A/N: I think I should update this often all the time... I get more reviews that way!!! Thanks to all my reviewers, you guys are the best! And to reward you for your reviewing efforts, this is the shortest author's note I've ever written! ~m~
Disclaimer: Tolkien owns everything, except Nicole. She's mine, can you tell? lol
Home Sweet Home
Chapter Fourteen ~ Pillows, Soap, and Food, Oh My!
The world came into focus for a moment, allowing Nicole to glimpse a room and vague shapes moving around her. It also reminded her of the headache that had yet to go away. One of the moving figures pressed something into her hand to drink. It took a bit of work to make her fingers hold the cup properly, but she gulped it down. Within seconds she fell back into unconsciousness.
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Nicole stirred at last, reluctant to fully wake up. If she woke up, she'd have to face more walking (how thrilling), more pain (doesn't it feel great?), and of course, the company of the same people, who were getting just a little bit boring (yawn...). So she turned onto her side, one hand still in the habit of searching for a pillow, even though Nicole knew by now that there never was one. Until now. Her fingers met with soft, luscious fabric that covered a huge fluffy pillow. If anything can wake Nicole up at this point, it's pillows.
"Pillow!!!!" she exclaimed sitting up in a real bed, also a very happy discovery, and hugged the pillow to her chest. "Wow, I've missed pillows. And beds. And sleeping, in general." The girl sighed happily and flopped back down onto her pillow-laden bed. But what am I doing in a bed? I'm grateful, but how did I get here? I remember... walking, what a surprise. And... what else? Oh yeah, we got to Lothlorien. And then there were billions and billions of stairs. I felt like the living dead. A mirror... and I fainted because... oh shit, I'm an Elf. The sudden remembrance of what she was, combined with a sound at the door to her room, caused her to fall out onto the floor and duck behind the tall bed.
A young Elf entered the room with a bundle in her hands. I'm guessing she's young... you never know with these Elves. I'm an Elf. Nicole cringed a little. She needed to stop thinking about it and then maybe it would go away. The young Elf placed the bundle on a table beside a wardrobe and moved towards the bed seemingly to check on Nicole. The Elf looked at the rumpled sheets, noting that they were missing the occupant, and turned to go inform some superior.
*Hey, you! With the hair!* Nicole said from her hiding place ducked under the bed. The Elf whipped around, surprised that the girl was in the room. Nicole carefully rose to her knees, still cowering behind the bed. *Uhm... who are you?* she asked.
*Eletarien, milady,* the Elf said, bowing her head slightly.
*Ok... I'm Nicole,* she paused, kind of uncomfortable with her next question. *Do you maybe have any food?* she asked timidly.
*Oh! Of course, how could I forget!* Eletarien exclaimed and then ran out of the room.
Hello??? Leave the poor girl all by herself when she's talking to you, why don't you! Come back!!! I need FOOD!!!!!! Nicole slumped against the bed, frowning at the ridiculous Elves who thought that food apparently wasn't important. I'm an Elf. The thought came unbidden and Nicole cringed again. Stop thinking it!!! Nicole looked for a distraction and quickly found one: the room.
It was fairly large, with several huge windows letting in tons of light. By the slant of the sunlight, Nicole could tell that she had slept into the late morning. The bed was placed against the back of the centre wall, with small tables on each side. A wardrobe was along the wall halfway from the left-side of the bed to the door where the Elf had come from. On the right side of the bed, against the other wall were two chairs and a coffee table. Or what would be a coffee table, if Elves drank coffee. I'm an Elf. Dammit, Nicole, STOP! She turned her attention back to the room. And finally, in the farthest corner of the room a screen was set up, blocking whatever was behind it from view. This caught her curiosity, but she wasn't sure if she was allowed to explore, since she was a guest.
Nicole had just made up her mind to check what was behind the screen when someone came into the room again. She halted and turned, wondering if it was that Elf girl again. It was her, and also another Elf, this one a male and older. Nicole noticed the lack of food and her shoulders slumped.
*Hi,* she said half-heartedly, walking back to the bed and collapsing on it. She turned onto her back and stared up at her two upside-down visitors. *What's up?*
The girl frowned but the older Elf came forward and immediately began fussing around Nicole.
*I have heard that you sustained injuries,* he explained as he pushed Nicole into a sitting position. *Can you tell me where it hurts?* he asked, opening Nicole's mouth and peering in before shutting it and checking her pupils.
*I'm Nicole,* she replied, ignoring his questions and demanding an introduction.
*I am the healer, my name is Rianden. Please answer my question.* the Elf replied tersely.
*Fine fine. Pleased to meet you,* Nicole said. *I had a headache. But it's gone now. And I was nauseous, but now I'm just hungry,* she shot a meaningful glance at the younger Elf, who suddenly remembered about it and flushed guiltily. *My ankle got twisted, but it's better. And... oh yeah, my back got badly bruised. It's fixed too. Anything else?* she asked. Maybe if he thinks I'm healthy he'll give me some food.
The healer paused, looking up at her halfway through examining her ankle. *Nothing is in pain? Are you certain?*
*I can move, can't I?* she answered and turned to the Elf girl. *Food?* she pleaded.
