Storms
Chapter Seventeen - Storms
Gimli watched the figure pacing silently and with great agitation around the room. After the tenth such circuit, he could stand it no longer.
"Sit down, lad! You're making me dizzy!"
Aragorn glanced up in surprise at Gimli, stopping in mid-stride. With a sheepish look at the other occupants of the room, he crossed over to sit in a chair next to Arwen. "My apologies." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and bending his head over his hands. "I am just…concerned for Lauren."
Arwen reached over, resting her hand over both of his. "I know, my love. We share your concern."
Lifting his head, Aragorn looked back at his wife. "Thank you." He looked around at the others sitting in the room; Faramir and Éowyn, Gimli, Legolas and of course, Arwen. They had all gathered here this evening to discuss the events of last night with Lauren. After Arwen had informed Faramir of Aragorn's need for rest, he had readily agreed to handle all the morning tasks that Aragorn would have handled. He had insisted on having this meeting in the evening, however, as he was concerned about the effect that recent events had had on his king. Aragorn had been distant and distracted all day, prompting Faramir to stay by his elbow throughout the day.
Running a hand agitatedly through his hair, Aragorn couldn't help but add, "If you had just seen the look in her eyes…"
"What is it you fear?" Éowyn asked. Faramir would not have dared ask his king about his fears, so Éowyn knew it was up to her to ask the question.
Aragorn sighed heavily as he thought about his response. "I know that her world is purely one of thought, of imagination, but her state of mind can affect her physical body. I have seen it. My greatest fear is that she will do harm to herself in her dream world and cause even greater problems in her reality."
"Do you truly think she would harm herself?" Legolas asked, glancing sharply over at Aragorn. "I have come to know her as well, and do not think her capable of it. Her spirit is far too strong."
"I hope that you are right, mellon-nín," Aragorn replied. "But I cannot be certain, and neither can you; not until we see her again."
"And if she does not wish to see you?" Arwen asked, remembering the many failed attempts to get back to her world of the night before.
"She has certainly shown that she has a greater control of the dream world," Aragorn admitted. "If she wishes to keep us out, it is well within her abilities." He shook his head sadly at the thought that she would keep them out just when she needed them the most.
"Why are you even thinking of trying to see her again?" Gimli asked abruptly. "If she is that angry, she could turn on you. It's not worth the risk."
Catching Gimli's eyes, Aragorn stared at him for a moment. "I trust that she would never try to harm me or Legolas, Gimli, no matter how angry she may be. I have come to know and love her as a daughter. I do not believe she could knowingly cause us harm."
Gimli muttered the next line under his breath. "Aye, and the witch has you under her spell."
Legolas let out a huff of frustration. "Are you still of the opinion that she is a witch, Gimli? After all we have told you of her? She is only a young woman trying to live through a very difficult time."
"A young woman who has reached across so many centuries?" Gimli asked scornfully. "Only one of great power could do that."
"Or one of my line," Aragorn inserted the comment into the conversation. "Such things are not unheard of in the line of Elrond and Elros."
"She is also descended from the Lady Galadriel, master Gimli. Do not forget that," Arwen reminded him with a small smile on her lips. She was fully aware of the dwarf's awe for her grandmother. "Few on Middle-earth could ever match her strength and power. Do you still consider her to be a witch?"
Gimli's face showed his shock at the thought. "Never! Lady Galadriel is no witch! And I'd gladly fight any who dared say such a thing!"
Arwen's smile spread as she regarded Gimli. "And her distant granddaughter is no more a witch than she is. Perhaps some of Galadriel's power has manifested in Lauren."
Gimli grumbled a bit under his breath, but so softly that not even Legolas could make out his words. He made no further protests however, when Aragorn suggested trying to reach Lauren again.
Unexpectedly, it was Faramir who spoke up in protest. "I would not attempt to dissuade you from reaching your granddaughter, my lord, but I do not think it a good idea for Lady Arwen to join you. Without her here, you have no anchor to this world to wake you when it is time."
"As long as our bodies are here, we will always have an anchor to this world," Aragorn said. "We have previously established the fact that Arwen is freely able to move between the worlds. If we decide that we have been there long enough, Arwen will leave and wake me up. That will break Legolas free from the dreams. There is nothing to concern yourself over."
Faramir's eyebrows lowered as he stared intently at his king. "I will decide what I should concern myself with, if you do not mind, my lord. Anything that could possibly harm you is my concern."
Aragorn waved a hand briefly in Faramir's direction, conceding the matter.
"I will keep watch as you attempt this thing," Faramir said firmly. "If there is trouble, I will be here to summon the healers."
Aragorn looked as if he would argue, but simply inclined his head toward his steward. It was, after all, Faramir's duty to worry over the well-being of the royal family. If this would assuage him, then it was a small concession to make. "Very well, you may keep watch from the sitting room, and only if there appears to be trouble should you summon the healers. Please do not do so if we are only a little late in waking." Aragorn remembered the last time they had stayed too long in Lauren's world only to wake and find their chambers full of healers.
"If you intend to stay long, I would appreciate a message telling me such," Faramir retorted.
A smile twisted Arwen's lips slightly. "Very well, my lord Steward," she replied. "I will be sure to do so."
Faramir reddened as he realized he had effectively just dictated an order to his king and queen. He would not apologize for it though.
After a short discussion, it was decided that Aragorn and Arwen would retire to their room, and Legolas would make himself comfortable in a chair as he had done the night before as they tested whether Lauren would even allow them to return. Faramir would stay in the adjoining sitting room with the door between the rooms cracked open slightly so that he could hear any signs of distress. Éowyn and Gimli had both opted to keep watch with Faramir. Gimli in part because he still did not trust Lauren, and Éowyn mostly because she did not wish to be parted from Faramir.
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As Aragorn lay down in the bed, he was unsure if he would be able to sleep. Arwen knew that he was too tense yet to sleep, so she laid her hand on his chest and rested her head on the pillow next to his head to whisper in his ear. "Relax, Estel." She led him to take a deep relaxing breath and once he was somewhat less tense, she decided to use a trick her father had taught her long ago. With a whispered command, Aragorn's eyes closed and he drifted to sleep. With a smile, Arwen let herself fall into the comforting arms of sleep, joining her husband.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in total darkness. The only light to be seen was the soft glow coming from Legolas. Looking around, she had the sense of being in a vast open area, with nothing around her. She could faintly see Aragorn near her and reached a hand out to rest against his arm. His hand quickly moved to cover hers.
"This does not bode well," he said softly. A sudden jagged flash of lightning lit up their surroundings, and they could see that they stood in a flat, open meadow. A rumble of thunder and another flash of lightning underscored Aragorn's comment.
"She did not prevent us from arriving here," Legolas pointed out. "I would think that would be a good sign, and at least it is not raining. If our surroundings indicate her emotions, it could well be worse."
"Finding Lauren would end the debate, would it not?" Arwen asked. "She will be able to tell us how she feels." After all she had heard of the previous night, she wanted to see Lauren for herself.
Aragorn tilted his head toward her, though he was unsure if they could see him. "Then let us find her."
They stood still and listened for some sign of Lauren. In between the flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, faint music could be heard. A small grin briefly crossed Aragorn's face. That at least, had not changed.
Following the sound of music, they soon found themselves standing near a blanket spread out across the ground. Lauren lay on her back on the blanket with some pillows propping her up as she watched the distant lightning. She didn't notice them as she listened to her music and tapped her hand lightly against the ground to the beat.
Aragorn listened with concern as she sang about crying when she was alone, scared to face reality, and having no one to save her from herself. He well knew how someone could be their own worst enemy, and feared that Lauren had begun to give up on the idea of waking up and going back to her life. At this point, that would be the worst thing she could do. He moved around the blanket into her line of sight, and noticed the dried tear tracks streaking down her face. Though she had obviously been crying long and hard, there were no fresh tears in her eyes. That storm seemed to have passed for now. Her eyes focused on his face as she took her attention from the glorious light show around them. She scrubbed her hands across her face, trying to erase the evidence of her tears.
"Hi." Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse, but steady. She sat up straighter, crossing her legs in front of her and gestured for him to join her on the blanket. Aragorn complied, sitting down across from her. Looking around, she spotted Legolas and Arwen and indicated that they should also sit down. Once everyone was settled comfortably, Lauren looked back and forth between Aragorn and Legolas. "I think I owe you both an apology. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know you were only trying to help."
Shaking his head, Aragorn held up a hand to stop her. "You had seen something that you were not prepared for; though I do not know how anyone could be prepared for such a thing. You were correct. Had I been in your place, I may well have reacted the same way."
Giving him a wan smile, she shook her head slightly. "I doubt it. Thank you for trying to absolve me of my guilt, but I need to say this."
Aragorn nodded his head once toward her, indicating that he was listening.
"Yes, I was thrown off balance by what I had just seen, but I had no cause to take it out on you. The both of you have only ever been good to me. I haven't heard a single harsh word out of either of you, besides calling me stubborn that is." A slight grin briefly quirked up one corner of her mouth. "And I think I fully deserved that. My point is that I lashed out at you simply because you were near me, and that wasn't right. What happened to me is no one's fault, most certainly not yours, and I really had no right to yell at you like I did. I'm sorry. Please forgive my temper."
"All is forgiven," Aragorn said seriously, and Legolas nodded to indicate that he also held no grudge against her.
"How do you fare now?" Arwen asked gently, leaning in toward her slightly.
Lauren shrugged half-heartedly. "I'm OK, I guess. Well, sort of, in a way…" Her voice trailed off and she shifted her attention back to the sky.
The others exchanged a worried look. That was hardly reassuring to them. "We were worried when we found ourselves in the midst of a lightning storm," Aragorn commented.
"You shouldn't be," Lauren insisted, glancing briefly at him. "Not because of that, anyway. I've always loved lightning. You don't know how many summer storms I have gone out on the porch to watch. I could watch it for hours and not get bored at all. There's just something about the power and majesty and wonder in lightning that is nearly hypnotic for me. It's like a fireworks show that not everyone knows how to enjoy."
"And yet, you do not seem to be enjoying the view," Aragorn said. "There is a sadness around you."
Raising an eyebrow, Lauren gave him a sidelong look. "And do you wonder why?" She sighed softly and ran her hands through her hair. "I've resigned myself to the fact that I've been seriously injured and I won't just be able to pick myself up and go on with my life. I accept what is coming, but that doesn't mean that I'm the least bit happy about it."
"Nor would any expect you to be," Arwen assured her, reaching over to place her hand on Lauren's shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. Lauren smiled at her and placed her hand over Arwen's, squeezing back in thanks for her sympathy. Arwen smiled back at her before pulling her hand away.
"That was an interesting song you were listening to when we arrived," Aragorn commented, changing the subject and leaning back to rest a hand against the ground.
