Chapter 1
"Ah..." Erin staggered as the ground under her seemed to shift from a level floor to a gentle slope. She was...not in the apartment anymore. She was in a glade, surrounded by trees. Half desperatly, she looked around and found Rhian close beside her, Rosie clinging to her jeans. Did she look as shocked as her sister? "Wha-...Rhian, we..." She sagged to the ground, shaking her head. "What was that?"
Rhian sat down next to her. "I don't know. Rosie was climbing the bookshelf, it tipped, books started falling off, and then..." She shrugged. Rosie whimpered and wrapped her arms around her neck.
"I wanna go 'ome. I want Daddy an' Jon-jon."
"I know sweetie, we do too." Rhian stroked her red curls. "It's all right, don't worry." But it wasn't all right. They didn't know where they were. They didn't know where Bryan and Jonathan were. "Come on," Rhian said, getting up. "We'll find out where we are, and then we'll find Bryan and Jonathan and see if we can find our way home." She swung Rosie up onto her hip, and realized she still had her backpack on. Bound to be useful. Erin had her gym bag too, and she slung it on her shoulder as she rose.
"Walking is better than sitting here, at least. Hey...is this a trail?"
"It must be, look at it. Better than nothing. Here Rosie, why don't you walk?"
"Hey Rhian, look at this!" Erin pushed some of the low hanging branches away to reveal a house. It was...well, it was...homely. Homely house. Her sister ducked to peer under her arm. "Remind you off anything?"
"Oh my...This is too weird." It was exactly how she had pictured it, but...no.
"Are you lost, ladies?"
Pippin, after Gandalf had taken Aria away to meet with Elrond, had decided to take a walk. He was still angry over Merry's story of what had happened to her, and he didn't pay attention to where he was going; he had looped back around towards the Last Homely House when he heard voices. Two human women, one dark and one fair, and a little red headed girl, with curls like a hobbit. They were all strangely dressed; the dark woman in strange blue breeches, and an oddly made red tunic, the fair one in an even stranger garment of blue and silver. The girl wore a white shirt, and an unusual over tunic/dress of the same blue stuff as the dark woman's breeches. They were like no one he had ever seen! But they didn't look as though they could be dangerous. They might even come from a distant place, like Aria. He stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Are you lost, ladies?"
They turned; why, their faces were near to the same! Only their eyes and hair differed in the slightest. The dark one spoke. "I...That is, yes, we are. Would you please tell us the name of this place?"
"Why, in Rivendell!"
The change in her speech came easily to Rhian; she and Erin had played at lord, lady, knight, and shieldmaiden their whole lives. They could curtsy, dance, speak well and courtly, and recite the laws of chivalry. Their versions, that is. Rhian could also handle a sword of medium weight well enough to fake some skill with it, from some of her drama stients. Now she opted for a slight bow.
"I am Rhian O'Connor, and this is my sister Erin and our cousin Rosie. If you will forgive my impertinence, sir, may I ask...are you a...a hobbit?" But it couldn't be...
"Of course! Peregrin Took, at your service." He bowed.
Erin curtsied, using one hand on the skirt of her ballet costume. "As we are at yours, Master Peregrin." Peregrin...oh why is my memory so fuzzy? I have that book memorized! Erin remembered, vaguely, where Rivendell was- I only used to pour over the fold out map for hours -she remembered rough outlines of what happened; there was the One Ring, of course, and...but she couldn't remember how all the different events she could remember happening fit together. And her mind was completely blank on who Peregrin was...but she was sure she knew.
"Please," he bowed again, "I am Pippin." Oh. Yes, that was it. "But how did you come to be lost in Rivendell?"
Rhian answered him. "We do not know. We...that is, it's hard to explain...we're...not from this world. Or...we're from...well, the future."
Pippin's eyes widened. "You must have come here in the same manner as Lady Aria!"
"Who?" Erin asked.
Rhian thought a minute. "Aria...wait! Is she a dark haired girl, maybe...this tall?" She held her hand up at a height a little lower than Pippin's.
"Yes! You know her?"
"Well...I know of her. I don't think she knows me. She's here?"
"Yes, with Gandalf and Elrond."
Erin's eyes grew big, and she mouthed the names at her sister. Those names she remembered.
"I...I see," Rhian said faintly.
"Come," Pippin said. "I think perhaps you should meet with them as well." He grinned at Rosie, who was staring at him with huge green eyes, one thumb planted firmly in her mouth. "Come walk with me, little maid," he told her, holding out a hand. She took it, thumb still in mouth, and he led them through the trees and up to the door of the Last Homely House.
