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Title: Second Chances (#922)
Author: liten
Chapters: 4
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Archive: Tolkien
Category: Alternate Universe (AU)
Description: After her grandmother’s death, Jeanne learns things that she had only thought could exist in dreams and fairytales
Published: 14 May 2004
Updated: 13 Oct 2004
Warnings: 
Type: General
Characters: Elrond; Gandalf; Jeanne (OFC); Ryanna (OFC)


Chapter 1 - Chapter 1

Second chances

By liten


Disclaimer: Middle-Earth and its people belong to J.R.R. Tolkien. Any other character not belonging to the book/movie-verse are my own creations

Feedback: always welcome (jag_mac@hotmail.com)

A/N: this story (the part in Middle-Earth) takes place some time before the War of the Ring; some elves are already leaving for Valinor. I apologise but I’m not really good with dates so that’s the best I can do.



Chapter 1

Joyful sounds of a party filled the air that night in Rivendell. Music was playing, some danced, other enjoyed the magnificent food prepared for the spring’s festivities. The tables were decorated with white and lilac fabrics; matching drapes and wreaths were hanging from the trees together with silver lanterns on every free bough. It was breathtaking. Many had travelled from Lórien and Mirkwood to honour the beginning of Sheelala [Spring Festival] and their long journey had been fully repaid by the magnificence of the celebrations. Everyone seemed to be truly happy. But there was one who preferred to stay away from the bustle of celebrations.

There, on one of the balconies that overlooked the festive courtyard, stood Elrond Half-Elven, the Lord of Imladris. A voice broke the silence.

“You don’t want to join us my friend?” asked Gandalf startling the elf who had not heard him approach. “It is no use to dwell on the past Elrond…,” he added sensing his friend’s melancholy.

“She shouldn’t have been there Gandalf, it was my fault…,” replied Elrond looking at the starlit sky, regret shining in his eyes.

“You…we couldn’t have done more than we did,” said Gandalf a touch of sadness in his voice.

They stayed there in silence a while longer, remembering a friend lost.

~ * ~ *~*~

“I’m going to a better place Jeanne, do not be sad,” said the older woman.

“I don’t want you to leave me grandma…I…I won’t make it without you…” she managed to say in between sobs.

“You’ll find your way,” she replied gently as she touched her granddaughter’s face, feeling the tears on her cheeks. “Do not cry my child, u i vethed na i onnad.” [This is not the end, it is the beginning]

“What are you saying?” asked Jeanne puzzled. She did not recognise that language, had never heard it before. Or had she…? She remembered how her grandma used to sing to her when a child she woke up in the middle of the night shaken by nightmares. The words she used…”Kaima, kaima ten amin tirith lle” [Sleep. Sleep, for I guard you]…she did not understand them but she knew that they had a soothing effect on her. She felt secure when her grandma sang to her like that. But now…she didn’t know how conscious her grandma could be in that moment. She seemed to be talking to herself. Jeanne thought she’d recognised some words, “Valinor”, “Imladris”. She remembered them from the fairy tales her grandmother used to tell her, but they made no sense to her in that moment.

“ Jeanne…you have to promise me you will do what I asked you when time has come,” she asked taking her granddaughter’s hand in hers.

“Don’t think about that now, you’re not going to die, I won’t let you…,” replied Jeanne obstinacy in her voice.

“My child, my time has come, I know it. It’s time for me to go back…remember what you promised…Im meleth lle [I love you]”. It was a barely audible whisper.

“Please don’t leave me…I need you…,” she said clutching her grandma’s hands tight, feeling life slowly leave Ryanna…and then she was gone. And Jeanne cried, she cried until she had no more tears left.

~ * ~ *~*~

 “Jeanne…,” a familiar voice brought her back to reality. “Jeanne, are you ok?” asked her boyfriend concerned.

“Oh…yes, yes I’m fine,” she managed to reply slowly taking in the surroundings.

“We have to go,” said Mike guiding her down the alley of the church, as Father O’Reilly carried the urn with Ryanna’s ashes in front of them. There was a strong outward wind blowing as they reached the lake.

