A/N: I don't own anything, except Rae Anne...although I wish I did...again, this is probably a Mary-Sue, you do not need to tell me...if you don't like these kinds of stories, then stop reading it...I would like to say thanks to ElvenRyder for picking up and continueing her support, which I really do appreciate...
Chapter 2: Not In Kansas Anymore…
When Rae Anne awoke the next morning, the first thing she noticed was the canopy of leaves above her head.
"Well, this is new. Since when do I sleep in a forest? Wait a minute-where the hell is my bedroom!" she thought, growing frantic.
Looking around she saw that she was in a clearing in the middle of a forest that appeared to go on forever. And as far as she could tell there was no sign of civilization anywhere at hand.
"Oh, great. This is just peachy. How on earth am I going myself out of this mess?" she asked aloud, not expecting to get an answer.
"Well, you can start by explaining what you are doing in Rivendell." Stated a voice from just behind her.
Startled, Rae Anne jumped up and whirled around.
"W-who are you!" she stuttered, extremely shaken.
"No need to be alarmed, I am just wondering how you came to be here when you were not there a moment ago. I am Erestor, by the way, Lord Elrond's chief councilor." The tall, sable-haired, ashen-eyed elf calmly stated.
"Wait a minute. You're Erestor? And did you say Lord Elrond? OK, now I know I'm dreaming." Rae Anne stated in disbelief.
"Yes, I am Erestor, and I did say Lord Elrond. But I can not see how that is so hard to believe." Erestor said, puzzled.
"Because- if you're Erestor, the chief advisor of Lord Elrond, then that means that I must be either in or very close by Rivendell, and that's impossible." said Rae Anne.
"But, my lady, you are in Rivendell, and how is that impossible?" inquired Erestor.
"Because- it doesn't exist, save in story books!" stated Rae Anne, confused. "At least, I don't think it does…"
"I assure you, Aier, it most certainly does exist, just like all of Middle Earth." said Erestor, gently. "Where do you hail from?"
Sitting down on a log that was near by, as this new information was over-whelming her, Rae Anne sighed.
"By all appearances- another world." Rae Anne said quietly, but the elf heard her anyway, as she knew it would.
Startled by this reply, Erestor took a moment to answer.
"Another world? But how is that possible?" questioned Erestor.
"I don't know. The last thing I remember is wishing that I could come to Middle Earth just before I fell asleep." said Rae Anne, quietly.
"Perhaps I should take you to Lord Elrond. Maybe he can make something of this." said Erestor.
Deciding that this was the best solution, Erestor stood up from his seat on the log and gestured for Rae Anne to follow him. While following Erestor, Rae Anne let her mind wander.
"Rivendell. How can I be in Rivendell? Wait a minute- who cares? I always wished for something like this to happen, I should enjoy it while it lasts. Hang on a second- Has the War of the Ring happened yet?" thought Rae Anne.
"Might I inquire as to your name, my lady?" asked Erestor, startling Rae Anne out of her thoughts.
"Hmm? Oh, my name. It's Rae Anne." Rae Anne answered, distractedly.
"Rae Anne? Strange name- beautiful though." said Erestor.
"Whose name you calling strange, Erestor?" thought Rae Anne, sarcastically.
"Lady Rae Anne, I welcome you to Rivendell." said Erestor.
They came around a tree and Rae Anne gasped. She had never seen anything so beautiful. It looked just like it had in the movie, only more gorgeous. Erestor, after explaining Rae Anne's presence to the guards, led Rae Anne through The Last Homely House to Elrond's study. Erestor knocked on the door.
"Come in!" a voice called from inside the study.
Erestor opened the door and ushered Rae Anne inside.
"Ah, Erestor, and who might this young lady be?" asked Elrond.
"This is Lady Rae Anne. She says that she is from another world, and is not sure how she got here. So I brought her to see if you can make anything of it." answered Erestor.
"Well, Lady Rae Anne, come sit down and tell your whole story." said Elrond, kindly.
Erestor excused himself and left the study.
"To tell you the truth, Lord Elrond, as Erestor just told you, I don't exactly know how I got here myself." said Rae Anne, sitting down. "All I remember is falling asleep in my bedroom last night and then waking up in the forest."
"Erestor said that you came from another world. Is this true?" inquired Elrond.
"Yes, it is. You see I was really very startled when Erestor told me that I was in Rivendell because where I come from, Rivendell and all of Middle Earth doesn't exist, save in stories mostly written by a man named John Ronald Ruel Tolkien." answered Rae Anne.
