Chapter 9



Miranda could feel herself falling, felt a painful THUMP. And her world went black.

Arwen saw Miranda pass out and seized her; but the Elf misjudged the human woman's weight and they both teetered over. Miranda's head connected with the table in a sickening crunch. Arwen's exceptional reflexes kept the other woman's head from again smashing into the stone floor.

On the other side of the table, Legolas had been distracted by a touch on his sleeve, and returned his gaze in time to witness Arwen making a grasp for Miranda. Though he moved extraordinary quickly, he was not in time to catch her, and could only watch as she fell. He moved in a flash, lifting her onto the table, swept clear of dishes and platters with two sweeps of Hobbit arms. As he laid her on the table, he was horrified to pull out his hand and see it covered in red gore. Lord Elrond had reached their table and again placed his hands on Miranda, closing his eyes and seeking the injury. With his mind's eye he moved past bone, past fluid and grey matter until he reached the wound, throbbing crimson. Using the old Elvish gifts, he reduced swelling, his facial muscles tightening with the effort of causing muscles tissue to re-knit, bone covering to reform. After nearly an hour, he pulled away, drained. The hall had emptied, leaving only a select few. As Arwen and Aragorn tended to her father, the rest gathered round Miranda as her eyes fluttered open.



******



Dark. She was surrounded by darkness, so thick it was palpable. She waded through the darkness, not knowing up from down. Suddenly a low, familiar voice called to her and she moved towards the voice, rising as though through water, she awoke suddenly.

`What- what happened?`

She spoke English and understood it. But something felt terribly wrong. She looked up at Sam and Pippin, the faces closest to her.

"Miranda? Are you all right?" Sam asked, worriedly. Miranda gazed at him curiously.

"Who-are-Miranda?" she asked in halting Westron. Exchanging concerned and confused looks, they helped her sit upright. She appeared confused and disoriented.

"Sam?" Miranda looked at Sam, unable to find the Westron words to ask what happened. He pretended to fall and hit his head on the table, and she understood. She had fallen.

"Are you sure you're all right, Miranda?" Again she looked confused. She gazed around at the rest of the folk then said:

"Who-are- Miranda?" worry seeping into her voice.

"Why, you are, miss!" Pippin answered, confounded. Miranda looked shocked.

"I am-" Her voice broke off, and she panicked. **I can't remember! Who-who am I?** She looked wildly around the room. She recognized everything. Sam had brought her down for dinner. Before that, she had been in a room, recovering from.....A fever! Yes, she remembered she had got a fever while in the forest and she had been in the forest because....Her head jerked up in shock and she stared at Legolas, who was in her direct line of vision. WHY HAD SHE BEEN IN THE FOREST? She racked her brain trying to remember why, remember anything before staring up at Aragorn, but couldn't. Everything after being in the forest was clear, but before that she had no clue. She couldn't remember who she was, where she came from. Random words popped into her head: England, television, soda pop. She could picture them, but they held no meaning for her. Panicking, she tried to rise from the table and grasped at the person holding her down.

"Not remember!" she whispered, traumatized. "I not remember!" Legolas looked at her in shock, understanding dawning finally on his delicate features.

"She has lost her memory," he whispered.



*******

When Miranda awoke the next morning, the air was cool and rain fell lightly on the balcony outside her room. She rolled over and saw that she was alone in the chamber, having no way of knowing that Sam had sat beside her bed most of the night, until Bilbo had come to find him and tell him of Frodo's attack the previous evening. Though the panic attacks had lessened to a dull sense of worry, Miranda again tried to retrace her steps from the previous month. Over and over again, however, she ran into the same barrier. What had happened in the forest that day to make her forget?

It was extremely frustrating, for she knew she did not belong here. She was aware that she SHOULD have memories, but simply couldn't find them. Propping herself up in bed she ruminated over various recollections.

`A, B, C, D, E, F, G...` she sang to herself. `1,2,3,4,5. Grüss Gott, heute ist es ja kalt! Bonjour, c'est aujourd'hui tout à fait froid. Hello, it's quite cold today` She repeated to herself. `My name is Miranda.... errr.... ok. And my birthday is.....` she sighed in frustration, again. What was going on? She knew things and she knew she was supposed to know them, but they didn't make sense.