Lauren smiled over at him. "Yeah, I thought you'd like that. I kept hearing your voice in my head when I was listening to it. Between your words and my own thoughts, I've come to realize that running away from myself is rather pointless. After all, wherever I go, there I am." She started laughing as she said the last line. At Aragorn's quizzical expression, she attempted to explain. "Sorry, that’s a favorite saying of one of my friends, 'Wherever you go, there you are.' It's supposed to be one of those statements that's so obvious that it's funny. And it's absolutely true. Like you said, we can't run from our troubles or pain, because we carry them with us wherever we go. And it does seem to be me that I'm trying to escape, though like the song said, that's not really possible." She sighed, a very melancholy sound, and looked around at them. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be much fun today. I don't even have the slightest idea in mind to entertain you."
"We did not come here to have you entertain us," Arwen said adamantly. Her voice softened with concern as she tilted her head to the side and looked at her distant granddaughter. "We desired to help you."
"And you have, just by being here and being concerned about me," Lauren assured her, touched by the obvious concern in her voice. "But I've been thinking about this since Aragorn and Legolas left last night. I don't really want to discuss it any more."
Aragorn decided that he would not push her at the moment. She was not avoiding the issue now; she was beginning to face it, though it was something that she would have to continue to do each day of her recovery. He also knew that their time together was short, and he wished to lighten her spirit and bring her some happiness before she left. Her trials would be easier to face if her spirit was not so burdened as it was now.
"Perhaps you would care to visit our world for once?" Arwen suggested with a thoughtful gleam in her eyes. Aragorn glanced at her in surprise. Apparently, they had had the same thought.
Lauren's face brightened. "I think I'd like that. You've seen what my life and my world are like, but I've only heard tales of the people and places in your lives. Where to first?"
She stood up slowly and the storm that had been raging in the skies dissipated to reveal the beginning of a sunrise off in the distance. Aragorn took that as a hopeful sign. "We should start with Minas Tirith. That is where we now live." He stood to his feet and offered his hand to Arwen to help her rise, though he knew very well his help was not required. She graciously took his offered hand and rose easily to her feet. Glancing over, Aragorn saw that Legolas was now standing near Lauren. Aragorn kept hold of Arwen's hand as they faced Lauren and Legolas.
"That's where you're king and queen, right?" Lauren asked, looking back and forth between Aragorn and Arwen. They nodded in response. "Would you like to re-create it here, or visit it like we just went into my reality?"
"I thought we found your world by accident," Aragorn said in confusion. He was sure that Lauren had not taken them there intentionally.
"We did," Lauren agreed. "But I went back there to visit for awhile last night. As long as you have a physical body to go to, it's pretty easy to go back and forth."
"You visited your world after we left?" Legolas asked in amazement. After her reaction, he didn't think she would have attempted it.
"Yes, I needed to see my parents again, and I wanted to get a better feel for what I'd be facing when I woke up. You have to admit that I wasn't exactly able to take in details the first time."
She gave a self-conscious shrug as she said this.
A thought occurred to Aragorn and he studied her face before asking, "Have you made an attempt to leave this world behind and rejoin yours?"
Lauren shifted her eyes away slightly. "Kind of, but I obviously didn't succeed. Of course, I don't really know how to, so that might be why I didn't succeed. But I also couldn't leave without saying goodbye. I didn't want your last memory of me to be last night." She couldn't quite meet his eyes as she said this, remembering how she had treated them last night.
"Would you care to try again, now that we are here?" Legolas asked carefully.
"Not yet," Lauren said quickly, looking up at him in near-panic. "I'm not ready to leave yet. Can we have one last night together at least? After all, Arwen just offered to show me your world. I would like to see it. This will probably be my only chance to ever see Middle-earth."
Aragorn admitted that it was likely that it would be her only chance. Though he privately thought that her desire to see his world was little more than an attempt to delay a return to her world, he would not deny her the chance. "Very well," he answered for Legolas, opening his hand toward her.
Taking a deep breath in relief, Lauren nodded her thanks to him. "Then we should probably get going, shouldn't we?"
Aragorn glanced around, seeing that the sky had lightened around them to show a very beautiful spring morning in an open meadow. Birds were singing in the air and flowers were in bloom, the leaves on the trees were a bright, new green. Somehow, he thought that Lauren would be fine. A soul capable of creating this scene was not so heavily burdened that it would be crushed under its load.
"We simply await your instructions," Aragorn commented lightly. If they were to attempt to travel to his reality, they would have to be directed as to how that could be done. It was not something any of them had the knowledge to accomplish on their own.
She nodded to him, acknowledging his point. "What you need to do is concentrate on the place you want to appear. Picture it in as much detail as you can, and just think yourself there."
"It is that simple?" Arwen asked in surprise. She had thought it would take more effort than that.
"Like I said, it's not difficult. The first time it happened, I was just trying to alter our surroundings to show them a hospital. The reason we actually traveled there was that my body happened to be lying in that hospital. Well, I think the fact that I'm closer to waking up had something to do with it, but since none of you are actually in a coma, that shouldn't be a factor. And Aragorn already knows how to alter our surroundings, so this won't be any more difficult. You just need to try to picture where you happen to be." Lauren gave them as many details as she could think of in order to enable them to travel to Middle-earth.
Aragorn shrugged. "That does not sound difficult at all."
"So give it a try," Lauren suggested.
Glancing at Arwen and Legolas, Aragorn directed them to do as Lauren had explained. It would likely be easier to make the transition if all three of them were trying to picture the same room at the same time. Moments later, the scenery around them began to change to Aragorn's sleeping chamber. The shimmer that surrounded them momentarily assured Aragorn that they had actually crossed the barrier to his world. Once the room materialized around them, they all found themselves staring at the figures sleeping in the bed. It was the oddest experience Aragorn had ever had, watching himself sleep. He looked over to see a very strange expression on Arwen's face as well.
"You're so cute," Lauren commented softly.
"Pardon me?" Aragorn asked in confusion, not sure what she was talking about.
Lauren walked over to stand beside the bed and gazed down at the still figures of Aragorn and Arwen. Arwen had her hand draped over Aragorn's chest, and his hand rested on hers.
"You're cute when you're sleeping," she said with an impish grin on her face as she looked back up at the figures of Aragorn and Arwen standing at the foot of the bed. Her eyes caught on something, and she looked past them to the sight of Legolas curled up in a chair across the room with his eyes open and staring off into space. She left the bedside and crossed the room to stand near Legolas, looking down at his face. She waved a hand in front of his eyes, looking for a reaction. Noticing a movement off to her left, she looked up to find Legolas standing beside her. Looking back and forth between the two forms, she finally looked up to the dream world Legolas. "I don't get it, are you asleep or not?"
"Of course I am asleep," he replied in bewilderment. "How else would I be able to visit you?"
Realizing what the problem was, Aragorn hastened to explain. "Elves sleep with their eyes open, Lauren."
"Weird," she commented, studying the form sleeping in the chair. Another thought occurred to her. "Do you make a habit of sleeping in the same room as Aragorn and Arwen? It seems a little odd to me."
"No, it is not my normal habit," Legolas said indignantly. "My chambers are down the hallway. I am only here this night because we were not sure we could reach you. You were quite successful at keeping us out last night. If we were unable to reach you in a normal fashion, I would need to be near so that we could try something different."
She thought about this for a moment. "OK, I guess that makes sense. But that chair doesn’t look especially comfortable. Aren't you going to be a bit stiff when you wake up?"
"It is doubtful," Legolas said. "Elves are not as susceptible to physical discomfort as are humans."
"Legolas can quite comfortably sleep for hours among the branches of a tree," Aragorn put in. "Though I was raised among elves, it is a skill I have never mastered."
"Well, I guess anyone who can sleep in a tree can spend the night in a chair without too much discomfort," Lauren allowed. She turned away from Legolas' sleeping form to look at the others. "Now, what did you have to show me? I doubt you brought me here just to show me your bedroom."
"True enough," Aragorn admitted. He swept his hand out toward a doorway, gesturing for her to precede them into the next room.
Lauren walked through the door that was slightly ajar and stopped in surprise as she found the sitting room on the other side of the door occupied. Legolas, following her, bumped directly into her, not being able to see that she had stopped just beyond the door. "Lauren, why did you stop?" he asked, taking her arm and moving her to the side of the door so that Aragorn and Arwen would not collide with them as they also walked through the door.
"Who are they, and why are they sitting here while you sleep?" Lauren asked the question just as Aragorn and Arwen joined them in the sitting room.
Aragorn glanced around the room and spied the occupants that had startled Lauren. He walked over to stand in front of them and gesturing to each as he named them, he introduced Faramir, Éowyn and Gimli to Lauren.
"Why are they sitting out here?" Lauren repeated her question, staring at them curiously. She had heard so much about them, it was odd to finally see them. It was even odder to think that she was standing right here talking about them, but they didn't know it. They were not talking at the moment, but sitting in silence, Éowyn leaning her head on Faramir's shoulder as she read a book. Gimli sat on a low chair, apparently taking the quiet time to sharpen his axe.
"Faramir did not like the idea of Arwen joining us this night," Aragorn explained. "If you will remember, he was not happy when he was unable to wake us the last time Arwen met with us."
"So, he's what, on guard duty or something?" Lauren asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked skeptically back at Aragorn. "What is he going to do to protect you from your dreams?"
"He was not sure," Arwen explained, "but he would not leave while the three of us were visiting with you. He feels it is his duty to protect us from all possible dangers."
"I suppose I can see that, though I have no idea what he could possibly do if there were problems here. But what is Gimli doing here, and especially with an axe?"
"Gimli does not trust you," Legolas said with amusement in his voice. "He considers you to be a witch." He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Lauren, taking in her reaction.
"A witch?" Lauren asked, with a very amused look on her face. She crouched down in front of him and waved a hand in front of his face. "And the axe?" she asked, glancing back at Legolas and the others.
"He did not have it earlier," Aragorn said. "He may have decided that it was a good time to sharpen his weapons." Aragorn shrugged, finding nothing odd in the thought.
"He looks entirely too comfortable with that axe," Lauren commented. "I realize that in your time, you may not want to wander too far without a way of defending yourself, but I don't know that I'd trust someone who caresses their weapon like you would a lover."
An evil grin crossed Aragorn's face. "You have never seen Legolas with his bow, have you?"
Lauren couldn't help laughing as she twisted back around to look inquiringly at Legolas' face for his reaction.
"Rakhâs ai-menu!" (Orcs upon you.) Legolas retorted without hesitation, turning pink in the face. He used a dwarvish curse, as he thought elvish too refined to be used in such a manner.
"What did he just say?" Lauren asked Arwen as Aragorn glared back at Legolas. Arwen did not answer for a moment, as she was too busy laughing at the staring contest between Aragorn and Legolas.
Legolas, however, did not appreciate being laughed at. "The curse includes you too, Arwen," he shot back.
"That was hardly necessary," Aragorn complained. He deserved the curse for such a comment, but Arwen had done nothing but laugh.
Lauren was getting impatient at being ignored. "What did that mean?" she asked again.
"You do not want to know," Arwen finally replied, getting her laughter under control.
Lauren just raised her eyebrows and looked back at Legolas. "Legolas?"
"I did not like his implication," Legolas retorted. "He insulted my honor with such a comment." Legolas calmed down slightly as he continued. "Besides, my bow was a gift from the Lady Galadriel. The Lothlorien elves make the finest bows in all of Middle-earth. I do not know how anyone could gaze at such a perfect weapon and not be a little awe-struck by it."