"Does not exist? Well that is peculiar. What were this man's stories about?" asked Elrond.
"Well, to be honest, I don't know if or how much I should tell you. Might I inquire about something?" asked Rae Anne.
You may." answered Elrond.
"Has Frodo Baggins come to Rivendell yet?" Rae Anne asked.
"No, actually, he has not. And it is beginning to cause me to worry." answered Elrond.
"I am worried as well." added Gandalf, walking in.
"Gandalf himself just arrived here this morning, and I have sent Glorfindel and a few other elves out to find him and his companions. How do you know about Frodo?" asked Elrond.
"Well, that question I can answer easily enough. I know about Frodo and what he bears through the stories Tolkien wrote. You see, he told all about Frodo's travels from when he left the Shire through the next year or so and I've read the entire story multiple times." answered Rae Anne, with caution not to say too much.
"So you know what is going to happen? Interesting. Gandalf and I are going to talk about this and we will want to talk with you sometime soon. In the meantime, however, you are free to stay here in Rivendell as long as you wish, my lady. I will have someone take you to a guest room were you may stay for the duration of your residence." Elrond stated, kindly.
Elrond called for a servant to take Rae Anne to one of the guest rooms in Rivendell. After she left the study, and bid farewell to Elrond and Gandalf, Rae Anne couldn't help but stare around in wonder as she haphazardly followed the servant through the corridors at the brilliant tapestries and statues that lined the walls on either side. The servant had to gently guide Rae Anne away from a pillar, lest she run into it.
When they arrived at her room, Rae Anne was astounded at how grand the room was- it was at least twice as big as her room at home. The bed was huge, king-sized or bigger, with dozens of pillows on it and a warm looking comforter upon it. Adjoining the bedroom was the most luxurious bathroom Rae Anne had ever seen with a jumbo-sized tub in the center to the room.
"Guess they haven't invented showers yet. Geez! That tub's bigger than any Jacuzzi I've ever seen!" thought Rae Anne, in shock and surprise.
"My lady?" asked the servant.
"Yes?" said Rae Anne.
"My Lord Elrond bid me to tell you that his daughter, Arwen, will come to your room later to help you get changed into more suitable clothing. Would you like me to draw a bath for you so that you are ready when she arrives?" asked the servant.
It was then that Rae Anne realized that she was still in her pajamas. She was so over-whelmed and excited about being in Middle Earth that she completely forgot about what she was wearing. Blushing profusely, Rae Anne replied:
"Yes, please. Thank you so much for offering."
"Oh, it is no trouble at all, my lady." said the servant.
After preparing the bath, the servant left, leaving Rae Anne to figure out which of the many bottles on the counter were the 'shampoo' and 'conditioner' of this world.
"Why the hell do they have so many freaking bottles in here!" a very confused and frustrated Rae Anne thought.
After a little trial and error, Rae Anne managed to figure out which was which. With a little sigh, Rae Anne relaxed in the comforting warm water. After soaking for five minutes, she hurriedly washed her body and her hair before the water got too cooled. Wrapping herself in a towel, she stepped out of the tub. Changing into a robe that the servant must have left out for her before she left, Rae Anne wrapped her hair up in the towel instead. Just then, there was a soft knock on the door.
"Coming!" Rae Anne called as she ran to the door.
Opening the door, she saw a stunning elven woman with long ebony hair, and mesmerizing beautiful blue eyes.
"Hello, Lady Rae Anne. My name is Arwen, may I come in?" asked the elven woman.
"Yes! Of course!" answered Rae Anne, happily.
"Let us see what you are going to wear, I brought with me a few dresses my father thought might fit you. Later we will see the seamstresses to get you a few dresses of your own." Arwen said, laying the dresses on the bed.
Arwen held one of the dresses up to Rae Anne, trying to determine whether or not the dress would fit her. While she did this, Arwen began to make conversation with Rae Anne.
"My father said that you come from another world. What is it like?" Arwen asked in curiosity.
"Well, it's nothing like here. It's not safe to walk the streets alone, especially at night, clothing is becoming obscenely skimpy , and you can't walk two feet without someone swearing or cursing at you." Rae Anne answered.
"Sounds horrible!" said Arwen, shocked that Rae Anne came from such a place.
"But it has it's good qualities too! There's the movie theater, the Mall and the Amusement parks and you probably don't understand anything that I'm saying, so I'll just shut up." babbled Rae Anne, in embarrassment.
Chuckling with amusement, Arwen replied:
"No, I do not understand what you are talking about, but that is all right. You can explain it to me some other time. Now you must finish speaking with my father and Gandalf."