I was silent as Elrond led the way up to his study throughout the halls of
Rivendell. I was lost in thought, but I was also in awe of the beauty that
the building held.
Elrond led me, Elladan and Elrohir through endless passages of twists and turns. I tried to remember and keep track of where we were going, but with a dry roll of my eyes as we turned yet again, I knew it was a lost cause.
Finally, we reached a door at the end of a long hallway. It was dark wood with elaborate, ornate carvings of leaves, stars, and was that a ship? Okay? Wasn't going to ask.
Elladan- at least I think it was him. He and his brother looked so much alike it was scary- pushed open the door to reveal a wooden desk and several velvet covered chairs. At Elrohir gestures, I sat at one, and Elladan and Elrohir sat alongside me, while Elrond sat behind the desk. I looked around in wonder.
The windows brought in the saccharine scents of flowers, and had a glorious view of the refuge. It was mid-afternoon, and I could hear the shouts and cries of petite children as they scuttled around. It reminded me of my little brother. There were also distant sounds of elven singing coming from hordes of trees, and the sounds of horses mixed with the sound of arrows swishing through the air as what I guess were the warriors practiced in the field below us.
Elrond folded his hands and fixed his gaze on me and I began to feel panicky again. I'd always had a problem that when I got nervous, I got defensive- something I really wanted to avoid right now. My luck, I'd end up insulting everyone and they'd kick me out. Deep breaths.
"Child," Elrond began. "Aragorn has filled me in somewhat on your extraordinary appearance on the outskirts of Mirkwood a fortnight ago...but I'd like to hear it from you." He explained patiently.
"Well- it's...like, not really that much to tell." I tried to steady my breath and keep my voice even, but in the back of my mind, dark thoughts were beginning to form about being cast out like worthless baggage. That feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one that I used to get whenever I spoke to my mother, the feeling of being unwanted, began to develop all over again. "I was at a dance, a celebration I guess, because me and my friends were just graduating high school--"
"High school?" Elladan interrupted, from where he was sprawled out on the chair next to me, his chest thrown against the side of the chair, his legs thrown over the other edge. He sure made himself comfortable, I thought with a smile. He sent me a perplexed glance as, apparently, he didn't know what high school was. "It's just schooling, studies at a high level," I tried to explain. "We call it High School."
He nodded. "Alright; continue, please."
I was unsure to why Elladan and Elrohir were even *in* the room, but continued.
"I was upset about something and there was this like wood area around the place where the party was..."
I was trying to refrain from using terms I knew they wouldn't understand, like 'prom', 'hotel' etc so I sounded pretty dense. And I was using the word 'like' too much.
"I was like, really tired and ermm...emotionally exhausted so I just leaned against a tree for a bit, and when I woke up...I ran into Legolas and Aragorn."
The story sounded empty even to my ears and I waited to see the looks of suspicion come onto their faces.
Elrond paused thoughtfully and gently tapped the tips of his fingers together. He shook his head slightly, then nodded, almost as if he was debating with himself, then finally spoke. But when he did address someone, it wasn't me.
"Elladan, do you know why Lady Krystal has been brought here, to Middle Earth, away from her world?"
Elladan looked startled and sat up from the way he was leaning over in the chair to sit properly at the disapproving look his father shot him.
"Uh- Ada, how should I know?" He asked unhurriedly, his eye brows raised as he shrugged.
"Elrohir, do you?"
The other twin looked just as baffled and shot his brother a questioning look. "Think," Elrond coaxed with a look.
I refrained from rolling my eyes- it was obvious he knew, why couldn't Elrond just tell me?
Elrohir sighed. "Well, she was brought here for a reason." He tried his tone hopeful that maybe his father would end the questioning at that.
"Okay- What reason?" I asked exasperated, turning to Elrond.
The Lord of Rivendell sighed and said simply, "As for that, I do not know."
I stared blankly at him.
"Wha- Th- that's not good enough." I stumbled over my words, trying to remain polite though I was anxious. What did he mean, he didn't know? This was the guy who was supposed to help me?
