-THE GAMES OF THE GODS-
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I own nothing. At least, I won't until I sprout wings and fly around in the Cracks of Doom in Mount Doom and snatch the Ring from Gollum even as he's falling...then I'll own the One Ring! Muhahahahahahahaha!
Glorfindel: You realize all of us would have to kill you if you did that.
CS: I'm mail-ordering an army of Orcs from Saruman before I grow wings. You won't be able to touch me.
Rachel: The hobbits will.
CS: Did I mention I'm going to grow a bunch, too? I'll be able to STEP on the hobbits.
Kari: But you won't be able to block their pleading little puppy-dog faces from your mind ever again.
CS: ...damn, you're right.
Hobbits: Muhahahahahahahaha!
Kari: Er, hobbits laughing evilly...
Glorfindel: That's rather scary.
Rachel: Right, let's squash 'em!
(Please note that Crimson Starlight has nothing against hobbits and has never had an even slightly serious urge to injure any of them - except maybe the Sackville-Bagginses.) (Is Crimson Starlight afraid of Hobbit fangirls? Hell yes.)
-20: Explaining-
I woke to someone pounding on my door, and with a groan of tiredness, I hauled myself out of bed, threw on a dressing robe, and opened the door. Boromir was standing there, looking somewhat annoyed. I blinked at him.
"Whassup?" I asked. Somehow, my return to Rivendell seemed to have made me revert to my former way of speaking, and Boromir now had to stop and blink as he deciphered what I'd asked.
"I want to know what is going on." Boromir said once he figured it out.
"What part of what's going on do you want to know?" I asked as I yawned and rubbed my face in an attempt to wake up. I had to be just about the only Elf that had trouble waking up.
"I would like to know why Lord Glorfindel wished to speak with you last night, why he called you by another name, and why Lord Elrond joined you and Lord Glorfindel in your talk." Boromir replied. I blinked.
"In other words, what did I do the last time I was in Rivendell?" I said. Boromir nodded. "Give me a few minutes to dress, then we can go get some food, and go for a walk during which I'll explain everything to you. Unless Glory or Lord Elrond want to talk to me again. You're free to bop them if they do." Boromir paused.
"Glory?" he asked in confusion.
"Sorry, Lord Glorfindel." I replied, yawning again. "That sound ok?" Boromir nodded, and I shut the door in his face before going and getting changed into one of my more Elvish-styled dresses. I considered my hair and ears for a moment, then, with a grin, imitated the two simple braids Legolas sported in the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, letting my ears show in all their pointy glory. Boromir was going to find out anyways when I told him my little story. I could have lied and crunched the times a bit, of course, but hey, the guy was going to be dead in around 4 months, might as well tell him the truth. That was actually quite a depressing thought...
Boromir was waiting in the hallway when I emerged from my room, and at first, he didn't even register my ears as we walked to the main hall for some breakfast. Suddenly, however, he stopped short, gaping at my ears.
"I'll explain after breakfast." I said with a smile. Boromir nodded, looking somewhat dazed, and didn't start walking again until I gave him a little push. When we reached the main hall, we discovered that we were just slightly early for the main part of breakfast. With a little cajoling on my part, and a timely arrival of Glorfindel, Boromir and I managed to get our breakfast early, along with Glorfindel.
"I see you have stopped hiding your race." Glorfindel commented as we started eating.
"Yeah, there's really no point." I replied. "I'm going to tell Boromir everything after breakfast, anyways. And to tell the truth, I have always loathed having my ears covered, even before I came to Rivendell."
"Maybe it was a sign that you should not cover them." Glorfindel said dryly.
"Everything's a sign to you." I said, making a face. "I'm almost glad you're going to be disappearing for a week or so." Glorfindel arched an eyebrow.
"How did you..." he started, then paused, as if he'd just remembered something. "Right." he said after a moment. I smiled mischievously.
"So you are the one going out?" I asked. Glorfindel blinked, and nodded. "Good, Kari will be happy."
"I thought you knew for certain...?" Glorfindel asked in confusion.
"Some parts, yes, but there were two different versions at home. Kari and I didn't know which one would be happening. This is good, though, that means Haldir won't be dieing anytime soon." I said, ending thoughtfully.
"What are you talking about?" Boromir finally asked, utterly bewildered. I smiled and patted his hand.
