Ancient Languages

Chapter II: Testing the Waters


The drive to her uncle’s cabin was a long one. It was, after all, in the middle of nowhere, and that made it all that much more appealing. She sped along the old dirt road that led to the cabin, and she grinned as it came into view. She parked beside the small building and got out of her car. She put her hands in the air and spun around like a child. An entire week of peace and quiet! She sighed in relief, feeling the cares of her life fade away for a short time. Her uncle had always said that this place contained great magic. Of course, he was thought to be the crazy member of the family, but Lyla thought that he was right about this place. Any place that could help her forget her problems, even if only for a short while, was magic in her eyes.

She grabbed her small blue suitcase out of the backseat and walked into the cabin. She looked around and smiled slightly. The place was a little run down, but to her, it was heaven. She set her suitcase on the floor of the bedroom, and flopped onto the mattress. It was a bit dusty, but she didn’t mind. She was tired, and the mattress was incredibly soft. She closed her eyes and drifted off into one of the best nights of sleep that she had had in a long time.

***

Early the next morning, Lyla awoke to the feel of the warm sun on her face and to the rich smell of the forest. She stretched like a cat, and absently wondered if Shana would remember to feed her fish while she was away. She crawled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. Within moments, she was dressed and ready for breakfast. She searched through the food that she had brought with her, and she grabbed a granola bar. She grabbed her book and notes, and began her task of translating once again. Even though she was on vacation, this book was one thing that she could not leave behind.

She worked until noon, and she grinned as she looked at the progress she had made. She was on the verge of a major breakthrough. She could feel it. She didn’t know why, but this place helped her to think more clearly. One particular phrase stood out to her, but she could not determine what it meant or how to pronounce it. She ran the phrase over and over in her mind, but it was still a mystery to her. She set the book down and walked to the lake. Perhaps a swim will help to clear my mind.

She removed her jeans and shirt, revealing her dark blue bikini. She dove into the water and shuddered as she surfaced. The water was freezing, but refreshing. The phrase kept running through her mind, and she spoke it aloud.

Telo, govado ven, ae han aníral. Avo ‘osto nad. Garo estel ned nin. Telo na nin.

The language felt strange as it rolled off her tongue, and she did not think she had pronounced it correctly. She began to swim back to the shore, but her watch slipped off of her wrist and fell into the depths of the lake. She rolled her eyes and dove after it. She went down for what seemed like forever until she finally reached her watch. It had been caught in a plant, and as she reached for it, her arm was ensnared by the plant as well. She struggled to free herself, but it seemed that the more she struggled, the tighter the plant became. She began to panic, for she was running out of air. She began to fade in and out of consciousness, but at the last second, the plant released her, and she darted to the surface.

She broke the surface of the water and gasped for air. Her lungs felt like they were on fire, and her arms ached from swimming. Using the last of her strength, she swam to the shore, and hoisted herself onto the bank. She lay there for several minutes, just gasping in air and thanking God for miracle of land. She could feel her strength beginning to return, and she shakily sat up. She looked at her wrist and swore. It was raw and bleeding, and, to top it all off, she hadn’t even retrieved her watch. She stood up with every intention of grabbing her clothes and returning to the cabin, but her clothes were no where to be found. She swore again, more vilely than before.

Who in the world would have stolen my clothes? she wondered.

She headed for the cabin, studying the trees as she passed. Something was different about these trees. They were fuller, lusher, and more beautiful than she remembered them being. She walked into the small clearing where the cabin was supposed to be, but instead, all she found was more trees.

“What the….”

But she did not get to finish her sentence, for a strange man appeared in front of her. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. He had long, partially braided blonde hair, and he was dressed like an escapee from a Robin Hood movie. He also had a rather menacing looking bow with an even more menacing looking arrow pointed straight at her.

“Daro!” the strange man said.

Lyla stared at him. What in the world did he just say? She looked at his bow and snorted quietly. It was probably fake. It doesn’t matter. Maybe he has a cell phone. “Excuse me. Do you have a cell phone I could borrow? I’m a bit lost.”

The man looked at her like she had lost her mind. He was also looking her up and down with a rather stunned expression on his face. She looked down and realized that she was still wearing only her bikini. But why should it matter? Almost every woman in this day and age wore one.

“What? Haven’t you ever seen a bikini before, Robin Hood?”

“Man ce? Man gen carel sí?” he asked, as he moved closer to her.

Lyla withdrew slightly. Okay. This man is starting to scare me. She gave him an awkward smile as she withdrew further.

“I’m going to leave now. You just stay here and have fun with your bow and arrow.”

She turned and began to run away from him, but several more, nearly identical, men appeared before her. She withdrew from them and tried to run another way, but they were everywhere, surrounding her. They began to talk to each other again in that strange language of theirs’, and they kept moving toward her. She began to panic, for in this day and age, a woman usually ended up missing when something like this happened.

“If you come another step closer, I’m going to scream!” Oh that’s smart, Lyla. Who’s going to hear you, except for more of these crazy men?

Two of the men approached her and began to take her arms, but she hit them both and tried to run again. Two more came forward and latched onto her arms, holding them in an iron death grip. She shouted and struggled as they began dragging her away.

“Let me go, you psychos! I have friends who will be looking for me. Big, strong friends that know people with really big guns. Now, let me go!”

But they would not listen. Well, she was not going to make it easy for them. She kept shouting for help and struggling against them, making them drag her along. They walked for what seemed like miles, and Lyla froze as they slowed. A magnificent marble city with ornate buildings and bridges stood before her. Lush trees surrounded the city, and several exquisite waterfalls flowed in the background. There was only one word that she could use to describe this place: beautiful.

Where in the world am I? If this is Colorado, it’s a part of it I’ve certainly never seen.

