A Different Life

Elrond: shakes his head I thought that Legolas was supposed to be in this story of yours.

Glorfindel: Indeed. You have just been fooling with other characters.

Bliss: Oh hold your peanut butter! It takes time to write in detail and if you haven't noticed, Renee only arrived in Rivendell like four to five days ago. I mean give her a break!

Glorfindel: Yes, I guess you're correct. She does need time to heal.

Bliss: Of course I'm correct silly. I am the author!

Elrond: rolls his eyes Yeah, an author…

Bliss: glares at Elrond You're a meanie! I'll sick Elladan on you!

Elrond: laughs He isn't even present so give it up.

Elladan: I am too present father.

Bliss: laughs evilly Soon, everyone will be here! Just allow me the time to introduce everyone. It takes time and I bet this story will be very long so you may all enjoy.

Elladan: Story? I'm in a story?

Bliss: Yup! And you're all mine! hugs Elladan

Glorfindel: Not necessarily Bliss. You do not own anything but Renee and this story.

Renee: pouts Tartar sauce…

Chapter Five

An Unexpected Visit

"Well, your father had told me when he came in here to see me. I asked him if he had any children and he spoke of Arwen, Elrohir, and you. I did say their names correctly, right?" He nodded and loosened himself up. He had tensed up by her miraculous sense of knowledge. His father had not told him about this part of their conversation. Well, it wasn't that important, he probably just left it out. "Yes, I have a twin brother and a younger sister. In Sindarin they are cal." Suddenly a knock on the door stopped him mid-sentence and he smiled at Renee with an expectant look. "Come in."

Renee's eyes lingered on the door as it began to slowly open and then she smiled as she saw someone familiar pass through the doorway.

"Ah, I see you are awake Renee, and that you have met young Elladan." Glorfindel entered the room and smiled while nodding his head at Elladan in greeting.

"Yes. He was kind enough to help me to a bathroom and to offer his services as a language teacher. I think I should start learning the Sindarin language, don't you?"

"Yes, it shall help you learn more about the race of elves," he smiled and then turned to Elladan with a serious look on his face. "I am sorry if I interrupted you two, but your father is searching for your aid. An unexpected guest has arrived and he would like you and Elrohir to greet him." Elladan rose his brow in curiosity and rose from the chair he was seated in.

"Thank you for informing me." He shifted his gaze to Renee. "Sorry to leave so soon, but I shall see you once more when you are feeling well. For now, Mae govannen Arwenamin." He bowed his head at her and then disappeared into the hallway. Renee smiled and watched him leave with a dreamy look on her face. He was so cute! Why did all of the elves have to be old and look so young? It wasn't fair! They were playing with her mind! She sighed as she thought of this and then switched her attention to Glorfindel. He was already staring at her with big blue eyes and a smile on his face. She flushed.

Glorfindel smiled and shook his head as he saw Renee's expression. She must have been truly captivated in the physical appearances of his race. Or she was just being a normal mortal adolescent female. He wouldn't know though for he had not much experience with young women. He was always too busy with keeping Elrond in order and making sure that his lands were in peace and away from harm. That and the massive stacks of paperwork that were sitting on his desk. It pays to have a high status. He smirked to himself and returned his attention to Renee.

"I am sorry for interrupting your conversation with Elladan." Renee looked at him, relieved that the heat in her cheeks had dissipated. He didn't need to be sorry, it was alright with her. She loved the attention!

"It's ok, you didn't really interrupt anything important. He had other matters to attend to anyways." Glorfindel nodded and then treaded over to her bedside and sat on the chair that was previously occupied by Elladan. He leaned forward and placed the back of his hand against her forehead. Her fever had fled and the color had returned to her cheeks. She was obviously looking better.

"How are you feeling?" Renee shrugged and sighed. She felt normal again, except for the slight dizziness that still lingered in her head. Other than that, she felt peachy.

"I am feeling much better. I had even walked by myself when Elladan was here. I think that I may have just needed something to eat. Oh yeah, I hope you don't mind, but there was a tray of food sitting on this table here and my stomach was itching for something to eat."