"Something I will not be telling you about." I replied.
"You said you would -" Boromir started in annoyance, but I cut him off.
"Explain what I did in Rivendell the last time I was here, not my entire life." I said. "If you want to hear about my past, you're going to have to accept the bits that I tell you, because otherwise you won't be hearing any of it. I can not tell you everything. Not only would it be longer than I care to tell, but it would be dangerous for you to know." Boromir hesitated, and then nodded. "Good. Now shall we go for our walk? You're welcome to come and put in your two cents, Glory."
"No thanks, I have things to do before I leave." Glorfindel replied with a smile as we all stood. We all left the hall just as breakfast was supposed to normally start, and Glorfindel said goodbye to Boromir and me outside of the hall before heading off on his own.
"Let's go outside, shall we? I don't get lost so easily out there." I said, nodding towards where I knew the closest exit was. Boromir nodded, and we left the buildings of Rivendell.
"First off," I started once Boromir and I were outside walking, "You have to understand that I am over 900 years old, and everything I am about to tell you happened when I was close to half your age." Boromir nodded. "Alright, here's what happened..." And I set into a convoluted description of how Kari and I came from another land, far away, and appeared outside of Rivendell one day with no idea how we got there, spent several days in Rivendell, then I realized I had been cursed to turn into something so powerful it could destroy the world if I stayed in Rivendell, and thus I left, faking my own death so nobody in Rivendell would come looking for me. It was actually a rather nice tale, if I said so myself. It certainly made Boromir silent for quite some time.
"So you will be wanting to head back to Gondor as quickly as possible?" Boromir asked finally.
"Yeah, though there's no rush unless I start growing or my hair starts turning blonde." I replied. Boromir nodded, frowning thoughtfully.
"Still, I think I shall seek out Lord Elrond this afternoon and ask him about the dream." he said.
"Wait for awhile. A time will come soon enough when you will be able to tell of your dream and have a good portion of it explained to you. You're liable to just get riddles as answers now, anyways." I said. Boromir looked at me again, this time suspiciously.
"That is the second time you have done that." he said.
"Done what?" I asked in reply.
"Spoken as if you know the future." Boromir replied. I paused.
"Crap." I said. "Didn't even realize it. Must be that stupid curse acting up again." Boromir arched an eyebrow.
"The curse tells you of the future?" he asked.
"Uh...sure." I replied, suddenly realizing that this conversation was not heading in a very good direction. Fortunately, at that point, it became apparent that Boromir and I had wandered near the entrance of Rivendell, and I was saved from further comment by the sound of someone galloping in. Curious, and wanting to see someone get chewed out by Elrond or Glorfindel for galloping into Rivendell, I dragged Boromir over to where the sound of a galloping horse had come from. I arrived shortly after Lord Elrond to see two cloaked and hooded Elven riders just dismounting.
"Do you have a reason this time?" Elrond asked with a sigh, to my confusion.
"Of course not, father." one of the Elven riders said, and both riders threw back their hoods to reveal the identical faces of Elrond's sons. Elrond noticed me and Boromir at that point and gave me a pointed look, letting me know that he considered Elladan and Elrohir's galloping into Rivendell to be all my fault. I grinned. Elrohir and Elladan, curious as to who their father was giving such a pointed look, turned towards us with curiosity. I discovered that, once again, I could not tell the two of them apart. Cheap purple dye, wearing off after 800 years. Fortunately, however, their reactions to me gave away which was which - the gaping one was Elladan, and the confused and curious one was Elrohir.
"Wonderful to see you two again!" I said cheerily, bouncing over the two twins.
"Again? I do not recall ever having met you before..." Elrohir said, looking even more confused.
"I do." Elladan said, sounding dazed. "But what are you, a serving woman, doing here? For that matter, what were you doing as a serving woman if you are an Elf?"
"Having the time of my life!" I replied with a grin. "I'll get Glory after lunch to help me explain to you, since I'm tired of explaining it all myself." Elrohir made a choking sound and looked at me with wide eyes.
"'Glory'?!" he practically squeaked. I smiled serenely, then gave a little wave and headed back over to Boromir.
"Wanna see the horses?" I asked. Boromir nodded warily, apparently slightly scared by this new part of my personality that was emerging, and I latched onto his arm and dragged him off to see the horses, leaving two stunned Half-Elves (ok, Three-Quarter-Elves) behind.
