(Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)  In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure. This story is AU and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  It's also in the process of being posted on Fanfiction.net, Archive of Our Own, Many Paths to Tread, and LiveJournal.  (Posted here with permission from the admins of SoA.) 

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from Tolkien's books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur. We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help of our beta, Linda Hoyland, another well-known and prolific LotR fanwriter, whose many wonderful stories also grace this site.

Prologue

“Kaylee!  Joey!  Megan!  Come on, children, it’s time to go!” Gail McCloud called.

The three younger children, who were in the backyard playing with their new Cocker spaniel puppy, Lucy, raced toward the gate leading into the front yard; Kaylee, age five, grabbed hold of Lucy en-route and lugged her to the car.  Already, the minivan was loaded with camping supplies and the family’s personal belongings.  One of Kaylee’s favorite dolls, Baby Alive, was already sitting on the middle seat; Joey’s video game lay next to it; and three-year-old Megan’s baby seat was ready for occupancy.

The older children, Kevin and Jennifer, stood leaning against the car trunk, their backpacks dangling from their backs.  Mr. McCloud came out the front door of their one-story ranch house, car keys in hand, and approached the minivan in the driveway.

“Your backpacks are in the trunk, children,” their father Steven said, as he swung the driver’s door open.  “In the car, everybody.  Time to go.”

“What about Uncle Ryan and Aunt Janet, Daddy?” Jennifer asked.

“We’re swinging by their place, and they’re going to follow us in their car,” Gail said, as she opened the middle passenger door on the minivan’s right side, to fasten Megan into her baby seat.  Turning around, she noticed that Joey was the only child who was wearing his white sneakers.  She shook her head at him.  “Young man, I want you to go back inside and put on your hiking boots now!”

“Mom!” Joey whined.  “Do I have to?!”

“Yes, Joey, you have to,” his mother said firmly.  “Your boots will protect your feet from snakes and sharp rocks and things like that much better than your sneakers will.  Now go inside and put them on.  Your backpack’s already in the car.”  Grumbling, Joey did as he was told.

Minutes later, he returned outside, his feet clad in his brown hiking boots.  Gail surveyed the children’s feet with satisfaction; all of them were wearing their hiking boots now.  However, Kaylee’s boots had come untied, and so her mother knelt to re-tie them.  As soon as Megan was strapped into her car seat, the family piled into the minivan, and Steven McCloud turned on the ignition.

“Everybody got your seat belts on?” he asked.  His wife turned her head to scan the four children.  The backpacks were lying on the floor of the back seat.  Kaylee snapped her seat belt on with Joey’s help, and Gail smiled her approval.  Her husband backed out onto the residential street and drove toward the intersection.  Joey picked up the nine-week-old puppy and rubbed her silky head; Lucy licked his fingers and then started chewing on them.  The afternoon sunlight poured into the minivan.

Gail glanced back at Joey and Lucy.  She had been uncertain about taking the little puppy with them, but since Ryan and Janet were going along, there was no one they could ask to dog-sit a puppy that wasn't even housebroken yet.  They couldn't afford to board her for the length of time they'd be gone.  Gail was a little worried, since the pup was too young for her shots yet.  Still, they would be in an isolated part of the park.  Lucy should be safe there. 

Several minutes later, they pulled to a stop by a one-story brick house.  Mr. McCloud’s brother, Ryan McCloud, and his wife, Janet, were waiting by their car.  Mr. McCloud rolled down his window and extended his left arm toward Ryan.  “Hey, bro, ready to leave?”  He laughed.

Uncle Ryan chuckled.  “Ready and waiting for you, little brother!”  The two men grinned at each other, and Ryan and Janet climbed into their car.  A few minutes later, the two cars were speeding down the street toward the intersection.

“Daddy, why are we going camping now?” Joey asked, as he cuddled Lucy against his chest.  “School’s not even out yet!”

“I’m under orders from my supervisor, son,” Mr. McCloud said.  “My supervisor wants me to go to one of the state parks and collect as many different kinds of soil samples as possible, so that the other Department of Land Conservation and Development scientists and myself can run some tests on them.  I’ve gotten permission from the park manager to collect them at Wallowa Lake State Park,* where we’re going.”

“That’s right,” Mrs. McCloud added.  “Your father’s going to be very busy for the next several days.”

