Time Transcended
Back and Forth
Disclaimer: I think you know, but I'll say it anyway, I do NOT own LotR. I know, y'all are shocked…
Authors note: Okay folks, I have a tremendous case of writers block, but persevere I must! So here we go! Please review despite how this chapter turns out!
Major HUGE thank you's to you all for reviewing over 200 times for this fanfic! WOWZERS! I didn't see that coming… Guess that's what happens when I don't have to check my stats page to write out replies… anyway, you all are great and I hope I can keep up with the good work. THANK YOU SO MUCH!
One week, three days, four hours, and twenty-seven minutes after Liz sprained her ankle, she was healed from the injury completely. This was thanks in part to Elladan and in part to her usual quick recovery time. They had planned to go ice skating that afternoon, but when Elladan arrived to pick her up, they decided they didn't really want to, so they went to Elrohir's house.
Glorfindel heard the car pull up, he looked out the window and saw them both get out, smiling stupidly at each other, and knew he had to get out of the house. As they came in, he went out and said, "call me when your date is over."
They nodded, and he left.
After shutting all the curtains and the blinds, they settled down with an enormous bowl of popcorn and plenty of pop to watch Pirates of the Caribbean. They didn't watch it much though. About the time Jack came sailing in to Port Royal, they were talking about exactly how well they knew each other. In a way, they had been dating since Elrohir found Rebecca again. When Elrohir and Rebecca split off to go do something, so did they. It was then concluded that had been unofficially dating on and off since October and they were actually in the fourth month of their relationship. By the time Elizabeth Swann learned that she was being held captive by zombie pirates, they were talking about the problem with Elladan marrying anyone at all.
"Even if I do love someone and marry them, there is no guarantee that I can bring them with me. I would have to get special permission from Manwë to allow them to come so that they might be able to stay. It's very complicated," Elldan explained.
"I see… so, there is no hope that even if I wanted to marry that I could?" Liz asked, a little crestfallen.
"Unfortunately, that about sums it up," Elladan confessed.
"Well, no worries,"Liz said.
Both frowned a little at the screen.
"Well, don't look at it as if we are so certain thing will not work out. In fact, let's just forget I said that, see what happens, and perhaps it will all work after all. The male descendants of Tinuviel seem to have better luck with spouses than the females do," Elladan assured.
Liz nodded and smiled at the glimmer of hope and said, "Okay."
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Elrohir pulled out the knife again and studied it. "Yes, this is definitely Gil-galad's, and it was the one that was lost after Father left."
"What does it mean?" Rebecca asked.
"That father tried to carry too much stuff to Valinor," Elrohir joked. "If memory serves correctly though, this is the only thing we couldn't find. Gil-galad and Father shall be happy to see this again," he added as he put the knife back in the box.
He put the box in his suitcase and returned to Rebecca who was waiting for him on the couch. He laid down and put his head in her lap and she began running her fingers through his short hair.
"You should grow it out again. I liked your hair longer," Rebecca said. "Even though my dad will shave your head if he sees it that long."
Elrohir smiled and said, "I might grow it out just before we go to Valinor. But then I shall probably use a lesser version of the spell Luthien used. I am not about to go running around with long hair in this day and age."
"I don't blame you." There was silence for a few minutes then she asked, "And when do you figure we shall be leaving?"
"That depends on what we find when we get back. I have this sneaking suspicion Elladan and Liz are dating," Elrohir said.
"I've been thinking they should get together since they met in October. Then again, they practically have been dating since October."
"True. And he has been talking to me about her since then. I declare he is in love with her, even if it is but a little."
"Do you think the Valar would let Liz into Valinor?"
"I don't know," he said while sitting up. "It depends on a few things I guess. That's the other thing we must wait and see about. If they are dating, we must wait to see if they can get married and she can go with us. If not… either Dan will say here, forsaking the life of the Eldar, or they will not and both regret it for ever."
