AN: This is it….next to the last chapter of this story. I'm sorry it's taken so long to come to this point but I hope everyone's had fun. There's a semi-sort of-kind of sequel for this story in the works and I hope you all look out for that. I had my first "workshop" in my Creative Writing class last Friday. Things went…oddly…for me and my poor story. I got some good feedback about characters and settings and things like that from some of my class. Then I had one girl totally rip me on how terrible the story was because it was a seriously sci-fi/cyberpunk/baseball crossover. My professor was really confused about the entire story since I left a cliffhanger ending s he asked me to write a sequel to it by the end of the semester. Anywho, thanks for all your reviews! They rock like a box of socks and helped a great deal when I had to write out my Creative Writing assignment.
Ms. Unknown: It most certainly will! At least, I hope it will. Anyway, here's the next part and I hope you like it!
Elven Script: It's a happy thing, I think. Well, it is for her anyway but, no worries, things will start looking up for Niphredil. I'm glad you liked my chapter and, trust me, my author powers are few. It just write to pass the time in school. Here's my next post!
LalaithoftheBruinen: I never though of it that way but that makes a whole lot of sense. Thanks for the thought! I greatly appreciate it! I'm not going to go as far as that and mess with Tolkien's lines of succession. Eldarion will still be Aragorn's heir; he'll just have an elven older sister wandering around too. Maybe just to get in the way of any other daughters Aragorn and Arwen have too since she's just a little different. Anyway, here's my next chapter! Fresh from my computer!
The Cap'n: Let's just say there are some…loose ends…that need trying. Her parents, as well as her step-siblings- are among those ends.
Mystic-realm: Aw…thanks. I'll try to keep up the good work in this next part.
Lindiel Eryn: LOL….I'm glad you liked my pervious chapter!
Shay: Don't worry; the wicked step family (all of them) will get what's coming to them. Maybe in the form of magic or in some other form but they'll get what they deserve. There's lost of interesting ways for them to be "punished" for their transgressions. As for Hope, she'll get to see her friend again and she may yet get to Middle Earth for a visit. I'm not sure yet but I'll see what I can do. Thanks for pointing that out. I kind of tend to update really late at night/early in the morning and my spelling and things like that tend to get out of whack. Anywho, here's the next part!
Arami: WOW! Talk about good timing! I got your review just as I was writing this chapter! I'm glad you liked the song/poetry in the chapter. I have a habit of doing that since I feel it helps the story or something like that. I'm also glad you like the fact she's sticking around in Middle Earth. Though she has certain things she'd miss about earth, she's not going to go back. I hope you had fun in New York. It's a great city! Thanks!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a handful of made up characters. Tolkien thought up the concept and, as such, it belongs to him. I'm just playing in his world. I'm broke and in college. All I own are Pointe Shoes.
It was a disconcerting feeling, really, as Niphredil passed through what seemed to her to be the trunk of a very large tree. Well, she wasn't passing directly through the trunk of the tree as it was. More like she was passing through this odd portal- gate? - Patrick had opened for them.
Actually, she hadn't seen the red-headed wizard at all. Apparently, somehow, her grandfather got in contact with the wizard. Time and place were organized and here she stood with her parents in a secluded area in some public park in Salem Center. Kind of ironic really considering she's left this world via a park.
That was the least of her worries, now though. Niphredil's eyes cast around the park looking for anyone who might have seen them come through the portal. Trying to explain that would have been one mean feat and something she really didn't feel up to doing.
As it was, Niphredil saw she had a lot on her plate at the moment. Between her purpose for coming back and the fact she was on a total and utter sensory overload, she didn't want to have to tell a person that she hadn't really come out of a tree. Like they'd believe her.
Niphredil was well aware of the fact this was not her parents first time on this earth- they'd gone with Legolas to see Emma dance before she left this world. - but she couldn't help but stifle a giggle when she looked at them. Both looked so uncomfortable in the garb provided for them as they'd crossed into this world and in the world itself.
The sights and sounds, mechanical and electrical in nature, were wholly unfamiliar to them. As such, it caused them a bit of mental and physical confusion.
"All the more reason," Niphredil decided, "for me to hurry up."
She felt bad causing them harm but they were an important part of her "master plan." If her memory served her correctly, and she hoped it did and that time didn't pass oddly between her former home and her new home, all of the Jones' friends would be over their house today. It was the twins' birthday, after all.
