Chapter 2
"Where did she come from?" I heard a voice say. The voice seemed musical. Young yet eternal. It was beautiful. "I know not. We were walking here after lady Arwen left with Frodo. I thought she was a Ringwraith at first..." I thought I recognized Strider's voice. "I could see how you would think that." The man said, a hint of humor in his voice. "We will have to question her." He said finally. I yawned and feigned sleepiness. I opened my eyes and jumped a bit. The man was tall with long black hair. His clothes were simple but lavish, made of something much like silk. His eyes were a deep brown, sad and yet full of mirth. He was like his voice, young but old. And he had pointy ears. Vulcans?! I thought. My eyes widened. Both men turned to look at me. So I asked the first thing that came to my mind. "Where's my dog?" To my surprise the man laughed. "Very noble. Your 'dog' is fine. He is magnificent. Curiously enough, he will not allow my people to handle him." I smiled. "He doesn't really trust people easily. I'm the only person so far that he trusts." I said quietly. The man nodded thoughtfully and then looked up. A woman was at the door. "Arwen." The men said in unison. The woman too was beautiful. I looked at myself self-consciously. I was a wreck compared to her. "Father. Aragorn." She greeted them. The both smiled. "My lady, I've come to take you to the bathing rooms. I thought you might like to wash up." She said smiling kindly. I nodded again. "Yes, Thank you." I looked at the two men. The older one nodded. "You may look around as well. Someone will come to get you when it is time for dinner," He said. "Thank you." I said again. Strider bowed his head to me and I bowed mine back. I stood up and made my way to the door. I felt their eyes on me as I walked away. I followed the woman to the bathing rooms. It was freakin' huge. People of all ages were there. Most had pointy ears and were annoyingly tall. "Thank God they wear clothes here." I muttered. The woman smiled. "I am Arwen." "Ashley." I said. She nodded and walked to a small-enclosed area. She opened a curtain and ushered me inside. She drew the curtains shut while I looked around. The room was medium sized. In the middle was a table full of lotions and shampoos. On the far side was a large bath and to my left was a mirror. Holy crap. My face had dried mud on it and my hair was a mess. I looked like Alfalfa from the Little Rascals. "I look like crap." I said, forgetting for a moment that Arwen was there. She gave me a strange look but did not say anything. She handed me a towel. "Wash up while I go take your clothes to the cleaners. I left a clean change of clothes for you on the chair," I made a face. "It isn't a dress, is it?" I asked "No. I could only find...erm...Man clothes for you." I nodded thankfully and she turned and left. An hour later I was dressed, my hair dry, and my body clean. "I'll fit RIGHT in." I said sarcastically. I looked at my clothes. I was wearing dark brown leggings with a green top. Both were made of an annoyingly soft and comfy cloth. My feet were covered with brown boots that were really comfy. Every guy I had seen wore something similar to this. All the woman wore dresses of some sort. No freakin way was I getting in a dress. As I walked out of the room, the Vulcan people starred. "Joyful." I muttered. I walked outside. More starring. I heard a twig snap and looked behind me. Then I ran into a horse. And fell on my butt. And when I looked up, I saw the one really pissed off man. "Darn," I muttered. The man glared at me. "get out of my way, boy!" He yelled. My eyes twitched. I stood up and got about a foot away from him. "Excuse ME! I think your horse was in MY way!" I yelled back. He opened his mouth but I interrupted. "And I am NOT a man." I glared at him, turned and walked away. "How dare you insult me and turn your back. I am the steward of Gondor, woman!" I whirled around. "Well darn. You got it right on the second try. I am a woman! How very astute of you. I clap for thee sir, I clap for thee." I said sarcastically. Once again I turned and walked away. I heard clapping and turned to see Merry standing there, clapping. "I don't like that guy." I explained. "Dinner." He said simply. Then he grinned and started to walk away. "I don't like him either." He said quietly. I smiled and laughed before starting towards the dinning hall. As I reached the dinning hall, I realized that even more people were staring. I walked as quietly as I could to an empty table and sat down. Merry followed and then the Sam and Pippin followed. Another little person was with them. "Let me introduce ourselves formally. I am Meriadoc Brandybuck. Call me Merry though," "I am Peregrin Took. Just call me Pippin." "Samwise Gamgee. Just Sam." The three stepped aside, allowing the fourth one to step forward. He had dark brown curly hair and the bluest eyes I've ever seen. "I'm Frodo Baggins." He looked up at me and I smiled softly. "Would you like to sit?" I asked. They nodded and took their seats. "So. What brings a human girl to Rivendell?" Sam asked. I almost laughed. "Aren't you human?" "Hobbits, miss. And we are among Elves and Dwarves. There are a few men here, too." Frodo answered seriously. 'Where Am I? What is this whole....place called. The general name?!" I asked frantically. "Middle Earth." Sam answered. I jumped back, fell over a chair and hit my head.