"Oh it's quite alright. Lord Elrond had one of his servants bring it to you while you were resting."

"Oh." Renee suddenly felt guilty for putting Elrond through all of this trouble. He had taken her in as a guest and fed her, housed her, and clothed her. It was almost as if he was acting as another parent of hers. It was unusual, yet very kind. "I should thank him when I see him again. Never during all of my life have I ever been treated with such hospitality. It is very kind of you and Lord Elrond for taking me in while we are complete strangers to each other." Glorfindel smiled and nodded his head. He was glad that she was considerate and gracious for their doings. It showed him that she had a lot of courage and manners. This was how most young people should be.

"You are welcome." After this, the whole room went silent. The eerie silence made both of their minds boggle and thoughts and questions popped up in their heads. Glorfindel was wondering where she had learned to be so kind and considerate. Had her parents taught her or did she teach herself? Where were her parents? Where was she from? How old was she? Why was she here? Why was she so different from every other mortal he had met? His mind was reeling for he had asked himself these questions ever since he had saved her from the river and he knew these questions would soon be answered, but he would not be the one asking. It was not his job to find out, but Lord Elrond's, and Elrond had other matters to attend to at the moment. Things would all be sorted out in due time.

Renee on the other hand was asking herself the 'what if' questions. What if Glorfindel found out she was not from this world? Would she still be thought as sane? Would people believe her story? How would she be able to stop from changing events that were soon to come or had already come? And what time was it? She still had no idea what the year was. Maybe she could ask Glorfindel in an innocent way so that it wouldn't appear suspicious. Yeah, easier said than done. He was an elf for goodness sakes.

"Glorfindel, what is the full date today? I have lost track." Glorfindel was brought back from his thoughts as she asked her question and was glad that she had done so. The silence was beginning to annoy him.

"It is the nineteenth of April, year 3008." Renee's eyes widened as she heard the date and realized that nothing had happened yet and the War of the Ring will not start until 3018. Why did she have to come now? There was a chance that she may change the events of this time since she had arrived in this world. In shorter terms, if she screws up, something bad may happen. She sighed and flopped her body back onto her pillows. Why is she here?

Glorfindel stared at Renee and wondered why she was acting so strange. First she's smiling and cheerful and now she's sighing and frowning. What was wrong with her?

"Is there something wrong tithemben?" Renee glanced over at Glorfindel with a tired expression and shook her head. She didn't feel like talking right now after finding out some useful information and learning of something that may change her life and these people's lives. She would be the cause of everything if the future turns out to be a disaster. She didn't know if she could handle knowing that.

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just a little tired from walking and talking. Plus, having a full stomach always makes me sleepy. I think I should rest and then maybe tomorrow if you're feeling up to it, you can show me around Rivendell?" Glorfindel smiled and nodded. He had been awaiting this day ever since she arrived. It would make him very happy to see her on her feet. He has never seen her anyway else besides in a bed with a terrible illness. It would do her some good to get out of this room and venture around anyways. Maybe she could get use to the idea of being surrounded by elves and maybe even make a few friends.

"Sure, as long as you're up to it." She shrugged.

"I'm sure I will. I might have to walk close to the room first though so I can regain my strength before going on long distance walks. I have only began walking here this night." Glorfindel nodded and stood from his seat.

"As you wish. And I am sure you would like to wash up before we leave, so I will have a couple of servants come and fill your tub with fresh warm water from the river." Renee's eyes widened with joy and she grinned excitedly. Finally she'd be able to be clean again! No more bed head and no more sweaty pits! Just what she needed. But wait…what about shaving? Did they shave here? It didn't matter if they did or not, she would do it anyways, but there would be no razor. She would have to use…a knife. Oh well, little nicks from shaving aren't new to her. She will have to ask one of these servants or maybe even Glorfindel if they have a knife she could use. Tomorrow that is. Tiredness was overtaking her fast and she wanted to sleep and dream of the hot bath that she would soon take, in her room of course. That bathroom was just too smelly, unless they drowned the toilet with oiled scents as well as everything else. It would be bearable then. Just a thought.

