She Was So Normal

Author's Note: I do not own Lord of the Rings or anything else that has copyrights and makes money. Lothril is mine and so is Renee, but they're freeloaders. Also, this chapter reveals my latent obsession with the humble sandwich.

That night she slept very well and dreamed beautiful and pleasant dreams. The singing of Haldir drifted through her dreams and transitioned into her waking consciousness as the light of morning crept into her thinly curtained windows. She opened her eyes, saw the room, and sighed heavily. The same resigned feeling fell upon as it did when her car broke down on a road trip with Danielle, forty-five miles outside of Nashville, Tennessee. Not that Lothlorien wasn't a lovely place to find herself in, but it certainly wasn't where she wanted to be. There was nothing else to be done except wait for word from Galadriel and in the meantime try to make the most of things. She got out of bed and opened up her closet.

She surveyed the contents once more under light of day, and decided she still wanted to wear the grey dress, but she wasn't going to attempt to wash in it, so she left it on the bed and went into the bathroom. As she was working the small hand pump and waiting for water to work its way up, she braced herself for a very cold and unpleasant experience. There was only one pump and no discernable hot and cold options. She wondered vaguely if it wouldn't be worth her while to heat the water in front of the fire and decided when she had a bath that was definitely going to be a thing that was happening. But for now, she'd take her chances.

To her relief, the water was about tepid. Even so, it was still something of a smack to her tired face. She filled up the basin and pitcher next to the sink and once her faced was washed, she poked around the bathroom to see if there was anything there resembling a toothbrush and toothpaste. She found several different bars of soap, all of a different smell and color, she found some powder in a jar, a cup, a hair brush and comb, some ribbon that she assumed was used to tie off hair, and some wash cloths and towels. She went back to the jar with powder. She opened it up and poured a little into her hand. It was white. She sniffed it. It smelled surprisingly of peppermint.

"Hmm…I wonder what this is, exactly." She mused. "Only one way to find out!" she said as she got some on her finger and then licked it. "Oh! That's salty and minty!" Suddenly she remembered something her college history professor had mentioned in passing – that ancient Egyptians used to brush their teeth with salt. She quickly looked again to see if there was a toothbrush, but to no avail. She stared at the pile of powder in her hand and wondered what she wanted to do with it. At length she decided there was nothing for it and just tipped the rest into her mouth like it was Pop Rocks candy and began swishing it around. The flavor took some getting used to, but over all, she thought it wasn't half bad. She wasn't sure what it would do for any plaque she might have, but at least her breath wouldn't kill anyone.

Once finished, she exited and headed towards the kitchen, hoping there was something in the cupboards for her to eat. She was hungry and not thinking about dresses.

As she rounded the corner the kitchen table came into view, laden with bread, cheese, fruit, and cold chicken. She had a notion of wanting bacon and eggs for breakfast, but with the given options, she settled for having a hot sandwich for breakfast, so she started opening up cupboard doors to see if she could find any cookware. As she was sitting on the floor, pulling pots and bowls from the cupboard, Haldir returned inside with a new load of firewood.

"AHA!" she exclaimed. Haldir whipped his head in the direction of her voice. "Now if only I had tinfoil," she added as she stood.

Haldir stared at her with his mouth agape. Not only was she talking to cookware, she was only in her under dress. He blushed slightly and wondered if he should leave the room. The moment he spent dithering was long enough for her to turn, coincidentally, in his direction and see him standing there, blushing, open mouthed, and holding an armful of wood.

"Good morning!" she greeted.

He recovered himself. "Good morning," he replied. "I beg your pardon, I should leave." He hastily set down the wood beside the fireplace and started heading for the door.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"Out, I apologize. I did not realize you were not dressed yet."

"What? Wait! Don't go! I'll just go throw on a dress. I'm sorry," she said, stumbling over her words. She felt bad she caused Haldir to be so embarrassed. With a clank she set the frying pan on the table and dashed off to her room. Quickly, she threw on the dress and then returned to find Haldir tending the fire.

He looked up and Renee swore she saw relief flit across his face.

"So, I noticed last night that the hearth looks set up for cooking, and it doesn't really look like there's a stove in the kitchen," Renee commented.

"Yes, there was not quite enough room to accommodate both in here," Haldir replied. She nodded and resumed her sandwich making. He wasn't sure what she was up to, and was curious to find out.

"Haldir, are there any pot holders or anything suitable for the picking up of hot metals?"

"Yes, there should be something in one of those drawers there," he answered.

She immediately began opening drawers and rummaging about. She found a thick leather glove and held it under her arm while she kept looking. "How about a spatula? Ope! Never mind! I found one!" She said and then immediately set to assembling her sandwich on the frying pan. Once finished, she brought over the pan, the glove, and the wooden spatula to the fire. She set the frying pan down on the edge of the hearth and held her hand out to the flame. "That should do," she muttered to herself, eyeing the device on the side of the hearth.

