desk to get the ink and a comb. "I suppose that all depends on how far you are willing to go." She retrieved the bottle from the desk and turned around. Arwen stared at her.
"Are you certain you know what you are doing?"
"Yes, of course. Now sit down and I'll tell you what we'll do, while I make your hair black again." Ellen took a glass of water from the breakfast tray and mixed some of the ink in. Arwen sat still as Ellen combed through the red streaks, filling her in on the idea of revenge.
