Chapter 33
((A/N: Again, all italics in quotation marks are elvish EXCEPT calendar dates/events.))
"She is beginning to regain her sight, my lord."
"Of course she is, Elrond. I am giving it back to her. She has suffered long enough because of a senseless law." Manwe said cheerfully.
"What shall we do? Is there anything required to help her regain her sight?" Elrond asked.
"Everything that is needed will happen on its own. Just try to keep her safe. Several of the Valar have sensed that she has a clouded future here." Manwe answered.
"Thank you, my lord." Elrond said, and bowed. He exited the room.
The minute she'd gotten off the boat and settled into her new home, she'd gone to find Asfoloth. The elvish territories were exactly like Rivendell and Lothlorien. Exactly the same. They looked the same, they were built the same, and they were even laid out the same way.
Elizabeth easily found the stables and saddled Asfoloth up for a ride. And then she rode off into the thick woods of Rivendell. Yes, they had been copied into the Undying Lands also. There was also a great deal of unexplored land that elves had settled into.
But this day, Elizabeth simply rode the familiar territory of a smaller version of the woods of Rivendell. And it proved to be challenging because it wasn't quite the same. So, Elizabeth allowed Asfoloth to guide her through the forest.
But horses aren't always as smart as they can be. Elizabeth figured this out when Asfoloth walked a few yards forward and a branch connected with Elizabeth's forehead. She slid off the horse in pain, clutching her head as she lay on her back. Asfoloth immediately turned around and nudged her with his nose worriedly.
Elizabeth moaned and told the horse she was perfectly fine. When the pain ceased, Elizabeth opened her eyes and froze. She thought Asfoloth was baize, but now she saw he was white with a particularly mischievous glint in his eye.
Wait……she saw! She could see! Her sight had returned! Elizabeth jumped to her feet in excitement.
"By the Valar themselves!" she yelled. "I CAN SEE!"
Her horse shook its head and took a step back, surprised at her outburst. Asfoloth whinnied and pawed the ground with his hoof as if to ask "What is wrong with you?".
"Come on, Asfoloth!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Let usgo back home, I have the most wicked idea on how to show father that my sight has returned!"
Lord Elrond had no idea where his daughter was. He knew she was perfectly safe, but he still worried. He ventured out into the garden and sighed in relief. She was sitting on a bench in the garden, reading a book.
Elrond turned around to return to his study, but did a double take first. She wasn't reading with her fingers the way that Erestor had taught her. She was reading like a person who could see would. He walked over to her and sat down next to her, waiting to see if his suspicions could be confirmed.
After a moment, Elizabeth put her book down and sighed, then looked over at her father and smiled brightly.
"Good morning, father." She greeted cheerfully. "Are the morning flowers not beautiful? Can you not say that the dewdrops on the grass are pleasant to walk upon?"
Elrond stared at his daughter with a slightly horrified expression upon his face. "Daughter, are you ill?"
"You must not fuss over me so much, father! And promise never to guide me again for I need no more guidance!" Elizabeth said.
"Elizabeth, what has come over you?" Elrond asked incredulously.
"What has come over me?" Elizabeth echoed. "Why, father, I thought that would be obvious! Manwe has granted me my sight!"
Elrond's eyes widened. He took Elizabeth's small head in his hands and brought it close to his heart. He kissed her forehead.
"Bless the Valar!" he said. "My dear child can see again!"
Even though she'd gotten taller than Frodo now, she was still short compared to Elrond. Elrond stood to his feet and lifted Elizabeth into his arms. He spun her around and around as he laughed joyously. Elizabeth giggled and smiled.
Elrond embraced the moment. His daughter's smiles were filled with true happiness now.
Gandalf sat in the library, reading of the tale of Beren and Luthien. Each time he read the tale, it amused him the same way it had when he first read it. A messenger entered the room.
"Mithrandir, the Lord Elrond's daughter requests your presence in her chambers." The messenger said.
"Thank you," Gandalf said. "Tell her I shall be there shortly."
The messenger bowed and left. Gandalf sighed and put his book away. He made his way to Elizabeth's chambers leisurely. His senses told him there was no danger. He knocked on the door to Elizabeth's chambers and waited.