She felt her arms being released, and she glanced up at her captors. They were looking at her oddly, as if they were expecting her to return to screaming at any moment. She rolled her eyes. Well, I don’t think they’re going to hurt me. They would’ve done so by now.

“Don’t worry, boys. I promise to behave.”

They looked at her in confusion, but they appeared to be satisfied with her response. One of them removed his cloak and handed it to her. They appeared to be disturbed by her bathing suit, and, to be honest, she was tired of the scrutiny, so she took the cloak without question and wrapped it around her shoulders. They led her into the city, their hands never leaving the hilt of their swords.

Many more people that resembled her captors stared at her and her entourage as they passed. She shook her head. I’m stuck in a city full of beautiful weird people. Lucky me. Most of the guards separated from the group, leaving only two with her. Maybe I can make a break for it. As if reading her thoughts, the two remaining men tightened their grips on their swords. They led her to a small room and locked her inside. She looked around the room and sighed. The furnishings in the room were comprised of a chair, a small table, and a lantern of some sort. She sat on the chair and rested her forehead on her palm.

This has got to be a dream. Either that or I am losing my mind. She pinched her arm and gave a soft yelp. Well, it’s not a dream, so I must be going insane. Great.

She heard the door being unlocked, and she bolted from the chair as the door began to open. A woman entered the room, a garment in her hand. Lyla looked past her, and saw one of the men standing there, his hand on the hilt of his sword. So much for that escape theory. The guard closed and locked the door behind the girl, and Lyla watched her as she approached. The woman stared at her with open curiosity, and Lyla could not help but smile. She had never known that she was so fascinating before. The girl handed Lyla the dress she was holding and smiled.

“Thanks,” Lyla mumbled.

The girl gave her a puzzled look, and Lyla sighed. It was terribly frustrating being in a situation where communication was nearly impossible. Lyla studied the girl, and her eyes widened as she saw the girl’s delicately pointed ears. Come to think of it, all of the people she had encountered had had pointed ears. She had just been too upset to notice it earlier. She walked closer to the girl and gently tugged on her ear. The woman looked at her like she was crazy and slowly backed away. Lyla smiled, pointed to her own ear, and shrugged.

“Sorry about that.”

The girl smiled and knocked on the door. She left the room, and the guard locked the door behind her. Lyla looked at the blue gown that the girl had given her. Not exactly my style, but it’s better than walking around in this bikini. She removed the guard’s cloak and slipped the dress on over her bikini. She returned to the chair and sighed. How am I going to get out of this mess?

***

Gaerlin waited until the woman had sufficient time to change, before he opened the door. She glanced up, and he motioned for her to follow him. She stepped into the hall, and he studied her appearance. She looked more presentable now. What she had been wearing before had been quite inappropriate.

He led her down the hallway toward Lord Erestor’s office. He stopped before the large door and knocked. Lord Erestor called for him to enter, and he ushered the maiden inside. He stopped before Lord Erestor and bowed.

“My lord, we found this woman on the outskirts of Rivendell. She was rather difficult when we brought her back to the city. None of us were able to speak with her, for she speaks a language that we do not understand.”

Erestor looked at the woman for a moment before returning his attention to Gaerlin. “Thank you, Gaerlin. I will deal with her.”

Gaerlin bowed again and left the room. Erestor eyed the maiden warily. Who was she? Was she a servant of the enemy? He glared at her, trying his best to intimidate her. However, she did not seem intimidated. In fact, she seemed rather amused. He arched an arrogant brow at her.

“Who are you? What were you doing on the outskirts of Rivendell?” he asked in Sindarin.

She gave him an odd look and began speaking in a language that he had never before heard. He knew that she could see that he did not understand her.

“Do you speak the Common Tongue?” he asked in flawless Westron.

She looked at him, her eyes filled with confusion, and shrugged. He sighed. He was not accomplishing anything. He motioned to his assistant, Celin.

“Celin, find Elhael. Perhaps he can speak to her.”

Celin nodded and left to find the scribe. Elhael was learned in all of the languages of Middle-earth. If anyone could speak with her, he could. Several uncomfortable moments passed before Elhael arrived. Erestor motioned him forward.

“Elhael, this woman speaks a language that we do not understand, and she knows none of our languages. Perhaps you could speak with her?”

Elhael nodded. “I shall attempt to, my lord.”

He turned to the woman and began speaking to her in Westron, and she began speaking to him in her strange language. Elhael next attempted to speak to her in the language of Rohan, and she began speaking in what seemed to be another language. They continued in this banter for several moments, each trying different languages, and each accomplishing nothing. If Erestor had not been so frustrated, he would have found them rather amusing. Elhael turned and shook his head.

“I cannot understand her, my lord. I have tried every language that I know, and I have had no success. I apologize.”

Erestor sighed. “Thank you for your assistance, Elhael. Kindly send Gaerlin in when you leave.”

Elhael bowed and left the room. Erestor studied the maiden. Her arms were crossed, and she looked quite frustrated. Not that he could blame her, for he was as frustrated as she was. He glanced up as Gaerlin entered the room.

“Gaerlin, take this woman to a chamber and make sure that she does not leave. I do not want her wandering around Rivendell, especially since we do not know who she is. She must remain there until Lord Elrond decides what shall be done about her.”

“Yes, my lord.” Gaerlin motioned to the woman and led her out of the room. Erestor sighed. He would have to inform Lord Elrond of her presence immediately.

***

Translations:

Telo, govado ven, ae han aníral. Avo ‘osto nad. Garo estel ned nin. Telo na nin. — Come, join us, if you desire it. Do not be afraid. Have trust in me. Come with me.

Daro! — Halt!

Man ce? Man gen carel sí? — Who are you? What are you doing here?