Elrohir went off to fetch Lord Elrond, while Elladan stayed behind to keep an eye on their surprise visitor. To pass the time, Elladan began to make his bed. His hair fell down in his face as he bent over the coverlet, and he tucked it behind his ears. He heard a sudden intake of breath, and turned to look at the girl. She was staring at his ears. He raised his eyebrows at her quizzically.
"Your ears," she said, smiling a little. "Are those fake, or didja get plastic surgery?"
Elladan furrowed his brow in confusion. The girl spoke very quickly and with an odd accent that he was sure he had never heard before. So it took him a moment to figure out what she said, and another moment to realize that he had no idea what she was talking about.
"What do you mean?"
"Your ears." The girl pointed to her own in clarification. "They're pointed."
"Yes…?"
The girl raised her eyebrows and leaned her head forward in a little shake, as if to say, "Are you going to explain?"
"I'm an elf," he said patiently.
The girl leaned back a bit and said, "Ha!" Then she paused and looked at his bland expression. "You're kidding, right?" she said, still smiling.
"Kidding?"
"Joking?"
"No, I am not joking." It was only Elladan's confusion at her response that kept him from becoming annoyed.
Apprehension flitted across the girl's face, but then she leaned back in the chair and crossed her arms with a cynical smile. "There's no such thing as elves," she said calmly. "Although those fake ears are awfully well done."
Elladan wasn't sure where she was going with this. "They are not… fake," he said, walking over to her. He crouched down next to her chair. "Look."
The girl looked at his ear carefully, then hesitantly put out her hand and touched it gently with one finger. "Oh my God," she said quietly, her eyes widening in shock not unlike horror. "You are an elf."
Elladan straightened up, intending to say something to lessen her obvious distress, but at just that moment his father and brother came into the room and the girl jumped up.
Elrond was brought up short by the wide-eyed and fearful look she cast on him. He approached her slowly, so as not to frighten her. "I am Lord Elrond," he said gently. "What is your name?"
"Katie Johanson," she answered promptly. "Where am I?"
"In Rivendell," he answered. "Where did you come from?"
"My house. In Harrisburg."
"Harrisburg?"
"Pennsylvania," she clarified.
"Ah. Is that your country?" he asked.
"My country? No! No, it's my state. My country is the United States of America."
Elrond decided the girl must be confused; after all, a state is the same thing as a country. "I have never heard of that country," he said.
The girl ran a hand through her unruly hair, pulling it out of her face. "And I've never heard of… River… Rivendell?"
"Yes. Rivendell." He turned to Elladan and addressed his eldest son in Elvish. "How did she come to be here?"
Elladan shook his head. "I cannot tell. One moment I was alone in the room, and then there was a low tone, like a bell ringing far off, and then she suddenly appeared." He left out the part about her appearing in his bed.
Elrond shook his head. "These are strange tidings," he said in a low voice. "She is from no land that I have ever heard of, yet she speaks the Common Tongue. She seems to be from some other world." He switched to Common so that Katie could understand him. "Perhaps Ilúvatar sent her to us for some purpose."
The girl looked puzzled by his statement, but he let that be. He turned to Elrohir. "Ask the maids to prepare a room for our guest, and procure some clothing."
"Yes, Ada," Elrohir nodded, and left the room soundlessly.
"You are welcome here until we can return you to whence you came," Elrond said, smiling at their guest.
"Thank you," she said, looking a little stunned.
000
Elladan thought his father looked troubled at the breakfast table later that morning. "What are you thinking, Ada?" he asked softly, knowing his father could hear him perfectly over the chatter of the dining hall.
"Our guest." Elrond frowned. "Never in all my life have I heard of such a thing—a person appearing from another world."
"Neither has anyone else," Elrohir added. "The news has spread like wildfire. It is all they are talking of." He gestured to the other inhabitants of Rivendell, then looked up at the door.
Elladan followed his gaze in time to see one of the maids enter, followed by Katie, now clothed in a borrowed gown of light gray, her hair neatly brushed. The volume in the hall dropped a bit as she entered, but rose again almost immediately. Katie looked around in curiosity, but went and sat down in the chair the maid indicated. Elladan watched her furtively as she was served, and noticed her reaction to their food, which much have been very different from what she was used to. She glanced up and happened to catch him looking at her.
"I am sorry," he said graciously, "I have not yet introduced myself. I am Elladan, and this is my brother Elrohir."
"Pleased to meet you," she said automatically, and put out her hand.
Elrohir looked a trifle surprised; after all, handshakes were not the usual greeting in Middle Earth. But they were certainly a sign of goodwill, and Elrohir and his brother both shook her hand with no hesitation. She had a strong grip.