There was a muffled "open" and he entered.
"Elizabeth?" Gandalf greeted, slightly hesitant. It was odd for her to just summon him like that.
"I'm here." Elizabeth said. Gandalf saw her, standing by the window with her back to him.
"What is it?" Gandalf asked. He approached her from behind and stopped right behind her. He rested a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed it. "Elizabeth, why did you ask for me?"
Elizabeth turned around with a huge smile on her face. Her eyes glittered with glee and her smile told Gandalf what he had hoped for her for the longest time. She had regained her sight.
"I have missed you so, Gandalf!" Elizabeth exclaimed, as she threw herself at him and hugged him tight.
Gandalf laughed with all his heart and returned the embrace.
"What is going on in here?" a voice asked. Gandalf turned around enough so that Elizabeth could see Haldir standing in the doorway.
"Haldir!" Elizabeth shouted. She ran to him and hugged him. His eyes widened as he watched Elizabeth charge at him like a bull. Their impact caused them both to end up on the floor. Haldir immediately sat up and raised a questioning eyebrow at Elizabeth.
Then he realized it: she could see again! His eyes widened and filled with happiness as he grabbed her and hugged her. Suddenly he stood to his feet.
"I must speak with your father at once, Elizabeth. There must be a celebration this night!" Haldir pronounced and promptly exited Elizabeth's room.
Elizabeth sat outside in the garden and sighed. Somewhere, across the sea, her friends were still alive. Elizabeth could barely remember how long it had been since she had left Middle Earth. She imagined that, by now,Sam had asked Rosie to marry him and that they had successfully had several children.
But further out, her parents were still alive. Pain etched through her heart. She missed them, but she no longer knew them, no longer loved them like she did her current parents and family. She had a true family in the Undying Lands. She just wanted to see her birth family one last time.
"Something wrong, Elizabeth?" a hoarse voice asked.
Elizabeth turned around and saw Bilbo approaching the bench that she sat on. He hobbled towards the bench on his cane and sat down next to Elizabeth.
Bilbo looked at her and reminded her that there was a question that needed to be answered.
"Oh…" Elizabeth said. "No, nothing is wrong…nothing at all."
"Now don't you try and fib to me, young lady." Bilbo said stubbornly, wagging a finger. "I'm old enough to know when someone is not telling me theentire truth."
Elizabeth sighed. "You probably would not understand."
"Oh? Try me." Bilbo said.
"I miss them." Elizabeth said. "Sam and Merry, Pippin and Aragorn. But I miss my parents and they're even further out there than those in Middle Earth."
"Well, that is kind of hard to understand since I don't really know what's beyond Middle Earth." Bilbo said. "But I think that if you ask Gandalf and the elves, they'll find some way to help you."
"I think you are right, Bilbo. Maybe I should ask them." Elizabeth said, standing. "Thank you ever so much."
"Anytime." Bilbo said, watching Elizabeth walk away. Once she was gone, he turned away and returned to the peaceful sight of the garden.
"You WHAT?" Haldir asked loudly.
"Haldir, please, calm yourself." Elrond said. He turned to Elizabeth. "I understand your will to see your birth parents. Lord Celeborn, Lady Galadriel, Gandalf, the Valar, your motherand I have been preparing for this."
"You have?" Elizabeth asked. This was not the reaction she had expected from her father. In fact, this was the exact opposite from what she had expected. Haldir was easy enough to predict and had acted accordingly to what Elizabeth had guessed. But her parents actually agreed with her? That was unthinkable! It was almost impossible to think that they actually encouraged her idea! Elizabeth blinked dazedly. For once, her parents had done the abnormal.
"Yes," Elrond said. "After all, I did promise you that you could visit your parents once before you completely returned to Middle Earth."
"And? May I now?" Elizabeth asked impatiently.
"Of course,your fathermust first tell you the consequences."Celebriananswered. She smiled to Elrond.
"The first consequence is that this magical process may not work. This means, there is a possibility of you acquiring an injury or two if this does not work or even if it does." Elrondwarned gravely.
"I am fine with that." Elizabeth said. "You have always been there to heal my wounds, Father."
"The second consequence: you may or may not be able to come back the same way. You might end up staying for more than one year." Elrond said. "Those are the consequences. There may be more, we do not know."
