Chapter two
A Strange New World
When Kira awoke, she was in a very bright room. She assumed it was a hospital. When she tried to sit up her chest hurt, which meant that she had obviously hurt her ribs. She looked around the room. It was open to nature outside and this made her become aware of the fact that she did not recognize this place. No hospital anywhere near where she lived was this beautiful, or open to nature, for that matter. Fear was beginning to sweep over her when there was a knock at her door. Nathan and Anthony walked in, accompanied by someone she didn't recognize at all, and he was dressed very strangely, and he seemed tall and he was very regal looking. He wore long sweeping red and silver robes. She then also realized that Anthony and Nathan were dressed oddly as well, they wore what seemed to be simple leggings and tunics. Both were dressed in the colours of nature. She must have had a confused look on her face because the weird man hung back while Nathan and Anthony came closer to greet her.
"Your finally awake!" Anthony said smiling.
"You've been asleep for two days." Nathan finished.
"Where are we?" She asked now getting little angry as well as more confused.
Anthony looked at Nathan and shrugged. "We might as well just tell her, no point in dragging it out."
Nathan looked at me and sighed, "We are no longer in Canada, Kira" Nathan said to her, looking more serious than she'd ever seen him.
"What do you mean we are no longer in Canada? Then where are we? The States?" Kira was beginning to panic and she knew it was showing because both Anthony and Nathan glanced each other with worried looks then behind them to the strange man.
"Lady Kira," the man said as he walked calmly toward her. It seemed to Kira that he glided across the floor. "You should not worry yourself. We have taken good care of you, your brother and your friend here. You have nothing to fear from the elves."
The elves? What does he mean the elves? She thought wildly. I'm dreaming, yes that's it. I must have hit my head when we fell. I'm hallucinating. Kira calmed down, convinced she was dreaming. She looked around the room again. "Elves." She said calmly. She looked at the man standing before her. "And where am I? Who are you? How did we get here?" she asked as calmly as she could, now noticing how real this all seemed to be a dream or hallucination.
"Yes, elves," he said a small smile on his lips. He noticed the obvious confusion and tried to calm her. "You are in Rivendell. I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. We are not certain how you came to be here." He answered her.
As she studied him, trying to see if he was serious or not, she noted his features. He was obviously older than he appeared, for he spoke too gently and reassuringly to be as young as he looked. He had long, dark hair and grey eyes that seemed to hold a deep wisdom in them, and he wore a circlet of gold around his head. His eyes where what caught her though, they seemed too bright almost to grey to be real. He seemed to notice her studying him and he arched a slender eyebrow. This brought her back to his face and she noticed something. Her eyes widened and she tugged on Nathan's sleeve he leaned down and she whispered as quietly as she could into his ear, "He has pointy ears!"
Nathan smirked and nodded "Yes, we noticed that too, Kira. He's telling the truth. We are no longer in our world." He looked at her gravely, "Their hearing is very good. He can hear what we are saying." He pulled away and she looked at Elrond. He face turned as red as her hair as she realized what her brother said was true, for the man was smiling obviously knowing the things she had said. She looked back at her brother and bit her lip; she didn't know how she was supposed to react. A small part of her was still clinging to the hope that this might be a dream. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed, trying to figure out what exactly was happening here.
"Come Lord Nathan, lets leave Lady Kira and Lord Anthony to catch up," Elrond said, a half smile appearing on his features.
Anthony opened his mouth to protest, but Nathan elbowed him in the ribs and gave Kira a wink. Kira narrowed her eyes threateningly, but Nathan followed Elrond out of the room without giving her time to protest, shutting the door behind him.
Anthony and Kira where silent for a long time before Anthony piped up and said, "I was worried about you. I am glad you're okay, Kira." He grinned at her.
Kira took his hand. "I'm glad to know that when it comes down to it, you really care and don't just hang around to make my life miserable." Kira replied a smile forming on her lips despite her best efforts. "What happened anyway?" Kira asked. "I remember us talking, then Nathan showed up and then I must have blacked out, because I don't remember anything after that."