Mr. McCloud nodded agreement.  “I did some thinking, and it was clear that I had a choice.  I could either spend the entire time at Wallowa Lake State Park separated from my family while I collected the samples, or I could take my family on a campout while I was at it, since it’s Easter break.  Your mom and I talked about it, and that’s what we decided to do.”

“I can’t wait to play on the swings!”  Clutching her doll to her chest, Kaylee started to bounce, only to find herself restrained by her seat belt.

Her mother chuckled.  “You’ll have to play in other ways, sweetheart.  We’re not going to the public section of the park for this camping trip, so there will be no playground this time.  We’re going to camp in one of the more isolated sections.”

“That’s right.”  Their father nodded.  “Your uncle’s camped in that section before, so he knows what to find there.  Perhaps he’ll take you exploring, if you ask him—you’ll have to wear your backpacks if he does.  And since Lucy’s going to be there with us, you can always play with her.”  He smiled.  “Don’t worry, children—even without a playground or a swimming area, you’ll still have fun.  And when school’s out for the summer, we’ll have another campout in the park—this time, in the public section, where the swimming area and the playground are.”

Behind the younger children, Jennifer exchanged a glance with her older brother, Kevin.  “Yes, Daddy.”  Handing Lucy over to Kaylee, who immediately began to cuddle the puppy alongside her blonde-haired Baby Alive doll, Joey turned on his Gameboy and began to play a video game.  Megan stuck her thumb into her mouth while holding her own doll.

“Are we going to Disneyland, too?” Kaylee asked hopefully.

Her father chuckled.  “Yep, Kaylee.  This summer, we’re going to Disneyland, too.”

“Oh, goody!” Kaylee squealed, kicking her legs against the car seat.  “We get to go to Disneyland, Lucy!” she told the wiggling puppy.  Her parents laughed, and Kevin and Jennifer exchanged amused grins.  Joey glanced at his younger sister and looked up at his parents, and then he turned his attention back to his video game.

“I wanna go Diseeand,” said Megan.

Mrs. McCloud smiled ruefully at her husband.  “You know, I’m surprised the park manager gave you permission, dear, seeing as it’s against park rules to collect plants or any other natural resources on their grounds.”

Mr. McCloud chuckled.  “I know, hon.  But remember that my geology work is for the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development.  The samples I will take are meant to check the health of the soil in the park, and make sure that it hasn't been affected by pollution or other harmful things.  He knows that, and that I know how to do it without damaging the site."  He glanced at his watch.  “If all goes well, we’ll be arriving at the park shortly after four o’clock.  That’s check-in time for campsites.”

“Are we gonna have full hook-up, Daddy?” Jennifer asked hopefully.

Mrs. McCloud answered for her husband.  “No, sweetheart, not this time.  As your daddy said, we’re going to camp in one of the primitive sections of the park this time, in tents.  It’ll be only a tent site with a stream nearby, a picnic table, and a paved parking area not far from the campsite, but no utilities.”

Jennifer grimaced.  She much preferred the full-hookup sites, where she could have running water, electricity, and ready access to a bathroom with plumbing, as well as a paved parking area nearby.  The complaints she wanted to utter died on her lips, however, as she glanced up at her father’s expression in the mirror.  It would do no good to complain, she knew; instead, she exchanged a scowl with Kevin.  At least, Jennifer thought, she had packed her silver-colored baton, and so she would be able to spend some time every day practicing her majorette routines while they were at Wallowa Lake State Park.  She had been twirling the baton ever since she had been just seven years old, and as the assistant leader of the Portland Optimist Youth Band Baton Corps, it was necessary for her to keep up her skills for when the corps marched in parades, and performed during halftime at sports events.

“We’ll camp in a full-hookup site this summer, Jennifer,” her father promised.  “For this camping trip, we’ll all just have to make the best of it.”

Jennifer sighed.  “Yes, Daddy.”

Grimacing in his turn, Kevin glanced at his sister, and then looked at the back of his father’s head.  “Uh, Dad, I don’t suppose there’s any chance there’ll be Wi-Fi at the park?”

“No, son, there’s not,” Mr. McCloud answered.  “None of the state parks are set up for Wi-Fi.”

“We’ll just have to do without Internet access until we’re back home,” Mrs. McCloud added.

