-THE GAMES OF THE GODS-
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I own nothing! Not even the purple monkey invaders from pluto!
Glorfindel: What are you talking about?
CS: The purple monkey invaders from pluto.
Glorfindel: I knew THAT.
CS: Well why'd you ask, then?
Glorfindel: I anted to know why you were mentioning them when they're not even in the chapter.
CS: Because I want to.
Glorfindel: ...
CS: I'm in a good mood, don't make me get out of it. It's not too late to write in a scene where Rachels cans you. :P
Glorfindel: Meep!
Rachel: *evil grin*
-31: Reasons-
-A/N: Right, I'm just not going to bother to put language warnings on chapters...this story is PG-13, and I have a warning that the rating is for language, so y'all should get the picture.-
Elrond was sleeping quite peacefully in his bed, having retired from the Hall of Fire only an hour or so before, when he was woken rudely by the sound of a horse galloping into Rivendell. Or at least, he thought it was into Rivendell until he woke up properly. Then he realized that the horse was galloping OUT of Rivendell. Concerned, he stood and threw on a dressing robe, then quickly strode out of his rooms and headed for the courtyard.
He was still a far ways away from the exit to the courtyard, however, when he heard an Elf yelling very angrily - and loudly - in Quenya. Elrond picked up his pace, and was soon able to hear the other voice in the conversation - the low, even voice of Gandalf the Grey, also speaking in Quenya. Try as he might, however, he could not understand a word that Gandalf and his unknown arguing partner were saying, though Elrond himself spoke Quenya fluently. He picked up his pace yet more, and soon rounded a corner and found the exit before him, along with the owners of the two voices.
"Glorfindel, Mithrandir! What is going on?" Elrond demanded, making sure to use Sindarin to be noticed amongst the Quenya argument. He was very surprised that he hadn't recognized Glorfindel's voice, he usually had an ear for such things, but he supposed he could be excused, since he had rarely heard Glorfindel speaking Quenya, and NEVER heard him shouting angrily in any language.
"It seems Rachel has left again." Gandalf said calmly.
"Has she?" Elrond asked in surprise, arching an eyebrow. Gandalf was left to nod in confirmation, as Glorfindel simply crossed his arms and glared at the Maia, completely ignoring Elrond.
"As suddenly an unexpectedly as last time, as well. Also, she took Asfaloth." Gandalf said the last part with slight amusement, glancing at Glorfindel.
"Of course. Even the slowest Elvish horse could catch her mare with little trouble." Elrond said smoothly. "Why is she running this time?" Silence greeted Elrond's question as Gandalf looked expectantly at Glorfindel, and Glorfindel glowered back. Elrond sighed. "I suppose, like last time, we shall not get the answer to that question until after she has returned. Shall we go catch her, then?"
"Can't." Glorfindel grunted, tearing his gaze away from Gandalf long enough to shoot a wry look at Elrond. "Asfaloth is the fastest horse here." Gandalf smiled as if he knew otherwise, but agreed with Glorfindel all the same.
"Indeed. So it would be best to just let her go for now. Once she thinks we are not following her, she will slow down, and it will be easier to catch up with her." he said. "Besides, you, Lord Glorfindel, are mostly drunk."
"Dorwinnian wine tends to do that." Glorfindel said with a snort.
"Dorwinnian wine? Where did you get Dorwinnian wine?" Elrond asked in surprise.
"Stole it from your sons." Glorfindel replied flatly. Elrond gave an aggravated sigh, making a mental note to talk to the twins later.
"Wherever you got it, it does not change the fact that you have consumed a relatively large quantity of it and therefore need to sleep, not chase after someone who took your horse." Gandalf said sternly.
"Bloody hell, she can have Asfaloth for all I care! I want to go after her because she is more drunk than I, and I happen to know she did not take any provisions with her." Glorfindel practically snarled. Gandalf's eyes widened slightly.
"Is that so." he said, his shock evident in his voice. He obviously hadn't expected those two little tidbits of news.
"Would I say so if it was not?" Glorfindel snapped.
"Of course not. He was not implying so." Elrond intervened. "This does change some things, but not the fact that you are drunk and should not go chasing after Rachel. Gandalf and I can handle this."
"I doubt it." Glorfindel said crisply. "I can see I am not going to convince you otherwise, however." And with that, Glorfindel turned and strode off, the effect only ruined slightly by the slightly curved path he took through the straight hallway.
"Where do you think she will head?" Elrond asked, turning to Gandalf.
"Bree." Gandalf said without hesitation, already turning to the door. Elrond followed as the old wizard strode out purposefully, then stopped at the base of the steps and let out a high-pitched whistle.
"I will try and bring her back as quickly as possible, but she might refuse to come. The council may have to be delayed." Gandalf said, glancing at Elrond, who nodded. Then Gandalf's newly-found friend and mount, Shadowfax, came swiftly into the courtyard, and Gandalf mounted neatly and easily. He simply nodded to Elrond, then urged Shadowfax into a gallop, and horse and rider were gone before Elrond could think to wave. With a sigh, Elrond turned back to the house, hoping to get some more sleep before dealing with the headache this little fiasco was bound to cause.
Of course, when Elrond finally returned to his room and was preparing to get back in bed, there came the sound of a third horse galloping out of Rivendell. Elrond sighed, put his dressing robe back on, and went back to the courtyard. There, he quickly found the stablemaster, who sheepishly explained that Lord Glorfindel had just ridden out on Elrond's own horse. Elrond looked at the Elf for a moment, then threw his hands up and went to bed. He would send Elladan and Elrohir out after the three errant travelers tomorrow - with food. A little hunger might knock some sense into Glorfindel and Rachel. As for Gandalf - well, unreasonable as it was, Elrond would just consider it payback for all the trouble he just KNEW that old wizard was going to, or was currently, or had in the past, caused him.
