AUTHOR'S APOLOGIES: I'm sorry that I took so long to update! It's just that I'm piled up with school work, and to make matters worse, I got sick twice! I'll try to update sooner on my next post, so don't worry -- you wouldn't have to wait three months before chapter three shows up.

Author's Notes: Er...it seems that my previous post confused a few of my readres a bit... The last part was an interlude, which means that it didn't follow the story's timeline. It's actually set before the story began...and, uh, yeah. Sorry if I confused anyone!

I revised chapter one (pt 2) a bit. Nothing major, just fixed some spelling and grammar errors and changed Haldir and Rúmil's hair colors (dark instead of blond).

This chapter is probably the most boring chapter I've ever written. Maybe my next post wouldn't be as dull as this one, who knows?


"Why do you keep smiling to yourself, Phebe?"

"I was thinking about a nice little secret I know, and couldn't help smiling."

"Shall I know it sometime?"

"Guess you will."

"Shall I like it?"

"Oh, won't you though!"

Eight Cousins, Louisa May Alcott


CHAPTER TWO – Cerin Amroth

Katie looked at the trees surrounding her. Now that she wasn't feverish anymore, she could see the environment the Portal brought her to clearly. It seemed like she was standing at that spot forever before moving from her place. Katie walked slowly, savoring the sights, the sounds, the smell and the sense of magic she was feeling from the Woods. The trees seemed to speak to her; telling her about events long forgotten by everyone but themselves; giving her feelings of security and warmth; regaling her with tales only one with millennia of experience could relate. It seemed as if she was part of the forest…like she belonged to this place…as if she was a tree herself; a component of this fair and magical woodland….

Welcome, Katie Bell, to our world...

Katie looked around. The others were lounging around on the grass and were too far away for her to hear them talk. And besides, she thought, the voice didn't sound like them anyway.

Right you are, Katie Bell, our voices are unlike that of your companions'.

Who are you, anyway? And how could you speak to my head like this?

You are one of them, and therefore, you could speak to us.

"Them?" Katie asked puzzled. Who are "they?"

Your kind. The voice (voices?) answered simply. Your people from the other realm: the Men who harnessed magic.

So you know that I'm a witch, then.

The trees seemed amused. If you mean that you are magical, then yes. However, do not use the term "witch" or "wizard" here, because you will be misunderstood.

Oh, don't worry. There are other people in my world, you know, who don't practice magic. Most of them never notice that there are wizards walking beside them; and those who do notice don't believe their eyes.

The trees seemed to nod sagely. Ah, yes, that is an unfortunate trait of the Second-born.

The Second-born?

The Second-born of Ilúvatar: Men. Like yourself.

Oh.


"The trees are amused," observed Legolas, looking at the boughs hanging above him.

Boromir looked at the trees suspiciously. "Why are they laughing?"

Legolas listened for a while and answered: "They are laughing because of Lady Katie. The trees are amused with her, though I do not know why."

"Perhaps because they heard her earlier comment about Elves being smaller than Hobbits and have squeaky voices," suggested Gimli.

Legolas' mouth opened and closed in shock: It seemed that he had forgotten the girl's earlier comments. Gimli "harrumphed" and grinned behind his beard. Legolas – with his elven hearing – heard it and scowled at him.

Boromir rolled his eyes and looked heavenward. "Now I'm beginning to wish that Faramir was the one who looked for Imladris..." he muttered. "That way, he would be the one who would have to put up with an Elf and a Dwarf bickering."


Pippin stood up and walked towards Lady Katie. Her eyes were closed and looking as if she was talking to something. In fact, if Lady Katie were an Elf, Pippin would have thought that she was talking to the trees. But she said that she was one of the Big Folk, and she didn't have that shining aura all Elves seemed to have.

"Hello, Lady Katie," he said when he reached her side.