“Yes, Mom.”  Sighing, Kevin shook his head, and he and Jennifer exchanged more grimaces.  It was going to be a long six days.  There would be no Internet access until they were back in Portland on late Saturday afternoon.  They’re probably not set up for cell phone access either, he thought ruefully. I wonder if we’ll even be able to text!

Suppressing a sigh, Kevin picked up his Android tablet and turned it on, and Jennifer pulled out her iPhone.  They fully meant to enjoy their Internet before the family was out of the range of its signal.  Jennifer sent a quick text to her best friend, Nicole Adams, explaining that they were on their way to the state park where they were going to camp out and would not be back until late Saturday afternoon, and Kevin emailed one of his basketball buddies.  Joey continued to play his video game, and Kaylee cuddled her doll and Lucy, singing and talking to them both.  Megan soon fell asleep in her baby seat with her rag doll in her arms.  Soon, the two cars were speeding west on the freeway.  As soon as they were out in the countryside, both Kevin’s tablet and Jennifer’s cell phone lost the signal, and so they shut them off and slipped them into their backpacks.

Jennifer leaned her head against the back of the car seat and sighed.  If only I could have brought a boyfriend with me, maybe this trip would be easier to tolerate.  Or if Nicole had been free to come with me!  Too bad she couldn’t have invited a boy from school to come with them; she might have been able to, if she had a boyfriend.  I’m fourteen; surely, I’m old enough to date!  There’s a high-school junior at school I would really love to date, if only he’d ask me.  He’s so cute, and he’s nice.  Thank goodness he’s in our church’s youth group, too!  Shaking her head, she closed her eyes and thought about the discussion she’d had with her mother the other day.

-oo000oo-

“But why can’t I go on a date?” Jennifer argued.  “I’m fourteen now; I’m not a child anymore!”

Her mother shook her head, smiling ruefully.  “Jennifer, remember what your father says?”

Jennifer sighed.  “‘You have to learn to be a friend with boys before you can be a girlfriend,’” she quoted dully.

“And he’s right.”  Gail patted her shoulder.  “When you’re fifteen, we'll allow you to go on double-dates, as Kevin does now.”

Jennifer shrugged.  “Double-dates, huh?”

“That’s right, and then single dates when you’re sixteen,” her mother said firmly, but fondly.  "You are too young to be dating yet, Jennifer.  You'll have many years ahead of you for dating."  

Jennifer sighed again.  “Yes, Mom.”  She looked into her mother’s eyes.  “When I am allowed to date, would you pray that God will give me a boyfriend?”

Gail laughed.  “Certainly.”  She ruffled her daughter’s hair.  "If you need a boyfriend in your life, then I am sure He will have someone for you.  But you know that He will work in His time, not ours…''

-oo000oo-

Jennifer grimaced.  If only she could start dating now!  Even if Tim were to ask me out, Mom wouldn’t let me go out with him till I’m older.  I’d have to say no.  She shook her head, gazing down at the car floor.  I’ll have to find some other way to endure this camping trip.  It’s gonna be a long week!  She scowled, and then removed a book from her backpack to start reading.  She started reading Little Women.

A few hours after the McClouds had left their home, the two cars pulled up into Wallowa Lake State Park’s paved parking area within easy walking distance from the campsite.  Jennifer slipped her book into her backpack.  Steve and his wife stepped out of the minivan, followed by their four older children.  Joey stuffed his Gameboy into his backpack and scrambled out of the car.  Gail unfastened Megan from her baby seat and set the little girl on her hip.  Under her mother’s eagle eye, Kaylee unzipped her backpack and thrust her doll into it; as soon as she had zipped her backpack back up, she clasped the wriggling puppy to her chest and followed her older brothers and sister.  Meanwhile, Uncle Ryan and Aunt Janet stepped out of their own car and joined the others.

For a long moment, they all scanned the campsite.  As Jennifer’s father had told her, there was a running stream close to the campsite, and a picnic table stood in the center.  Cottonwood, ponderosa pine, and Douglas fir trees surrounded the campsite.

At last, Steve cleared his throat and glanced at the back of the minivan.  “Well, everyone, before we do anything else, we’d better get everything out so we can get started making camp.  We need to have the tents all set up when we start supper.”