***
I opened my eyes to find the men...er...hobbits standing above me. I blinked and scrambled to a sitting position. Strider, an old man, and Arwen's father sat at the table, watching me. "Well, Now that you are awake, I can perhaps ask you a few questions?" Arwen's father said. "First things first!" The old man scolded half-heartedly. His voice was kind yet masking power. "I am Gandalf. This is Lord Elrond. And this is Aragorn." "My name is Ashley. But my father always called me Talvari." I said. For some reason, Talvari sounded so right when I said it. Elrond smiled. "Very fitting." He paused. "How old are you?" "16." "Where are you from." "New York. The United States." Gandalf shook his head. "She is not from this time, or perhaps more correct, this dimension." He said with a faint curiosity. The hobbits gave him strange looks. My face fell. "Great. Thank you. I thought I could just go home on a plane or something..." I sighed. More confused looks. Today was not my day. "You could be here because of destiny. In that case, you should come to the council tomorrow. Maybe then you will better understand what is going on, and perhaps, your purpose." Elrond said. Aragorn looked as if he was going to argue but Gandalf shook his head tiredly and Aragorn closed his mouth. They sighed, stood up, said goodbye and left. "This sucks." I muttered. I stood up and walked outside. The day was giving way to night. It wasn't completely black out so I walked to where I'd guessed the practice fields were. I know how to fight. My family had made sure of that. From archery to guns, I knew how to fight. I saw a cluster of bows and quivers leaned against the far side of the wall. I eagerly walked over and selected a bow, tested it, and picked up a quiver. They were practice bows, that much was obvious from the use of them. I walked to a target and stood some eighty feet away. I notched an arrow to the bow and aimed at the target. I sighed, closed my eyes, and let the arrow fly. A solid 'thud' and I knew I had hit my mark. "Dead center. Very good." I jumped. I had not realized anyone was there. I turned around and saw a man, erm, elf, who had spoken. The elf was only a little less then a foot taller then me. He had beautiful long golden hair and deep blue eyes. He stood proud, yet not arrogant. He was relaxed yet completely vigilant. He smiled softly, his facial features beautiful. He was beautiful. "Thank you." I said softly. He walked over to me and looked at the bow I carried, studying it carefully. "I can make you your own, if you wish. It is always better to know your weapon. Then you know each quirk of it..." He replied. "Uh..." I stuttered. I had not thought someone could be so kind yet so beautiful. I suppose that was the way with elves. "Thank you." I said again. "I am Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood." He reached out, took my hand in his, and kissed it lightly. He allowed my hand to drop back to my side. "Ashley. But you can call me Talvari." He smiled. "Elvish.... It is a truly beautiful name." I smiled back at him. But something bothered me. I was about to say something when I heard the click of nails on stone. It was Kal. He was running towards me, hardly a silver blur in the fading light. As he neared, he did not slow his pace. Suddenly, though, Kal was not even a foot away from me when he stopped. He body slammed me into Legolas, knocking us on the ground. He barked a wolf's laugh. Legolas stood up laughing. I stood up blushing. "Oh you!' I poked his nose playfully. Then he sneezed in my face. "Thanks. A whole lot." I said sarcastically. "Legolas, this is Kal'daka." "He is beautiful. Truly magnificent." Kal stood a little straighter. "You're on his good side now." I laughed a little. "Well, I guess I should get some sleep. I'm sore and tired." I yawned. "Then good night to you, Lady Talvari." He bowed to me and disappeared into the shadows. "Wow." I whispered. I started to walk to my room. Kal followed a little while before snorting a good night and running off. I walked into my room, lay down, and fell asleep.