"Well, we were all leaning on the railing and apparently it must have been too much weight, because I remember hearing a cracking sound, then we all fell," he answered her. "The next thing I knew, I woke up here in a room a lot like this one and Lord Elrond was sitting next to me. He told me that his 'people' had found us in the woods, and that Nathan was already up and wandering around. Then, he told me everything he just told you, and believe me, you reacted very calmly compared to me. But after I had time to adjust I knew that what he'd said had to be true. This is definitely not our world, Kira.
"These people are very polite, they seem to understand that this is not our home and that we probably feel out of place and alone. They have been hospitable and kind to us so far. Those that don't avoid us altogether, probably because they think they might overwhelm us, have been courteous and sweet," he said, looking into her eyes. He got up and headed for the door. "You should probably get some more rest. Lord Elrond says you'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow and walk around the place." With that he opened the door and left.
Kira sat there, still very confused. She didn't have a chance to tell Anthony that she didn't feel like she needed any more rest, and she felt bored and lonely. She leaned back against her pillow, and she must have been more tired than she admitted to herself, because within moments she was asleep again.
***
When she awoke again, Kira knew it was no longer mid-afternoon from the brightness and the heat of the sun. She kicked off the blankets and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She hugged her ribs, which were still sore. She got out of the bed and walked around the room. She was standing on the patio looking out into a courtyard when a beautiful female elf came into her room with some new clothes folded in her arms.
Kira jumped when the elf cleared her throat and looked at her curiously. Kira blushed "I am sorry. I didn't hear you come in."
The woman smiled. "Of course. I should have knocked, but I assumed you would be asleep," she replied, studying the human in front of her "My name is Arwen. I am Lord Elronds daughter," she said with a friendly smile.
"It is nice to meet you Lady Arwen. My name is Kira." Kira extended a hand. Arwen looked at Kira's extended hand, confused. Kira reached out and took Arwen's hand and shook it, then let go. "It is a custom where I come from," Kira said noting the look of confusion come over Arwen's face as she looked down at her hand. "To shake hands with people you've just met." Arwen arched an eyebrow then nodded.
"It is nice to meet you as well Lady Kira" Arwen said. She reached out took Kira's hand and shook it in the same manner Kira hand just done. Kira smiled and let out a laugh. Arwen did the same. "Well, now that we know each other, my father asked me to come and give you these." Arwen held out the folded clothes to Kira. "I will leave you to change. There is an elf outside who will lead you to you brother and Lord Anthony when you are ready."
Kira giggled. "Lord Anthony? My, but he has a sense of humor. But I guess you could consider him one."
Arwen looked confused for a minute. "Oh, I was just talking to myself. Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes," Kira told her.
Arwen nodded "If there is anything you need, you may ask the guide," she said.
Kira nodded, and with that Arwen left Kira alone to change. Kira changed quickly and opened the door and glanced about. The guide cleared his throat from her right; she jumped and looked at him with an embarrassed look on her face. "My, but you Elves blend into the scenery, don't you?"
The elf arched an eyebrow. "Do you wish to go meet your friends now?" he asked her.
"Yes, please."
The elf led her through a series of hallways and staircases and soon they where in a beautiful garden. There where other elves around most of whom glanced at her discreetly and continued about their own business. "Your friends will be here soon. They are in council with Lord Elrond right now. They should arrive soon. You may wait here," he said, then turned and left her there. She observed a group of Elves practicing their archery. She walked closer and sat on a bench nearby, watching them with interest
One of the Elves said something in a language Kira didn't understand, as he picked up his bow. Notched an arrow and let it fly. It missed the bulls' eye and hit on of the most outer rings. The other chuckled and responded in the same language.
Kira was trying to suppress laughter and it wasn't working very well. She had no idea what was being said, but it seemed to her that they where fighting about who was the better archer.
Both the Elves stopped what they where doing and looked at her with questioning looks on their faces.
Kira got up calmly and walked towards them. She extended an arm and asked, "May I try?"
