Ch. 4- Given a Choice
At Grimmauld Place:
"Harry," Lupin said, "She won't be able to come back unless she chooses to come back. It's her choice, not ours. Only Hermione can make that choice."
"Why? Why did this happen," Harry asked himself, more than to Lupin. Lupin shook his head.
"I don't know. Even though you killed Voldemort for good doesn't mean that all evil is gone forever."
"How did she get to Middle Earth, or where ever this book sent her? It wouldn't take me when I tried."
"Have you read the book?"
"No," Harry answered wondering what reading the stupid book had to do with anything.
"Well, then. I think it only takes people who have read the book, because I haven't read it either and it didn't draw me in," Lupin said. Harry just sat taking all of what Lupin had said in. He'd been up all night and was tired. Lupin noticed.
"Harry, go have a lie down. You're making yourself weary. We'll keep working." Harry, who was too tired to object, did as Lupin said. Please, Hermione, choose to come back he pleaded.
At Edoras:
Gandalf and Aragorn went to the room where Eowyn and Legolas were watching Aranel sleep peacefully. Gandalf had decided to tell her who she was and how she came to Middle Earth no matter how impossible it may sound.
He stood by the side of her bed, placed a hand on her head, and said softly:
Wake, dear Aranel, Your time to rise is now. Wake, sleeping girl, I will tell you who you are and how.
At first nothing happened when Gandalf took away his hand, but a moment later Aranel's eye's opened and she looked around at all of them. Her eyes rested on Legolas's face and she smiled. Legolas sighed and smiled back. Gandalf smiled, and then cleared his throat. Aranel tore her eyes from Legolas and looked at Gandalf.
"Hello, my lady," Gandalf said. "I have come to tell you who you are and how you got here." Aranel sat up in the bed and leaned against the pillows. Gandalf sat in a chair by her bed and turned it so she could see him more easily.
"First of all, I am Gandalf the white wizard. You are Hermione Granger," he said. Legolas listened also, wondering how Gandalf knew. "You come from a place called London, England. You are not from our time. You came here by a means of time travel through a book. A book called The Lord of the Rings, which has our story in it. In your world it is merely a book, but in our world it is our life. Now if you choose to return to your time and world you will be transported through another book. A book of the life of a friend of yours, whom has grown to more than just a friend. In that world you are married to him," Gandalf said. Aranel shook her head, and looked at Legolas who was avoiding her gaze. Gandalf continued. "This is the book," he said, and Aragorn handed it to her. Aranel looked at it, looked back to Legolas, and then to Gandalf. "All you have to do to go back is read the book once and close it when you have finished. Then when you open it again and the same force that has brought you here will send you back. Now, you can choose to stay or to return to your world. The choice is yours, but you must choose by this time tomorrow or you will not be able to return. I will leave you now," Gandalf said, and together he, Aragorn, and Eowyn left. Legolas stood to leave but Aranel called to him.
"Legolas, please stay with me," Aranel said, tears in her eyes. Legolas did and sat in the chair that Gandalf had been sitting in. He looked at her, but did not speak. Aranel held his gaze.
"I did. not know. I. don't want to leave. Legolas, I don't remember him. and if I go back I won't remember him or the love I once had for him. I will only remember you and the love I had. have for you. I love you," she said, crying. Legolas stood up, sat on her bed, and hugged her.
"I will love you no matter what you choose, Aranel. I loved you since the first time I saw you," Legolas said and put his lips to hers in a sweet, soft promising kiss. "Let that be a promise of my love for you," he said, and left her to her own thoughts.
"The choice is mine. I'm the only one who can choose. It should be easy to choose, but it's not. No choice is ever easy," Aranel said, watching Legolas leave. She laid back down, and put her head on the pillow. She felt something under her head. Putting her hand behind her head she grasped a chain. She brought her hand out, still holding the chain and looked at it. It was the Mirkwood pendant; it was Legolas's. He had given it to her. Aranel put it on, around her neck and once again laid her head back down. She held onto the Mirkwood pendant and sighed. How am I going to choose, she asked herself. Slowly, she fell asleep, still holding the pendant that Legolas had given to her.
