She Was So Normal
Meeting the Fellowship
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings, nor own pogs, furbies, Pokemon, Goof Troop, or Pinky and the Brain….or anything else.
Author's note: So, I'm learning that in making two stories intersect, things get complicated. I do not wish to be redundant from one account to the next, nor do I wish to have things read badly, so there will probably have to be some overlap. This is one of those chapters where overlap with The Forgotten exists – end of "Why Lothril Died" and beginning of "While in Lothlórien".
Renee was improving with Haldir's tutelage, so it was with a small degree of disappointment when a messenger came up to them and Haldir announced they had to return to the cottage right away because Galadriel and someone named Lothril was coming to visit her. The name Lothril rang a bell. She thought she had heard it before, but maybe not. It didn't matter anyway, she'd meet this person soon enough.
They headed back to the cottage and only arrived a few minutes before the Lady and the other elfmaid arrived. Renee stood up to greet them.
"Renee, I have brought someone I think you need to meet. This is Lady Lothril. I believe she will be able to explain a few things to you," Galadriel said.
Renee tried a clumsy curtsey, but Lothril merely smiled and said, "I am used to a handshake if you would prefer that."
"Come again?" Renee said, looking horribly confused at the Elf-maid holding out a hand to her. She took her hand, shook it, and then sat down. "So, Lady Galadriel said you can explain everything?"
"Perhaps not everything, but much of it," Lothril replied. "Let me begin by telling you I was born and bred in Michigan, but without pointed ears."
"But then, how?" Renee asked, gesturing at Lothril.
"Before I talk about me, let us talk about you first and clear up your mystery. I need to know a few things. Where are you from?"
"Smithsville, Indiana," she answered. "It's along the Michiana border."
Lothril nodded. "Ah. That makes sense, given your college class ring. So, what was the date when you left?" Lothril asked.
"October 4, 2014," came the reply.
"A full ten years after I left. When I left it was 2004," Lothril replied.
"So you've been here ten years?"
"Not quite. More like six months. This might seem like a strange question, but how nerdy are you?"
"Fairly nerdy, I guess. I've read Lord of the Rings, so I kinda know what's going on, but it's been forever so I don't remember many details."
"Have you ever read the Chronicles of Narnia?" Lothril asked.
"When I was in middle school, yes."
"Remember in "Prince Caspian" when Aslan is explaining to the Telmarines how they even got to that world in the first place?"
"Yes, it was something like little portals like the wardrobe were all over the place and one was in some cave that the pirates stumbled into, right?"
"Yes. That is what happened to you. Basically. The biggest difference being, those chinks and chasms were sort of supposed to exist between Narnia and our world. The one you fell through was punched into existence by something else."
Renee sat in stunned silence for a minute. "So what you're saying is, I accidentally fell into Middle-earth because something punched a hole in the universe?"
"Basically."
"Terrific. So what do I have to do to go home? Click my heels and say 'there's no place like home?"
Lothril shook her head. "Not quite. You see, the hole was not supposed to be there, so it has been patched up. You can go back, but not the same way you came. And it might take a while," Lothril said.
"And why is that?"
"I do not know yet. The Valar have not told me."
"The Valars… oh! Elbereth and Manwë and all them?"
"Yes," Lothril answered. "Which circles back around to my story."
"Good, because I'm only sorta buying you're a Michigan Elf from 2004."
Renee listened to Lothril explain how she was sitting in study hall one day when Legolas showed up and asked her to accompany him to Middle-earth because a dream said he was supposed to come fetch her. She listened as Lothril told how she started turning into an Elf almost from the first day and how over the last few months it had become more and more pronounced until four days ago when she arrived here and then had her spirit taken to Valinor where she met Manwë and Elbereth who explained to her that she was actually half elf, half maia and belonged in Middle-earth. Then she explained how she learned about the holes in the universe and how she was supposed to go back to her old life for a while to find anything from Middle-earth that was there and shouldn't be and send it back, only she didn't know how she would do so and was only told she would know things as she needed to know them.
Renee's head was spinning by the end. If she hadn't been convinced that she herself was in Middle-earth, she would never have believed a word of it. And yet… She wanted one more proof though that this incredibly elven looking woman in front of her was in fact once upon a time from Michigan in 2004.
"How could I possibly prove that to you?" Lothril asked
"You said you were sixteen in 2004, right?" Renee asked.
"Yes."
"Gimme five things only a 90's kid would know."
"Pogs, furbies, Goof Troop, Pokémon, and Gigapets. Or do you need me to sing the theme to 'Pinky and the Brain'?
"No, I believe you," Renee replied, looking somewhere between amused and shocked. "This is just a lot to swallow all at once."
