Hello this took a day longer than I wanted it to, but I'm more satisfied with this chapter than any of the others. Shout out to TheParanoidGraveRobber for being my only reviewer, you make me smile.
Further note on timeline: I fucked up a bit and completely forgot that there were nine years between Aragorn bring Gollum to Mirkwood and Gandalf going to the Shire. I'm just going to say that Gandalf and Aragorn were searching for clues together about the ring and the timeline kind of picks up in this chapter. Please review or pm me if you any questions on the timeline.
Decisions, Decisions
I have gone absolutely crazy, was Lilly's first thought upon seeing the silhouette of Rivendell, the last Homely House East of the Sea, tucked into a breathtaking valley. Even from that distance she could hear the laughing, singing, and carrying on of elves. Real elves, she would later see, with beauty and grace so great no mortal could ever dare to replicate. Lilly concluded as she stared at the great building, that she must either be dead and this was heaven. But, in reality, she thought that must have taken a long jump, leap, and bound away from her sanity.
"Do you believe yourself in Middle Earth now?" Gandalf inquired in the unmindful way of someone who lived a long time. He was enjoying another pipe as they walked and blew multi-coloured smoke rings.
"Either I have gone absolutely insane or something unbelievable has happened," Lilly answered, her gaze focused on Rivendell. Gandalf perceived the wide-eyed statement as a jest and chuckled softly around the pipe tucked into the corner of his mouth.
"Before we enter Rivendell," Gandalf said, stopping along the road to once again tap out his pipe. "It is imperative that I know who you are and where exactly you came from." He tucked his pipe back into his robes and turned toward Lilly. Grabbing her hands, he undid the ropes binding them together. "Anything at all you can recall before we found you would help us a great deal."
Lilly rubbed her wrists where the rope had chafed her skin raw and tried to smooth her tangled hair. "This…this is a story! Where I come from this is an old story, written years ago! It's just-" She ran her hands over her face, letting out an exasperated groan. "There is no conceivable way this could be happening."
"All old stories are rooted in truth." The younger man-Aragorn Lilly realized, responded. Lilly shook her head at the ranger who stroked his chin thoughtfully, "No, this isn't a legend or something! It's a book made up by an old English man!" Lilly could see she was not achieving anything with the two men as they both stared at her as though deep in thought, but their eyes told a different story.
Lilly decided to take a different route. "This morning I was travelling in a city- a huge city mind you- and I stepped off the train and I fell…but there was a man…I think I remember an old man…" Lilly squeezed her eyes closed, she could remember seeing a lady with a stroller and three teenagers talking loudly about some band, and… the old man sitting by the door! "There was an old man in blue sitting by the door, h-he had walking stick," Lilly gestured to Gandalf's gnarled wooden staff. "A wooden staff just like that." She chewed her lip in concentration, "He said things in a different language, I thought he was just a crazy homeless man."
While half of what the girl had said made no sense in the slightest to the old wizard (like many things these days did not), that bit of the story was quite intriguing.
"Did you know," He turned to Aragorn, while still focused on Lilly. "One of the two blues of my order has been missing for some several centuries." A look of confusion crossed the ranger's face. Gandalf turned to Lilly and continued. "He has been gone for so long, you know, I cannot seem to recall his name."
A far-away look appeared and disappeared just as quickly on the old wizard's face and it turned to a closed-eye concentration as Lilly continued to remember.
"I was falling…I think. And someone told me I had to change...something." Lilly shook her head, it felt as it her thoughts were swimming through thick syrup. She pressed her hands to her forehead, "I fell from…somewhere. I hit my head pretty hard, I can't remember anything beyond that."
Gandalf smiled warmly at her, "That's quite alright, but I feel we better continue this conversation with Lord Elrond." He looked toward Rivendell and thought that something very strange was about to happen.
Lord Elrond does not look like Hugo Weaving, was Lilly's first observation of the Elven lord. He, in fact, did not look like any person Lilly had ever seen before. An aura of purity seemed to surround not only him, but every other elf she had come into contact with in the moments she had been in Rivendell. These elves were not some beautiful, immortal humans with pointed ears; they possessed an ethereal grace and made everywhere they went seem just as otherworldly. Lilly, unused to the pure radiant perfection of elves, had trouble focusing on the conversation Gandalf was having with Lord Elrond.
Blinking hard and breathing deeply, Lilly tried to calm her over worked senses. She had not realized in her faraway state of mind that Elrond had broken off from his conversation with Gandalf to ask her a question. Red from her ears to her toes, she very quietly asked him to repeat his question only to turn a darker shade of red when she realized he had only asked for her name.
