A Note: I do not own anything to do with Lord of the Rings---
they belong to those running the Tolkien estate, and anything to
do with New Line Cinema and anyone else affiliated with the
movie trilogy. Tari and Colin are my own creations, you want to
use them, just let me know, I'm pretty flexible. I am not making
any money from this (as is well shown by my bank account at the
moment, unfortunately), I'm just an obsessed fan who decided to
try my hand at it, after reading the works of many others. Hope
you like it, and review it for me please! I'm a university
student at the moment, so updating will be kinda sporadic for a
bit, so bear with me, ok??

I just posted the real chapter 3, and am now working on chapter 4, which will be posted this evening (early morning???) Sorry again for reposting Chapter 2!! Hopefully we won't have any more screw-ups. Hope you all like it, thanks again to those that reviewed!! More reviews would not be unwelcome...good, bad, indifferent, whatever, I'm gonna write it anyway, so...say what you like!!

Chapter 4

Tari walked quietly down the hall with Aragorn, very nervous about meeting Elrond. She figured there was a chance that he had foreseen her coming here to Middle Earth, but she really didn't know for sure.

Aragorn stopped in front of a tall, heavy wooden door, intricately carved with leaves and vines and other beautiful designs that were beyond all description in her eyes. "This is Lord Elrond's study. I shall announce your arrival. Would you like to speak to him alone, or would you like me to stay inside there with you?" Tari looked up at him (trying not to drool since he was obviously hot!! ;) ), slightly unsure. "If it is alright with you, my lord, I would rather have you there, since you are the first person I've met here in Middle Earth." At Tari's utterance of 'my lord', he replied, "Of course, my lady, but please, call me Strider." Tari smiled inwardly, realizing that he was not revealing to her who he truly was, even though she knew everything about him and about what would happen, even up to his death long into the future, nodded in silent agreement. "Only if you call me Tari—'my lady' is far too informal for me." He nodded as well, a kind smile on his face.

Opening the door for her, Aragorn allowed her to enter Elrond's study ahead of him. The elf's back was toward them, and Aragorn had to clear his throat slightly to bring him out of his concentration on the book in his hands. Elrond turned slowly and, upon seeing Tari and his foster son, raised a finely chiseled dark brow at him. "Estel, who is this young girl?" Tari shuffled nervously, realizing that Elrond had not foreseen her coming after all. "Ada," the young man replied, "This is the Lady Tari Alarisel. She, apparently, is not from Middle Earth, and is unsure of how she arrived here in Imladris, at the Last Homely House." Elrond's brow furrowed, deep in thought. Tari curtsied to the Elven lord, unsure exactly of the customs here, since it had been a while since she had read the books, but she felt that this was a safe practice. Estel had nodded his head to the elf and then glided further into the back of the room, into the shadows. Tari looked back at him nervously, questioning him with her eyes. He nodded his encouragement to speak.

"Lord Elrond," Tari began, "what Estel says is true. I really am unsure as to how I got here, but I can assure you, I am not a spy for the enemy; not Sauron, nor Saruman." She then proceeded to tell him about setting out to buy groceries and her walk through the path, telling him what she expected to see when coming out onto the other side. "So, instead of seeing the stone building that is always there, I ended up out in one of the gardens, near the steps to one of the outdoor gathering areas. That is where I met Estel, or Strider as he called himself. He had already questioned me about being a spy for the dark forces. I'm sure it must have been because of my attire—I realize that this choice seems strange here in Middle Earth, but I assure you, it is quite common where I come from."

Elrond considered what Tari had to say for a few minutes in silence, looking to Aragorn to see what he thought of the whole thing. The look on the man's face told Elrond that the girl could be trusted. Elrond tended to agree. He nodded his head slowly. "I believe you, Lady Tari, and I have but one more question for you. How is it that you know about the evil that is going on here in Middle Earth if you have just arrived here, out in my gardens, mere moments ago?" One slender brow lifted in question, and Aragorn leaned in forward from his chair in the shadows, curious to hear the answer for himself.