A/N: hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to update. I was out of town
most of the summer and its been really interesting getting back in to the
swing of things at school. Well anyways, here is the next chapter. I only
expect a few more chapters and then we shall see what happens to Tinioniel
and where she really belongs.
Tinioniel lay upon a firm, artic surface with her arms outstretched like wings. Thoughts like songs echoed through the abyss in a requiem of lost memories. Tinioniel heard her name being called to her. 'Jessica! Happy birthday!' 'Where does it hurt? Aww my poor baby.' 'My sweet granddaughter! How much you have grown!' 'Jessica, I really think I love you. I love being around you. Can I kiss you?' 'Jessica! Have you been in my jewelry box again? You know not to play with Mommy's things, sweetie!' All these voices, her mother, father, grandmother, first boyfriend, everyone she had ever stored away in her mind was being unleashed. Their voices rose and fell like the ocean against the soft, sandy shore line. Tinioniel got to her feet and looked around, trying to find out if they voices' owners were somewhere nearby. Tinioniel felt an odd sensation overcome her. Her stomach ached as if she was going to throw up, but she had eaten next to nothing for the past several days. Instead, a thread of light came from her body and with it a voice sustaining a memory. More and more strands of radiance filled the room until there were streams of light glistening around her, swirling about in a vibrant haze of color. The voices circled around her ears as her mind comprehended only bits of their messages. Then, as quickly as they started, the lights faded from the place she stood as she collapsed to the frozen floor once again. Her body was weak, but her jaded eyes remained open; her mind continuing to listen for the voices to come back. The sounds that were so familiar to her had left her, leaving her in the void of darkness and loneliness. Her mind could not hold on as it finally gave in to sleep, but not before crying out in despair.
- ~ * ~ -
"Tinioniel! I said we are leavin'! Do you want to come or." Gimli stopped his protesting when he saw the half dazed elf propped up on the dampened ground, and the unconscious girl lying next to him. "What did you do now elf?" Gimli asked in a stupor of anger and fretfulness. "What has happened? How did this come about? Legolas?" Legolas' face contorted in a small wince of discomfort as he adjusted his body and blinked furiously.
"I was walking to catch up with you and Tinioniel, however she turned around with a jaded light. Pains filled my chest. The next thing I saw was Tinioniel seated beside me. Shadow has come back once again. Come, Gimli. We must go back and continue to travel. She will wake soon enough I am sure." Legolas picked up her comatose body as a spasm of pain shook within his chest. He stumbled to his knees with a gasp as he gripped on to her body meticulously. Gimli spun around upon his heels and readied his axe, thinking Legolas gasped from being surprised. He was surprised, but not by an enemy. Legolas panted as Gimli looked at his friend on the ground.
"Legolas? What is wrong? Surely she can not be that heavy. Maybe it's 'cause you're an elf!" Gimli laughed heartily. Legolas managed a smile as his gaze was fixated on the ground.
"I will take the grace of an elf any day over the shortness of a Dwarf." Legolas gained his bearings and stood once more, quickly getting to his feet to prove just how elegant his movements really were, although the quick movements troubled him. Gimli snorted and grinned as they continued to walk forwards. Legolas pushed the ache that resided in his chest until the twinge was something of the past. His spirits rose when he heard a small grunt come from his arms. He looked down as Tinioniel raised an arm up to her already closed eyes. Leisurely she opened her jaded eyes underneath the sample of shade from her hand. Legolas bent down near her face as her eyes adjusted to the light.
"Welcome back." He spoke softly. His words were kind and his tone was sweet, as it usually was.
"Ai!" Tinioniel yelled, stunned as Legolas was the first thing that came into her view. Pushing herself hastily, and not recognizing the benevolent person holding her, Tinioniel fell from his arms and on the ground. 'Why do I keep falling on the ground? Honestly! I am so clumsy!' Tinioniel reprimanded herself as the sun's fresh light still burned her eyes. Legolas stood above her with a scolding look upon his face.
"I would like to speak to you before another word or sound is spoken." Tinioniel nodded her head as she gazed up at the annoyed elf. "I shared a very personal moment with you the previous night; freely giving you a part of myself that no other ears have heard. I guided you to the place of my kindred, where you listen to their alluring melody and fell to a peaceful sleep, one you would not have had with out their pure resonance. I lay you to sleep with my own cloak upon you underneath the giving arms of a beautiful tree. In your haste, you did not thank the tree for its protection, which I did for you. You struck me with magic of which I had no warning or defense, and then when trying to help you from your unconscious state, you push me away so that you may fall from my secure arms onto the cruel ground! What is worse I do not know. However you still don my cloak. I would very much like to have it back." Tinioniel was taken aback by his words, but stood solemnly to her feet, taking his words very seriously. Keeping her stare locked on the ground, she removed the cloak from her body and glided it towards Legolas.