I showed Boromir around Rivendell for most of the morning, then, as promised, after lunch I grabbed Glorfindel - who had originally just emerged from his study long enough to eat - and the twins and went off to the Glorfindel's oh so popular study. Glorfindel seemed extremely annoyed that I was making him sit in on this little explanation, but truth be told, I wanted him there more for my own protection than anything else. Elrohir would have the anger of two - both him and Kari - ready to let loose, and who knew WHAT Elladan was going to do.
"I still do not remember ever having met you before." Elrohir said in confusion once we were all settled in Glorfindel's study.
"You have." I said, bouncing slightly.
"Where?" Elrohir asked.
"Here. Well, not this exact spot, but it was in Rivendell." I replied.
"Get to the point." Glorfindel said, rolling his eyes. "I do not have all afternoon."
"Tough, I do. But, you have sharp pointy things, so get to the point I shall." I said. I turned to Elladan, who was looking at me curiously.
"First off. Yes, I did have Liltalen." I said. Elladan's eyebrows shot up.
"That was established a long time ago, but it is nice to have you confirm it." he said.
"And now you probably want to know how I knew the stallion's name?" I asked. Elladan nodded.
"That was puzzling." he said.
"Simple. I named him." I replied. Elrohir and Elladan stared at me.
"You did NOT!" Elladan exploded after a moment, looking very very angry. I eyed the distance between me and Glorfindel, preparing to dash behind the golden-haired Elf Lord if needed. Glorfindel, catching my gaze, looked extremely amused as he realized the main reason I'd asked - OK, forced - him to be there.
"I did." I said.
"Rachel named that stallion." Elrohir said with a scowl, putting a hand on his twins shoulder to hold him back from attacking me. "I was there, I saw it. I do not know who you are, but this is the most blatant lie I have ever heard."
"No it is not." both twins' heads snapped towards Glorfindel when he spoke.
"How can you say that, Glorfindel?" Elladan demanded. "Rachel named Liltalen, and then died!"
"Uh, no she didn't. Die, that is." I said.
"How would you know?" Elladan snarled.
"Because I've died before, and I would think I would notice if I did it again." I replied, arching my eyebrows, sounding a lot more confident then I felt. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that, while he hadn't changed position, Glorfindel looked as if he was ready to spring in between the twins and me at any moment.
"We're not talking about you, we're talking about Rachel." Elladan said angrily.
"Same thing." I said with a shrug. Elladan took another step towards me, his fists clenched, but Elrohir, a thoughtful look on his face, rested a hand on his twins arm to hold him back.
"What exactly do you mean by that? Are you saying that you ARE Rachel?" Elrohir asked after a moment, peering at me.
"Indeedily do." I replied.
"Impossible. You don't even look like Rachel. Elrohir, how can you even consider these lies for an instant?" Elladan asked angrily, turning to his brother.
"Because Kari once told me that Rachel used to look much different before they came to Rivendell." Elrohir said, looking at me intently. "Of course, she was drunk at the time, but I do not think she was lying."
"Kari got drunk? Man I'm sorry I missed that." I said with a grin.
"She got drunk because she was struggling with her grief at your supposed death." Elrohir said with a scowl.
"Ah, all for a good cause, then." I said. Elrohir's scowl deepened. "Look, I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't thought I had no other choice."
"I can not believe you believe her." Elladan mumbled to his twin under his breath, though we all heard him.
"You had better believe it, Elladan." Glorfindel said gravely. "It is true. As is the tale she has to tell of why she did what she did."
"I knew I brought you for a reason." I said to Glorfindel.
"You wanted to use my study?" Glorfindel suggested.
"Good side effect, yeah." I said. "But, now, do you two want to hear the wildest tale you'll ever hear?" Elrohir and Elladan looked at each other, then back at me and nodded. So, for the second time that day, I explained about where I'd come from. It was, of course, a different story than the one I'd told Boromir - I wasn't quite sure how Boromir would have handled the truth, but, thanks to Glorfindel, I knew that Elf brains wouldn't break at the truth. I did leave out a few things, though - mainly Kari and Tolkien's writings. Elrohir asked if Kari had been with me on Earth, of course, but I just answered vaguely and said that most of my life before I came to Middle-Earth had faded beyond recall. And somehow, probably thanks to the infernal Mary-Sue Factor, Elrohir didn't seem to put all the other little clues - like Kari's knowledge of my different appearance, and our made-up language - together and figure out for himself that yes, Kari was with me before we came to Middle-Earth.
