Disclaimer: I do not own LotR

Notes: Thanks for the reviews. I am working the format out; I will need longer entries like last chapter but I want to keep the feel of early ones as well...

we shall see.

Also, while I strive for accuracy, I make no promises with time; indeed, ME/Earth time conversion is rather...odd. And difficult.

Chapter Five

Day Seventy-Five

I ate breakfast with Erestor, who was inquisitive as to my past and asked a lot of questions that had no simple answer. Thankfully Glorfindel was nearby to save my brain from exploding. Seriously, how would I know from what families English is derived? I barely even know comma rules!

Gorvon introduced me to his friend Baradir and then proceeded to ignore me. He is so rude.

Aunt flow began her visit so I'm on the belt.

I asked Nimhel as subtly as I could where I could clean them. She took me to a cupboard and got some small-scale washing materials for me, and asked I knew how to use them. I told her that in the inn Gorvon left me, I cleaned these for a living.

She seemed utterly disgusted. We understand each other.

Day Seventy Five, Later

I just had the most awkward conversation of my life. Nimhel was apparently so disgusted by my description of Mildburg's inn that she ASKED GORVON ABOUT IT!

And then he tracked me down and had me tell him EVERYTHING.

At first I said, "Gorvon, no, I am not talking to you about menstruation." that almost worked, until he remembered that he hadn't asked me about that.

He is very insistent.

So I told him about my time at the inn.

Ad then he apologized.

I didn't know what to do because he looked very sad and guilty. Especially when I let slip that Mildburg flogged me a few times. I just reached up patted his head (quite the accomplishment because he's at least a foot taller than me) and said it wasn't his fault, even though a couple of hours ago I was angry at him for it.

I don't think he knows quite what to make of me.

I don't know quite what to make of him.

Day Seventy-Five, Night

Had a long talk with the council of people-who-seem-to-be-in-charge-of-my-fate.

Elrond decided that I will stay in Imladris or the time being. Which means that Erestor is going to teach me Sindarin. I am looking forwards to that. He also decided that I could learn whatever skills I was capable of learning, to see if I found something I liked and could be of some use in; I asked about botany and healing, and said I had some minor training, and he was pretty impressed.

At dinner I sat with Gorvon and Baradir. Gorvon had just been informed of my story and kept on giving me the oddest looks and shaking his head.

I think he may be having some sort of crisis.

Day Seventy-Six

Lýthril offered to teach me the basics of weaving.

I am certifiably terrible at it.

I saw Arwen- she is so beautiful it hurts to look at her. And I only saw her for a second.

Day Seventy-Six, Evening

Gorvon just left with Baradir.

He came to find me and said goodbye.

He also said he'd try to return soon. I smiled at him and said something to the effect of well, this is better than the last place you left me.

He looked guilty so I did something absolutely weird and unexplainable and hugged him.

He was rather taken aback but patted my back and said goodbye.

Are we friends?

Day Seventy-Seven

Today was long.

I ate breakfast with Nimhel then went to my first Sindarin lesson. Languages are hard. I only know a few phrases that I have copied into your back pages. But Erestor said that it shouldn't be to hard if I could manage Westron with little training.

I was shown to an ellon named Glaewron who works with my branch of 'healing'. He speaks Westron from dealing with trade. He quizzed me and seemed rather pleased, and immediately launched into the basics; how things are stored, what grows when, the best way to apply different types of mixtures, and other fun facts. He also listened to my explanation on massages and muscle relaxation and said that he knew of some odd eastern doctors who used similar techniques.

I did not leave his workroom until lunch, which I ate with him. He is amusing and eccentric, perhaps something akin to a mad scientist.

Glorfindel stopped by and ate with us, careful to steer the conversation away from me.

After lunch, he told me my cover-story; I was an orphan from an odd area between the West and the East, close to Rohan but not really (to explain my coloring). Apparently I hit my head and, while some things were fuzzy, most were fine. I made my way to Bree with Gorvon, who found me and could not track down my relatives or figure out what to do with me.

It's all rather intricate.

Then Lýthril showed me some stitches and helped me master them. I am bad at sewing, however. I keep on pricking my fingers.

Nimhel is an incredible seamstress. She sewed up a torn shirt in less than two minutes.

So it has been established that, while I cannot go withing three feet of any sort of threat or fabric without things going south, I am allowed to help Glaewron and learn from him.

I also got to visit the black smiths work place; it was very hot in there but I got to see several nifty weapons. The tanners smelled to bad to go near, and I almost choked on the sawdust surrounding the carpenters.

I did visit a songwriter, named Lindir, a friend of Erestor, who got some copies of old songs and had me identify the letters and words I had learned. He wasn't overly impressed but he said I did rather well, for my first lesson.