"That's depressing. Let's not think about it anymore."
"That is fine by me. I would rather talk about how we are going to kiss right now." He reached over and gave her a short kiss, then a longer one, and then she shoved him off.
"What?" Elrohir asked, slightly offended.
"I have…" she pulled the object of her annoyance out from under her, "the TV remote digging into my back." She held it up for proof.
He snatched it from her, chucked it on the floor, and asked, "May we continue?"
"Certainly!" she smiled.
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It was now only four days until Rebecca and Elrohir would return, and Elladan and Liz were in no hurry to see them again. Glorfindel was however, for each time Elladan and Liz went on a date, he received an account of it.
"Why can't you be like your brother and just sing about it? That way I only had to listen part of the time and could tap my toes to it," Glorfindel complained one day.
Elladan only grinned wickedly as he continued with painstakingly accurate detail.
On the third day until the return, Glorfindel had a friend to see in Toledo, gladly leaving Elladan and Liz to themselves. They had grown more affectionate of late, going from holding hands to kissing hello and good-bye on the cheek. They were not nearly as passionate as Elrohir and Rebecca had been, thank Elbereth, but Glorfindel was not one to stick around while couples were playing kissy face.
Up the stairs they went, until they reached Elladan's room. He had convinced her that she had to see it so she could get a better understanding what Rivendell was like.
"But I have seen Reb's room. Don't forget," Liz reminded.
"Yes, but the family's rooms were different from the guest rooms," Elladan informed as he opened the door.
Indeed they were, for Liz was speechless for a full five seconds as she beheld the sheer richness of it all. As Elrohir's room was decorated for mood, Elladan's was decorated for traditional glory. Upon the wall opposite of the door hung a painting of the Misty Mountains. Next to it was a window and covering the large window were crimson colored curtains of a heavy velvet. It contrasted beautifully with the off white/cream colored pillars and walls that were in his room. To their right, his bed stood. It was a dark stained oak with magnificent and intricate carvings and etchings. The blankets on his bed were crimson, gold, and dark blue, creating an absolutely regal appearance. The floor of his room, which was an off white stone, was covered in certain places with thick rugs of crimson.
"Wow," she said at last. "Very royal looking."
"This was how it looked just before we left Rivendell," he said. "Come, in one of the adjoining rooms there is a hearth and a couch, and a few chairs."
Whether Elladan, Elrohir, or Glorfindel wanted to admit it or not, Elladan did have a romantic side, but it was so deeply hidden that it took only the most special of women to bring it out. Liz was such a special woman. He led her in the room and there she saw a fire cheerily burning, and luxuriously cushioned couch and chairs, and two blankets neatly folded and draped on both arms of the couch. The only light in the room was fire, the curtains being drawn shut, and whatever light that came in from the other room. He made sure to leave the doors open so she felt she could leave whenever she wished.
They sat upon the couch and Liz said, "This is so awesome. The atmosphere is very romantic."
He almost let out a sigh of relief, but mastered himself and thanked her for the compliments. Right now he wished dearly he was the masterful romantic his brother was, but reluctantly had to make due on his own.
Elladan sat down on the couch, after her, and immediately she scooted closer. He was sitting by one arm, and she was sitting by his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder. Slowly he wrapped his arm around her and then she kissed him on the cheek.
He smiled suddenly and asked, "Would you mind if…"
"No."
He leaned over his head and kissed her on the lips. After that kiss she sat a little closer, he held her a little tighter, and they both stared at the fire and didn't say much, they only kissed every so often. After Elladan added wood to the fire three times and the fourth was approaching, Liz declared she had to leave because it was getting late.
"Are you sure you must go so soon?" Elladan asked.
"Well, it's almost ten and I have a couple of classes tomorrow that are early," Liz answered.
"Very well," he said with a small smile. They left his room, after one more quick kiss, and he took her home.
