Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the languages spoken in the books or movie. I do own Nicole, Susan, Jake, their parents (Howard and Lara Lawson, Tom and Elizabeth Daniels, Fred and Angelina Nox), Matt Thompson, and Bill. I do not own the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz.

Chapter 5

Nicole sat in her bed, staring at the glass of water in her hand. Her heart was becoming weaker. The doctors back home told her that she could lead a normal life as long as she took her medicine. Without it, Nicole was beginning to doubt the length of her life.

The thought scared her. What if she died tonight, deep in her sleep and dreams? What if she died before she and the others ever reached home? But… did she really miss home?

Susan had come in earlier and started to rant and rave, claiming the elf almost killed Nicole. Nicole whole heartily agreed, but that didn't erase the fact that her heart was worse. She noticed that Jake simply stood in the corner and refused to come near her, even at her requests. Jake felt guilty about the whole situation, but Nicole wanted nothing more than for him to hold her.

She took a sip of her water, only to hear a noise outside on her balcony. Susan and Jake had left to bring food to her room, ordering her not to leave her bed. Hey, if she had five hours to live, damn it, she was going to live it!

Nicole threw off the covers to reveal a long, silky, thin night gown. In her bare feet, she carefully treaded over to the balcony, scanning the area for flying monkeys. This place had elves, dwarves, and wizards. It might as well have flying monkeys.

Looking out onto the land below her, her mouth curved into a smile. She had the perfect view of the waterfall. Water always calmed her.

"Lady Nicole?"

Nicole jumped a foot in the air at the voice. She spun around and saw the elf, named Legolas, standing a few feet from her.

"Jesus!" she screamed, clutching her heart. "OW!" The pain had come back. WHY THE HELL IS IT COMING BACK? Nicole slammed her fist into the railing as she tried to stand. Before she could make an attempt to the bed, Legolas swept her off her feet and carried her there.

"Put me down, you prick!" she yelled, pounding her fists into his chest with all the strength she had. Legolas gently laid her in the bed, and covered her with the sheets.

"I didn't tell you could touch me!" she yelled, pulling the covers to her chest. Her heart was still hurting. She reached for her glass on her table, but was disappointed to find it empty. Legolas also noticed this, and went to refill it by her water basin.

"I'm sorry, but I wanted to apologize to you for earlier. I did not mean to cause you pain." He brought her the water, which she took eagerly from his hand.

"Do you always have to make a scene?" she sneered as she took a sip. At this point, Legolas had had enough. He had been polite, apologetic, and now he was mad.

"Lady Nicole…"

"Just Nicole, okay?"

"Why do you and Lady Susan…"

"Susan!"

"…Susan insist on not being referred to as ladies?"

Nicole glared at him, slammed her drink on the table, and stood up to his eye level. How could he be such an annoying, pompous, sexist twit?

"Or maybe you two are not ladies? Forgive me for making a wrong assumption."

"Look, you arrogant, little bastard," she yelled, stabbing him in the heart with her finger. "I wasn't the one who tried to run over anyone today, I wasn't the one who unlawfully entered another person's bedroom, and I'm not the one insulting another just because she wants to be treated as a modern equal! So I would appreciate it if you would get your sorry ass out of my room!"

Legolas looked at her flushed cheeks, and her rising chest. Something about her made him twitch.

"As you wish," he replied calmly. His ice blue eyes, pierced into Nicole's dark brown ones. He turned on his heel and walked to the balcony. Looking back at her, he gave a smirk and jumped straight up. Nicole walked out onto the balcony and looked up to see him scaling the ivy growing on the wall.

"Show off," she muttered and returned to her bed. He was just like Matt! Perfect, not bad looking, but was completely arrogant and spoiled. He thought he could do anything that blew his skirt up. She decided she now loathed him.

Jake currently loathed himself. Sitting in the library, Jake held a book in his hand, but didn't dare to read it for the fear of enjoying it. He swore that he would always protect Nicole after what her father, his uncle, did to her. He remembered the day it all began.

It was the first spring after Lara's death. Angelina, her only sister, had succumbed to grief, and Angelina's husband, Fredrick, or just Fred, had turned bitter. Nicole was also saddened, but continued life because death was new to her. She didn't understand the meaning of it yet. At times, the house maid would find her waiting by the back door for her favorite aunt to come through, leading her cousin and best friend.

Dark times grew over the three most prestigious houses in all of town. Tom and Elizabeth Daniels, Susan's parents, had buried themselves in their work to avoid the pain of losing their best friend. Howard Lawson began to scold his already torn son to the point of breaking. However, Fred and Angelina seemed to take it better than others.

