All Shall Fade

Chapter 6

Just a Bad Dream

Five sunrises after I first encountered Strider and the Hobbits, I found myself walking across a wide ford. The water was shallow, and only just covered the toes of my boots. Some of the cool water leaked in, but I’d learnt to ignore trivial things like that over the past few days. I looked up and saw Strider walking a few metres ahead of me, carefully picking his way around the deeper pools in the river. He turned back and frowned.

“Hurry, we’re close.” He called back, frowning at something over my shoulder. I turned and laughed as I saw Sam trying to coax an unwilling Bill into the water. The little pony kept backing away from the water’s edge as the Hobbit futilely pulled at his reins.

“Bill!” I called, whistling as I took an apple out of my pocket. The pony’s ears pricked and he stared at me. I bit into the apple and waved it above my head as I chewed. He didn’t need much more persuading and started trotting towards me, dragging Sam with him as I laughed. They were soon at my side and I bit a chunk out of the apple before offering it to Bill. “Good boy.” I smiled as he happily munched and followed me through the water.

“So bribery’s the way to go then?” Sam mumbled.

“I prefer to see it as compromise.” I smirked, patting the pony’s head before tossing my apple core away and increasing my pace to follow Strider. He had stopped midway across and started walking as I reached his side. He didn’t say anything; in fact, he hadn’t said much since my second night with the group. I thought he’d have been a bit friendlier after my chilling encounter with the Black Breath, but he'd just reverted back to his old self. I was beginning to think that he was a little bipolar. Suddenly, my foot slipped and one of my legs was plunged knee-deep in a pool. Strider reached out and grabbed my arm before the rest of my body could follow and pulled me out. “Thanks.” I sighed, shaking my leg to try and dislodge some water. He only grunted in reply and walked on. I definitely preferred friendly Strider to Grumpy Strider.

Despite the fact that the pain in my arm had slowly been increasing since Strider began to delay the effects, I was feeling light-hearted today. We were almost at Rivendell, I could contact Toby and Claire, and they could come and pick me up, and then we could all go home! Well, come to think of it, Claire should have been back in London by now. I hoped she hadn’t stayed behind because she was worried about me. I wondered if they’d sent out search parties or anything. I had been gone for pretty much a week after all… Flip, a week? It didn’t seem that long. “We should all keep in contact when I go home.” I said cheerfully as we left the ford behind us and entered a pleasant, airy forest. “We can be pen pals! How awesome is that? I haven’t had a pen pal since I was a kid…” I rambled on as we walked, and I could almost hear Strider rolling his eyes. Jeez… Did I irritate him that much? Ok, no lolcat e-cards for him then. I’d need to send Frodo a get-well soon message too…

I frowned as I thought of Frodo. For the past few days I’d just assumed that he’d be alright… But what if he wasn’t? I shuddered at the thought of him being caught by those Black Riders… But Strider had assured me that if they found him, we’d know. I asked him how, but he hadn’t answered. Everyone seemed a little secretive when I brought up the subject of Frodo…

I shrugged it off. Whatever it was, it probably didn’t concern me, and therefore I should find it important. Ishouldn’t… But that didn’t mean that was the case… Damn my persistent curiosity.

“How much further?” Pippin whined from the back of the group.

“It’s just up ahead.” Strider answered solemnly. I frowned, if we were getting close to a town, shouldn’t we have come across a road or something by now? I was about to mention it, when the trees suddenly gave way to a small beaten path. Well, it wasn’t a road, but it was the most civilized thing I’d seen since the Weathertop ruin – and that hadn’t been all that civilized… What with all the stabbing going on. I sighed and stuffed my hands into my pockets as Strider began following the track. I could tell that we were pretty close by the way his pace increased, although I found it odd that I couldn’t hear any people or traffic. We walked along the path for some time, before the trees around us began to thin, and suddenly a large stone arch loomed up ahead of us. “We’re here.” Strider declared, marching forward and passing beneath the arch. I frowned as I warily followed him. The place seemed like a ghost town to me, and I was a little hesitant about going in – after already encountering what had appeared to be undead beings this week, I wasn’t in a hurry to make any similar acquaintances. I allowed Merry, Pippin, Sam and Bill to pass ahead of my before I followed. I heard them gasp as they passed through the archway and as I set foot on the other side, my jaw dropped in awe. I’ve died and gone to heaven. No joke. I stared in silent wonder at the place that stood before me. Beautiful, pale buildings gracefully wound around trees and other natural features, like waterfalls and cliff-faces, their walls made up of intertwined vine-like structures, and decorated with intricate swirls that reminded me of Celtic mythology. Sunlight danced and glistened off every surface and I felt like I couldn’t take it all in at once. It was only when I blinked and stopped focusing on the landscape and buildings that I noticed the people. They silently glided through the trees and walkways in small groups, dressed in long robes and dresses made of rich materials, and they were all insanely beautiful. I suddenly felt extremely inferior and took a step back as a group approached us and exchanged a few quiet words with Strider. I stared back at the buildings, frowning as I realised that this wasn’t a town. It looked more like some fancy-pants spa reserved only for the rich and beautiful. A lot like Hollister or Abercrombie and Fitch I supposed… Only not a clothes shop and not one person had a fake American accent. I stood there, feeling extremely out of place with my muddy, plain clothes, dirty skin, and matted hair. I also had a strong suspicion that I was the only ginger in the place. Strider turned back to us and waved us over to him. I smiled nervously at the group of strangers as Strider nudged the Hobbits over to them and they lead them away.