---
Gandalf sighed as he sped along on Shadowfax, heading along the road to Bree. He really should have known this would happen. He knew that Rachel had not yet resolved her fear of 'Mary-Sues', and it was only a matter of time until something or other set her off. Though judging from the fact that what seemed to have set her off was the results of an evening involving her, Lord Glorfindel, and a flask of Dorwinnian wine, it seemed that what had set her off was probably the most obvious thing possible it relation to Rachel's 'Mary-Sues'. After all, it had already become quite obvious to anyone who cared to look that Lord Glorfindel liked the maiden as more than just a friend. Adding drink to that had probably just brought the previously hidden feelings to the forefront.
In any case, it created the opportunity Gandalf had been looking for. He had meant to have another chat with Rachel sometime in the past two days, elaborating on his last statements in their last conversation, but the opportunity had not come up. Rachel had always been with one friend or another, and Gandalf had been swept up in the business concerning Frodo and the Ring. Now, however, he would finally get to that chat. The question was, how was he going to word that chat so that Rachel didn't end out attacking him?
Gandalf mused over that until Asfaloth finally came into view, running at a full gallop with a dark shape on his back that Gandalf assumed to be Rachel. Then he directed Shadowfax to move up alongside the Elvish horse and match his speed. That accomplished, Gandalf left Shadowfax to his running and turned his attention to Rachel, who didn't even seem to notice he was there.
"Rachel!" Gandalf called, having to yell to be heard over the wind. Rachel glanced over at Gandalf, a slightly surprised look on her face. Then she turned her surprise into an acid glare and returned her attention to where she was going.
"Rachel, stop this! You have no provisions, and you are not completely sober. Now is not the time to gallop off to Bree!" Gandalf yelled. Rachel ignored him. Gandalf sighed, then turned his attention to Asfaloth and ordered the horse to stop. Lord Glorfindel's horse was well trained, and responded to voice commands, but he also knew who was on his back, and who wasn't, and which one had told him to stop. His speed dropped only slightly.
"Rachel, stop being foolish!" Gandalf tried again, and was once more ignored. With a sigh, Gandalf urged Shadowfax to go faster, and they soon passed Asfaloth. Then they pulled around in front, and Gandalf gathered his power to him, causing him, and consequently Shadowfax, to become quite impressive looking. Asfaloth, quite reasonably, stopped short, sending dirt flying. Rachel, also quite reasonably, lost her grip on Asfaloth and went flying over the horse's head, only to be caught by Gandalf.
"So nice of you to drop by." Gandalf couldn't help quipping. Rachel shot him a death glare, and then slid off of Shadowfax to the ground. There, she wobbled for a few moments before walking in an obviously curvy path to a nearby tree. She sat down, and alternated glaring between Gandalf and Asfaloth.
"You are over eight centuries old, stop acting like a child!" Gandalf said with another sigh, dismounting from Shadowfax and walking over to where Rachel sat.
"I am not acting like a child." Rachel snapped.
"Fine then, stop acting like a drunken fool." Gandalf countered.
"I'm not drunk, and I'm much less of a fool than some." Rachel snarled.
"Then start acting like it." Gandalf replied. Rachel glared up at him.
"You are bloody annoying, you know that?" she asked. "You can't just let me go in peace - noooooo, you have to come after me with your superfast horse, use you fancy-dancy magic to make Asfaloth stop abruptly, almost causing me some serious injury, all the while calling me a fool. Why won't you just let me be?"
"Because I told Manwë I would do all I could to help you." Gandalf replied shortly. Rachel snorted.
"Oh, we're back to that little story?" she asked. "Let me tell you, Gandalf, I have no idea how I - or Kari - got here, but I know it was NOT due to some god deciding 'Oh, hey, let's transport these two random girls to another universe and let them destroy it by becoming Mary-Sues!'."
"Quite right." Gandalf replied, and Rachel blinked in surprise. "Manwë and the other Valar simply wanted to put your and Kari's souls in their proper world." Rachel rolled her eyes.
"That's the Mary-Sue talking." she said. Gandalf sighed.
"You really do not have any faith, do you?" he asked.
"Faith? What the purple monkey does religion have to do with this?" Rachel asked in annoyance.
"Faith, not religion." Gandalf corrected.
"Same difference." Rachel said dismissively. Gandalf paused, and then decided to take that statement as it was meant to be taken - a dismissal of what he'd just said as incorrect.
"No it is not. While religion is based on faith, you CAN have faith without religion." he scolded. "You can have faith that the bridge you are crossing will not break, and you can have faith that your leaders will not lead you to destruction, and neither times are you required to have a religion in order to believe that those two things will not happen."
"Great. Now I have Gandalf preaching to me." Rachel muttered.
"And for good reason!" Gandalf snapped, losing his patience somewhat. "Your lack of faith in yourself and others has caused hurt to your friends, and will continue to do so. You must stop your fearful running and find the faith to believe that the universe will unfold as it will! Just because you find happiness does not mean that the world will end tomorrow!" Rachel shot Gandalf an acid look.
"I am not running fearfully from anything." she said coolly. "And I DO have faith that the universe will unfold as it will. I just don't trust that will." Gandalf sighed, preparing to continue arguing, when the sound of another horse approaching at a gallop met his ears. His head snapped in the direction of Rivendell and he frowned, wondering who on Arda was coming now.
"Friend of yours?" Rachel asked caustically, apparently having already heard the horse.
"Not that I know of." Gandalf replied, his frown deepening.