They could be seen taking Nicole on a Sunday walk through the park, or taking her to her horseback riding lessons. They always appeared happy, and for awhile, so did Nicole. But one day that all change.

Teachers began to notice that Nicole would tense every time they would walk by her, or hiss painfully when she took her seat. Susan noticed that she stopped using a riding crop when they went riding together. Nicole began to stay close to Jake more than ever, especially when her parents were around, but he couldn't touch her, or else she would tense and hiss.

The tensing and hissing didn't stop until Susan began to stay at Nicole's house for weeks on end. Even then Nicole would still give sneers and cold stares to everyone but Jake and Susan, even if her parents were smiling brightly.

"It's her heart condition," they would say to the members of the local country club, "It makes her weak." Jake and Susan knew better because Nicole's strange behavior had started before she was diagnosed. Her first collapse had been caused by a teacher, walking up behind her to admire her work, and laying a hand on her shoulder. Nicole jumped out of her seat, started screaming, and kicking the teacher. She then had her first mild heart attack, and was sent to the hospital. Her parents sued the teacher and school, accusing the teacher of violating the teacher/student relationship, just for touching her shoulder.

The fateful day that changed their lives happened two years later, when Jake and his father rushed to the hospital. Nicole reportedly had another attack, and fell down the stairs. As the adults conversed outside the room, Susan and Jake talked to the bruised Nicole. She told them the truth, and how she never wanted to speak of it again. However, Jake swore that he would watch over her.

"Jake, please!" Nicole begged. Her face had a black eye and a cut lip. Susan was on the verge of tears, holding Nicole's hand, and Jake was pacing and popping his knuckles.

"Please don't tell anyone what happened last night. I couldn't handle what people would think."

That day, they became outcasts: inseparable and lost.

Jake massaged his temple in hopes that the memory of that day would go away. It was night, and nobody was in the library he was currently occupying. Setting the book down on the nearby table, he rose to stretch. Thousands of books within his grasp, yet none would sooth his nerves tonight. Nicole had her bodies of water, Susan had her tricks and schemes, and Jake had his books.

The two girls were his family. They were a family. It killed him that he led them to this strange place. And now the fact that Nicole was dying without her medicine tore at his very soul. Nicole had always been there for him, encouraging him not to give up on life. And look at how he repaid her.

"Master Jake?" Jake whipped around to find the dark cloaked man behind him. This time he was dressed in a fine garment, carrying a book of his own. What was his name? Stirdor? No, Strider?

"Why are you not in the Hall of Fire?" he questioned. Jake just glared at the shadowy figure and headed for the door way.

"I see," said Strider, causing Jake to stop, "You find the same comfort in books as I do." Jake turned around to find Strider picking another book off the shelf.

"You find wisdom, comforting words, and even hope in books, I assume."

Jake was getting mad now. The man was getting too close. Jake balled his fists and separated his feet.

"Please," Strider said, walking toward him, "I mean no harm. But if I were to attack you, I could easily come at your back and you would have no way to retaliate."

Jake looked stunned as Strider casually walked over to a bench and began to read. Furious with Strider and himself, Jake marched out of the library and to Nicole's room.

That night, beautiful music came out of not only the Hall of Fire, but also Nicole's room. Susan and Nicole played their guitars while Jake drummed on the railing. Nicole didn't sing, for she still felt quite weak, but she hummed along.

Nicole didn't tell Jake or Susan about Legolas coming by her room earlier. She didn't know why, but she assumed it was because she didn't need a headache at the moment.

The strums of their guitars began to fill the air and mingle with the beautiful elvish voices. The beat of the water running over the rocks, the winds tossing the colorful leaves in the air to dance to the music, the lyrics of the elves, the deep voice of Susan's bass, the light tempo of Jake's sticks, and melody of Nicole's guitar created the perfect song. It was Susan's and Jake's lullaby, for soon after they ended playing, they fell right to sleep in their chairs. Nicole dove into a light sleep, soon to be woken by nightmares.

"Daddy, no," she whispered to the stars.

"Daddy, I didn't mean it. Stop."

"Daddy… Daddy… Stop… Sorry… Sorry… DADDY!" Nicole woke with a sheet of sweat and labored breathing. Luckily her nightmare only woke her, as Susan and Jake slept quietly on.

Nicole leaned back into her chair, and sighed. She hadn't had a nightmare since she started college. Something about Rivendell brought them back to her sleep. She began to twist the rings around her fingers. It was a nervous habit, one she did when her father was close by. She loved her rings though, each having their own significance.