*Not even mild dizziness?* the healer questioned.
*No,* Nicole said irritated. *What does a girl have to do to get some food around here?*
*If you are certain...* the healer paused, allowing Nicole a moment to take up his services if she wished. *Very well, I shall leave you. Please tell me should anything happen.* The older Elf left the room and Nicole rounded on the younger Elf.
*Food!* she exclaimed, glaring at the Elf.
*Yes, milady, of course,* the Elf said, once again turning to go.
*Hey, hold on, the last time you left, you came back with a healer. Just tell me where I can get food, and I'll go myself,* she said.
*No, milady, you cannot,* the Elf replied. *Lady Galadriel wishes you to dine with her for the noon meal.*
*Huh? Oh, lunch? Ok, lead the way,* Nicole replied, enthused by the thought of food, and already trying to push the startled Elf out the doorway.
*Certainly you do not wish to leave dressed in such a manner!* she said in shock.
*What's wrong with this?* Nicole asked, still dressed in her ancient, decaying clothes. She wrinkled her nose at how she looked. *Ok, fine, maybe this isn't the best outfit. Do you have a shirt I could borrow?*
The Elf was already at the wardrobe and began flipping through clothes quickly, pulling out two dresses. She held up a dark blue dress in one hand and a light yellow one in the other. Both dresses were of similar styles and it was up to Nicole to simply pick a color.
*Do you have anything in... oh, let's say... cotton? Or maybe a nice poly-viscose-linen blend?* Nicole began naming random fabrics, anything that wasn't the satin-y, girly dress that the Elf was showing her. The Elf just frowned and pushed the yellow dress at her.
*You should wear this one,* she said, closing the wardrobe again and moving past Nicole to the secretive corner of the room. The Elf folded the screen part way, revealing another window, albeit smaller, and... a bathtub. With a nice, soft, huge, fluffy towel sitting on a stool beside it.
Nicole dumped the dress on the bed and raced forward. *I'm in heaven! A bathtub!!! Clean, clean at last!* she exclaimed, urging the Elf to turn the water on. The mechanism confused Nicole because she couldn't see a tap, so she let the Elf do it.
*You may leave your clothes in this bag,* the Elf said, procuring a bag from somewhere while Nicole was absorbed by the rapidly-filling bathtub. *I will leave you and return soon, and then you may have your food.* The Elf smiled slightly, amused by Nicole's obsession with food.
*Thanks bunches!* Nicole replied happily as the Elf put the screen back. *Hey, wait a second... um... you.... with the hair...* Nicole realized she had forgotten the Elf's name. *Um, what's your name, again?* she asked from behind the screen.
She heard the Elf laugh and reply, *Eletarien.*
*What?!* Nicole yelled over the noise of her splashing into the tub, leaving her clothes in a dirty pile, completely disregarding the bag.
The Elf mistook Nicole's shout for alarm and poked her head around the screen. *Are you alright, milady?*
*Yeah, I'm fine,* Nicole replied, sinking up to her chin in the foamy water. *But what did you say your name was? I'm sorry, I didn't hear it.*
*Eletarien, milady,* the Elf said with a smile.
*And you expect me to pronounce that?*
*Yes...* the Elf replied uncertainly.
*Can I maybe call you... Ella? Or Tarry? Or Rien? Your whole name is confusing,* Nicole explained apologetically.
The Elf thought for a moment. *I don't mind. I rather liked the first one.*
*Great,* Nicole sighed with relief. *Thanks again, Ella.*
She heard the door to her room close a few moments later, confirming that Nicole was alone again. She gratefully dunked her head under the water and let it wash away all the grit and grime that had accumulated from her travels.
"Yuck... this is disgusting," Nicole said, scrubbing at her toes with a block of soap she had discovered sitting on the towel. "I never ever want to go that long without being clean again. Can't somebody out here invent portable showers? Or somehow make traveling less messier?" She continued to ramble on about random things until she finally got to washing her hair. Dunking under the water again, she scrubbed at her hair, expecting it to be even worse than the rest of her body. Surprisingly, it was fairly clean and smooth, and its length still surprised Nicole. Having finished scrubbing her skin raw, and finally satisfied that she was completely clean, Nicole got out of the tub and wrapped the towel around herself, reaching to just past her knees. There was only one towel, so her hair had to be left down and dripping. Do I HAVE to be this stupid? Why did I leave the clothes on the other side of the screen? Nicole could've kicked herself for her forgetfulness. Peeking around the edge of the screen, Nicole made sure that no one else had entered the room. You never know with these Elves, they're so quiet. I'm an Elf. She cringed again. How was she ever going to accept this if she couldn't even stand the thought of it?
Nicole got rid of the unwanted thoughts by busying herself with getting dressed. Thankfully, in addition to giving her the dress, Nicole found that Ella had given her clean undergarments. She quickly dressed and struggled for a moment with the ribbon that pulled the material tight, fumbling to tie it up. She had nearly finished when the ribbon, just as silky as the rest of the dress, but more slippery, and it slipped through her fingers causing the last part to completely fall apart into a loose jumble of ribbon that was nearly strangling her to death.