"I am sorry I hit you. I didn't mean to be ungrateful, you stupid elf."
"What?"
"That is right. Stupid elf! You left me under a tree! If Gimli hadn't have come to wake me up, then I probably would still be underneath it while the rest of you lot went on walking!" Gimli perked up his ears at the sound of his name, but for the most part decided that it would be a good idea to keep out of the argument.
"I would not have left with you still sleeping." Legolas replied in a calm luscious tone. He walked beside her as his voice playfully flirted with her, tucking a strand of her hair neatly behind her ear. He noticed something strange about her ear, but decided not to dwell on it, for it probably was nothing. "What in the weeks that we have spent together have you known me would make you think I would leave you behind?"
"Legolas is right." A proverbial voice reached them all as Gandalf took his place among the three. "He would surely not have left you behind. However, you all will be left behind if you do not hurry. The crowd waits with tired eyes and minds. Gimli, Legolas, Jessica." Gandalf called them each by name. All three of them stood there perplexed at the last name; however it was Legolas who was the first to speak.
"Gandalf, why do you call Tinioniel Jessica?"
"Simply because that is her real name. In this world her name is Tinioniel, but in her own, it is Jessica." Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf looked towards her, a little less question in their faces. What Gandalf saw was somewhat unsettling though. Her face was completely blank, as if in some deep thoughtful trance.
"Jessica?" Tinioniel mumbled slightly in a whisper almost as quiet as the wind. "I don't know anyone named Jessica, do I?" Gandalf took steps closer to her, his feet crushing the blades of dying grass which broke like glass. Her eyes were glassed over in her stupor as Gandalf looked at her face. 'Tinioniel's eyes look a bit different, but her mouth looks fine, and nose and ears.' Gandalf thought to himself, but took another, deeper look at her ears. 'Her ears have pointed slightly. How.' Gandalf's thoughts raced. 'She has stayed too long in this world and is molding in to the form of the creature she has been around the most; the one she knows the most of.
Well that is all for now. Please keep reviewing and tell me what I can do better! Much love to everyone who has reviewed so far! Thanks for putting up with me and my updates!
Tinioniel lay upon a firm, artic surface with her arms outstretched like wings. Thoughts like songs echoed through the abyss in a requiem of lost memories. Tinioniel heard her name being called to her. 'Jessica! Happy birthday!' 'Where does it hurt? Aww my poor baby.' 'My sweet granddaughter! How much you have grown!' 'Jessica, I really think I love you. I love being around you. Can I kiss you?' 'Jessica! Have you been in my jewelry box again? You know not to play with Mommy's things, sweetie!' All these voices, her mother, father, grandmother, first boyfriend, everyone she had ever stored away in her mind was being unleashed. Their voices rose and fell like the ocean against the soft, sandy shore line. Tinioniel got to her feet and looked around, trying to find out if they voices' owners were somewhere nearby. Tinioniel felt an odd sensation overcome her. Her stomach ached as if she was going to throw up, but she had eaten next to nothing for the past several days. Instead, a thread of light came from her body and with it a voice sustaining a memory. More and more strands of radiance filled the room until there were streams of light glistening around her, swirling about in a vibrant haze of color. The voices circled around her ears as her mind comprehended only bits of their messages. Then, as quickly as they started, the lights faded from the place she stood as she collapsed to the frozen floor once again. Her body was weak, but her jaded eyes remained open; her mind continuing to listen for the voices to come back. The sounds that were so familiar to her had left her, leaving her in the void of darkness and loneliness. Her mind could not hold on as it finally gave in to sleep, but not before crying out in despair.
- ~ * ~ -
"Tinioniel! I said we are leavin'! Do you want to come or." Gimli stopped his protesting when he saw the half dazed elf propped up on the dampened ground, and the unconscious girl lying next to him. "What did you do now elf?" Gimli asked in a stupor of anger and fretfulness. "What has happened? How did this come about? Legolas?" Legolas' face contorted in a small wince of discomfort as he adjusted his body and blinked furiously.