The device was something she didn't have a name for, but recognized immediately because her father had made something similar to it for camping. It was a metal pole, about three feet tall, which slipped into a hole that was in the floor of the hearth. On it were two arms. One had a hook, the other a grill. They were held in place by friction and pressure and could easily be adjusted if one just lifted the arm slightly and slid it up or down the pole.

Given how warm the fire felt to her, she figured the grill arm was just fine where it was, so she donned the thick leather gloves and swung the arm out over the flames then set the frying pan on the grill. In a few minutes she had a grilled chicken and cheese sandwich with carrots and broccoli. Haldir had been surreptitiously watching her the entire time whilst pretending to read a book. She had been so preoccupied, however, that he could have been flat out ogling her and she wouldn't have noticed.

With her gloved hand she swung the arm out from the fire and carefully flipped the sandwich onto a plate. As she headed over to the table Haldir asked, "What is that you made?"

"A sandwich," she answered.

"What is a sandwich?"

She laughed, "Oh, I guess you wouldn't know, would you? Basically, it's some combination of meat, cheese, and vegetables between two slices of bread. It was created by the Earl of Sandwich around sixteen hundred and something, er, four hundred years before I was born. If I recall correctly, he invented it because he liked going out and doing things – I want to say hunting, but don't quote me on that - but thought it was cumbersome to carry his meal a la carte, sorry, in a bunch of different pieces, so he decided to assemble it and make it portable. Anyway, this particular sandwich is shredded chicken, whatever this white cheese is, thinly sliced carrots, and little pieces of broccoli. Would you like a bite? I'd be happy to share."

He considered her offer then said, "Yes, please."

She cut off some for him and slid it to the edge of her plate. He picked it up and took a bite. She watched and waited until he swallowed before she asked, "So? What do you think?"

"That's very good."

"Thanks! This is a grilled sandwich, of course. A lot of people eat sandwiches cold, but I can't abide cold chicken for breakfast. Would you like one? I could make one for you."

Haldir smiled, "No thank you. I already breakfasted this morning. Perhaps another time."

He sat back down with his book as she continued to eat. As she ate she pondered what she wanted to do that day, what she wanted for dinner, and how long she would have to wait to hear from Galadriel about going home. She hoped it wouldn't be long. This place was lovely, but she didn't want to stay. She wondered what was going on back home. Had Danielle seen the runaway child knock her over? Had anyone found her purse and realized she was missing? No, she was certain Danielle had seen her. So did that mean the police were now trolling the lake for her body? She also wondered if her parents knew she was missing yet. If Danielle had seen her, then she probably would have called them right away once she realized what was going on. It would take them, what? Five hours to drive down to Smithsville from the cottage?

She vaguely hoped that kid and his mom would be charged with baby stroller hit and run, but that didn't feel like something that would be on the books. She had visions of the little brat being put behind plastic bars in a day care that only gave out stale generic crackers and watery juice at snack time. But what would be the point? It wouldn't change anything. Fine, let the rug-rat snack on nothing but name brand Goldfish crackers and drink nothing but straight up Welch's till the day he goes to middle school. None of it changed where she was or had any influence on whether or not she returned.

Whether or not… she hadn't considered the possibility of not returning. Not seriously anyway. Haldir had said something last night, but it hadn't sunk in. She sat there, staring off into nothingness, an empty plate before her, and suddenly the full weight of the realization of returning being an "if" struck her.

Haldir noticed she hadn't made any noise for a few minutes and looked over at her. She had a sad look on her face and her eyes didn't seem to be seeing anything. Concerned, he went over to her and said her name.

She did not stir.

"Renee, are you alright?" Haldir asked, concern growing. "Renee!" he said more forcefully.

She blinked and looked over at him then spoke, "I'm fine. I was just thinking, that's all."

Haldir said nothing, and returned to his book, surreptitiously watching her as he read. She breathed in deeply and sighed. Again, if that was her fate, there was nothing she could do about it at present except make the best of her situation. She pushed away from the table and put her plate in the sink. Finding a dish rag and a bar of soap to wash her dishes with she set to cleaning up.

"Haldir?" she said.

"Yes, Renee?"

"The only way to heat the water up is to boil it in a pot over the fire, isn't it?"

"Yes. But if you wish to heat up large amounts of water to bathe with, there is a large copper kettle you can use. What do you do where you are from?"

"We have large metal tanks - barrels, that heat the water. The one I have at home uses natural gas to feed the flame that heats the water."

"Natural gas?"

"Yes, flammable gas that is found in the earth. We figured out how to get it from the earth and harness it to heat water, use in stoves and ovens for an even, controlled, and constant heat, and even heat our houses. It's extremely convenient."

