Thanks for all the reviews!!! Just to clear a few language points up, as I realise not everyone's taken a third language for three years like I have. 1) Infinitives are the form of the verb you'd probably find in a dictionary, and in some cases it's the only form that would appear in a between languages dictionary, e.g. French-English dictionary. In English the infinitive is usually the verb preceded by the word 'to.' For example, the infinitive of 'run' is just that; 'to run'. 2) Conjugations are the form a verb takes with a noun or pronoun. Conjugations of 'to run' are 'I run,' 'you run,' 'he/she/it runs,' 'they run,' 'we run.' Hopefully that clears a bit up. Now that the difficulties have been established, the rest of the story shouldn't be as technical. If I do use a word or words that you don't understand, though, tell me in a review. I'll try to clear it up.

Once again, Tolkien's characters are Tolkien's. My characters are mine. The settings are pretty much all Tolkien's. From now on I'll just let the disclaimer stand, as I did devote a separate chapter to it the first time.

Penny sat in the hayloft of the stables and wiped the tears from her eyes. It wasn't fair. If she wanted to help Aragorn, Kieran didn't have the right to stop her. Just because he was afraid to care about anyone didn't mean she had to be. And he didn't have the right to remind her how useless she'd been when Dad was sick. She hoped Elrond wasn't mad at her for running off. She had seen his arm reach out before she'd disappeared. She should go back, she knew. She was hungry for one thing, and she couldn't run away from things any more. Not just yet though. She loved the sweet smell of the hay and the small, square bales made a good seat. Light filtered through the eastern window, illuminating tiny particles of dust suspended in the air. Beneath her she could hear the horses moving in their stalls and the elves bringing food and water to them. Wheelbarrows were rolled as the stalls were cleaned. She couldn't understand the conversation, though occasionally she picked a word or two out of the din.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been there when Elrond climbed up the ladder to the loft, surprising Penny. It was hard to picture the elven lord climbing into a hayloft, but here he was. He came and sat beside her in the hay.

He said something. She couldn't understand all of it, but it sounded like Kieran had told him something about her father. He repeated a word--a verb by the sound of it--and made the ASL sign for dead. "Kieran told me your father died."

Penelope sighed and nodded. "He was sick."

"You want to help Aragorn."

"Yes."

"Why? Because you could not help your father?"

The unfamiliar words had to be why and because. They made sense. "No. I want to help because he is sick."

"Because he needs help?"

"To need?"

"He needs help. You need food. You need water."

"I understand."

"Good. Are you all right?"

She remembered that word from earlier. "Yes."

Elrond put an arm around her shoulder. "Come eat your breakfast. You can help after lunch."

Penny gave a small smile. "Why?" Hopefully it was the right word.

"Because he needs help and you need to help." He stood and pulled Penny to her feet. "Come. Breakfast."

After breakfast, Lauriel showed Penny a small, narrow loom, about the right width to make bandages. This one would fit on a desk or table. She helped Penny get the cloth started and watched as she weaved, correcting the errors. After only twenty minutes though, Lauriel had Penny put it away and moved on to teaching her how to prepare wool, and other fibres used for weaving. They were starting out with wool because it was the least expensive.

After the lesson Lauriel gave Penny the small loom to take with her, and a supply of thread. Penny nodded and thanked her before running off to lunch. As soon as she was done she took her loom to Aragorn's room.

Both Elrond and Arwen were there. Elrond was using a cloth soaked in Athelas water to try to lower Aragorn's fever. He gave a small smile when he saw the loom and the inch of cloth woven on it. He pointed to the corner and said, "Put it there."

She did and walked over to where Elrond was sitting by the bed. He showed her how to soak, ring out, and apply the cloth, explaining what he was doing. She could have figured out what to do herself, but the explanation was welcome, so she let him finish before taking the cloth. It seemed even this could become a language lesson.

Arwen looked as though she wanted to protest a fifteen-year-old Edain being allowed to play nurse, but said nothing.

"Arwen, go eat something," Elrond ordered.

"Ada," Arwen protested.

"Arwen."

She left, though obviously not willingly. After a few minutes Elrond stepped outside, motioning for Penny to stay. He probably had to get something, Penny thought. She returned her attention to Aragorn and felt his forehead. His fever seemed a little lower today.