"My guess, my lady, and my only *guess* is that someone, or something, wanted you here. You were brought here for a *reason*. It is your job to find out what that reason is. You say you were upset about something before you awoke in Mirkwood, what was it?"
I felt a strong surge of utter loathing to tell what I had been upset about- it seemed so stupid now. What was I supposed to say, I was upset cuz my mommy wouldn't take my picture?
I shook my head, a tight feeling in my throat and I closed my eyes for a moment, blocking out the picture of the elf staring intently at me, the rich colors and silks in the study and the musical notes of the birds outside.
"I was upset because of something that happened with my family," I said finally, opening my eyes to glance at Elladan and Elrohir to see their reactions. Elladan's silver eyes remained impassive and his long brown hair was in the same position, thrown over the chair and over his shoulder. Elrohir was in the same position- neither seemed to pass any judgment on me.
Elrond nodded sensibly, and then his gaze wandered out to the midday sun.
"It is my belief child that you were brought here for a reason. It may or may not show itself visibly, but if you are to return home, I believe you will only return if that purpose is fulfilled." He explained slowly, his eyes locked on mine to see my reaction.
This sounded way too much like it was out of a movie. How was I supposed to find out why I was here? I wasn't Yoda, or like Elrond, like a really wise being person thing. I was just a girl, a lost one at that, and I just wanted to go home.
"What do I do until then?" I asked at last, after a few moments of silence, my voice unstable.
I was at a loss. I wanted to put my guard back up, but with Elrond I knew that was useless- but here he was, telling me there was no way home. Or, no easy way anyway.
Elrond smiled compassionately at me. "Until then, young one, we would be honored to have you stay here with us at Rivendell."
I took a deep breath, and studied my hands for a moment. More charity.
"Lord Elrond, I don't wanna be a problem or anything--" I began, but Elrohir cut me off.
"Your wasting your breath if you think you can convince him to let you go off on your on. I've spent the last 2 thousand YEARS trying to convince him, and it hasn't worked."
I smiled appreciatively at him, and Elrond rose and I followed suit. "Elladan, Elrohir, show her to the guest rooms, please. I am going to speak with Glorifindel about a group of Orcs spotted near the High Pass, so I will be in his study if you need me. Lady Krystal, please feel that our home is your home. You might want to rest before dinner, which is approximately--" He glanced at the sun. "3 hours."
I nodded soberly, though every time I was addressed as 'Lady Krystal' it made me smirk. These guys seriously talked like people from the Middle Ages.
"Yes Ada," Elladan agreed. I followed behind Elrohir as we trailed out of the room, but didn't say anything as they led the way through the halls.
"You okay?" Elrohir asked me quizzically, an eyebrow raised. I nodded. "I'm just a little confused by this whole thing," I admitted. "I really, really just want to go home."
He nodded like he understood and caught my eye. "Yeah, but eventually you'll like it here."
I paused. *Eventually?*
"How long do you think I'll *be* here?" I asked them both trying not to appear as scared as I really was. Confused, I would admit to being to. But scared? Never. That would make me vulnerable. And I would never admit to that. Elladan shrugged. "However long it takes."
Noticing my uncomfortable stance, Elrohir changed the subject. With an impish grin that reached up to crinkly his eyes, he asked "So Legolas tied you to a tree, huh?"
I nodded and rolled my eyes with a smile. "Are all elves so sensitive?" I asked sarcastically.
The twins laughed and Elrohir leaned closer, a innocent look on his face. "No- that's just Legolas for you. How would you like to get a little payback?"
I grinned. "Payback, huh? What do you two have in mind?"
Elladan smirked and leaned to whisper to me, "Well we happen to know that Legolas and Aragorn are probably having an in depth discussing at the lake-- "
"Most likely they will be *very* involved in their conversation and won't notice anyone is there--"
"Did Legolas ever inform you of his great fear of getting his lovely blonde locks wet--"
"because he *hates* it--"
I burst out laughing as the twins kept cutting each other off in their eagerness to relay their plan. "Wait, so you want to sneak up there and push them in?"