"Where did she come from?" I heard a voice say. The voice seemed musical. Young yet eternal. It was beautiful. "I know not. We were walking here after lady Arwen left with Frodo. I thought she was a Ringwraith at first..." I thought I recognized Strider's voice. "I could see how you would think that." The man said, a hint of humor in his voice. "We will have to question her." He said finally. I yawned and feigned sleepiness. I opened my eyes and jumped a bit. The man was tall with long black hair. His clothes were simple but lavish, made of something much like silk. His eyes were a deep brown, sad and yet full of mirth. He was like his voice, young but old. And he had pointy ears. Vulcans?! I thought. My eyes widened. Both men turned to look at me. So I asked the first thing that came to my mind. "Where's my dog?" To my surprise the man laughed. "Very noble. Your 'dog' is fine. He is magnificent. Curiously enough, he will not allow my people to handle him." I smiled. "He doesn't really trust people easily. I'm the only person so far that he trusts." I said quietly. The man nodded thoughtfully and then looked up. A woman was at the door. "Arwen." The men said in unison. The woman too was beautiful. I looked at myself self-consciously. I was a wreck compared to her. "Father. Aragorn." She greeted them. The both smiled. "My lady, I've come to take you to the bathing rooms. I thought you might like to wash up." She said smiling kindly. I nodded again. "Yes, Thank you." I looked at the two men. The older one nodded. "You may look around as well. Someone will come to get you when it is time for dinner," He said. "Thank you." I said again. Strider bowed his head to me and I bowed mine back. I stood up and made my way to the door. I felt their eyes on me as I walked away. I followed the woman to the bathing rooms. It was freakin' huge. People of all ages were there. Most had pointy ears and were annoyingly tall. "Thank God they wear clothes here." I muttered. The woman smiled. "I am Arwen." "Ashley." I said. She nodded and walked to a small-enclosed area. She opened a curtain and ushered me inside. She drew the curtains shut while I looked around. The room was medium sized. In the middle was a table full of lotions and shampoos. On the far side was a large bath and to my left was a mirror. Holy crap. My face had dried mud on it and my hair was a mess. I looked like Alfalfa from the Little Rascals. "I look like crap." I said, forgetting for a moment that Arwen was there. She gave me a strange look but did not say anything. She handed me a towel. "Wash up while I go take your clothes to the cleaners. I left a clean change of clothes for you on the chair," I made a face. "It isn't a dress, is it?" I asked "No. I could only find...erm...Man clothes for you." I nodded thankfully and she turned and left. An hour later I was dressed, my hair dry, and my body clean. "I'll fit RIGHT in." I said sarcastically. I looked at my clothes. I was wearing dark brown leggings with a green top. Both were made of an annoyingly soft and comfy cloth. My feet were covered with brown boots that were really comfy. Every guy I had seen wore something similar to this. All the woman wore dresses of some sort. No freakin way was I getting in a dress. As I walked out of the room, the Vulcan people starred. "Joyful." I muttered. I walked outside. More starring. I heard a twig snap and looked behind me. Then I ran into a horse. And fell on my butt. And when I looked up, I saw the one really pissed off man. "Darn," I muttered. The man glared at me. "get out of my way, boy!" He yelled. My eyes twitched. I stood up and got about a foot away from him. "Excuse ME! I think your horse was in MY way!" I yelled back. He opened his mouth but I interrupted. "And I am NOT a man." I glared at him, turned and walked away. "How dare you insult me and turn your back. I am the steward of Gondor, woman!" I whirled around. "Well darn. You got it right on the second try. I am a woman! How very astute of you. I clap for thee sir, I clap for thee." I said sarcastically. Once again I turned and walked away. I heard clapping and turned to see Merry standing there, clapping. "I don't like that guy." I explained. "Dinner." He said simply. Then he grinned and started to walk away. "I don't like him either." He said quietly. I smiled and laughed before starting towards the dinning hall. As I reached the dinning hall, I realized that even more people were staring. I walked as quietly as I could to an empty table and sat down. Merry followed and then the Sam and Pippin followed. Another little person was with them. "Let me introduce ourselves formally. I am Meriadoc Brandybuck. Call me Merry though," "I am Peregrin Took. Just call me Pippin." "Samwise Gamgee. Just Sam." The three stepped aside, allowing the fourth one to step forward. He had dark brown curly hair and the bluest eyes I've ever seen. "I'm Frodo Baggins." He looked up at me and I smiled softly. "Would you like to sit?" I asked. They nodded and took their seats. "So. What brings a human girl to Rivendell?" Sam asked. I almost laughed. "Aren't you human?" "Hobbits, miss. And we are among Elves and Dwarves. There are a few men here, too." Frodo answered seriously. 'Where Am I? What is this whole....place called. The general name?!" I asked frantically. "Middle Earth." Sam answered. I jumped back, fell over a chair and hit my head.