"Yes. That would be wonderful! Thank you so much. I am really in need of a bath right now. You are too generous." Alright, maybe she was overdoing it with the graciousness, but oh well! She wanted a bath! That would feel so good with her sore limbs and oily body. It would be paradise.

"You're welcome. I will be sure to allow you to sleep in before waking you."

"Ok, but no waking before ten o'clock. I am sure I will be sleeping longer than that." Glorfindel nodded and then blew out the candles in the room save for the one by her bed. He bid her a good night's rest and then left the room.

Renee lay there and stared up at the ceiling. The moonlight was shining in through the windows and casting shadows upon the walls. She began wondering if she would ever see shadows on her walls again. Will she ever return to her own world? Will she ever see her mom and dad and friends again? What shall she do if not? That was a good question. She may stay here in Rivendell or even travel around a bit once she gets familiar with the world's geography. Who knows what could happen. But what about her knowledge of the future? Should she tell them or keep it to herself? That was something she knew she had to decide and fast. Elrond would most likely want to speak to her soon about this; she knew that for sure. She would have to tell him everything, but maybe she could twist it around a bit. She knew a few places where people like her lived in this world. Maybe Bree, or Rohan, or maybe even Gondor. This was easy enough for her to make up, but the problem was actually telling it to the person whom she was going to lie to. Elrond and probably Glorfindel too. Could she do it? Would she have the guts to pull it off? Maybe.

She sighed and rolled over on the bed so she was lying on her belly. It was time for sleep and just thinking about tomorrow made her both anxious and excited. She closed her eyes and allowed the tiredness to sink in. After a few minutes of shallow breathing, she was in her own dreamland and dreaming of the nice hot bath she would soon have and the large tour of the beautiful land she was in. What could be better than that?

"Renee. Renee, it is time to wake." Renee woke up to a low soothing voice and a few slight nudges on the shoulder. She couldn't believe it was morning already. It felt like she had only fell asleep a few hours ago. If it was before ten o'clock she swore…

"Ok I'm up, I'm up!" She slowly lifted her lids to peek upon the bright new day until a shadow came upon her face and Glorfindel appeared in her vision. He was standing right above her with a light smile on his face and a seemingly glow surrounding his body, almost like an aura. He looked like an angel floating down from heaven, really.

She sighed and closed her eyes once more while stuffing her face into her pillow and moaning tiredly. This moment really reminded her of waking up in the morning to go to school. Glorfindel could play the part of her mother and she, herself. How she DID NOT miss those times. It was terrible waking at six o'clock in the morning just to go to a building of torture for several hours straight, five days a week. Just terrible.

"Are you not feeling well tithemben? Do you not wish to go on the tour this day?" That question perked her up. She immediately raised her head and stared at him with bright blue eyes. Of course she wanted to go, she just had to savor the warmness of her comfortable bed. It was a must.

"Of course I want to go. I have just woke up and everyone expects me to be alert in one second?" She paused. "Ok, well everyone here probably does, but where I come from we don't have to do that. We like to savor the moment of waking to a bright warm sun and fluffy pillows." She grinned and squeezed her pillow to her face.

Glorfindel sighed and shook his head. He must learn more about this girl before he goes completely insane. She was so different than anyone he had ever met and frankly, this scared him. There was something about her that just made him want to increase his awareness around her. Though she was completely harmless, there was still a troubled feeling in his heart whenever he was near her. Maybe it was protectiveness of her, but he wasn't sure. For all he could know, he could just be trying to protect himself. He removed his eyes from her form and focused on the bathroom door. It had just been cleaned and her bath had just been drawn not too long ago. It was time for her to wash up.

"I see. Well, your bath has been drawn in your washroom not but a few minutes ago. I will leave and return in exactly one hour for then we will go eat lunch and tour the city. Your attire is in your dresser and a few other necessities are on the desk next to your bed. I shall take my leave now and allow you to get ready." Renee's eyes widened as she listened to him speak of her bath and she practically jumped out of the bed in a frenzy. Of course she fell over and Glorfindel had to help her back to her feet.

