He was absolutely gorgeous. He had long brown hair, as most Rivendell elves supposedly had, and was incredibly tall.
Blessed with high, defined cheekbones as well.
Damn him. I wanted high cheekbones.
I didn't recognize him, though I supposed there was no way the characters would actually look like the actors who had been chosen for them in the movies.
He shifted his weight to his other leg, watching me with ever growing concern as the silence lengthened.
Slowly I straightened a little so that I wasn't so curled over Valen's neck, and was no longer in danger of falling off, though that was a difficult feat with the pain in my chest, which was much stronger than usual, what with my almost having fallen off the horse.
"I..uh...read about it in a book..and thought the words were pretty, so I sort of just...put a tune to it…?"
Well, that didn't sound very convincing at all. They were supposed to be able to have a good intuition for when people were lying, too, so now he was probably never going to trust me enough to let me in Rivendell.
Not knowing what else to do, I quickly blurted out my reason for being here, assuming he was part of some sort of patrol and I had gotten to near enough to the entrance of Rivendell to warrant an intervention.
"I'm looking for Rivendell, I'd like to seek an audience with Lord Elrond. If he's not too busy."
I tacked on the last bit nervously, unsure of whether they would think it rude of me to presume that I could just walk in and see him.
The elf smiled slightly, apparently finding me rather amusing, though his eyes were wandering over me, taking in the entirety of my horrible appearance.
"It certainly appears you could use a stay in the healing house. I'm on my way back from patrol, shall I show you the way?"
I couldn't help but look surprised. Was it normal for them to let anyone in willy nilly?
I didn't think so. Maybe it was a trap? Maybe he was going to walk me in the wrong direction and when I was suitably turned around and lost, leave me alone?
I tried not to let the shock and slight suspicion color my tone, "That would be wonderful, thank you."
He spoke quietly in elvish to the horses, moving towards me and offering up one palm to take the reins with a smile. I handed them to him, feeling a little numb. I hadn't thought it would be this...easy...it didn't seem like much else in my adventure had gone smoothly at all, except my escape from those two barbarians. That had been dumb luck.
What I didn't realize was how completely awful I looked.
My face was drawn, deep purple bruising under my eyes showing just how little sleep I'd gotten over the entire adventure. My visible skin, though there was considerably less of it since stealing the clothes off the rapist I'd ended up killing, was still terribly sunburnt, mottled with purple and green bruising from being tackled so roughly to the ground only a few days before, and littered with an assortment of cuts and scrapes.
From the way I was slightly bent over, one arm pressed around my torso, breathing seeming pained and shallow, it didn't take a genius to tell that there was obviously something wrong that you couldn't see beneath the clothes.
And that wasn't even counting my feet. The bottoms of them were the worst, starting to scab over a tiny bit after a few days of riding and not using them much, they were just pulverized. It looked like someone had taken a spiked meat tenderizer to them, then a knife, then rubbed dirt and small rocks into the wound, and finished it up with a good long spray of infection.
To top that all off, I looked far too skinny, having lost any extra weight I had very quickly.
All in all, I looked horrible.
"What brings you to meet with Lord Elrond, if you don't mind my asking?" He sounded genuinely curious, and there was an undertone of not very well hidden concern. He didn't sound like he was interrogating or demanding information at all. Were all elves this nice? I struggled for a moment to think of something appropriate to respond with. It took longer than it should have.
"I need his advice...I..well, I have some information, and I'm not sure what to do with it. I think he'd be able to help me." My voice sounded hesitant, and I hoped the elf wasn't offended that I was being so vague.
He simply smiled though, sincere and understanding.
"You need not share anything you do not wish to. Lord Elrond is very wise, I'm sure he will be pleased to offer his aid. And perhaps, if you find the answers you seek, you might stay a while and heal. There are very few who rival the skill of Lord Elrond in healing, and it appears you have need of that skill."
There was a lump forming in my throat at the casual kindness he was offering.
After such a long and difficult journey, it felt so amazing to be on the receiving end of any kindness. Not to mention, talking to another actual living being that could respond and wasn't planning on raping me.
I tried not to let too much of the choked up sound enter into my voice, but after all that I'd been through, it was rather difficult not to choke up at someone being nice.
"Yeah, I had a bit of a..rough journey. Actually, you wouldn't happen to know the date, would you? I've been traveling a while, it got a bit...muddled up."
I practically held my breath as I waited for him to answer. It wouldn't do me a huge amount of good because I only remembered very vague dates of when things happened, but it would be good to know, either way.
"Today is the seventh of May. If you don't mind my intruding, when did you start your journey? And where from? To be in such a state..Did you have no traveling companions to aide you?" He seemed rather disturbed not only by my state of person, but as well by my state of solitude.