“Right.”  Uncle Ryan strode toward the back of the minivan and opened the back door.  With his brother’s help, he pulled out the tarpaulins, one at a time.  With the help of their wives and the three older children, the two men dragged each tarpaulin to the middle of the campsite, and then Steve and Uncle Ryan returned to the minivan to get the tent posts, the mallets, and the rest of the tent equipment.

At one point, Kevin picked up his father’s rifle and examined it for a moment.  Then he laid the rifle back in the car trunk, careful to make sure that the weapon's safety was still on.  As he walked away, he overheard his parents talking.

“Did you have to bring your rifle, Steve?” his mother said, with a sigh.  “It’s not hunting season, and surely it’s too early for wild animals to be out and about.”

“Not necessarily.  Since it’s the first week of April, some of the bears have come out of hibernation,” his father said.  “And since we’re more isolated here, we can’t be sure that some bear won’t come nosing through our supplies at some point.  I won’t take the chance of one of us being mauled by a bear, Gail, not when I have the means to protect my family.”

“It’s too dangerous around the children,” Gail argued.

“Kevin knows how to safely handle a gun.”

“Yes, he does, but the other children don’t.”

“Which is why I have forbidden them to touch it when I’m not there to keep an eye on them.”

Shaking his head, Kevin approached the barbecue grill his Uncle Ryan was setting up; the camp stove had already been removed from the back of the minivan and set up.  Surely, there won’t be any bears here, he thought.  Good thing Dad’s been taking me deer-hunting in hunting season, for the past few years!  At least I know how to shoot and handle a gun safely.

As he walked past the camp stove and the grill, he looked toward the others.  His parents were busy at the moment, helping Aunt Janet to arrange the tarpaulin.  Kevin sighed.  I really wish I could ask Mom and Dad's advice, he thought.  I know Gene knows I caught him cheating the other day on the history test.  If I tell, he’ll hate me.  He shook his head.  If I ask Mom or Dad to pray for me, they'll want to know why.  He's one of my best friends.  I'd like to ask him about it, but ever since he saw me notice, he's been avoiding me.

Kevin looked at his mother and father.  They’re too busy right now, but when I have a chance, I’m gonna ask them to pray about it, even though it’s gonna mean telling them.  I guess I really do need their advice.

He glanced at his watch.  It’s past four.  Kevin paused to look into the trunk and smiled.  I’m glad I brought my guitar!  At least, we can sing some songs at night, when Dad’s got the campfire going.  I hope Joey brought his harmonica.

“Kevin?” his mother called.  “Come on now; we need your help!”  Nodding, Kevin hurried toward the others.

“I wish I could have brought my Spider-Man backpack,” Joey grumbled, as Jennifer handed him his backpack.

“It’s not waterproof, Joey,” his mother pointed out.  “We didn't want you children bringing any backpacks that could get ruined, in case it rains.”

Jennifer ruffled her little brother’s hair.  “Anyway, Star Wars isn’t so bad either, is it?”

Shrugging, Joey carried his backpack to the campsite and dropped it on the ground next to Kevin and Jennifer’s backpacks.  Kaylee’s own backpack still lay in the back seat of the McClouds’ minivan.

Smiling at him in amusement, Jennifer turned to approach the pile of backpacks, where she picked hers up.  For a moment, she smiled ruefully at its weight; she had packed so much in there, it was heavy.  I was going to pack four of my books in it, but then Kaylee came in, wanting me to put in some of hers.

Closing her eyes, Jennifer looked back over the events of that morning, while everyone was still packing…

-oo000oo-

Jennifer was trying to decide which of her favorite novels to put in her backpack: did she want A Wrinkle in Time or Anne of Green Gables?  She had room for both, but she also had Little Women and a historical novel for teenagers which had come out in 2010, the last book of The Squire’s Tales series: The Legend of the King.  She had read none of the four yet, and she was hoping to get started on them during spring break.  If she kept her backpack with her in the car, she would have time to get started on them while they were on their way.  It looked like there was room for them all, but would she have time to read while they were camping?  She had already promised to read to Kaylee during their camping trip, and she was determined to practice her majorette routines as well, so she wouldn’t get rusty.

Suddenly, she was interrupted by Kaylee's soft voice.  "Jennifer?"

Her little sister stood in the doorway of the bedroom that the two of them shared, with some books in one arm and the straps of her backpack hanging from the other one.  Jennifer sighed.  "What do you need, Kaylee?"

