-THE GAMES OF THE GODS-
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I don't own it. If I did, I would not be wanting to go sneak into New Line Cinemas offices and watch Return of the King, finished or not. I would have already seen it. Three years ago.
Rachel: Uh...filming hadn't even started then.
CS: So?
Glorfindel: You are far too obsessed.
CS: And the fact that I write LotR FanFiction didn't tip you off to that?
Glorfindel: ...
Rachel: She's got a point.
-12: Realization-
Glorfindel and I were two of the last ones to arrive for supper, and got some quite interesting looks as we walked in together. Most of the head table seemed to be surprised, Elrond and Elladan even more so, since they knew about my supposed 'chewing out' from Glorfindel that was to have occurred that afternoon. I just smiled serenely, though, as I took my seat next to Kari.
"Looks like you found your own Elf-lord." she said in an undertone to me, smirking slightly.
"Nah, I just had a good chat with him about home that lasted most of the afternoon. We were both heading here after we were done talking, so we just came together." I said with a shrug.
"Home? I take it you had a trying afternoon, then?" Kari asked. I looked at her for a second, wondering when she'd started using 'trying' in that context, then mentally shrugged it off as a side effect of hanging out with Elves and answered her question.
"You have no idea. He knows." I said, lowering my voice to almost inaudible for the last part. "I'll tell you more about it later." Kari looked at me with part alarm and part curiosity, but nodded instead of speaking more about it. We fell silent then as the food was served, and I took the opportunity to once again observe those sitting at the head table. Elladan and Elrohir seemed to not be speaking, I noted, both studiously ignoring the other. Elrohir seemed to be too wrapped up in stealing shared glances with Kari, anyways. I shook my head at that - those two were fast becoming hopeless.
I turned my attention to farther down the table, where Elrond, Celebrían, Arwen, Glorfindel and Erestor were sitting. Glorfindel and Erestor were already deep in a conversation, as were Elrond and Celebrían. Arwen, to my surprise, seemed to be doing the same thing as I - observing those at the head table. She caught my eyes as I glanced at her, and smiled slightly at me before turning to her food. I turned to my food as well, and was soon caught up in a conversation with Elladan, who wanted to know how I'd made it out of Glorfindel's 'dungeon' alive. THAT had me spinning tales enough to last the entire meal. Elladan didn't buy any of it, but he didn't stop me, either.
After supper, Kari and I once again made to disappear into our rooms, but the strange combination of Glorfindel and Arwen appeared next to us before we'd gotten far.
"Kari, Rachel, come, you must join us in the Hall of Fire!" Glorfindel said cheerily.
"Uh, well, we were going to go rest in our rooms for a bit..." I said tentatively.
"Nonsense, you have been doing nothing that requires rest." Glorfindel replied, waving off my excuse.
"Hey, riding a horse is hard work!" I said defensively.
"Ah yes, especially when you have races." Glorfindel said with a glint in his eyes. "Call it punishment if you will. I am not letting you go to your room for some rest before going to the Hall of Fire."
"I didn't gallop into Rivendell!" Kari said defensively, frowning slightly.
"Guilty by association." Glorfindel said.
"Very well, Glory." I muttered. Arwen and Kari looked at me in surprise.
"Glory?" Arwen asked after a moment, almost snickering. Glorfindel gave her a quelling look.
"Better than Dely, I guess." Kari said with a wicked grin.
"That's what I said." I replied, my grin just as big. And that prompted an explanation to Glorfindel and Arwen about deli's, which was told as we went to the Hall of Fire. Elladan and Elrohir magically appeared when we reached the Hall of Fire, and Kari was promptly stolen from our little company by Elrohir. So that left Arwen, Glorfindel, Elladan and I to watch them go with amusement.
"They are getting along quite nicely." Glorfindel commented once Elrohir and Kari were gone, echoing what I'd said to Elladan earlier that day.
"That they are." Arwen said with a smile.
"Yes, I was telling Rachel earlier that I have not seen Elrohir this interested in a maiden for quite awhile." Elladan put in.
"Mm, I rather think he has never been this interested in a maiden." Glorfindel said.
"Nor has Kari ever been this interested in a male." I commented once again.
"What do you think, a month?" Arwen asked, turning to her brother.
"I would give it a week." Elladan replied thoughtfully.
"What?" I asked curiously.
"Until Elrohir realizes he is in love with Kari." Arwen replied with a smile.
"I say you are both off." Glorfindel said dryly.
"Oh?" Elladan asked, arching an eyebrow. "Would you happen to have some...inside information?"
"Only secondhand from your father." Glorfindel said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It seems Elrohir has been inquiring about how Lord Elrond expects his children to marry."
"Oh ho, he is thinking of marriage already?" Elladan said with an arched eyebrow. Glorfindel just shrugged. I made a mental note to talk to Kari later about just how much she liked Elrohir, so I could maybe get together with Elladan and give Elrohir and Kari a shove if they needed it.
