I am sorry that this took so long. I am also sorry to say that this is the last chapter for a while. (As if I actually updated quickly. ha.) I will be concentrating on getting my big project-Narnia: The Musical, a Narnia fanfic, done. I hope to update that story once a week, and there will be 40 chapters, so I will be done in June, since I am going by the school system's calendar. This means that I will not be updating this piece until the summer. The good news is that I intend to finish this by the end of Aug. 2007. Hopefully. Please R&R-I really appreciate it. Thanks again for reading.

Haras

Chapter 3: The Nightmare

Frodo couldn't sleep. He wasn't able to sleep much at all lately. Last night's sleep was the best sleep he had had in days. He knew the Ring was taking over him, and the only way to stop It was to destroy It in the fires of Mount Doom, but that was miles away, and on top of that, he and Sam were in an underwater city! If the Royal Family hadn't seemed so eager, and if he and Sam were not in such a need for food, they would have declined the offer to come here in the first place.

Frodo rose from his bed. It felt odd to be in a bed, let alone wearing a clean white shirt and pants. He started to explore the room. The walls were decorated with many elaborate tapestries, each depicting a scene of the city's history. He stopped in front of the one showing the coronation of the current King. As he rested his hand on the wall, he felt the sandstone brick move. He heard a grinding noise from behind the tapestry. Slowly, Frodo moved part of the tapestry away from what should have been the wall, to reveal a stairway. Having nothing better to do, and still suffering from insomnia, he ascended the stairs. Everything was dark, so Frodo couldn't tell that something was blocking the top of the stairs until he hit his head on it. He lifted the slab of stone above his head and entered a big room. Frodo started to look around, half-curious, half-wondering if he was supposed to be here. In the center of the circular room was a giant pearl, with water flowing over and around it in a small pool right by where the hidden stairs were revealed. The room also had a large mirror, a walk-in closet, a vanity, and various treasures from the sea. Frodo assumed that this was a guestroom, and continued on. Instead of a window, this room had two giant open doors that led to a balcony. On the other side of the room were three steps, leading to another circular room so that the two joined rooms looked like a giant figure eight. Frodo walked up these steps and pulled away the wispy sheets that covered the entrance to the second room. There, sleeping in a large canopy bed with numerous pillows, was the High Princess Adromeda.

Frodo's eyes widened, and immediately headed back to the stairs, having no wish to be found in the bedroom of the eldest princess. He was just about to head down the stairs, when he heard a noise-a noise that was coming from Adromeda's bed. Wondering what was wrong, the hobbit went back to her bed. The noise was the sound of the Princess' breathing becoming faster and heavier. She started to twist in her sheets, causing herself to get fully wrapped in them, which in turn only caused her breathing to get even faster and heavier. Then her mouth opened, as if she was trying to say something. She mouthed the same word over and over, twisting more and more violently. She looked like she was trying to shout the word, and Frodo finally decided he should wake her from the obvious nightmare. He sat on the bed and put his hands on her shoulders. As soon as he touched her, she sat up and yelled, "Frodo!" and finally awoke, opened her eyes in fear. Frodo quickly unwrapped the Princess from her sheets. She looked at Frodo, who was looking at her with concern. She put her arms around him, and clung to him with her head resting on his chest. She started to cry. "Frodo, Frodo, Frodo!" she sobbed. All the stunned hobbit could do was hold her.

After a while, the Princess pulled back and wiped her tears.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "but I had a horrible nightmare about you."

She got up and put her pink robe on over her matching silk nightgown. She walked to the balcony entrance, Frodo behind her. She stopped and turned to him, a sad look on her face.

"Well, it wasn't really a nightmare."

She walked onto the balcony and breathed in the fresh night air.

"It is said that this balcony has the best view of Orceania. I believe it to be true."

Frodo looked out. This was indeed the best view of the city he had since he and Sam arrived.

The Princess took a deep breath and spoke again. "It was the future I saw. I have an unusual gift. I can feel when evil is near, like when I felt The Ring last night. I can feel when evil is at work in someone I know, like you." She started to cry again. "I also get visions, like the one I had tonight. Some come true, and others do not. I hope this one will not-I was with you when you were at Mount Doom, about to destroy The One Ring, but It's evil overtook you, and you tried to run away, but Gollum stopped you, and got The Ring. I tried to get to you, but I couldn't. You lunged at Gollum, and you both fell off the cliff."

Again she dried her tears. She spoke in nymph, and Frodo noticed that a bubble, like the one surrounding the city, appeared, this one surrounding the balcony. He figured that it was for security reasons. Princess Adromeda continued to speak, and the view changed from the city to one overlooking the night sky, so that it looked like the balcony was in the middle of space. When she finished speaking, the Princess sat down on a bench and motioned for Frodo to sit beside her.

"I thank you for waking me up. No one has ever done that to me before. If they saw me in the middle of a vision, they were afraid of what would happen if they disturbed me." She stopped abruptly. "Wait, how did you get in my room in the first place?" She raised her eyebrow, "The hidden staircase?" When Frodo nodded, she laughed. "I use that staircase too. That's how I snuck out last night. Well, now that that has been explained, I have two things for you to thank you. The first is a question-Would you like to be my escort to my Birthday Ball tomorrow?"

"I would be honored, Your Majesty," said Frodo.

The Princess smiled. "You are welcome in Orceania. Everyone here just calls me Princess. Now, before I give you my gift, I must explain something. Relationships, whether between friends or lovers, among Orceanians and land dwellers are not frowned upon, but are not exactly encouraged. In Orceanian custom, there are four blessings an Orceanian can give a land dweller, one through four, each more precious and greater an honor than the previous. The first two are in friendship, the last two are in love. The first both you and Sam received-the blessing to be able to breath underwater to see our city. The second I am going to give you now. Please kneel in front of me."

After Frodo had done so, she placed both hands over his mouth and spoke in nymph. Then she placed her hands over his ears and spoke again. Finally, she kissed the top of his head. She looked at him, smiled and said, "Ut edeup aroha albah imaugnil!"

At first, Frodo was confused. Why do I know that that meant, "You can now speak my language?" Oh, that's why.

The Princess laughed at Frodo's expression. "Yes," she confirmed, "The second blessing is to be able to understand and speak nymph. I can tell from your eyes that you are a friend of elves, and can speak their tongue, and now you can speak ours. Use it well."

"Saicarg ("Thank you.")," said Frodo, and he laughed.

"And now, if you will excuse me, Frodo of the Shire, I must go back to bed, for tomorrow is a big day, which reminds me-after breakfast, the tailors are coming to put the finishing touches on my dress. They will get Sam and your clothes ready then too."

She walked Frodo to the staircase and told him how to open the secret door in his room from the inside of the passageway. She walked up the stairs that led to her bed, and just when she was about to disappear behind the wispy sheets, Frodo said, "Sanueb sehcon, im asecnirp." ("Good-night, my Princess.")

The Princess turned, smiled at Frodo, and said, "Sanueb sehcon, Frodo Baggins." and vanished behind the cloths.