Riley sat down nervously. Yes, she knew that Elrond was wise and kind, but that didn't mean that she was comfortable disclosing information about her life to him.
Several moments of awkward silence had passed since he had asked her the first of many questions.
"We do not wish to cause you more grief, but we cannot aid you if you do not tell us of your past."
The Lord of Rivendell watched the emotions that swirled in Riley's stormy green eyes as they concentrated on the floor.
"What do you wish to know about?" She asked uncertainly, feeling like a small girl compared to the years of Elrond.
"Anything you can tell us."
Duke came quietly to her side and hopped up into the chair. Riley smoothed the speckled fur, feeling soothed by her pet's presence.
"Well... I don't know exactly how I got here, but I do know that I was hiding in my closet from T.J— he's the one that Duke told you about— when I fell. When I woke up, Strider introduced me to the sharp end of his sword."
Riley cocked an eyebrow at Strider, who managed to look properly ashamed, much to the amusement of Lord Elrond.
"How odd of him. Being in the wild has addled his brain perhaps." The dark haired elf mused. Now it was Strider's turn to raise an eyebrow.
Riley laughed, but her joy was cut short when Elrond laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"There is one thing that continues to draw my attention, though. How did the necklace come into your possession?"
She looked down to see the gift from her parents still hanging around her neck.
The green eyes filled with pain and tears, and Elrond knew that this girl had gone through more than one kind of beating.
xXx
Riley's Point of View...
I should have known he would ask a question like that.
Geez. No pressure, but if you answer this question the wrong way the threads of this world could come undone. No pressure at all... Just don't panic like you did in the fifth grade spelling bee. Fainting right now is definitely not the right way to handle this one. Breathe in... Breathe out. Ok. You can do this. Deep breaths...
"My parents bought it for me at a movie premiere."
Idiot! They have no idea what that is! So.. how do I explain this one?
"You know how some elf minstrels can make you see the things they sing of?" I asked.
I'm not sure where I heard that... But I'm pretty sure it was something Tolkien wrote.
They nodded in gravely in response.
"Well that's kind of what a movie is."
"So it was a gift. Your parents. Who are they?" Strider asked.
The memories that had been stowed away had resurfaced with one simple question, and tears pricked behind my eyes.
"You mean were. I lost them both almost a year ago to an accident that happened after I turned seventeen. They were rangers."
Elrond and Strider exchanged a surprised glance with one another and I realized that they had misunderstood me.
"Not the type of ranger that you are." I said hurriedly before continuing.
"In my world a ranger is a— oops."
Great. Now I have to not only explain how I knew Strider is a ranger, but I have to explain that I'm from a different world as well. Wonderful. Why couldn't I have gotten picked up by a twister or fallen down the rabbit hole? But no... I had to land in Middle Earth.
"You see... Where I'm from we... That is..."
"She is trying to tell you she is not of this world. And she has failed rather miserably, if I may say so.", said a gruff voice.
We all turned to see Gandalf standing in the door way.
"Forgive me for not knocking, Master Elrond, but I have come to help you sort through this predicament."
The wizard came and sat down on my left. His gaze turned to mine and I was suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to squirm. Emotions are sure to be off-kilter when a guy with eyebrows like Gandalf tries to have a staring competition with you.
Has the guy never heard of tweezers? Wax maybe?... They definitely have wax...
"What do you know?" He asked gruffly.
Oh my Gosh. How do you tell someone that in your world they're a fictional character?
"What do you know of the necklace?"
Duh. He wasn't talking about the books or movies; he doesn't know they exist. You are so paranoid. Butyou probably should tell them how you know all this stuff...
"The necklace was given to me by my parents, who bought it from a street vendor. It's supposed to be a remake of the one that Arwen wears."
Wizard, elf, and ranger all stared at me.
That makes mistake number... oh I don't know, infinity and beyond maybe? I'm lucky that they're not like the people of early Europe. Those freaks would have probably burnt me for witchcraft.
"If you are indeed from another world, how could you know of the Evenstar?" Elrond asked haltingly.
Too late to go back now... You have to tell them.
"In my world there was a man named Tolkien, who wrote a series of books called Lord of the Rings. These books tell of the struggles for the One Ring, although many of them have not happened yet. That's how I know all of this stuff."
"You have been gifted with foresight?" Asked Elrond.
I think about this for a moment.
"Um.. not exactly. It's more like I read about your futures."
Can you imagine how creepy that must sound to them? That their lives have been documented on thin sheets of dead trees?
"You must not tell us of what is to ensue. It could..."
I pulled a face before I interrupted Gandalf to finish his thought.
"Yeah, yeah. It could ruin the fate of Middle Earth. I'm not stupid."
"Back to the original subject—" Elrond said calmly.
The topic of conversation seems to change at random whenever I am concerned. I tend to have that effect on people.
"The necklace may have been bought as a similar replica of the Evenstar, but it is no less real. It was made by the the Valar, and it is by their will and the power of their craftsmanship that you have been brought here."
Hate to break it to you, cryptic elf professor... but I'm pretty sure this thing says Made in China on the back.
"If it is indeed of their making, you have been given a choice."
Is it just me or is he starting to sound a teensy bit ominous?
"You have been granted the fate of the Eldar if you so choose to accept it."
Hold the phone. Did he just say... Does that mean... Holy rainbows and candy corn! Is that even possible?