The Elf who had missed handed her his bow and an arrow. Kira took them positioned the bow, which was a bit difficult since she had never handled an Elvish bow before. She balanced it, and then notched the arrow. She focused all her attention on the target ahead of her, then released the arrow. It flew through the air silently, and then it landed with a soft thud directly into the center of the bulls' eye. Kira was actually surprised. She wasn't used to handling such a large bow, especially one so light. She looked to the two Elves beside her. Both had looks of utter shock on their faces. She then noticed that a crowd of Elves had formed and seen her shot. They were only partially successful at hiding their surprise.
The Elf who hadn't missed smiled, bowed his head slightly and said, "Hello, You must be the Lady Kira. I am Elladan, and this is my brother Elrohir. We are the sons of Lord Elrond."
"Hello. It is a pleasure to meet fellow archers." Kira said. The brothers bowed.
"How would you like to have a friendly competition?" the one named Elrohir said to her.
Kira smiled "But you just missed that target. What makes you think you can hit it this time?" Kira asked smiling. Elladan snickered beside her.
"I have your beauty to inspire me." He said and he took his bow back. "Well? Do you accept my challenge?" he asked her quizzically.
Kira thought for a minute "Sure, but I must warn you that I think that one may have been beginners luck. I haven't ever used this kind of bow before today." She admitted. Elrohir went pale and Elladan began laughing harder beside her. Kira was left standing there, rather confused.
Elladan, finally able to calm himself, explained the situation. Elrohir felt outdone by a female, and a human at that. But now with what she had just admitted, that she had never used an Elvish long bow before, it just added to his insecurities.
Kira couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "It was just luck, Lord. Nothing more."
"But we were told that you are a skilled archer at your home." Elrohir retorted.
"Yes but they are different style of bow. They are not as big, and our long bows are heavier than that."
"Will you accept my challenge or not?" Elrohir asked again.
Kira looked to Elladan who seemed to be mouthing 'no' and shaking his head. Then he sighed and pulled her aside. "Let me speak to her a moment first," he said to his brother.
Once away from Elrohir, Elladan said, "Please don't accept. If you do and you beat him, he won't let me hear the end of it for months. Unless you are willing to lose?"
"No." Kira said. "I will not lose on purpose just to spare your brothers feelings."
"Then please don't accept the challenge"
Just then Anthony came down the stairs and walked up to her and Elladan.
"Hello, Elladan," Anthony said, "I hope Kira didn't bother you too much."
Kira shot him a look of acid and turned back to Elladan.
"No, Lord Anthony," Elladan replied, Kira rolled her eyes. " I was just asking her to decline my brothers challenge to an archery competition."
"Ah, yes. If she won he'd be pouting for a while, eh?"
"More than a while"
"Fine." Kira said. She walked over to Elrohir and politely declined his offer, then she turned to walk away.
"Afraid?" asked Elrohir.
"Uh oh," said Anthony, who knew Kira well enough to know that she would want to take the challenge just to prove herself now. But to his surprise she just turned and said "No Lord Elrohir, but I have been asked by your brother not to embarrass you in front of all your people, so I am declining your offer." With that she walked back towards Elladan and her friend. Elladan smiled at her. It almost seemed to Kira that he got lost in her eyes for a moment then he shook his head and smiled at her again. "I am sorry if that might have gotten you into trouble with him." Kira said, a smile forming on her own lips.
"It is alright. At least I know he won't bug me about this for a month." He answered. "Come, it is almost time for dinner," he said and started to guide her inside. Then he stopped and looked back at Anthony. "Are you coming Lord Anthony?" he called back.
"No. I think I will answer Elrohir's challenge"
Elladan nodded, and then lowered his head to whisper to Kira "Is he as good as you?"
Kira had to keep herself from laughing outright. "No. He barely knows how to use a bow."
Elladan seemed satisfied with this answer and led her towards the dinning hall.
***
All right that's chapter two. Please read and review, it would be greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcome. So basically telling me what I did wrong AND THEN telling me how to improve is a good thing. Simply telling me my story sucks and that I should never write again is a flame. I will simply ignore it.
BIG thank you goes out to twin03 who is beta reading these for me. I am sketching out designs for your shrine now.
HONOR THY BETA!
Disclaimer: Nothings mine only Kira, her brother and Anthony are mine.