I did not go to the Hall of Fire after dinner, I was far to exhausted.

Day Seventy-Eight

I sat down with Elrond and Glorfindel today and told them as much as I knew about the past. Gandalf told me not to give away too much for fear that my knowledge could be dangerous.

Frankly, I am not sure what to do with it myself.

I can't risk that the war be lost, but at the same time...

I don't think I have met anyone who dies yet, unless Gorvon or Baradir...

Sorry about that long pause.

No, I am certain I have yet to meet anyone who dies. Absolutely positive, even.

Day Eighty

Off the rag, got to bathe again.

Being clean is like heaven.

The past two days were much like all the others.

I go to breakfast, then Sindarin classes. Sometimes Lindir comes along and will sing something and help me understand the lyrics, which is always fun.

Usually after that I go learn from Glaewron, who is always very nice and entertaining, and listens to my stories about the inn (I only tell him the good stuff, though, like Joe putting snakes in Mildburg's bed) and lets me do hands-on-work with extracts.

Nimhel and Lýthril have sort of taken me under their wing; the former more than the latter, but I appreciate it. They sit with me at some meals and help me with whatever skill I try to master (though Lýthril told me that perhaps I should avoid looms), and introduce me to all sorts of interesting elves and are helping me settle into this routine.

I also spend a good amount of time with Glorfindel, who seems to be the only one who knows my story and still has time or energy to answer all my questions. Did you know that the who Blarog-wing conflict turns out-

Oh, drat, spilled my tea. Oh well, it's not like I'll forget that answer soon!

But despite this busy schedule I feel more homesick than ever. I miss my mom and her cooking and her smell and her level-headedness. I miss my dad and his good advice and... well, being my dad. I miss my sister and everything about her. I miss Macy who always put up with me, even when Toby dumped me on the night I planned on sleeping with him (in hindsight, it's best I'm still a virgin; I understand premarital sex is not looked kindly upon here).

I miss everything.

I wonder when and how I'll go back.

Day Eighty-One

I got to have a nice long chat with Gandalf, because he was leaving to do... something. I don't know what. He's very mysterious.

But I told him more about what I know. He said I could keep asking Glorfindel questions about the past, but I was not to talk about the future until he had a chance to speak to me again.

Day Eighty-Two

Made a successful herbal remedy today, Glaewron was impressed. He said I might be of some use and there was no reason I should not meet the other healers and learn from them, but he would ask Elrond about it.

I am happy to be able to do something properly.

Day Eighty-Three

Some more rangers came today. They would have ignored me, but Gorvon had apparently run into them and had explained his prolonged absence (apparently he was planing on meeting one of them; Carathor), but he had not told them my story.

I had lunch with them; Carathor, Amdirben, and Hallbarad (who is actually Baradir's father; these Dúnedain all look a lot younger than they seem to be), and they seemed to be curious about the odd girl who had confused their dear friend so much.

I must say I quite like them. They are all very friendly and funny.

I did ask why they all here at once, because don't Rangers travel alone? Well, it turns out that a friend of theirs, Aithron, is celebrating his birthday in two days and that most Dúnedain in the area would try to make it, though thy would have to leave soon and they were not at all sure as to whether or not Aithron would even show, but it was nice to get some rest.

Day Eighty-four

Aithron showed up. He is just as likable as the rest.

You know, I never much paid attention to the Dúnedain in the books, and that's a real shame because they are all impossibly pleasant.

Glaewron told me I could meet with some of the other healers and learn from them; unfortunately not Elrond, because he has many Lord-of-Imladris type thing to tend to, but there are many other skilled healers here. That doesn't surprise me.

Day Eighty-Five

In the end only one more Ranger made it, Padhron.

The five took over a little table at dinner and invited me to sit with them, since if I could "put up with Gorvon for as long as I did, I must be a good chap".

Communicating was hard because they would often lapse into Sindarin (especially as they drank more), but they would make a point to tell some stories in Westron so that I could understand them (usually when it pertained to one of them that I had already met being embarrassed).

I went to bed early, because as nice as the Dúnedain were I was sure they wanted some time to celebrate privately, and I didn't want to intrude. Besides, tomorrow I a meeting some more healers. I am very exited.

Day Eighty-Six

The rangers left today. I said goodbye to all of them.

It's much quieter now.

Day Eighty-Six, later

I met a healer named Celegeth who told me about the absolute basics of healing.

She was rather patient with me as I asked my questions, but it felt like she was talking to a child, not a fully grown woman. She kept on making these flirty eyes at Glaewron, but I don't think he noticed.

Eventually she realized I was, despite my distinct not-elvishness, not a complete bone-head and was less condescending with her tone.

