A/N: Oh hello! I'm back! I bet you didn't think that I would be! I'll try to keep this fic going as long as l have readers so if you like it, please leave reviews and let me know! Without further ado, enjoy the next chapter!

Chapter Eleven

Ellie felt like she had been covered in a blanket of darkness and starlight. Every single cell in her body told her that she should be scared - no - terrified, but instead she felt a strange sense of serenity. She knew she wasn't in the forest anymore even though the voice she'd heard at Beorn's house had brought her to the woods.

As she looked up at what she presumed was the starlit sky, she recognised some of the constellations as ones Thorin had pointed out to her in Erebor. A part of her wished that she could show him the constellations back home in her world, because Ellie had always loved stargazing.

A knot formed in her stomach as she thought of home. She wondered what her family were doing now. Even though Gandalf told her that life would carry on as normal there while she was in Middle Earth, Ellie couldn't help but worry if maybe Gandalf was wrong? Surely wizards also made mistakes? What if her family were actually worried sick about her, wondering where she'd disappeared to and why she didn't contact them. Did Niamh and Zara have similar thoughts? If so, would anyone look for her?

No.

Ellie shook her head as if to shake those thoughts away and leave them scattering in the wind. She had to believe that Gandalf knew what he was doing and that he wouldn't send her on this quest if he didn't think everything would work out.

"What is this place?" Ellie whispered.

She wasn't sure why she whispered because she was the only one there. Yet, for some reason, she felt as though she ought to be treading with care as if not to disturb whoever this place was for. If Zara was there, she would say that this was like that in-between world at Platform 9 ¾ at the end of Deathly Hallows where Harry meets Dumbledore after he thinks he's died.

Her friend wouldn't be wrong, Ellie thought as she glanced around. There was something otherworldly about it all that she couldn't quite explain in words. Almost as if time didn't exist there at all.

"This place exists beyond time."

Ellie spun around, trying to locate the source of the voice, but saw nobody.

"Who are you?" Ellie asked with a quivering voice

"I am Vairë." the voice replied, "My kin created this world and named it Arda. You know if it as Middle-Earth. Young Gandalf has told you of us."

Valar.

Thorin had also told Ellie about them. She remembered when they were younger and she'd found herself in the great library of Erebor. She'd been staring at a massive mural depicting Mahal, the Valar who created the dwarves.

Ellie's heart began to pound much faster when she truly realised who it was that spoke to her. She was talking to a literal God and a deity of this world. The question she'd been asking herself over and over echoed in her mind. Why her? Why was she the one to go on the quest? Why was she the one who ended up in Erebor for the first time all those years ago? Why had someone decided she was the one to change the story?

"Because it was I who chose you, Eleanor. I am the Weaver and the one who tells the stories of this world and its people." said Vairë, as if she had read Ellie's mind. "Your fate has long since been entwined with this world and without you, I will not be able to finish the story."

"I don't understand." said Ellie, "What do you mean?"

"There is a dark power that lurks within the shadows of this world." Vairë continued, "A power that is trying to rewrite the story of Arda in his favor. If he succeeds, Arda will fall into shadows and be devoured by his evil. So, I chose you, Eleanor, to become a part of this world and help me shape the story."

"I still don't understand what Thorin has to do with any of it?"

"Thorin Oakenshield must survive the trials ahead. He sees within himself a piece of the darkness that sent his grandfather and father into madness. If the darkness consumes him and the quest fails, this world will not see the light that is meant to rise."

No pressure then, Ellie thought and exhaled a heavy sigh. If there was ever a time when someone asked her what it felt like to have the world on your shoulders, this would be it. The strange thing was, she knew that Vairë was right. More than that, she could feel it,

"How can I help if I am not physically a part of this world?" Ellie asked, "Thorin and Gandalf are the only ones who can hear, see and interact with me."

"You will have to find a way to gain the trust of the company. Use your knowledge of Thorin to help them progress in their quest."

"But, Thorin has changed. It's been over a century since he last saw me and I don't know what's happened to him in that time or what he's been through. I don't know if he really trusts me the way he used to because I abandoned him. I should have been there when he needed me the most, but I wasn't. I can't just demand that he trusts me again after all this time?"

Tears streamed down Ellie's face and she felt a different kind of hopelessness wash over her. She'd been putting off feeling these emotions for such a long time that she couldn't stop them. Truthfully, she'd been worried ever since Gandalf approached her back in her own world. Maybe coming here was all a mistake? What if she would be the reason the company fails the quest?

"Child," said Vairë, "You may not think it yourself, but your part in this story is every bit as important as Thorin's. You have both defied odds greater than you can possibly imagine just by knowing each other. You are his light and he is yours. Trust that and it will shine the way in the darkest hour. Here, this necklace contains the light of the star of Luinil. When you are feeling lost, it will show you the way."

Ellie felt a necklace around her that hadn't been there before. She still had a lot of questions to ask and there were so many things she didn't understand, but she knew there was no time to ask them. Somehow, she had to find a way to trust Vairë's words and hopefully not anyone down along the way.

"Thorin Oakenshield and his company are about to enter the next stage of their journey." said Vairë, "When you step through this door, you will find them in Rivendell, home of Lord Elrond."

"And who is Lord Elrond?" Ellie asked

"He is one the great Elven Kings of Arda and a friend to Gandalf."

"Of course he is. Why wouldn't he be an elf? How dumb of me to think anything else."

"In Rivendell, you and the company will be able to rest and reflect before the journey ahead. Take this time to ask Thorin questions you have been holding back. Go now, Eleanor and rest assured that you are being watched over no matter how lonely you may feel."

Ellie had only just opened her mouth to speak, but she knew Vairë had gone because behind her was another door. This one was made out of dark mahogany and had symbols carved on it that she didn't know what they were.

Ellie wasn't sure what she expected when she pulled the door open and stepped over its threshold, but she hadn't expected to find herself in a valley of sorts. She could hear the echoes of a waterfall and the bright sunlight of a summer's day surprised her. She found herself standing under an arched rooftop that seemed to be part of a balcony.

"Welcome Eleanor," came a soft voice from behind her. "We have been expecting you. I am Lord Elrond and this is Rivendell."

To be continued…..

A bit cheesy and not very long, but there we are. They are in Rivendell! What will happen next?