Elrohir smirked. "Well, that. But we're maturing, and so are our tricks--"
"We're moving on to bigger, better things, you see."
"Right-- okay so what else?" I asked willingly, liking this plan. I could almost imagine the enraged look on Legolas's face. The thought gave me the giggles as Elrohir proceeded to tell me the plan.
"Well- if they do happen to fall in--"
"Because they're both *so* clumsy--"
I smiled as I thought wryly of Legolas's cat-like grace, and Aragorn's constantly sharp movements.
"They'll be wet--"
I laughed. "Brilliant deduction, Watson."
Elrohir stared at me. "Did you just call me Watson?" He asked, pronouncing Watson like wot-san.
I waved a hand, giggling. "Never mind."
"ANYWAY- they'll be wet, and want to come home, and get dressed immediately- -"
"And so they'll go straight to their dressers..."
"Where their clothes are--"
"Because that's where most people keep their clothes--"
I burst out laughing. "Would you *please* get to the point?"
"Well, Legolas and Aragorn both have an unfortunate fear of snakes--"
"And Legolas, of course, with his fear of losing his brush--"
"You wouldn't," I said, eyes wide and mouth dropped as I finally grasped their meaning.
"Well, pushing them into the lake and then stealing their brushes and putting snakes in their clothes is only *fair*."
"They did tie you to a tree." Elrohir reasoned with a smirk.
I grinned widely. "Point taken."
"So are you going to help?"
I laughed. "Hell yeah- c'mon. Show me where this lake is."
-----Author's note----
Sorry! Okay, that chapter wasn't really that good but the next one will prolly be better lol. I just wanted to thank everyone for reviewing-- it means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, and I wanna thank everyone- even the silent readers- for reading this! Thank you SO much for the reviews. (
I'm sorry it took so long to get up, fanfiction.net wouldn't let me upload like anything for the past two days! I have two more stories to upload lol besides this one so it was quiteeee a problem, but I think it's working now so expect more soon!
Elrond led me, Elladan and Elrohir through endless passages of twists and turns. I tried to remember and keep track of where we were going, but with a dry roll of my eyes as we turned yet again, I knew it was a lost cause.
Finally, we reached a door at the end of a long hallway. It was dark wood with elaborate, ornate carvings of leaves, stars, and was that a ship? Okay? Wasn't going to ask.
Elladan- at least I think it was him. He and his brother looked so much alike it was scary- pushed open the door to reveal a wooden desk and several velvet covered chairs. At Elrohir gestures, I sat at one, and Elladan and Elrohir sat alongside me, while Elrond sat behind the desk. I looked around in wonder.
The windows brought in the saccharine scents of flowers, and had a glorious view of the refuge. It was mid-afternoon, and I could hear the shouts and cries of petite children as they scuttled around. It reminded me of my little brother. There were also distant sounds of elven singing coming from hordes of trees, and the sounds of horses mixed with the sound of arrows swishing through the air as what I guess were the warriors practiced in the field below us.
Elrond folded his hands and fixed his gaze on me and I began to feel panicky again. I'd always had a problem that when I got nervous, I got defensive- something I really wanted to avoid right now. My luck, I'd end up insulting everyone and they'd kick me out. Deep breaths.
"Child," Elrond began. "Aragorn has filled me in somewhat on your extraordinary appearance on the outskirts of Mirkwood a fortnight ago...but I'd like to hear it from you." He explained patiently.
"Well- it's...like, not really that much to tell." I tried to steady my breath and keep my voice even, but in the back of my mind, dark thoughts were beginning to form about being cast out like worthless baggage. That feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one that I used to get whenever I spoke to my mother, the feeling of being unwanted, began to develop all over again. "I was at a dance, a celebration I guess, because me and my friends were just graduating high school--"
"High school?" Elladan interrupted, from where he was sprawled out on the chair next to me, his chest thrown against the side of the chair, his legs thrown over the other edge. He sure made himself comfortable, I thought with a smile. He sent me a perplexed glance as, apparently, he didn't know what high school was. "It's just schooling, studies at a high level," I tried to explain. "We call it High School."