"Perhaps." Glorfindel said. At that point, an Elf started up a ballad of some sort, and our small group quieted down. Glorfindel, after a moment, drifted off somewhat, and I saw him later with Erestor and Elrond, but didn't speak to him for the rest of the evening. For my part, the majority of the evening was spent listening. The music was lovely, the songs even more so, and I just went into a daze listening to most of them, which Elladan wasted no time in teasing me about. I was slightly surprised that none of the songs, or stories, were in Elvish, but brushed it off - helped in that endeavor, no doubt, by the wine that Elladan found for me. I kept a close eye on how much he was serving me, but I was still feeling distinctly giddy by the time the evening started winding to a close.
Thus it was that, while I normally avoid singing in public like the plague, when Elladan and Arwen asked to hear me sing, I agreed with very little hesitation. Looking back now, I realize that that moment, when I decided to sing, was one of those moments that come so rarely in life - a moment that literally changes how the rest of your life will be lived. If I hadn't decided to sing, perhaps things would have been different. Things might not have turned out the way they did. The thing I found most annoying about that moment when I look back on it, though, is that, at the time I didn't - couldn't - even realize what effect that casual decision would have. I'm not so sure I would have made a different decision even if I had known, however. But enough philosophy.
The hall quieted almost as soon as I stepped towards the little platform in the center of the room that performers stood on. I stood silent for a moment, wondering what to sing. I knew a few folk songs, but not enough of their lyrics to be able to sing them confidently. Instead, I turned to my extensive knowledge of pop and rock song lyrics. I quickly sorted through them, dismissing all ones with blatant reference to technology, and in keeping mind the fact that the evening was winding down, I picked a slow song. And as if anticipating the future, it was also a sad song. I cleared my throat once, then opened my mouth and began to sing.
"Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There's always one reason
To feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight
"In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
"So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There's vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lie
That you make up for all that you lack
It don't make no difference
Escaping one last time
It's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees
"In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here" [A/N: "Arms of an Angel" Sarah McLachlan]
When I finished, I opened my eyes, which I hadn't even noticed I'd closed, to find the room staring at me in silence. Appreciation was in their eyes, but also bewilderment, as they applauded my song. The drink caused me to brush off the bewilderment, at least until I stepped off the platform, flushed from the praise, to find Elrond standing with Elladan and Arwen, looking at me curiously.
"That was an...amazing song, Rachel." Elladan said, with a strange twinge in his voice.
"Thanks." I said cheerfully, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
"Yes, amazing indeed. Tell me, what language was it in? I have never heard it before." Elrond said curiously. I looked at Elrond in surprise.
"It was English - You'd call it common." I replied. I received three blank looks.
"What was that?" Elrond asked, frowning slightly, as if he hadn't understood. I looked at him, confused, and wondering what on earth was going on. I suddenly wished I hadn't drunk so much, it was making my mind slow, and messing up my hearing - for a moment I could have sworn I heard Elrond talking in another language entirely - a soft, musical language, much like I'd always thought Elvish would sound like.
"Rachel, are you alright?" Elladan asked as he noticed my confused look. Once again, I heard him speaking the words, and understood them, but I also heard that other language.
"I - I'm fine." I stammered. "I just think I need to lie down." My voice had an odd sound to it, I noticed - the last part, at least, sounded almost like it had...an echo. I frowned.
"I will show you to your room." Elrond said with concern, taking my arm and leading me out of the hall. Arwen and Elladan made as if to follow, but apparently decided to stay. Elrond and I walked in silence, though I could see him casting me concerned looks - he was in full healer mode. My mind was churning too quickly for me to care about him, however. I could have SWORN I'd heard Elrond and Elladan speaking another language, but I understood them - and I've never learned another language. A few words of French, some random Elvish, other bits and pieces of languages, Pig-Latin, and enough of a made up language of Kari's and mine to be able to confuse people by carrying on conversations with Kari in it, but that was about it. I just couldn't get a handle on speaking other languages. So how could I understand Elrond and Elladan while they were speaking a language other than English?
Frowning thoughtfully, I barely noticed as we arrived at my door, absently thanking Elrond and saying goodnight. It was his response, however, that startled me out of my thoughts and made me realize what was going on. What I heard, primarily, was him saying goodnight, but the echo - the other voice, speaking in that soft language - said 'maer daw'. 'Good night' in Sindarin.
"HOLY SHIT!" my exclamation made Elrond, who had been turning to walk down the hall, whip back around to face me, surprised and slightly shocked. His expression changed quickly to concern, however, as I abruptly felt the need to sit down and did so right in the doorway.
"Rachel?" Elrond asked with concern.
"Fuck I hope Kari's in her room." I said absently, ignoring the Elf Lord. I stood carefully and wandered into the room, barely aware that Elrond was cautiously following me. I found Kari, alright, kissing Elrohir passionately. I blinked, then, seeing they weren't aware of me, I tapped on Elrohir's shoulder. He pulled away and looked up at me in surprise. Kari, noticing who had interrupted her little make-out session, looked at me in annoyance.
"What, Rachel?" she asked impatiently.