"Believe me, I understand. I was wide awake when it happened and I still doubted it," Lothril said.
"And you're really an elf now?"
"Half elf, half maia, but yes," Lothril answered.
Renee fell silent and looked as if she was thinking about something for a minute and then looked up with a funny look on her face and said, "Can you do some elvish magic?"
"You know, I know what you mean, but I am not really sure what I can do to show you. It is not like I can wave a wand turn a raven into a writing desk. It is more subtle than that. And to be honest, I perceive things now that I did not see a few days ago, never mind a few months ago. I truly do not know what you could see."
Galadriel listened to this part of the conversation with some interest. She never could quite make out what mortals meant by 'elvish magic', and Lothril's response intrigued her.
"Oh," Renee said. She looked a little crestfallen, and wasn't sure how she felt about being told she might not be able to see something. Why shouldn't she be able to?
"There is one thing I can try, if you are willing," Lothril said.
"What do I need to do?"
Suddenly, she felt as if Lothril's gaze was staring right into her soul and her eyes opened wide as she clearly heard, "You needn't do anything." But neither Lothril nor Galadriel spoke, yet she heard Lothril's voice very clearly.
"What was – are you a ventriloquist?"
"No, it was just the only thing I could think of that was sort of like elvish magic that I could show you and not do any structural damage nor take a long time to complete."
"So you have telepathy?"
"More or less."
"So elves really are magical," Renee muttered.
"It is an innate ability that some develop and others do not. So I would not necessarily call it magic," Lothril answered.
"Still, it's pretty cool," Renee said "You can't just read my mind, can you? Like, half of the city isn't just sitting around reading my thoughts, are they?"
"No, not at all. You would know if they were," Lothril answered.
Renee nodded. "Good." She paused for a moment then asked, "So what am I to do here in the meantime?"
"Enjoy yourself! You have nothing else to do but wait to go home. Learn a new hobby, brush up on an old one, talk to people, explore, rest, be at peace," Lothril answered. "For perhaps the only time in your life all of your cares and worries are unable to haunt you! Your only problem is going home and it is being taken care of for you, so all you need to do is enjoy yourself."
That thought hadn't occurred to her. No rent, no bills, no time clock… Suddenly it felt like a huge weight lifted off her shoulders. "Well, okay. But what about you? What are you doing while you're here? I mean, you made it sound like you'll leave with the Fellowship, but what in the meantime?" Renee asked, fishing for suggestions and perhaps a new person to talk to.
"I do not know. I imagine I will spend a fair amount of time wandering around and exploring. I only woke up yesterday, so I know very little of this place. I do have a fair amount of work to do though. This is not so much a vacation for me as it is a training session. I have recently inherited a lot of abilities and I'm still figuring out how to use them," Lothril answered, somewhat regretfully. She might have been thrilled that Middle-earth was her new home, but it didn't mean she didn't enjoy talking about the old one with someone who understood what she was talking about.
"Oh, like that telepathy trick?"
"That is more of a parlor trick compared to most of the others, but yes."
Renee was silent for a moment, digesting everything that was said. "Thank you for explaining this all to me. Now that I know I will go home, I feel like I can breathe! I don't know how you're doing this, Lothril. I really, truly don't. I mean, no running hot water."
Lothril smiled. "Really? None in here? Huh. I had it in Mirkwood and Rivendell. But I imagine it was easier setting up plumbing in those places than a tree. And as for the rest of it, it is easier when you know you belong. If you wish to speak again, or have any more questions, you need only to send word. Isolation takes many forms, all of them unpleasant." She stood up to leave then added, "Would you like to meet the rest of the Fellowship? I'm sure they would love to meet the lady they carried so far."
"Oh, yes! I've been hoping to since I woke up, but haven't been able to."
"Would you like to meet them now?"
"Sure!"
"Then come with me," Lothril said.
They filed out of the cottage and began making their way towards where the Fellowship was staying. After a while, the Lady Galadriel took her leave of them and headed off in a different direction as Lothril and Renee began heading down. Suddenly, off a little ways in the distance, she saw a large, white tent. The sides on it were rolled back partially so she could see just a few feet inside, where she saw a tall, dark haired man standing in the doorway smoking a long pipe. The smell of the pipe tobacco wafted up towards her and reminded her uncle who smokes a pipe. She smiled at the remembrance, but then suddenly she realized she was probably staring at Aragorn. THE Aragorn. She was about to meet the Fellowship of the Ring! Meeting Galadriel and Haldir had happened so quickly that the realization didn't have time to hit her until it was all over, but now she had the unfortunate opportunity to actually think about whom she was about to meet. What on earth would she say?! She was getting ready to make some excuse to Lothril and run away, but it was too late. Maybe the elf sensed it, maybe she didn't, but she took Renee's hand and held it firmly in hers with a grip that was gentle, but firm, and oddly enough, put her at ease.