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"It would not be fair to let Elrohir get his heart's desire and not Elladan? If I am willing to go forth with this plan, why is there objection?" Mandos argued.
"He went with his brother in full knowledge they were to find Rebecca and leave. He never even asked if he found a woman to marry if we would let him have her here. He knows. Even now he is telling her this is true," replied Manwë.
"What would the harm be in letting her come here as well? She can be changed as Rebecca was changed. That will bring us to a total of three. Three to however many hundreds of thousands here is hardly something to bother over," Mandos said.
"Yes, but Elizabeth cannot make an intelligent decision as Rebecca could. Rebecca saw and understood both choices far better than Elizabeth ever will by virtue of her not ever going to Middle-earth," Manwë answered.
"Could we not bring her here, to Valinor? Then if she decides against it, we can confuse her memories of it, or have Elladan or Elrohir or even Glorfindel do so," Elbereth interjected.
"Are you on their side as well?" her husband asked with disbelief.
"I see the value of his arguments. Besides, even if you do not want to bring her here, you could give her a dream, explaining it all," Elbereth suggested.
Manwë thought a moment and then at last said, "So be it. If he decides he loves her, and she wants to marry him, I will give her such a dream. In the mean time, let us tell Glorfindel, Elrohir, or Elladan of our decision so they may tell her when the time seems right."
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In the middle of a kiss Elrohir suddenly sat up and stared into space. Rebecca stared at him for a few seconds, and then he snapped out of it and said, "Elladan shall be quite happy when he hears this!"
"What?" Rebecca asked, completely confused.
"The Valar have granted that if Liz should desire it, she may enter Valinor," he said.
"That's wonderful!" she cried. "Now, when should we tell them?"
"Let's figure that out when we get back," he said as he leaned down to kiss his wife again.
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Liz was sprawled on her bed, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about Elladan. She was in love, that was certain. Never, with any other boyfriend, had she felt so special and so loved. He made her feel like a princess, and she liked it! There was that little hitch about her maybe not being able to go with him… but he had said not to worry about it, and she trusted him completely.
Just fifteen minutes away, Elladan was lying on his couch, staring at the dancing light on the ceiling from the fire. He was falling in love with Liz, that was certain. He could see she was reviving in him something long dead… passion. After he had left Middle-earth, he had become passive. In Valinor his incurable desire to avenge his mother's death was gone, not that this was a bad thing, but it was gone none the less. When he left his problems behind, he left his passions for music, for things of beauty, for so many things, behind. In the back of his mind he considered his sailing to Valinor his resignation to bachelorhood. He didn't want to be, and it was an utterly ridiculous thought, but there it was none the less. In Middle-earth he had been unlucky in love, and he expected no better in Valinor, so he didn't bother trying. The world had grown grey for him. This was part of the reason he agreed to leave it with Elrohir. He had nothing to lose, not really.
Now he did though, now he had something to lose… Liz. He smiled warmly as he thought of her, and the way she talked and moved. She talked in such a straightforward manner, usually, but at times with such subtlety that he had to think twice at what she said. Her movements – so graceful and swift – at times she seemed nearly elven, and then she would stumble or trip, or hit something or someone, and make him laugh at her clumsiness and smile at the grace of it. When she did knock into something, she would most always catch it before it crashed, with a look of abated fear in her glittering grey eyes. Grey eyes… just like his. Unlike him though, her brown hair had a strong and natural red tint to it that made it look exotic.
He sighed, wondering if she was in love with him as he was with her. He wanted to think so, considering she allowed him to kiss her, and Rebecca's accounts of her led him to believe she was not one to kiss just anyone. As a matter of fact, she had said she could only recall Liz kissing one guy… A large smile now graced his lips, and his eyes twinkled as he dared to think that perhaps, after Varda knew how many years, he had finally found someone to love.
Authors note: This chapter was written while listening to my The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe soundtrack… Not quite Middle-earth, but it worked. So, so! What did you think? Review and tell me! Please and thank you!