Trying to hold back the tears she felt forming in her eyes, Jeanne walked alone to the end of the pier and shed her grandmother’s ashes into the water, saying her farewell to her grandma with the words she had promised to say. “May your soul follow the rays of light to the Grey Havens of your kin’s land, may the grace of the Valar take you to the Undying Lands. Namarie [Farewell]. We’ll always remember you.”

The sun was setting as the remaining of the ashes touched the water and Jeanne could have sworn she had seen a flash of light coming out of the water. *How could that be possible?* she thought to herself. She turned around to see if anyone else had noticed, but apparently they had not. Her mind must have been playing games with her. Finally, one after the other, everyone walked down to where Jeanne was standing and threw white roses into the lake as their last farewell to their friend.

~ * ~ *~*~

It had always been her grandparents who had taken care of her. They were the only real family she had. Her mother had died when she was a child and her father…well, he had never showed any interest for her, he considered her some kind of “collateral damage”. And her mother’s death did not change things.

A faint smile appeared on Jeanne’s face as she remembered how she had come to live with her grandparents and how she’d been surprised to find out that people in town thought Ryanna to be a witch. Well, she’d always thought that her grandma was a bit…let’s say eccentric, and the fact that she had no memories whatsoever of her youth, of any family or anything at all before she had met Jeanne’s grandfather, did not really help. But the only witchcraft Jeanne had ever saw her perform were her herbalist skills, which everybody in the small town appreciated, despite their suspicions about their “magical” origin.

Even the kids seemed to forget all about the witch-thing when Ryanna told them those incredible tales of elves and dwarves and other strange creatures. Her personal favourite was the story of Luthien, a beautiful elven princess who had forsaken her immortality to stay with the man she loved; it reminded her of her grandparents. She had never seen a love so strong and deep down she believed that after her husband had died, Ryanna had lost her will to live and had let herself slowly fade. She missed them both so much.

Jeanne felt drained of all energy. For the first time after her grandma’s death she found herself all alone in the house that had welcomed her that many years ago. The house where she had shared so much joy. The only place she could really call home.

Mike had left for New York earlier that evening, after one of the many arguments they’d had lately about his career and his new job in New York. He had asked her to move in with him in the new apartment his firm had found for him, but she felt she was not ready to give up her life, at least not for him. It was a feeling that had been creeping up at her for some time now, but it was only after her grandma’s death that she had fully realised that her relationship with Mike had become more a matter of not wanting to be alone, than really wanting to share her life with him.

~ * ~ *~*~

 “I have to go back to New York. Why don’t you come with me?” he asked her while he was packing his bag.

“How can you ask me to leave at a time like this?” she replied dryly.

 “Jeanne, I know how much you loved your grandma, but it is our future we’re talking about here,” he said.

“It’s your future we’re talking about!” she snapped back sounding more harsh than she had meant to. “Look, you can’t ask me to move right now, there are so many things I have to take care of, like the house and everything else…”

“Why don’t you ask a realtor to take care of the house?” he replied matter-of-factly.

She looked at him in disbelief. “You don’t really think I’m going to ask a stranger to take care of the house of my grandparents, do you?!”

“Maybe it’s not the best time to take a decision,” he replied walking to her. “Why don’t you take some time to think about it and we can talk about it when you come to New York.”

“I need some time alone Mike,” she said startling him, “time to think…”

“Think about what?” he asked puzzled.

“About my life, my job,….” She hesitated, “About us…,” she finally said walking out on the veranda.

“Oh…ok, if that’s what you want,” he replied from the living room. “You know where to find me when you take your decision.” But he did not get any answer.

She heard his footsteps as he walked to the door and closed it behind him as he left.

~ * ~ *~*~

The night was completely silent, save for a few distant calls of night birds. Elrond was wandering aimlessly through the gardens of Rivendell, when he found himself walking down the narrow path that led to Ryanna’s memorial as if attracted by some invisible although familiar force. Ever since her death it had become the place he fled to seeking for solitude when the burden of worries became too heavy. It was a place where his soul could find some rest.

