Disclaimer: I don't own any of the LOTR characters or settings (that's all Tolkien's) ... regrettably ... what's mine are the OC's … and the mistakes … yep, that's about it.

Chapter 5

There was a familiarly sweet scent in the air, and even though I was now awake, I found myself being perfectly content with just lying on the soft mattress and enjoying the peacefulness. I could hear soft rustling of leaves as they slowly moved in the wind and the cracking of a fire somewhere close by. Both adding to the feeling of contentment. Yet soon my peace was disturbed. It seemed my mind was not the only part of me that awoke, my body did as well and with it came the feeling of soreness. It wasn't anything terrible. However, it was uncomfortable enough to make the idea of just lounging in bed unappealing. Giving up, I moved to sit up. My ribs protested the movement and although I managed to manoeuvre myself into a sitting position leaning against the headboard, it wasn't without consequences. My eyes were now filled with tears, the pain in my ribs coming back with a vengeance. So much so, it was making me feel lightheaded.

It took a while before my head stopped spinning and the room around me came into focus. It didn't look like much, the room was simple and except for the bed, chair next to it, set of drawn curtains, a fireplace and a door, there wasn't much to see. However, the room felt warm and not just because of the fireplace, it felt homey. There was just one weird thing about the room – its furniture. Everything was slightly too big. I didn't believe my feet would touch the ground if I sat up on the chair nor on the bed.

Another reason why I felt unsettled was that I couldn't quite figure out where I was and also How did I get here? It reminded me of waking up in the middle of the campground all those days ago with no idea of either. I shuddered. I didn't care much for the reminder. It unnerved me not knowing where I was, so, I tried to piece together what I remembered, sifting through my memories I realised that the last thing I was sure of was my graduation. Everything that came after that was a bit of a blur: the dinner with my parents, the fight, the cellar. Still although those memories were unsettling, they were believable. The memories that followed were less so. They didn't feel quite real and had confusion and pain woven all throughout them: the campground, Logon, Estel, the talking trees, the darkness, and the seemingly never-ending days of travelling.

The last memory I recalled was resting at the riverbank and the sweet relaxing smell of the tea Estel was making. And then, then I was here, waking up in a room that had the same calming scent attached to it. I frowned, the realisation was slow to come, but once it did it was impossible to unsee. They drugged me. They fucking drugged me. Those fucking bastards. To say I was pissed would be an understatement. Yet soon, I found myself getting distracted from my anger, I felt too much at peace to be angry. Why? I had a right to be angry, why didn't it work? I couldn't quite understand what was wrong with me.

Then it hit me, it was the scent. It had to be. Those bastards. And as soon as I painstakingly managed to lower myself from the bed, I was hobbling over to the curtains. I needed some air to think clearly. I wish I could say that once I got to the curtains, I threw them open and that was it, yet regrettably that wasn't the case. I found out that the chair and the bed weren't the only things that were made for someone way taller than me, I couldn't even reach the window. I wasn't tall enough to open it. Damn it. Those fucking bastards. I am not even sure how I managed to pull the chair to the window and climb on it, but soon I was prying the window open and enjoying the breeze coming from the now opened window. It was dark outside, middle of the night yet I would swear that I could see every leaf, every blade on grass in the garden bellow. "Weird" I muttered.

The breeze was refreshing and soon my mind felt clearer than it did in days. Not only my emotions settled into comfortable annoyance, but I also started to recall more snippets from our journey. What I remembered was still a bit hazy. Most of the memories I recalled were accompanied by either feeling of panic or deep hopelessness. However, one of the memories stood out from the rest. The overpowering emotion that came with it was disbelief.

"Mistriel" Not wanting to hear anything else I covered my ears, only to realize that they were unusually pointy. The realisation hit me like a truck. No that couldn't be, I… No… that was impossible… there was just no way...

Wait whaaaat? I reached in my hair to confirm it – yeah, the tips of my ears indeed turned pointy. What the fuck? How did that happen? As my mind was going through the possibilities of what could that change mean, and was it purely aesthetic? No, I didn't think so … I recalled both the talking trees and the conversations between Estel and the others, that looking back, I shouldn't have been able to. It also wasn't just my hearing – even my eyesight seemed to be better than before, everything seemed to be sharper and even though it was nighttime, I now could see in more detail than I used to in the middle of the day.