"Are you sure you want to do this, Elizabeth" Manwe asked gently.
Elizabeth nodded firmly.
"Very well, my child. You will now go with Lord Manwe and learn how to reenter our world when you are finished in yours." Elrond said.
The portal was looming over Elizabeth's head as she approached it. She turned around to look back at her family one last time before leaving. Then, with a deep breath, Elizabeth stepped through the portal…
…And stepped out in the very same forest she'd disappeared in. She saw her home in the distance. Running towards her home, she heard her heart thumping in her ears. She rushed to the door of her home and rang the doorbell.
A woman opened the door.
"May I help you, miss?" the woman asked.
"Yes, I'm looking for a Mister and Misses Gunner." Elizabeth said.
"I'm sorry, they no longer live here." The woman said hesitantly, sizing up the girl. Although she only looked about ten, she had great maturity. "Who are you?"
"I'm a……a friend of theirs." Elizabeth said. The woman put her hand over her heart.
"You didn't hear?" the woman asked, her brow creased in worry.
"No, I didn't." Elizabeth said, confused slightly. What was going on?
"Here, come inside and have a spot of tea and I'll explain it to you." The woman said.
Elizabeth entered the home and sat down at the kitchen table. The woman busied herself with a tea kettle on the stove.
"The Gunners lived here about five years ago, actually, so I suppose I should say you just missed them." The woman said, bringing the kettle over with an oven mitt on. She set it down and poured Elizabeth a cup of tea. "Their daughter disappeared five years ago and they were devastated.
"She was playing in the forest one day when a thunderstorm hit. The most recent theory is that she was kidnapped during the storm. From that point on, they were clueless. A piece of her dress was found near a tree stump and detectives began to think that she'd gotten away from whoever kidnapped her.
"Police shut the case not five months after they opened it. Her mother was so distressed that she went into a depression and killed herself seven months later. This was all a year after little Elizabeth disappeared." The woman said, she poured tea into two cups. "Sugar?"
Elizabeth shook her head and wiped her tears.
"No thank you." Elizabeth said. "What ever happened to her father?"
The woman smiled sadly. "The poor man. He became a drunk after his wife died. Rumors say he was into drugs too, but my opinion is that drugs are an addiction while drinking is for emotional stress.
"Anyhow, Mister Gunner, the poor man. He was driving one night during a thunderstorm and drove into a lake. His body was never recovered, but when the car was brought up from the lake, they found beer bottles inside. They think he was a DUI case." The woman said.
Elizabeth was in tears. She grabbed Kleenex after Kleenex and wiped her nose.
"You must've been awfully close to the Gunners to be this sad over their deaths." The woman said. "Who did you say you were?"
"I didn't," Elizabeth sniffled. "And neither did you."
"Oh my, my!" the woman exclaimed. "I'm so sorry. I am Patricia Router. My husband and I bought this house three years ago when it was finally put on the market."
There was a crashing noise and three children suddenly ran out from the hall, screaming and giggling as they played tag with each other. Patricia looked from her children to Elizabeth.
"What was your name?" she asked.
Elizabeth looked to Patricia and back to the children.
"My name?" Elizabeth asked. Patricia nodded. "…Elizabeth……Elizabeth Gun—er, I mean, Elizabeth Keller."
"Same name as the little girl. It's a lovely name, I think." Patricia said, sighing. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"
"No, I'm sorry, I can't." Elizabeth said and quickly ran from the house.
Running towards the forest, Elizabeth's mind was racing. Her parents had both died and everyone thought that she was dead also. She had nothing left. She had to go back to the portal. Finding the same spot, Elizabeth brought her hand to her heart, called upon her power and touched the ground before her.
She waited for the portal to appear, but after five minutes, nothing had happened.
"Oh no!" Elizabeth moaned. "Ada said this might happen. What am I going to do? Am I to be punished again by losing the only family I have left?"
"Hello?" a voice cried. "Is that you back there, Miss Keller?"
It was Patricia. Elizabeth quickly composed herself and went to meet the woman.
"I forgot to tell you, there is someone in these parts who would know more about what happened after little Elizabeth Gunner disappeared. I have the address and I could call a taxi." Patricia suggested.