*Here, let me,* said Ella, taking Nicole by surprise. The Elf's fingers deftly tied off the ribbon within seconds.
*Can you make more noise next time?* Nicole asked, shaken by the sudden appearance of the girl.
*What do you mean?*
*You scared me. If you Elves weren't so silent...* Nicole trailed off, again thinking I'm an Elf. Nicole frowned at the repetitive thought. I can't get over that. Why an Elf? Ok, they're graceful and beautiful and wise and cool and immortal and talented.... but that is nothing like me. So why an Elf and not a Dwarf? Gimli would've shown me the ways of the Dwarf... it would have been so much more fun. But then I'd have to shrink... and have really ugly hair. Ok... maybe I can see why I'm an Elf and not a Dwarf. Nicole shrugged, half-accepting her train of thought.
*Milady?* Ella asked timidly.
*Who?* Nicole replied, looking around to see who the Elf had been addressing.
*You, milady,* Ella said uncertainly. *Are you quite well? Perhaps I should call for Rianden?*
*Who, me? No, I'm fine... Hey, do you have any mirrors around here?* Nicole asked, changing the subject and wanting to see how she looked.
Ella directed her to the wardrobe and opened the doors, showing Nicole a mirror on the inside. *Perhaps milady would wish something done with her hair?* she queried, maintaining her formal attitude.
Nicole regarded her image. The dress fit her well, she had to say with much disappointment. And she looked very much like an Elf, also to her dismay. Her ears hadn't changed, but that was to be expected, since she was *officially* an Elf. The only two things that really bothered her about her appearance (she was getting used to the Elfness) was that she had no shoes. Ella quickly remedied that by giving her a pair of light grey shoes that were soft like slippers, and Nicole doubted very much that they would protect her feet. The second thing that bothered her was her hair. It hung dripping and soaking the material of the dress, in thick chunky strands that looked like wet snakes. The hair was the only thing that completely threw off the Elven image.
*Alright, fine, we can change the hair,* Nicole grumbled at the same time as her stomach. *But let's do it fast. Food!*
Ella quickly pushed Nicole into a chair, whipped out a fresh dry towel and started to dry her hair. Minutes later, it was straight, shiny, and styled in the Elf fashion. Which meant that her ears showed.
Nicole shifted uncomfortably when she saw her new hair-do. *Are you sure about this?*
*Milady?* Ella asked, confused.
*It shows my ears.*
*Is that a problem?*
She sighed. There was no way to explain it to the Elf. *I guess it's normal for you. Fine, leave it like this. Thanks. Let's go chow down.*
*Pardon?* Ella looked very confused.
*Chow down!* Nicole repeated. *Eat, consume... eat... I can't think of any more synonyms for eat... yeah.... let's eat.*
Ella laughed, unable to contain herself. The girl had looked so perplexed, trying to think of other words for 'eat', and adding to that all the other strange habits she had, Ella had been very amused. But she quickly quieted herself and apologized, *Begging your pardon, milady, it shan't happen again.*
*Pardon for what?* Nicole asked dazedly, in a bit of a shock after finding out that Elves could laugh. *And please stop calling me 'milady' it makes me feel old.*
*But the Elves are old, milady,* Ella said automatically, then blushed. *I am sorry, but I do not know what else to call you.*
*Um, how about Nicole?* she suggested.
*Do you not have an Elven name?* Ella asked incredulously.
*Why do you people keep asking me that? It's just Nicole, not Lady, not Milady, not any other name,* she ranted at the poor Elf. She stopped abruptly when she noticed that the Elf was trying to hide another laugh. *This is just strange. I didn't know I was so amusing to you,* she said with a bit of a bite to her voice.
*I am sorry, mil-- Nicole,* Ella apologized quickly, *but it is very rare for me to find someone who is not...* she trailed off and vaguely waved a hand around the room, indicating Lothlorien. *Not so... stiff? Wise? Mature? I do not know how to say it...*
*No problem, I get it,* Nicole said with a sigh of relief. *They act so old... they don't laugh. Is that it?*
*Yes! That's it,* Ella said, laughing a little.
*Oh thank you thank you thank you!* Nicole exclaimed, giving Ella a quick hug. *Finally, a normal person! You laugh, you really laugh! Just stop saying things like 'milady', and I think we'll get along just fine!* I can't believe this, an Elf that laughs! She must be pretty young then, if she hasn't gotten to that wise-high-and-mighty mindset yet. Excellent, now at least one person will understand me. Nicole happily threw one arm around Ella's shoulders and steered her towards the door. *Now that that is settled, how about some food? I'm starving! Lead the way.*
Ella laughed merrily, letting the girl keep her arm around her shoulders, glad to finally have somebody that wasn't so serious. The two Elves walked through the passages of Lorien, Nicole getting lost after the first three turns, chatting contentedly.
If this is how it's going to be with some other Elves, then it isn't so bad, Nicole thought. Maybe I can handle being an Elf...
A/N: Yes, I know that this chapter is shorter than the past three or four have been. Sorry, but I wanted to update for you. And I'll try to get the next chapter up next weekend. Ok, now go review! please! ~m~