"Mary-Lillian Littlerock, but Lilly for short." She made her reply out of habit from years of school attendance and introducing herself. Elrond barely acknowledged her answer as he fully took in her mental disarray. "Perhaps," he suggested. "We should continue this conversation tomorrow." Lilly's pounding headache agreed with him.
Lord Elrond had another elf, an auburn haired woman with a soulful face, to escort Lilly to a room. Before she followed the woman, Aragorn passed Lilly's bag to the elven woman. Lilly clogged mind could not recall seeing him carry the sand coloured duffle bag, but then she could not remember putting it down in the first place.
The open air halls and dream like atmosphere of Rivendell lulled Lilly into sleep long before she even reached the room and with her eyes half-closed she only heard a word here and there of what the elf leading her was saying. Entering an open air room, Lilly had eyes only for the lush, white sheeted bed by the largest of the windows in the room. When the woman realised Lilly was not listening to a word she said, she left leaving Lilly to crawl into the bed, muddy dress and all, and fall deeply asleep willing herself to wake up back in her own world.
Curled under soft blankets in a bed warmed by the sun, Lilly could almost believe that when she opened her eyes she would be in her childhood bedroom and everything had been a very odd dream. She would go downstairs and tell her brothers about it during breakfast, then her dad would drive her back into the city. This is not what happened, however.
Just by the feeling of the cool breeze on her face and the lack of talking, shouting, or swearing, Lilly knew she was not at home nor back in her dorm. The bright sunlight made her blink hard and she felt dirty from sleeping in her clothes. Looking about the room with her eyes as she sat up and stretched, Lilly could see more detail in the room than she had the night before.
The furniture was all wood carved into exquisite shapes, organic yet sophisticated like the elves. White and light pastels seemed to be the uniform colour scheme of Rivendell, though it was more ethereal than bland.
Just as she had thrown the covers back and stood, an elf she recognised as the woman from the night before entered with stone pitcher and gauzy blue fabric draped over her forearm.
"Lord Elrond has instructed me to help you dress for the day, my lady. My name is Rirosseth." She glided around the room, stopping first to deposit the pitcher on what Lilly assumed was a wash stand then unfolded the fabric to reveal a dress in a draped style similar to the pale purple one she wore.
With a well-hid look of distaste at the state of Lilly's own homemade dress she continued, "This is one of Lady Arwen's older dresses, if it please my lady." Overwhelmed, Lilly mumbled out a response and the elf continued. "While you wash, I shall bring something to break your fast, then I shall take your own…clothing to be washed." The pause was not lost on Lilly as she could feel how ridiculous she looked.
"Yes, erm…thank you." Rirosseth smiled gently and Lilly had never felt more out of place than in this place of delicate beauty and other worldly grace. She excused herself and left Lilly alone to wash.
Washing in an open air room that seemed as if anyone at all could walk by was not something Lilly intent on doing. However, upon inspecting the small white washstand she found there was small area tucked into the corner of the wall that protected her from view.
Bathing standing up from tepid water in a bowl with a wash rag was something Lilly was fairly used to being an avid hunter. Thankful that she had washed her hair the day before, Lilly wiped away the grime that had accumulated during her trek through the woods.
Lilly did not want to think of the dirt she must have left in the pristine white sheets she had slept in the night before. She searched through her bag for her tooth brush and grabbed the underwear she had packed. Another thought that worried her was what she was going to be wearing for her stay there, which led to the thought of just how long she would be there.
Why am I here? Lilly did the rest of her washing up in a state of worry. What if I get turned out of Rivendell…if this place truly is Middle Earth…
Just as she finished pulling the blue dress over her head and began attempting to arrange it properly, Rirosseth appeared with a tray laden with sweet smelling breakfast foods. "Just a moment, my lady," She called as set the try down on the small white table in the opposite corner of the room. "You have that on the wrong way."
Red-faced with embarrassment, Lilly accepted Rirosseth's help with turning her dress around and tying the laces on the back. "While you eat," She informed Lilly, tugging the laces tight. "I will bring your clothes to be washed, then I shall return and take you to Lord Elrond's study." Lilly thanked her for her help and made a beeline for the table and chair.
Having just recalled the fact she had not eaten since breakfast of the day before, Lilly used all her willpower to not stuff her face with sweet rolls, eggs, and what she was fairly certain to be wine upon tasting it.
"If you do not mind my inquiry, my lady," Rirosseth said as she curiously examined the yoga pants and cotton shirt Lilly had been wearing under her dress. "Where are you travelling from?"