"May I see it?" Lauren asked in curiosity.
"Of course," Legolas responded brightly, gratified that she was showing such an interest in his bow. With a thought, it appeared in his hand and he held it out before her.
"Very nice," Lauren said, reaching out to take it from Legolas' hands for a closer inspection. She was quite surprised when Legolas drew it closer to his body, keeping it just out of her reach. Raising an eyebrow at him, a slow grin crossed her face. "It's not even real here, Legolas. I can't do anything to hurt the real thing." Legolas very reluctantly handed it to her, and she took it carefully in her arms to inspect it with the proper respect before handing it back to him. There was a visible relief in his expression as he took it back from her then made it disappear.
"OK," Lauren said slowly. "I've just come to the conclusion that you should never get between an elf and his weapons. If your reaction is that drastic to someone merely wanting to hold a simulated version of the bow, how would you react if someone actually tried to take it from you?"
"I would cut their hand from their body," Legolas said seriously. A hint of humor in his eyes was all that belied his statement.
Lauren looked at him with a bemused expression on her face. "Uh huh." Her tone of voice made it clear that she wasn't quite sure how to react to that. "And I thought the dwarf had issues."
At that comment, both Aragorn and Arwen started laughing and Legolas looked down at Lauren in a mix of humor and betrayal. He would never have expected Lauren to make such a comment about him. She had obviously gotten over her initial awe of him.
Before Legolas could retort and keep this going for any longer, Arwen interrupted. "As amusing as this all is, I have an idea to propose. I believe it would be possible for us to become visible to them for a short period of time. Would you like to do so?"
"How?" Lauren asked, rising to her feet at the same time that Aragorn objected to his wife's idea.
"I do not think that would be wise. Does this not involve a great risk to you?" Aragorn obviously knew what Arwen was referring to, though Legolas and Lauren were looking at them in confusion.
"Not risk, truly," Arwen explained slowly. "A strain, but nothing worse, I believe."
"What are you talking about?" Lauren asked them.
"One of the Lady Galadriel's gifts is the ability to show others what is hidden, things in the past, future, or even in other realms. Much of her strength was used in making her 'mirror', in which she would often gaze and sometimes would show others events that may or may not come to pass. She has the ability to gaze into the very soul and mind of a person, and read what is in their hearts. Her power was unmatched among the elves. As great as my father is, and even with his foresight, his power does not even begin to compare with hers. If she so wished, she could speak within a person's mind and show them many things. I am her granddaughter, and lived with her in Lothlorien for many centuries. She trained me in many things. My abilities are not as strong as hers, that is true, but they are there. I believe I have the strength to show the three of them this dream world that we currently inhabit. They should be able to see and hear us, for a short time."
"You could do such a thing?" Legolas asked in amazement. True, he had known that Arwen had lived with Galadriel for many years and had innate abilities of her own, but he had never considered what Galadriel may have taught her. Once when Legolas was visiting Aragorn and the Peredhil family in Rivendell, Arwen had told him that she watched over Aragorn in her thoughts as he traveled throughout Middle-earth. Through this he knew her abilities were strong, but he would not have thought her suggestion to be possible.
"For a short time, yes," Arwen said.
"Are you sure?" Aragorn asked. "You have not attempted such a thing for many years, not since becoming mortal." Seeing her about to protest his statement, he amended his words. "The power of the elves have faded in this world. Even had you not given up your immortality, this may be beyond you."
"Do not be so sure of that," Arwen said, staring at her husband. She did not seem to appreciate his doubt. She closed her eyes and drew her thoughts inward.
Lauren watched Arwen closely, as did Aragorn and Legolas. From their perspective, nothing was happening.
Suddenly, Gimli yelled out in surprise and in a move quicker than Lauren would have imagined, he was on his feet and swinging his axe cleanly through her body. Faramir and Éowyn rose to their feet in astonishment.
"HEY!" Lauren yelped in surprise and jumped back from Gimli as the axe passed cleanly through her middle. "What was that for?"
The sound of bright laughter made her glance over to see Legolas doubled over in his amusement.
"Oh, you thought that was funny, did you?" she asked dangerously, advancing on the elf.
Legolas, hearing a tone of threat that he had never heard before from her, glanced up warily at her. "Actually, yes, I did find it quite amusing." His voice was still tinged with a great deal of humor.
"The fact that your little friend there nearly cut me in two is humorous?" The dangerous note in her voice sharpened as she neared Legolas.
"You cannot be touched by anything of this world, Lauren. You were never in any danger." Legolas tried to explain his reaction to the scene as Lauren stalked toward him with a truly fearful gleam in her eyes.
"Little!" Gimli exclaimed in outrage as he and the others watched the scene in front of their astonished eyes.
Lauren did not hear him, as her attention was fixed solely on the elf in front of her. Legolas glanced warily around him as if looking for an escape route. He was reminded rather abruptly that she was also descended from the same bloodline as Elladan and Elrohir as that gleam in her eye became very familiar.
Aragorn was watching this entire thing with open amusement on his face. Faramir, just getting over the shock of seeing four people appear out of thin air in front of them, took his cue from Aragorn's demeanor and just watched to see what would happen. Aragorn, for his part, was truly enjoying watching Legolas retreat from Lauren. Legolas, who was renowned for his fierceness and battle prowess, was actually beginning to back away from Lauren, a young woman who had never seen a day of battle in her life. As he watched her, however, he was also reminded strongly of the twins as they prepared to spring one of their pranks. She was moving with a feline, if not elven grace, and he shuddered slightly as he saw the same gleam in her eye. He found himself almost feeling sorry for the elf. Almost.
As Lauren drew within a few inches of Legolas, she swiftly raised her hand toward him. Reacting to the perceived threat, Legolas moved to block her arm, and was taken by surprise as her other hand swung a pillow up to connect directly with the side of his head. He stopped in mid-move and just stared at her. "A pillow? Where did you get a pillow?"
She smirked at him. "We're in a world of imagination. I thought it up."
"Well, it that case…" A pillow suddenly appeared in his hand, and Lauren tried to duck away as he swung it toward her face.
"Pillow fight!" she cried, trying her best to take him down with a pillow in each hand. They were so engrossed in their mock battle that neither of them heard the footsteps approaching.
Aragorn had started laughing out loud the moment Lauren whacked Legolas with a pillow. The elf had rarely ever had such a stunned, surprised expression on his face. Remembering the many pillow fights he had had with his brothers, he was not all that surprised. That form of friendly attack must run in the family. Looking over, he found Faramir, Éowyn and Gimli all watching this with no small amazement and confusion on their faces. He looked over at Arwen and saw that though she was smiling at them, she was also under some strain from keeping them visible to the others. As much as he hated to disturb Lauren and Legolas, he knew it was time to stop the pillow fight. Seeing Lauren laughing and playful after how she had first appeared, he really did not want to stop them, but with Arwen's health at risk, he had no choice. He walked toward the two of them, determined to bring the battle to an end. He stopped within a few feet of them and watched them circling each other, a pillow in each hand, looking for a weakness in the other's defense.
As they finally noticed Aragorn standing near them, they stopped circling and regarded each other for a moment with a very mischievous look in their eyes. Simultaneously, they pivoted and launched pillows at Aragorn's head.
Aragorn ducked sideways to avoid one pillow and brought his hand up to easily block the other pillow. He had to laugh at the disappointed expressions on their faces. "I grew up with the twins, do not forget. I have many years experience at avoiding dual pillow assaults." He held up a hand toward them as they took it as a challenge and raised the other pillows. "Enough. This is quite amusing, but Arwen is only able to keep us visible for a short time, and I believe the others would like to meet you while they can still see you, Lauren."
"Oh, yeah, I kind of forgot that part," Lauren said. She straightened up and dropped her pillow to the floor. There were several feathers drifting around them as Legolas had chosen to fight with goose down pillows. "Legolas, you have a few feathers in your hair."
Legolas looked her over. "As do you."
Lauren grinned at him. "At least they're imaginary, so the cleanup is a snap." With that, she snapped her fingers out of a sense of drama, and the pillows and stray feathers all vanished. She gave Aragorn a slightly sheepish smile. "OK, I think I'm ready to meet everyone."
Sweeping his hand toward the others, Aragorn gestured for Lauren to approach them. She led the way to go stand before Faramir, Éowyn, and Gimli.
"Faramir, Lady Éowyn, Gimli, this is my granddaughter from the future, Lauren." Aragorn made the introductions and watched to see what the reactions would be.
Éowyn was the first to step forward. "I am greatly pleased to make your acquaintance, milady. We have heard much about you, and I must say that the descriptions did not quite do you justice." A smile crept across her face. "Any woman who can so surprise Legolas in battle is one I would like to know better."
Lauren grinned back at her, her cheeks a little pink. "Well, let's just say I learned a lot from my older brother about the tactics of a pillow fight. Since I'm smaller, surprise is one of my greatest weapons. I seem to have lost most of our pillow fights, though. Too many of them ended up with him pinning me to the floor and tickling me until I gave in."
Éowyn gave her a completely understanding smile. "I too grew up with an older brother. He also taught me many things about battles, those done in play, as well as those for much higher stakes."
"Is he the one who taught you to use a sword?" Lauren asked with curiosity, remembering what Aragorn had told her about Éowyn riding to battle and destroying the Witch King.
"We learned together from a young age," Éowyn explained, "though we often practiced together."
Aragorn smiled to himself, he had thought that Lauren and Éowyn would get along well. He had a feeling, though, that if they were not interrupted, they would try to converse the entire night. "Lauren." Lauren looked over to him in question. Aragorn raised an eyebrow and glanced toward Faramir and Gimli.
"Sorry," Lauren said. "I didn't mean to ignore everyone else. But I think Éowyn and I have a lot in common. I do wish we had more time to sit and talk."
"As do I," Éowyn said. She stepped back to allow her husband to greet Lauren.
Faramir was still staring at Lauren, deep in thought. "I was unsure at first if you were who you claimed to be," he said slowly. "Now that I see you, the resemblance is unmistakable. You truly are one of King Elessar's descendants." He bowed his head toward her in respect. He would have given her this respect strictly for her bloodline, but he could not help feeling a great deal of respect for anyone who felt comfortable enough with his king and Legolas to get in a pillow fight with them. He counted them as his friends, but he would never have dreamed of treating them so familiarly.
Lauren glanced aside at Aragorn for a moment for a cue as to how to proceed. Faramir was apparently used to using a much more formal style of address with his king. Treating him too casually would make him very uncomfortable. "You are the Steward here, correct?" she asked carefully, feeling her way through this first meeting. He nodded in response. "And part of your duties are to protect the royal family from any perceived threat?" Another nod. "I hope you have decided that I am no threat to them. I would never dream of causing them any harm."
"I believe that you would not intend to harm them," Faramir said carefully.
Hearing an undertone in his voice, Lauren spoke again. "But you believe harm could come to them anyway from something I might do?"