I didn't learn too much, but she explained how they dealt with some "mortal afflictions" that they did not suffer, like colds and the sniffles.

When we left, I told Glaewron "I think she likes you."

"Well, yes, we are very close friends."

"I didn't mean in that way," I told him. He just seemed a bit baffled.

I don't think that, for all his elven skill, he understands females to well.

Day Eighty-Seven

I visited the kitchens today with Nimhel- I was roped in to helping pluck a chicken, but that did not work out very well.

I almost threw up on it and was removed from the rooms for fear of being a health hazard.

Erestor found me half-gagging outside and sighed and said, very calmly, "Would you like to learn another song from Lindir?"

I agreed and we went and did just that.

Day Eighty-Eight

I met Lord Elrond's children.

His sons, Elladan and Elrohir, and Arwen, were filled in on my story and I was introduced.

Arwen has a personality that is more beautiful than her face, which is really unfair. I mean, for someone to be that stunning is one thing, but she's so nice and kind that you can't even be properly jealous of her.

Elladan and Elrohir are very much all business. You know, everyone acts like they're the Weasley Twins of Middle Earth, but they're very serious; I suppose getting vengeance on Orcs will do that to you. Not that they aren't nice, but they're rather introverted and spent most of our rather brief meeting looking pensive.

Arwen said that she'd heard I was rather skilled, for a mortal, at healing from Celegeth and was sure that I would be very helpful. I suspect she was only being nice but I thanked her anyways.

Day Ninety

Almost to a hundred.

Glorfindel walked with me after breakfast and I asked if he would mind if I talked about my family. Not that writing in you isn't cathartic, but... it's nice when someone is listening.

He, being polite, agreed, and I went on for an hour about my parents and sister and friends. Occasionally I lapsed into English but I managed mostly in Westron.

I was so embarrassed when I finished because I was crying. Glorfindel just patted my head. It was strangely comforting.

Day Ninety-One

Flubbed up greatly.

I knocked half a shelf over in Glaewron's lab and spent the day cleaning (which I have gotten good at), apologizing (which I am not the best at) and beginning the plans for helping him restock things.

He was very gracious about the whole thing and told me that so long as I helped him with everything, I would be fully forgiven, and I was fully forgiven as it was.

I still feel awful, though.

Day Ninety-One, Later

Day got more interesting. And by interesting I mean worse.

During my Sindarin lesson, Erestor had me sing one of th easier songs Lindir had taught me. I was hugely embarrassed and refused until he gave me one of those stony expressions.

So I sang.

He suggested that perhaps we try other teaching methods.

Day Ninety-One, Night

After dinner Nimhel asked if I had heard the odd cat earlier in the afternoon, as it must have been near where my lesson was.

I just looked at her and sighed.

Day Ninety-Two

I spent my entire day working with Glaewron. It was fun, oddly enough.

Celegeth stopped by and helped for a while, with a young elleth (only seventy. What.) and they helped for a while.

My only break was to go to my Sindarin lesson (we had lunch brought to us, as with the other meals), where Erestor said that I was a rather good linguist, since I was picking things up rather well.

I told him that being thrown into another world where you have no choice but to speak something else will do wonders for your skills.

He just gave me a look.

Day Ninety-Four

The past two days have been much like the last one I documented.

I enjoy working with the extracts. Glaewron is always ready with a story or a song and never forces me to sing. He also answers all of my questions, which he attributes to my partial-amnesia and unfamiliarity with the area.

Now, I was rereading you, and I admit my curiosity got the better of me.

I asked him if Gorvon had a family.

"Well, his mother died long ago. But his father Gorven and him are very close. He has no brothers or sisters. He is unmarried and, of course, has no children. Why do you ask?"

"I am just curious." I said.

Working again has made me feel very useful. Even if all the work is my fault. And the time spent with Celegeth seems to be getting her to warm up to me a little, even if she does not much like me. I think she sees me as a particularly intelligent puppy or something.

Oh, and Nimhel got me a new dress, which is really just an old one she tailored. I thanked her profusely but then Lýthril said "Really, Candes, you are now just being silly" so I stopped.

I am glad she likes me. I'd hate to see how she treats people she dislikes.

Day Ninety-Four, Later

I discovered how she treats them.

Her and Erestor just had the most amusing and snippy debate over the interpretation of a certain ballad she based a tapestry off of.

Nimhel looked a little embarrassed, I was shocked, and Glorfindel looked like he could not smile more smugly if he tried. I don't see what he has to be smug about.

They were at it for a good fifteen minutes, and was getting a bit loud, before Arwen finally stepped in to ask Lýthril about a certain scene she had worked on and Elladan needed urgent advice about a translation from Elrohir.

I always pictured elves as one happy family.

This image is more amusing.

Phew, that was long.

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