"Probably Glory then." Rachel muttered.
"I sent him to bed. Which is where you should be." Gandalf said, shooting Rachel and stern look.
"I was in bed." Rachel snarled in response. Gandalf had to stop his eyebrows from shooting up at that, and bit his tongue on the comment that wanted to escape, even as the approaching horse came into view. Rachel squinted and peered at the rider, then cursed.
"Sent him to bed, eh?" She said scathingly to Gandalf, rising quickly to her feet. Then she dodged past the Maia and headed for Asfaloth. Only to find that both Asfaloth and Shadowfax were gone. She cursed again, sending another glare in Gandalf's direction. Moments later, Glorfindel brought Elrond's horse to a halt not far beyond them. A tense silence fell as Glorfindel dismounted, and Gandalf moved back, sensing that it would be wise not to get in-between the Elf-lord and Rachel at this time.
Instead, Gandalf simply watched as Glorfindel stalked over to where Rachel now stood, her arms crossed and a defiant look on her face. Glorfindel stopped no more than a foot from Rachel, causing her to look up slightly even as he had to look down. For several minutes, they did nothing more than glare at each other. Then, Glorfindel broke the silence.
"Do you always run from your confusion?" he demanded.
"Confusion?" Rachel asked, arching an eyebrow. "That's a new name for the Mary-Sue Factor."
"The 'Mary-Sue Factor' does not exist!" Glorfindel snarled in response. "You know this, I know you do! You just use it as an excuse to run from anything you can not figure out - anything that is too coincidental, too convenient, or too easy for you to believe in it being reality. And if you can not find an explanation for why it seems too coincidental, convenient or easy to be real, then it must be wrong." Rachel opened her mouth to say something, looking indignant, but Glorfindel cut her off before she could get a sound out. "Kari told me something about your world while you were gone. To help her deal with her grief at your 'death'. She told me how your world's 'scientists' have explained away all the miracles, and how even what magic you have is explained as naught but trickery. She also told me how your world had many religions, and how many people used their religion to replace the hole that had been caused by the sudden disappearance of magic and miracles. And she also told me how you believed in none of these religions, and that you believed all things could be explained through science. I did not truly understand what that meant until tonight."
"And what does it mean, oh wise one?" Rachel asked icily.
"It means you have no faith in anything you cannot explain, and possibly not even that." Glorfindel replied flatly. There was a pause, and then Rachel started laughing. Glorfindel stood stock still, a confused look on his face, as Rachel continued to laugh. Eventually, she had to sit down from laughing so hard, and Glorfindel began to get annoyed.
"Now do you believe me?" Gandalf asked Rachel pointedly, deciding to step in. Glorfindel started, apparently having missed Gandalf's presence, and then gave the wizard a curious look.
"I believe that you and Glorfindel either think far too much alike or that you talked about this ahead of time, yes." Rachel said eventually, sounding very amusing. Gandalf sighed. He was beginning to think he would just have to take Rachel to Valinor and have Manwë talk with her before she believed that there was no such thing at the Mary-Sue Factor and that she truly belonged here.
"What would it take for you to have faith?" Gandalf asked. "An assurance from one of the Valar that the world is not going to end if you let yourself become what you deem a 'Mary-Sue'?"
"I have faith." Rachel said dismissively, then added, "I have faith that as soon as I come anywhere near Elves, I will start turning into a Mary-Sue." Gandalf shook his head slightly.
"Lord Glorfindel is correct, Rachel." he said. "This 'Mary-Sue' of yours is nothing but your imagination. If this is naught but a story, then how are you able to run away? How are you able to refuse all this? You told me once that 'Mary-Sues' were essentially stories, and that they were perfect creatures. You, my dear Rachel, are not perfect, and from what I have heard, were not perfect even when you first arrived here. You flouted propriety and showed little respect to anyone who had not earned it in your eyes. And you have done little worthy of being in a story ever since you arrived here." Rachel snorted.
"Hey, anything can be a story for the writers of Mary-Sues. A conversation about what someone had for breakfast can be a story for a Mary-Sue. As for me not being perfect, there is also the lesser Mary-Sue that ignores all rules and does what they want - perfectly, of course." Rachel said.
"So how was I able to defeat you?" Glorfindel asked.
"Pardon?" Rachel asked, slight confusion showing on her face.
"When I came to tell Elladan his father needed him. How was it that I was able to defeat you so quickly and easily?" Glorfindel elaborated. Rachel blinked, and Gandalf smiled, suddenly glad that Glorfindel had decided to come. It was, however, somewhat amazing that both Rachel and Glorfindel were carrying on a coherent conversation after jointly consuming an entire flask of Dorwinnian wine. As Rachel remained silent, her face showing the signs of hard thinking, Glorfindel began to smirk. Then he said probably the worst thing he could have.
"Mary-Sues are fictional creations of writers from your world." he said. "They do not exist." That brought Rachel's head up like a shot.
"Then you don't exist, either." she snapped. "You are all just fictional creations of a writer in my world, as well."
"Perhaps Lord Glorfindel meant that Mary-Sues do not exist HERE?" Gandalf put in.
"Perhaps, but there's no way to tell whether or not they exist, is there?" Rachel replied, far to innocently. "And since they're so dangerous, wouldn't it be best to err on the side of caution and assume that Mary-Sues do exist?" Gandalf sighed, and opened his mouth to say reply, but Glorfindel beat him to it.
"Caution can be good, at times, but there are other times when you must believe in fate and take a risk." Glorfindel said softly, crouching down in front of Rachel where she still sat on the ground. "Why will you not take the risk and believe that Mary-Sues might just not exist here?" There was a pause, and indecision flashed across Rachel's face, showing that she had already thought of this question and had an answer. Now she was deciding whether or not to tell them.