"Come on," Niphredil whispered, her voice smallish and quiet, "It's not far from here."
Through the once familiar neighborhood she took her parents, leading them down paths she once felt so comfortable walking down.
Now, though, everything was alien to her and very much foreign. The cars were mechanical monstrosities that replaced the horses she was so use to seeing and riding. Electrical street lamps and the glaring lights from buildings cast the sky in an odd light and prevented her from seeing the stars wink on in the twilight. The few stars she did see seemed dim when compared to the ones in the skies above Minas Tirith.
How she ever managed to live here was beyond her. In this unnatural world with its foul air that seemed to be invading her lungs as she walked.
"Is something wrong, Niphredil?" Aragorn asked, watching her as she stopped waiting for a stop light to change colors.
She shook her head, thinking that nothing was really wrong. It was just that the expression on her face had changed considerably when a thought entered her mind. One of those epiphany moments her English teachers in school use to talk about.
"I just realized you can't go home again. I left this place, not because I didn't feel right here but because I wanted to find a family. Now I realized just how much I don't belong her either. This place doesn't fit anymore…it's not my home," Niphredil admitted, leading her parents across the busy street and trying to ignore the stares they were getting.
For all their clever "disguising" it was plain to see that Aragorn and Arwen had this otherworldly quality about them, as if they really and truly didn't belong here. The same air was about Niphredil but not too such a large degree yet. It was only just beginning in her, despite what the young elven female felt at the moment.
Through a maze of houses, fancy but nothing as grand as the citadel she lived in, she lead her parents. Their final destination was a home set apart from the others by a sprawling yard and an exceedingly high fence.
"What is this place?" Arwen asked, curiously.
"This," Niphredil answered, opening the gate with a practiced hand, "was my home."
She led her slightly stunned parents up the front walk. Despite her being gone for a period of time this place hadn't changed. Everything from the trees to the well manicured grass to the silly little lawn lamps was still the same. She hadn't expected any change but…hey…one never knew.
Miracles could happen but the Jones' were stuck like a car in the mud. They spun their tires and felt they were going somewhere. In truth they were going no where fast. They were just spraying up a wall of mud and making a huge mess.
"You use to live here?" Aragorn commented, mentally comparing this place to any and every location he had ever visited in Middle Earth.
This place paled in comparison to any but, then again, this world was nothing like Middle Earth. Even in his second visit, this place still bothered him.
"I did live here but I didn't really live here. I kind of just stayed here since there was no place else for me to go. Couldn't breakaway from these people because there was no place for me to go….until now," she answered, mounting the front steps two at a time.
"You friend here would not have kept you safe?" Arwen inquired.
"Who? Hope?" Niphredil answered, "She lives in a school and I wouldn't have fit in there anyway. You'll see if I can get in there later. I have to see her before I leave."
"I'm sure well will get there," Arwen said, assuring her suddenly skittish looking daughter.
Niphredil gave her mother a wan smile and rang the bell again. The chime, she knew, would echo throughout the house and bounce through the vast rooms. She'd even been able to hear it in her own room. Not that she ever answered the door since it was never for her anyway.
Why they weren't answering, Niphredil couldn't say. Perhaps they were just having such a raucous party that they weren't hearing the annoyingly loud chimes?
"Are they home, Niphredil?" Aragorn asked, coming up to stand behind his daughter.
"They should be," she worried, "They usually throw the twins these massive parties here. More to show off the house and whatever they've done to it in the past year. They're like that here."
Her voice was disgusted as she spoke. Even before she'd left, she knew the family she'd been forced to live with was about as deep as a wading pool. Now that she'd gone to her true home, met her real family that difference was quite glaring. A lot of differences were now but she wasn't keen on dwelling on them right now.
Sure enough, her elven ears heard the pounding of feet approaching the door. Someone had heard the bell and was on their way.
She took a deep breath, centering herself and preparing herself for what she knew she had to do. If she could leave this world and take an adventure to Middle Earth and, once there, make the most life altering decision ever…well…she could do this.
The door swung open and the figure standing in the open doorway simply gawked.
"Mom, dad, James. I think you need to come out here," Jane- dressed in a too short lurid pink skirt and a too tight white top- bellowed.
Niphredil stepped away from the door, her back bunking into her father's front. She felt a hand come down on her shoulder as a way to steady her out. His grip was friendly, though, and familiar and warm. Something she figured she needed right about now. It was always a plus, too, that he was quite a bit taller than Jay.