"I need to talk to you." I said calmly, aware I was in a slight daze.
"Can it not wait?" Kari asked, still annoyed.
"Uh, no, it can't." I replied.
"Fine then, talk." Kari said, pushing away from Elrohir grumpily, crossing her arms, and glaring at me.
"Can we, um, talk in private?" I asked, eyeing Elrohir and Elrond, both of whom were looking very confused.
"I suppose so. Why?" Kari asked impatiently.
"Because." I replied, then grabbed Kari's hand and dragged her into my room. "Kari, this is going to sound weird, but what do you hear when you listen to me talking right now?" I asked when I closed the door behind me. The slight echo was back in my voice.
"I hear you talking." Kari said, looking at me oddly. "Does this have a point?" I paused for a moment, concentrating, and then spoke again.
"Yes, it does have a point." I said, and this time the echo was gone from my voice. Kari paused, and looked at me funny.
"What was that? I didn't know you knew another language." she said.
"I don't. That was English." I said calmly, the echo returned. Kari snorted.
"Rachel, you've had too much to drink. Whatever you were speaking was gibberish, not English. I UNDERSTAND English, Rachel." she said. "I am speaking English right now."
"No, you're speaking Elvish. Sindarin, to be precise." I said flatly. Kari looked at me for a moment, and then shook her head.
"How do you manage to get drunk the one time I'm not around to see it, and then come and bug me anyways?" she said.
"I AM NOT DRUNK." I practically roared, suddenly very angry at Kari. The drink probably helped with that. "I HAVE SIMPLY REALIZED THAT THE ENTIRE TIME WE HAVE BEEN IN RIVENDELL, WE HAVE BEEN SPEAKING ELVISH WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT!" Kari paled, and I saw that she had understood.
"I...understood...that..." she said slowly, flipping between English and Elvish in the middle of her sentence.
"Of course you understood it. It's English." I growled. "I don't know how, or why, but we've been speaking Elvish the entire time we've been here."
"Of course." Kari murmured, her eyes wide. "We need to be able to talk to them somehow."
"Because Common isn't English." I said, realization dawning on me as I absently noticed that our conversation was entirely in English now. "But how did we just suddenly know how to speak Elvish?"
"Maybe...maybe it was that voice." Kari said, almost hesitantly.
"What voice?" I asked curiously.
"The...the one that spoke to me before we arrived in Rivendell. I can't remember what it said, but I remember light, and this voice speaking to me. And then I woke up with Glorfindel staring down at me." Kari said nervously.
"I remember that, too." I said with a slight frown, not really surprised that Kari had experienced the same thing. "But...why would it give us the ability to speak Elvish, instead of just letting us learn it ourselves?"
"Maybe it wanted to save us some time?" Kari asked with a frown.
"Save time? Why? We're Elves now - immortal. We would have decades to learn another language." I replied.
"Well then maybe that voice thingy didn't want suspicions raised about where we came from?" Kari suggested, sounding annoyed. I quickly dismissed her annoyance, however, and paled as her statement reminded me of something else.
"Oh god." I said, sitting down on my bed. "Oh god, I've been so wrapped up in being in Rivendell, and you've been so wrapped up in Elrohir, that we've missed the obvious."
"What's the obvious?" Kari asked curiously, sitting next to me.
"Do you remember that one time you were ranting at me about bad 'Lord of the Rings' FanFictions? How you said that they usually take the male character of prime desire and stick him with a girl that's impossibly perfect? And the guy falls in love with her just as quickly as she falls in love with him, and it's so quick and sweet and cute it's sickening?" I asked.
"You mean Mary-Sues?" Kari asked, and I nodded. "What about them?"
"Don't you see?" I asked in a pained voice. "Elrohir's instant liking to you - Elladan's easy bonding with me - our rapid acceptance - the elves easily brushing off any of our mistakes - even my horse, dammit! We've BECOME those impossibly perfect girls! We've become Mary-Sues!" Kari stared at me for a moment, then pursed her lips and shook her head.
"Rachel, we haven't become Mary-Sues. That sort of stuff only happens in parody or humour FanFiction." she said.
"And girls only die and get transported to Middle-Earth in FanFictions, too!" I snapped in reply.
"Yes, but just because we've been zapped to Middle-Earth and I like an Elf who just HAPPENS to like me back, doesn't mean we've become Mary-Sues!" Kari shot back, switching to Elvish halfway through her sentence.
"No, it doesn't. But everything else points to it!" I snapped. "For gods sake, Kari, look at me! You know what I looked like at home! And yet here I am, blonde-haired, grey-eyed and several inches taller than normal! Not to mention the pointed ears!"
"So you got turned into an Elf. Big crying shame." Kari snarled. "I thought you'd be happy. You always said you feared old age more than death, and now you'll never have to go through either!" I snorted.
"Yeah, except for the fact that, oh, yeah, I DIED BEFORE COMING TO MIDDLE-EARTH!" I yelled the last part, and Kari looked at me in shock for a moment, and I realized that I'd shouted in Elvish. My head whipped towards the door, but all I heard was silence. That, in this circumstance, was a BAD thing. I pushed it aside, however, to focus on the conversation.
