Chapter Two

"Sorry -" she stuttered. "Who did you say you were?" The man still had a bewildered look plastered on his face.

"Boromir," he reiterated. "I am Boromir of Gondor, and this is Legolas of Mirkwood," he said, pointing to a tall, ethereal looking man with long, blond hair, "and Gimli." He gestured towards a very short but stout and gruff looking man covered in armor that seemed a bit too heavy for someone his size.

"Are you here for the counsel lass?" the small man asked.

"Um, no. No actually I'm...I'm not quite sure why I'm here, or how I got here in fact," she said.

"We were wondering the same thing," said Boromir. "You seem to have appeared almost out of thin air." It was once again Anna's turn to give him the puzzled look. "What is your name?" he asked.

Before she could answer, a voice rang out from behind her.

"Ah! You must be Anna." She whipped around to face the sound of the voice. Before her stood a tall, slender man with long brown hair, who had a very similar resemblance to Legolas. Still dumbfounded and once again at a loss for words, Anna simply stared at the man. "I see you have already met Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli," he said. He had a hint of a smile on his face, and something about him made her feel a bit more at ease.

She went back over the past few minutes in her head. She knew that name...Boromir...and then Legolas and Gimli, Rivendell. She knew she had heard those names before, and suddenly it clicked.

Lord of the Rings. Holy crap. This is bad, she thought. What the hell was she doing in some sort of fictional universe? And why did this man, whom she deduced was most likely an elf, know her name?

"If you would be so kind as to join me, Anna, I should much like speak with you," Elrond said, gesturing for her to walk with him. She was hesitant, but didn't see what other choice she had. She looked back once more at Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli before turning around to walk towards Elrond.

Once they were out of earshot, Elrond finally spoke first.

"I think I can safely assume that you are rather confused as to your purpose here, and, judging from what I heard, your mere presence here."

"Well - yes," she answered meekly. He nodded, not seeming the least bit surprised.

"Come," he said, guiding her through the outdoor corridors and into a large garden. She looked around, not seeing anyone else. "I hope you have at least heard of Middle Earth, and our story. You may even know more than we do at the present moment." Anna nodded.

"Yes, my friend is a big Lord of the Rings fan," she said. Elrond looked slightly confused, but she continued. "I have seen the movies - oh, they're like moving pictures on a screen - nevermind," she said in her failing attempt to explain a television. "However, I've only seen them once or twice, and it was a long time ago; I'm afraid I don't remember too much."

This seemed to trouble Elrond, but he moved past it.

"Nevertheless," he continued, "I would like you to attend tomorrow's council. We have much more to discuss, but much will be explained to you there."

While Anna hadn't seen Lord of the Rings in quite a while, she did remember some details.

"Do you mean the council regarding the One Ring?" she asked. Elrond looked surprised.

"It is indeed," he said. "Although I would keep that information to yourself. Only a few others know about it."

"What about the three I was talking to earlier - Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli? They looked as if they had just arrived."

"Yes, they have just arrived, and to quite a surprise I might add," he said with a small smirk. "It is the purpose of attending the council for which they came. Tomorrow will be the day that the fate of the One Ring will be decided."

With that heavy topic of conversation in the air, Anna realized that Elrond had led her back to one of the corridors. A young elven woman stood before them. It seemed as if she had been waiting.

"Lauriel, if you would," said Elrond. "I shall leave you now. I hope to see you tomorrow at the council. I ask that you be on time." Anna nodded before Elrond left. Finally the elf introduced herself.

"My name is Lauriel," she said. Her voice sounded so smooth and pure, and she wondered if all elves sounded like that. "Come with me, I will show you to your room." I followed her and forced myself to speak to her.

"I'm Anna." She wasn't quite sure where to go from there. "I'm here to attend the council tomorrow," she said finally, not sounding sure of herself.

Before Lauriel could respond, a dark haired woman rushed towards them, stopped abruptly, and offered them a small smile before lifting the hood on her cloak and rushing past them at an unnatural speed. Anna looked at Lauriel quizzically.

"Oh," she said. "That's Lady Arwen, Lord Elrond's daughter. Every time this 'Strider' comes through she disappears. They've tried to keep their love a secret, although I wouldn't really call it much of a secret anymore, at least not to us here in Imladris." Anna racked her brain. Strider...she remembered Arwen and Aragorn were in love, and then that Aragorn had also called himself Strider. She was beginning to remember more than she thought she would.

After walking through a maze of corridors that Anna was sure she would not be able to navigate the next day, they stopped at a door.

"Here we are," said Lauriel. "I will leave you here to prepare for tonight."

"Tonight?" Anna asked.

"Oh yes, didn't Lord Elrond tell you?" Anna shook her head. "There's to be a feast tonight to welcome the Ring-Bearer." That was Frodo, she could remember that easily. "There are some spare dresses in the wardrobe in there for guests. I'm sure there are a few that will do quite nicely." She stopped and looked at Anna for a moment. "Would you like me to do your hair for you?" Her initial response was to be insulted, however she then realized what she must have looked like.

"Oh, um, sure, that would be nice of you," she responded. "I wouldn't want to put you to any trouble," she added.

"Don't worry about that," Lauriel said. "I'm Arwen's handmaiden, and now that she'll be gone for a while, I'll have some time to spare. I'll come back in an hour," she said with a smile. Anna thanked her, and she walked away.

Anna walked into the room and glanced around. It had to be one of the most beautiful rooms she had ever seen. There was a bed with pure white linens that she found to be far too large for one, or for that matter, three people, a small vanity, and a wardrobe. It was simple enough, but what baffled her the most was the view. Across from her, the room was open with a balcony with a gorgeous view of the gardens below. There were thick, velvet curtains, most likely for privacy when changing considering that other than the curtains the room virtually had no fourth wall.

She decided that she should probably bathe before this feast. It sounded like a big deal. She closed the curtains and walked to the other side of the room to find an equally beautiful bathroom with a marble floor and tub, a mirror, and even a couple of candles. If only all hotel rooms were like this.

She undressed, grabbing a soft linen towel, and discovered that she had no idea how to use the bath tub. She stepped in, and the moment her toe touched the surface, the tub began to fill with steaming hot water.

She stepped in, enjoying the hot water and feeling the knots in her back come undone. She didn't realize how wound up she had been, not that she was surprised. Just sitting there in the bath, she began to think over everything that had happened, and she began to feel anxiety creep over her. Before she could descend into complete panic, she tried her best to clear her mind and relax as best she could.

A/N: I know this chapter probably wasn't the most exciting, as it was mainly a filler chapter. In the future you'll definitely see more of Anna and her past. After this, it'll start moving along.

Once again, please read and review!