"Not intentionally," Faramir re-iterated, "but I was concerned when they would not wake. I felt it necessary to stand guard and assure that they came to no harm while in your world."
"If I give you my word that I will do all in my power to protect them and keep them safe while they are in my world, will you accept that as a solemn vow? Will you trust that I will live up to it?" It was important to Lauren to gain Faramir's trust, simply because he was an important part of Aragorn's life.
Faramir studied her for a long moment, his eyes searching her face. He could not get past how familiar her eyes were. He found that he did believe her. She would do everything in her power to keep them safe while they were with her. He nodded and was rewarded with a blinding smile.
"Good," she said happily. "Now we're all friends, here, right?"
"Not quite," a voice grumbled from off to her right. Gimli walked up to her and glared upward into her face. "Little?"
Lauren's face flushed and she conjured a chair she could sit in so that she would be eye-level with the dwarf. "I am sorry for that comment, master Gimli. I meant nothing by it, I assure you. I was merely startled when you tried to cut me in two, and then when Legolas started laughing…well, I couldn't very well let him get away with it, could I? Besides, you did attempt to kill me. Could we just call it even and put this behind us?"
Realizing that Lauren had greater cause to be upset with him than he did with her, Gimli graciously agreed to let the matter drop. "Very well." He motioned her closer and leaned in to say in a loud whisper. "I was quite impressed with how easily you got the drop on the elf."
Lauren laughed merrily, thinking that she had found another ally if she ever wanted to pull a harmless prank on Legolas. She had a feeling that if anyone ever meant the elf harm, though, Gimli would be his staunchest defender. Though they were different in every respect, there was a true bond of friendship between them.
Gimli looked into Lauren's laughing face, then back at Aragorn. "And this is the woman you were afraid would harm herself?"
Aragorn's heart sank as he watched all traces of animation and humor drain from Lauren's face.
"Gimli," Legolas moaned the name softly as he saw Lauren's expression change. "That was not at all wise."
Lauren abruptly stood up and strode several paces away before turning to look back at them. The look in her eyes was the same one that Aragorn had seen the last night, the one that made him fear for her safety. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared off into the distance. "That fear was more justified than you know," she said softly. "After you left, I found myself back on the edge of a cliff. It seemed I was on top of the world, all alone." Her gaze drifted downward, and Aragorn knew she was once again staring into the abyss, the darkness that she had just fought her way out of. She was silent for a moment, and the others just stared at her, transfixed as she uncurled her arms and brought them out to her sides, held loosely away from her body as if she would attempt to fly. Aragorn felt his heart thunder in his chest as he realized how close she had come to trying to end it. "It would have been so easy," her voice was barely above a whisper, but carried easily in the room as no one dared to make any noise. "Just one step was all it would take." She leaned forward slightly and closed her eyes, and everyone else found themselves holding their breath. After a long, tense silence, she opened her eyes and shook her head, taking an involuntary step backwards and crossing her arms in a defensive posture again.
She looked up at Aragorn and saw the terrified expression on his face. "I couldn't do it, don't worry, Aragorn." Giving him a sardonic grin, she tried to reassure him. "Even if I had tried, I very likely would have changed my mind on the way down. But unlike those who try that in real life, I could have conjured up a soft landing. Besides," she added, her smile slipping away, "I could never do that to my parents. They've already been through far too much because of me. It would kill them to lose me like that."
Tears welled up in her eyes, and Aragorn moved quickly to envelope her in his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder and he could feel her attempts to keep her breathing under control and not give in to the tears. Arwen swiftly joined them and wrapped her arms around them both.
Arwen gave a soft gasp as her arms closed around Lauren. She had had to open herself to the minds of all the individuals in the room to allow them all to see and hear each other, but once she touched Lauren, she was nearly overwhelmed by the force of Lauren's emotions. They were turbulent, chaotic, roiling and raging just below the surface. It was obvious to Arwen that Lauren's control of her emotions was thin and tattered right now. The humor and laughter of moments before were a form of release that Lauren desperately needed. Arwen was glad that Legolas had gone along with the pillow fight and thus gave Lauren a chance to work out some of her emotional turmoil, even if he had not realized that that was what she was doing. Arwen felt tears well in her own eyes as she stroked her hand down Lauren's head and back. It was impossible to feel this much of Lauren's pain and not react to it. Strangely enough, though, Arwen felt the strain of keeping them all visible lessen as she touched Aragorn and Lauren. It was much the same sensation as when her grandmother had steadied Arwen's abilities by sharing her own power with her during their lessons. She took a steadying breath and delved further into Lauren's mind and found a well of strength that Lauren had barely begun to tap. Such strength was expected from Aragorn, but not from Lauren. Arwen knew that the abilities of her line were very strong, and that though they dwindled throughout the years there were those, like Aragorn, who resembled the kings of old more than many previous generations of their ancestors. It seemed that Lauren was one such person. That only made sense, as she would have been unlikely to be able to reach them without such a reserve of power. Arwen only hoped that power would serve her well as Lauren struggled to recover from the physical and emotional pain that she was now in.
Lauren finally drew in a shaky breath and began to move away from Aragorn and Arwen, catching their hands and squeezing them briefly before stepping back and swiping quickly at her eyes. "I'm OK, now. Thank you."
Aragorn studied her face, which was calmer than it had been earlier. Her expression no longer made him fear for her safety, but neither was she smiling. This neutral emotion was probably the best they could hope for at this point in time.
Gimli had been watching Lauren's near-breakdown with a great deal of dismay. He looked back to Legolas now that things were calming down. "I didn't mean to…I would never have said that if I thought…" He was unable to express the regret he felt at taking away the laughing playful young woman he had first seen and replacing her with the terrifyingly desolate woman with the empty look in her eyes.
Legolas placed a hand on Gimli's shoulder and looked over at Lauren. "I know, Gimli. She has not yet regained her balance, and is walking the edge of a knife right now. She will recover in time… I hope." The last two words were muttered under his breath, and Gimli was unsure if Legolas had meant for him to hear them.
Looking around at the others, Lauren flushed self-consciously. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "I just seem to be an emotional yo-yo today. I'm better now."
"Yo-yo?" Éowyn asked curiously.
"Sorry. I keep forgetting that we don't have the same frame of reference. A yo-yo is a children's toy in my time." She conjured a yo-yo and demonstrated what it did. As they watched the yo-yo bob up and down on its string, they nodded in understanding of her comparison. "I haven't done this in ages," she commented as she played with the toy for awhile longer before letting it disappear. The corner of her mouth quirked upward slightly. "I could keep you all entertained for hours just by showing you common children's toys from my time. There are a lot of fun ones. Ooh, I bet you'd be fascinated by a slinky."
"A what?" Legolas asked at the unfamiliar word.
"We do not have time," Arwen answered suddenly. "I cannot hold the connection for much longer."
Aragorn glanced in concern at Arwen before heading over to stand beside Faramir. "I do not intend to leave Lauren alone as long as she needs someone to stay with her. I am sure you can see why I might be reluctant to leave her on her own now." Faramir nodded his understanding. He had been truly terrified earlier by her behavior. As one of the royal family, however distant, he felt it his responsibility to protect her as well. But how would he protect her from herself, especially when they resided in different worlds? He knew full well that Aragorn would do anything in his power to protect Lauren, and he was sure Lauren would do whatever was necessary to keep Aragorn safe, so they should be quite safe in each other's company. "Do not worry if we do not wake when you think we should," Aragorn was saying to Faramir. "We may be with Lauren for quite some time."
Faramir inclined his head to his king. "Yes, my lord. I understand. I will still stand guard here, but I will not send for the healers if you happen to sleep longer than I may wish." He glanced over at Lauren. "Keep her safe, milord."
"I intend to," Aragorn said, looking back at Lauren.
Lauren walked over to join them. "It looks like it's time to say goodbye. I wish we had had more time to get to know each other, but I am pleased to have met all of you." She shook her head ruefully. "Though I dread to know what you must think of me now, between the pillow fight and the mini-breakdown."
"We think you have been through something horrible and are doing your best to recover from it," Éowyn said. "It is something many of us have also experienced. Be well, Lauren from the future."
"Be well, Éowyn, Lady of Rohan and Gondor," Lauren responded, smiling and bowing her head toward Éowyn.
Lauren said farewell to Faramir, then turned to Gimli.
"I'm sorry," he said abruptly. "I never meant to bring you sadness." He looked down at the floor, hating the reaction his words had brought about. He glanced back up at her as she began speaking.
She smiled down at him. "It wasn't your fault. No matter what else I'm doing or feeling, the sadness and pain are there, just below the surface, trying to get out. If it wasn't your comment, it would have been something else. I don't blame you. I know you didn't intend to harm me at that point. Now, the bit with the axe on the other hand…" There was a gleam of humor in her eyes that he was glad to see once more.
"You startled me," he blustered, going along with her teasing. "I wasn’t expecting to have a strange woman appear out of thin air before me." He paused. "Though I am very glad that I was unable to actually touch you with the axe."
"That's sweet," she said lightly. "I have to say that I'm pretty glad as well. That would have hurt." She rubbed her stomach as if she could feel the axe going through her middle. A gleam of humor flashed in her eyes as she leaned over and placed a kiss in the air in the general vicinity of Gimli's cheek. As she could not actually touch him, he couldn't feel it, but he blushed bright red anyway and looked down at the floor. "It was good to meet you, master dwarf."
"Go on now, lass," he said, not meeting her eyes. "It was good to meet you, too."
After the last of the goodbyes were said, Lauren looked back to Arwen, who released the connection with a sigh of relief. The four of them faded from the awareness of the other three occupants of the room.
Lauren turned back to face Aragorn. "I enjoyed meeting your friends. You are lucky to have them. Did you have anything else planned for tonight?"
"Would you like to see more of the palace and Minas Tirith?"
"Sure, lead the way," she said, following closely behind as Aragorn and Arwen walked through the wall into the nearly empty corridors beyond.
Lauren was greatly impressed by the palace itself, the architecture, the tapestries, furnishings, statues and other decorations that filled the palace. When Aragorn led her out to the courtyard though, Lauren gasped at the sheer grandeur of the scenery. She could see the plains spread out all around them, with the mountains of Mordor off to one side, and Osgiliath off in the distance. That once-ruined city was looking much better as the repairs neared completion. Rushing to the ledge ringing the courtyard, Lauren gazed down in awe at the city below them. There were seven levels of white stone, with a main road winding through all the levels from the main gates up to the gate guarding the uppermost level. Lauren had never seen anything like this in all of her travels or studies of history.
"This is amazing," she breathed out in awe.
Aragorn smiled, pleased that she found his city beautiful. "I am pleased that you like it."
"Oh, like doesn't even begin to cover it," she said softly, gazing around them.
"Would you care to wander the streets of the city, or would you prefer to explore other places in our world?" Aragorn asked her.
"Oh, I would love to see everything there is in this world. But since our time is limited, I will trust you to decide. Where would you like to visit?"
Aragorn looked at Arwen. A smile crossed her face as she determined from his expression what his next words would be.
"Home," Aragorn breathed softly. "Rivendell."