Lilly slowing put down the rolls she had been eating and tried to think of an answer that would not shock the woman. "Another world it seems like sometimes." Lilly answered, not wanting to elaborate. Nausea swept over her. "You know, I-I'm actually not that hungry…Please, take me to see Lord Elrond."
A look of concern passed over Rirosseth's face, but she said nothing only motioned for Lilly to follow her.
Rivendell was gorgeous by night, but absolutely breathtaking by day. The waterfalls and walkways, the open air housing made this house seem so very opposite of the homely house it claimed to be. Lord Elrond's study was down a ways from the room in which Lilly had slept and was filled with shelves of books. The lack of glass windows or wooden doors made Lilly very concerned for when it rained.
Gandalf was already seated with Elrond and the two were engrossed in a conversation. Rirosseth announced Lilly's arrival to the pair.
They both stood to welcome her and Gandalf gestured her to sit with them. "We have much to discuss," Gandalf look toward Lilly. "It would be prudent that you tell Lord Elrond everything which you have told me."
Lilly nodded in agreement and recalled her arrival in Middle Earth to Elrond who sat straight in his chair and focussed thoughtfully on her words.
"In my world there are stories- books to be exact- that detail events that have happened here, but…" Lilly paused unsure if she should be telling the inhabitants of this world about their futures. "The main part of it…I don't think it has happened yet…I mean I'm almost certain that they haven't." She chewed on her lip and wondered how much farther into detail she should go. "A great war is going to happen soon…and many people will die, if what the story says is true."
Gandalf nodded thoughtfully. "For nearly sixty years I have suspected something great and terrible to be building. It seems I have greater need than I had thought to finish my journey."
"Mithrandir, if what she says is true, then it is imperative we find out what is to happen." Elrond gave a knowing look to Gandalf. "This peace has been kept for nearly two thousand years; it would be in the best interest of the people of Middle Earth if it is kept."
Gandalf hmmmed, and shifted in his chair. "Perhaps….though perhaps not. Things have been set into motion for longer than we thought, I do not believe this will be so easily undone."
"You cannot be so certain." Elrond placed a hand over his face. "We cannot needlessly throw away lives; another war must be avoided at all cost."
Sensing the rising tension, Lilly squirmed in her chair like a child listening to arguing parents.
Gandalf disagreed, "This war will happen no matter what we do to prevent it; that is something I am certain of. The question is whether we hide in shadows trying to change the unchangeable or we meet the enemy head on."
Elrond considered Gandalf's point. "Whether or not a war with the enemy will happen is yet to be seen." He looked toward Lilly, "Why would we be sent someone who has the potential to stop a war if that potential was never meant to be used?"
Lilly shifted again and could feel a tickle at the base of her skull. She concentrated on the feeling and remembered the voice from her fall. Change the path…that's what someone said to me. But what path was that? As far as Lilly knew there would be many players to this game, many paths to change. We will tell you when and how.
Upon remembering those words Lilly felt the tickle turn into a spike of pain. She winced and felt the words thunder in her ears, 'This path must not change.' The pain ceased with the command and Lilly looked toward Gandalf for explanation.
He and Elrond both were ignorant to Lilly's pain, the two remained engrossed in their debate. Gandalf was responding to something Lilly had not heard Elrond say. "I do not trust that we will be able to change." "I don't think this is what I am supposed to change." Gandalf blinked in surprise when Lilly interrupted his argument.
"At least…I mean, this is not a story in which everyone dies and evil wins and all that kind of stuff. Sure it has some death, but…there is a happy ending." Lilly twisted her hands in her lap, regretting she had ever spoken up. "I think…a lot of good things wouldn't happen without this war. Important things," She suddenly thought of Aragorn and how his crown would be won.
Gandalf smiled at her and nodded in agreement. "It would be prudent of me to finish first the task I had set out to do before arriving here." He stood and collected his hat and staff. "I must travel to the Shire to see an old friend, I will return as soon as I can." It took Lilly a moment to realise Gandalf meant to leave.
"Surely you do not intend to leave just as soon as you have arrived?" Elrond asked the question Lilly had wanted to.
"This is of great importance. Aragorn and I shall leave as soon as we can." Gandalf looked toward Lilly. "You shall stay here in the care of Lord Elrond until such a time that we can further our discussion." He glanced toward Elrond, "It would do us no good for harm to come the only person who knows our future."
Lilly sat stunned. Everything seemed to move a hundred times faster in Middle Earth and as she sat in her borrowed dress and looked at the magnificent view of Rivendell, all she truly wanted was home.
And 'tis all for this day! This part of the story was a bitch to write but it's getting easier. R&R please :)