So they all returned to the library. On the steps, they met two girls that made the MElings do a double-take. They both had dark brown skin—darker than any Haradrim. They were giggling about something. Katie smiled and said hello, and they replied in kind. When Katie opened the door and her guests didn't immediately follow, she looked back to see what was keeping them, and found them scrutinizing the two girls. Legolas was nearest, and she grabbed his sleeve. "Come on," she said, a little annoyed.
When they were all inside and the door was shut behind them, she turned to them in some exasperation. "Don't stare; you're embarrassing me," she hissed.
"We apologize," Elladan said, speaking for all of them. "It is just… We have never seen people who look like that before."
Katie frowned. "You're joking."
"No, he is not," Legolas said. "Why is their skin so dark?"
"Why is your hair so blonde? And why are your ears pointy?" Katie countered. "It's genetic. And Ro saw pictures of black people in the book he was reading this morning."
Elrohir nodded. "I did," he agreed. "They were terribly realistic pictures. The painters here must be masters."
Katie's grin, never far away, resurfaced. "They weren't paintings. They were photographs," she explained.
She told them what she could about photos, then led them through the main part of the library again. A group of girls sat at one of the tables, talking in low voices. They all had black hair and almond-shaped eyes, and the language they were speaking was not the Common Tongue.
"What language are they speaking?" Estel asked.
"Korean," Katie answered. "They're international students." She sat down at a computer. "I have some homework to get done," she said, slipping a disk into the drive.
"We will go find something to read," Elladan assured her, and they slipped away.
In the corridor a few minutes later, Elrohir met Estel, hurrying toward him with a concerned expression.
"What is wrong, little brother?" Elrohir asked him in Elvish.
"I have seen the strangest person," Estel answered worriedly. "I wish you will come and see her."
"Of course," Elrohir agreed readily, and followed the young human past some shelves.
He didn't have to ask to whom Estel was referring. A girl stood before a shelf, her head bent over a book. She was dressed entirely in red-accented black: large black boots, a long black skirt, a red and black lacy blouse. A multitude of silver jewelry, most of it displaying silver skulls or spikes, very short back hair made to stick out all over her head, and a black leather strap around her neck, covered in vicious-looking silver spikes completed her attire. She appeared to be wearing a ring on every finger, and her nails were quite long, longer than Katie's, and painted blood-red. Her face was pale, but her lips were black, and she had blackened the area around her eyes, as well. Her ears were pierced in several places, and she sported a small silver stud in her nose.
They slipped away again before she noticed them observing her. "Let's go ask Katie," Elrohir suggested.
When they had described the girl and her raiment to Katie, she nodded. "Yeah. She's a Goth."
"What!" Elrohir exclaimed.
"A Goth. She's into Gothic stuff. It's a subculture. They kind of like to shock the establishment by dressing like that."
"In Elvish, goth means foe," Elrohir explained quietly. "The once-Lord of the Demons was named Gothmog." He didn't think it prudent to mention Morgoth himself.
Katie's reaction surprised him. Her brows rose in interest, but she gave a short laugh. "That would please them," she said facetiously.
"But demons are entirely evil!" Estel exclaimed hotly. "Do these 'Goths' enjoy evil?"
"Just the symbolic idea of it, I think." Katie seemed unconcerned. "You said the girl had short, spiky hair and a nose ring?" Estel nodded. "That's Jill. She's in my Spanish class," Katie explained. "She's a sweet girl. Kinda shy."
The brothers shook their heads in disbelief.
000
When Katie went to collect her guests, she found Elrohir sitting in the courtyard, staring up at the blue sky between the high walls of the library. After a moment of deliberation, she went to sit beside him. Neither of them spoke at first.
"This looks familiar," she finally said.
He looked down at her. "How so?"
"You found me sitting on a stone bench overlooking the gorge, feeling a little homesick and vaguely desperate," Katie reminded him gently. "You feel the same way now, don't you?"
Elrohir took a deep breath. "Yes, I do," he said after a moment. "This world is full of such grief."
Legolas entered the courtyard and stood silently nearby, feeling that something was in the air.
Katie didn't notice him. "You told me to have faith that Ilúvatar knew what he was doing," she said sincerely. "And he did. He still does." Elrohir nodded. "My grandma always says, 'God works in a mysterious way'." She glanced up and saw Legolas. "Come on, let's all go get some dinner."