A Strange New World
When Kira awoke, she was in a very bright room. She assumed it was a hospital. When she tried to sit up her chest hurt, which meant that she had obviously hurt her ribs. She looked around the room. It was open to nature outside and this made her become aware of the fact that she did not recognize this place. No hospital anywhere near where she lived was this beautiful, or open to nature, for that matter. Fear was beginning to sweep over her when there was a knock at her door. Nathan and Anthony walked in, accompanied by someone she didn't recognize at all, and he was dressed very strangely, and he seemed tall and he was very regal looking. He wore long sweeping red and silver robes. She then also realized that Anthony and Nathan were dressed oddly as well, they wore what seemed to be simple leggings and tunics. Both were dressed in the colours of nature. She must have had a confused look on her face because the weird man hung back while Nathan and Anthony came closer to greet her.
"Your finally awake!" Anthony said smiling.
"You've been asleep for two days." Nathan finished.
"Where are we?" She asked now getting little angry as well as more confused.
Anthony looked at Nathan and shrugged. "We might as well just tell her, no point in dragging it out."
Nathan looked at me and sighed, "We are no longer in Canada, Kira" Nathan said to her, looking more serious than she'd ever seen him.
"What do you mean we are no longer in Canada? Then where are we? The States?" Kira was beginning to panic and she knew it was showing because both Anthony and Nathan glanced each other with worried looks then behind them to the strange man.
"Lady Kira," the man said as he walked calmly toward her. It seemed to Kira that he glided across the floor. "You should not worry yourself. We have taken good care of you, your brother and your friend here. You have nothing to fear from the elves."
The elves? What does he mean the elves? She thought wildly. I'm dreaming, yes that's it. I must have hit my head when we fell. I'm hallucinating. Kira calmed down, convinced she was dreaming. She looked around the room again. "Elves." She said calmly. She looked at the man standing before her. "And where am I? Who are you? How did we get here?" she asked as calmly as she could, now noticing how real this all seemed to be a dream or hallucination.
"Yes, elves," he said a small smile on his lips. He noticed the obvious confusion and tried to calm her. "You are in Rivendell. I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell. We are not certain how you came to be here." He answered her.
As she studied him, trying to see if he was serious or not, she noted his features. He was obviously older than he appeared, for he spoke too gently and reassuringly to be as young as he looked. He had long, dark hair and grey eyes that seemed to hold a deep wisdom in them, and he wore a circlet of gold around his head. His eyes where what caught her though, they seemed too bright almost to grey to be real. He seemed to notice her studying him and he arched a slender eyebrow. This brought her back to his face and she noticed something. Her eyes widened and she tugged on Nathan's sleeve he leaned down and she whispered as quietly as she could into his ear, "He has pointy ears!"
Nathan smirked and nodded "Yes, we noticed that too, Kira. He's telling the truth. We are no longer in our world." He looked at her gravely, "Their hearing is very good. He can hear what we are saying." He pulled away and she looked at Elrond. He face turned as red as her hair as she realized what her brother said was true, for the man was smiling obviously knowing the things she had said. She looked back at her brother and bit her lip; she didn't know how she was supposed to react. A small part of her was still clinging to the hope that this might be a dream. She rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed, trying to figure out what exactly was happening here.
"Come Lord Nathan, lets leave Lady Kira and Lord Anthony to catch up," Elrond said, a half smile appearing on his features.
Anthony opened his mouth to protest, but Nathan elbowed him in the ribs and gave Kira a wink. Kira narrowed her eyes threateningly, but Nathan followed Elrond out of the room without giving her time to protest, shutting the door behind him.
Anthony and Kira where silent for a long time before Anthony piped up and said, "I was worried about you. I am glad you're okay, Kira." He grinned at her.
Kira took his hand. "I'm glad to know that when it comes down to it, you really care and don't just hang around to make my life miserable." Kira replied a smile forming on her lips despite her best efforts. "What happened anyway?" Kira asked. "I remember us talking, then Nathan showed up and then I must have blacked out, because I don't remember anything after that."