"Mommy's busy with packing up Megan's stuff.  She said I could take some books.  I got some of my 'Little Goldens' in, but my pack is too little for these.  Can you help me?"  She held up to Jennifer her Big Book of Fairy Tales, her illustrated paperback of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which Jennifer had started reading to her three nights before, and her copy of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Of course, they wouldn't fit into Kaylee's little backpack!  While they were not especially thick or heavy, the books were larger in size than the small paperbacks Jen was taking.  Well, she thought, I guess I'm only taking two books for myself.  I’m already reading her The Wonderful Wizard of Oz anyway, and I know she wants me to continue.  Quietly, she packed her little sister's books in with her own.

"Now, you're all set," she said as she zipped up Kaylee's pack.  "That's all you can take, Kaylee; no room for more."  She packed The Legend of the King and Little Women in her backpack along with Kaylee’s books and laid the other two books back on her bookcase, and then she smiled at her little sister.  “Just think: we’ll be getting back home just time for the Easter bunny to pay us a visit!”

“Goody!”  Kaylee smiled broadly and raced down the hall ahead of her sister…

-oo00000-

Smiling at the memory, Jennifer shook her head, and then she watched the adults unloading the tent equipment.  When all of the tent equipment lay in a pile on the ground several feet from the fire ring, the family just stood there for a moment.  Kaylee set Lucy on the ground, and the puppy began to sniff around.  “We may as well wait a few minutes to catch our breath, before we get started setting the tents up,” Steve said, “but not too long.”  He glanced at his watch.  “It’ll be too late to start looking for soil samples when we’ve finished setting up the tents, so I’ll have to start that tomorrow after breakfast.”  Gail nodded agreement.

“Can we play?” Joey asked, hopping from one foot to the other.  He scanned the woods surrounding the campsite.  “I wish there was a swing set.”

“Me, too.”  Kaylee jumped more than once.

“What can we do?” Jennifer asked.

Uncle Ryan smiled at her, and then scanned the children’s faces.  “Well, you know, kids,” he said, “several years ago, one summer, your Aunt Janet and I spent a few days at this very campsite.  And while we were here, I did a little bit of exploring at one point.”

He glanced toward the dirt path beginning at the other end of the campsite, and then turned back to the children.  “Just a short distance away from here, down that path, is a cave.  Just a tunnel, really, that extends into a steep hill.  But—”  He turned toward his brother, and then Gail.  “—I believe it would be quite safe for you children to explore, if your parents give you permission.”

The children exchanged eager glances of excitement.  “Please, Mom.  Please, Daddy!  Can we go see the cave?” Joey begged.  “Right now?”

“Yes, can we?  Please?” Jennifer added.  Kevin nodded agreement as he gave their parents a pleading look, his own face eager and anxious.  Kaylee jumped twice in eager anticipation.  Megan, at three, was the only child who seemed to be more interested in playing in the dirt than in the prospect of exploring a cave.

Their parents exchanged amused glances, and Gail shook her head at her brother-in-law.  “You would have to put ideas in the children’s heads, Ryan!” she reproved.

Uncle Ryan laughed.  “It’s safe, Gail.  Quite safe,” he assured her.  “I went clear to the back of that cave while we were here, and encountered no danger.  I would not recommend anything to my nieces and nephews unless I knew it was safe.”

“I know you wouldn’t, Ryan,” Steve agreed.  “And I’m sure the cave was safe back then, but several years have since passed, and we don’t know what has changed in the meantime.  And don’t forget that some of the bears are out of hibernation.”  He returned to the minivan, where he pulled out his backpack.  Returning to the campsite, he unzipped it and removed his flashlight.  “I want to see that cave for myself before I say yes or no.  I also want to make sure there are no signs of bears on the way.”

Ryan nodded agreement.  “I’ll go with you.”  He turned to his wife and sister-in-law.  “We won’t be gone long.”  After they had slipped their backpacks on over their backs, he and Steve strode down the dirt path, soon disappearing around the corner.

Several minutes later, Steve and Uncle Ryan returned.  “It’s all right.  It’s quite safe,” Steve assured his wife, as he removed his backpack.  “Ryan and I have investigated that cave quite thoroughly, to its very end, and there’s nothing in there to endanger the children.  Nor did we come across any signs of bears on our way there or back.”