000
After the meal, Katie had to do some reading for one of her classes. She sat on the floor with her back to the bed, and Estel read over her shoulder. After a minute, she reached over to her desk and picked up a white stick. Pulling the black cover off one end, she began to write in the margin of the book.
"Stop!" Estel grabbed her hand. "What are you doing?"
"Taking notes," she said.
"But you are writing in a book!"
"Ohhh," Katie said slowly, realizing why it had bothered him. "This book was really cheap," she explained. "I'm supposed to take notes in it. Books aren't as rare and valuable here as they are in Middle Earth."
"My I see your writing stick?" asked Elrohir, who had been following this exchange. Katie immediately handed it to him, happy to se him taking interest in something. "Does it not require an inkstand?" he asked, examining the pen.
"No, the ink is in a tube inside."
"That is a great invention," he said, handing it back.
"Why are books so inexpensive?" Legolas asked, curious.
"Well, people don't write them out by hand anymore," Katie explained. "They have this thing called a printing press."
She told them what she knew of the Gutenberg press. Elrohir looked thoughtful. "I must tell Erestor of this. Perhaps he could design one."
"Who's Erestor?" Katie asked. "I don't think I met him."
"No, he is on a short visit to Lothlorien," Elladan said. "He is our father's chief counselor, and a great scholar."
I hope we see him again, Elrohir thought.
000
In a little while, there was a knock at the door. It was Liz.
"Hey, it's karaoke night down in the coffeehouse," Liz said. "Do you guys want to come?"
"Meh." Katie and Megan both shrugged.
"There's free pizza," she added.
The girls' eyes lit up. "Pizza! Do you guys want to go get some food, mingle with some people, hear some music…?" Katie asked the group.
Elrohir sort of shrugged, and Elladan glanced over at him. "Yes, that sounds interesting."
When they opened the door to the coffeehouse, they were instantly bombarded with noise. Everyone was talking in loud voices in the dimly lit room. Some sort of equipment was set up on a small stage, and everyone sat on couches and chairs around it, looking through large books and chatting. More girls sat at tables eating something Elrohir didn't recognize.
Legolas looked dubious of the whole situation, but Elladan marched inside purposefully, and Elrohir didn't protest but followed dumbly. The others followed suit. A number of heads turned in their direction as they came in, and the usual whispering began.
Katie paused and leaned over someone sitting on the couch. It was Dana. "Got an extra one of those binders?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure," Dana said, and handed her one of the books.
"Thanks." Katie and Liz then led them over to a table covered in boxes. The boxes were full of the mysterious food the others were eating. It looked like a large, flat pie, covered in what appeared to be cheese, mushrooms, and some sort of thin-sliced sausage. The girls each put a slice on a plate, and Katie gestured that they do the same. Legolas, Estel and Elladan each took one, but Elrohir shook his head when his brother offered him a plate.
"No, thank you," he declined politely, "I am not hungry."
They all sat down at a table and began to dig into their food, but a strange sound made them all look up. Two of the girls were standing on the stage, holding black things near their mouths and singing—if you could call it that. This particular song seemed to call for a lot of tuneless (and tasteless) chanting. Legolas grimaced exaggeratedly, and Katie laughed at his reaction.
"Rap music," she explained.
They began to eat the pizza with their hands, following the girls' example. It was surprisingly good. While Katie ate, she flipped through the book Dana had handed her. She ran a finger down the columns of text. Stopping at a line for a moment, she suddenly began to laugh. Unfortunately, she had a mouthful of pizza at the time, and she inhaled a crumb and began to cough.
Elladan patted her on the back. "What has amused you so?" he asked.
Katie glanced quickly over at Legolas, but he was watching two girls singing off-key with a pained expression on his face. She leaned over and whispered something in Elladan's ear. He grinned and nodded. Katie stood up and left the table. In a minute she returned without the book. Elrohir wondered what she had done and why his twin appeared so amused.
Some of the girls who sang had good voices, but many sang rather badly. Katie explained that the machines played the accompaniment of the song, and the singers used the microphones to sing along, reading the words as they lit up on the monitor.
"Let's go back to the room," Legolas suggested after someone hit a particularly sour note.
Katie shook her head, smiling mischievously. "Wait out a couple more," she said cryptically.