At Grimmauld Place:
"Harry," Lupin said, "She won't be able to come back unless she chooses to come back. It's her choice, not ours. Only Hermione can make that choice."
"Why? Why did this happen," Harry asked himself, more than to Lupin. Lupin shook his head.
"I don't know. Even though you killed Voldemort for good doesn't mean that all evil is gone forever."
"How did she get to Middle Earth, or where ever this book sent her? It wouldn't take me when I tried."
"Have you read the book?"
"No," Harry answered wondering what reading the stupid book had to do with anything.
"Well, then. I think it only takes people who have read the book, because I haven't read it either and it didn't draw me in," Lupin said. Harry just sat taking all of what Lupin had said in. He'd been up all night and was tired. Lupin noticed.
"Harry, go have a lie down. You're making yourself weary. We'll keep working." Harry, who was too tired to object, did as Lupin said. Please, Hermione, choose to come back he pleaded.
At Edoras:
Gandalf and Aragorn went to the room where Eowyn and Legolas were watching Aranel sleep peacefully. Gandalf had decided to tell her who she was and how she came to Middle Earth no matter how impossible it may sound.
He stood by the side of her bed, placed a hand on her head, and said softly:
Wake, dear Aranel, Your time to rise is now. Wake, sleeping girl, I will tell you who you are and how.
At first nothing happened when Gandalf took away his hand, but a moment later Aranel's eye's opened and she looked around at all of them. Her eyes rested on Legolas's face and she smiled. Legolas sighed and smiled back. Gandalf smiled, and then cleared his throat. Aranel tore her eyes from Legolas and looked at Gandalf.
"Hello, my lady," Gandalf said. "I have come to tell you who you are and how you got here." Aranel sat up in the bed and leaned against the pillows. Gandalf sat in a chair by her bed and turned it so she could see him more easily.
"First of all, I am Gandalf the white wizard. You are Hermione Granger," he said. Legolas listened also, wondering how Gandalf knew. "You come from a place called London, England. You are not from our time. You came here by a means of time travel through a book. A book called The Lord of the Rings, which has our story in it. In your world it is merely a book, but in our world it is our life. Now if you choose to return to your time and world you will be transported through another book. A book of the life of a friend of yours, whom has grown to more than just a friend. In that world you are married to him," Gandalf said. Aranel shook her head, and looked at Legolas who was avoiding her gaze. Gandalf continued. "This is the book," he said, and Aragorn handed it to her. Aranel looked at it, looked back to Legolas, and then to Gandalf. "All you have to do to go back is read the book once and close it when you have finished. Then when you open it again and the same force that has brought you here will send you back. Now, you can choose to stay or to return to your world. The choice is yours, but you must choose by this time tomorrow or you will not be able to return. I will leave you now," Gandalf said, and together he, Aragorn, and Eowyn left. Legolas stood to leave but Aranel called to him.
"Legolas, please stay with me," Aranel said, tears in her eyes. Legolas did and sat in the chair that Gandalf had been sitting in. He looked at her, but did not speak. Aranel held his gaze.
"I did. not know. I. don't want to leave. Legolas, I don't remember him. and if I go back I won't remember him or the love I once had for him. I will only remember you and the love I had. have for you. I love you," she said, crying. Legolas stood up, sat on her bed, and hugged her.
"I will love you no matter what you choose, Aranel. I loved you since the first time I saw you," Legolas said and put his lips to hers in a sweet, soft promising kiss. "Let that be a promise of my love for you," he said, and left her to her own thoughts.
"The choice is mine. I'm the only one who can choose. It should be easy to choose, but it's not. No choice is ever easy," Aranel said, watching Legolas leave. She laid back down, and put her head on the pillow. She felt something under her head. Putting her hand behind her head she grasped a chain. She brought her hand out, still holding the chain and looked at it. It was the Mirkwood pendant; it was Legolas's. He had given it to her. Aranel put it on, around her neck and once again laid her head back down. She held onto the Mirkwood pendant and sighed. How am I going to choose, she asked herself. Slowly, she fell asleep, still holding the pendant that Legolas had given to her.