"Come to think of it," she decided, watching as everyone including her foster parents file onto the wide front porch, "nana's a whole lot taller than Kay."
She allowed her eyes to wander, looking for her nana. She found her standing next to her father, watching the gathering crowd.
Niphredil didn't move at all, not wanting to be the first to do or say anything. She really didn't care too. All she wanted was to say what she had to say and get out of here. Well, see Hope and then get out of there.
It was Kay who made the first move, rushing forward, pulling Niphredil away from Aragorn, and throwing her arms around the elven child. The water works turned on and Niphredil wanted nothing more than to go back to her father's safe hands or her mother's most comfortable embrace.
This- Kay with tears in her eyes and her arms around Niphredil- was annoyingly fake and aggravatingly awkward. Kay had never so much as given the elven child a pat on the arm let alone a hug.
"Oh my, Freddy, we missed you so much. We were all so worried about you. Not coming home like that. We all thought the worst but here you are, safe and sound," Kay sobbed.
Like something carved from stone, Niphredil's expression didn't change. She couldn't be affected by Kay's words since she knew them to be fake. Not like everyone around her- save her birth parents. They fell under the spell of Kay's words.
"I'm really sure you are, Kay," she commented, pulling away and stepping back towards Aragorn and Arwen, "and I've told you not to call me that. My name is Niphredil. They don't call me that."
She gestured to the couple standing behind her. It was strange, actually. She didn't even have to tell them what she preferred to be called. They just, sort of, called her Niphredil all the time. Something she was quite relieved about.
"And who are they?" Jay snapped, obviously upset his wife's charade was falling to shreds.
"These are my birth parents," she, proudly stated, "I didn't run away, that would have been the chicken's thing to do, and I think I know how to handle myself thanks to Doc. I got the opportunity to meet my birth parents and I took it. I'm just here to do the polite thing and tell you I'm leaving and going to stay with them."
"What are you talking about? We've been nothing but kind to you? Given you a home and a family when these people didn't want you? What would you rather have; a nice family like us or a family that will give you up like them?" Kay cried, trying to save face.
Niphredil felt her parents stiffen behind her, taking the insult personally. They had every right to, though, since Kay was talking about them. The comments, however, had been directed towards Niphredil and it was Niphredil who wanted to deal with them. She had to…just to close this chapter of her life and open a fresh new one.
"Them, any day of the week. You and Jay and those beasts you call children aren't a family. You kept me around because you didn't want to be embarrassed by me taking off or by sending me back. You two aren't even fit to parent a dog, let along a child. They had their reasons for giving me up and those reasons are ten thousand times better than yours for adopting me," she snapped.
"You two….you can't do this. I have the best lawyers and she'll be back with us soon enough,' Jay threatened.
Aragorn, standing at his full height and, in Niphredil's opinion, looking very much like a warrior-king, glared down at Jay.
"I highly doubt that will take place. No one is taking my daughter away from my wife and I," he stated.
"That's not legal. Jay, tell him he can't do that," Kay pleaded.
Jay opened his mouth to say something but he wilted under Aragorn's glare.
It was Niphredil who spoke instead, "Do whatever you want Jay? By the time you muster up your little legal army, we'll be long gone and you'll never find us. I'm going someplace very, very far away."
She thought for a moment before adding, "I'd say it was nice knowing you but it wasn't. This was about as fun as…say…getting trampled by a horse. Thanks for keeping me in one place and all but I have to go."
With a shrug and her parents behind her, Niphredil stalked from the yard. In her wake, she left a very stunned crowd of people, all gawking at her back.
It didn't hit her until she was a bit away from the Jones home. That all encompassing let down of adrenaline that always happened after emotions like that ran high. She paused in her steps, earning her a concerned look from both her parents.
"Do you wish to head home Niphredil? Are you alright?" Aragorn asked.
Much to their communal surprise, she started to laugh.
"I can't believe I just did that. I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that," she blurted, shaking and laughing all at once.
It took her a moment to compose herself before she was able to speak again.
"No. We can't go yet! There's still someone who had to know I'm leaving. She deserves the truth…not some story their going to cook up to cover themselves up," Niphredil protested, "It'll be fast. I promise."