When Celebrian had sailed to Valinor, he had tried to be strong. He believed it would make it easier for his children if he did not show how much it broke his heart to see his beloved wife leave him. But after a while the pain, and he had to admit the resentment, had become almost unbearable. His fight with himself to keep up the mask of the strong elf lord had not gone unnoticed to those around him, his grumpiness starting to affect his work. The only person that had had the courage to tell him he should do something about it before it destroyed him from within had been Ryanna. Maybe it was because she had not been in Rivendell long enough to know that one should not tell the mighty elven lord what to do, or maybe because she’d hung around with Gandalf too much, he did not know. But he was grateful she did. But now she was gone, his sons were wandering through Middle Earth and Arwen had left for Lothlorien. He was alone and once again he tried to find refuge in his memories of more happy times.

He did not know how long he’d been sitting there. He had lost track of the time letting his mind wander to a time when he did not have all the worries he had now. But the echo of the loss of many friends in the years had outweighed the pleasant memories and had taken him back to reality, his eyes dark as if shaded by a cloud.

“Do not let the past burden your heart,” said a soft voice from the darkness of the woods that surrounded the memorial.

“Who is it?” asked Elrond startled. “Show yourself!” He ordered wondering who had dared to intrude in his private sanctuary.

“Is that how you welcome back a friend?” asked the woman’s voice again.

Elrond seemed to recognise the voice. “It can’t be…” he thought aloud.

“Why not? Someone told me one should not underestimate the power of the Valar,” replied Ryanna coming out of the shadow to reveal herself.

“Am I dreaming?” he asked walking to the woman standing in the moonshine, wondering if his mind was not playing games with him.

“I hope not. I feel pretty much alive for a vision,” she replied amusement in her voice. “And I don’t think the Valar would go through all these troubles to give me back my mortal body only to show up in your dreams my lord,” she said smiling to him.

“How is this possible?” he whispered as he reached up with his hand to touch her face as to make sure he had not gone completely mad. “I’m happy to see you too Elrond…” she replied, the familiar smile lighting her face.

tbc


Chapter 2 - Chapter 2

She had fallen in love with that place the day she had set eyes on that little cottage on the shores of that tiny lake almost in the middle of nowhere. When her mother was still alive, she used to spend every holiday at her grandparent’s. She had always considered it some kind of paradise on earth and now it was going to be the place where she could start to live again.

Memories of what her life had been before she had decided to move into her grandmother’s house surfaced in her mind as she drove to her new home that night. Her decision to leave had been a shock for most of her friends, not to talk of her boyfriend who surely did not think she could be that determined to start a new life without him. He had probably thought it to be just a temporary thing. But for what was probably the first time in her life she had decided not to give in and just do what everyone expected her to do. She needed to find herself. And the only way she thought would make it possible was to isolate herself from everyone and everything, including a job she’d never really liked.

The car was filled with the last things from her old apartment. Books, photo-albums, a couple of plants and all sort of stuff that had not found place in the many boxes she’d been moving from the city in the last week. When she finally reached her destination it was past ten and although the ride had been quite exhausting, she felt as a new energy was flooding through her body as she entered her new house. Finding her way through the various boxes that were still lying around on the floor, she found a nice spot for her plants on the sill of one of the front windows of the house. She managed to empty a couple of boxes, but in the end fatigue made itself heard.

She walked to the veranda, opened the slide-door and let the cold breeze embrace her. It was a clear night; the moon was shining in all its beauty. The stars where bright and their reflection on the surface of the lake gave her the feeling of being in another world, a magical world. She sat down on the rocking chair and clutched her knees to her body, letting her gaze drift at that wonderful sight. And she cried, she cried all those tears she had refused to let go in the days that had followed her grandma’s death. She had tried to convince everyone that she was fine but she was not, and eventually she had to give in to grief.

~ * ~ *~*~

As Gandalf rushed into Elrond’s study, the elf lord and Ryanna were wrapped up in deep conversation. The wizard had not even bothered to knock on the door, which at any other time would have really annoyed Elrond. But not today.

“Ryanna,” he said as she ran into his open arms.

“I’m so happy to see you Gandalf,” she said breaking loose of his embrace enough to look him in the eyes. “You haven’t changed my friend.”

