Chapter 19
"Has she woken yet?" a voice penetrated the black surrounding her.
"No, she must have overextended her limits, she's been sleeping for three days now." another voice replied.
Groaning, Natasha rolled away from the intruders in her blessed realm of warmth and comfort but they would not be so easily sent away.
"Lady Natasha?" the second voice called and a warm hand was laid on her shoulder.
"Go 'way." she mumbled in reply. " 'm sleepin'."
"I'm afraid you'll have to wake up now, my lady." the second voice said calmly, and her shoulder was shaken just a bit more. "You need to rise and eat something."
"Don't want to get up." Natasha opened one eye and glared at the speaker, recognizing her as one of Lord Elrond's attendants.
"Perhaps I can be off assistance." said a third voice from the door.
"Gandalf?" Natasha asked, sitting up and staring in exhausted disbelief at the figure standing in the doorway.
Her mentor nodded, stepping out of the way to allow the two attendants to leave the room. Taking a chair by her bed, Gandalf sat gazing at her with concern for a moment before removing the lid from the tray that the attendants had brought.
"Lord Elrond felt it best that you start small after all the strength you lent Frodo, who by the way is well on the road to recovery and should be waking up sometime later this morning." Gandalf explained the selection of fruit and bread on the tray.
"What time is it?" Natasha asked, popping a piece of fruit into her mouth, relishing the sweetness.
"Just after sunrise, around seven o'clock." Gandalf replied and chuckled when Natasha groaned.
"I'm getting soft in this world," she joked, eating a piece of bread. "Back home, Nigel and I were always up before the sun."
"Well after this you won't be bothered until you wish to awaken. Elrond simply wished to make certain you ate before sleeping any more. Personally, I advise taking a walk through the gardens before you sleep anymore." Gandalf said with an odd twinkle in his eye. "But for now, I believe you have some visitors who wish to see you."
Turning to the door, Natasha saw Strider and Legolas poking their heads in, eager smiles on their faces. Gandalf winked at her and left the room, going to check on Frodo in the healing houses. Legolas glided into the room, pulling Natasha into a fierce embrace before releasing her and sitting on the side of the bed.
"It is good to see you again, Natasha." he smiled picking up a hair brush from the bedside table and pointing it at her. "Though I do wish it had been when you were not stumbling through the halls on Gandalf's arm after doing such a strenuous healing."
Chuckling, Natasha relaxed as Legolas pulled the brush through her hair. Strider sat on the other side of the bed, watching in silence.
"Your hair is much longer than before." he commented softly, playing with a piece hanging over her shoulder.
"Yes though it's time to cut it, I think." Natasha smiled, indicating where the length had been when she'd first met them.
"Don't do that!" Legolas cried, holding her hair protectively. "It's beautiful."
"And a nuisance. Always getting in the way or getting caught on things."
"Well, then we shall just have to tie it back." Legolas said as if this solved the matter.
"The pony tail is too heavy now." Natasha complained.
"That is not what he has in mind." Strider grinned, moving to the wardrobe at the far end of the room. "I hope you don't mind borrowing some of Arwen's gowns. She's the only person in Imladris whose clothing would fit you."
He selected one as Legolas led her to the vanity and began pulling her hair back into a set of elaborate braids, starting at her temples and weaving over the crown of her head until finally being gathered together to form a tail at the back, while leaving the majority of her hair down around her shoulders. But before he would let her see how it looked, Legolas handed her the gown Strider had chosen and pushed her behind a screen so she could change.
"Arwen doesn't wear leggings so you'll have to make do with the gowns for now." Strider explained before Natasha could complain. "The seamstress will be around tomorrow to take you measurements for tunics, leggings and new boots. How yours got into such shape is beyond me." he looked at her boots in disdain and held out a pair of slippers around the screen.