“Where are they taking them?” I whispered, unwilling to disrupt the peaceful silence.

“To be cleaned, dressed, fed, whatever they wish.” He murmured in a trance-like tone, before seeming to snap out of it. “Come, Lord Elrond wishes to speak with you.”

“Lord El-who?” I frowned.

“Lord Elrond,” He repeated in an exasperated tone, “He is the highest power in Rivendell and has requested to speak with you.”

“Oh great, someone must have told him I was missing.” I smiled, “Ok, I’m all for it.” He stared at me for a moment as if he wasn’t sure of what I’d meant – he did that a lot – so I sighed and translated into something he could understand. “Alright, let’s go… Idiot.” I said slowly, muttering the last part under my breath as we set off. He shot me a glare, but I chose to ignore it.

“You should show respect when you meet him.” He told me as he led me up a flight of steps onto a raised walkway.

“Yeah sure – what level of respect are we talking about here? Is he pretty down to earth or more like royalty?”

“Royalty would be closest to his status.” Strider said, guiding me up a short, winding set of stairs and onto an upper floor.

“A real Big Cheese, huh?” I mumbled under my breath and he cast me an inquiring look, “It doesn’t matter.” I sighed, not feeling the need to explain it. He frowned and turned away as we neared a large door at the end of the hallway we were walking along; he stopped outside and nodded, indicating that I should knock. “Aren’t you coming with me?” I asked, suddenly feeling nervous.

“I wasn’t invited.” He replied simply, nodding again, so I shyly tapped the door. After a moment, a woman with long brunette hair wearing a slivery gold dress opened it.

“Please, come in.” She smiled, “Lord Elrond will be with you momentarily.” She nodded at Strider as I walked into the room, and then she left. I stood alone in the massive, airy room and looked around at the walls covered with books and paintings. There was a desk at one end, suggesting that I was in some sort of study, and several long chez-lounge style seats scattered around. I gingerly sat on the edge of the one nearest the door – hoping that the seat of my leggings weren’t muddy. I glanced around at all the intricate paintings, trying to analyse the person I was about to meet by their preferred art-style. Realism, almost Pre-Raphaelite style… A bit of a perfectionist, huh? And a little into fantasy by the looks of things. Not surprising considering the style of the buildings and such.

Suddenly, the door opened and two people walked in deep in conversation. I stood up quickly – silently praying that I hadn’t left a muddy ass-print on the seat.

“He was gravely injured, he may not wake up for some time-” The two tall men stopped as they saw me, seeming a little alarmed by my bedraggled appearance.

“Um… Hi.” I nervously stammered, completely forgetting Strider’s tips about showing respect. “I’m Alice.” I took in the two people, one whom I assumed to be Lord Elrond was wearing long gold and bronze robes and had his long brunette hair pulled back by what seemed like a thin silver crown – jeez, Strider wasn’t joking with the royalty thing – and when I looked at the other guy, only one word sprang to mind. ‘Wizard’. I knew it was stupid, but he totally looked like one. Not exactly Harry Potter, but he had the long grey robes and the beard. He leant upon a staff and had a pointed bluish-grey hat tucked under one arm. He was so totally a wizard.

“You are the girl they found in the wilderness?” The Elrond guy asked and I nodded.

“Yeah I was lost and sort of ran into them. Have people been looking for me?” I asked.

“Is this what you foresaw?” The wizard-ish one asked Elrond – totally ignoring my question.

“I believe it is.” He nodded.

“Foresaw?” I frowned, “Erm… I don’t really know about that but do you have a phone or something I could borrow? Mine’s busted and my friends will be wondering where I am.” The two men frowned at me for a second and I stared back as things they had been saying began to tick through my brain. “Uh… How exactly did you know I was coming? Did Strider send you a message? So help me – if he had a phone this whole time I’m gonna-”

“By the Valar…” Elrond sighed interrupting me, “She doesn’t understand what has happened.”

“Huh? What don’t I understand?” I asked, looking from one man to another.

“You were separated from your friends, weren’t you?” The wizard guy asked and I nodded. “Did you not notice anything since you left them?”

“Yeah sure loads of weird stuff…” I frowned, “Why?”

“Tell us everything.” He demanded, and so I gave them a detailed account of every single minute that had passed since I ran into a tree a week ago. Every single doubt I’d had, or anything I’d seen that I’d found out of the ordinary they were intensely interested in, and by the time I was finished, I was out of breath. “So, can I go home yet?” I asked. To my dismay, both men shook their heads. The aged face of the grey-clothed one crinkled in sympathy as Elrond sighed.