“Neither have you my child,” he replied softly making her smile. He still considered her a child even after so many years.

She took his hand and guided him to one of the couches in front of Elrond’s desk while an elleth served the tea. Ryanna was handing a cup of tea to Elrond when suddenly she felt her legs give out and she had to grab the edge of the table to steady herself. The Half-Elven was on his feet in no time, his arms around her waist to support her.

“Are you alright?” asked Gandalf concerned.

“I’m fine, it must be the excitement. It’s not everyday that you get to come back from death,” she said forcing a smile, trying to dismiss the weakness that she’d felt grind into her body ever since a few days after her return. She knew it would not take her friends long to find out about it but she wanted to delay the moment she would have to face them as long as she could.

“You should get some rest. We can talk later during dinner,” said Elrond and asked the elleth to take Ryanna to her room. Elrond let himself literally fall on his chair when the door closed behind them.

“You’re worried,” said Gandalf looking at his friend.

“Have I become that transparent?” he asked with an amused tone trying to ease the tension. But the look in Gandalf eyes told him he would not leave it.

“I fear her time with us is not going to be as long as I wish it would,” he replied playing with the ring on his finger.

“Has this happened before?” asked Gandalf. There was something Elrond was not telling him.

“Not that I know of,” he replied standing up and heading towards the window. “But I can feel she’s hiding something about how she’s really doing.”

“Can it be that you feel a little overprotective right now?” asked Gandalf not wanting to feed his friend’s worries more than necessary.

“Maybe…I certainly hope so.”

~ * ~ *~*~

The next day, as the first rays of light touched the surface of the lake, Jeanne awoke feeling the pleasant warmth of the sun on her skin. She was still curled up in the rocking chair. Giving time to her body and her senses to slowly awake one by one, she took in the wonderful sight of the sunrise over the lake. Everything seemed to come alive as the light unveiled the beautiful landscape. After a while she stood up and as she walked back into the living room she stretched her arms and legs, still a bit sore from the night before. She looked at the boxes lying all over the floor. *It’s going to be a long day,* she thought.

After changing in more comfortable clothes she had a quick breakfast and then got ready to do some spring-cleaning. It was barely past noon when she finished freshening up the cottage which meant she would still have the time to go over the papers about the property of the house. Her grandma’s will was clear, the house was Jeanne’s, but as always with these kind of things, there was a ton of papers to fill out. So she went through all of it and once she was done she decided to post it right away and be done with it. She drove into town to the local post office and on her way back she stopped at the supermarket to get some groceries and had it not been for Mrs. Kincaid, she would have been in and out in no time. But the old woman always liked to have a quick chat with all of her customers, especially with those who had been away for some time. And Jeanne was no exception. She had even made her promise she would visit her for some tea the following day. By the time she got home, and it really was only a 15 minutes ride from town to her place, it was 7.30.

She put the soufflé Mrs. Kincaid had insisted in giving her in the oven and unpacked the rest of the groceries. While she waited for her dinner, she sat at the table outside on the veranda. Deciding that tonight she would treat herself, she got up to go retrieve a bottle of red wine to go with her dinner. Leaning to the slide-door frame she lifted the wine filled glass to her lips and let the amber coloured drink slowly flow into her mouth, her cheeks slowly flushing at the familiar effect red wine had on her. Her gaze drifted once again at the beautiful landscape surrounding the lake. The last rays of light were touching the lake, blending sky and water and bathing everything around it in warm colours. She had not realised how much she’d missed this place.

~ * ~ *~*~

As the days passed, Ryanna’s body had started to age very fast, as if time was catching up on her. Retiring once again to her chambers, she stopped in front of the long mirror that adorned one of the walls. Such a short time and she was again looking at the reflection of an old woman, white locks streaking her black hair and wrinkles around her eyes. Suddenly she noticed Elrond smiling behind her. “You find it funny?” she asked turning to face him. It was not the first time he’d walked in on her in front of a mirror. “You know, it wouldn’t really bother me that much if I didn’t have to look at all of you looking just the same as when I left, no wrinkles, no white hair,…” she commented, trying not to think about what was happening to her, but it only made other memories surface. She could see it in his eyes.