Eventually, around mid-afternoon, I finished my tale, and Elrohir and Elladan were done asking questions. While they still looked very annoyed with me, though they assured me they understood why I had done what I'd done, they politely said goodbye, and left. Well, Elladan did. Elrohir went a few steps down the hallway, then paused and turned to look at me where I was standing in Glorfindel's study door.
"Kari's going to be furious when she finds out." he said matter-of-factly.
"As long as she has no sharp objects within reach when she does so, all will be well." I replied sagely, and Elrohir chuckled before wandering off, leaving me in Glorfindel's study. It wasn't until he was gone that I remembered I needed someone to help me get back without getting lost. I went back into Glorfindel's study and turned to Glorfindel to see him bending over his desk, scribbling away furiously at some document or report or something.
"Uh, Glory..." I started.
"Find your own way back or stay here until either someone comes or I am not busy." Glorfindel said without looking up. I sighed and contemplated whether or not I felt like getting lost in Rivendell. In the midst of my contemplating, I got distracted by a really cool plant, and after about ten minutes of inspecting it, I realized that I could find enough to occupy myself in Glorfindel's study - especially with the shiny weapons behind him - until someone was able to help me get back to the parts of Rivendell I knew my way around.
----To be continued...with Boromir's Pride making an appearance!----
(Silly Boromir!)
-Authors Note:-
Well, here's yet more proof that reviewing is good - I was going to update last night, but I didn't remember until I got up this morning and read some of my reviews. So, proof that reviewing WILL get you more chapters.
Anywho, thanks to all my reviewers, you all rock! (especially the last 3 reviewers/4 reviews who reminded me, albeit unintentionally, to update) And for everyone who reviews this chapter, you get...hmm...a copy of your choice of one of the Elven rings of power!
Now, off to school with me...
~Crimson Starlight
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I own nothing. At least, I won't until I sprout wings and fly around in the Cracks of Doom in Mount Doom and snatch the Ring from Gollum even as he's falling...then I'll own the One Ring! Muhahahahahahahaha!
Glorfindel: You realize all of us would have to kill you if you did that.
CS: I'm mail-ordering an army of Orcs from Saruman before I grow wings. You won't be able to touch me.
Rachel: The hobbits will.
CS: Did I mention I'm going to grow a bunch, too? I'll be able to STEP on the hobbits.
Kari: But you won't be able to block their pleading little puppy-dog faces from your mind ever again.
CS: ...damn, you're right.
Hobbits: Muhahahahahahahaha!
Kari: Er, hobbits laughing evilly...
Glorfindel: That's rather scary.
Rachel: Right, let's squash 'em!
(Please note that Crimson Starlight has nothing against hobbits and has never had an even slightly serious urge to injure any of them - except maybe the Sackville-Bagginses.) (Is Crimson Starlight afraid of Hobbit fangirls? Hell yes.)
-20: Explaining-
I woke to someone pounding on my door, and with a groan of tiredness, I hauled myself out of bed, threw on a dressing robe, and opened the door. Boromir was standing there, looking somewhat annoyed. I blinked at him.
"Whassup?" I asked. Somehow, my return to Rivendell seemed to have made me revert to my former way of speaking, and Boromir now had to stop and blink as he deciphered what I'd asked.
"I want to know what is going on." Boromir said once he figured it out.
"What part of what's going on do you want to know?" I asked as I yawned and rubbed my face in an attempt to wake up. I had to be just about the only Elf that had trouble waking up.
"I would like to know why Lord Glorfindel wished to speak with you last night, why he called you by another name, and why Lord Elrond joined you and Lord Glorfindel in your talk." Boromir replied. I blinked.
"In other words, what did I do the last time I was in Rivendell?" I said. Boromir nodded. "Give me a few minutes to dress, then we can go get some food, and go for a walk during which I'll explain everything to you. Unless Glory or Lord Elrond want to talk to me again. You're free to bop them if they do." Boromir paused.
"Glory?" he asked in confusion.