"Ah..." Erin staggered as the ground under her seemed to shift from a level floor to a gentle slope. She was...not in the apartment anymore. She was in a glade, surrounded by trees. Half desperatly, she looked around and found Rhian close beside her, Rosie clinging to her jeans. Did she look as shocked as her sister? "Wha-...Rhian, we..." She sagged to the ground, shaking her head. "What was that?"
Rhian sat down next to her. "I don't know. Rosie was climbing the bookshelf, it tipped, books started falling off, and then..." She shrugged. Rosie whimpered and wrapped her arms around her neck.
"I wanna go 'ome. I want Daddy an' Jon-jon."
"I know sweetie, we do too." Rhian stroked her red curls. "It's all right, don't worry." But it wasn't all right. They didn't know where they were. They didn't know where Bryan and Jonathan were. "Come on," Rhian said, getting up. "We'll find out where we are, and then we'll find Bryan and Jonathan and see if we can find our way home." She swung Rosie up onto her hip, and realized she still had her backpack on. Bound to be useful. Erin had her gym bag too, and she slung it on her shoulder as she rose.
"Walking is better than sitting here, at least. Hey...is this a trail?"
"It must be, look at it. Better than nothing. Here Rosie, why don't you walk?"
"Hey Rhian, look at this!" Erin pushed some of the low hanging branches away to reveal a house. It was...well, it was...homely. Homely house. Her sister ducked to peer under her arm. "Remind you off anything?"
"Oh my...This is too weird." It was exactly how she had pictured it, but...no.
"Are you lost, ladies?"
Pippin, after Gandalf had taken Aria away to meet with Elrond, had decided to take a walk. He was still angry over Merry's story of what had happened to her, and he didn't pay attention to where he was going; he had looped back around towards the Last Homely House when he heard voices. Two human women, one dark and one fair, and a little red headed girl, with curls like a hobbit. They were all strangely dressed; the dark woman in strange blue breeches, and an oddly made red tunic, the fair one in an even stranger garment of blue and silver. The girl wore a white shirt, and an unusual over tunic/dress of the same blue stuff as the dark woman's breeches. They were like no one he had ever seen! But they didn't look as though they could be dangerous. They might even come from a distant place, like Aria. He stepped forward and cleared his throat. "Are you lost, ladies?"
They turned; why, their faces were near to the same! Only their eyes and hair differed in the slightest. The dark one spoke. "I...That is, yes, we are. Would you please tell us the name of this place?"
"Why, in Rivendell!"
The change in her speech came easily to Rhian; she and Erin had played at lord, lady, knight, and shieldmaiden their whole lives. They could curtsy, dance, speak well and courtly, and recite the laws of chivalry. Their versions, that is. Rhian could also handle a sword of medium weight well enough to fake some skill with it, from some of her drama stients. Now she opted for a slight bow.
"I am Rhian O'Connor, and this is my sister Erin and our cousin Rosie. If you will forgive my impertinence, sir, may I ask...are you a...a hobbit?" But it couldn't be...
"Of course! Peregrin Took, at your service." He bowed.
Erin curtsied, using one hand on the skirt of her ballet costume. "As we are at yours, Master Peregrin." Peregrin...oh why is my memory so fuzzy? I have that book memorized! Erin remembered, vaguely, where Rivendell was- I only used to pour over the fold out map for hours -she remembered rough outlines of what happened; there was the One Ring, of course, and...but she couldn't remember how all the different events she could remember happening fit together. And her mind was completely blank on who Peregrin was...but she was sure she knew.
"Please," he bowed again, "I am Pippin." Oh. Yes, that was it. "But how did you come to be lost in Rivendell?"
Rhian answered him. "We do not know. We...that is, it's hard to explain...we're...not from this world. Or...we're from...well, the future."
Pippin's eyes widened. "You must have come here in the same manner as Lady Aria!"
"Who?" Erin asked.
Rhian thought a minute. "Aria...wait! Is she a dark haired girl, maybe...this tall?" She held her hand up at a height a little lower than Pippin's.
"Yes! You know her?"
"Well...I know of her. I don't think she knows me. She's here?"
"Yes, with Gandalf and Elrond."
Erin's eyes grew big, and she mouthed the names at her sister. Those names she remembered.
"I...I see," Rhian said faintly.
"Come," Pippin said. "I think perhaps you should meet with them as well." He grinned at Rosie, who was staring at him with huge green eyes, one thumb planted firmly in her mouth. "Come walk with me, little maid," he told her, holding out a hand. She took it, thumb still in mouth, and he led them through the trees and up to the door of the Last Homely House.