He could not hold her gaze long. He always felt she could read right through him when she looked at him and now he did not want her to see the guilt in his eyes. He walked to the balcony and simply stared at the night sky, his hands resting on the marble railing. She walked to him and covered his hand with her own. “Why did they grant you to come back if you have to leave so soon?” he asked looking down at their hands.

“You know the Valar has its own plans and usually don’t feel the need to fill us in on them,” she replied trying to ease the tension. Not that she was not sad her time was coming to an end again. But she’d been given the chance to come back, and she was grateful for every moment she could spend with her friends. “I think there’s still something I have to do before I leave, although I’m not sure what,” she added seeing the serious expression on Elrond’s face. He was still for a while. “Are you going to tell me what’s on your mind?” she asked. “You know, my empathic power has somewhat lessened in the last few years…” she said.

When he turned around to face her she saw the all to familiar worries reflected in his eyes. She reached out her hand and slowly touched his face. “You’re still carrying all the weight of the world on your shoulders, aren’t you?” she asked, more a statement than a question. “Old habits are hard to break,” he replied forcing a thin smile.

It broke her heart to see him like that. She wished she could help him in some way, ease his pain, at least for the time the Valar had granted her to stay. She shortened the distance between them and pulled him in her arms. At first he tensed not used to be the one being comforted, but in the end he relaxed and returned her embrace, letting her take away some of his worries even if only for a short time.

~ * ~ *~*~

As Jeanne was finishing her dinner, she felt a cold breeze coming from the lake, goose-bumps appearing on her skin. Clouds were building in the sky and it was getting dark. Jeanne decided she would not want to push her luck too much and went back inside as the first drops of rain started to fall. A few minutes later it was literally pouring. She locked windows and doors and went back into the kitchen to do the dishes.

Just as she was done cleaning up the kitchen she noticed all the papers and bills that were still lying all over the dining-table and decided it would be better to go through them right away. *Just this and then I’m going to bed* she said to herself. Half an hour later there were two neat piles of papers, one with the bills to pay and the other with old documents that would find their place in a nice box in the attic.

Barely managing to hold back a yawn she switched all the lights off, walked up the stairs and went into the room that had once been her grandparent’s. She changed in her pyjamas and sat down at her grandma’s vanity. She picked up her hairbrush and began to drive it through her hair, with slow and rhythmical strokes. Tears started to streak her blushed cheeks as memories of herself as a child, her grandma braiding her long hair, began to fill her mind. Suddenly she shook herself out of her reveries, wiped away the tears with the back of her hand and walked to the bed and crawled under the covers. She switched the night-lamp off and the room fell into darkness.

~ * ~ *~*~

The hallway was dark, only a dim light at the end of it. She was walking bare-feet and the only sound heard was that of her white nightgown touching the cold floor. Suddenly, she felt the presence of someone walking behind her, the footsteps behind her adjusting to her quickening pace. She ran as fast as she could but she never seemed to get to the end of the hallway as if she’d been running through water, moving slower and slower.

Suddenly she tripped over the hem of her nightgown and fell feeling the cold floor under her body. Frightened as she’d never felt before, she turned around to face her pursuer but all she could see was a cloud of light and a hand stretched out to her. And then she heard a familiar voice. “My child, do not fear, telin le thaed.” [I’ve come to help you]. It was the voice of her grandmother.

tbc


Chapter 3 - Chapter 3

A/N: The Awakening is a wonderful novel by Kate Chopin

She awoke with a start, wide-eyed and shivering, her heart slamming in her chest. She looked around and felt unable to orientate at first, but when she found the switch of the night-lamp the room was instantly flooded with light and falling back against the pillows, she sighed in relief realising she was safely lying in her own bed. Everything was as it was supposed to be, it was the same stormy night she had fallen asleep to. It had only been a dream. Again. She had barely managed to get a whole night sleep lately, dreams, or better, nightmares haunting her. But this was the first time someone had rescued her. The first time she’d heard Ryanna’s voice.