"Sorry, Lord Glorfindel." I replied, yawning again. "That sound ok?" Boromir nodded, and I shut the door in his face before going and getting changed into one of my more Elvish-styled dresses. I considered my hair and ears for a moment, then, with a grin, imitated the two simple braids Legolas sported in the 'Lord of the Rings' movies, letting my ears show in all their pointy glory. Boromir was going to find out anyways when I told him my little story. I could have lied and crunched the times a bit, of course, but hey, the guy was going to be dead in around 4 months, might as well tell him the truth. That was actually quite a depressing thought...
Boromir was waiting in the hallway when I emerged from my room, and at first, he didn't even register my ears as we walked to the main hall for some breakfast. Suddenly, however, he stopped short, gaping at my ears.
"I'll explain after breakfast." I said with a smile. Boromir nodded, looking somewhat dazed, and didn't start walking again until I gave him a little push. When we reached the main hall, we discovered that we were just slightly early for the main part of breakfast. With a little cajoling on my part, and a timely arrival of Glorfindel, Boromir and I managed to get our breakfast early, along with Glorfindel.
"I see you have stopped hiding your race." Glorfindel commented as we started eating.
"Yeah, there's really no point." I replied. "I'm going to tell Boromir everything after breakfast, anyways. And to tell the truth, I have always loathed having my ears covered, even before I came to Rivendell."
"Maybe it was a sign that you should not cover them." Glorfindel said dryly.
"Everything's a sign to you." I said, making a face. "I'm almost glad you're going to be disappearing for a week or so." Glorfindel arched an eyebrow.
"How did you..." he started, then paused, as if he'd just remembered something. "Right." he said after a moment. I smiled mischievously.
"So you are the one going out?" I asked. Glorfindel blinked, and nodded. "Good, Kari will be happy."
"I thought you knew for certain...?" Glorfindel asked in confusion.
"Some parts, yes, but there were two different versions at home. Kari and I didn't know which one would be happening. This is good, though, that means Haldir won't be dieing anytime soon." I said, ending thoughtfully.
"What are you talking about?" Boromir finally asked, utterly bewildered. I smiled and patted his hand.
"Something I will not be telling you about." I replied.
"You said you would -" Boromir started in annoyance, but I cut him off.
"Explain what I did in Rivendell the last time I was here, not my entire life." I said. "If you want to hear about my past, you're going to have to accept the bits that I tell you, because otherwise you won't be hearing any of it. I can not tell you everything. Not only would it be longer than I care to tell, but it would be dangerous for you to know." Boromir hesitated, and then nodded. "Good. Now shall we go for our walk? You're welcome to come and put in your two cents, Glory."
"No thanks, I have things to do before I leave." Glorfindel replied with a smile as we all stood. We all left the hall just as breakfast was supposed to normally start, and Glorfindel said goodbye to Boromir and me outside of the hall before heading off on his own.
"Let's go outside, shall we? I don't get lost so easily out there." I said, nodding towards where I knew the closest exit was. Boromir nodded, and we left the buildings of Rivendell.
"First off," I started once Boromir and I were outside walking, "You have to understand that I am over 900 years old, and everything I am about to tell you happened when I was close to half your age." Boromir nodded. "Alright, here's what happened..." And I set into a convoluted description of how Kari and I came from another land, far away, and appeared outside of Rivendell one day with no idea how we got there, spent several days in Rivendell, then I realized I had been cursed to turn into something so powerful it could destroy the world if I stayed in Rivendell, and thus I left, faking my own death so nobody in Rivendell would come looking for me. It was actually a rather nice tale, if I said so myself. It certainly made Boromir silent for quite some time.
"So you will be wanting to head back to Gondor as quickly as possible?" Boromir asked finally.
"Yeah, though there's no rush unless I start growing or my hair starts turning blonde." I replied. Boromir nodded, frowning thoughtfully.
"Still, I think I shall seek out Lord Elrond this afternoon and ask him about the dream." he said.
"Wait for awhile. A time will come soon enough when you will be able to tell of your dream and have a good portion of it explained to you. You're liable to just get riddles as answers now, anyways." I said. Boromir looked at me again, this time suspiciously.
"That is the second time you have done that." he said.
"Done what?" I asked in reply.
"Spoken as if you know the future." Boromir replied. I paused.