"Don't you see, Kari? There's all these little mistakes that we've made since we've been here, but the Elves had just brushed them off! And things that would normally never happen have happened easily and regularly with us around! I mean, shit, you keep calling Eregion by its human name of Hollin, but all the Elves act as if they don't know the difference. And Glorfindel, who was looking like a storm cloud and ready to chew me out about galloping into Rivendell, merely scolded me lightly and nothing else." I said, my voice pleading as I looked at Kari. She just sighed, though, shaking her head.
"Rachel, I don't know if it's the drink or some temporary insanity that's making you so adamant about this, but trust me, as one who has read many FanFictions, I tell you, we are NOT Mary-Sues! So they accepted us unusually quickly. We're Elves, are we not? And Lord Glorfindel found us. It's not a sign of Mary-Sueism if you get along with other people, Rachel." she said with a pitying smile.
"I know it's not!" I said angrily. "I've told you it's not just our relations!"
"Yes, I've heard. And all of your other so-called signs of us being Mary-Sues are easily explainable, as well!" Kari retorted. "So I call Hollin by the wrong name - what of it? We've supposedly traveled for four millennia, why can I not take to calling it by its new name?"
"Because you supposedly grew up there!" I replied angrily. Kari sighed.
"Look, Rachel, I do not want to argue about this anymore. We can talk about this tomorrow. But right now, we just need to calm down, get some sleep, and think this through." she said soothingly.
"Fuck, Kari. You've become almost exactly like all the other Elves around here. No wonder you don't want to believe that we've become Mary-Sues." I snarled.
"I SAY AGAIN, we both need to calm down and get some sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow!" Kari said firmly.
"Alkarisil?" Elrohir's voice startled both Kari and I as it drifted through the door. "Elenlómë?" Kari and I looked at each other, and looking into her eyes, I realized then that she would never accept the truth.
"Go. You want to be a Mary-Sue; you might as well enjoy it." I said bitterly. "Don't come looking to me if everything suddenly comes crashing down, though."
"Rachel -" Kari started with a frown, but I held up a hand to stop her.
"You may be happy with your life, Alkarisil, and I can see that at least on your side your feelings for Elrohir are no sham, but I will never be at peace until I know I can be accepted for who I am." I said softly.
"What...what are you going to do, then?" Kari asked, almost fearfully.
"I don't know." I said, only partially lying. A plan was slowly forming in my head, but for it to work, I couldn't tell Kari.
"Uh, well, I'll speak with you tomorrow, then?" Kari asked quietly, standing up and looking at me with a torn expression. I doubt she accepted that we had turned into Mary-Sues, but she knew I had made up my mind and wasn't going to change it.
"Of course." I said with a smile, standing up as well. We went to the door, but just before it, I put a hand on Kari's arm and stopped her. I knew I wanted to go through with the plan rapidly solidifying in my mind, but I didn't want to leave Kari without anyone to turn to.
"Kari, if...if I'm ever not available, and you need someone to talk to, Glorfindel knows about how we truly came here, and where we came from. The basics, at least. And his study is far enough way from commonly traveled corridors that there is little risk of being overheard." I said quietly in English.
"Rachel..." Kari started with a frown, but I just shook my head.
"It's...just something I thought you should know." I said, then stepped away from Kari quickly and opened the door. Elrohir and Elrond were still in the room beyond, looking at the door in concern.
"Alkarisil? Elenlómë? Is everything alright? We heard shouting..." Elrohir said with a frown.
"Everything's fine." I said crisply. "Sorry to have worried you all, but I just remembered something disturbing about home." Elrohir and Elrond looked at me in concern, but accepted my explanation, especially when Kari backed me up with a sad look and a pat on my shoulder. She then went over to Elrohir and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
"Everything is fine now, truly. Both Rachel and I are quite tired, however. We would both like to get some sleep." Kari said. Elrond nodded, Elrohir echoing his father somewhat reluctantly, and then with a round of 'good night's, the two Elf-lords left. Kari and I looked at each other for a moment, and then turned and disappeared into our respective rooms.
----To be continued...with, um, stuff----
(Honestly, just about anything I could say about the next chapter would give the next little plot twist away...)
-Authors Note:-
In celebration for the RotK trailer coming out...another chapter! Whoo! Now I'm off to watch the trailer...again...
~Crimson Starlight
Ooo, almost forgot! Thank you to all my reviewers, especially the insane ones! (you know who you are) Now all of you who are reading this, REVIEW! And I promise I'll finish betaing your story soon, Duke Storm... .
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I don't own it. If I did, I would not be wanting to go sneak into New Line Cinemas offices and watch Return of the King, finished or not. I would have already seen it. Three years ago.
Rachel: Uh...filming hadn't even started then.
CS: So?
Glorfindel: You are far too obsessed.
CS: And the fact that I write LotR FanFiction didn't tip you off to that?