Gimli watched the figure pacing silently and with great agitation around the room. After the tenth such circuit, he could stand it no longer.
"Sit down, lad! You're making me dizzy!"
Aragorn glanced up in surprise at Gimli, stopping in mid-stride. With a sheepish look at the other occupants of the room, he crossed over to sit in a chair next to Arwen. "My apologies." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and bending his head over his hands. "I am just…concerned for Lauren."
Arwen reached over, resting her hand over both of his. "I know, my love. We share your concern."
Lifting his head, Aragorn looked back at his wife. "Thank you." He looked around at the others sitting in the room; Faramir and Éowyn, Gimli, Legolas and of course, Arwen. They had all gathered here this evening to discuss the events of last night with Lauren. After Arwen had informed Faramir of Aragorn's need for rest, he had readily agreed to handle all the morning tasks that Aragorn would have handled. He had insisted on having this meeting in the evening, however, as he was concerned about the effect that recent events had had on his king. Aragorn had been distant and distracted all day, prompting Faramir to stay by his elbow throughout the day.
Running a hand agitatedly through his hair, Aragorn couldn't help but add, "If you had just seen the look in her eyes…"
"What is it you fear?" Éowyn asked. Faramir would not have dared ask his king about his fears, so Éowyn knew it was up to her to ask the question.
Aragorn sighed heavily as he thought about his response. "I know that her world is purely one of thought, of imagination, but her state of mind can affect her physical body. I have seen it. My greatest fear is that she will do harm to herself in her dream world and cause even greater problems in her reality."
"Do you truly think she would harm herself?" Legolas asked, glancing sharply over at Aragorn. "I have come to know her as well, and do not think her capable of it. Her spirit is far too strong."
"I hope that you are right, mellon-nín," Aragorn replied. "But I cannot be certain, and neither can you; not until we see her again."
"And if she does not wish to see you?" Arwen asked, remembering the many failed attempts to get back to her world of the night before.
"She has certainly shown that she has a greater control of the dream world," Aragorn admitted. "If she wishes to keep us out, it is well within her abilities." He shook his head sadly at the thought that she would keep them out just when she needed them the most.
"Why are you even thinking of trying to see her again?" Gimli asked abruptly. "If she is that angry, she could turn on you. It's not worth the risk."
Catching Gimli's eyes, Aragorn stared at him for a moment. "I trust that she would never try to harm me or Legolas, Gimli, no matter how angry she may be. I have come to know and love her as a daughter. I do not believe she could knowingly cause us harm."
Gimli muttered the next line under his breath. "Aye, and the witch has you under her spell."
Legolas let out a huff of frustration. "Are you still of the opinion that she is a witch, Gimli? After all we have told you of her? She is only a young woman trying to live through a very difficult time."
"A young woman who has reached across so many centuries?" Gimli asked scornfully. "Only one of great power could do that."
"Or one of my line," Aragorn inserted the comment into the conversation. "Such things are not unheard of in the line of Elrond and Elros."
"She is also descended from the Lady Galadriel, master Gimli. Do not forget that," Arwen reminded him with a small smile on her lips. She was fully aware of the dwarf's awe for her grandmother. "Few on Middle-earth could ever match her strength and power. Do you still consider her to be a witch?"
Gimli's face showed his shock at the thought. "Never! Lady Galadriel is no witch! And I'd gladly fight any who dared say such a thing!"
Arwen's smile spread as she regarded Gimli. "And her distant granddaughter is no more a witch than she is. Perhaps some of Galadriel's power has manifested in Lauren."
Gimli grumbled a bit under his breath, but so softly that not even Legolas could make out his words. He made no further protests however, when Aragorn suggested trying to reach Lauren again.
Unexpectedly, it was Faramir who spoke up in protest. "I would not attempt to dissuade you from reaching your granddaughter, my lord, but I do not think it a good idea for Lady Arwen to join you. Without her here, you have no anchor to this world to wake you when it is time."
"As long as our bodies are here, we will always have an anchor to this world," Aragorn said. "We have previously established the fact that Arwen is freely able to move between the worlds. If we decide that we have been there long enough, Arwen will leave and wake me up. That will break Legolas free from the dreams. There is nothing to concern yourself over."
Faramir's eyebrows lowered as he stared intently at his king. "I will decide what I should concern myself with, if you do not mind, my lord. Anything that could possibly harm you is my concern."
Aragorn waved a hand briefly in Faramir's direction, conceding the matter.
"I will keep watch as you attempt this thing," Faramir said firmly. "If there is trouble, I will be here to summon the healers."
Aragorn looked as if he would argue, but simply inclined his head toward his steward. It was, after all, Faramir's duty to worry over the well-being of the royal family. If this would assuage him, then it was a small concession to make. "Very well, you may keep watch from the sitting room, and only if there appears to be trouble should you summon the healers. Please do not do so if we are only a little late in waking." Aragorn remembered the last time they had stayed too long in Lauren's world only to wake and find their chambers full of healers.
"If you intend to stay long, I would appreciate a message telling me such," Faramir retorted.
A smile twisted Arwen's lips slightly. "Very well, my lord Steward," she replied. "I will be sure to do so."
Faramir reddened as he realized he had effectively just dictated an order to his king and queen. He would not apologize for it though.
After a short discussion, it was decided that Aragorn and Arwen would retire to their room, and Legolas would make himself comfortable in a chair as he had done the night before as they tested whether Lauren would even allow them to return. Faramir would stay in the adjoining sitting room with the door between the rooms cracked open slightly so that he could hear any signs of distress. Éowyn and Gimli had both opted to keep watch with Faramir. Gimli in part because he still did not trust Lauren, and Éowyn mostly because she did not wish to be parted from Faramir.
---------
As Aragorn lay down in the bed, he was unsure if he would be able to sleep. Arwen knew that he was too tense yet to sleep, so she laid her hand on his chest and rested her head on the pillow next to his head to whisper in his ear. "Relax, Estel." She led him to take a deep relaxing breath and once he was somewhat less tense, she decided to use a trick her father had taught her long ago. With a whispered command, Aragorn's eyes closed and he drifted to sleep. With a smile, Arwen let herself fall into the comforting arms of sleep, joining her husband.
When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in total darkness. The only light to be seen was the soft glow coming from Legolas. Looking around, she had the sense of being in a vast open area, with nothing around her. She could faintly see Aragorn near her and reached a hand out to rest against his arm. His hand quickly moved to cover hers.
"This does not bode well," he said softly. A sudden jagged flash of lightning lit up their surroundings, and they could see that they stood in a flat, open meadow. A rumble of thunder and another flash of lightning underscored Aragorn's comment.
"She did not prevent us from arriving here," Legolas pointed out. "I would think that would be a good sign, and at least it is not raining. If our surroundings indicate her emotions, it could well be worse."
"Finding Lauren would end the debate, would it not?" Arwen asked. "She will be able to tell us how she feels." After all she had heard of the previous night, she wanted to see Lauren for herself.
Aragorn tilted his head toward her, though he was unsure if they could see him. "Then let us find her."
They stood still and listened for some sign of Lauren. In between the flashes of lightning and rolls of thunder, faint music could be heard. A small grin briefly crossed Aragorn's face. That at least, had not changed.
Following the sound of music, they soon found themselves standing near a blanket spread out across the ground. Lauren lay on her back on the blanket with some pillows propping her up as she watched the distant lightning. She didn't notice them as she listened to her music and tapped her hand lightly against the ground to the beat.
Aragorn listened with concern as she sang about crying when she was alone, scared to face reality, and having no one to save her from herself. He well knew how someone could be their own worst enemy, and feared that Lauren had begun to give up on the idea of waking up and going back to her life. At this point, that would be the worst thing she could do. He moved around the blanket into her line of sight, and noticed the dried tear tracks streaking down her face. Though she had obviously been crying long and hard, there were no fresh tears in her eyes. That storm seemed to have passed for now. Her eyes focused on his face as she took her attention from the glorious light show around them. She scrubbed her hands across her face, trying to erase the evidence of her tears.
"Hi." Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse, but steady. She sat up straighter, crossing her legs in front of her and gestured for him to join her on the blanket. Aragorn complied, sitting down across from her. Looking around, she spotted Legolas and Arwen and indicated that they should also sit down. Once everyone was settled comfortably, Lauren looked back and forth between Aragorn and Legolas. "I think I owe you both an apology. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I know you were only trying to help."
Shaking his head, Aragorn held up a hand to stop her. "You had seen something that you were not prepared for; though I do not know how anyone could be prepared for such a thing. You were correct. Had I been in your place, I may well have reacted the same way."
Giving him a wan smile, she shook her head slightly. "I doubt it. Thank you for trying to absolve me of my guilt, but I need to say this."
Aragorn nodded his head once toward her, indicating that he was listening.
"Yes, I was thrown off balance by what I had just seen, but I had no cause to take it out on you. The both of you have only ever been good to me. I haven't heard a single harsh word out of either of you, besides calling me stubborn that is." A slight grin briefly quirked up one corner of her mouth. "And I think I fully deserved that. My point is that I lashed out at you simply because you were near me, and that wasn't right. What happened to me is no one's fault, most certainly not yours, and I really had no right to yell at you like I did. I'm sorry. Please forgive my temper."
"All is forgiven," Aragorn said seriously, and Legolas nodded to indicate that he also held no grudge against her.
"How do you fare now?" Arwen asked gently, leaning in toward her slightly.
Lauren shrugged half-heartedly. "I'm OK, I guess. Well, sort of, in a way…" Her voice trailed off and she shifted her attention back to the sky.
The others exchanged a worried look. That was hardly reassuring to them. "We were worried when we found ourselves in the midst of a lightning storm," Aragorn commented.
"You shouldn't be," Lauren insisted, glancing briefly at him. "Not because of that, anyway. I've always loved lightning. You don't know how many summer storms I have gone out on the porch to watch. I could watch it for hours and not get bored at all. There's just something about the power and majesty and wonder in lightning that is nearly hypnotic for me. It's like a fireworks show that not everyone knows how to enjoy."
"And yet, you do not seem to be enjoying the view," Aragorn said. "There is a sadness around you."
Raising an eyebrow, Lauren gave him a sidelong look. "And do you wonder why?" She sighed softly and ran her hands through her hair. "I've resigned myself to the fact that I've been seriously injured and I won't just be able to pick myself up and go on with my life. I accept what is coming, but that doesn't mean that I'm the least bit happy about it."
"Nor would any expect you to be," Arwen assured her, reaching over to place her hand on Lauren's shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze. Lauren smiled at her and placed her hand over Arwen's, squeezing back in thanks for her sympathy. Arwen smiled back at her before pulling her hand away.
"That was an interesting song you were listening to when we arrived," Aragorn commented, changing the subject and leaning back to rest a hand against the ground.