Down another set of streets she led her parents, walking the path that she use to take to go to Tae Kwan Do. Of course, she wasn't going to the dojo. Instead she stopped in front of one of the most ornate buildings in the neighborhood.
To all but a select few it looked like a regular boarding school. Those in the "know," Niphredil included, knew that The Xavier School for Gifted Youngsters was a mutant training facility, school, and safe haven. It also happened to be her friend Hope's home.
Niphredil thanked whatever luck she had that there was students on the grounds when she walked by. She had all the more reason to thank her luck when her keen eyes spotted Hope, sitting on the grass watching the others play in the dwindling light.
"Your friend lives here? What manner of place is this?" Arwen asked, watching the children playing.
"It's a school for kids who have special…abilities. Hope has her own special abilities and I think she's just put one to use now," Niphredil laughed, watching the tiny mutant make her way over to the gate.
Hope pulled the gate open and her face split into a wide grin when she saw just why she'd been drawn over. She was very "sensitive" to the minds she knew best.
"Niphredil," she exclaimed, "Where'd you go? We were all worried about you! My dad said he say you go off with an old man and disappear. Are you alright?"
Niphredil knew the small mutant's concern- and her parents' concern- was genuine. Hope's family had embraced Niphredil as one of their own and were, sometimes, overly nice to her. Not that she wasn't grateful for the attention.
"I'm fine, Hope. The old man your dad saw me with was a wizard. He took me home, like to where I was born, and I got to meet my birth parents," Niphredil explained.
Hope gave her an incredulous look, not believing her at first. With mental permission from her friend, Hope found that Niphredil wasn't lying. It was all in her head for her to see if she so desired.
"That's excellent. I'm so glad for you," she commented, "Will I get to meet them? Can I meet them?"
"Of course. They're right here. I brought them since I wanted them to meet you," Niphredil told Hope.
To her parents, she commented, "Nana, father, this is Hope. Hope this is my mother Arwen and my father Aragorn."
It didn't take a mind reader- though Hope knew a few and could do a little mind reading herself- to figure out what ran through the tiny mutant's head. Unlike Niphredil, Hope had read the Lord of the Rings books. She knew the names of the characters and the roles they played. She pieced it all together like one big quilt.
"You're serious, aren't you? He's the High King of Gondor and she's his Queen and you're an elven, immortal princess," Hope broached.
"I'm very serious, Hope," Niphredil answered, "I know it sounds crazy and all but it's true. Every word of it."
"No...no…I believe you. That means, though, you're leaving. You're going to stay there, right?" Hope asked, her smallish voice getting smaller.
Niphredil knew this was going to be the worst part, saying her "good bye" to her only true friend in this world. If she could have, she would have taken Hope with her but she knew that was impossible. Hope had her family here and she was needed for so many things. There was no way she could take her away from that.
"I have to, Hope, you know that. This is what I've always wanted. I finally have my family and a life I can be happy about," Niphredil answered.
"I know," Hope countered, "but, maybe, I can come visit you sometime? I'd love to see the White City for real, instead of just an image in my imagination."
Niphredil looked to her parents for that answer. She would have liked to just assure Hope she could but wouldn't have been fair at all. She deserved the truth.
"I think we may be able to arrange something, little one. It is only fair since you were so kind to our daughter," Aragorn answered.
"Thank you, my lord," Hope commented, giving Aragorn and Arwen her best curtsey.
"So you make sure to stay healthy and safe and you can come for a visit. It'll be fun, Hope," Niphredil promised her friend.
"I'll do my best but I don't know about that healthy thing," Hope retorted, referring to the fact she was nearly always sick.
Niphredil pulled the tiny mutant into a fierce hug before stating, "You better get going. I bet your mom's worried sick about you."
Hope's expression grew far away and she nodded in an absent minded way.
"She is. She doesn't like me not in the house after dark anymore…afraid bad things will happen since I'm…you know…a mutant," Hope stated, in a hushed voice.
"Then you best get going," Arwen said, "I would not want you to get into trouble on our account."
After another "good-bye" and the promise of a visit someday, Niphredil watched Hope disappear onto the school's vast property.
"Are you ready to do, my child?" Aragorn asked, curiously.
"Now we can go," Niphredil stated, "I'm done here; have no reason to stick around. I want to go home to stay."
That was all she needed to say, as she decided this chapter of her life was over. Every page written and illustrated for all to see. It was time to open up a new chapter and what better place to start than her home in Middle Earth.