***
I opened my eyes to find the men...er...hobbits standing above me. I blinked and scrambled to a sitting position. Strider, an old man, and Arwen's father sat at the table, watching me. "Well, Now that you are awake, I can perhaps ask you a few questions?" Arwen's father said. "First things first!" The old man scolded half-heartedly. His voice was kind yet masking power. "I am Gandalf. This is Lord Elrond. And this is Aragorn." "My name is Ashley. But my father always called me Talvari." I said. For some reason, Talvari sounded so right when I said it. Elrond smiled. "Very fitting." He paused. "How old are you?" "16." "Where are you from." "New York. The United States." Gandalf shook his head. "She is not from this time, or perhaps more correct, this dimension." He said with a faint curiosity. The hobbits gave him strange looks. My face fell. "Great. Thank you. I thought I could just go home on a plane or something..." I sighed. More confused looks. Today was not my day. "You could be here because of destiny. In that case, you should come to the council tomorrow. Maybe then you will better understand what is going on, and perhaps, your purpose." Elrond said. Aragorn looked as if he was going to argue but Gandalf shook his head tiredly and Aragorn closed his mouth. They sighed, stood up, said goodbye and left. "This sucks." I muttered. I stood up and walked outside. The day was giving way to night. It wasn't completely black out so I walked to where I'd guessed the practice fields were. I know how to fight. My family had made sure of that. From archery to guns, I knew how to fight. I saw a cluster of bows and quivers leaned against the far side of the wall. I eagerly walked over and selected a bow, tested it, and picked up a quiver. They were practice bows, that much was obvious from the use of them. I walked to a target and stood some eighty feet away. I notched an arrow to the bow and aimed at the target. I sighed, closed my eyes, and let the arrow fly. A solid 'thud' and I knew I had hit my mark. "Dead center. Very good." I jumped. I had not realized anyone was there. I turned around and saw a man, erm, elf, who had spoken. The elf was only a little less then a foot taller then me. He had beautiful long golden hair and deep blue eyes. He stood proud, yet not arrogant. He was relaxed yet completely vigilant. He smiled softly, his facial features beautiful. He was beautiful. "Thank you." I said softly. He walked over to me and looked at the bow I carried, studying it carefully. "I can make you your own, if you wish. It is always better to know your weapon. Then you know each quirk of it..." He replied. "Uh..." I stuttered. I had not thought someone could be so kind yet so beautiful. I suppose that was the way with elves. "Thank you." I said again. "I am Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood." He reached out, took my hand in his, and kissed it lightly. He allowed my hand to drop back to my side. "Ashley. But you can call me Talvari." He smiled. "Elvish.... It is a truly beautiful name." I smiled back at him. But something bothered me. I was about to say something when I heard the click of nails on stone. It was Kal. He was running towards me, hardly a silver blur in the fading light. As he neared, he did not slow his pace. Suddenly, though, Kal was not even a foot away from me when he stopped. He body slammed me into Legolas, knocking us on the ground. He barked a wolf's laugh. Legolas stood up laughing. I stood up blushing. "Oh you!' I poked his nose playfully. Then he sneezed in my face. "Thanks. A whole lot." I said sarcastically. "Legolas, this is Kal'daka." "He is beautiful. Truly magnificent." Kal stood a little straighter. "You're on his good side now." I laughed a little. "Well, I guess I should get some sleep. I'm sore and tired." I yawned. "Then good night to you, Lady Talvari." He bowed to me and disappeared into the shadows. "Wow." I whispered. I started to walk to my room. Kal followed a little while before snorting a good night and running off. I walked into my room, lay down, and fell asleep.