Lauren smiled over at him. "Yeah, I thought you'd like that. I kept hearing your voice in my head when I was listening to it. Between your words and my own thoughts, I've come to realize that running away from myself is rather pointless. After all, wherever I go, there I am." She started laughing as she said the last line. At Aragorn's quizzical expression, she attempted to explain. "Sorry, that’s a favorite saying of one of my friends, 'Wherever you go, there you are.' It's supposed to be one of those statements that's so obvious that it's funny. And it's absolutely true. Like you said, we can't run from our troubles or pain, because we carry them with us wherever we go. And it does seem to be me that I'm trying to escape, though like the song said, that's not really possible." She sighed, a very melancholy sound, and looked around at them. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be much fun today. I don't even have the slightest idea in mind to entertain you."
"We did not come here to have you entertain us," Arwen said adamantly. Her voice softened with concern as she tilted her head to the side and looked at her distant granddaughter. "We desired to help you."
"And you have, just by being here and being concerned about me," Lauren assured her, touched by the obvious concern in her voice. "But I've been thinking about this since Aragorn and Legolas left last night. I don't really want to discuss it any more."
Aragorn decided that he would not push her at the moment. She was not avoiding the issue now; she was beginning to face it, though it was something that she would have to continue to do each day of her recovery. He also knew that their time together was short, and he wished to lighten her spirit and bring her some happiness before she left. Her trials would be easier to face if her spirit was not so burdened as it was now.
"Perhaps you would care to visit our world for once?" Arwen suggested with a thoughtful gleam in her eyes. Aragorn glanced at her in surprise. Apparently, they had had the same thought.
Lauren's face brightened. "I think I'd like that. You've seen what my life and my world are like, but I've only heard tales of the people and places in your lives. Where to first?"
She stood up slowly and the storm that had been raging in the skies dissipated to reveal the beginning of a sunrise off in the distance. Aragorn took that as a hopeful sign. "We should start with Minas Tirith. That is where we now live." He stood to his feet and offered his hand to Arwen to help her rise, though he knew very well his help was not required. She graciously took his offered hand and rose easily to her feet. Glancing over, Aragorn saw that Legolas was now standing near Lauren. Aragorn kept hold of Arwen's hand as they faced Lauren and Legolas.
"That's where you're king and queen, right?" Lauren asked, looking back and forth between Aragorn and Arwen. They nodded in response. "Would you like to re-create it here, or visit it like we just went into my reality?"
"I thought we found your world by accident," Aragorn said in confusion. He was sure that Lauren had not taken them there intentionally.
"We did," Lauren agreed. "But I went back there to visit for awhile last night. As long as you have a physical body to go to, it's pretty easy to go back and forth."
"You visited your world after we left?" Legolas asked in amazement. After her reaction, he didn't think she would have attempted it.
"Yes, I needed to see my parents again, and I wanted to get a better feel for what I'd be facing when I woke up. You have to admit that I wasn't exactly able to take in details the first time."
She gave a self-conscious shrug as she said this.
A thought occurred to Aragorn and he studied her face before asking, "Have you made an attempt to leave this world behind and rejoin yours?"
Lauren shifted her eyes away slightly. "Kind of, but I obviously didn't succeed. Of course, I don't really know how to, so that might be why I didn't succeed. But I also couldn't leave without saying goodbye. I didn't want your last memory of me to be last night." She couldn't quite meet his eyes as she said this, remembering how she had treated them last night.
"Would you care to try again, now that we are here?" Legolas asked carefully.
"Not yet," Lauren said quickly, looking up at him in near-panic. "I'm not ready to leave yet. Can we have one last night together at least? After all, Arwen just offered to show me your world. I would like to see it. This will probably be my only chance to ever see Middle-earth."
Aragorn admitted that it was likely that it would be her only chance. Though he privately thought that her desire to see his world was little more than an attempt to delay a return to her world, he would not deny her the chance. "Very well," he answered for Legolas, opening his hand toward her.
Taking a deep breath in relief, Lauren nodded her thanks to him. "Then we should probably get going, shouldn't we?"
Aragorn glanced around, seeing that the sky had lightened around them to show a very beautiful spring morning in an open meadow. Birds were singing in the air and flowers were in bloom, the leaves on the trees were a bright, new green. Somehow, he thought that Lauren would be fine. A soul capable of creating this scene was not so heavily burdened that it would be crushed under its load.
"We simply await your instructions," Aragorn commented lightly. If they were to attempt to travel to his reality, they would have to be directed as to how that could be done. It was not something any of them had the knowledge to accomplish on their own.
She nodded to him, acknowledging his point. "What you need to do is concentrate on the place you want to appear. Picture it in as much detail as you can, and just think yourself there."
"It is that simple?" Arwen asked in surprise. She had thought it would take more effort than that.
"Like I said, it's not difficult. The first time it happened, I was just trying to alter our surroundings to show them a hospital. The reason we actually traveled there was that my body happened to be lying in that hospital. Well, I think the fact that I'm closer to waking up had something to do with it, but since none of you are actually in a coma, that shouldn't be a factor. And Aragorn already knows how to alter our surroundings, so this won't be any more difficult. You just need to try to picture where you happen to be." Lauren gave them as many details as she could think of in order to enable them to travel to Middle-earth.
Aragorn shrugged. "That does not sound difficult at all."
"So give it a try," Lauren suggested.
Glancing at Arwen and Legolas, Aragorn directed them to do as Lauren had explained. It would likely be easier to make the transition if all three of them were trying to picture the same room at the same time. Moments later, the scenery around them began to change to Aragorn's sleeping chamber. The shimmer that surrounded them momentarily assured Aragorn that they had actually crossed the barrier to his world. Once the room materialized around them, they all found themselves staring at the figures sleeping in the bed. It was the oddest experience Aragorn had ever had, watching himself sleep. He looked over to see a very strange expression on Arwen's face as well.
"You're so cute," Lauren commented softly.
"Pardon me?" Aragorn asked in confusion, not sure what she was talking about.
Lauren walked over to stand beside the bed and gazed down at the still figures of Aragorn and Arwen. Arwen had her hand draped over Aragorn's chest, and his hand rested on hers.
"You're cute when you're sleeping," she said with an impish grin on her face as she looked back up at the figures of Aragorn and Arwen standing at the foot of the bed. Her eyes caught on something, and she looked past them to the sight of Legolas curled up in a chair across the room with his eyes open and staring off into space. She left the bedside and crossed the room to stand near Legolas, looking down at his face. She waved a hand in front of his eyes, looking for a reaction. Noticing a movement off to her left, she looked up to find Legolas standing beside her. Looking back and forth between the two forms, she finally looked up to the dream world Legolas. "I don't get it, are you asleep or not?"
"Of course I am asleep," he replied in bewilderment. "How else would I be able to visit you?"
Realizing what the problem was, Aragorn hastened to explain. "Elves sleep with their eyes open, Lauren."
"Weird," she commented, studying the form sleeping in the chair. Another thought occurred to her. "Do you make a habit of sleeping in the same room as Aragorn and Arwen? It seems a little odd to me."
"No, it is not my normal habit," Legolas said indignantly. "My chambers are down the hallway. I am only here this night because we were not sure we could reach you. You were quite successful at keeping us out last night. If we were unable to reach you in a normal fashion, I would need to be near so that we could try something different."
She thought about this for a moment. "OK, I guess that makes sense. But that chair doesn’t look especially comfortable. Aren't you going to be a bit stiff when you wake up?"
"It is doubtful," Legolas said. "Elves are not as susceptible to physical discomfort as are humans."
"Legolas can quite comfortably sleep for hours among the branches of a tree," Aragorn put in. "Though I was raised among elves, it is a skill I have never mastered."
"Well, I guess anyone who can sleep in a tree can spend the night in a chair without too much discomfort," Lauren allowed. She turned away from Legolas' sleeping form to look at the others. "Now, what did you have to show me? I doubt you brought me here just to show me your bedroom."
"True enough," Aragorn admitted. He swept his hand out toward a doorway, gesturing for her to precede them into the next room.
Lauren walked through the door that was slightly ajar and stopped in surprise as she found the sitting room on the other side of the door occupied. Legolas, following her, bumped directly into her, not being able to see that she had stopped just beyond the door. "Lauren, why did you stop?" he asked, taking her arm and moving her to the side of the door so that Aragorn and Arwen would not collide with them as they also walked through the door.
"Who are they, and why are they sitting here while you sleep?" Lauren asked the question just as Aragorn and Arwen joined them in the sitting room.
Aragorn glanced around the room and spied the occupants that had startled Lauren. He walked over to stand in front of them and gesturing to each as he named them, he introduced Faramir, Éowyn and Gimli to Lauren.
"Why are they sitting out here?" Lauren repeated her question, staring at them curiously. She had heard so much about them, it was odd to finally see them. It was even odder to think that she was standing right here talking about them, but they didn't know it. They were not talking at the moment, but sitting in silence, Éowyn leaning her head on Faramir's shoulder as she read a book. Gimli sat on a low chair, apparently taking the quiet time to sharpen his axe.
"Faramir did not like the idea of Arwen joining us this night," Aragorn explained. "If you will remember, he was not happy when he was unable to wake us the last time Arwen met with us."
"So, he's what, on guard duty or something?" Lauren asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked skeptically back at Aragorn. "What is he going to do to protect you from your dreams?"
"He was not sure," Arwen explained, "but he would not leave while the three of us were visiting with you. He feels it is his duty to protect us from all possible dangers."
"I suppose I can see that, though I have no idea what he could possibly do if there were problems here. But what is Gimli doing here, and especially with an axe?"
"Gimli does not trust you," Legolas said with amusement in his voice. "He considers you to be a witch." He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Lauren, taking in her reaction.
"A witch?" Lauren asked, with a very amused look on her face. She crouched down in front of him and waved a hand in front of his face. "And the axe?" she asked, glancing back at Legolas and the others.
"He did not have it earlier," Aragorn said. "He may have decided that it was a good time to sharpen his weapons." Aragorn shrugged, finding nothing odd in the thought.
"He looks entirely too comfortable with that axe," Lauren commented. "I realize that in your time, you may not want to wander too far without a way of defending yourself, but I don't know that I'd trust someone who caresses their weapon like you would a lover."
An evil grin crossed Aragorn's face. "You have never seen Legolas with his bow, have you?"
Lauren couldn't help laughing as she twisted back around to look inquiringly at Legolas' face for his reaction.
"Rakhâs ai-menu!" (Orcs upon you.) Legolas retorted without hesitation, turning pink in the face. He used a dwarvish curse, as he thought elvish too refined to be used in such a manner.
"What did he just say?" Lauren asked Arwen as Aragorn glared back at Legolas. Arwen did not answer for a moment, as she was too busy laughing at the staring contest between Aragorn and Legolas.
Legolas, however, did not appreciate being laughed at. "The curse includes you too, Arwen," he shot back.
"That was hardly necessary," Aragorn complained. He deserved the curse for such a comment, but Arwen had done nothing but laugh.
Lauren was getting impatient at being ignored. "What did that mean?" she asked again.
"You do not want to know," Arwen finally replied, getting her laughter under control.
Lauren just raised her eyebrows and looked back at Legolas. "Legolas?"
"I did not like his implication," Legolas retorted. "He insulted my honor with such a comment." Legolas calmed down slightly as he continued. "Besides, my bow was a gift from the Lady Galadriel. The Lothlorien elves make the finest bows in all of Middle-earth. I do not know how anyone could gaze at such a perfect weapon and not be a little awe-struck by it."