"Well, we were all leaning on the railing and apparently it must have been too much weight, because I remember hearing a cracking sound, then we all fell," he answered her. "The next thing I knew, I woke up here in a room a lot like this one and Lord Elrond was sitting next to me. He told me that his 'people' had found us in the woods, and that Nathan was already up and wandering around. Then, he told me everything he just told you, and believe me, you reacted very calmly compared to me. But after I had time to adjust I knew that what he'd said had to be true. This is definitely not our world, Kira.
"These people are very polite, they seem to understand that this is not our home and that we probably feel out of place and alone. They have been hospitable and kind to us so far. Those that don't avoid us altogether, probably because they think they might overwhelm us, have been courteous and sweet," he said, looking into her eyes. He got up and headed for the door. "You should probably get some more rest. Lord Elrond says you'll be able to get out of bed tomorrow and walk around the place." With that he opened the door and left.
Kira sat there, still very confused. She didn't have a chance to tell Anthony that she didn't feel like she needed any more rest, and she felt bored and lonely. She leaned back against her pillow, and she must have been more tired than she admitted to herself, because within moments she was asleep again.
***
When she awoke again, Kira knew it was no longer mid-afternoon from the brightness and the heat of the sun. She kicked off the blankets and swung her feet over the side of the bed. She hugged her ribs, which were still sore. She got out of the bed and walked around the room. She was standing on the patio looking out into a courtyard when a beautiful female elf came into her room with some new clothes folded in her arms.
Kira jumped when the elf cleared her throat and looked at her curiously. Kira blushed "I am sorry. I didn't hear you come in."
The woman smiled. "Of course. I should have knocked, but I assumed you would be asleep," she replied, studying the human in front of her "My name is Arwen. I am Lord Elronds daughter," she said with a friendly smile.
"It is nice to meet you Lady Arwen. My name is Kira." Kira extended a hand. Arwen looked at Kira's extended hand, confused. Kira reached out and took Arwen's hand and shook it, then let go. "It is a custom where I come from," Kira said noting the look of confusion come over Arwen's face as she looked down at her hand. "To shake hands with people you've just met." Arwen arched an eyebrow then nodded.
"It is nice to meet you as well Lady Kira" Arwen said. She reached out took Kira's hand and shook it in the same manner Kira hand just done. Kira smiled and let out a laugh. Arwen did the same. "Well, now that we know each other, my father asked me to come and give you these." Arwen held out the folded clothes to Kira. "I will leave you to change. There is an elf outside who will lead you to you brother and Lord Anthony when you are ready."
Kira giggled. "Lord Anthony? My, but he has a sense of humor. But I guess you could consider him one."
Arwen looked confused for a minute. "Oh, I was just talking to myself. Sorry, I tend to do that sometimes," Kira told her.
Arwen nodded "If there is anything you need, you may ask the guide," she said.
Kira nodded, and with that Arwen left Kira alone to change. Kira changed quickly and opened the door and glanced about. The guide cleared his throat from her right; she jumped and looked at him with an embarrassed look on her face. "My, but you Elves blend into the scenery, don't you?"
The elf arched an eyebrow. "Do you wish to go meet your friends now?" he asked her.
"Yes, please."
The elf led her through a series of hallways and staircases and soon they where in a beautiful garden. There where other elves around most of whom glanced at her discreetly and continued about their own business. "Your friends will be here soon. They are in council with Lord Elrond right now. They should arrive soon. You may wait here," he said, then turned and left her there. She observed a group of Elves practicing their archery. She walked closer and sat on a bench nearby, watching them with interest
One of the Elves said something in a language Kira didn't understand, as he picked up his bow. Notched an arrow and let it fly. It missed the bulls' eye and hit on of the most outer rings. The other chuckled and responded in the same language.
Kira was trying to suppress laughter and it wasn't working very well. She had no idea what was being said, but it seemed to her that they where fighting about who was the better archer.
Both the Elves stopped what they where doing and looked at her with questioning looks on their faces.
Kira got up calmly and walked towards them. She extended an arm and asked, "May I try?"