“You cannot go home child, don’t you see? This isn’t your world.” He explained slowly.

“W-what? What do you mean?” I stammered, “I mean, sure I’m a stranger here but I’m a perfectly legal citizen if that’s what you mean-”

“No, this world that you stand in now, and everything you have seen since you lost consciousness that day, is a part of our world – Middle Earth. It is different from your world, possibly separate. You were somehow transported here, and now I fear you cannot return.” He elaborated as my breathing became rapid and panicked.

“N-no… This is a joke, isn’t it? Did Toby put you up to this? Or was it Claire? Come on, how many people are in on this? Is it another one of their ‘Oh no, Alice has fallen down the Rabbit Hole again’ pranks? I thought they gave those up when we were kids…” I trailed off as they both shook their head slightly. “Please… Just tell me this is a huge practical joke.” I begged, “Or am I dreaming? I suspected this was all a dream, I knew it. It’s just a… It’s just a bad dream, isn’t it?” I realised that my legs had gone weak, and I staggered backwards onto the seat. “Y-you don’t just hop from one world to another… It’s impossible… I have to be dreaming…” I whimpered, curling into a ball and burying my head in my hands as tears stung at my eyes. “Wake up… Wake up.” I whispered to myself, trembling as the horrible, impossible truth began to dawn on me, “It’s just a bad dream, wake up!”

“Alice…” The old man murmured kindly, sitting down beside me as Elrond looked on.

“I-I just want to go home. Please…” I begged, looking up at him, “You know what happened, there has to be some way for me to get home! My friends are probably looking for me! They’ll be worried! There has to be some way!” He shook his head as I broke down sobbing. As soon as I did, a shooting pain went up my arm and I whimpered in pain. Suddenly, Elrond was crouched before me, untangling my arm from my tight, defensive ball.

“You said Strider delayed the spread of the Black Breath, has it gotten worse?” He asked and I nodded.

“It’s started spreading again… I don’t really care anymore; I’d rather be a Wraith than live through this.”

“You must not say that child.” He murmured soothingly as he pushed up my sleeve, revealing the fresh black lines that had haunted me for days, “You do not know what it means to be one of them.” His hand swept over my arm, making me tremble as a spasm of pain rippled through me. It was as if the markings resented his touch. “Be still.” He commanded me softly and I closed my eyes as I felt him rubbing something into my skin. It smelt like a more concentrated version of whatever leaf Strider had used on me. The pain was already receding, and I could hear Elrond chanting something under his breath in the language the woman in the forest had spoken. He stopped and I looked up to see the marks beginning to fade. He wrapped a clean linen bandage around my arm and stood.

“You should feel honoured to be treated by the legendary healing powers of Lord Elrond.” The man sitting beside me murmured in a joking tone as I stared at the bandage.

“Thank you.” I croaked, my throat felt raw after crying so much.

“Ada.” I heard a familiar melodic voice and turned to see a dark-haired woman standing in the doorway. I hadn’t heard her come in; she looked at me and smiled a little. “So you found her? I suspected she was the girl from your vision.” I recognised her as the woman we had encountered in the forest – the one Sam had called an elf.

“Y-you took Frodo!” I exclaimed, sitting up, “Is he alright?”

“He has been healed, although he has not yet woken.” She explained softly.

“Arwen,” Elrond interrupted, and then began speaking in that strange language. I leant across to the elderly man beside me.

“What are they saying?” I whispered.

“He is telling her to find you a room, as you are weary.” He translated with a smile.

“Oh.” I sighed as the woman approached me and gently took my hand.

“Come,” She smiled, “You should rest.” I nodded and stood, following her to the door in a daze, before hesitating and looking back at the man.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?” I tilted my head a little as he smiled.

“Gandalf.” He replied, “Gandalf the Grey.”

“Cool name.” I smiled weakly before I was lead out to the hallway.

“Your name is Alice, isn’t it?” The woman asked as we walked.

“Yeah,” I sighed, “What’s yours?”

“Arwen Undómiel.” She smiled.

“Arwen…” I repeated, staring curiously at her pointed ears. I’d noticed that Elrond had them too. “This is going to sound stupid but… Is it true what Sam said back in the forest? Are you really an elf?”

“Yes, I am.” She laughed, “Have you never met one before?”

“We don’t get many elves running around where I come from – not unless you’re visiting Santa’s grotto.” I mumbled, running a hand through my hair as we walked down a corridor lined with doors. Arwen stopped at one and pushed it open.

“This will be your room.” She said, leading me inside as I yawned. “You are tired.” She stated and I nodded.

“It’s been a stressful day.” I sighed, spotting the comfy looking white bed in the darkened room. I must have been speaking with Elrond and Gandalf for some time – I hadn’t realised that night had fallen. “I think I’ll just go to sleep.”

“Of course, I will call for you in the morning.” She smiled, “Sleep well Alice, no ce ammaer ab lû thent.”

“Uh, yeah…You too.” I nodded, feeling slightly confused as she left the room. I walked over to the bed, kicked off my tattered boots and collapsed down onto the heavenly soft sheets. I was asleep within seconds.