"Sure," Elizabeth said, eager to know more about what had happened to her parents, "sure."
"Well, then perhaps you should stay for dinner. You'll need a good meal for the two hour drive to London." Patricia said.
Elizabeth blinked. She'd forgotten how far they had used to live from London.
"Sure…" Elizabeth said.
"Good!" Patricia said cheerfully. "I so love dinner guests!"
And without further ado, she allowed Patricia to lead her back to the house.
Elizabeth sat in Patricia's family room, looking at the wonderful family pictures of her family. Why couldn't she have had that? Why did she have to go to Middle Earth?
Suddenly there was a loud honk from outside.
"Oh! That'll be the taxi!" Patricia said. "Here, have one of Emily's spare coats."
"Oh, I couldn't." Elizabeth said, trying to refuse.
"But I insist!" Patricia said. "Besides, she's already gone off to college, she wouldn't even care."
Elizabeth put the coat on and stood before Patricia and her husband, Rick. Memories came flooding back from when she had first embarked on her quest from Bag End. She felt as if she were getting into another big adventure that she would regret.
"Now, dear, do you have any money to pay for anything?" Patricia asked.
Elizabeth froze. Of course she didn't! She had come from the Undying Lands, a place where currency didn't exist.
"No ma'am, I don't." Elizabeth said. She ruffled through her bag that Patricia had filled with supplies and shook her head.
"Well here, Rick will give you some currency, then." Patricia said. She didn't need to tell her husband, he was already pulling out a large stack of bills and a sack of coins. "No need to pay us back dear."
All Elizabeth could say was "Wow, thanks." And then she was off.
((Well, thanks to my faithful reviewer, Angel, I have decided to upload this chapter today. So thank her. PLEASE people, LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU WANT IN THE SEQUEL! IDEAS, ANYONE?
Thanks to my reviewers:
Fox of the Nova AKA Ivory Core(6 reviews): I think I shall use a shortened version of Elizabeth (ex. Eliza or Lisa) in the sequel since Elizabeth is now stuck in her world for a bit. Join the Dark Side indeed. Palpatine is my hero! I'm quite all right, thank you. THe Hospital was just because...well it's a long story and I don't care to repeat it at the moment. Let's just say I fainted and took longer then was healthy to get back to normal.Thanks for the reviews AND the idea for the shortened name!
Ms. Unknown (4 reviews): I don't know if you still read this, but thank you for all your reviews! I can always look forward to you reviewing, at least, I did in the past. And then I went and took a LONG time to update, so you probably stopped reading. Anywho, thanks a bunch for the reviews AND the compliments!
Iwishchan (7 reviews): Oh, Haldir's perfectly fine now - if not a bit overprotective of Elizabeth. But no worries! He'll get over his "brotherly" attitude soon enough when he finds out that Elizabeth is fine on her own two feet. That is funny - in fact, it'd make a hilarious picture. Grima getting eaten by a big pig. HAH! RIP Keshavan.In the sequel, when Elizabeth gets back home, Legolas will be there, don't worry.Thanks for the reviews!
Evenstar Princess (5 reviews): Cringes I hope I didn't make you wait too long. So sorry if I did - my sincere apologies. I know that if the character's name were Christina instead of Elizabeth, I'D feel awkward posting it on the internet. There's something about portraying the role of a character or reading about one(in my mind of course) that has my name. I don't know if that's how you feel, but that's how I feel about it. Thanks for the reviews!
melodeelic (1 review): I see how you think he could be an uncle, but he's closer than that to Elizabeth. He's not a father or grandfather but he's more then an uncle. I guess you could say kind of a godfather/mentor sort of guy to her, even though they probably didn't have godfathers in Middle Earth. Thanks for the review AND the compliments!
Insane Child of the Night(6 reviews): Have I ever mentioned how I love your pen name? I think I have, once or twice. Don't worry. Elizabeth will ALWAYS kick Sauron's butt. Thanks for the reviews!
