This chapter is mostly dialogue; I don't like it that much, but just be patient…

I reeeeaaaallly hope everyone reading this knows the Silmarillion fairly well or else not much of this will make sense…

Replies to reviews are at the end again…

I own nothing, nothing at all…

Chapter Five: Who Knows, Part Two

Ruki gasped for air as Eldarion finished his strange tale, in shock or excitement or both; the half-elf couldn't tell. Turin, who was also sitting at the lunch table, remained seemingly passive, but the purple-haired girl more than compensated for his apparent nonchalance.

"No way. No. WAY. You're joking. You're being silly. You've got a weird sense of humor." Eldarion stared at her like he had the night they met, and again the stare convinced her. "Oh God. No you're not. You…oh God, it even makes sense in a psycho sort of way! You were speaking a different language last night, and you had weirdo feudal clothes on, and you couldn't use a phone and didn't know what a car was and drove Andre batty with the lightswitch and, oh God, you're from another freakin' dimension! Oh, God! Oh, GOD!"

"Yes! You've already said that! Several times!" Eldarion was amused, annoyed, and overjoyed at the same time. "But you believe me?"

"I shouldn't. But I do. Oh God. Either I'm nuts, or you're nuts, or heck, let's just say we're all nuts!" She pounded the table, making several people at other tables turn and stare for a brief moment. "Let me get one thing straight. My mom and dad are also from your place?"

Eldarion nodded. "Your father is my father's Steward. My father is the King and my mother is an elf. Look. See?" He held up his hair so she could see his ears. "They've been that way since birth. One round, one pointed. Actually make me feel rather silly. A bit lopsided." Ruki tugged on his pointed ear as he spoke. "Woah," she said. "Cool, man. Can you do magic?"

"Huh?" Eldarion was startled by the question, then grew even more startled as Turin spoke for the first time.

"So why do you have a home here? Wouldn't there be another Eldarion if your parents are here?"

"I don't really know. I don't know how any of this works. All I know is my family is here and there, and so is Ruki's, and so are, well, were the Benmirs…"

"Carey? No way. Sweet. Hey, what do you mean, were?" Ruki leaned on the table, head propped attentively on her fists.

"That's another thing I don't understand. Feanor and his seven sons are a part of Middle-earth's history and legends. They're from a very long time ago, so they shouldn't be here now, and especially not as children." Eldarion turned to Turin. "And you…you're a legend too. Far before my time."

"I am?" Turin seemed like he was uncomfortable but tried not to let it show. "What…what does it say?"

Opening his mouth and then closing it again, Eldarion grappled for the right things to say, a version of the Narn î Hin Hurin that wouldn't leave Turin angry, depressed, insulted, or a combination of all three. Finally he chose his words carefully and replied, "Turin Turambar was a great hero who slew a mighty dragon. Beleg Cuthalion was an Elf and his best friend. Oftentimes Turin felt cursed, but he pressed ever onward…until the moment of his death." He finished silently, but Turin heard him. "How," the other boy asked, grey eyes leveled and intense, "did he die?"

Eldarion swallowed, settling for a half-truth. "He finally met an enemy who he could not defeat, but even though he died, he slew his enemy as well."

"So…he died defeating his worst enemy." It was a little scary how Turin could go so long without blinking. Andre's blank expressions seemed paltry in comparison.

"Yes," Eldarion replied simply, then added "…and gladly did his black sword drink the blood of his foe." You idiot! he told himself. That's what, at least the third time today? I may have to procure a gag for myself; I'd look like a fool but at least it'd keep me out of trouble.

Turin leaned so far forward that Eldarion could practically feel the other boy's breath against his own cheek. "Listen. I don't know what is wrong with you, but I can't think of a reason for you to make up a stupid story like this and then tell total strangers, so, if you're telling the truth, tell me this. Who was it? Who killed him?"

I knew I'd said too much. Now what am I going to tell him? Not the literal truth. Morgoth, maybe? He cursed Hurin's house…No. No. I can't say anything. "I…I can't say."