Pushing the covers aside, she climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom sink to splash her face with cold water. She looked at the pale reflection of her face staring back at her from the mirror. “This is definitely not the way I thought my new life would start.” Unable to go back to sleep, she decided to go downstairs and get something to read.

She browsed through the books on the shelf and finally picked one: The Awakening. If she remembered correctly it was the story of a woman who had decided to break out of the invisible cage society had confined her to. She had started to read it once some time ago but had never finished it. The heroine’s character somehow bothered her because she was doing something Jeanne felt she would never manage to achieve. Maybe now was a better time to read it.

She was heading back upstairs when she noticed a large box lying on the floor next to the fireplace. She could have sworn she had put everything away up in the attic. Anyway, curiosity got the best of her and she walked to the fireplace to see what it was. She kneeled down on the floor; put down the book she had just got and opened the box. The first thing she saw was a pile of loose sheets with charcoal drawings by her grandma. She picked them up and looked through them. Breathtaking landscapes, children playing, fairies and elves…they all looked so real.

She had seen these drawings before but every time they took her breath away. She put them aside. Under the drawings she found a stack of notebooks, some looking older, other more recent. She picked up one and flipped through the pages recognising her grandma’s handwriting. She looked at some of the other notebooks: they were full of notes. It looked like she’d just found her grandma’s diaries. Her knees had started to complain, so she got up and took the notebooks with her to the couch and put them on the table. She tried to find some order by looking at the dates on them, when she came across one that was not dated and had strange characters in it: they looked oriental or Celtic, but she couldn’t figure out what they were or even less what they said. She flipped through the pages. The whole book was full of those mysterious signs. Why would her grandma write like that? How would she know how to write like that? That is, supposing it is a real language and not only the scribbles of an old woman.

She picked up another diary and fell upon something that sounded very familiar: all the fairy tales her grandma used to tell her when she was a child: the dwarves, the elves, and the orcs…everything was in there. Even some more drawings. The following had a white cover and was dated 1958. Jeanne seemed to remember that it was the year her grandparents had met. She had heard the story a thousand times. It was a rainy night. Eric was driving home after his shift at the county hospital, when he’d found Ryanna walking on the side of the road, soaked wet and wearing a dress that looked as if it had been ripped right from an old medieval painting. He had picked her up and driven her to the hospital where the doctors had taken care of the few bruises and cuts she had. What had worried them the most was her amnesia. She did not remember where she came from or what she was doing on that street all by herself. She didn’t have any documents on her that could help find out anything else about her. They only had a name: Ryanna. Eric had stayed by her side all the time and eventually Ryanna had moved in with him. He had become her family and ever since they’d been together.

She turned a couple of pages and continued to read: “Sometimes I feel that my whole life is a lie. What would Eric say if he knew the truth? Would he think I’m crazy?” Jeanne frowned as she read her grandmother’s words. *What truth is she talking about? Which lies? *. Jeanne kept reading and with every new entry she read she felt as if she had never really known her grandmother. She closed the notebook and laid it down on the couch next to her. All this hiding things, all these doubts…that was not the Ryanna she had known. She had to find out more. She picked up the notebook again and skipped a few pages. “What if all my memories of Middle-Earth are only a product of my imagination, only fairy tales? But if they are only illusions why do I miss them so much: Gandalf, Meruwel, Periaht and…Elrond…All this pain I feel, it can’t be only for something my mind has made up…” And further down: “I don’t know what I would’ve done without Eric, he has become my lifeline.” Middle-Earth? The fairy tales her grandma used to tell her were set in Middle-Earth. What did that mean? Did her grandmother take those tales for reality? Had she been living in a dream for all these years? She sat there reading her grandmother’s memories of another world, wondering how much of that could be true and at the same time surprised about all the things that seemed to find a sense in the light of these writings. Who was the woman for whose loss she had shed that many tears?

Just as she was flipping open another notebook to find out more, the light went out. “Not now please,” she said wandering through the dark filled room, trying not to bump into anything that could land crashing on the floor. “Ok, now think Jeanne: where’s the main switch…right, the kitchen!” In the dim light of the flashlight she’d found she got to the switch and flipped it on. A lightning fell not far from the cottage floodlighting the stormy sky for a second. And then it was dark again, rain tapping on the windows of Jeanne’s cottage. The lights were on again.