Hitokiri Yumemi(3 reviews): I don't really mean to be so pushy. But it DOES pay off in the long run. I think I've got around 200 reviews for this story. Don't you think it pays off? I do. Thanks for the reviews!
faeriekittie306 animelover (6 reviews): yup, she fixed the staff. You know I never noticed that his staff was missing until I watched LOTR: ROTK Extended Version. I bet that's why they put that in there. Thanks for the reviews!
Lisa (2 reviews): Happy Belated Birthday! Sorry I've taken so long! Hope you still read this. I thought about changing it after I got your review, but she's seven in the beginning and I think it clicks better as seven. Thanks for the reviews!
Eleniel of the Stars (2 reviews): Yeah, I need to go back and fix all the mistakes in the first ten chapters or so. But thanks for re-reading it. I never thought it was that good, but I guess since I have all these readers, it is...Thanks for the reviews!
Merle Elendil (6 reviews):I'm glad I'm not as predictable as I think I am. I like keeping people, especially readers, on their toes while reading. I read this wonderful book that originates in London called "Godchildren" OH! You MUST read it! It's the most wonderful book I've ever read. Though, I must warn you: if you dislike big, thick and long books, then don't read it. It's at least two inches thick with small print. And yes, I believe Frank Oz does the Grover voice. Ever seen The Muppets? Frank Oz does Fozzy's voice too! Thanks for the reviews!
Tanja (1 review): You know, I have a friend with a name kinda like yours. I hope this chapter meets your reading needs. Thanks for the review!
Arami (1 review): Wow! I LOVE your pen name! And you are SO right. He needs to loosen up. I could help him with that, but sadly he doesn't exist. Thanks for the review!
ImaCoolPerson so i am reviewing Wonderful ain't I (1 review): Wow...interesting pen name...if not a wee bit too long...BUT I STILL LIKE IT! That IS interesting, how Middle Earth always needs people from our world to help them, when in Tolkien's books, they saved their own butts. I suppose that is because Tolkien is the author and why I am only a fanfiction writer, eh? Maybe the reason we have fanfiction is so we can involve a part of ourselves with some great piece of work like a movie, tv show or book. Sigh if only we had holodecks...then we wouldn't need fanfiction...we could just live out all our fantasies...Thanks for the review!
XoGiggles (1 review): Did I really make it that sad? I must be doing my job right, then. Maybe I don't suck at writing so much after all...Thanks for the review!
quillian91(1 review): well, the sequel won't be started until I sort out the plot and finish my other fic first. THEN I'll start another couple of fics that I have in my vault (aka my brain) and after those are finished THEN I'll start all the sequels. But not to worry. It won't take me long to finish my other fics. Summer has provided me with a lot of spare time to write until I'm sick of writing (for that day only). I dunno about the school year though. Next year, I'll be getting a lot more school work. Anywho, thanks for the review!
debbie (1 review): WOW, you figured me out, Debs! If anyone is reading this who has no idea who this person is, then I'll just say we're school friends. And she's just saying that I rock at writing to be nice.
ImaCoolPerson (1 review): I have a feeling that your the same person up there, but I'll give you a seperate thingy anyways. It'll make ya special if you look at it like that. Keshavan is an exiled fairy prince that has decided to aid our good friend Elizabeth. Thanks for the review!
Robyn (1 review): I have a friend named Robyn. cool name! Anywho, thanks for the review!
Dazzler420 (2 reviews): i don't really know how an exorcism works...but good idea! I sometimes wonder what I was like when I was seven...heck..I can't even remember what I did before I was 10! Thanks for the reviews!
AthranZallaLover (1 review): As you can see, I HAVE updated...Thanks for the review!
Inuyashaloverfan (1 review): Thanks for the review!
Neassa (1 review): I also LOVE your pen name! It's just so pretty! Thanks for the review!
gothic-ember (2 reviews): I ALSO LOVE your pen name...most likely because gothic is what describes me. That's only the way I dress, though. My personality is only gothic when I'm either PMSing or moody or something happens that puts me off. And thank you. I strive to be different. A romantic interest? With whom, though? Everyone in Middle Earth sees her as a sibling or family. Thanks for the reviews!
Angel (1 review): Well, thanks to you, this chapter is up today! Congrats! gives sticker Can I have my LOTR plushie now? Thanks for the review!
Thanks to all my wonderful reviewers!
Hugs and kisses
Music is my Muse))