Glorfindel: ...
Rachel: She's got a point.
-12: Realization-
Glorfindel and I were two of the last ones to arrive for supper, and got some quite interesting looks as we walked in together. Most of the head table seemed to be surprised, Elrond and Elladan even more so, since they knew about my supposed 'chewing out' from Glorfindel that was to have occurred that afternoon. I just smiled serenely, though, as I took my seat next to Kari.
"Looks like you found your own Elf-lord." she said in an undertone to me, smirking slightly.
"Nah, I just had a good chat with him about home that lasted most of the afternoon. We were both heading here after we were done talking, so we just came together." I said with a shrug.
"Home? I take it you had a trying afternoon, then?" Kari asked. I looked at her for a second, wondering when she'd started using 'trying' in that context, then mentally shrugged it off as a side effect of hanging out with Elves and answered her question.
"You have no idea. He knows." I said, lowering my voice to almost inaudible for the last part. "I'll tell you more about it later." Kari looked at me with part alarm and part curiosity, but nodded instead of speaking more about it. We fell silent then as the food was served, and I took the opportunity to once again observe those sitting at the head table. Elladan and Elrohir seemed to not be speaking, I noted, both studiously ignoring the other. Elrohir seemed to be too wrapped up in stealing shared glances with Kari, anyways. I shook my head at that - those two were fast becoming hopeless.
I turned my attention to farther down the table, where Elrond, Celebrían, Arwen, Glorfindel and Erestor were sitting. Glorfindel and Erestor were already deep in a conversation, as were Elrond and Celebrían. Arwen, to my surprise, seemed to be doing the same thing as I - observing those at the head table. She caught my eyes as I glanced at her, and smiled slightly at me before turning to her food. I turned to my food as well, and was soon caught up in a conversation with Elladan, who wanted to know how I'd made it out of Glorfindel's 'dungeon' alive. THAT had me spinning tales enough to last the entire meal. Elladan didn't buy any of it, but he didn't stop me, either.
After supper, Kari and I once again made to disappear into our rooms, but the strange combination of Glorfindel and Arwen appeared next to us before we'd gotten far.
"Kari, Rachel, come, you must join us in the Hall of Fire!" Glorfindel said cheerily.
"Uh, well, we were going to go rest in our rooms for a bit..." I said tentatively.
"Nonsense, you have been doing nothing that requires rest." Glorfindel replied, waving off my excuse.
"Hey, riding a horse is hard work!" I said defensively.
"Ah yes, especially when you have races." Glorfindel said with a glint in his eyes. "Call it punishment if you will. I am not letting you go to your room for some rest before going to the Hall of Fire."
"I didn't gallop into Rivendell!" Kari said defensively, frowning slightly.
"Guilty by association." Glorfindel said.
"Very well, Glory." I muttered. Arwen and Kari looked at me in surprise.
"Glory?" Arwen asked after a moment, almost snickering. Glorfindel gave her a quelling look.
"Better than Dely, I guess." Kari said with a wicked grin.
"That's what I said." I replied, my grin just as big. And that prompted an explanation to Glorfindel and Arwen about deli's, which was told as we went to the Hall of Fire. Elladan and Elrohir magically appeared when we reached the Hall of Fire, and Kari was promptly stolen from our little company by Elrohir. So that left Arwen, Glorfindel, Elladan and I to watch them go with amusement.
"They are getting along quite nicely." Glorfindel commented once Elrohir and Kari were gone, echoing what I'd said to Elladan earlier that day.
"That they are." Arwen said with a smile.
"Yes, I was telling Rachel earlier that I have not seen Elrohir this interested in a maiden for quite awhile." Elladan put in.
"Mm, I rather think he has never been this interested in a maiden." Glorfindel said.
"Nor has Kari ever been this interested in a male." I commented once again.
"What do you think, a month?" Arwen asked, turning to her brother.
"I would give it a week." Elladan replied thoughtfully.
"What?" I asked curiously.
"Until Elrohir realizes he is in love with Kari." Arwen replied with a smile.
"I say you are both off." Glorfindel said dryly.
"Oh?" Elladan asked, arching an eyebrow. "Would you happen to have some...inside information?"
"Only secondhand from your father." Glorfindel said with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "It seems Elrohir has been inquiring about how Lord Elrond expects his children to marry."
"Oh ho, he is thinking of marriage already?" Elladan said with an arched eyebrow. Glorfindel just shrugged. I made a mental note to talk to Kari later about just how much she liked Elrohir, so I could maybe get together with Elladan and give Elrohir and Kari a shove if they needed it.
"Perhaps." Glorfindel said. At that point, an Elf started up a ballad of some sort, and our small group quieted down. Glorfindel, after a moment, drifted off somewhat, and I saw him later with Erestor and Elrond, but didn't speak to him for the rest of the evening. For my part, the majority of the evening was spent listening. The music was lovely, the songs even more so, and I just went into a daze listening to most of them, which Elladan wasted no time in teasing me about. I was slightly surprised that none of the songs, or stories, were in Elvish, but brushed it off - helped in that endeavor, no doubt, by the wine that Elladan found for me. I kept a close eye on how much he was serving me, but I was still feeling distinctly giddy by the time the evening started winding to a close.
