Anastasia and the plot are the only part of this which belongs to me. Everything else belongs to their respective owners; namely J.R.R. Tolkien.

Italics – Thoughts/Thinking

Italics underlined – Aragorn Thinking/Thoughts to Ana

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Chapter 16: Face plants and Disappearing Acts

Frodo

'Where's Sam?' Frodo asked at length. 'And are the others all right?'

'Yes, they are all safe and sound,' answered Gandalf. 'Sam was here until I sent him off to get some rest, about half an hour ago.'1

'What about Ana?'

Anastasia

As I lay there, my senses were coming back to me; my mind clearing. My sense of touch was letting me know I was laying on a soft bed instead of the rugged ground that I had spent so much time sleeping on, and my sense of hearing picking up only the sound of my own breathing, the wind rustling the leaves in the trees and the birds singing merrily as they went along with their day. Furthermore, my sense of smell was telling me I was dirt-free and in a clean environment with the fragrance of fresh flowers hanging in the air.

The sun was slowly warming my skin making my inner beast mew in delight, although there was a gnawing hunger urging me to leave this body and hunt. I continued to lie there, ignoring the ravaging beast of hunger inside me, enjoying the warmth of the sun, the fresh air, my cleanliness and the fact that I was still alive.

Occasionally someone would pass by the room, their feet making a soft pitter-patter, as they hurried on their way. As each moment and person passed by, my curiosity continued to grow ten-fold until I could no longer bear it. My eyes snapped open, blinking rapidly at the sudden burst of light, to survey my surroundings.

The ceiling was flat and white with dark beams bearing an intricate design of carvings. The room kept to neutral tones highlighted by the warmth of the wood furniture delicately carved. Earthy colours could be found throughout the room on cushions, comforters, pillows, throws and rugs. A large mirror hung above, what one would assume was, a vanity; reflecting the light and creating the illusion the room was larger than it actually was. Where am I? How did I get here?

Carefully I slipped out of bed, mindful that I felt like a sack of potatoes after it was tossed around, my toes digging into the lush carpet below. Tenderly I made my way to the mirror, my fingers grazing the warmth of the chair as I passed, where metallic grey eyes stared back at me owlishly.

Blond hair framed a narrow face with a pale complexion, a small mouth and an average nose. Reaching up I touched my cheek, watching as my reflection copied, my fingers grazing my gaunt cheek then moving to outline my sunken in eyes. My eyes had dark circles under them and my face had a pasty, grey colour to it. My hair was lifeless and dull, hanging limp on my shoulders. My fingers were long and thin, and as my eyes travelled down the arm of my reflection, they noted how the bones and tendons stuck out. The white nightgown, not one of my own possessions, was light, simple and elegant, but hung loose and lifeless upon my reedy frame.

As I stood there, analyzing myself, I came to a conclusion: freedom was good for me. My face was not as angular as it had been; my cheeks were not sunk in as far and I didn't appear as bony as I had once been. I probably would have put on even more weight if I did not get sick from the poison. I'd have been able to hunt and gorge myself upon the carcasses of my prey.

Pausing in my mental contemplations, I licked my dry cracked lips; my tongue sensually caressing the tips of my fingers. Mmmm, prey. Once more I felt my hunger rise as the feline aspect of myself strained to take control, urging me to hunt. In the mirror I watched the golden colour of the feline's eyes, seep into my own and my jaw part to make room for the canines designed to sink into flesh. My mouth watered in anticipation for the delightful and filling meal accompanied by the exhilaration of the hunt.

Twisting around I glared at the door, my eyes narrowing and body crouching as it prepared to pounce. The door stood ajar a few inches, whoever was on the other side pausing in their action. "What are you doing?' was asked of the person behind the door.

The door creaked as the person shifted their weight, inadvertently moving the door. "I was checking on Ana. Ada said she was healing well, much quicker than he expected, but he is spending his time trying to save Frodo's life and when she wakes, I figured Ana would like something to eat." My mind reeled, sifting through my memories trying to place a name and face to the voice. Aragorn?

Indeed.

"I would very much like to meet her," the first speaker responded, "I did not get a chance to greet her since she came into Imladris slung over your shoulder unconscious. She seems to be quite unusual from what I have heard from the hobbits."

With the word 'Indeed' resounding through my head, I relaxed out of the crouch and forced the beast back under the surface. The last remnants of the feline retreating just as the door opened and Aragorn's grim, but clean face peered back at me. Over his shoulder stood a tall, fair being who emitted his own light.

"Ana this is Glorfindel, he helped me bring you to Rivendell," Aragorn said as the golden-haired person gave a slight bow. In response I gave a slight smile just before my eyes locked onto the platter Aragorn carried. Food! He gave a slight chuckle before setting the tray on the foot of the bed and ushering me back to bed. "Lord Elrond, ruler of Rivendell and a great healer has ordered you to rest."

Frodo

'Ana is well. She has healed much faster than yourself,' answered Gandalf after a brief hesitation.

'What aren't you telling me?'

Anastasia

"Here eat," Strider ordered as he set the tray in my lap after I tucked myself back into bed. "I had another one of my dreams," he continued as he sat at the foot of the bed, "and in this one you consumed a lot of food." Thank you.

"You have dreams about Ana?" Glorfindel asked as he moved the chair closer before settling in beside the bed. "What kind of dreams?"