Lara had given each of them a ring when they were little with their birthstones in the center. Nicole had an aquamarine gemstone in the middle of a tiny water lily, Susan had a diamond in the middle of a rose, and Jake had a simple garnet on a band, which he had attached to a chain and wore as a necklace under his shirt. Nicole had several rings from different stores she had gone to, presents she received, and she even got a ring by exchanging it for a couple of tickets to one of her concerts. That ring and Lara's were her favorites. It had a small emerald surrounded by ivy leaves.

She continued to twist her rings as she left her room in nothing but her nightgown. Walking down the hallways, she thought of her home, her family, and all they left behind. Good! They didn't need college, or Matt Thompson, or their parents, or anybody! She didn't want to go back, even if there was a way. They could live her in Rivendell or maybe somewhere else. They could have their own lives here, away from their parents and the social decorum. Who needs a country club anyway?

"Your music was beautiful, Lady Nicole."

Nicole turned around to find Elrond standing in the middle of the hallway with his hands folded neatly over his royal robes. He had a calm, but firm look on his face that told Nicole she was in the wrong place.

"Lord Elrond," she said, bowing her head slightly. Maybe she should accept the formalities.

"You should be resting and not wandering the halls."

"I couldn't sleep."

"A nightmare, perhaps?"

Nicole looked up with shocked eyes. "How did you know?"

"Was it about your father?" he asked softly. Nicole eyes widened more as she took a step back.

Elrond's face softened and turned to sorrow. "Yes, I know of your father, Nicole."

"How much?" she asked in earnest.

"Everything."

Nicole exhaled deeply and her breaths were becoming shallower. "Oh my God," she whispered as she slid down against the wall. He knew everything. EVERYTHING. Every terrifying moment, every shadow of a night, and every hope and prayer that it might end at dawn or earlier.

"Who told you?" she asked as her body began to shake.

"I can see your future, which is deeply connected to your past."

"Oh my God," she whispered, burying her head in her hands. Elrond bent down and took her hands. He lifted her up with the greatest of ease until she was standing, looking down at the ground with woeful eyes.

"The pain of your past will never leave you, Nicole. Neither will the memories or the lessons you learn. But you cannot let the shadow of your father prevent you from living your life. You will find peace, but only if you open your heart to the ones who care about you."

Nicole looked up at his face: etched with years of caring and concern. "You really do deserve the greatest respect, Lord Elrond. I am sorry for the way I acted earlier."

"Think nothing of it, pen tithen."

"What does that mean?"

"It means 'little one.' It is what I call my children sometimes. You and Susan remind me of my sons."

Nicole gave him a humorous look of disgust, causing him to laugh.

"Ah! Legolas. Up and about as well?"

Nicole turned to see Legolas, standing in the entrance of the hallway, hesitant to move. She gave him a cold glare.

"Lord Elrond, Lady Nicole," he said, giving each a quick bow. Lord Elrond smiled, but Nicole continued her stare.

"Legolas, would you do me the favor of escorting Lady Nicole back to her room?"

Nicole whipped her head around to give Elrond another one of her cold glares. Just because he finally got her respect didn't mean he had to set her up with the elf prick!

"Of course," said Legolas as Elrond placed one of Nicole's hands in Legolas's. As Legolas led Nicole down to her room, Nicole turned around to glare at Elrond one last time.

"Losto mae," he said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. Same to you," muttered Nicole.

As they walked down the corridors, Legolas tried to make polite conversation.

"I heard you playing earlier in the evening. You're a wonderful musician."

Nicole scoffed.

"I… I want to apologize for this afternoon."

Scoffed again.

"I was rude in saying you are not a-a… a lady."

One more time.

"Lord Elrond tells me that you and your friends will be attending the council tomorrow at midday. Will you—?"

Nicole immediately stopped and stared at the floor for a moment, until she turned on her heel to stare at him from under her eyelashes. Her dark eyes lashes and darker eyes gave Legolas a shiver down his spine.

"Are you alright? Shall I call for Lord Elrond?" Legolas asked with concern.

Slowly, Nicole pulled her hand from his and took a step back. "You jumped into my room earlier," she stated.

Legolas quirked an eyebrow. "Yes…?"

Nicole looked away for half a minute before continuing. "This… this is way too weird," she said, shaking her head and almost laughing. "This is some sort of fantasy." Looking Legolas directly in the eyes, she finished, "I'm not good with my own reality, so I sure as hell can't handle a fantasy."

With that, she turned heel and left him in the hallway.