Thus it was that, while I normally avoid singing in public like the plague, when Elladan and Arwen asked to hear me sing, I agreed with very little hesitation. Looking back now, I realize that that moment, when I decided to sing, was one of those moments that come so rarely in life - a moment that literally changes how the rest of your life will be lived. If I hadn't decided to sing, perhaps things would have been different. Things might not have turned out the way they did. The thing I found most annoying about that moment when I look back on it, though, is that, at the time I didn't - couldn't - even realize what effect that casual decision would have. I'm not so sure I would have made a different decision even if I had known, however. But enough philosophy.
The hall quieted almost as soon as I stepped towards the little platform in the center of the room that performers stood on. I stood silent for a moment, wondering what to sing. I knew a few folk songs, but not enough of their lyrics to be able to sing them confidently. Instead, I turned to my extensive knowledge of pop and rock song lyrics. I quickly sorted through them, dismissing all ones with blatant reference to technology, and in keeping mind the fact that the evening was winding down, I picked a slow song. And as if anticipating the future, it was also a sad song. I cleared my throat once, then opened my mouth and began to sing.
"Spend all your time waiting
For that second chance
For a break that would make it okay
There's always one reason
To feel not good enough
And it's hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh beautiful release
Memory seeps from my veins
Let me be empty
And weightless and maybe
I'll find some peace tonight
"In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
"So tired of the straight line
And everywhere you turn
There's vultures and thieves at your back
And the storm keeps on twisting
You keep on building the lie
That you make up for all that you lack
It don't make no difference
Escaping one last time
It's easier to believe in this sweet madness oh
This glorious sadness that brings me to my knees
"In the arms of an angel
Fly away from here
From this dark cold hotel room
And the endlessness that you fear
You are pulled from the wreckage
Of your silent reverie
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort there
You're in the arms of the angel
May you find some comfort here" [A/N: "Arms of an Angel" Sarah McLachlan]
When I finished, I opened my eyes, which I hadn't even noticed I'd closed, to find the room staring at me in silence. Appreciation was in their eyes, but also bewilderment, as they applauded my song. The drink caused me to brush off the bewilderment, at least until I stepped off the platform, flushed from the praise, to find Elrond standing with Elladan and Arwen, looking at me curiously.
"That was an...amazing song, Rachel." Elladan said, with a strange twinge in his voice.
"Thanks." I said cheerfully, bouncing on the balls of my feet.
"Yes, amazing indeed. Tell me, what language was it in? I have never heard it before." Elrond said curiously. I looked at Elrond in surprise.
"It was English - You'd call it common." I replied. I received three blank looks.
"What was that?" Elrond asked, frowning slightly, as if he hadn't understood. I looked at him, confused, and wondering what on earth was going on. I suddenly wished I hadn't drunk so much, it was making my mind slow, and messing up my hearing - for a moment I could have sworn I heard Elrond talking in another language entirely - a soft, musical language, much like I'd always thought Elvish would sound like.
"Rachel, are you alright?" Elladan asked as he noticed my confused look. Once again, I heard him speaking the words, and understood them, but I also heard that other language.
"I - I'm fine." I stammered. "I just think I need to lie down." My voice had an odd sound to it, I noticed - the last part, at least, sounded almost like it had...an echo. I frowned.
"I will show you to your room." Elrond said with concern, taking my arm and leading me out of the hall. Arwen and Elladan made as if to follow, but apparently decided to stay. Elrond and I walked in silence, though I could see him casting me concerned looks - he was in full healer mode. My mind was churning too quickly for me to care about him, however. I could have SWORN I'd heard Elrond and Elladan speaking another language, but I understood them - and I've never learned another language. A few words of French, some random Elvish, other bits and pieces of languages, Pig-Latin, and enough of a made up language of Kari's and mine to be able to confuse people by carrying on conversations with Kari in it, but that was about it. I just couldn't get a handle on speaking other languages. So how could I understand Elrond and Elladan while they were speaking a language other than English?
Frowning thoughtfully, I barely noticed as we arrived at my door, absently thanking Elrond and saying goodnight. It was his response, however, that startled me out of my thoughts and made me realize what was going on. What I heard, primarily, was him saying goodnight, but the echo - the other voice, speaking in that soft language - said 'maer daw'. 'Good night' in Sindarin.
"HOLY SHIT!" my exclamation made Elrond, who had been turning to walk down the hall, whip back around to face me, surprised and slightly shocked. His expression changed quickly to concern, however, as I abruptly felt the need to sit down and did so right in the doorway.
"Rachel?" Elrond asked with concern.
"Fuck I hope Kari's in her room." I said absently, ignoring the Elf Lord. I stood carefully and wandered into the room, barely aware that Elrond was cautiously following me. I found Kari, alright, kissing Elrohir passionately. I blinked, then, seeing they weren't aware of me, I tapped on Elrohir's shoulder. He pulled away and looked up at me in surprise. Kari, noticing who had interrupted her little make-out session, looked at me in annoyance.