She blushed a deep crimson as she held onto his tunic and grinned like a crazy woman. She was just about to release him and get into the bathroom until she remembered something that she desperately needed.

"Thank you. And um…I was wondering if you have something I can use." He rose his brow. "Do you have a knife I could use?" His brow rose higher. Why did she want a weapon at a time like this? He had one, but for what reason could she use one?

"Yes, but why ask for a knife? There is no danger here." Renee smiled and pointed down to her legs menacingly. She hated them when they were all hairy and disgusting.

"To shave my legs silly."

"Oh." He then smiled and shook his head back and forth while handing her a knife. He acted as if the women here did that too. Oh, hopefully they did! She smiled in return and thanked him before turning around and limping over to the bathroom. She was still too weak to walk normally and so limped while sticking her hands out to her sides to balance herself. Being in bed for days on end was not such a good idea.

As she appeared before the closed door, she drew in a deep breath to prepare herself for the most wretched smell she could ever inhale and then swung the wooden door open. Her eyes widened and a faint smile reached her lips as she looked into the room. It was clean! It didn't smell! And most of all, the bathtub looked warm and welcoming. The purple flower pedals floating on top of the water actually helped too!

"Oh thank you Lord!" She quickly closed the door before making her way over to the toilet and doing her business. It didn't even smell that bad anymore. Much better than before. When she was finished, she glanced around just in case of unwelcomed guests and then undressed and slipped into the hot water of her bath. She couldn't believe it! This felt so good, it was too good to be true! The air carried the soft scent of flowers and herbs while the tub was reeking of scented oils and soap. Thank goodness! The toilet, sink, and everything else in here looked brand new and appeared like nothing she had seen the day before. It was truly wonderful!

"I thank you so much Elrond. This is more than generosity, it's practically spoiling." She moaned as the warm water sunk into her pores and then she disappeared under the surface.

One hour later

Glorfindel patiently waited for Renee outside of her room until he could wait no longer. It was almost twelve thirty in the afternoon and they still had a lot of ground to cover. He lifted his hand to her door and knocked while warning her of their limited time. He took a step back as he heard a lot of rustling from within the room and the next thing he knew, the door had opened.

"Just one second Glorfindel. I'm almost done," he heard her yell from inside. She had just started brushing her teeth with a carved wooden stick that had horsehair connected to the top and some type of nice smelling paste. Hopefully it was for that particular reason. When she washed her mouth out with some cold water some of the servants must had brought with them when they filled her tub, she ran her tongue over her teeth and smiled brilliantly. At least they had old-fashioned toothbrushes! "Coming!"

She slowly stepped out of the washroom and into her room to find a mirror so she could see how she looked. It's been a while since she's seen her appearance and now it was time to witness the repulsive face she wore for so long. After scanning the whole room for any sign of something that could reflect objects, she had found a mirror hanging on the wall by her bedside and she quickly treaded in front of it. As she gazed into it, her eyes softened and her heart melted.

She looked just like her mother.

Renee wasn't planning on looking that great since she was without make-up and hair styling products, but she truly reminded herself of her mother. It was sickening how much they looked alike. Her heart tore in half as she began to think of her mother and she wondered if she would ever see her again. Renee would do anything just to see her smiling face again, but it was not so. She didn't know when she would leave this place, if she was leaving Middle-Earth and of course times could have differed. It could have been a hundred years later in Earth from when she left and all of her friends and parents would have died. It was no use. She was never going back and just thinking about it made it even harder for Renee to accept.

A sigh emitted from deep in her throat and she wiped the tears that had formed in her eyes. This was no time to be thinking of that! She was going to see the actual Rivendell from her very own perspective! She wiped the frown that was upon her face and replaced it with a large grin. It was time to journey through the vale of Rivendell and take in the real beauty in which it holds. A glimpse was not enough to go upon her accusations of this place, she had to see everything.