The silence was deafening. While Elrond and Arwen were present, there was always some sound in the room, but now the large, bright room seemed to emphasise her isolation. Maybe Aragorn could hear her. Even if he couldn't, she had to talk, and she had to speak English, if only to hear the familiar language of her home. A kind voice was a kind voice, something she could well appreciate from her time here. And Aragorn wasn't in a position to look at her like she had a hole in her head for speaking 'gibberish.'

"I know you can't understand me, but that's okay. If I spoke Sindarin I'd have almost nothing to say, so this is better anyway. Elrond'll come back. Don't worry. You'll understand him and Lady Arwen when they talk. I've had a lot of practice taking care of sick people in the mean time, so you're in good hands. My dad was sick, and I have four younger siblings, so I have a lot of experience. I guess I should tell you my name. The full thing's Penelope Aislinn Ryan, but you can call me Penny. I come from a place called New Berlin. It's a city in Canada. Believe it or not, that's in a whole other universe I think. A lot of Germans settled in New Berlin--that's how it got its name. Germany's another country. My grandmother came from there, on my mum's side. The rest of my grandparents are from Ireland. No one here knows that though. It's funny. I know about this world. I know what's going to happen to you, but I couldn't tell you if I wanted to." She looked up to see Elrond watching from the door. He couldn't have gone far, if he'd ever really left. She blushed and switched to Sindarin. "Elrond is here."

The elf-lord took his seat again and Penny lapsed into silence.

For the next few days, Elrond let Penny help with Aragorn for a few hours in the afternoon. She was good at simple things, and at talking softly or humming. Kieran appeared occasionally in the doorway. He wouldn't stay for more than a few minutes, though, no matter how much Penny begged.

"I'm not going to bother worrying about someone who's probably going to die anyway," he said once.

"Aragorn is not going to die," Penny said a little to sharply.

Kieran just shook his head and left.

"Don't pay any attention to him," Penny told the unconscious figure on the bed. "He's just scared. He's never been much good in hospitals."

On the evening of the fourth day Penny was in Kieran's room when a servant came to get them. They had been practicing their writing by candle light, but left it and followed the elf obediently. When Kieran realised that they were headed towards Aragorn's room he hung back, but Penny grabbed his arm impatiently and pulled him along. It was after nightfall, so the halls and rooms were lit by candle.

When they got there Aragorn was sitting up in bed, sipping a cup of broth. Both Arwen and Elrond looked very relieved. Though the Ranger still looked pale, Penny guessed that the danger had passed.

Relief flooded Penny and she broke into a huge grin. "He's awake!" she announced to Kieran, squeezing his hand. She repeated her announcement in Sindarin.

"Ow! Let go! I can see that he's awake." Kieran sounded annoyed, but couldn't keep a smile off his face.

"Sorry," Penny said, letting go.

"Come in," Elrond said.

The twins stepped further into the room and the servant left. They stood quietly, waiting for someone to say something.

Aragorn was the one to break the silence. Penny caught most of the first sentence, and could see that Kieran did to. There was only one word they didn't know. The rest of it went over their heads, though and they looked to Elrond in confusion.

Elrond repeated the first sentence, and said the new word, then "Helping."

So the sentence could also be translated as, "Thank you for helping me."

"Helping?" Kieran asked Penny in English.

She thought about it for a moment. "I helped by taking care of him."

"Caring for someone, helping. It makes sense."

Penny turned back to Aragorn and smiled. "You're welcome," she said in Sindarin. "I'm happy," she indicated her smile as she could only say happy in English, "you are all right."

Elrond filled in the missing word. Then he sent them back to their rooms. He'd only wanted to show them that Aragorn was all right.

Once Aragorn was back on his feet Kieran was the one to spend the most time with him. He started learning archery while Penny was weaving with Lauriel. It was much easier to learn (or teach) a skill such as weaving or archery than it was to learn a language. Demonstrations could be used instead of verbal explanations.