"May I see it?" Lauren asked in curiosity.
"Of course," Legolas responded brightly, gratified that she was showing such an interest in his bow. With a thought, it appeared in his hand and he held it out before her.
"Very nice," Lauren said, reaching out to take it from Legolas' hands for a closer inspection. She was quite surprised when Legolas drew it closer to his body, keeping it just out of her reach. Raising an eyebrow at him, a slow grin crossed her face. "It's not even real here, Legolas. I can't do anything to hurt the real thing." Legolas very reluctantly handed it to her, and she took it carefully in her arms to inspect it with the proper respect before handing it back to him. There was a visible relief in his expression as he took it back from her then made it disappear.
"OK," Lauren said slowly. "I've just come to the conclusion that you should never get between an elf and his weapons. If your reaction is that drastic to someone merely wanting to hold a simulated version of the bow, how would you react if someone actually tried to take it from you?"
"I would cut their hand from their body," Legolas said seriously. A hint of humor in his eyes was all that belied his statement.
Lauren looked at him with a bemused expression on her face. "Uh huh." Her tone of voice made it clear that she wasn't quite sure how to react to that. "And I thought the dwarf had issues."
At that comment, both Aragorn and Arwen started laughing and Legolas looked down at Lauren in a mix of humor and betrayal. He would never have expected Lauren to make such a comment about him. She had obviously gotten over her initial awe of him.
Before Legolas could retort and keep this going for any longer, Arwen interrupted. "As amusing as this all is, I have an idea to propose. I believe it would be possible for us to become visible to them for a short period of time. Would you like to do so?"
"How?" Lauren asked, rising to her feet at the same time that Aragorn objected to his wife's idea.
"I do not think that would be wise. Does this not involve a great risk to you?" Aragorn obviously knew what Arwen was referring to, though Legolas and Lauren were looking at them in confusion.
"Not risk, truly," Arwen explained slowly. "A strain, but nothing worse, I believe."
"What are you talking about?" Lauren asked them.
"One of the Lady Galadriel's gifts is the ability to show others what is hidden, things in the past, future, or even in other realms. Much of her strength was used in making her 'mirror', in which she would often gaze and sometimes would show others events that may or may not come to pass. She has the ability to gaze into the very soul and mind of a person, and read what is in their hearts. Her power was unmatched among the elves. As great as my father is, and even with his foresight, his power does not even begin to compare with hers. If she so wished, she could speak within a person's mind and show them many things. I am her granddaughter, and lived with her in Lothlorien for many centuries. She trained me in many things. My abilities are not as strong as hers, that is true, but they are there. I believe I have the strength to show the three of them this dream world that we currently inhabit. They should be able to see and hear us, for a short time."
"You could do such a thing?" Legolas asked in amazement. True, he had known that Arwen had lived with Galadriel for many years and had innate abilities of her own, but he had never considered what Galadriel may have taught her. Once when Legolas was visiting Aragorn and the Peredhil family in Rivendell, Arwen had told him that she watched over Aragorn in her thoughts as he traveled throughout Middle-earth. Through this he knew her abilities were strong, but he would not have thought her suggestion to be possible.
"For a short time, yes," Arwen said.
"Are you sure?" Aragorn asked. "You have not attempted such a thing for many years, not since becoming mortal." Seeing her about to protest his statement, he amended his words. "The power of the elves have faded in this world. Even had you not given up your immortality, this may be beyond you."
"Do not be so sure of that," Arwen said, staring at her husband. She did not seem to appreciate his doubt. She closed her eyes and drew her thoughts inward.
Lauren watched Arwen closely, as did Aragorn and Legolas. From their perspective, nothing was happening.
Suddenly, Gimli yelled out in surprise and in a move quicker than Lauren would have imagined, he was on his feet and swinging his axe cleanly through her body. Faramir and Éowyn rose to their feet in astonishment.
"HEY!" Lauren yelped in surprise and jumped back from Gimli as the axe passed cleanly through her middle. "What was that for?"
The sound of bright laughter made her glance over to see Legolas doubled over in his amusement.
"Oh, you thought that was funny, did you?" she asked dangerously, advancing on the elf.
Legolas, hearing a tone of threat that he had never heard before from her, glanced up warily at her. "Actually, yes, I did find it quite amusing." His voice was still tinged with a great deal of humor.
"The fact that your little friend there nearly cut me in two is humorous?" The dangerous note in her voice sharpened as she neared Legolas.
"You cannot be touched by anything of this world, Lauren. You were never in any danger." Legolas tried to explain his reaction to the scene as Lauren stalked toward him with a truly fearful gleam in her eyes.
"Little!" Gimli exclaimed in outrage as he and the others watched the scene in front of their astonished eyes.
Lauren did not hear him, as her attention was fixed solely on the elf in front of her. Legolas glanced warily around him as if looking for an escape route. He was reminded rather abruptly that she was also descended from the same bloodline as Elladan and Elrohir as that gleam in her eye became very familiar.
Aragorn was watching this entire thing with open amusement on his face. Faramir, just getting over the shock of seeing four people appear out of thin air in front of them, took his cue from Aragorn's demeanor and just watched to see what would happen. Aragorn, for his part, was truly enjoying watching Legolas retreat from Lauren. Legolas, who was renowned for his fierceness and battle prowess, was actually beginning to back away from Lauren, a young woman who had never seen a day of battle in her life. As he watched her, however, he was also reminded strongly of the twins as they prepared to spring one of their pranks. She was moving with a feline, if not elven grace, and he shuddered slightly as he saw the same gleam in her eye. He found himself almost feeling sorry for the elf. Almost.
As Lauren drew within a few inches of Legolas, she swiftly raised her hand toward him. Reacting to the perceived threat, Legolas moved to block her arm, and was taken by surprise as her other hand swung a pillow up to connect directly with the side of his head. He stopped in mid-move and just stared at her. "A pillow? Where did you get a pillow?"
She smirked at him. "We're in a world of imagination. I thought it up."
"Well, it that case…" A pillow suddenly appeared in his hand, and Lauren tried to duck away as he swung it toward her face.
"Pillow fight!" she cried, trying her best to take him down with a pillow in each hand. They were so engrossed in their mock battle that neither of them heard the footsteps approaching.
Aragorn had started laughing out loud the moment Lauren whacked Legolas with a pillow. The elf had rarely ever had such a stunned, surprised expression on his face. Remembering the many pillow fights he had had with his brothers, he was not all that surprised. That form of friendly attack must run in the family. Looking over, he found Faramir, Éowyn and Gimli all watching this with no small amazement and confusion on their faces. He looked over at Arwen and saw that though she was smiling at them, she was also under some strain from keeping them visible to the others. As much as he hated to disturb Lauren and Legolas, he knew it was time to stop the pillow fight. Seeing Lauren laughing and playful after how she had first appeared, he really did not want to stop them, but with Arwen's health at risk, he had no choice. He walked toward the two of them, determined to bring the battle to an end. He stopped within a few feet of them and watched them circling each other, a pillow in each hand, looking for a weakness in the other's defense.
As they finally noticed Aragorn standing near them, they stopped circling and regarded each other for a moment with a very mischievous look in their eyes. Simultaneously, they pivoted and launched pillows at Aragorn's head.
Aragorn ducked sideways to avoid one pillow and brought his hand up to easily block the other pillow. He had to laugh at the disappointed expressions on their faces. "I grew up with the twins, do not forget. I have many years experience at avoiding dual pillow assaults." He held up a hand toward them as they took it as a challenge and raised the other pillows. "Enough. This is quite amusing, but Arwen is only able to keep us visible for a short time, and I believe the others would like to meet you while they can still see you, Lauren."
"Oh, yeah, I kind of forgot that part," Lauren said. She straightened up and dropped her pillow to the floor. There were several feathers drifting around them as Legolas had chosen to fight with goose down pillows. "Legolas, you have a few feathers in your hair."
Legolas looked her over. "As do you."
Lauren grinned at him. "At least they're imaginary, so the cleanup is a snap." With that, she snapped her fingers out of a sense of drama, and the pillows and stray feathers all vanished. She gave Aragorn a slightly sheepish smile. "OK, I think I'm ready to meet everyone."
Sweeping his hand toward the others, Aragorn gestured for Lauren to approach them. She led the way to go stand before Faramir, Éowyn, and Gimli.
"Faramir, Lady Éowyn, Gimli, this is my granddaughter from the future, Lauren." Aragorn made the introductions and watched to see what the reactions would be.
Éowyn was the first to step forward. "I am greatly pleased to make your acquaintance, milady. We have heard much about you, and I must say that the descriptions did not quite do you justice." A smile crept across her face. "Any woman who can so surprise Legolas in battle is one I would like to know better."
Lauren grinned back at her, her cheeks a little pink. "Well, let's just say I learned a lot from my older brother about the tactics of a pillow fight. Since I'm smaller, surprise is one of my greatest weapons. I seem to have lost most of our pillow fights, though. Too many of them ended up with him pinning me to the floor and tickling me until I gave in."
Éowyn gave her a completely understanding smile. "I too grew up with an older brother. He also taught me many things about battles, those done in play, as well as those for much higher stakes."
"Is he the one who taught you to use a sword?" Lauren asked with curiosity, remembering what Aragorn had told her about Éowyn riding to battle and destroying the Witch King.
"We learned together from a young age," Éowyn explained, "though we often practiced together."
Aragorn smiled to himself, he had thought that Lauren and Éowyn would get along well. He had a feeling, though, that if they were not interrupted, they would try to converse the entire night. "Lauren." Lauren looked over to him in question. Aragorn raised an eyebrow and glanced toward Faramir and Gimli.
"Sorry," Lauren said. "I didn't mean to ignore everyone else. But I think Éowyn and I have a lot in common. I do wish we had more time to sit and talk."
"As do I," Éowyn said. She stepped back to allow her husband to greet Lauren.
Faramir was still staring at Lauren, deep in thought. "I was unsure at first if you were who you claimed to be," he said slowly. "Now that I see you, the resemblance is unmistakable. You truly are one of King Elessar's descendants." He bowed his head toward her in respect. He would have given her this respect strictly for her bloodline, but he could not help feeling a great deal of respect for anyone who felt comfortable enough with his king and Legolas to get in a pillow fight with them. He counted them as his friends, but he would never have dreamed of treating them so familiarly.
Lauren glanced aside at Aragorn for a moment for a cue as to how to proceed. Faramir was apparently used to using a much more formal style of address with his king. Treating him too casually would make him very uncomfortable. "You are the Steward here, correct?" she asked carefully, feeling her way through this first meeting. He nodded in response. "And part of your duties are to protect the royal family from any perceived threat?" Another nod. "I hope you have decided that I am no threat to them. I would never dream of causing them any harm."
"I believe that you would not intend to harm them," Faramir said carefully.
Hearing an undertone in his voice, Lauren spoke again. "But you believe harm could come to them anyway from something I might do?"