Turin grabbed Eldarion's arm. "Why not?...Is it someone who also exists here? Just tell me that at least!" Quiveringly, Eldarion nodded. Turin let go of him and leaned back in his chair. "Why am I even listening to you?" he asked aloud. "What does it matter what some new kid makes up to get attention?"

Eldarion hadn't known how much his honor meant to him until it was thus wounded, and he was more than a little surprised at how much it hurt. "Then you don't believe me? Are you…are you calling me a liar?" I'm not a liar. Am I? I don't know…

"I don't know." Echoing Eldarion's thoughts, Turin didn't look at him. "I don't know what to think."

"Well, I do!" Ruki stood up and angrily faced Turin. "Sure he sounds crazy! It's nuts. They've packed people off to the loony bins for less. But I'll give him this. If it's all a ploy, some sick method of sounding important, or an elaborate fantasy over the denial of somethin', then he deserves to have at least one gullible idiot like me believing him because he is putting on one HECK of an act. You weren't there last night, Mr. Dark and Mopey. You didn't see how this guy acted, how he behaved, all the stupid stuff he said and did. If this is all a lie, he deserves an Oscar for his performance because he is the best freakin' actor I have ever seen in my entire life!"

Eldarion was so stunned by this semi-insulting-yet-also-strangely-in-his-favor outburst that the only cognizant thought that formed in his brain was that Ruki certainly liked Carey well enough, but from what he'd seen Carey also could qualify for the position of "Mr. Dark and Mopey." "Ruki…I…I don't know what to say."

"Then you keep your big mouth shut, you hear?" The now-familiar bell rang once again, and as Eldarion joined the rushing crowd (without taking one bite of his so-called lunch; he strongly suspected it had been moving of its own free will on his plate while he talked) Ruki leaned close and muttered, "Don't let that jerk tick you off too bad. Whatever reason you had for telling him, it ain't worth it. Just leave it all to me. I've got a plan."

For some reason, as he walked to his next class, that last statement made Eldarion more worried than relieved.

He was even more uncomfortable when he located his "last period" classroom, in a wing marked "Art," and saw that Turin was already seated at one of the tables. Nervously Eldarion walked over and sat down. "Hi." It was a shortened greeting he'd picked up easily after hearing it all day. "My apologies if I…disturbed you during lunch. I didn't mean to. Please forgive me."

Turin still wouldn't meet his gaze directly, a strange change in behavior for him. "Why did you tell me?" he asked quietly. "I don't even know you."

"You're right. I don't. But I…" Eldarion looked away too, only down at the table instead of out into space. "…I knew it sounded insane, but I also knew you were trustworthy."

Turin grunted derisively. "How? We met today."

"I told you, you're in a legend. I knew from the legend you were not the kind to willingly betray a trust." Though what you might do unwittingly or in the heat of battle is another matter. I just knew you to be a person of pity and compassion within your hardened exterior. Was I wrong?

"Will you shut up about the stupid legend thing?" Turin snapped as other children filed in. "You know nothing about me. Nothing!"

Something kindled inside Eldarion, and pushing his chair back he stood, just as Ruki had. "Oh, no?" he countered, daring Turin to do he knew not what. "We'll see!"

Once class started and they were at work painting, Eldarion leaned over the table and defended his honor, word, and knowledge of lore in a steady stream of information. "Your parents' names are Morwen and Hurin but you don't live with them. You gave away a knife you received as a birthday present. Beleg Cuthalion would follow you anywhere. Someone named Saeros doesn't like you. You have a crippled friend called Sador. You…your sister Urwen died when you were younger, and you always used to call her Lalaith…"

Turin's hand jerked, knocking paint all over his picture. "Shut up. Just…shut up." His voice was shaking and his face twisted with anger, but as he looked up for the first time Eldarion saw not tears of rage but of grief glistening in his bright, cold eyes. "You've made your point, okay? I believe you. You win. Just…never say that again." Getting up, he moved to sit with another boy, one at work on a masterpiece. "Hey, Curufin."