After several minutes of eating and conversation between the twins, Elrohir turned to Katie. "What do you think of Rivendell?"
"It's beautiful," she answered honestly. Then she added after a pause, "Is everyone here elves?"
Elrohir grinned. "Generally. Except for Estel, our brother."
Katie nodded, unsurprised. Elladan expected her to ask how their brother could be of a different race, but she seemed unconcerned.
000
In one of the gardens a particularly beautiful, massive walnut tree stood. While Katie was marveling at it, Elrohir turned to Elladan.
"Do you remember the day we planted that tree?" he asked with a wicked smile.
Elladan smiled back. "If I remember correctly, the afternoon ended with a mud fight. And you had the worst of it."
"Only because you flung some at me after I thought it was over!" Elrohir answered in mock irritation. He caught a glimpse of Katie and glanced over at her. She had a peculiar expression on her face.
"You planted this tree?" she asked.
"Yes…?"
"But this tree must be two hundred years old, at least!"
"Five hundred, actually."
Katie blinked a few times. Elladan thought he knew what the problem was—after all, she had thought until that morning that elves didn't exist. Elrohir was looking between his brother and their guest quizzically. Elladan nodded at him—I'll take care of this. He gestured to a nearby bench. "Let's sit down," he suggested.
They did, and when they were settled, with Elladan on her left and Elrohir on her right, Elladan turned to her with deliberation. "Elrohir and I planted that tree some five hundred years ago," he reiterated gently. "We are elves. Elves are immortal."
Katie's reaction was unusual. She didn't move for a few moments; she didn't even seem to breathe. Finally, she asked calmly, "You mean you can't die?"
"Oh, we can die," Elrohir answered for his brother. "We can be killed in battle and sent to the Halls of Mandos. Elves have even been known to die of broken hearts. But we do not grow old, like men, nor do we become ill. We can simply live on indefinitely."
There was another long pause. Katie's eyes narrowed. "So how old are you? If you don't mind me asking."
"Two thousand, eight hundred and eighty-four," Elladan answered promptly.
Katie shook her head and looked from one to the other with an expression of incredulity. "Don't you get bored!"
They both laughed. "How should we be bored?" Elrohir asked.
"I don't know; I get bored in thirty seconds just waiting for a webpage to load!"
Elladan frowned at Elrohir, who shrugged. But Katie wasn't watching them. She jumped up and paced a few steps in both directions (Elladan noticed that she didn't seem completely comfortable in a long skirt). She seemed at a loss for words.
"You wouldn't desire an immortal life?" Elladan asked, curious. He had grown up hearing stories of the men of Númenor, who were destroyed for their overwhelming desire for immortality. It surprised him to meet a mortal who did not share that desire.
"God no!" Katie exclaimed. "I read Tuck Everlasting in fifth grade, and thanks but no thanks!" She shuddered. "Gives me the screaming mee-mees."
"The what?" Elrohir chuckled; his older brother just looked puzzled.
"The chills. Okay, that's it. I'm not going to think about it." She dropped back down onto the bench again. "So what else should I know about this wacky place?"
"Well, this is Rivendell, which our father is lord of," Elladan began.
Katie nodded. "Yes. Has anyone ever told you your dad bears an uncanny resemblance to Hugo Weaving?" She did a particularly good impression of Elrond, with one eyebrow raised. Elrohir tried to hide his smile. "Welcome to Rivendell," she intoned, "…Mr. Anderson…"
"What?" Elladan smiled as well, but he was completely confused.
"Never mind." Katie sighed, then laughed. "Go on."
"Our younger brother, Estel, is visiting Legolas, the Prince of Mirkwood." Elrohir took up the thread. "He should be back sometime this week."
"Probably with Legolas in tow." Elladan smiled.
"Is Leg—Lega—"
"Legolas."
"Legolas—an elf?" Katie asked.
"Yes," Elladan answered. "But Estel is a human. Only a few years older than yourself." Katie nodded; she had learned that at breakfast. "You don't seem surprised," Elladan noted, with inquiry in his voice again.
"What, that your brother isn't an elf?" Katie shrugged. "There are plenty of mixed families where I'm from."
Elladan made a guess at what she meant. "But not between elves and men."
"Well, no!" Katie laughed. "There are no elves."
"Are there dwarves?" Elrohir asked curiously.
Katie laughed. Then she saw his expression. "You're serious!" she exclaimed.
"I would take that as a no, Ro." Elladan chuckled.
"There are dwarves here too?" Katie's eyes widened. "What else? Giants? Dragons? Unicorns? Fairies?"
"The last dragon, Smaug, was killed several years ago," Elladan said. "But dragons are animals, not people. Albeit, very intelligent animals," Elladan added. "Like eagles."