In the evenings Penny would often sit and watch Aragorn and Kieran in the training court. Sometimes she brought her portable loom, or a writing pad. Watching Kieran was funny. He'd grip the bow, and Aragorn would invariably adjust his hand slightly. Then the arrow would go up and Kieran would take about three minutes to aim before shooting. Nine times out of ten he would lower the bow slightly as he shot and hit the wall below the target. Eventually he started aiming above the target. This brought his success rate to about 30%--if one counted hitting the target at all a success.

About two weeks into these practices Kieran managed not to dip the bow as he shot and embedded an arrow in the ceiling. Penny laughed.

"You try if you think it's so easy," Kieran told her.

"I don't think it's so easy. I just think that after three days of hitting the floor and a week and a half of hitting the wall it's funny that you hit the ceiling," Penny said.

"I'd still like to see you try. It's a good skill to learn. And I never hit the floor."

"Oh, no. I'm not trying that. I'd probably kill someone."

"Who?"

"You've played Frisbee with me. How did you put it? It took me seven years to achieve sixty percent accuracy, while it took Kat, Allie, Ben and Jared half that time to achieve ninety percent. But at least it was good exercise."

"Try," Kieran said, walking over and shoving the bow into Penny's hands.

"Everyone in a three kilometre radius should run for cover."

Kieran yanked Penny to her feet and steered her to where he had been standing. "Just try once. You'll probably end up needing it and you're right. You should start now because it will take you a few years."

Aragorn took her left hand and placed it on the bow. He showed her how to put an arrow up and aim before shooting his own bow. Then he pointed to the quiver on the ground. "You're turn."

Penny took an arrow and tried to hold it like she was supposed to. Kieran corrected her and explained how to aim and shoot. Then he took Aragorn to a spot about ten feet to the left and behind her.

"Not funny," Penny muttered. She took five minutes trying to line up the shot before deciding that her aim was close enough. And she dropped the arrow just before she released the string.

Kieran burst out laughing. When Penny, beet red, turned to face her audience, she found Aragorn suppressing a chuckle as well.

"At least we don't have to worry about you killing anybody," Kieran offered.

"Can't we just accept that I'll make my living weaving bandages to patch you up after your orc hunts?" Penny asked. She switched to Sindarin and asked Aragorn, "Must I learn archery?"

Aragorn nodded. "Yes. Try again."

So she took out a hair tie, tied her hair back, and dropped another arrow.

A few days later Elladan and Elrohir returned from their hunting trip. As soon as they had bathed and changed they met with Elrond and Aragorn in the dining hall for lunch and to discuss the hunt. After they had gone over the orc movements, Elrond directed the conversation to the secondary objective of Elladan and Elrohir's hunt.

"Have you found any clues as to how Penelope and Kieran were brought to Middle Earth?" Elrond asked.

"No," Elladan said. "We searched the forest around where we found them and found nothing. We also asked those we met in our travels if they had found or heard of any people who spoke a strange language and wore clothes similar to the twins'. How are they progressing?"

"As well as can be expected," Elrond said. "They are learning. They can now communicate simple ideas. Their communication skills are now about equal to those of a four-year-old child. Perhaps you should see for yourselves."

"Have they learned anything other than Sindarin?" Elrohir asked. "Have you tried teaching them Common Speech?"

Elrond shook his head. "It would be too confusing for them to try to learn two languages simultaneously. For now it is best that they master one, and as Sindarin is used in everyday speech here, it is easier for them to learn it first. When they know enough Sindarin I will teach them the Common Speech. Penelope is learning weaving, and Aragorn is trying to teach both of them archery. Perhaps you could help him with that."

"Why do you think they were brought here, Ada?" Elrohir asked. "They are not suited for life in Middle Earth."

"My guess is that they were brought here by some magic, though for good or ill I cannot say. When Mithrander comes I will ask him, but until then I must ask all of you to keep your ears open for any information about this. I do not like the idea of people falling between worlds."

"How do you know they are from another world?" Aragorn asked. "They could merely be from a distant land."

"When they first came here, I believed that may be the case, but there have been no reports of others like them, and I have seen parts of their home in Kieran's drawings. It is difficult to explain, but I feel that they are not from Arda."

"When I went to the Blue Mountains several years ago," Aragorn said thoughtfully, "I heard a story of a man and his wife who disappeared probably close to sixty years ago now. The story goes that a wizard made a mistake in a spell and they vanished as they walked through the forest. The man's brother saw them, but by the time he reached the place where they vanished. . ." He paused briefly. "The mystery was never solved, but it sounds as though the children came here in a similar way."