He nodded. "Alright; continue, please."
I was unsure to why Elladan and Elrohir were even *in* the room, but continued.
"I was upset about something and there was this like wood area around the place where the party was..."
I was trying to refrain from using terms I knew they wouldn't understand, like 'prom', 'hotel' etc so I sounded pretty dense. And I was using the word 'like' too much.
"I was like, really tired and ermm...emotionally exhausted so I just leaned against a tree for a bit, and when I woke up...I ran into Legolas and Aragorn."
The story sounded empty even to my ears and I waited to see the looks of suspicion come onto their faces.
Elrond paused thoughtfully and gently tapped the tips of his fingers together. He shook his head slightly, then nodded, almost as if he was debating with himself, then finally spoke. But when he did address someone, it wasn't me.
"Elladan, do you know why Lady Krystal has been brought here, to Middle Earth, away from her world?"
Elladan looked startled and sat up from the way he was leaning over in the chair to sit properly at the disapproving look his father shot him.
"Uh- Ada, how should I know?" He asked unhurriedly, his eye brows raised as he shrugged.
"Elrohir, do you?"
The other twin looked just as baffled and shot his brother a questioning look. "Think," Elrond coaxed with a look.
I refrained from rolling my eyes- it was obvious he knew, why couldn't Elrond just tell me?
Elrohir sighed. "Well, she was brought here for a reason." He tried his tone hopeful that maybe his father would end the questioning at that.
"Okay- What reason?" I asked exasperated, turning to Elrond.
The Lord of Rivendell sighed and said simply, "As for that, I do not know."
I stared blankly at him.
"Wha- Th- that's not good enough." I stumbled over my words, trying to remain polite though I was anxious. What did he mean, he didn't know? This was the guy who was supposed to help me?
"My guess, my lady, and my only *guess* is that someone, or something, wanted you here. You were brought here for a *reason*. It is your job to find out what that reason is. You say you were upset about something before you awoke in Mirkwood, what was it?"
I felt a strong surge of utter loathing to tell what I had been upset about- it seemed so stupid now. What was I supposed to say, I was upset cuz my mommy wouldn't take my picture?
I shook my head, a tight feeling in my throat and I closed my eyes for a moment, blocking out the picture of the elf staring intently at me, the rich colors and silks in the study and the musical notes of the birds outside.
"I was upset because of something that happened with my family," I said finally, opening my eyes to glance at Elladan and Elrohir to see their reactions. Elladan's silver eyes remained impassive and his long brown hair was in the same position, thrown over the chair and over his shoulder. Elrohir was in the same position- neither seemed to pass any judgment on me.
Elrond nodded sensibly, and then his gaze wandered out to the midday sun.
"It is my belief child that you were brought here for a reason. It may or may not show itself visibly, but if you are to return home, I believe you will only return if that purpose is fulfilled." He explained slowly, his eyes locked on mine to see my reaction.
This sounded way too much like it was out of a movie. How was I supposed to find out why I was here? I wasn't Yoda, or like Elrond, like a really wise being person thing. I was just a girl, a lost one at that, and I just wanted to go home.
"What do I do until then?" I asked at last, after a few moments of silence, my voice unstable.
I was at a loss. I wanted to put my guard back up, but with Elrond I knew that was useless- but here he was, telling me there was no way home. Or, no easy way anyway.
Elrond smiled compassionately at me. "Until then, young one, we would be honored to have you stay here with us at Rivendell."
I took a deep breath, and studied my hands for a moment. More charity.
"Lord Elrond, I don't wanna be a problem or anything--" I began, but Elrohir cut me off.
"Your wasting your breath if you think you can convince him to let you go off on your on. I've spent the last 2 thousand YEARS trying to convince him, and it hasn't worked."