"Ok, I'm ready." She turned to the doorway to see Glorfindel staring at her with a worried look in his eyes that had quickly vanished and shifted to relief. She was finally done getting ready. "How do I look?" She twirled around as best as she could in white slippers and swung her arms about herself. Her attire consisted of a sparkling crème gown that floated across her shoulders and met at the mid of her back. It was fluffy and frilly and she loved it!

"You look beautiful tithemben. Are you ready?" She smiled while nodding her head.

"Thank you and yes. I hope you don't mind if we walk kind of slow. I still can't walk that good." Glorfindel shook his head and held his arm out for her to take.

"It's fine. You will see much more if we walk slow anyways." Renee nodded and took his arm in hers and together they left her room in a slow walk.

As they strode through the hallways and passed different rooms, Renee admired the stone and woodwork. It was very beautiful and much better looking than the modern theme back home; at least to her it was. She gazed in wonder at the land ahead of her as they exited the house and began treading upon the large porch that connected to Elrond's house.

"Wow, it's so beautiful here. I can't even compare this to home." Glorfindel rose his brow and glanced down at her questionably. This was his chance for some open conversation about herself. Maybe he could find out a little about her now.

"And what was your home like?" Renee's eyes widened as she realized her mistake and mentally cursed at herself for her foolishness. Now she'd have to lie, at least a little bit.

"Well, it was very…busy. People were always out and about and the children were always playing with their friends. There weren't many trees where I lived, but…um…wide plains and large streams. The sun would beat down on us all day and at night the stars were hardly visible for the day seemed to last all the time. It was a town that never slept. Always working and trying to survive on their own." She sighed and glanced up at him to find that he was already staring down at her. He looked like he had bought it, but she did not know for sure. He'd know she was lying for sure if he kept asking her questions though. She'd overdo the acting a bit. Hopefully he was gullible.

"Sounds interesting. What of you? One of the children, I presume." He smirked and Renee giggled while shaking her head. He bought it!

"Actually, sixteen was not considered a child so I was one of those working to survive." Glorfindel raised his brow and almost halted. That was ridiculous! Of course sixteen was the age for a child, at least for an elf. Though these were mortal people she was talking about, so everything must have been much different. They had shorter life spans. He nodded his head instead and continued on towards a path that was occupied by what else…elves!

Renee's breath almost got caught in the back of her throat as she peered at these radiant creatures ahead of her. They were glistening in the sunlight and seemed to be floating in the air. All of their skin was pale and healthy and some wore light clothing where as others wore dark. They were still beautiful all the same. She drew in a quick breath as she realized she had forgotten to breathe and she held onto Glorfindel's arm with a firmer grip as they trudged onto one of the paths. They passed by the glowing elves as well as the most gorgeous scenery Renee had ever seen. There were waterfalls and rocks and Elven houses that sat atop boulders and glittered in the sun's rays. It was…wordless. No words could actually describe this. It was too beautiful to be recognized by a word. Renee sighed and leaned against Glorfindel as she stared at her new surroundings and took it all in.

"Are you hungry Renee?"

"Yes I am, but I don't have any money to pay for food." Glorfindel chuckled and shook his head at her. She was different indeed.

"You need not to. You are Elrond's guest and so you may have food under his will." She knitted her forehead. It was kind of hard to try and understand what he was talking about. He spoke so medieval. Though mostly everyone else did too, so she guessed it was ok. So mostly she could eat whatever she wanted and did not have to pay anything for it. Great!

As they stepped onto different paths to get to their destination, Renee noticed more and more of the elves turning their heads towards her. She wondered if they somehow knew she wasn't an elf. Before in the books, she had read that elves had some sort of sixth sense that alarmed them of strange things. Maybe it was really happening cause all she felt like doing was running away and hiding in a place that no one could see her. Like practically every elf turned their head to her. It was weird and made her feel very uncomfortable. They were probably grimacing at her ugliness and rounded ears. Probably.