"Because I love Middle-Earth too much." Rachel said finally, biting her lip and staring off into the distance as she spoke. "I grew up with the story of the Fellowship of the Ring, and the Bagginses of Hobbiton, and of all the characters, races and kingdoms in Middle-Earth. They were my refuge through the good times and the bad in my life. Other stories caught my fancy for periods of time, of course, but the tale about Middle-Earth was always the most real to me. It was so easy to lose myself in a world of chivalry and honour, where good and evil were easily distinguished. A world so unlike my own.
"And now..." Rachel hesitated, looking uncertain once again, but then continued. "Now that I'm here, and I know that it's REAL, I...I can't really believe it. I still see it somewhat as a story - and to an extent, it is. Just like everyone's life is a story. But I don't want to disturb this story, because I love it so much. And...because I love it so much, I...guess I find it hard to believe that I was brought here with no bad side effects."
"No bad side effects?" Glorfindel arched an eyebrow. "Rachel, you DIED before being brought here."
"And I didn't even know it until you got me to dig at those specific memories." Rachel said, giving Glorfindel a withering look. "That's not exactly what I'd call a bad side effect."
"It is better than being insane, which is what you would be if you remembered your death and journey here." Gandalf said calmly.
"Says the guy who hasn't died yet." Rachel replied with a snort. "Tell that to me again in 3 months or so and I'll maybe believe you." Both Glorfindel and Gandalf's eyes widened slightly at the implied meaning of that statement, and Glorfindel sent Gandalf a quick look of sympathy before returning his attention to Rachel.
"Then I shall tell you it now. What little I remember of my own death - which is more than you do - scares me witless, and I have stood face-to-face with a Balrog of Morgoth." Glorfindel said, giving Gandalf time to recover.
"And even though I have not died, as one of the Maia, chosen by the Valar to be guides to Middle-Earth and see to the destruction of the last evils of Morgoth, I can assure you that if either you or Lord Glorfindel remembered more of your deaths than you already do, it would mostly definitely have adverse effects on your mind." Gandalf put in. "This is, however, getting off topic. You must believe me -"
"Us." Glorfindel corrected.
"Us." Gandalf conceded, then continued, "You must believe us that there is no such thing as a Mary-Sue here. You will not turn into one and destroy Middle-Earth. If we thought that might happen, do you not think we would do something about it? We are dealing with the Ring, after all, and that merely has the power to enslave Middle-Earth."
"There are some things worse than death." Rachel commented. "Like, say, being enslaved." Gandalf gave an exasperated sigh.
"Do I have to drag you to Valinor, child, and get Manwë to reassure you personally that Mary-Sues do not exist here?!" he exclaimed, and Rachel and Glorfindel both looked over at him in surprise.
"You COULD do that? You WOULD do that? HE would do that?" Rachel asked after a moment. Gandalf nodded.
"Yes to all three." he said. There was a pause.
"Well, my bed back in Rivendell is more comfortable than the ground, anyways." Rachel said, standing up and dusting herself off. Glorfindel looked at her with no little surprise as she looked at Gandalf expectantly, waiting for him to supply her with a horse. Gandalf smiled slightly, and then whistled to Shadowfax. A few moments later, Shadowfax trotted up, Asfaloth only a short ways behind. The Elvish horse whickered happily at the sight of Glorfindel, but the Elf-lord just gave the horse a withering look. Rachel grinned.
"I take it ya don' wanna ride Asfaloth back?" she asked.
"You can ride 'im." Glorfindel grumbled, and then patted the horse he had ridden in on while glaring over at Asfaloth. "At least Angahonda doesn' take off with anyone who asks nicely on his back." Gandalf hid his amusement at the hypocrisy of that statement, noting that while Rachel and Glorfindel seemed to have - somehow - pushed aside the effects of the Dorwinnian wine for their talk, they were now both definitely starting to look and act a little tipsy.
"Then with the riding arrangements settled, shall we get back to Rivendell?" Gandalf suggested. Glorfindel and Rachel nodded, and mounted quickly. Well, quickly considering how much drink they'd had. Then they all three set out back to Rivendell, and by the time they reached the buildings, the sun was rising, and Gandalf was leading both Asfaloth and Angahonda, Rachel and Glorfindel thoroughly asleep and only keeping their seats on the horses through the horses efforts.
----To be continued...with hobbits!----
(And descisions and promises and cheerfullness and...)
-Authors Note:-
TGotG broke 400 reviews! Whoohoo! *dances* You reviewers all rock my socks - have the Elf of your choice for a day. Or ranger, if you're so inclined...or, ah, heck, take your pick of anyone in any of the Elven Kingdoms during November of 3018 of the Third Age (in other words, any of the Fellowship or Elves). You need to let them go within 24 hours, though...that was the only way I could get them agree to be given out and not come and kill me afterwards. . I will suffer individuals wraths, but entire Elvish Kingdoms AND the Fellowship mad at me? *shudder* Just think of the hobbits alone! Mad!Hobbits would be quite scary, I'm sure...
One week until RotK! Whoo! Now, the question is, shall I update twice on that day to celebrate, or not at all so you can all go see the movie and not have to spend time reading my updates? I know I'll be writing the chapters for the week up ahead of time and dragging my parents off to see the movie as many times as possible...
Anyways. I'll be updating again on Saturday...maybe earlier if I get impatient. Or if I continue listening to 'Snoopy's Christmas' non-stop. Does it seem odd to anyone else that I listened to that song on repeat the entire time I wrote this chapter? *ponder* *wanders off to listen to it some more*
~Crimson Starlight
-Disclaimer:-
CS: I own nothing! Not even the purple monkey invaders from pluto!