"The Blue Mountains are hundreds of miles away," Elrohir said.

"True, but they do resemble the people somewhat, and there is no telling how far the magic could reach, or if a similar mistake was made again."

Elrond considered what he had just heard. "There is no time to send anyone to the Blue Mountains, but have any Ranger who passes near them to listen for anything that may be connected to this. When the twins are ready I will send them to investigate if we have no better leads."

"Should we wait that long?" Elladan asked.

"We have no choice," Elrond said. "The Shadow is growing. We cannot afford to devote resources to this problem. At least they will be safe here."

That afternoon Elladan, Elrohir, and Aragorn helped the Edain twins with their archery and introduced them to the sword. Penny was somewhat better with a blade than a bow. They used wooden practice swords for now to avoid injury. After Elladan and Elrohir demonstrated the attacks and blocks on each other, Aragorn helped Penny and Kieran replicate them. Generally Kieran picked up on both attacks and blocks first, while Penny invented her own blocks out of necessity. Then Kieran would patiently show her exactly what to do and talk her through it. It worked so much better when she could hear what she was supposed to do. Still, neither of them was bad for their first time. They weren't great, but there was hope. Penny even managed not to drop the arrow during the archery portion of the lesson. The first arrow only went about two feet, and the ones that actually made it to the wall did just that--they made it to the wall about three feet below or to the side of the target, but it was a start. Kieran hit the inner half of the target twice. He rarely hit the wall anymore.

As they walked through the gardens on the way back to their rooms, Aragorn began to hum softly. It was a tune Penny knew well.

"Have I heard that song before?" Kieran whispered to her.

"You don't have to whisper; they can't understand us," Penny pointed out. "Yes, we have." She softly began to sing the words. They weren't in English, but they weren't in Sindarin either. She understood them though, mainly because her father had written out the translation before she and Kieran had been born. In English it was:

When the Shadow rises in the East

And Darkness covers all the land

The king will rise and claim his throne,

The Shadow drive away.

But now the Shadow sleeps, my child,

And there is naught to fear.

Rest your head upon your bed

And I will dry your tears.

For light will come with morning's dawn,

And the evening stars shine clear.

Sleep in peace until the day

And I will guard you in my arms

Until the King returns.

Aragorn stopped humming when Penny began singing. He and the elf-twins stared at her as she sang.

"I can't believe I forgot," Kieran said when she'd finished. "Gramma's lullaby."

"How do you know that song?" Aragorn asked.

"My father's mother sings it."

"You're grandmother," Aragorn said automatically. "Do you understand it?"

"Yes. Dad made it English."

"That song is in the Common Tongue. The Dunedain sing it. It was written near the Blue Mountains."

"What?" That wasn't possible.

Instead of going to their rooms as planned, Aragorn led them to Elrond and a rapid conversation that went entirely over Penny and Kieran's head ensued. Something about song, Dunedain, Blue Mountains.

'What on earth is going on?' Kieran asked in sign language. There was no way either of them were going to talk through this meeting.

'I have no idea,' Penny signed back. 'How can Gramma's lulluby be in the Common Speech? I know Dad was obsessed with Tolkien, but. . ."

'Maybe she came from here.'

'That's ridiculous. Or not. Her accent isn't really Irish. Neither is Grampa's. It's still ridiculous.'

'I just want to figure out how we got here, so I can figure out how to get back.'

'Don't hold your breath. It could take a while.'

That's it for this chapter. Originally I wasn't going to do this. I was just going to skip to what will now be chapter three, but I thought we needed something to bridge the gap. Chapter three should be better, and longer. I'll skip ahead in time a bit just because for what I want to do with this, the twins need to be functional in at least one Middle Earth language. It could also be a while as March Break is almost over, and once I get back to school I'll be knee deep in at least three culminating assignments. Those are pesky things we have in Ontario that comprise anywhere between 10%-30% of you final mark depending on the course. Please review. I love good reviews. I also love constructive criticism. In my Writer's Craft class I think we lose marks if we don't find something wrong during peer editing. As long as it's coherent I'll take it gladly. Thanks!