"Not intentionally," Faramir re-iterated, "but I was concerned when they would not wake. I felt it necessary to stand guard and assure that they came to no harm while in your world."
"If I give you my word that I will do all in my power to protect them and keep them safe while they are in my world, will you accept that as a solemn vow? Will you trust that I will live up to it?" It was important to Lauren to gain Faramir's trust, simply because he was an important part of Aragorn's life.
Faramir studied her for a long moment, his eyes searching her face. He could not get past how familiar her eyes were. He found that he did believe her. She would do everything in her power to keep them safe while they were with her. He nodded and was rewarded with a blinding smile.
"Good," she said happily. "Now we're all friends, here, right?"
"Not quite," a voice grumbled from off to her right. Gimli walked up to her and glared upward into her face. "Little?"
Lauren's face flushed and she conjured a chair she could sit in so that she would be eye-level with the dwarf. "I am sorry for that comment, master Gimli. I meant nothing by it, I assure you. I was merely startled when you tried to cut me in two, and then when Legolas started laughing…well, I couldn't very well let him get away with it, could I? Besides, you did attempt to kill me. Could we just call it even and put this behind us?"
Realizing that Lauren had greater cause to be upset with him than he did with her, Gimli graciously agreed to let the matter drop. "Very well." He motioned her closer and leaned in to say in a loud whisper. "I was quite impressed with how easily you got the drop on the elf."
Lauren laughed merrily, thinking that she had found another ally if she ever wanted to pull a harmless prank on Legolas. She had a feeling that if anyone ever meant the elf harm, though, Gimli would be his staunchest defender. Though they were different in every respect, there was a true bond of friendship between them.
Gimli looked into Lauren's laughing face, then back at Aragorn. "And this is the woman you were afraid would harm herself?"
Aragorn's heart sank as he watched all traces of animation and humor drain from Lauren's face.
"Gimli," Legolas moaned the name softly as he saw Lauren's expression change. "That was not at all wise."
Lauren abruptly stood up and strode several paces away before turning to look back at them. The look in her eyes was the same one that Aragorn had seen the last night, the one that made him fear for her safety. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared off into the distance. "That fear was more justified than you know," she said softly. "After you left, I found myself back on the edge of a cliff. It seemed I was on top of the world, all alone." Her gaze drifted downward, and Aragorn knew she was once again staring into the abyss, the darkness that she had just fought her way out of. She was silent for a moment, and the others just stared at her, transfixed as she uncurled her arms and brought them out to her sides, held loosely away from her body as if she would attempt to fly. Aragorn felt his heart thunder in his chest as he realized how close she had come to trying to end it. "It would have been so easy," her voice was barely above a whisper, but carried easily in the room as no one dared to make any noise. "Just one step was all it would take." She leaned forward slightly and closed her eyes, and everyone else found themselves holding their breath. After a long, tense silence, she opened her eyes and shook her head, taking an involuntary step backwards and crossing her arms in a defensive posture again.
She looked up at Aragorn and saw the terrified expression on his face. "I couldn't do it, don't worry, Aragorn." Giving him a sardonic grin, she tried to reassure him. "Even if I had tried, I very likely would have changed my mind on the way down. But unlike those who try that in real life, I could have conjured up a soft landing. Besides," she added, her smile slipping away, "I could never do that to my parents. They've already been through far too much because of me. It would kill them to lose me like that."
Tears welled up in her eyes, and Aragorn moved quickly to envelope her in his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder and he could feel her attempts to keep her breathing under control and not give in to the tears. Arwen swiftly joined them and wrapped her arms around them both.
Arwen gave a soft gasp as her arms closed around Lauren. She had had to open herself to the minds of all the individuals in the room to allow them all to see and hear each other, but once she touched Lauren, she was nearly overwhelmed by the force of Lauren's emotions. They were turbulent, chaotic, roiling and raging just below the surface. It was obvious to Arwen that Lauren's control of her emotions was thin and tattered right now. The humor and laughter of moments before were a form of release that Lauren desperately needed. Arwen was glad that Legolas had gone along with the pillow fight and thus gave Lauren a chance to work out some of her emotional turmoil, even if he had not realized that that was what she was doing. Arwen felt tears well in her own eyes as she stroked her hand down Lauren's head and back. It was impossible to feel this much of Lauren's pain and not react to it. Strangely enough, though, Arwen felt the strain of keeping them all visible lessen as she touched Aragorn and Lauren. It was much the same sensation as when her grandmother had steadied Arwen's abilities by sharing her own power with her during their lessons. She took a steadying breath and delved further into Lauren's mind and found a well of strength that Lauren had barely begun to tap. Such strength was expected from Aragorn, but not from Lauren. Arwen knew that the abilities of her line were very strong, and that though they dwindled throughout the years there were those, like Aragorn, who resembled the kings of old more than many previous generations of their ancestors. It seemed that Lauren was one such person. That only made sense, as she would have been unlikely to be able to reach them without such a reserve of power. Arwen only hoped that power would serve her well as Lauren struggled to recover from the physical and emotional pain that she was now in.
Lauren finally drew in a shaky breath and began to move away from Aragorn and Arwen, catching their hands and squeezing them briefly before stepping back and swiping quickly at her eyes. "I'm OK, now. Thank you."
Aragorn studied her face, which was calmer than it had been earlier. Her expression no longer made him fear for her safety, but neither was she smiling. This neutral emotion was probably the best they could hope for at this point in time.
Gimli had been watching Lauren's near-breakdown with a great deal of dismay. He looked back to Legolas now that things were calming down. "I didn't mean to…I would never have said that if I thought…" He was unable to express the regret he felt at taking away the laughing playful young woman he had first seen and replacing her with the terrifyingly desolate woman with the empty look in her eyes.
Legolas placed a hand on Gimli's shoulder and looked over at Lauren. "I know, Gimli. She has not yet regained her balance, and is walking the edge of a knife right now. She will recover in time… I hope." The last two words were muttered under his breath, and Gimli was unsure if Legolas had meant for him to hear them.
Looking around at the others, Lauren flushed self-consciously. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "I just seem to be an emotional yo-yo today. I'm better now."
"Yo-yo?" Éowyn asked curiously.
"Sorry. I keep forgetting that we don't have the same frame of reference. A yo-yo is a children's toy in my time." She conjured a yo-yo and demonstrated what it did. As they watched the yo-yo bob up and down on its string, they nodded in understanding of her comparison. "I haven't done this in ages," she commented as she played with the toy for awhile longer before letting it disappear. The corner of her mouth quirked upward slightly. "I could keep you all entertained for hours just by showing you common children's toys from my time. There are a lot of fun ones. Ooh, I bet you'd be fascinated by a slinky."
"A what?" Legolas asked at the unfamiliar word.
"We do not have time," Arwen answered suddenly. "I cannot hold the connection for much longer."
Aragorn glanced in concern at Arwen before heading over to stand beside Faramir. "I do not intend to leave Lauren alone as long as she needs someone to stay with her. I am sure you can see why I might be reluctant to leave her on her own now." Faramir nodded his understanding. He had been truly terrified earlier by her behavior. As one of the royal family, however distant, he felt it his responsibility to protect her as well. But how would he protect her from herself, especially when they resided in different worlds? He knew full well that Aragorn would do anything in his power to protect Lauren, and he was sure Lauren would do whatever was necessary to keep Aragorn safe, so they should be quite safe in each other's company. "Do not worry if we do not wake when you think we should," Aragorn was saying to Faramir. "We may be with Lauren for quite some time."
Faramir inclined his head to his king. "Yes, my lord. I understand. I will still stand guard here, but I will not send for the healers if you happen to sleep longer than I may wish." He glanced over at Lauren. "Keep her safe, milord."
"I intend to," Aragorn said, looking back at Lauren.
Lauren walked over to join them. "It looks like it's time to say goodbye. I wish we had had more time to get to know each other, but I am pleased to have met all of you." She shook her head ruefully. "Though I dread to know what you must think of me now, between the pillow fight and the mini-breakdown."
"We think you have been through something horrible and are doing your best to recover from it," Éowyn said. "It is something many of us have also experienced. Be well, Lauren from the future."
"Be well, Éowyn, Lady of Rohan and Gondor," Lauren responded, smiling and bowing her head toward Éowyn.
Lauren said farewell to Faramir, then turned to Gimli.
"I'm sorry," he said abruptly. "I never meant to bring you sadness." He looked down at the floor, hating the reaction his words had brought about. He glanced back up at her as she began speaking.
She smiled down at him. "It wasn't your fault. No matter what else I'm doing or feeling, the sadness and pain are there, just below the surface, trying to get out. If it wasn't your comment, it would have been something else. I don't blame you. I know you didn't intend to harm me at that point. Now, the bit with the axe on the other hand…" There was a gleam of humor in her eyes that he was glad to see once more.
"You startled me," he blustered, going along with her teasing. "I wasn’t expecting to have a strange woman appear out of thin air before me." He paused. "Though I am very glad that I was unable to actually touch you with the axe."
"That's sweet," she said lightly. "I have to say that I'm pretty glad as well. That would have hurt." She rubbed her stomach as if she could feel the axe going through her middle. A gleam of humor flashed in her eyes as she leaned over and placed a kiss in the air in the general vicinity of Gimli's cheek. As she could not actually touch him, he couldn't feel it, but he blushed bright red anyway and looked down at the floor. "It was good to meet you, master dwarf."
"Go on now, lass," he said, not meeting her eyes. "It was good to meet you, too."
After the last of the goodbyes were said, Lauren looked back to Arwen, who released the connection with a sigh of relief. The four of them faded from the awareness of the other three occupants of the room.
Lauren turned back to face Aragorn. "I enjoyed meeting your friends. You are lucky to have them. Did you have anything else planned for tonight?"
"Would you like to see more of the palace and Minas Tirith?"
"Sure, lead the way," she said, following closely behind as Aragorn and Arwen walked through the wall into the nearly empty corridors beyond.
Lauren was greatly impressed by the palace itself, the architecture, the tapestries, furnishings, statues and other decorations that filled the palace. When Aragorn led her out to the courtyard though, Lauren gasped at the sheer grandeur of the scenery. She could see the plains spread out all around them, with the mountains of Mordor off to one side, and Osgiliath off in the distance. That once-ruined city was looking much better as the repairs neared completion. Rushing to the ledge ringing the courtyard, Lauren gazed down in awe at the city below them. There were seven levels of white stone, with a main road winding through all the levels from the main gates up to the gate guarding the uppermost level. Lauren had never seen anything like this in all of her travels or studies of history.
"This is amazing," she breathed out in awe.
Aragorn smiled, pleased that she found his city beautiful. "I am pleased that you like it."
"Oh, like doesn't even begin to cover it," she said softly, gazing around them.
"Would you care to wander the streets of the city, or would you prefer to explore other places in our world?" Aragorn asked her.
"Oh, I would love to see everything there is in this world. But since our time is limited, I will trust you to decide. Where would you like to visit?"
Aragorn looked at Arwen. A smile crossed her face as she determined from his expression what his next words would be.
"Home," Aragorn breathed softly. "Rivendell."
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