"Crap." I said. "Didn't even realize it. Must be that stupid curse acting up again." Boromir arched an eyebrow.
"The curse tells you of the future?" he asked.
"Uh...sure." I replied, suddenly realizing that this conversation was not heading in a very good direction. Fortunately, at that point, it became apparent that Boromir and I had wandered near the entrance of Rivendell, and I was saved from further comment by the sound of someone galloping in. Curious, and wanting to see someone get chewed out by Elrond or Glorfindel for galloping into Rivendell, I dragged Boromir over to where the sound of a galloping horse had come from. I arrived shortly after Lord Elrond to see two cloaked and hooded Elven riders just dismounting.
"Do you have a reason this time?" Elrond asked with a sigh, to my confusion.
"Of course not, father." one of the Elven riders said, and both riders threw back their hoods to reveal the identical faces of Elrond's sons. Elrond noticed me and Boromir at that point and gave me a pointed look, letting me know that he considered Elladan and Elrohir's galloping into Rivendell to be all my fault. I grinned. Elrohir and Elladan, curious as to who their father was giving such a pointed look, turned towards us with curiosity. I discovered that, once again, I could not tell the two of them apart. Cheap purple dye, wearing off after 800 years. Fortunately, however, their reactions to me gave away which was which - the gaping one was Elladan, and the confused and curious one was Elrohir.
"Wonderful to see you two again!" I said cheerily, bouncing over the two twins.
"Again? I do not recall ever having met you before..." Elrohir said, looking even more confused.
"I do." Elladan said, sounding dazed. "But what are you, a serving woman, doing here? For that matter, what were you doing as a serving woman if you are an Elf?"
"Having the time of my life!" I replied with a grin. "I'll get Glory after lunch to help me explain to you, since I'm tired of explaining it all myself." Elrohir made a choking sound and looked at me with wide eyes.
"'Glory'?!" he practically squeaked. I smiled serenely, then gave a little wave and headed back over to Boromir.
"Wanna see the horses?" I asked. Boromir nodded warily, apparently slightly scared by this new part of my personality that was emerging, and I latched onto his arm and dragged him off to see the horses, leaving two stunned Half-Elves (ok, Three-Quarter-Elves) behind.
I showed Boromir around Rivendell for most of the morning, then, as promised, after lunch I grabbed Glorfindel - who had originally just emerged from his study long enough to eat - and the twins and went off to the Glorfindel's oh so popular study. Glorfindel seemed extremely annoyed that I was making him sit in on this little explanation, but truth be told, I wanted him there more for my own protection than anything else. Elrohir would have the anger of two - both him and Kari - ready to let loose, and who knew WHAT Elladan was going to do.
"I still do not remember ever having met you before." Elrohir said in confusion once we were all settled in Glorfindel's study.
"You have." I said, bouncing slightly.
"Where?" Elrohir asked.
"Here. Well, not this exact spot, but it was in Rivendell." I replied.
"Get to the point." Glorfindel said, rolling his eyes. "I do not have all afternoon."
"Tough, I do. But, you have sharp pointy things, so get to the point I shall." I said. I turned to Elladan, who was looking at me curiously.
"First off. Yes, I did have Liltalen." I said. Elladan's eyebrows shot up.
"That was established a long time ago, but it is nice to have you confirm it." he said.
"And now you probably want to know how I knew the stallion's name?" I asked. Elladan nodded.
"That was puzzling." he said.
"Simple. I named him." I replied. Elrohir and Elladan stared at me.
"You did NOT!" Elladan exploded after a moment, looking very very angry. I eyed the distance between me and Glorfindel, preparing to dash behind the golden-haired Elf Lord if needed. Glorfindel, catching my gaze, looked extremely amused as he realized the main reason I'd asked - OK, forced - him to be there.
"I did." I said.
"Rachel named that stallion." Elrohir said with a scowl, putting a hand on his twins shoulder to hold him back from attacking me. "I was there, I saw it. I do not know who you are, but this is the most blatant lie I have ever heard."
"No it is not." both twins' heads snapped towards Glorfindel when he spoke.
"How can you say that, Glorfindel?" Elladan demanded. "Rachel named Liltalen, and then died!"
"Uh, no she didn't. Die, that is." I said.
"How would you know?" Elladan snarled.