~ * ~ *~*~

Elrond was walking down the alley leading to his chambers when two elleths almost fell over him. Realising who they’d just bumped into, they started to apologise not daring to lift their eyes to face the Lord of Imladris who silenced them with one hand. “What is it you’re so excited about not to pay attention to your steps?” he asked actually slightly amused.

“There is word of a stranger having arrived in Imladris,” said one of the elleths gathering up the courage to face Lord Elrond’s gaze. “Down at the creek,” added the younger one.

“Where?” he asked surprised.

When he reached the creek there was already a small crowd gathered around the person that had stirred up all this interest. As they recognised the elf lord, they stepped aside. When he sat his eyes upon the young woman’s face lying on the grass, he felt as if he’d been looking at a ghost. “This can’t be…” he murmured to himself. “Jeanne…” called Ryanna from behind Elrond’s shoulders.


Chapter 4 - Chapter 4

She was cold and wet, her body shivering uncontrollably. The light fabric of her pyjama clung to her skin chilling her to the bone. Jeanne’s eyes opened, but for a moment she did not realise they did, for darkness still shone around her. Where was she?

Voices began to find their way through the barrier her mind had erected to protect her; voices coming to her in barely audible whispers, so faint she could not really make out what was being said. She blinked and her vision cleared slightly, allowing her to see several people around her. Who were these people? She could not understand the beautiful sounding words uttered. She tried hard to find some meaning in them, look for something familiar that would allow her to understand what was going on. But she found nothing.

Her head pounded fiercely and her eyes closed shut in pain, when suddenly someone scooped her off the ground. Her heart started to beat faster and faster and she was sure it would burst out of her chest any minute if she did not calm down. But how was she supposed to calm down? She did not know where she was, what these people were saying, who they were or what they wanted from her for what mattered.

She had started to fight against the strong harms holding her, when she heard her voice: “Jeanne…my child, listen to me…everything is going to be alright.”

*Grandma…*. She tried hard to focus on the face of the woman talking to her but every time she thought she’d made it, the image floated away like the memory of a dream. And then there was nothing.

~ * ~ *~*~

The long white curtains hanging from the sides of the balcony’s arc danced to the twilight’s breeze. Dawn had passed into day, day into twilight. The flickering candles and the last rays of sunlight bathed the room in a soft glow.

Elrond approached the bed where Jeanne lied and sat down on the chair on which Ryanna had sat until a few minutes earlier. She had hardly left her granddaughter’s side in the past few days and Elrond had almost had to carry her out on his arms to make her take a break.

He took a wet cloth from the basin on the bedside table and held it to Jeanne’s still fevered brow. She still had some temperature but for the time being Elrond could not do much more for her. It was up to her to take the last step back into consciousness. He brushed her flushed cheeks with the back of his hand while he unconsciously hummed an old lullaby he used to sing to his children when they were sick. He could not help stare at the young woman. So alike, yet not her… His hand moved a soft lock of hair out of her face. She had the same long black hair like Ryanna’s, with the difference that it was streaked with the colours of glowing embers. He took the cloth from her forehead and with one hand he dipped it once again in the basin.

~ * ~ *~*~

Her body slowly made its presence known, nerves reacting to the pleasant warmth embracing her. She felt a gentle hand resting on her forehead for a moment, a feeling of reassurance and peace emanating into her body. Words of comfort soothingly whispered in her ear, a gentle voice caressing her soul and calling her back to life.

She finally opened her eyes, slowly focusing on the man sitting next to her. He was oddly dressed, but she had to admit that in its oddness the silver robe and the tunic he wore were extremely elegant and refined. Her eyes travelled up to his face. Neither old nor young, yet his face bore the signs of many years’ memories, both happy and sorrowful. His hair was dark as ebony, long braids resting on his chest. He looked so familiar although she was sure they had never met before. Not that she could really be sure of anything in that moment, her mind still a bit weary. A smile lit Elrond’s face, when he noticed that Jeanne had opened her eyes. She tried to lift herself up, but she regretted it as soon as the room began to spin and she collapsed back on the bed, her eyes closing while she struggled against the waves of pain that washed over her.