"That sounds as if it would be."

Just then there was a knock at the door. Renee answered to find Aranor standing there.

"Good morning!" Aranor greeted. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better, thank you."

Aranor smiled, "I am glad to hear it. Come, let us sit beside the fire and I shall examine the bump on your head and see what progress you have made." He lead her back to the couch near Haldir. They sat down and Aranor probed her head with his fingers. "Does it hurt?"

"No, not at all," she answered.

"Any dizziness or feeling ill?"

"No."

"Have you noticed anything?" He asked Haldir.

"No, nothing. She did sit and stare for a while earlier but said she was thinking. She seemed fine after though."

Aranor nodded. "That may very well have been the case. She seems fine now. Her eyes are clear and alert and there does not seem to be anything amiss."

"You seem well, Renee. I shall be around again tomorrow, but do not worry about waiting for me."

Aranor stood up and headed to the door, Haldir stood and followed him. "Keep an eye on her. If anything at all seems amiss, send for me immediately."

"I shall," Haldir replied. "Have you seen Lothril?"

"Yes. It seems she has, well, it sounds incredible. You shall have to see her for yourself. If you like, I can stay with Renee one day while you go to see them."

"Thank you," Haldir said.

"I return now to where I am needed most. Farewell!" Aranor said to both of them.

"Bye!" Renee said with a smile and a wave.

Haldir nodded and put his hand to his chest. With that, Aranor left.

"So what were you two chatting about? I heard my name," Renee said.

"He was saying you seemed well and that he would now focus on other patients," Haldir answered.

"So, can I meet the people who brought me here today?" Renee asked.

Haldir got a funny look on his face then said, "They have had a very long ordeal and are in much need of rest. It would be best to give them a couple days yet. I shall send word that you wish to see them."

"That's understandable. And thanks," Renee answered. "Well, I suppose there's nothing for it then but to explore Caras Galadhon. That is, unless you all have an archery range near by. I'm very rusty, but I'd love a chance to loose a few arrows with an elvish bow."

Haldir grinned. "That can certainly be arranged."

"How heavy is the draw of your bow?" Haldir asked.

"Thirty five pounds," she answered.

"So light?" he joked.

She looked at him for a second trying to decide if he was joking or not then said, "Yes. So I hope elf children have long arms because I've got a pretty long draw."

Haldir laughed and then selected a bow for her from the rack of bows. It was unstrung, and though Renee hadn't ever successfully managed to string her own bow by herself without her bow stringer, she was determined do this much for herself here. She carefully remembered how she had seen her dad string his recurve and then imitated her memories. After a struggle and stifled laughter from Haldir she managed it and felt quite proud of herself and self-conscious at the same time.

Haldir had outfitted her with a bracer and shooting glove, so as soon as her bow was strung, she stepped up to one of the small barrels that contained arrows, knocked her arrow to string, pulled back and released. Her arrow hit the target, but on the outer edge of the outside ring.

She frowned. Despite the fact she had been telling herself all the way to the archery range that she was not going to compare her skills to those of elven archers, she found herself doing just that. She drew another arrow, knocked, pulled, released and watched her arrow sale into the inside edge of the outer ring on the other side of the circle. This was becoming embarrassing! She drew a third arrow, made her self breathe deeply and released again. This time having it land squarely inside the bottom of the middle ring.

Haldir studied her intently as she shot. It was obvious she had shot before and had at least a rudimentary knowledge of what to do, but he realized she had not been exaggerating when she said she was out of practice. After her fifth arrow landing no where near her other four, he asked, "Would you like some advice?"

"Sure," she said, lowering her bow.

"Your posture and stance are good, but your grip is inconsistent. One shot, your grip looks as if you are trying to reign in a run away horse, and the next shot it is too loose as if you are getting ready to drop your bow. Also, you fire too soon. You are not giving yourself enough time to focus properly on your target. You must give yourself time to account for all the things that may affect your shot. Let us go fetch those arrows and you may try again with these things in mind."

She agreed and off they walked to the far end of the field.

"You really are not very bad," Haldir said as he drew one out of the target. "You just need a little practice."

"Thanks, but I know inconsistency when I see it," she replied.

"Yes, maybe, but you hit the target each time, which is saying something. Do not be hard on yourself. It takes practice to become good at anything."

"Yeah, yeah. I know. I just never seem to have the time to focus on the things I like to do. I'm too busy working, trying to keep up with friends, and doing stuff. Heck, I don't even have time to do things I should do."

"Work is no bad thing, neither is spending time with friends," Haldir said.

"I know. It's just that- I don't know. It's just a shame, I guess."

Haldir could sense there was a whole ocean of thoughts and feelings behind that sentence, but she suddenly seemed very closed off and far away and so he drew her back with a touch to her shoulder and said, "Come, let us try again."