“All right.”  Gail nodded toward Kevin, Jennifer, and Joey.  “You older children can explore the cave.  Don’t be gone long, now.  We’ll need your help to set up the tents when you get back, and then we’ve still got to cook supper.”

She glanced down at the fire ring on the ground and then turned to her husband.  “I’m so glad we brought our camp stove and our barbecue grill, Steve.  A campfire’s good enough for roasting marshmallows and wieners, and singing campfire songs around, but I much prefer a camp stove or a grill to cook our meals on.  I’ll need your help getting it out of the car, honey, when the tents are set up.”

He nodded, and then turned to the older children.  “Run along."

“But I wanna go see it, too!”  Kaylee pouted.  “I wanna see that cave.”

“It’ll be all right, Gail,” Steve assured his wife.  “There’s nothing in that cave to endanger a little girl.”

Gail sighed.  “All right, but Megan’s staying here.”  She glanced down at the three-year-old, who was fully occupied with digging in the dirt, and chuckled.  “She’d rather play in the dirt anyway.  Kevin, Jennifer, look after Kaylee and Joey, will you?”

“Yes, Mom,” Kevin promised, as he crouched to make sure that his shoelaces were fastened tightly.  Steve and Uncle Ryan laid their backpacks back in their cars and began to get out the tent poles and mallets while Mrs. McCloud and Aunt Janet commenced unrolling the tarpaulins.

Kaylee peered up at her parents.  “Go with us, Mommy?” she begged.

Gail shook her head.  “It’s not far to the cave, honey, and your daddy and I aren’t going anywhere.  We’ll be right here when you return.”

“Besides, you’ll be with us, Kaylee,” Kevin added.  “You won’t be alone.”

For a moment, Kaylee looked back and forth from her parents to the dirt path, a mixture of longing and apprehension etched on her face; clearly, she was torn between her desire to see the cave and her fear of leaving her parents behind even temporarily.  However, her yearning to explore the cave soon won out.  Without a word, Kaylee picked up Lucy and snuggled the wriggling puppy against her chest.  “Kay-LEE!!  What on earth are you doing?”  Jennifer sounded both amused and exasperated.

“Lucy wants to see a cave, too!”  Kaylee glared up at her older sister, who rolled her eyes and exchanged a look with Kevin.  Shaking their heads, the adults watched in amusement as the three older children donned their backpacks and stuffed their flashlights in their jacket pockets, and as all of them hurried down the dirt path.  As the children disappeared around the bend, none of them noticed that Kaylee had left her own backpack behind in the minivan.

“Look!”  Squealing, Kaylee bent over to drop Lucy and darted toward the edge of the path, followed by the puppy.  An oval-shaped, tannish-brown pebble lay on the edge.  The little girl picked it up.  It was nearly flat, and it was about two inches in diameter.

“Look, everybody!”  Smiling broadly, she showed it to her brothers and sister.  “It’s so pretty, see?  I’m gonna keep this!”

Kevin and Jennifer laughed.  “All right, Kaylee, if Mom and Daddy don’t object, we don’t,” Jennifer said.  “Put it in your pocket and let’s go.” 

Nodding, Kaylee slipped it into her jeans pocket and picked Lucy back up.  Reaching up to his shoulder, Joey slipped his fingers underneath the right handle of his Star Wars backpack and pulled it forward, scowling at it.  “What’s the matter, Joey?” Jennifer asked him.

Joey sighed.  “I wish I had my Spiderman backpack.”  He shook his head.  “I really wanted to bring my Spiderman backpack.  But Mom wouldn’t let me, because it’s not waterproof.”  He scowled again, thrusting his lower lip out.

"Are you still on about that, little bro?" asked Kevin, rolling his eyes.  "You'd be even more ticked off if you'd brought it and it got ruined by rain.  Mom knows best, so just drop it."

With another scowl and a shrug, Joey turned loose of the handle and dropped his hands at his sides.  The children continued to follow the dirt path until, several minutes later, they came to the bottom of a steep hill that sharply rose to the left of the path.  A tunnel opened into that hill; at the far end, the children could see a bend in that tunnel curving towards the right.

“Look at this!” Joey cried out, as they paused at the entrance to the cave tunnel.  His bad mood had vanished.  “Cool!”

“Yeah!”  Kevin grinned.  “Come on, guys, let’s go see what’s around that corner up ahead!”