The Elf who had missed handed her his bow and an arrow. Kira took them positioned the bow, which was a bit difficult since she had never handled an Elvish bow before. She balanced it, and then notched the arrow. She focused all her attention on the target ahead of her, then released the arrow. It flew through the air silently, and then it landed with a soft thud directly into the center of the bulls' eye. Kira was actually surprised. She wasn't used to handling such a large bow, especially one so light. She looked to the two Elves beside her. Both had looks of utter shock on their faces. She then noticed that a crowd of Elves had formed and seen her shot. They were only partially successful at hiding their surprise.
The Elf who hadn't missed smiled, bowed his head slightly and said, "Hello, You must be the Lady Kira. I am Elladan, and this is my brother Elrohir. We are the sons of Lord Elrond."
"Hello. It is a pleasure to meet fellow archers." Kira said. The brothers bowed.
"How would you like to have a friendly competition?" the one named Elrohir said to her.
Kira smiled "But you just missed that target. What makes you think you can hit it this time?" Kira asked smiling. Elladan snickered beside her.
"I have your beauty to inspire me." He said and he took his bow back. "Well? Do you accept my challenge?" he asked her quizzically.
Kira thought for a minute "Sure, but I must warn you that I think that one may have been beginners luck. I haven't ever used this kind of bow before today." She admitted. Elrohir went pale and Elladan began laughing harder beside her. Kira was left standing there, rather confused.
Elladan, finally able to calm himself, explained the situation. Elrohir felt outdone by a female, and a human at that. But now with what she had just admitted, that she had never used an Elvish long bow before, it just added to his insecurities.
Kira couldn't help but let out a little laugh. "It was just luck, Lord. Nothing more."
"But we were told that you are a skilled archer at your home." Elrohir retorted.
"Yes but they are different style of bow. They are not as big, and our long bows are heavier than that."
"Will you accept my challenge or not?" Elrohir asked again.
Kira looked to Elladan who seemed to be mouthing 'no' and shaking his head. Then he sighed and pulled her aside. "Let me speak to her a moment first," he said to his brother.
Once away from Elrohir, Elladan said, "Please don't accept. If you do and you beat him, he won't let me hear the end of it for months. Unless you are willing to lose?"
"No." Kira said. "I will not lose on purpose just to spare your brothers feelings."
"Then please don't accept the challenge"
Just then Anthony came down the stairs and walked up to her and Elladan.
"Hello, Elladan," Anthony said, "I hope Kira didn't bother you too much."
Kira shot him a look of acid and turned back to Elladan.
"No, Lord Anthony," Elladan replied, Kira rolled her eyes. " I was just asking her to decline my brothers challenge to an archery competition."
"Ah, yes. If she won he'd be pouting for a while, eh?"
"More than a while"
"Fine." Kira said. She walked over to Elrohir and politely declined his offer, then she turned to walk away.
"Afraid?" asked Elrohir.
"Uh oh," said Anthony, who knew Kira well enough to know that she would want to take the challenge just to prove herself now. But to his surprise she just turned and said "No Lord Elrohir, but I have been asked by your brother not to embarrass you in front of all your people, so I am declining your offer." With that she walked back towards Elladan and her friend. Elladan smiled at her. It almost seemed to Kira that he got lost in her eyes for a moment then he shook his head and smiled at her again. "I am sorry if that might have gotten you into trouble with him." Kira said, a smile forming on her own lips.
"It is alright. At least I know he won't bug me about this for a month." He answered. "Come, it is almost time for dinner," he said and started to guide her inside. Then he stopped and looked back at Anthony. "Are you coming Lord Anthony?" he called back.
"No. I think I will answer Elrohir's challenge"
Elladan nodded, and then lowered his head to whisper to Kira "Is he as good as you?"
Kira had to keep herself from laughing outright. "No. He barely knows how to use a bow."
Elladan seemed satisfied with this answer and led her towards the dinning hall.
***
All right that's chapter two. Please read and review, it would be greatly appreciated. Constructive criticism is welcome. So basically telling me what I did wrong AND THEN telling me how to improve is a good thing. Simply telling me my story sucks and that I should never write again is a flame. I will simply ignore it.
BIG thank you goes out to twin03 who is beta reading these for me. I am sketching out designs for your shrine now.
HONOR THY BETA!
Disclaimer: Nothings mine only Kira, her brother and Anthony are mine.