In a minute, her purpose was made clear. The announcer said, "Next, we have Lee, singing, 'Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring' by Josh Groban!"
"What!" Legolas exclaimed. Estel and Elladan began to laugh. "This is your fault," he said ominously to Katie, who was trying to control her sudden fit of the giggles.
"Elladan agreed to the scheme," she said innocently. "Go on. It's that song I played for you this morning." She paused. "It could've been worse; I could've signed you up to sing "Du Hast"!"
"You are coming with me," Legolas said, grabbing Elladan's sleeve as he passed and hauling him along. The twin protested good-naturedly, but Legolas dragged him onto the stage, deaf to his objections.
Elrohir, smiling faintly, observed that they were uncomfortable standing on the stage waiting of the music to being, but that no one who didn't know them would probably notice it.
The noise level barely changed as the music began. The song had a long introduction. But the instant the elves opened their mouths, silence fell on the room. The girls listened, enraptured. Of course, Elladan reflected, they have never heard elves sing before!
By silent consent, Legolas and Elladan took turns, singing alternate lines. But they finished together on the thrilling high notes: "Soaring, dying at thy throne."
As the music faded, the room broke into applause. The two elves bowed with dignity as the girls cheered and cat-called, some of them wiping tears from their eyes. Elrohir and Estel joined in the applause. As Legolas returned to his seat, he leaned over Katie's chair.
"I will be sure to return this favor," he said, smiling a little wickedly. "Infant," he added, returning to their usual teasing routine. Katie laughed.
Liz and Megan began complimenting them on their voices.
"Come, Lee, you are popular with the ladies!" Estel gestured toward the audience, which was still exclaiming about the strangers' voices, and the girls who had come over to join their praise with Katie's friends'. Elrohir noticed that Liz turned pink at this pronouncement. He leaned over to his twin.
"I believe the prince has an admirer," he observed.
Elladan nodded with a smile. "Yes indeed," he agreed conspiratorially.
000
The little duet had gained them almost too much attention, and they all returned to the room shortly after. Liz and Dana followed them up and retired their own room.
"Oh, man!" Katie suddenly exclaimed. "I've got a Spanish test tomorrow!" She put her hand to her head. "At least… I think I do… I'm gonna go ask Dana."
Megan, at her computer, nodded absently, and Katie left the room. "So did you guys enjoy your little vacation in the library today?" Megan asked pleasantly.
"It was very interesting," Legolas answered sincerely. "The building was quite beautiful—and large," he added.
"Yeah, it's one of the oldest buildings on campus. Strangely, it's one of the only buildings on this campus that isn't reputed to be haunted."
"Haunted? By what?" Estel asked.
But Megan never answered, for at that moment, Katie screamed.
TBC
AN: Dun dun dunnnnn…
A page longer than usual! Aren't you proud?. :) I went in to work with my mom today, and I wrote a whole ten pages of notebook paper, all of it on this fic. So that's why you're getting such a quick update!
Laer4572: Hee hee! Creamed by a car! I just like the way you said that…
Ravens Destiny: Agreed. I hope you get better soon! I know. I think Elrohir is adorable, anyway.
Chibi Chingo: You've hit the nail on the head, unfortunately. Things begin to happen a bit in the next chapter, but not a lot has happened, has it? Sorry about that. But some things that are established in Pennsylvania are important in later sequel(s). But yeah, things will happen next chapter! Unfortunately, I have it on very good authority that Josh Groban is indeed gay. I know, I was devastated. :) I would be thrilled to be wrong…
EresseElrondiel: Well, they don't tend to have many folk songs in the karaoke books (or at least, not the one they brought to my school), so I stuck with Groban, which they do have.
theycallmemary: Well, other than Liz's little unrequited crush on Legolas, no, there will be no romance in this piece. I'm not entirely ruling out a romance in later sequel(s), tho! Yes, please do come up with something better than MElings!. :)
Darkened Dreams: I have actually (unfortunately) never heard The Highwayman. My friend Rowan recommended it to me years ago, but I haven't heard it yet.
Thank you all! And thanks especially to Chibi Chingo, for the constructive criticism! It makes me try harder. :) I really like to know when there's something unsatisfactory in my writing. I vastly prefer it to losing readers!
Please review! You guys keep giving me great ideas! BTW, the elves are available for singing at weddings, funerals, birthday parties, anniversaries…