"What, Rachel?" she asked impatiently.
"I need to talk to you." I said calmly, aware I was in a slight daze.
"Can it not wait?" Kari asked, still annoyed.
"Uh, no, it can't." I replied.
"Fine then, talk." Kari said, pushing away from Elrohir grumpily, crossing her arms, and glaring at me.
"Can we, um, talk in private?" I asked, eyeing Elrohir and Elrond, both of whom were looking very confused.
"I suppose so. Why?" Kari asked impatiently.
"Because." I replied, then grabbed Kari's hand and dragged her into my room. "Kari, this is going to sound weird, but what do you hear when you listen to me talking right now?" I asked when I closed the door behind me. The slight echo was back in my voice.
"I hear you talking." Kari said, looking at me oddly. "Does this have a point?" I paused for a moment, concentrating, and then spoke again.
"Yes, it does have a point." I said, and this time the echo was gone from my voice. Kari paused, and looked at me funny.
"What was that? I didn't know you knew another language." she said.
"I don't. That was English." I said calmly, the echo returned. Kari snorted.
"Rachel, you've had too much to drink. Whatever you were speaking was gibberish, not English. I UNDERSTAND English, Rachel." she said. "I am speaking English right now."
"No, you're speaking Elvish. Sindarin, to be precise." I said flatly. Kari looked at me for a moment, and then shook her head.
"How do you manage to get drunk the one time I'm not around to see it, and then come and bug me anyways?" she said.
"I AM NOT DRUNK." I practically roared, suddenly very angry at Kari. The drink probably helped with that. "I HAVE SIMPLY REALIZED THAT THE ENTIRE TIME WE HAVE BEEN IN RIVENDELL, WE HAVE BEEN SPEAKING ELVISH WITHOUT EVEN KNOWING IT!" Kari paled, and I saw that she had understood.
"I...understood...that..." she said slowly, flipping between English and Elvish in the middle of her sentence.
"Of course you understood it. It's English." I growled. "I don't know how, or why, but we've been speaking Elvish the entire time we've been here."
"Of course." Kari murmured, her eyes wide. "We need to be able to talk to them somehow."
"Because Common isn't English." I said, realization dawning on me as I absently noticed that our conversation was entirely in English now. "But how did we just suddenly know how to speak Elvish?"
"Maybe...maybe it was that voice." Kari said, almost hesitantly.
"What voice?" I asked curiously.
"The...the one that spoke to me before we arrived in Rivendell. I can't remember what it said, but I remember light, and this voice speaking to me. And then I woke up with Glorfindel staring down at me." Kari said nervously.
"I remember that, too." I said with a slight frown, not really surprised that Kari had experienced the same thing. "But...why would it give us the ability to speak Elvish, instead of just letting us learn it ourselves?"
"Maybe it wanted to save us some time?" Kari asked with a frown.
"Save time? Why? We're Elves now - immortal. We would have decades to learn another language." I replied.
"Well then maybe that voice thingy didn't want suspicions raised about where we came from?" Kari suggested, sounding annoyed. I quickly dismissed her annoyance, however, and paled as her statement reminded me of something else.
"Oh god." I said, sitting down on my bed. "Oh god, I've been so wrapped up in being in Rivendell, and you've been so wrapped up in Elrohir, that we've missed the obvious."
"What's the obvious?" Kari asked curiously, sitting next to me.
"Do you remember that one time you were ranting at me about bad 'Lord of the Rings' FanFictions? How you said that they usually take the male character of prime desire and stick him with a girl that's impossibly perfect? And the guy falls in love with her just as quickly as she falls in love with him, and it's so quick and sweet and cute it's sickening?" I asked.
"You mean Mary-Sues?" Kari asked, and I nodded. "What about them?"
"Don't you see?" I asked in a pained voice. "Elrohir's instant liking to you - Elladan's easy bonding with me - our rapid acceptance - the elves easily brushing off any of our mistakes - even my horse, dammit! We've BECOME those impossibly perfect girls! We've become Mary-Sues!" Kari stared at me for a moment, then pursed her lips and shook her head.
"Rachel, we haven't become Mary-Sues. That sort of stuff only happens in parody or humour FanFiction." she said.
"And girls only die and get transported to Middle-Earth in FanFictions, too!" I snapped in reply.
"Yes, but just because we've been zapped to Middle-Earth and I like an Elf who just HAPPENS to like me back, doesn't mean we've become Mary-Sues!" Kari shot back, switching to Elvish halfway through her sentence.
"No, it doesn't. But everything else points to it!" I snapped. "For gods sake, Kari, look at me! You know what I looked like at home! And yet here I am, blonde-haired, grey-eyed and several inches taller than normal! Not to mention the pointed ears!"
"So you got turned into an Elf. Big crying shame." Kari snarled. "I thought you'd be happy. You always said you feared old age more than death, and now you'll never have to go through either!" I snorted.