Katie jumped. "Oh, hello Pippin!" she exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, my lady, if I startled you!" said Pippin earnestly. "We hobbits could walk almost as silent as Elves, you know, and you were looking like you were lost in thought...I'll make more noise when I walk around you next time, I promise!"

"What? Oh! No need to sound like an elephant whenever you're around me, Pippin!" Katie laughed. "This is the first time I've been in the heart of a forest, you know, and I wanted to savor the trees' presence."

"All right, then, I wouldn't tramp around like an oliphaunt. Have you ever seen an oliphaunt? I haven't you know – none of the Shire-folk has ever seen one – but I've heard that they have long snake-like noses, and large curving teeth like a sow's, except that it's much bigger and sharper and that they're larger than a house! Imagine that! To tell you the truth, I really don't think that oliphaunts really exist – that they're just mythical creatures – but Cousin Bilbo said that Big Folk from down south actually ride them. Can you believe that? How could Men ride animals they couldn't even reach, anyway? And how come those oliphaunts don't mind them sitting on their backs?" Pippin said breathlessly.

"Oliphaunts?" Katie frowned, before realization dawned on her. "Oh, you mean elephants!" she exclaimed. "Yes, I saw one once! They're almost as large as a normal house for my kind, so it should have been bigger than a hobbit's home. And of course people could ride elephants – we watched an elephant-rider in a parade once, when my father was briefly assigned to India. So I do believe in elephants. And I have absolutely no idea how the elephants let people ride on their backs."

"Why do you call them elephants and not oliphaunts?" asked Pippin.

Katie shrugged. "Maybe because we have different accents."

Pippin looked as if he was going to say more when Merry's words reached his ears. "Pippin, come over here! I found some mushrooms!"

He perked up. "Mushrooms?!" he exclaimed. "Oi! Leave some for me!" And Pippin rushed off; not noticing Katie's startled face.

"They're almost as bad as Cousin Hubert whenever he finds out that he could get fifth helpings every Christmas dinner," Katie muttered.


Alicia Spinnet plopped down on a couch next to the Weasley twins. "Have you seen Katie? She's supposed to be back from detention half an hour ago."

"Her detention's with Snape, right?" asked George absently, scribbling on his parchment furiously.

"Yes."

"Then maybe that slimy git decided to be extra sadistic tonight and forced her to work an extra hour," Fred suggested.

"Maybe..." said Alicia doubtfully. She then suddenly realized what the twins were actually doing. "Wait a sec…what exactly are you two doing?"

"Homework," they chorused.

"I know it's homework, you nitwits! Which homework is that?"

"Transfiguration."

Alicia raised her eyebrows. "McGonagall gave that yesterday. Why are you doing it now?"

Fred shrugged. "We are in seventh year, Alicia," he reminded her. "We're gonna take the N.E.W.T.'s this year and we want to graduate."

"And besides," George added, "McGonagall's gonna skin us alive if she finds out what we were up to during dinner."


The group set off for the Elven-city when the sun sank behind the mountains. As they walked through the forest, the Elves uncovered their silver lamps, casting eerie light upon the faces of the Fellowship and their companions.

Suddenly, they found themselves out in the open again, the stars shining brightly in the heavens. There was a wide treeless space before them, running in a great circle and bending away on either hand. Beyond it was a deep fosse lost in soft shadow, but the grass upon its brink was green, as if it glowed still in memory of the sun that had gone. Upon the further side there rose to a great height a green wall encircling a green hill thronged with mallorn-trees taller than any they had yet seen in all the land. Their height could not be guessed, but they stood up in the twilight like living towers. In their many-tiered branches and amid their ever-moving leaves countless lights were gleaming, green and gold and silver. Haldir turned towards the Company.

"Welcome to Caras Galadhon!" he said, "Here is the city of the Galadhrim where dwell the Lord Celeborn and Galadriel the Lady of Lórien. But we cannot enter here, for the gates do not look northward. We must go round to the southern side, and the way is not short, for the city is great." (From The Fellowship of the Ring, Book II Chapter 7)