`Where is my family? Surely I cannot be alone in the world, can I?` She said aloud. She knew what a family was. She knew people had them, she had to have or have had parents, possibly a husband or (god-forbid) children! But every time she tried to picture them, she drew a blank.

`Grrrrr!` Miranda growled in frustration was surprised by a loud WOOF and a soft shout of laughter. Standing at the door were Frodo and Sam with a large yellow dog. A lab, she recalled. She dog came bounding to her and she recoiled in fright.

"Hey!" she said. "Go away!" She looked to Sam for help in getting the beast off her bed. Sam's face fell. He had been certain that seeing Maggie would return her memory. Instead she seemed frightened. Frodo shrugged apologetically:

"Give her time, Sam. We don't know what's happened in her life. Besides, remember when we were little and Bilbo's friend Old Barnaby fell off the wagon and hit his head? He clean forgot his entire family for nearly three months!"

Sam smiled slightly in remembrance of the brawny old Hobbit who liked eating, drinking and telling the little ones stories.

"Yes, Mr. Frodo. You're probably right. She just needs some time." Deciding to let it go for the present, the two friends sat on the edge of Miranda's bed and continued the language lessons.



******



Far, far in the east, Gandalf reached the city of Minas Tirith. There he met with a messenger, instructing the man to go as fast as possible and give this message to a man known as Strider, whom he would find in the Elven city of Rivendell.

"He is vanished. I can find no trace of him or his followers. News I have none except for a single unlikely lead. Do NOT let down your guard!" Gandalf's aged face blazed with the intensity of his message. He shook the messenger slightly and said:

"Find him. Tell him exactly what I've said. Do you understand, man?" The messenger nodded warily and quickly stepped away, brushing off his shirt. He was astounded to look up not a second later and find the old man vanished.

"Strange. Very strange men in these parts," he murmured to himself, then went off to find his mount for the long trip West.

He had scarcely been gone a day, when he realized a shadow was tracking him. As the moon rose into the night sky, the messenger hid behind a rock, his knife in hand, waiting for the assassin. He never saw the unusually large, black wolf sneak up behind him. By the time he noticed, it was all over. His body was dragged deep into the wood and left for scavengers. The wolf, his task accomplished, set off towards the rising sun.



******

By the middle of October, Miranda had recovered completely from both her fever and head injury. The days had flown by as she spent mornings with the Hobbits learning language and afternoons wandering the forests and riverside. But her favorite time was in the evening, long after night fell, when the Elves and guests would gather in the great halls. Night after night, there was singing and story-telling. Though her speech was vastly improved, so much so in fact, that she joked they had put something in her water, she understood little of the singing and none of the Elvish. It mattered little, however, for the music was beautiful and she was quickly growing attached to Sam.

For his part, Sam enjoyed his time spent with Miranda because it distracted him from his feeling that Frodo was slowly drifting away. Though he sat with them and could even, from time to time, be cajoled into sharing a song or story, more often he sat pensively, lost in his own world. Another part of him enjoyed his status as teacher. Sam understood from a young age, that his would never be a great mind, but she looked to him for guidance and he was happy to help.

For Miranda, she had grown fond of the Hobbits, found them friendly, warm and non-threatening in an unknown environment. Though at first she had noticed only their small stature and jolly demeanor and had thought of them as children, the more she knew them, the more she realized that what she considered naivete and child-like wonder, was goodness. They were GOOD people, free of real greed, avarice or malice. Being around them made her happy. She was often reminded, however, that they were grown adults. Their hands, for instance, were quite large, capable and masculine in appearance. The youngest, even, was more than a decade older than she was.

Frodo was feeling a growing frustration. Though he loved being with Bilbo and enjoyed Rivendell, his heart longed for the green fields of the Shire. Their plan to leave had been postponed when Sam hadn't wanted to leave Miranda, but now she was well and he saw no reason for them to remain. Lord Elrond, though enjoying the company of the Hobbits, also warned them that snows fell early in those parts. It was finally decided that they would leave soon.