"Gentlemen," Lothril called out as she approached the door of the tent, "I would like you to meet someone!"
Renee heard some shuffling about inside and what sounded like someone getting smacked with a pillow followed by an indignant, "Oy! I was awake!"
"Renee, I would like you to meet Aragorn, son of Arathorn. Leader of our company," Lothril said. "Aragorn, this is Renee."
Aragorn gave a polite nod and said, "I am at your service, Renee. It is very nice to meet you! I am glad to see you are well."
Renee smiled and was trying to form a sentence, but with great difficulty under the keen gaze of the ranger. She had almost strung a thought together when out came another tall man, broader than Aragorn and shorter but only by an inch or two.
"This is Boromir, son of Denethor the Steward of Gondor," Lothril introduced. "Boromir, this is Renee, the lady we found by the Mirrormere."
"At your service, my lady," Boromir said with a polite bow.
"Um, thank you," Renee managed with a slightly more graceful half curtsy than the one she had managed earlier.
"And this is Samwise Gamgee, Merriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took of the Shire. Sam was one of the ones who found you," Lothril said. There was a brief round of "at your services" which were met by a polite smile and half curtsy from Renee, then Lothril added, "And this is Frodo Baggins and Gimli son of Gloin of the Lonely Mountain, and Legolas son of Thranduil of Mirkwood. I shall let you sort out which is which," she added with a grin.
Renee chuckled in spite of her nerves and was very happy that introductions were over. She knew there was a proper response in there somewhere and she was sure she didn't remember what it was from the books. Somewhere between being introduced to Sam and Pippin she remembered her manners and realized the polite and formal response back home would have been, "how do you do", but then realized she was about 3 people late to make it work, and it was just as liable to get the response of "How do I do what?" as anything else.
"Thank you all for finding me and bringing me here. I hate to think what might have happened if I hadn't been found when I was," she said at last.
"You are quite welcome," said Gimli.
"We couldn't very well leave you for orcs to find," added Sam.
"I appreciate it," Renee said.
"Lothril said she thought you were from the same place," Pippin said.
"Relatively," Renee replied. "Same region. We're still pretty far away though."
"What's it like where you're from?" Merry asked.
"Well, it's a small town, mostly surrounded by farm fields and trees. Nothing particularly interesting. It does have a lot of old houses and store fronts though. And the orchard on the edge of town was planted by Johnny Appleseed… he was a man who went out into the western frontier a long time ago and planted orchards so when settlers followed they had orchards established and waiting for them."
"Sounds nice," Pippin said.
Just then some elves appeared carrying food and laid out the noon meal for them.
"Oh, looks like your lunch is here. I'll just head back and –"
"Nonsense! Come and join us," Lothril said.
"Yes, there's plenty here, and we would like to get to know you better," Gimli chimed in.
"Well, if you insist, I-"
"Then it's settled!" The dwarf said.
To accommodate the varied sizes of the fellowship members, everything was laid out upon a low table and everyone sat upon cushions to eat. Renee watched them assemble themselves around the table, and decided to sit between Lothril and Sam. Feelings of wild self-consciousness possessed her in a way that she hadn't had to deal with since junior high school. For the life of her she couldn't figure out why she was so flustered. She was staring down at her plate trying to order herself when suddenly she felt Lothril's warm hand on her shoulder and heard her say in her head, "Breathe, Renee. You are not breathing. And relax. You are amongst friends."
Out loud though, she heard Lothril say, "Here, try this. I think you will like it," as she handed her a cup. Renee took it almost robotically and took a sip. It was mead, like the stuff from last night, but this had a more floral flavor to it with a light aftertaste. She felt herself relax a little and suddenly realized she had been incredibly tense. She let her shoulders drop and took another sip.
Lunch ended up being a very pleasant business. The food was lovely, and the mead mixed with the fare had left everyone feeling in rather a good mood, which allowed the conversation to flow naturally. It had come out that Renee enjoyed fishing.
"You like to fish? Do you make your own lures?" Legolas asked, leaning forward to see her better.
"I've tied a few flies over the years, but to be honest, I mostly use the lures my grandpa made for my grandma. They're beautifully carved and painted and work like a charm," she answered.
"What do you like to catch?" Merry asked.
"Depends where I'm fishing, but I love eating rainbow trout and whitefish," she answered.
"How do you like fixing it?" asked Sam.
She shrugged. "Smoked, fried, baked, broiled, deep fried, grilled – it's all delicious!"