Glorfindel: What are you talking about?
CS: The purple monkey invaders from pluto.
Glorfindel: I knew THAT.
CS: Well why'd you ask, then?
Glorfindel: I anted to know why you were mentioning them when they're not even in the chapter.
CS: Because I want to.
Glorfindel: ...
CS: I'm in a good mood, don't make me get out of it. It's not too late to write in a scene where Rachels cans you. :P
Glorfindel: Meep!
Rachel: *evil grin*
-31: Reasons-
-A/N: Right, I'm just not going to bother to put language warnings on chapters...this story is PG-13, and I have a warning that the rating is for language, so y'all should get the picture.-
Elrond was sleeping quite peacefully in his bed, having retired from the Hall of Fire only an hour or so before, when he was woken rudely by the sound of a horse galloping into Rivendell. Or at least, he thought it was into Rivendell until he woke up properly. Then he realized that the horse was galloping OUT of Rivendell. Concerned, he stood and threw on a dressing robe, then quickly strode out of his rooms and headed for the courtyard.
He was still a far ways away from the exit to the courtyard, however, when he heard an Elf yelling very angrily - and loudly - in Quenya. Elrond picked up his pace, and was soon able to hear the other voice in the conversation - the low, even voice of Gandalf the Grey, also speaking in Quenya. Try as he might, however, he could not understand a word that Gandalf and his unknown arguing partner were saying, though Elrond himself spoke Quenya fluently. He picked up his pace yet more, and soon rounded a corner and found the exit before him, along with the owners of the two voices.
"Glorfindel, Mithrandir! What is going on?" Elrond demanded, making sure to use Sindarin to be noticed amongst the Quenya argument. He was very surprised that he hadn't recognized Glorfindel's voice, he usually had an ear for such things, but he supposed he could be excused, since he had rarely heard Glorfindel speaking Quenya, and NEVER heard him shouting angrily in any language.
"It seems Rachel has left again." Gandalf said calmly.
"Has she?" Elrond asked in surprise, arching an eyebrow. Gandalf was left to nod in confirmation, as Glorfindel simply crossed his arms and glared at the Maia, completely ignoring Elrond.
"As suddenly an unexpectedly as last time, as well. Also, she took Asfaloth." Gandalf said the last part with slight amusement, glancing at Glorfindel.
"Of course. Even the slowest Elvish horse could catch her mare with little trouble." Elrond said smoothly. "Why is she running this time?" Silence greeted Elrond's question as Gandalf looked expectantly at Glorfindel, and Glorfindel glowered back. Elrond sighed. "I suppose, like last time, we shall not get the answer to that question until after she has returned. Shall we go catch her, then?"
"Can't." Glorfindel grunted, tearing his gaze away from Gandalf long enough to shoot a wry look at Elrond. "Asfaloth is the fastest horse here." Gandalf smiled as if he knew otherwise, but agreed with Glorfindel all the same.
"Indeed. So it would be best to just let her go for now. Once she thinks we are not following her, she will slow down, and it will be easier to catch up with her." he said. "Besides, you, Lord Glorfindel, are mostly drunk."
"Dorwinnian wine tends to do that." Glorfindel said with a snort.
"Dorwinnian wine? Where did you get Dorwinnian wine?" Elrond asked in surprise.
"Stole it from your sons." Glorfindel replied flatly. Elrond gave an aggravated sigh, making a mental note to talk to the twins later.
"Wherever you got it, it does not change the fact that you have consumed a relatively large quantity of it and therefore need to sleep, not chase after someone who took your horse." Gandalf said sternly.
"Bloody hell, she can have Asfaloth for all I care! I want to go after her because she is more drunk than I, and I happen to know she did not take any provisions with her." Glorfindel practically snarled. Gandalf's eyes widened slightly.
"Is that so." he said, his shock evident in his voice. He obviously hadn't expected those two little tidbits of news.
"Would I say so if it was not?" Glorfindel snapped.
"Of course not. He was not implying so." Elrond intervened. "This does change some things, but not the fact that you are drunk and should not go chasing after Rachel. Gandalf and I can handle this."
"I doubt it." Glorfindel said crisply. "I can see I am not going to convince you otherwise, however." And with that, Glorfindel turned and strode off, the effect only ruined slightly by the slightly curved path he took through the straight hallway.
"Where do you think she will head?" Elrond asked, turning to Gandalf.
"Bree." Gandalf said without hesitation, already turning to the door. Elrond followed as the old wizard strode out purposefully, then stopped at the base of the steps and let out a high-pitched whistle.
"I will try and bring her back as quickly as possible, but she might refuse to come. The council may have to be delayed." Gandalf said, glancing at Elrond, who nodded. Then Gandalf's newly-found friend and mount, Shadowfax, came swiftly into the courtyard, and Gandalf mounted neatly and easily. He simply nodded to Elrond, then urged Shadowfax into a gallop, and horse and rider were gone before Elrond could think to wave. With a sigh, Elrond turned back to the house, hoping to get some more sleep before dealing with the headache this little fiasco was bound to cause.
Of course, when Elrond finally returned to his room and was preparing to get back in bed, there came the sound of a third horse galloping out of Rivendell. Elrond sighed, put his dressing robe back on, and went back to the courtyard. There, he quickly found the stablemaster, who sheepishly explained that Lord Glorfindel had just ridden out on Elrond's own horse. Elrond looked at the Elf for a moment, then threw his hands up and went to bed. He would send Elladan and Elrohir out after the three errant travelers tomorrow - with food. A little hunger might knock some sense into Glorfindel and Rachel. As for Gandalf - well, unreasonable as it was, Elrond would just consider it payback for all the trouble he just KNEW that old wizard was going to, or was currently, or had in the past, caused him.