As my mind was going through all the possibilities of what could that change mean, I caught a glimpse of someone in the window. Startled, I turned around ready to face the intruder. However, I didn't see anyone, I was still alone. Perplexed I turned back only to meet eyes with my reflection. Only I wouldn't believe it was mine had I not been so certain about being alone in the room. Sure, if we forget the now almost too obvious leaf-shaped ears, there were some similarities. The girl in the reflection had my blue eyes, long brown hair, and copied each of my movements, it had to be me. However, I no longer looked on my twenty-five. I was standing face to face with a child that couldn't be more than seven-years old. They are not giants after all. FUCK!

The realisation made me take a step back, I stumbled and the chair underneath my feet slipped and fell to the ground with a resonate "thud" while I in a desperate effort to catch myself grabbed onto the curtain. And although I manged to slow my descend, I soon found myself on the floor next to the overturned chair.

It was too much. I wasn't even sure about what I should be worried more my unusually pointy ears, my heightened senses, the fact that I turned into a kid or the footsteps, that kept getting closer and closer. I don't know! I don't know! I don't fucking know!

Things happened too fast after that. One moment I was overwhelmed, shaking and on the verge of tears. And the next, I was being gently cradled against someone's chest feeling myself beginning to relax to a now familiar "Shh…, little one, shh all will be well."

The moment I found myself back at the cliffs, I knew that I was running away from something. The usual calmness this place brought was nowhere to be found, its place overtaken by a sense of dread, that I couldn't quite place. The sea scared me today. It was loud, it too intense with waves breaking on the loudly on the cliffs. I could see dark stormy clouds on the horizon. The east wind is coming. I shivered. It was cold up here.

"Why did it change?" I wasn't sure who I was asking, but I could feel, I wasn't alone.

And sure enough, I got an answer

"It's calling out for help" answered a melodic voice from above my head and when I looked up, I was met with greyish eyes, that seemed to carry too much wisdom for my comfort, they reminded me of starlight. I was the first to break the eye contact. The man reminded me of Estel, his eyes had the same weary knowledgeable look in them. However, this man didn't try to hide it as Estel did, instead he leaned into it. He looked regal, and so old as if he was being from an entirely another time. Where Estel was rugged, this man was a picture of dignity and elegance, still he had such a patient expression that I couldn't find it in myself to be scared of him. Did he rattle me? Sure, but I didn't fear him.

Trying to distract myself I continued "Is it?" and although we both knew; I wasn't really asking the man replied.

"Indeed."

"Well, shouldn't we help it, then?" I wondered.

"We can, if that's what you wish." He was letting me choose, it was a long time since I felt like I had control over anything. It felt both nice and annoying. Nice, because of the freedom the choice brought and annoying, because I didn't know what the right answer was.

"It shouldn't matter what I wish, you should give help when someone is asking for it. And the sea is asking." I murmured feeling slightly annoyed.

Instead of answering the man just looked at me. It unnerved me, his eyes were ancient and although kind, they had a depth to them that made me feel as if he could see through my very soul. It made me feel seen. I disliked it "Stop it".

"Didn't you want to help?" The man was still looking at me, but the mysterious depth was gone from his gaze.

I didn't have an answer for that. I turned my attention back to the sea; it was still stormy. "Maybe, I can get used to it" I murmured. I stopped paying attention to the man. His presence suddenly seemed redundant. I looked at the sea, I finally really looked at it. It felt familiar, it felt like the darkness that accompanied me throughout the journey – weird mixture of panicked and calm, of frantic and numb. As if confirming my assumption, the sea started to darken further. The same could be said for the sky and soon my surroundings were too dark to distinguish the sea from the sky. Soon, there was no more sea, nor sky. There was nothing except for the darkness. It felt surreal, disorienting even.

And slowly the sound of the waves morphed into a conversation spoken in soft tones in a language I was still not quite familiar with. The voices were muffled as if they were talking from a great distance

"I am unsure whether my healing halls can offer her what she needs." I could hear the elegant man's voice again. "The wounds on her body can be healed, but it is as you feared Estel. She is fading, or at least on verge of it. Just threading the line between here and there." His voice didn't waver, nevertheless he sounded regretful.

"I am aware, I just hoped..." Slowly the voices scattered back into the sound of waves, leaving me once again alone in the darkness.

Notes:

„Cursive." = dialogue in Elvish = translated to Westron from Elvish

„Normal text."= dialogue in Westron = written as the characters say it

Cursive = thoughts

Author's notes: sorry I took so long to update – life has gotten in the way :)