"Because I've died before, and I would think I would notice if I did it again." I replied, arching my eyebrows, sounding a lot more confident then I felt. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that, while he hadn't changed position, Glorfindel looked as if he was ready to spring in between the twins and me at any moment.
"We're not talking about you, we're talking about Rachel." Elladan said angrily.
"Same thing." I said with a shrug. Elladan took another step towards me, his fists clenched, but Elrohir, a thoughtful look on his face, rested a hand on his twins arm to hold him back.
"What exactly do you mean by that? Are you saying that you ARE Rachel?" Elrohir asked after a moment, peering at me.
"Indeedily do." I replied.
"Impossible. You don't even look like Rachel. Elrohir, how can you even consider these lies for an instant?" Elladan asked angrily, turning to his brother.
"Because Kari once told me that Rachel used to look much different before they came to Rivendell." Elrohir said, looking at me intently. "Of course, she was drunk at the time, but I do not think she was lying."
"Kari got drunk? Man I'm sorry I missed that." I said with a grin.
"She got drunk because she was struggling with her grief at your supposed death." Elrohir said with a scowl.
"Ah, all for a good cause, then." I said. Elrohir's scowl deepened. "Look, I wouldn't have done it if I hadn't thought I had no other choice."
"I can not believe you believe her." Elladan mumbled to his twin under his breath, though we all heard him.
"You had better believe it, Elladan." Glorfindel said gravely. "It is true. As is the tale she has to tell of why she did what she did."
"I knew I brought you for a reason." I said to Glorfindel.
"You wanted to use my study?" Glorfindel suggested.
"Good side effect, yeah." I said. "But, now, do you two want to hear the wildest tale you'll ever hear?" Elrohir and Elladan looked at each other, then back at me and nodded. So, for the second time that day, I explained about where I'd come from. It was, of course, a different story than the one I'd told Boromir - I wasn't quite sure how Boromir would have handled the truth, but, thanks to Glorfindel, I knew that Elf brains wouldn't break at the truth. I did leave out a few things, though - mainly Kari and Tolkien's writings. Elrohir asked if Kari had been with me on Earth, of course, but I just answered vaguely and said that most of my life before I came to Middle-Earth had faded beyond recall. And somehow, probably thanks to the infernal Mary-Sue Factor, Elrohir didn't seem to put all the other little clues - like Kari's knowledge of my different appearance, and our made-up language - together and figure out for himself that yes, Kari was with me before we came to Middle-Earth.
Eventually, around mid-afternoon, I finished my tale, and Elrohir and Elladan were done asking questions. While they still looked very annoyed with me, though they assured me they understood why I had done what I'd done, they politely said goodbye, and left. Well, Elladan did. Elrohir went a few steps down the hallway, then paused and turned to look at me where I was standing in Glorfindel's study door.
"Kari's going to be furious when she finds out." he said matter-of-factly.
"As long as she has no sharp objects within reach when she does so, all will be well." I replied sagely, and Elrohir chuckled before wandering off, leaving me in Glorfindel's study. It wasn't until he was gone that I remembered I needed someone to help me get back without getting lost. I went back into Glorfindel's study and turned to Glorfindel to see him bending over his desk, scribbling away furiously at some document or report or something.
"Uh, Glory..." I started.
"Find your own way back or stay here until either someone comes or I am not busy." Glorfindel said without looking up. I sighed and contemplated whether or not I felt like getting lost in Rivendell. In the midst of my contemplating, I got distracted by a really cool plant, and after about ten minutes of inspecting it, I realized that I could find enough to occupy myself in Glorfindel's study - especially with the shiny weapons behind him - until someone was able to help me get back to the parts of Rivendell I knew my way around.
----To be continued...with Boromir's Pride making an appearance!----
(Silly Boromir!)
-Authors Note:-
Well, here's yet more proof that reviewing is good - I was going to update last night, but I didn't remember until I got up this morning and read some of my reviews. So, proof that reviewing WILL get you more chapters.
Anywho, thanks to all my reviewers, you all rock! (especially the last 3 reviewers/4 reviews who reminded me, albeit unintentionally, to update) And for everyone who reviews this chapter, you get...hmm...a copy of your choice of one of the Elven rings of power!
Now, off to school with me...
~Crimson Starlight