Soon they appeared at what looked like an outside picnic area with wooden floors and a wooden roof. It reminded her of a huge gazebo. There was smoke coming from the back where the kitchen was and fortunately, no bugs were around. Renee smiled as they walked under the cover of the roof and headed towards a counter where food was being served. They passed by a number of fellow elves already eating at their picnic like tables and enjoying themselves with a few interesting conversations. It was nice to see such wonderful people laughing and talking like nothing was wrong in the world. Of course that was not the case, but it sure did look like it. It showed her a lot about the race of elves. They tried to make the best out of life. That was always a good thing to try and do; something Renee could never do. For some reason she always looked at the negative side of things. She saw the bottle half empty.

"You may have whatever you please, though I recommend the golden brown bread." Renee smiled and thanked him before coming forth to the counter and looking at the different platters of food. There were so many to choose from and yet she had no idea what some of them were. It seemed these people ate almost anything that contained bread. She'd have to try some, so as not to insult Glorfindel's recommendation of course.

"Thanks. I'm so hungry I could eat an elephant." Glorfindel rose his brow at her.

"You mean Oliphaunt?" Renee almost choked on her saliva when she heard him pronounce elephant another way. That's right, there was no such thing as an elephant here. They were known as Oliphaunts and were rare to come upon. My, she has to watch what she says from now on.

"Um…yeah. I meant to say Oliphaunt. It just came out wrong." She grinned sheepishly and then quickly turned her head around to stare at the luscious food. Glorfindel on the other hand was still staring at Renee with a strange look. She had said elephant way too fast and perfect to mean an Oliphaunt. What was an elephant anyways? He shook his head and pushed that thought into the back of his mind. He'd look up on that later, but for now he was going to have something to eat.

They each took a full plate of scrumptious looking food and brought it back to their own little picnic table. Renee wanted to look like a well-mannered lady now, very much unlike from last time, and so she ate as slowly as she could stand with her rumbling stomach. It was apparent to Glorfindel what she was trying to do and he smiled while taking a bite of his delicious breadstick. At least she tried.

Renee couldn't believe she was capable of eating so slow. She usually shovels food into her mouth until she had no room to breathe and then chewed. It was something she needed to stop doing, immediately. Guess now was as good a time as any. She smiled to herself and then glanced around to catch her bearings. She needed to memorize this place so she'd be able to come here everyday. Let's see, she was up against one side of the mountain and near a rather large path full of shops and people. A market, cool! Then there was a river straight ahead of her. If she was coming from Lord Elrond's house it would most likely be on her right. Ok so river on the right and mountain on the left. This was easy to remember.

"Are you enjoying your meal?" Renee shifted her gaze to Glorfindel and nodded while chewing the food that was in her mouth.

"Yeah, it's so beautiful here. I can't believe that I'm actually here. I've never been in a city where elves dwell. It's really…exciting," she spoke after she swallowed her food. Glorfindel smiled and took a chance to take in her reaction to the city. She was very excited and a bit lost, very common for newcomers. She had a strange gleam in her eye though that worried Glorfindel. It was a bit…knowing. It was almost as if she was hiding something from him. Well whatever it was, she would speak with Elrond about it later this day. Which reminded him…

"Oh yes, I had almost forgotten. Lord Elrond wishes to speak with you after we are done traveling through the city. I shall take you to him so you do not get lost." Renee nodded and smiled while filling her mouth with delicious bread. On the outside she looked fine with it, but on the inside she was ready to explode. That was a little too soon for her. She had practically no time to rehearse her lies or anything. This was not good.

Glorfindel could see she was having an inner battle within her head and he wondered what she was conversing about. Maybe it was something he said? He did not know, but he had not much time to think about it for he saw someone very familiar enter the cafeteria and start walking towards them. A smile rose to his lips upon seeing his long time friend and he stood from his seat to greet him.

"Mellonin…" Renee's eyes widened as she saw him stand and she wondered who was standing behind her. Was it someone she knew? She had to meet this person, no matter what. And so she turned her head around and her eyes grew wide with disbelief…

A/N: Cliffie! Hahaha…I can be so evil, I know. But this chapter was getting pretty long and I had to end it somewhere. Alright now if you all don't mind, please review and write who you think is standing behind Renee. I might just take this as a vote and enter the character that is most likely to be there. Diolla lle!

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