---
Gandalf sighed as he sped along on Shadowfax, heading along the road to Bree. He really should have known this would happen. He knew that Rachel had not yet resolved her fear of 'Mary-Sues', and it was only a matter of time until something or other set her off. Though judging from the fact that what seemed to have set her off was the results of an evening involving her, Lord Glorfindel, and a flask of Dorwinnian wine, it seemed that what had set her off was probably the most obvious thing possible it relation to Rachel's 'Mary-Sues'. After all, it had already become quite obvious to anyone who cared to look that Lord Glorfindel liked the maiden as more than just a friend. Adding drink to that had probably just brought the previously hidden feelings to the forefront.
In any case, it created the opportunity Gandalf had been looking for. He had meant to have another chat with Rachel sometime in the past two days, elaborating on his last statements in their last conversation, but the opportunity had not come up. Rachel had always been with one friend or another, and Gandalf had been swept up in the business concerning Frodo and the Ring. Now, however, he would finally get to that chat. The question was, how was he going to word that chat so that Rachel didn't end out attacking him?
Gandalf mused over that until Asfaloth finally came into view, running at a full gallop with a dark shape on his back that Gandalf assumed to be Rachel. Then he directed Shadowfax to move up alongside the Elvish horse and match his speed. That accomplished, Gandalf left Shadowfax to his running and turned his attention to Rachel, who didn't even seem to notice he was there.
"Rachel!" Gandalf called, having to yell to be heard over the wind. Rachel glanced over at Gandalf, a slightly surprised look on her face. Then she turned her surprise into an acid glare and returned her attention to where she was going.
"Rachel, stop this! You have no provisions, and you are not completely sober. Now is not the time to gallop off to Bree!" Gandalf yelled. Rachel ignored him. Gandalf sighed, then turned his attention to Asfaloth and ordered the horse to stop. Lord Glorfindel's horse was well trained, and responded to voice commands, but he also knew who was on his back, and who wasn't, and which one had told him to stop. His speed dropped only slightly.
"Rachel, stop being foolish!" Gandalf tried again, and was once more ignored. With a sigh, Gandalf urged Shadowfax to go faster, and they soon passed Asfaloth. Then they pulled around in front, and Gandalf gathered his power to him, causing him, and consequently Shadowfax, to become quite impressive looking. Asfaloth, quite reasonably, stopped short, sending dirt flying. Rachel, also quite reasonably, lost her grip on Asfaloth and went flying over the horse's head, only to be caught by Gandalf.
"So nice of you to drop by." Gandalf couldn't help quipping. Rachel shot him a death glare, and then slid off of Shadowfax to the ground. There, she wobbled for a few moments before walking in an obviously curvy path to a nearby tree. She sat down, and alternated glaring between Gandalf and Asfaloth.
"You are over eight centuries old, stop acting like a child!" Gandalf said with another sigh, dismounting from Shadowfax and walking over to where Rachel sat.
"I am not acting like a child." Rachel snapped.
"Fine then, stop acting like a drunken fool." Gandalf countered.
"I'm not drunk, and I'm much less of a fool than some." Rachel snarled.
"Then start acting like it." Gandalf replied. Rachel glared up at him.
"You are bloody annoying, you know that?" she asked. "You can't just let me go in peace - noooooo, you have to come after me with your superfast horse, use you fancy-dancy magic to make Asfaloth stop abruptly, almost causing me some serious injury, all the while calling me a fool. Why won't you just let me be?"
"Because I told Manwë I would do all I could to help you." Gandalf replied shortly. Rachel snorted.
"Oh, we're back to that little story?" she asked. "Let me tell you, Gandalf, I have no idea how I - or Kari - got here, but I know it was NOT due to some god deciding 'Oh, hey, let's transport these two random girls to another universe and let them destroy it by becoming Mary-Sues!'."
"Quite right." Gandalf replied, and Rachel blinked in surprise. "Manwë and the other Valar simply wanted to put your and Kari's souls in their proper world." Rachel rolled her eyes.
"That's the Mary-Sue talking." she said. Gandalf sighed.
"You really do not have any faith, do you?" he asked.
"Faith? What the purple monkey does religion have to do with this?" Rachel asked in annoyance.
"Faith, not religion." Gandalf corrected.
"Same difference." Rachel said dismissively. Gandalf paused, and then decided to take that statement as it was meant to be taken - a dismissal of what he'd just said as incorrect.
"No it is not. While religion is based on faith, you CAN have faith without religion." he scolded. "You can have faith that the bridge you are crossing will not break, and you can have faith that your leaders will not lead you to destruction, and neither times are you required to have a religion in order to believe that those two things will not happen."
"Great. Now I have Gandalf preaching to me." Rachel muttered.
"And for good reason!" Gandalf snapped, losing his patience somewhat. "Your lack of faith in yourself and others has caused hurt to your friends, and will continue to do so. You must stop your fearful running and find the faith to believe that the universe will unfold as it will! Just because you find happiness does not mean that the world will end tomorrow!" Rachel shot Gandalf an acid look.
"I am not running fearfully from anything." she said coolly. "And I DO have faith that the universe will unfold as it will. I just don't trust that will." Gandalf sighed, preparing to continue arguing, when the sound of another horse approaching at a gallop met his ears. His head snapped in the direction of Rivendell and he frowned, wondering who on Arda was coming now.
"Friend of yours?" Rachel asked caustically, apparently having already heard the horse.
"Not that I know of." Gandalf replied, his frown deepening.