"Ah..I have no traveling companions..No companions at all, really…" I sidestepped his first few questions intentionally, simply because I wasn't sure what explanation to give.
That was a sombering thought, though, and having to speak it aloud certainly forced me to consider things differently. I had no one. I was literally, completely alone. I knew a few people, yes, but they didn't know me, and who knew how things would go with Elrond...He might deem me completely mad and send me away, or lock me up...though that was more Thranduil's style.
No family..No friends…..
I lapsed into a melancholy silence, and he seemed to realize this, not attempting to initiate a conversation again.
I was forced out of my depressed moping when Rivendell came into view, and the sliver of suspicion I'd held for my elven guide was blown away. It was amazing. Beautiful. It brought to mind the word fantastic, for which I preferred the definition, worthy of fantasy.
It was better than the movies by far. A picture could not capture the peace that you could practically taste in the air, and I could feel myself relax slightly just at seeing it.
Of course, the unfortunate side effect of this was that it brought to the forefront of my mind how pained, worn, and exhausted I felt, and my weariness washed over me like a drug. My mind felt dull and only half aware.
I vaguely noticed my elven companion speaking to another beautiful elf, both looking over at me with apparent concern.
They were speaking quietly, but any sound that did reach me was the flowing melody of elven speech. It was getting dark, and with the darkness came the overwhelming urge to curl up somewhere, protected by my horses, and give in to the temptation to sleep.
I was brought out of the relaxed daze that was falling over me slightly by a kind voice a short distance from where I sat, still on Valen. It was gentle and breathy, soothing to listen to.
"What's this? This poor girl looks half dead, and you're standing there arguing over what should be done?"
I blinked owlishly at the source of the voice, it was breathy and melodic, and it's owner was the most beautiful creature I'd ever beheld. Long dark hair flowed down her back, clad in a lovely grey gown that reminded me of the ones Galadriel wore in the movies, I was nearly certain I knew who this was.
My theory was proven correct moments later when my elven guide replied.
"My apologies, lady Arwen. She was coming up the river and expressed that she had need of Lord Elrond's wisdom. She mentioned not a desire for healing, it seemed to me that it would be prudent to allow her to seek the answers she desired before bringing her to the healing rooms. Perhaps it is of great import, and she would rest better having gained insight into her problems."
It took a moment for me to process that before I nodded my agreement. Yes, I would probably rest better having talked to Elrond.
Or maybe I'd rest worse….What if he kicked me out for being insane? Then I probably wouldn't rest much at all...
"If Lord Elrond isn't too busy, I would prefer to seek audience with him as soon as possible."
There, that wasn't too pushy, but it implied that I'd prefer to talk to him rather than immediately get healed. That was okay, right?
The beauty, now known to be Arwen, seemed to have a sigh in her voice, "Very well, I will show you to him. Maeben, would you see her horses are taken care of? They appear to have been on quite a journey."
My elven guide nodded, putting a name to him. I felt bad for a moment that I'd forgotten to introduce myself. He offered his hands to me, and for a moment I stared at them without comprehension.
Gentle eyes watched me, and his voice had that same undertone of concern when he spoke.
"May I help you from your horse, Milady?"
Oh. Well I felt a right fool now, just staring at his hands. They were very lovely hands, though, well worthy of staring.
I nodded a bit jerkily, and if my skin hadn't all been red from sunburn already, my face would have been tinged pink with an embarrassed blush.
I swung my leg over Valen's back, wincing at the soreness and having to bite the inside of my mouth not to cry out at the pain in my chest.
Maeben placed his hands at my waist, lifting me down. The moment I felt the pressure of his hands, he no longer stood in front of me. I saw only the brute from the riverside, hands roughly pawing at me. I flinched back violently, one hand reaching out to push him away, the other still pressing against aching ribs as my shoulders hunched and I tried to curl away, ducking my head and turning it to the side.
My response startled all of them, but most of all, the one who had been holding me when it happened. My hand barely touched him to push him away when he had set me on the ground as gently as he could in his haste to back up a few paces.
Two startled voices rang out, asking if I was okay. Arwen simply watched me, eyes filled with sadness, a sort of knowing in her eyes for what caused that type of reaction. She stepped forward, raising a hand at Maeben and his friend to quiet them. Her voice was quiet when she spoke, and it cut through the terrible confusion and fear that accompanied the waking nightmare.
"You are safe now. You are in Rivendell. No one will harm you. That was Maeben, he meant no ill will. He simply has a kind heart and wished to help. My name is Arwen. What is your name?"
Her quiet litany helped soothe the panic in my mind and hesitantly I straightened, though the ache in my chest had grown more painful from my panicked curl.
Hazily, I remembered that she had asked my name. It would be rude not to answer, I told myself, trying to force myself to remember the words. My head ached. Everything ached.
"My name is Alyssa."