"Hey." Sitting down, Turin bumped the boy's arm. "Sorry." The boy—Curufin Benmir, Eldarion thought tiredly; was he going to encounter every member of the House of Feanor before leaving school today?—shot him a look and slid his chair and work farther from Turin. Eldarion looked back at his own picture, also shaking and angry—at himself. "Fool," he spat to himself in a whisper. "You said that just to spite him. What if someone did a similar thing to you? Now he believes you, but he also hates you. Well done. Turin Turambar the Mormegil is your enemy. Eldarion Telcontar, I don't like you very much today."

He was too upset to do any significant work on his painting, and he wasn't even glad to see Ruki as she elbowed her way to his side in the hall after the final bell, dragging behind her a short boy with a tousled head of dark brown hair. "Hey, Eldarion! You make it okay?"

"Not now, Ruki, please. I don't understand anything and I just want to get out of here." Expertly he approached his locker and opened it, his fingers already deftly operating the deal and stopping automatically at the right places.

Ruki persisted; the boy fidgeted, shifting a thick red notebook from one hand to another. "I know," she said. "I know you don't get it. That's what he's for." She jerked her thumb back at the short boy.

Eldarion looked skeptically at her while loading down his backpack. "I'm not following your logic."

"Well, you need an Earth tutor, right? Somebody to get you up to speed and stuff? Well, I got you the best one in the business. Andre's friend—I told Andre, by the way, I hope you don't mind, but nobody else, I swear, not even him yet!" Another thumb jerk towards the seemingly nameless boy. "Anyway, he's a genius. Anything you want to know, he can tell you, and he's an all-around great guy too!"

Feeling it would be proper, Eldarion shook the boy's hand like he had seen others do and smiled. The boy grinned back, brilliantly blue eyes dancing as he shifted his red notebook again and took Eldarion's hand. "Nice to meet you, Eldarion. I'm Frodo Baggins."

a/n: Okay, not that long a chapter this time. The next one's insane, though…really long, with a lot more cameos. Poor little Eldarion. He can't do anything right, can he? And he's trying so hard, too…these things take time, my little halfblood prince. (yeah, yeah, bad joke, I know…and his pedigree is actually far more complex.)

Review replies:

o-Vana-o0: You call him 'Dari? That's so cute! I've been referring to him in my story notes as elda…but I may have to switch. Glad you liked my alternate/parallel universe…it just gets weirder. And fear not, everybody's favorite oathbound genius is coming soon to a story near you…

sqrt(-1): You are totally right about the "glommed" thing. It doesn't fit. In fact, I looked it up in the dictionary and it wasn't even there. I made up a word and didn't know it. As per your Luthien and Thingol question…wait and see. Thanks, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Dalamar Nightson: No DL after this (except maybe tiny little tongue-in-cheek cameos). Eldarion does spend most of his time confused, doesn't he? Lucky for him he's a fast learner. Hope you liked this chapter, and can't wait for the next one in Tale of Two Worlds!

Yael3000-who-has-since-undergone-an-identity-crisis-and-is-now-romancebookwormlover4ever: Sorry if I insulted you with the freshie thing; I hate that term too (which is why Eldarion hates it). And yes, you are a soph now. I haven't even started the WIRC list yet; I've been too busy with my job and camp. But I do have a plan for how club officers are going to operate next year! And I had your IS teacher; he's not that bad. I liked him.

Mirowood: No, my teacher was decidedly anti-hippie. The man tied his ties so tight it's a miracle he didn't strangle himself. As for the other teachers…we only meet one more, and he's a LOTR cameo. (at least, we meet him if I can fit him in) And the Legolas thing was inspired by a story on here called "Hour of our Meeting," right down to the slogan on his shirt. Talk to you sometime soon?

Well, that's it for me now. This actually took far less time to type than I thought, so maybe I'll be able to post another chapter or two both of this and of "All I Want" before the summer ends and my life becomes way too overscheduled. TTFN!