"Probably Glory then." Rachel muttered.
"I sent him to bed. Which is where you should be." Gandalf said, shooting Rachel and stern look.
"I was in bed." Rachel snarled in response. Gandalf had to stop his eyebrows from shooting up at that, and bit his tongue on the comment that wanted to escape, even as the approaching horse came into view. Rachel squinted and peered at the rider, then cursed.
"Sent him to bed, eh?" She said scathingly to Gandalf, rising quickly to her feet. Then she dodged past the Maia and headed for Asfaloth. Only to find that both Asfaloth and Shadowfax were gone. She cursed again, sending another glare in Gandalf's direction. Moments later, Glorfindel brought Elrond's horse to a halt not far beyond them. A tense silence fell as Glorfindel dismounted, and Gandalf moved back, sensing that it would be wise not to get in-between the Elf-lord and Rachel at this time.
Instead, Gandalf simply watched as Glorfindel stalked over to where Rachel now stood, her arms crossed and a defiant look on her face. Glorfindel stopped no more than a foot from Rachel, causing her to look up slightly even as he had to look down. For several minutes, they did nothing more than glare at each other. Then, Glorfindel broke the silence.
"Do you always run from your confusion?" he demanded.
"Confusion?" Rachel asked, arching an eyebrow. "That's a new name for the Mary-Sue Factor."
"The 'Mary-Sue Factor' does not exist!" Glorfindel snarled in response. "You know this, I know you do! You just use it as an excuse to run from anything you can not figure out - anything that is too coincidental, too convenient, or too easy for you to believe in it being reality. And if you can not find an explanation for why it seems too coincidental, convenient or easy to be real, then it must be wrong." Rachel opened her mouth to say something, looking indignant, but Glorfindel cut her off before she could get a sound out. "Kari told me something about your world while you were gone. To help her deal with her grief at your 'death'. She told me how your world's 'scientists' have explained away all the miracles, and how even what magic you have is explained as naught but trickery. She also told me how your world had many religions, and how many people used their religion to replace the hole that had been caused by the sudden disappearance of magic and miracles. And she also told me how you believed in none of these religions, and that you believed all things could be explained through science. I did not truly understand what that meant until tonight."
"And what does it mean, oh wise one?" Rachel asked icily.
"It means you have no faith in anything you cannot explain, and possibly not even that." Glorfindel replied flatly. There was a pause, and then Rachel started laughing. Glorfindel stood stock still, a confused look on his face, as Rachel continued to laugh. Eventually, she had to sit down from laughing so hard, and Glorfindel began to get annoyed.
"Now do you believe me?" Gandalf asked Rachel pointedly, deciding to step in. Glorfindel started, apparently having missed Gandalf's presence, and then gave the wizard a curious look.
"I believe that you and Glorfindel either think far too much alike or that you talked about this ahead of time, yes." Rachel said eventually, sounding very amusing. Gandalf sighed. He was beginning to think he would just have to take Rachel to Valinor and have Manwë talk with her before she believed that there was no such thing at the Mary-Sue Factor and that she truly belonged here.
"What would it take for you to have faith?" Gandalf asked. "An assurance from one of the Valar that the world is not going to end if you let yourself become what you deem a 'Mary-Sue'?"
"I have faith." Rachel said dismissively, then added, "I have faith that as soon as I come anywhere near Elves, I will start turning into a Mary-Sue." Gandalf shook his head slightly.
"Lord Glorfindel is correct, Rachel." he said. "This 'Mary-Sue' of yours is nothing but your imagination. If this is naught but a story, then how are you able to run away? How are you able to refuse all this? You told me once that 'Mary-Sues' were essentially stories, and that they were perfect creatures. You, my dear Rachel, are not perfect, and from what I have heard, were not perfect even when you first arrived here. You flouted propriety and showed little respect to anyone who had not earned it in your eyes. And you have done little worthy of being in a story ever since you arrived here." Rachel snorted.
"Hey, anything can be a story for the writers of Mary-Sues. A conversation about what someone had for breakfast can be a story for a Mary-Sue. As for me not being perfect, there is also the lesser Mary-Sue that ignores all rules and does what they want - perfectly, of course." Rachel said.
"So how was I able to defeat you?" Glorfindel asked.
"Pardon?" Rachel asked, slight confusion showing on her face.
"When I came to tell Elladan his father needed him. How was it that I was able to defeat you so quickly and easily?" Glorfindel elaborated. Rachel blinked, and Gandalf smiled, suddenly glad that Glorfindel had decided to come. It was, however, somewhat amazing that both Rachel and Glorfindel were carrying on a coherent conversation after jointly consuming an entire flask of Dorwinnian wine. As Rachel remained silent, her face showing the signs of hard thinking, Glorfindel began to smirk. Then he said probably the worst thing he could have.
"Mary-Sues are fictional creations of writers from your world." he said. "They do not exist." That brought Rachel's head up like a shot.
"Then you don't exist, either." she snapped. "You are all just fictional creations of a writer in my world, as well."
"Perhaps Lord Glorfindel meant that Mary-Sues do not exist HERE?" Gandalf put in.
"Perhaps, but there's no way to tell whether or not they exist, is there?" Rachel replied, far to innocently. "And since they're so dangerous, wouldn't it be best to err on the side of caution and assume that Mary-Sues do exist?" Gandalf sighed, and opened his mouth to say reply, but Glorfindel beat him to it.
"Caution can be good, at times, but there are other times when you must believe in fate and take a risk." Glorfindel said softly, crouching down in front of Rachel where she still sat on the ground. "Why will you not take the risk and believe that Mary-Sues might just not exist here?" There was a pause, and indecision flashed across Rachel's face, showing that she had already thought of this question and had an answer. Now she was deciding whether or not to tell them.