"I believe a certain ranger felt it was necessary to drag me and four defenceless hobbits through a swamp a few days ago." Natasha replied and Strider made a face at her playfully through the screen. "Could one of you help me do this thing up? There are far too many buttons."
Both elf and half-elf jumped to her assistance, Legolas getting there first and childishly sticking out his tongue at Strider who huffed in the same manner back at him.
"All right you too." Natasha laughed. "Grow up. You'd think you'd be a bit more mature at your age."
"Indeed." a new voice answered from the door. "But given that my brothers were their role models as children, highly unlikely."
Turning to see the newcomer, Natasha stared in silence at the beautiful woman standing in the door. Chestnut hair fell down to her waist, accentuated by the deep burgundy gown she wore, the combination of which made her skin paler and eyes bluer.
"I am Arwen Undomiel, daughter of Elrond. It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Natasha Mithrandiriel."
"And a pleasure to meet you as well." Natasha stammered when she finally regained her voice.
"And you, Estel." Arwen said, thankfully turning that eerily penetrating gaze on the ranger. "It has been far too long since your last visit home."
Smiling, Strider stepped to her side and tried to pull Arwen into a hug but she twisted out of his grasp, dancing behind Legolas and using him for a shield.
"I might have given you a nephew, brother, and you would not have known until he was nearly reached his majority." she said dramatically.
"Ada would never allow such an eventuality and well you know it. He would send out the entirety of Rivendell's forces to search for me to bring me home to welcome the addition to the family." Strider countered, stalking around Legolas while Arwen backed away, eyes twinkling in mirth.
"Estel? What are you planning to do?" she asked uncertainly as Strider finally managed to get her away from Legolas.
"I believe the bathing pools are his destination." Legolas whispered conspiratorially to Natasha, gesturing to the rooms across the hall from her chambers.
Giggling, Natasha kept her mouth shut as Strider chased Arwen around the room, finally catching her and slinging her over his shoulder.
"Estel! What are you doing with my wife?" a blonde haired elf asked walking into the room.
"Haldir!" Arwen cried. "Save me from this brute!"
"And just what does this brute intend to do with you, meleth?" Haldir smirked, leaning against the doorjamb.
"He intends to throw her into the bathing pools and mess her lovely hair up." Strider replied giving an evil laugh.
"Oh, well then by all mean, do proceed." Haldir said, gracefully bowing Strider out the door.
"Haldir! You…you…Brute!" Arwen shrieked in playful anger. "Don't you dare let him throw me in there! Don't you…!"
Arwen continued to rant and fight as Strider left the room and she didn't stop until her voice was cut off by a large SPLASH!
"ESTEL! You are going to be in so much trouble when I get my hands on you!" Just you wait until I get out of here!"
"Threw her into the bathing pools again?" a tall brown haired elf asked as he and his twin walked up to the door on their way to their own rooms.
"Mmm, yes." Haldir answered. "If he's smart he'll…ah so he is going to do the smart thing for once." he finished as Strider raced past the door and down the corridor, disappearing from sight, as a soaked Arwen ran past in hot pursuit.
Unable to contain herself anymore, Natasha released the laughter that had been bubbling up inside her from the first. Sitting back down in front of the vanity, she clutched her sides as gales of laughter spilled from her. For several minutes everyone laughed heartily and were soon wiping tears from the corners of their eyes.
"Oh, I haven't laughed like that in a long time." Natasha sighed wiping another tear from her eye.
The elves all nodded in agreement and Legolas set about making introductions. Haldir, Arwen's husband, was a Marchwarden of Lothlorien, here visiting for Elrond's Council which was to be held after Frodo woke up and had rested a little. The twins, Elladan and Elrohir, the sons of Elrond, as it turned out, had just returned from patrol and were looking to speak to Estel after cleaning up. Indeed the dust of the road still clung to their clothing.
"Though I doubt that will be happening anytime in the near future." one said, Natasha wasn't quite sure which.
