The next night, when Ithilwen laid down to sleep, she tried to let her mind focus on her previous dream of the mysterious person. It wasn't easy with so many other things on her mind. Payne had called her earlier that day to talk, and he had stealthily snuck in a request to go out for dinner the following week. Ithilwen had agreed after some persuasive conversation from his end of the line and Fiona pressed against her shoulder.
There was also the matter of her sudden loss of balance and the pang of grief that overcame her. She and Fiona spent some time checking in with their friends and discreetly asking about their current states, but came up short of any leads. Everyone they knew was doing fine to some degree. Fiona had dialed her naneth as a last resort, much to Ithilwen's dismay. She didn't want her to cut her business in Italy short; she would be home in four days as it was. Thankfully for Ithilwen, Morwen could not leave until the conference was over. She told the two younger women that she would look into what had happened to Ithilwen during her free time overseas, and not to dwell on it too much.
Ithilwen turned over in her bed and reached for her mp3 player on the bedside table. A few button clicks later, she had pulled up a relaxing playlist to help lull her to sleep.
It was hot. Nearly unbearable hot. Why was it so damned hot?!
All she could see was shades of red. Then from somewhere far from her peripheral vision, a white light burst forth, and the redness shifted. But then something strange happened to the white light, and the redness faded to black.
Ithilwen felt her feet lose ground beneath her as she fell into the darkness. She tried to scream, but it was lost in the void. The heat was increasing. Whatever it was that was the source was getting closer… Her eyes picked up a glimmer of metal as it sailed towards her-
She shot up in the bed, sweating as if she had taken one of those zumba classes with Fiona. "What the hell was that?!" she breathed. Ithilwen rubbed the heels of her palms into her eyes, catching sight of the dream sand that fell to her lap.
"Sorry Sandy, but I don't think I'll be going to sleep just yet," she spoke to the room, swinging her legs over the edge and standing.
Ithilwen made her way down to the kitchen to get some water; the dream that she had made her feel almost feverish, the heat felt so real. Gulping some of the liquid down, she leaned against the counter and watched from the window the different strands of dream sand make their way across the town. She was so caught up with the golden strands that she jumped upon hearing the tapping from the very window she was gazing through.
The little golden man made a motion of tapping his wrist as almost as if to say, "Do you know what time it is?"
Ithilwen waved him over to the kitchen door and let him in. "I know, Sandy, I know. Believe me, I was asleep. I just had a… strange dream that woke me up."
The Sandman made sand gestures overhead that looked like twisted horses. Ithilwen shook her head. "No, I doubt It was a nightmare. This doesn't seem like something Pitch would do. It was.. I don't know.. it was almost like it was a memory, a really fuzzy memory." Ithilwen then proceeded to describe what she saw, or rather felt, in the dream to Sandy, who watched the elleth's gestures with a puzzled expression. "I'm guessing it wasn't a product of your handiwork either, huh?" she asked when she finished her tale.
The golden Guardian shook his head. He looked as confused as Ithilwen felt. His posture changed suddenly, as if remembering his purpose for stopping by. Ithilwen watched as more images appeared above his head. "Okay, okay, I get it. I'll try going back to sleep!" The signs stopped and Sandy actually began to nudge her back upstairs to her bedroom. At the foot of the stairs, however, Ithilwen stopped at turned to the small man. "I will try and go back to sleep, Sandy. I can't say I'll have much luck, but I will try."
Sandy seemed content with this answer, but he refused to move from his spot by the stairs until he was sure she went back to her room. As he floated out of the house without a sound, he reflected on what his elfin friend had told him. The Man in the Moon had not spoken to them since Jack Frost was selected to be the next Guardian, and there were no tell tale signs of a new danger. Still, Ithilwen's description was unsettling, and the small man would make it a point to confide this information with North when his work was finished in Burgess.
Ithilwen, meanwhile, had slumped back into her pillows, clearly wide awake. Her mind was tired, but it was still so active she had trouble focusing on sleep. As if she wasn't worried about previous events, this dream…thing… had to add to it. Rolling to her side, she buried her head in her pillow, lest she give into her frustration and scream. Unlike herself, Fiona required more rest, and she did not want to wake her friend. She tried to think about something else while she drifted off; oddly enough, her thoughts kept coming back to the dream cave. 'Guess it's better than that hell-pit,' she mused, giving into sleep.
This time, the air was more moist and comfortable. Ithilwen looked down to find herself wearing a sleeveless white gown and bare feet standing among green grass and scattered golden leaves. 'Well, it's better than the hell-pit,' she thought looking around. She was standing in what looked like a forest, but she knew the location was no where near where she lived; the trees were much taller and larger than those of Burgess, or any of the places she had been in that realm for that matter. She began to walk around, noting that the ground was soft and pliable beneath her feet. It was strange, she felt like she had been in this place before, but she was fairly certain that she had not been in these woods in recent memory.