"Yeah, except for the fact that, oh, yeah, I DIED BEFORE COMING TO MIDDLE-EARTH!" I yelled the last part, and Kari looked at me in shock for a moment, and I realized that I'd shouted in Elvish. My head whipped towards the door, but all I heard was silence. That, in this circumstance, was a BAD thing. I pushed it aside, however, to focus on the conversation.
"Don't you see, Kari? There's all these little mistakes that we've made since we've been here, but the Elves had just brushed them off! And things that would normally never happen have happened easily and regularly with us around! I mean, shit, you keep calling Eregion by its human name of Hollin, but all the Elves act as if they don't know the difference. And Glorfindel, who was looking like a storm cloud and ready to chew me out about galloping into Rivendell, merely scolded me lightly and nothing else." I said, my voice pleading as I looked at Kari. She just sighed, though, shaking her head.
"Rachel, I don't know if it's the drink or some temporary insanity that's making you so adamant about this, but trust me, as one who has read many FanFictions, I tell you, we are NOT Mary-Sues! So they accepted us unusually quickly. We're Elves, are we not? And Lord Glorfindel found us. It's not a sign of Mary-Sueism if you get along with other people, Rachel." she said with a pitying smile.
"I know it's not!" I said angrily. "I've told you it's not just our relations!"
"Yes, I've heard. And all of your other so-called signs of us being Mary-Sues are easily explainable, as well!" Kari retorted. "So I call Hollin by the wrong name - what of it? We've supposedly traveled for four millennia, why can I not take to calling it by its new name?"
"Because you supposedly grew up there!" I replied angrily. Kari sighed.
"Look, Rachel, I do not want to argue about this anymore. We can talk about this tomorrow. But right now, we just need to calm down, get some sleep, and think this through." she said soothingly.
"Fuck, Kari. You've become almost exactly like all the other Elves around here. No wonder you don't want to believe that we've become Mary-Sues." I snarled.
"I SAY AGAIN, we both need to calm down and get some sleep. We can talk about this tomorrow!" Kari said firmly.
"Alkarisil?" Elrohir's voice startled both Kari and I as it drifted through the door. "Elenlómë?" Kari and I looked at each other, and looking into her eyes, I realized then that she would never accept the truth.
"Go. You want to be a Mary-Sue; you might as well enjoy it." I said bitterly. "Don't come looking to me if everything suddenly comes crashing down, though."
"Rachel -" Kari started with a frown, but I held up a hand to stop her.
"You may be happy with your life, Alkarisil, and I can see that at least on your side your feelings for Elrohir are no sham, but I will never be at peace until I know I can be accepted for who I am." I said softly.
"What...what are you going to do, then?" Kari asked, almost fearfully.
"I don't know." I said, only partially lying. A plan was slowly forming in my head, but for it to work, I couldn't tell Kari.
"Uh, well, I'll speak with you tomorrow, then?" Kari asked quietly, standing up and looking at me with a torn expression. I doubt she accepted that we had turned into Mary-Sues, but she knew I had made up my mind and wasn't going to change it.
"Of course." I said with a smile, standing up as well. We went to the door, but just before it, I put a hand on Kari's arm and stopped her. I knew I wanted to go through with the plan rapidly solidifying in my mind, but I didn't want to leave Kari without anyone to turn to.
"Kari, if...if I'm ever not available, and you need someone to talk to, Glorfindel knows about how we truly came here, and where we came from. The basics, at least. And his study is far enough way from commonly traveled corridors that there is little risk of being overheard." I said quietly in English.
"Rachel..." Kari started with a frown, but I just shook my head.
"It's...just something I thought you should know." I said, then stepped away from Kari quickly and opened the door. Elrohir and Elrond were still in the room beyond, looking at the door in concern.
"Alkarisil? Elenlómë? Is everything alright? We heard shouting..." Elrohir said with a frown.
"Everything's fine." I said crisply. "Sorry to have worried you all, but I just remembered something disturbing about home." Elrohir and Elrond looked at me in concern, but accepted my explanation, especially when Kari backed me up with a sad look and a pat on my shoulder. She then went over to Elrohir and gave him a light kiss on the cheek.
"Everything is fine now, truly. Both Rachel and I are quite tired, however. We would both like to get some sleep." Kari said. Elrond nodded, Elrohir echoing his father somewhat reluctantly, and then with a round of 'good night's, the two Elf-lords left. Kari and I looked at each other for a moment, and then turned and disappeared into our respective rooms.
----To be continued...with, um, stuff----
(Honestly, just about anything I could say about the next chapter would give the next little plot twist away...)
-Authors Note:-
In celebration for the RotK trailer coming out...another chapter! Whoo! Now I'm off to watch the trailer...again...
~Crimson Starlight
Ooo, almost forgot! Thank you to all my reviewers, especially the insane ones! (you know who you are) Now all of you who are reading this, REVIEW! And I promise I'll finish betaing your story soon, Duke Storm... .