“Shhh, slowly my child,” he said to her. Once again she felt the stranger’s arm around her, while with the free hand he moved the pillows around into a more comfortable position for her. He helped her down again. She wanted to thank him but the words remained stuck in her throat. Elrond gently reached a hand behind her neck while with the other hand he lifted a cup to her lips. She felt the cold water flowing from her lips into her mouth, giving her sore throat some relief. He gently placed her head back on the pillow.

“Thank you,” she finally managed to say, barely an audible whisper.

“You are welcome,” he replied smiling while he put the cup back on the bedside table.

“Who are you?” she asked, her voice still a bit hoarse.

“I’m Elrond,” he replied and then anticipating her next question, “and you are in Rivendell.”

“Rivendell…” she wondered aloud, as if she were trying to remember where she’d heard the name before, but the fog inside her head had not all gone yet.

“Is something wrong Jeanne?” he asked concerned taking her hand into his.

Her eyes run to his as she heard him speak her name. “How do you know my name?” she asked a hint of fear shining in her eyes.

“Do not be afraid, you are safe here,” he said and just as he was trying to think of something to say to the young woman, Ryanna walked into the room, her face beaming with joy at the realisation that Jeanne was awake.

She knelt beside her. “Jeanne, my child…” she said lifting her hand to cup her granddaughter’s face.

“Grandma…” Jeanne could not believe her eyes; Ryanna was there with her. Tears stung her eyes as the older woman pulled her limp body into her embrace. Jeanne did not care if it was a dream or how it could be possible at all for her to be with her grandmother again. There was something missing before she woke up in Rivendell, but now she felt whole again.

~ * ~ *~*~	

There was a knock on the door. No one answered. Ryanna silently entered Elrond’s library. The fire was sparkling and crackling, casting shadows upon the walls. Elrond was sitting behind his desk, his head resting on a stack of papers. *Falling asleep on your paperwork? That’s not like you my friend* she thought. She walked to him and leaned to the edge of the desk. She moved a lock of hair out of his face, the light movement waking the elf lord.

“I saw there was still light in your room,” she said to explain her intrusion.

“I…I was trying to catch up on some paperwork but…I must have fallen asleep,” he said looking at his desk, still covered with documents. “How is Jeanne doing?” he asked reaching a hand behind his neck to ease the cramps at the top of his back.

“She seems well enough, she’s sleeping now.”

“And why are you not watching over her?” he asked slightly teasing.

“She told me I should get some rest myself,” she replied not really daring to look him in the eyes.

“I wonder how she got you to agree. You put up quite a fight when I told you to get some rest...”

“Well,…she told me very kindly that I looked terrible and that I should get some sleep,” she replied sheepishly looking at the half-elven who was fighting hard not to laugh out loud. “Don’t you dare…” she said pointing a finger at him. “Anyway, I thought I’d forward her advice to you and came looking for someone to escort and old woman back to her chambers,” she continued. “Besides, I don’t think you would get much done tonight.”

~ * ~ *~*~

Darkness fell like a blanket over the Last Homely House as the couple strolled down the alley.

“Did she tell you anything about how she came to…appear in Rivendell?” asked Elrond.

“Her memories are still a bit confused. The last thing she remembers is finding my diaries…my memories of Middle Earth…,” she replied and then fell silent for a while.

They turned around a corner and walked up the stairs that led to the alley where Ryanna’s and Jeanne’s rooms were.

“It must have been quite a shock for her,” he said.

“Yes…if someone had told me they came from another world, I would have thought them to be insane to say the least! I’m not sure Jeanne has quite understood the implications of all this.”

“She will need some time to adjust, and we’ll help her as we can,” he replied.

They had stopped in front of Ryanna’s room. “Goodnight Elrond,” she said hugging him. “And thank you”.

“For what?” he asked puzzled.

“For taking care of us,” she replied simply.
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