Disclaimer- Middle Earth and all its characters belong on Tolkien, Agnes belongs to Pratchett, and my story belongs to me.

AN- Happy 4th of July for all my fellow Americans out there! I'm back from the beach and it was wonderful, and I even remembered to write a new chapter while I was there, go me!


Agnes and the Elves

Chapter 8 – The End of a Long Day

Agnes watched Gandalf lecture the children with the huge hairy feet, noting that their ears were pointed, but in a way that was wholly different from the elves. Also, these children definitely did not strike Agnes as being too beautiful… maybe they were simply humans with ear and feet problems?

Not very likely… They might be gnomes. Agnes thought to herself. Agnes hadn't met any gnomes, they tended to be reclusive and preferred locations farther away from witches for some reason. But Agnes was fairly certain that gnomes were more… green. What were those children?

Gandalf finished telling off the strange children, who didn't look repentant at all. He turned back to Agnes with a pleasant smile. "Don't mind these hobbits, Agnes. Heads full of fluff." Agnes couldn't decide if he meant the last comment, he seemed to like the 'hobbits' very much.

Agnes jumped at this opening. "I'm sorry… but what are 'hobbits'?"

Gandalf seemed a little surprised at the question, and then shook off his surprise. "Many Men in this world have never seen one," he said carefully, "it should not surprise me that you have not either.

"Hobbits are hole-dwellers; they live for the most part in the western area of this land. These two troublemakers," he gestured behind him at the still grinning hobbits, "are adults, or nearly so."

Agnes nodded. So hobbits were like dwarves except beardless and without the love of iron, not very complicated.

Gandalf turned back to the hobbits, and speaking in a different language, seemed to be introducing them to Agnes. They each gave a courtly little bow, which a surprised Agnes returned.

"Agnes," said Gandalf, turning back to her again, "The hobbit on your right it Meriadoc Brandybuck, who prefers to be called Merry, and the other is Peregrine Took, who goes by Pippin."

Agnes bowed to them again, figuring it was best to err on the side of politeness. "It is nice to meet you, Merry and Pippin." Gandalf translated for her.

The hobbits started to say something else, but were interrupted by Gandalf, who sent them away. "It is getting quite late," he said to Agnes, "Why don't I escort you back to your room?"

Do I have a choice? Agnes wondered. She hadn't been so not in control for her life for this long since she became a witch. Perdita wished that they had the pointy hat; she thought it looked cool and gave an aura of authority. Agnes figured that if these people didn't know what a witch was, they wouldn't know the hat either.

Agnes nodded to Gandalf. "Thank you."

Gandalf led her back to her room/cell, nodding in greeting to the elves they passed. Agnes let herself admire the amazingly beautiful house on the way. Finally, Gandalf stopped by her room. An elven guard, probably the same one from before, was standing beside the door.

"Goodnight, Agnes" said Gandalf.

"Goodnight." Agnes walked inside the room and shut the door. She listened, but the didn't hear the door being locked, only the soft voices of Gandalf and the guard talking in low voices in one of the (many) languages of this strange world.

Agnes turned and noticed a tray of steaming food sitting on the table next to the washbasin. She walked over and examined it: A glass of water, fresh bread, what looked like cooked vegetables, a bowl full of grapes, and thin slices of some meat, probably deer. Agnes was ravenous, but the portions were very generous, so she was pleasantly full when she was done.

Agnes was very tired; the day had been rather full even if she had spent a good part of it being unconscious. Agnes lay in the bed, taking off only her boots, and was asleep in five minutes.


Gandalf walked slowly back to Lord Elrond's study, his thoughts on the young woman from the circle, and of course on Frodo and the terrible burden he carried. He knocked on the study door softly three times.

"Enter" called Lord Elrond in Sindarin.

Gandalf entered to find Lords Elrond and Glorfindel seated again around the small table. Glóin sat with them, and also Aragorn son of Arathorn. There was an empty chair between Elrond and Aragorn.

"Mithrandir, come sit." called Elrond. Nodding to Aragorn Gandalf took the empty chair and accepting the glass of wine Elrond offered him.

They sat for a while in silence, Aragorn was the first to speak. "I have been informed of the discussions with the girl Agnes," he told Gandalf, "Do you think she speaks the truth?"

"I do. I sensed no malice or secrets in her mind, only bewilderment and a strong desire to be home."

Glorfindel frowned. "I sensed the same as you, but how can what she says be true? She speaks of things so fantastic they surprised even you Mithrandir."

"Fantastic yes, but not impossible. I know that there is a subtle, weak power in the circle of stones above Imladris where you found Agnes. I know that there exist worlds wholly different from our own… But I had not thought that the power in that circle would ever be strong enough to bring a person to our world."

"How do you know all this?" asked Aragorn.

Elrond answered this time. "There are tales, so old I can barely remember them, of places in this world that can serve as doorways. When Imladris was first built a small number of us could sense a strange power in the woods. To mark the center of this power we placed the stones there. But the power remained dormant, and it passed out of our thoughts and almost out of our memories."

Glorfindel slowly nodded. "From Agnes' tale, it seems that the circles in her world have much more power, and must be more closely guarded." He paused, and turned to Glóin, "Do perhaps the Dwarves know of this thunderbolt iron?'

Glóin nodded. "Not a lot, but we do have it. Metals sometimes fall from the sky, and we collect as much as we can because swords made from star iron do not break as easily as normal swords will. A few small fragments of the star metals we collect are the same as this thunderbolt iron that Agnes speaks of, but we call it Aule's Iron. We do not try to bend this metal, but treasure it in our halls."

Elrond leaned back in his chair. "So this girl is not lying about the accident of her arrival, or that the stones are gateways," he began, but Glorfindel interrupted.

"What of the creatures she said came through the circle in her world? These," he grimaced, and used a less offensive term, "fairies? If this girl can stumble through, can these beings?"

"They may be able to," Gandalf said, "But the chance of their doing so is slight. From what Agnes tells us, they are intent on getting into her world, because they used to be there. If they know about our world, I judge that they will ignore it."

"So this girl is no threat to us?" Aragorn asked.

"No." Elrond said. "Yet she may be a gift in these dangerous times."

The minds of all present turned again to (if in fact they had ever left) the Ring.

"How is young Frodo Baggins faring?" Glóin asked.

"The shard of the Morgul knife has been found and removed." Elrond replied, "It is my belief that he will wake tomorrow. If he does, the council will be held the day after." He looked at GLorfindel, "Once you hear that Frodo is awake, please begin telling all who were summoned when we will meet."

Glorfindel nodded, "Yes, lord." He paused, then asked: "What of Agnes? Shall she be summoned?"

Elrond shook his head, "No. She may be of aid and she was not lying to us, but she is a stranger. She has no place at the council."