"Leave? To go where?" Miranda asked, growing concerned. She had overheard the Hobbits discussing their plans and felt distressed. She knew she didn't belong in Rivendell, but did not know where to go. Lord Elrond and Aragorn also knew not what to do, and so felt it best for her to stay where she was. They had not forgotten her words of the Shire, though they were convinced she proffered no harm.

"We're goin home!" Pippin answered. "Home to th' Shire, where the green hills roll, the beer is cold and the lasses bonny!" he sang happily. Guiltily, Sam watched Miranda's face fall. He knew how much she had come to like the Hobbits, for they had grown to like her. His heart sank as he realized they would be seemingly abandoning her! Without thinking, he blurted out,

"Why can't she come along?" The other Hobbits paused in surprise and looked at one another.

"O, Sam, I dunno. I mean, she's might....weel....she's a bit large for a Hobbit house!" Pip said, looking at Miranda who stood a good foot taller than he. "Where would she stay?" Sam immediately looked toward Frodo, but tried not to and stared at his hairy feet. Frodo, who had known this was coming, smiled at his friend's transparency.

"She could very well stay at Bag End, Pippin. It's a very large space for a single Hobbit," he said. "Would you like to come stay with us in Hobbiton, Miranda?"

Miranda was at a lost. She thought about Rivendell, how lovely it was and how comforting. But then she considered that when the Hobbits left, she would be without company. Legolas and Gimli were leaving the next day for some caves, (she hadn't quite understood. ) Aragorn was so wrapped up in Arwen, both rarely appeared in public. Why not go with her friends?

"I would very much like that, only..."she trailed off, her face beet red.

"Only what?" Frodo asked, curious.

"I haven't any money. I don't know how I'd pay for my keep," She said. Lord Elrond and Aragorn had discussed her past with her, trying to jog her memory. They sent messengers to various human cities asking if a lady had gone missing, but had found nothing.

She realized Frodo looked affronted.

"Pay?" he said, shocked. "Why would you have to pay? I don't know what it's like where you come from, but in the Shire a Hobbit's hearth is always open to his friends! Pay, indeed!" he muttered. Miranda laughed, she couldn't help it. Apologizing for her gaffe, the five made plans to leave in a week's time. As the Hobbits continued packing, Miranda slipped out and went to find Arwen, who had promised to show Miranda the bathing place for women. She hadn't bathed since....well, her mind refused to consider the possibilities. Hobbits, she would later find out, bathe quite infrequently, and then usually just bit by bit, rather than entire submersion. Elves, she soon found out, rarely NEEDED to bathe, but when they did, preferred the freshness of a swift stream.

**Right. I get it now. I'm on hidden camera, aren't I? I'll just pop round the corner and someone will be there with HOT water, congratulating me on being such an easy-going guest!** Miranda stared at the stream with its swiftly passing, ice-cold water. Did they have leather for skin? Sighing, she slipped naked into the stream and began washing with the soap given to her. Trying to ignore her chattering teeth and blue-tinged fingertips, with eyes screwed shut, Miranda sang loudly to herself as she quickly dunked her head in the water and jumped up and down, trying to revive her numbing toes.

`I get knocked down! But I get up again! Nobody gonna keep me down! I get knocked down!` She rhythmically shouted the words and, deeming herself clean-enough, opened her eyes and went to grab her cloak. As she straightened after grabbing the cloak, her green eyes met a pair of blue eyes.

"Gahh!"



*******

"Truly, Legolas, I think it best that I go down early to sup. A long way we will travel on the morrow and I wish to be fully prepared!" Gimli rumbled slyly as he headed to the main hall.

"Good then, Master Dwarf. We shall meet early and at last I might view these wondrous caves!" Legolas smiled and turned to search out Miranda, who (he'd learned from Arwen) had gone to bathe. Glad that he would find her alone, without the near constant Halfling guard, he had hurried in pursuit. As he and Gimli set out tomorrow, she and the Hobbits would return to the Shire. Before she left, Legolas planned to make one last effort to find her truthful circumstances.