I smiled appreciatively at him, and Elrond rose and I followed suit. "Elladan, Elrohir, show her to the guest rooms, please. I am going to speak with Glorifindel about a group of Orcs spotted near the High Pass, so I will be in his study if you need me. Lady Krystal, please feel that our home is your home. You might want to rest before dinner, which is approximately--" He glanced at the sun. "3 hours."
I nodded soberly, though every time I was addressed as 'Lady Krystal' it made me smirk. These guys seriously talked like people from the Middle Ages.
"Yes Ada," Elladan agreed. I followed behind Elrohir as we trailed out of the room, but didn't say anything as they led the way through the halls.
"You okay?" Elrohir asked me quizzically, an eyebrow raised. I nodded. "I'm just a little confused by this whole thing," I admitted. "I really, really just want to go home."
He nodded like he understood and caught my eye. "Yeah, but eventually you'll like it here."
I paused. *Eventually?*
"How long do you think I'll *be* here?" I asked them both trying not to appear as scared as I really was. Confused, I would admit to being to. But scared? Never. That would make me vulnerable. And I would never admit to that. Elladan shrugged. "However long it takes."
Noticing my uncomfortable stance, Elrohir changed the subject. With an impish grin that reached up to crinkly his eyes, he asked "So Legolas tied you to a tree, huh?"
I nodded and rolled my eyes with a smile. "Are all elves so sensitive?" I asked sarcastically.
The twins laughed and Elrohir leaned closer, a innocent look on his face. "No- that's just Legolas for you. How would you like to get a little payback?"
I grinned. "Payback, huh? What do you two have in mind?"
Elladan smirked and leaned to whisper to me, "Well we happen to know that Legolas and Aragorn are probably having an in depth discussing at the lake-- "
"Most likely they will be *very* involved in their conversation and won't notice anyone is there--"
"Did Legolas ever inform you of his great fear of getting his lovely blonde locks wet--"
"because he *hates* it--"
I burst out laughing as the twins kept cutting each other off in their eagerness to relay their plan. "Wait, so you want to sneak up there and push them in?"
Elrohir smirked. "Well, that. But we're maturing, and so are our tricks--"
"We're moving on to bigger, better things, you see."
"Right-- okay so what else?" I asked willingly, liking this plan. I could almost imagine the enraged look on Legolas's face. The thought gave me the giggles as Elrohir proceeded to tell me the plan.
"Well- if they do happen to fall in--"
"Because they're both *so* clumsy--"
I smiled as I thought wryly of Legolas's cat-like grace, and Aragorn's constantly sharp movements.
"They'll be wet--"
I laughed. "Brilliant deduction, Watson."
Elrohir stared at me. "Did you just call me Watson?" He asked, pronouncing Watson like wot-san.
I waved a hand, giggling. "Never mind."
"ANYWAY- they'll be wet, and want to come home, and get dressed immediately- -"
"And so they'll go straight to their dressers..."
"Where their clothes are--"
"Because that's where most people keep their clothes--"
I burst out laughing. "Would you *please* get to the point?"
"Well, Legolas and Aragorn both have an unfortunate fear of snakes--"
"And Legolas, of course, with his fear of losing his brush--"
"You wouldn't," I said, eyes wide and mouth dropped as I finally grasped their meaning.
"Well, pushing them into the lake and then stealing their brushes and putting snakes in their clothes is only *fair*."
"They did tie you to a tree." Elrohir reasoned with a smirk.
I grinned widely. "Point taken."
"So are you going to help?"
I laughed. "Hell yeah- c'mon. Show me where this lake is."
-----Author's note----
Sorry! Okay, that chapter wasn't really that good but the next one will prolly be better lol. I just wanted to thank everyone for reviewing-- it means a lot to me! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story, and I wanna thank everyone- even the silent readers- for reading this! Thank you SO much for the reviews. (
I'm sorry it took so long to get up, fanfiction.net wouldn't let me upload like anything for the past two days! I have two more stories to upload lol besides this one so it was quiteeee a problem, but I think it's working now so expect more soon!