Movement from her left caught her attention, banishing all thoughts of familiarity to the wayside for the time being. The area felt calm, and Ithilwen saw no reason to not explore and discover the source. Her pace quickened, darting around protruding tree roots and kicking up the golden leaves that she passed. "Who are you?" she called out. "I mean no harm. Please, show yourself!"
"Young maiden?" A male voice responded, one that Ithilwen did not expect. "You are here as well?"
Ithilwen looked around trees, trying to find the voice as she answered. "You are the man from the caves, yes?"
A chuckle was her answer, followed by, "So it is true. You are the maiden who cannot find her way through the darkness."
She couldn't help but huff indignantly. "If you will remember, it was pitch dark back there!" Twisting around the trunk of another tree, she asked again, "Where are you? I cannot find you, but you sound very close by."
"I am here, young maiden," the voice said from behind Ithilwen.
Ithilwen turned at the sound of feet hitting the earthen soil behind her, realizing rather foolishly that he was tucked away in the tree she was ambling around. She had the urge to scold the man for tricking her so, but the words died on her lips as she got her first look at the man who helped her from before.
He was tall, taller than her, with long pale blond hair. His eyes were blue and his skin fair, clothed in what looked like a tunic of greens and greys. What surprised her most was.. "Your ears… are pointed," she murmured.
He nodded his head and spoke, "I am an elf, my lady."
Ithilwen almost laughed outright. "I am too!" she exclaimed, lifting her hair back to expose her ears to him as well. "May I ask your name?"
"I am Legolas, of the Woodland Realm," he answered with a bow. "What is your name, young maiden?"
Not being able to curtsy properly, Ithilwen opted for a smaller bow of her head. "I am Ithilwen, daughter of Morwen and Haldir or Lorien." With her head down, she missed the flash of surprise that graced Legolas' face. "I must admit, it is nice to see you again. Or rather, be in your presence again, as this is the first time that I have ever seen you," she laughed. "My previous attempt at sleep had less than desirable results."
"You did not sleep well?"
Ithilwen shook her head. "Unfortunately not. It was peculiar though, something about a heated chasm and something silver-looking…" She looked around her, again missing the surprise that flashed across the male elf's face. "I don't suppose you happen to know where we are again? I feel as if I have been here before, but I know that where I live, the trees are not this grand."
Legolas looked at her in confusion. "You say that you are from Lorien, yet you do not recognize the outlying forests?"
"We're near Lothlorien?!" Ithilwen asked in surprise.
The elf nodded. "My company has come to rest for the night in the outskirts of the forests. We depart for Lorien in the early morning hours." Ithilwen noticed how tired his voice sounded as he spoke these words to her. It was almost as if he were hiding something significant that had worn him down, but she couldn't bring herself to ask. "Do you not live in Lorien any longer, Lady Ithilwen?"
"No… no, I haven't for some time now," she replied softly. "My naneth and I live elsewhere. I am not sure about the status of my adar, however." Seeing his questioning look, Ithilwen opened her mouth to tell him about the strange occurrence that led her and her naneth into the strange modern realm, but no sound came out. She tried again, only to see that her vision was beginning to blur. Her last sight of Legolas was his startled face mirroring her own confusion.
Legolas was shaken awake by Aragorn. "It is time to depart, my friend," the ranger said, securing the last of his belongings together. It wasn't the ranger's intention to stop outside Lothlorien's borders, but the nonstop pace to escape Moria and the sight of incoming orcs had taken its toll on the group. Aragorn finally conceded to stopping to make camp once they had reached the outermost edges of the forest.
Groggily, Legolas sat up. "It is daybreak, then?"
"Not quite, but close," Aragorn replied. He turned back to look at the elf, and was surprised by the state of his friend. "Restless sleep?" he ventured.
"Not…exactly," Legolas replied, getting to his feet. "I saw the maiden again." Aragorn didn't have to ask to whom the elf referred. Legolas didn't exactly go chasing after ellith like some might have expected. When he mentioned a maiden in conversation, there were no guessing games. "This time I was able to see her. She is of elf-kind, a daughter of Lorien." He proceeded to collect what belongings he had unpacked and moved out with the group.
Aragorn, not ready to let the topic drop, ventured further to inquire into Legolas' dream. Since it wasn't a secret, he did not lower his voice much, although the elf would have preferred a little discretion. "Perhaps we shall meet her in Lorien, then?"
"No," the elf replied. "She is not in Lorien. I was told that where she resides currently is not within any description of Middle-earth."
A/N: Gonna stop it here, otherwise there'll be pages of useless dialogue. Ithilwen and Legolas finally met face to face…sorta. Let me know if the pace is going too fast and I'll try and work on it. I'm trying to cut down on idle chatter between characters so the story will actually move along. I don't know if the change in time is being depicted well, so for reference, follow the book's timeline. There will be some changes to coincide from what happens in the movies, but it won't be anything you'll kill me for.