Reaching the edge of the stream, he caught sight of her blonde head bobbing up and

down in the water. His sharp ears caught an odd rhythmic shouting. As he came into speaking distance, he started to call to her, that she might not be frightened by his sudden appearance. However, her eyes popped open and bore into his as she let out a loud squawk. Having obviously been startled, she instinctively stepped backwards and fell back into the stream, accidently letting go of her cloak which merrily bobbed out of reach and away with the current. Miranda spluttered to the surface, her face red with embarrassment, to see her cloak floating away. It grew more red as she realized she was now naked. Though the water was flowing quickly enough to hide her, she had no clothes in which to return to her room. And then there was Legolas, standing there looking at her, his face unreadable.

"Miranda, in truth I did not mean to startle you," his voice was earnest, and his face betrayed no emotion as usual. He crouched down gracefully, and offered a long arm to help her out.

**I believe the correct phrase in this situation is 'Oh dear God, let me die now!'** Miranda stared at the offered hand. Legolas, misinterpreting her expression, quickly stepped back. A strange feeling grew in his chest, he felt angry and hurt that she rejected his help. He had thought they might grow to be friends and found himself seeking her, though most times he found her with Hobbits and so left. Many times, Legolas felt she was laughing at him, though he found nothing in his speech or behavior that would warrant jest. But she spoke to him easily and without shyness. This forwardness and friendliness unnerved and attracted him, for he was unused to human women, or any women in fact, behaving in such a manner.

Miranda was surprised when the hand was quickly withdrawn and his neutral expression became cold. She realized he had drawn the wrong conclusion about her refusal to take his hand and tried to tell him she was naked, but did not know the word for naked.

"I have no, um, clothes," she said, making a face and motioning to her body under the water.

"Yes, your cloak was stolen by the current. Some farmer many leagues away will find a gift tomorrow," Legolas answered slowly, unsure if her lack of vocabulary was leading to her statement of the obvious.

Miranda sighed in frustration. "No! I mean....You...." she made a twirling motion with her hand.

"You wish me to turn around?" Legolas asked, confusedly. "How, then, shall I help you from the water?" Miranda sighed again. It was damned cold in the water. Fine. He would get a show. She reached up her hand and huffed in surprise when he smoothly drew her out of the water without any seeming effort. He quickly pulled off his on tunic and wrapped it around her, rubbing her arms roughly. Unlike a normal man, he didn't ogle her nakedness, or awkwardly avert his eyes; instead he seemed not to notice. His grip had moved towards her hands and he was rubbing feeling back into her fingers.

For his part, Legolas held her close as he tried to increase the circulation in her extremities. Though the tip of her nose was cold where it pressed against his arm, and her hands her chilly, he was again startled by the heat emanating from her body. Was it natural for humans to produce so much body heat? He could hear the blood in her veins lose its sluggishness and flow quickly again. He realized that she hadn't moved. Though he held her with a touch so light, she need but flinch and would be free, she seemed content where she was. He too, he realized, was content to remain standing, his arms around her, not moving, not daring even to breathe, lest he spook her.

Miranda had been lulled by the warmth of his body, his closeness and his arms around her. It had been so long since anyone had simply held her, she remained still, enjoying the sensation until she realized something was off. It took her a minute but she realized he was not moving. At all. Humans in such a position sway to and fro soothingly, but he stood stock-still, yet made no move to push her from him. She though he was probably just making sure she didn't fall into the water again and stepped back. As she did, the tunic caught on his sword sheathe and was pulled off. Miranda closed her eyes in embarrassment, her hands going up instinctively to shield what they could.

Legolas watched, as understanding dawned. She was chagrined at being nude and therefore hadn't wanted him to see her! He shook his head slightly as he remembered Elves in his father's court speaking of the odd aversion humans seemed to have to their own bodies. He realized how indelicate he'd been and wrapped the tunic around her again, this time settling it into place over her head.

"Lady, I am sorry. Our kind finds no shame in nudity so I did not recognize yours. No forwardness was meant on my part," he said elegantly, bowing slightly. "Come," he said, again offering her his arm. "We will return to the dwelling where you might find clothing, well though my own suits you." Had she been less cold, she would have marveled at the never before seen sight: he was teasing her! Together they returned to the hall and parted ways near her door.











&*^$*$^&

The song Miranda sang was by good-ole-whatever-happened-to-them Chumbawamba. It just fit.