Aragorn then proceed to tell Glorfindel of the dreams he had been having since meeting Ana in Bree and how they evolved. The most recent dream started off with Ana disappearing into the darkness. As he followed the darkness began to have shadowy shapes which changed into a forest with twisted trees. Ana was no longer in sight, but he had the golden eyes of a cat to follow; as they hid in the trees always remaining just out of reach and the owner remained just out of sight. The eyes lead him to the edge of the forest where they could be seen in a bush, low to the ground. As Aragorn approached, the eyes once more disappeared. Following through the bush, there were tracks on the ground: the clawless paw prints not unlike the ones which circled around the hobbits and his camp from Bree to Weathertop. Once on the other side of the bush, Strider was on a plateau with smoke lying close to the ground dampening all of his senses. In the distance shadowy heaps burned, but what captivated him was the cat looming over an unidentifiable carcass. He tried to move closer, but found his feet stuck to the ground forcing him to remain at that distance. After finishing one body, the creature move onto another and then another. Once it was finished, it transformed into Ana; who had a bloody face and the golden eyes remained, linking her to the cat. After a moment of staring back at him Ana crouched, her body tensing, and then she pounced at him. Before Ana could reach him, Aragorn sudden shot awake.

As Aragorn talked about the dreams, I managed to inhale a plate of sandwiches, a bowl of soup, a small bowl of fruit and was finishing off the cup of tea; much to the amusement of the two males. "There seems to be a connection between the two of you," Glorfindel noted watching as I drained the last of tea. "I wonder what else the connection will allow you to do."

"Well, Ana and I are capable of communicating using our minds," Aragorn responded slowly. "We learned about this ability after chasing off the Ringwraiths."

Glorfindel sat in silence for a while, his gaze drawn out the window before he slowly began to speak. "It seems the connection between the two of you is very strong. You should talk to Lord Elrond and Gandalf about it, when they can spare a minute, of course."

"Of course."

We all sat there in silence for a few minutes, my eyes bouncing back and forth between the two. After a moment I turned back to Aragorn, How did I get here? Glorfindel said I came to Rivendell slung over your shoulder unconscious? "You were unconscious, but it took both Glorfindel and myself to get you into the house of Elrond," Aragorn answered.

"What did she ask?"

"Ana asked how she got to Rivendell. She picked up on your comment about coming into Imladris slung over my shoulder," Aragorn informed Glorfindel before turning back to me. "Do you remember the trolls?"

I eyed Aragorn and Glorfindel warily, as the later seem amused, before slowly shaking my head back and forth. What trolls? "What is the last thing you remember?" Aragorn asked trying to figure out where to start.

Ummm . . . the ravine. We were miserable and wet . . . and . . . and Frodo was riding on the pony. "We spent a few day in the ravine where we stared heading North again, so we had to climb a steep incline to begin heading back to Rivendell." Frodo had to walk since the pony had a hard time climbing up. "Yes, we spent the night on the top of the incline. The next day we headed down the other side where we found an old trail. We followed the trail all the way to a glade were we found three trolls who had been turned to stone by Bilbo Baggins, Frodo's uncle, and twelve dwarves. We ate lunch in the shade of the trolls followed by some singing and merry making, although you spent much of it sleeping in the sun. After we got ready to leave I got you up on to your feet and steadied you. You were swaying an awful lot and seemed extremely pale. I had not realized then that the poison of the Morgul Blade had gotten so far into your body. We headed off and you managed a few steps before you collapsed onto the ground, face first. The hobbits and I rushed back to your side, but couldn't rouse you, so I picked you up and we headed on our way," Aragorn recounted. "You are a lot heavier than you look."

"When I first came across Aragorn and the hobbits, I did not know about you. They had hid in the bushes afraid that I was a Black Rider, but when they saw me they came scrambling down to greet me," Glorfindel continued. "Once we got Frodo situated on my horse, Aragorn went back up the incline to the bushes where they left you. We then both took turns carrying you to Imladris. It is quite impressive you managed to live so long. Even after you were unconscious you managed to hang onto your life." Thanks, I think. I mentally responded one of my eyebrows rising. How is Frodo? You mentioned that Lord Elrond was still trying to save his life.

Strider gave a little chuckle before answering. "Yes, Lord Elrond is still trying to save Frodo's life. It seems that there is still a piece of the Morgul blade in his shoulder, but it has not been found yet. We hope to find it soon." The end of his sentence was punctured by one of my yawns and even though I so desperately tried to hide it, they saw it. Eating and healing together always made me tired. I could hardly keep my eyes open.

"Aragorn we should go and let Ana sleep. Lord Elrond has order her to rest," Glorfindel said standing up. "And I sure both him and Gandalf would appreciate us getting the hobbits out of their hair."

Aragorn followed Glorfindel's example and got up getting ready to leave. "He's right, get some rest," Aragorn said as he closed the door.

I snuggled down further into the bed, enjoying as the sun danced across my skin before closing my eyes. I would not sleep and let myself be terrorized by the nightmares, but I would let my body rest.

Frodo

'She woke up yesterday around lunch time, seeming quite fine according to Aragorn and Glorfindel. After letting her rest for a few hours I went to visit her hoping we could talk,' Gandalf said picking his words carefully.

'Well it's good she was healing, but you still haven't told me it all,' Frodo responded.

'Yes, you're quite right. When I went into her room, she was nowhere to be found. I check everywhere even going as far as checking the whole of Lord Elrond's house. She just disappeared, not a trace of her anywhere,' Gandalf finally admitted.

'She disappeared!' Frodo exclaimed. 'Well, she did manage to disappear in Bree right under Strider's nose. Now, what happened at the Ford? It all seemed so dim, somehow; and it still does.'1

Tolkien, J.R.R. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. London: Allen & Unwin, 1954. Print.

The quotes came from the chapters called Many Meetings1.

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