"Because I love Middle-Earth too much." Rachel said finally, biting her lip and staring off into the distance as she spoke. "I grew up with the story of the Fellowship of the Ring, and the Bagginses of Hobbiton, and of all the characters, races and kingdoms in Middle-Earth. They were my refuge through the good times and the bad in my life. Other stories caught my fancy for periods of time, of course, but the tale about Middle-Earth was always the most real to me. It was so easy to lose myself in a world of chivalry and honour, where good and evil were easily distinguished. A world so unlike my own.
"And now..." Rachel hesitated, looking uncertain once again, but then continued. "Now that I'm here, and I know that it's REAL, I...I can't really believe it. I still see it somewhat as a story - and to an extent, it is. Just like everyone's life is a story. But I don't want to disturb this story, because I love it so much. And...because I love it so much, I...guess I find it hard to believe that I was brought here with no bad side effects."
"No bad side effects?" Glorfindel arched an eyebrow. "Rachel, you DIED before being brought here."
"And I didn't even know it until you got me to dig at those specific memories." Rachel said, giving Glorfindel a withering look. "That's not exactly what I'd call a bad side effect."
"It is better than being insane, which is what you would be if you remembered your death and journey here." Gandalf said calmly.
"Says the guy who hasn't died yet." Rachel replied with a snort. "Tell that to me again in 3 months or so and I'll maybe believe you." Both Glorfindel and Gandalf's eyes widened slightly at the implied meaning of that statement, and Glorfindel sent Gandalf a quick look of sympathy before returning his attention to Rachel.
"Then I shall tell you it now. What little I remember of my own death - which is more than you do - scares me witless, and I have stood face-to-face with a Balrog of Morgoth." Glorfindel said, giving Gandalf time to recover.
"And even though I have not died, as one of the Maia, chosen by the Valar to be guides to Middle-Earth and see to the destruction of the last evils of Morgoth, I can assure you that if either you or Lord Glorfindel remembered more of your deaths than you already do, it would mostly definitely have adverse effects on your mind." Gandalf put in. "This is, however, getting off topic. You must believe me -"
"Us." Glorfindel corrected.
"Us." Gandalf conceded, then continued, "You must believe us that there is no such thing as a Mary-Sue here. You will not turn into one and destroy Middle-Earth. If we thought that might happen, do you not think we would do something about it? We are dealing with the Ring, after all, and that merely has the power to enslave Middle-Earth."
"There are some things worse than death." Rachel commented. "Like, say, being enslaved." Gandalf gave an exasperated sigh.
"Do I have to drag you to Valinor, child, and get Manwë to reassure you personally that Mary-Sues do not exist here?!" he exclaimed, and Rachel and Glorfindel both looked over at him in surprise.
"You COULD do that? You WOULD do that? HE would do that?" Rachel asked after a moment. Gandalf nodded.
"Yes to all three." he said. There was a pause.
"Well, my bed back in Rivendell is more comfortable than the ground, anyways." Rachel said, standing up and dusting herself off. Glorfindel looked at her with no little surprise as she looked at Gandalf expectantly, waiting for him to supply her with a horse. Gandalf smiled slightly, and then whistled to Shadowfax. A few moments later, Shadowfax trotted up, Asfaloth only a short ways behind. The Elvish horse whickered happily at the sight of Glorfindel, but the Elf-lord just gave the horse a withering look. Rachel grinned.
"I take it ya don' wanna ride Asfaloth back?" she asked.
"You can ride 'im." Glorfindel grumbled, and then patted the horse he had ridden in on while glaring over at Asfaloth. "At least Angahonda doesn' take off with anyone who asks nicely on his back." Gandalf hid his amusement at the hypocrisy of that statement, noting that while Rachel and Glorfindel seemed to have - somehow - pushed aside the effects of the Dorwinnian wine for their talk, they were now both definitely starting to look and act a little tipsy.
"Then with the riding arrangements settled, shall we get back to Rivendell?" Gandalf suggested. Glorfindel and Rachel nodded, and mounted quickly. Well, quickly considering how much drink they'd had. Then they all three set out back to Rivendell, and by the time they reached the buildings, the sun was rising, and Gandalf was leading both Asfaloth and Angahonda, Rachel and Glorfindel thoroughly asleep and only keeping their seats on the horses through the horses efforts.
----To be continued...with hobbits!----
(And descisions and promises and cheerfullness and...)
-Authors Note:-
TGotG broke 400 reviews! Whoohoo! *dances* You reviewers all rock my socks - have the Elf of your choice for a day. Or ranger, if you're so inclined...or, ah, heck, take your pick of anyone in any of the Elven Kingdoms during November of 3018 of the Third Age (in other words, any of the Fellowship or Elves). You need to let them go within 24 hours, though...that was the only way I could get them agree to be given out and not come and kill me afterwards. . I will suffer individuals wraths, but entire Elvish Kingdoms AND the Fellowship mad at me? *shudder* Just think of the hobbits alone! Mad!Hobbits would be quite scary, I'm sure...
One week until RotK! Whoo! Now, the question is, shall I update twice on that day to celebrate, or not at all so you can all go see the movie and not have to spend time reading my updates? I know I'll be writing the chapters for the week up ahead of time and dragging my parents off to see the movie as many times as possible...
Anyways. I'll be updating again on Saturday...maybe earlier if I get impatient. Or if I continue listening to 'Snoopy's Christmas' non-stop. Does it seem odd to anyone else that I listened to that song on repeat the entire time I wrote this chapter? *ponder* *wanders off to listen to it some more*
~Crimson Starlight