"There are also Halflings. Hobbits, they call themselves." Elrohir's expression darkened. "And orcs." Katie glanced up at him. "Goblins," he explained tersely.
"But you're likely to only meet elves and men in Rivendell. There was a band of dwarves and a hobbit who came through a few years ago, but that was unusual."
"Elves and dwarves and hobbits—Oh my," Katie recited, shaking her head. "It's from the Wizard of Oz," she explained.
"Where is Oz?" Elladan asked.
"Oh, it doesn't exist," Katie said. "Just like—wait. Do wizards exist?"
"Oh, yes," Elladan answered. "And once in awhile, one of them comes to visit," he added.
Katie nodded sagely. "Pointy hat? Long beard? Magic wand?"
"A staff, yes," Elladan conceded.
"No lightning-shaped scar on his forehead and a Nimbus two thousand racing broom?"
"…No…"
"Oh, good. Would hate to think he were involved in copyright infringement." Katie smiled seraphically. "Speaking of copies: How do I tell the two of you apart?"
Elladan smiled. "You don't."
"He's teasing," Elrohir said. "The easiest way to remember is that Elladan wears his brooch on his left shoulder," he indicated a beautiful piece of Elven craftsmanship, "and I wear mine on the right."
"Ro, right," Katie muttered, "Dan left. I'll try to remember that. But if I can't, you're gonna both be "El"."
000
The sound of his sons' laughter wafted up to Elrond's study. He smiled down at the happy trio in the garden below, and leaned on the balcony rail, watching them. It seemed Elrohir was telling Katie stories about Glorfindel and himself mixing the twins up. Katie laughed delightedly as Elladan interjected some comment into the tale.
Katie seemed to have endeared herself to the twins already. It must be her playfulness, Elrond decided. The twins have such a wide streak of mischief. Estel interacts with them the same. He turned back into the study.
The manner of her arrival was worrisome. Actually, the fact that she was even there at all disturbed the elf lord greatly. Never in his long immortal life, filled with lore, had he ever heard of a being taken from one plane of existence to another, from one world to another. It did not entirely surprise him that Ilúvatar had made other worlds; if he could make one world, why not more?
But these worlds did not cross; by their very nature they were separate. For a being—for anything or anyone—to cross the boundaries between them could be no less than the work of Ilúvatar, so they need not worry that it was the work of darkness. But they could not rule out that it was a dire sign, an omen of evil to come.
Elrond stood deep in thought until a shout below in the garden brought him swiftly to the balcony again.
000
Katie and Elrohir were laughing at something Elladan had said when he suddenly held a hand up for silence.
"Someone approaches," he said to his twin in Elvish, so low Katie almost couldn't hear him.
Before Elrohir could reply, there was a shout and two figures burst from the trees. One of them tackled Elrohir, bearing him to the ground. Katie gave a startled yelp. Elrohir stared up at his attacker, who was grinning at him, his eyes sparkling with laughter.
Elrohir chuckled. "Get off, Estel," he said, pushing his human brother off and getting up himself.
"Estel!" Elladan gave the young man a hug, then a good whack on the shoulder. The handsome blond elf with him laughed. "How did you tow get past Glorfindel?"
"Oh, we didn't," Estel said blithely. "We just asked him not to send word that we were back. We wanted to surprise you."
"Estel wanted to surprise you," Legolas corrected, clearing himself of all blame. "I would have been fine with walking in the front door rather than crawling through the shrubbery!" He glanced over at Katie, noticing her for the first time.
"Oh, we are being rude," Elrohir said, having finished brushing himself off. "Katie, this is our brother Estel, and Legolas, Prince of Mirkwood. This is our guest, Katie Johanson."
Estel and Legolas both bowed formally. After a moment of indecision, Katie dropped a slightly awkward curtsy—it was obvious she had seen it done but never done it much herself. Elladan wondered again why she seemed uncomfortable in a long skirt. He was sure she would have preferred to shake hands.
"Come, let us go in to Father," Elladan said.
000
Elrond watched and listened as his elder sons greeted their younger brother and his friend. And as he watched Estel and Legolas bow to the young woman, he suddenly knew—with his seer's gift—why Katie had been sent across the barrier Ilúvatar had made.
She was here to save the world.
A/N: Dun dun DUNNNN! Heh.
No, she's not hanging around in Middle Earth long enough to join the Fellowship. And she's never taken so much as a self-defense class, has no voice training, cannot ride and is not an expert in herbal medicine. It may not be what you think! …-grins-
Please Review!
Fledge: Sorry I didn't name her Ophelia. But we can't have her drowning herself in the Bruinen, now can we:) I'm still working on the Susan/Narnia story, but I just got back to college and I've been a little swamped with homework. I hope to continue with that one soon!