"Yes, last time Estel did something like this, Arwen chased him for hours afterward. Ada finally had to step in to get her to stop." continued the other.
Giggling again, Natasha tried her best to ignore the pang in her heart as the tweins walked away, seeming so close and yet there was almost a foot of space between them. Much like she and Nigel had been. Gods, how she missed him. Glancing around for something to distract herself, she caught sight of herself in the mirror above the vanity.
"Is that…? That can't be me." she gasped, looking to Legolas for confirmation.
He only nodded, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking at her in the mirror as well. Natasha couldn't believe how different she looked. Instead of the simple and functional Dr. Natasha McGowan looking back at her, or the more recent, but still functional, Istari apprentice Natasha McGowan, a lady she hadn't seen since she'd graduated med-school graced the mirror. A lady she'd almost forgotten was there inside her waiting for her time to shine.
"You're beautiful." Legolas whispered, taking her hand and leading her outside. "Would you like to see the gardens?"
Nodding as she was still unable to speak around the emotional lump in her throat, Natasha let him wind her arm through his and together they walked in silence through the halls towards the gardens, catching sight of Strider once as he ran for protection on the practice grounds where Glorfindel was currently running drills. Arwen was not far behind him, now completely dry.
The gardens were nothing like anything Natasha had ever seen. At least if she hadn't seen Queen Lalaith's garden in Mirkwood. But even then, her garden was not as well tended, nor was it in bloom when she'd seen it. And this brought up some questions. How could Rivendell's gardens be in bloom when it was well into autumn? And would there be snow if it was this warm in the fall when they were this far north? Gandalf had made her memorize the map of Middle Earth and so she knew they were at least as far North as the Balkans were in her world. There should be cold weather around this time of year, and yet it was perfectly comfortable.
"Lord Elrond has great power over the land here." Legolas explained as though reading her thoughts. "Even in winter, snow doest not fall as heavily as outside the Valley."
Natasha nodded even though she was still a little confused but before she could ask any questions, a familiar voice rang out from around the rose bushes.
"No, no Lindir. The rhythm goes like this." and then a familiar rhythm sounded, nearly making Natasha's heart stop.
Not daring to hope, Natasha walked around the bushes, Legolas close behind her only to walk into her when she came to an abrupt stop.
Nigel? her mind called out in shock, though the rest of her body was unable to move.
Her brother stopped beating out the rhythm on the drum he held as he turned to look at her and the biggest grin anyone had ever seen spread across his face.
Tas! he shouted in her mind, rushing over to her, whirling her around in a circle before pulling her into his arms. Are you ok? I saw the jeep. Gods, you're so lucky you're alive!
How did you get here? she asked, pulling away log enough to search his eyes questioningly.
A rush of image swept through her mind. Nigel feeling her pain as she crashed the jeep. Finding the jeep, seeing the blood and fearing the worst. Another attack of orcs but instead of them arriving in Mirkwood, the took him to just outside Rivendell, nearer to a human settlement. The human there out hunting and slaying the orcs, rescuing him and tending to his wounds. And then finally, after working for several months in the fields, traveling to Rivendell on the advice of the village elders to find a way to remedy his situation with Lord Elrond's help.
Unnoticed to either of the twins, they had sunk to their knees, Nigel cradling Natasha to his chest and stroking her hair as they exchanged memories, comforting each other. Legolas and Lindir watched in fascination, the silent conversation taking place.
"I see they've finally found each other." Gandalf said, joining the two elves and leaning heavily on his staff.
"You knew." Legolas stated, raising a questioning eyebrow at the Istari.
Nodding silently, Gandalf watched his apprentice and her brother's connection strengthen with each passing moment, slowly secluding them away from the rest of the world.
"Come." he said to both elves. "Let us give them a little privacy."
Neither of the twins noticed their absence as they moved away and looking back from the steps into the House, Legolas' heart swelled at the smile of contentment on Natasha's face as she sat there, eyes closed, in her brother's arms.