"There's some good trout fishing on the Brandywine near my home," Merry said. "I remember once I was out fishing and caught a trout so big it nearly dragged me in! When I landed it, it was as longer than my arm."
"I was once traveling towards Rivendell and fishing on the Bruinen," said Aragorn, "when I caught something about this big." He held out his hands about two and a half feet apart. "I have never seen anything so large in that river before. I fought it for nearly an hour when at last it snapped my line and got away."
"It is strange," Legolas said, "I have never seen anything so large in the Bruinen."
"I was coming up from the south," Aragorn said.
Legolas nodded and grinned. "Aaah. I see."
"Dwarves do not fish much for fun," Gimli started, "But my cousin and I were at the market in Dale when a fisherman came in with the day's catch, and with the usual fish one sees from Lake Long, there was a fish so large that as the man held it up level with his head, it came down all the way past his belt."
Renee grinned, "That's nothing!" they all looked at her, waiting to hear exactly how a fish so long as a man from head to belt was 'nothing'. "I once caught a pike that was thirty inches long."
"What is a pike?" Pippin asked.
"It's a fish that lives up in the Great Lakes. At least, that's where I caught it. That thing was huge! Nearly took a chunk out of me!"
There was a general chuckle. "Well, I think you certainly win the best fish story!" Gimli said.
"But it's true! Look," she said as she rolled up her sleeve to the elbow and pointed to a thin scar. "That's where the pike's tooth got me. I thought he was dead and I was trying to get the hook out when suddenly he whipped his head around and his tooth got me just there. And if you don't believe me when I tell you I caught a thirty inch pike, you'll never believe it when I tell you I caught a sixty-five pound musky."
"Sixty-five pounds?" Aragorn said, looking at her with disbelief.
"You didn't really catch a sixty-five pound fish, did you?" Pippin asked, wide eyed.
"I did! And I landed him all by myself."
"I believe you," Lothril chimed in. "My cousin caught a ninety some odd pound one when he was a kid. Nearly broke a record with it. He even made the cover of a fishing magazine."
"Ninety pounds?!" Merry, Legolas, and Aragorn cried in disbelief.
"I remember that! I saw that on one of my dad's magazines as a kid! I remember seeing this blond haired boy with that huge fish and thinking I wanted to catch something like that one day. That's what got me really into fishing," Renee said.
Lothril looked as surprised as anything at that. "You- really?" She laughed. "My, but it is a small world, after all!" she laughed again and shook her head. "I can't believe it… I really can't. My cousin's catch is what got you into fishing. What a world! What a world! What are the odds? And then to meet you here! HERE! Of all places! What are the odds?" Lothril kept laughing and Renee joined in. It really was too ridiculous a coincidence for words. The others chuckled as well, though they didn't know what a magazine was, they could appreciate the coincidence all the same.
They talked for a little while more until Renee told them she had a headache and needed to head back to her cottage. They offered to let her rest in the tent until she felt better, but she assured them she would be fine and that her headache was a sinus headache and likely to linger. Lothril understood full well what that meant and promised she'd explain it to the Fellowship later as she stood and offered to take Renee back to her cottage.
They walked back in relative silence, and once they reached the door, Lothril asked, "Do you need anything? Anything at all? I know sinus headaches can be a real nuisance."
"No, I'm fine, really. Right now it's still at the lots of sinus pressure stage, but I can tell this will be a headache later," Renee answered.
Lothril gave a knowing nod and said, "Well, do not hesitate to ask for something. If nothing else, drink lots of water and see about steaming your head. I am very certain if you ask for some camphor oil you'll be able to get some."
"Good idea. I might if it doesn't clear up on its own soon," Renee said.
"Good! Farewell! I hope to see you again soon!" Lothril said as she went out the door.
Renee was alone in the cottage. Haldir was out, Renee hoped, enjoying himself. She went over to the fire and grabbed the poker and stirred it up a little before putting on another log. She sat in silence, watching the flames dance, wondering vaguely if her aching face would turn into a proper headache or not. Her thoughts wandered to lunch. It had been very nice to meet the Fellowship! They were all gentlemen and quite friendly. She missed hanging out with the guy friends she had had in college. It seemed like after graduation all of her guy friends got married and forgot about her, as did the better part of her girl-friends. She still kept in touch with a few, but they had scattered to the four winds, and she was too broke to go flying or driving out to see them all. Same thing with her high school friends. A good chunk of her senior class had either moved out of town or gotten married and started families while she was at college. By the time she got back, she wasn't sure how much she had in common with any of them. Her close circle of friends was paired down to four that she still kept in touch with. All of them it seemed with much more active social lives and much busier with their careers than her. Still, they saw each other once or twice a month and that was nice….. And so her thoughts went until she fell asleep on the couch.