"I was walking to catch up with you and Tinioniel, however she turned around with a jaded light. Pains filled my chest. The next thing I saw was Tinioniel seated beside me. Shadow has come back once again. Come, Gimli. We must go back and continue to travel. She will wake soon enough I am sure." Legolas picked up her comatose body as a spasm of pain shook within his chest. He stumbled to his knees with a gasp as he gripped on to her body meticulously. Gimli spun around upon his heels and readied his axe, thinking Legolas gasped from being surprised. He was surprised, but not by an enemy. Legolas panted as Gimli looked at his friend on the ground.
"Legolas? What is wrong? Surely she can not be that heavy. Maybe it's 'cause you're an elf!" Gimli laughed heartily. Legolas managed a smile as his gaze was fixated on the ground.
"I will take the grace of an elf any day over the shortness of a Dwarf." Legolas gained his bearings and stood once more, quickly getting to his feet to prove just how elegant his movements really were, although the quick movements troubled him. Gimli snorted and grinned as they continued to walk forwards. Legolas pushed the ache that resided in his chest until the twinge was something of the past. His spirits rose when he heard a small grunt come from his arms. He looked down as Tinioniel raised an arm up to her already closed eyes. Leisurely she opened her jaded eyes underneath the sample of shade from her hand. Legolas bent down near her face as her eyes adjusted to the light.
"Welcome back." He spoke softly. His words were kind and his tone was sweet, as it usually was.
"Ai!" Tinioniel yelled, stunned as Legolas was the first thing that came into her view. Pushing herself hastily, and not recognizing the benevolent person holding her, Tinioniel fell from his arms and on the ground. 'Why do I keep falling on the ground? Honestly! I am so clumsy!' Tinioniel reprimanded herself as the sun's fresh light still burned her eyes. Legolas stood above her with a scolding look upon his face.
"I would like to speak to you before another word or sound is spoken." Tinioniel nodded her head as she gazed up at the annoyed elf. "I shared a very personal moment with you the previous night; freely giving you a part of myself that no other ears have heard. I guided you to the place of my kindred, where you listen to their alluring melody and fell to a peaceful sleep, one you would not have had with out their pure resonance. I lay you to sleep with my own cloak upon you underneath the giving arms of a beautiful tree. In your haste, you did not thank the tree for its protection, which I did for you. You struck me with magic of which I had no warning or defense, and then when trying to help you from your unconscious state, you push me away so that you may fall from my secure arms onto the cruel ground! What is worse I do not know. However you still don my cloak. I would very much like to have it back." Tinioniel was taken aback by his words, but stood solemnly to her feet, taking his words very seriously. Keeping her stare locked on the ground, she removed the cloak from her body and glided it towards Legolas.
"I am sorry I hit you. I didn't mean to be ungrateful, you stupid elf."
"What?"
"That is right. Stupid elf! You left me under a tree! If Gimli hadn't have come to wake me up, then I probably would still be underneath it while the rest of you lot went on walking!" Gimli perked up his ears at the sound of his name, but for the most part decided that it would be a good idea to keep out of the argument.
"I would not have left with you still sleeping." Legolas replied in a calm luscious tone. He walked beside her as his voice playfully flirted with her, tucking a strand of her hair neatly behind her ear. He noticed something strange about her ear, but decided not to dwell on it, for it probably was nothing. "What in the weeks that we have spent together have you known me would make you think I would leave you behind?"
"Legolas is right." A proverbial voice reached them all as Gandalf took his place among the three. "He would surely not have left you behind. However, you all will be left behind if you do not hurry. The crowd waits with tired eyes and minds. Gimli, Legolas, Jessica." Gandalf called them each by name. All three of them stood there perplexed at the last name; however it was Legolas who was the first to speak.
"Gandalf, why do you call Tinioniel Jessica?"
"Simply because that is her real name. In this world her name is Tinioniel, but in her own, it is Jessica." Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf looked towards her, a little less question in their faces. What Gandalf saw was somewhat unsettling though. Her face was completely blank, as if in some deep thoughtful trance.
"Jessica?" Tinioniel mumbled slightly in a whisper almost as quiet as the wind. "I don't know anyone named Jessica, do I?" Gandalf took steps closer to her, his feet crushing the blades of dying grass which broke like glass. Her eyes were glassed over in her stupor as Gandalf looked at her face. 'Tinioniel's eyes look a bit different, but her mouth looks fine, and nose and ears.' Gandalf thought to himself, but took another, deeper look at her ears. 'Her ears have pointed slightly. How.' Gandalf's thoughts raced. 'She has stayed too long in this world and is molding in to the form of the creature she has been around the most; the one she knows the most of.
Well that is all for now. Please keep reviewing and tell me what I can do better! Much love to everyone who has reviewed so far! Thanks for putting up with me and my updates!