“Uh, hadn’t we better get out our flashlights first?” Jennifer pointed out.

“Oh, yeah.  We just need one, though.  Good thing we put them in our jacket pockets before we left!”  Kevin reached into his deep right jacket pocket and pulled out a flashlight.  He switched it on and grinned.  “OK, let’s go spelunking!”  Jennifer laughed, but Joey and Kaylee stared up at their older siblings, puzzled.

“What’s spe—spe—lunk…?”  Kaylee’s voice faded.

“Spelunking,” Jennifer said.  “To spelunk means to explore a cave.  And that’s what we’re doing, Kaylee.  We’re spelunking.”

“That’s right,” said Kevin.  “Let’s go.  Joey, Kaylee, stay close to Jennifer and me, and Kaylee, hold onto Lucy.”  The little girl nodded, and the four of them approached the bend in the tunnel.

“There won’t be much to see,” said Jennifer, as they rounded the bend.  “I don’t even see any stalactites or stalagmites.”

“Neither do I.  Not yet, anyway.  There might be some further down, near the end.”  Kevin shined his flashlight on the cave wall to his left and then on the wall to his right.  “Just as well, though, since Mom told us not to stay gone long.”

“Look, Lucy!”  Kaylee held Lucy up in front of her neck, turning the puppy to face toward the end of the tunnel, which was too dark to see without a flashlight aimed at it.  The puppy whined and wiggled, and Kaylee clasped Lucy back against her chest.  The puppy immediately commenced licking Kaylee’s neck, making her giggle.

Suddenly, just as Kevin started to aim his flashlight at the far end of the tunnel, the entire cave went pitch-black; even the flashlight seemed to go out.  In the same instant, the cave floor started shaking.  Kaylee screamed, and Jennifer grabbed hold of her.

“Stay close, you all!  Don’t move!”  Kevin’s voice shook.  Joey threw his arms around his older brother in a viselike grip, and Kevin held him and Jennifer tightly while Jennifer clutched Kaylee.

“Mommy!  Daddy!” Kaylee screamed.  “I want my mommy!!  I want my daddy!!”  She buried her face in Jennifer’s stomach and clutched Lucy tightly to her chest, whimpering; the puppy whined.  Jennifer held onto her little sister for dear life.

A moment later, the earth stopped shaking, and the thick darkness disappeared.  The four children gaped at their surroundings.  “What—what is this?”  Jennifer gasped.

“The cave’s changed!”  Joey couldn’t stop shaking.  “It’s—it’s different!”

The cave certainly did look different.  Instead of the grayish-brown walls that encircled the tunnel on all sides, including the ceiling, there was a narrow opening lining the roof that let the sunlight in.  That opening stretched as far as the children could see.  And the cave walls were much more jagged than the previous cave walls had been.

“C—come on,” Kevin stammered, his voice shaking.  “Let’s get back to the entrance pronto!”

Switching off his flashlight and shoving it back into his jacket pocket, he led the way around the bend and towards the entrance.  As it came into sight, Kevin and his siblings halted and froze in shock.  This entrance wasn’t level with the cave floor and the ground outside; it was a steep incline!  A huge boulder led upwards from the cave floor to the entrance.  And there were no trees beyond the entrance that they could see from where they were standing!

Jennifer took a deep breath and exchanged a glance with Kevin.  They must not panic; they must not frighten the children.  Please, God, don’t let me panic! she silently prayed.  Out loud, she asked, “What—what is happening, I wonder?”  To her relief, her voice remained steady.

“I—I don’t know.”  Kevin had regained control of his own voice; it did not shake that time.  He swallowed.  “Let’s climb this—this rock; I don’t know what else to call it—let’s climb it up to the entrance, and see what’s out there.”

“OK.”

Kevin turned to Kaylee.  “Give Lucy to Jen, Kaylee, and get on my back.”  Nodding, the little girl handed Lucy to Jennifer.  Kevin crouched on his knees, and Kaylee wrapped her arms around his neck.  Kevin rose to his feet.

“I want my mommy,” Kaylee whimpered.  “Where’s Mommy?  Where’s Daddy?”

Kevin reached up to pat her right arm.  “It’s going to be all right, Kaylee,” he told her soothingly.  “You’re not alone.  Mom and Dad aren’t with us, but we are in this together.”  In response, the little girl tightened her hold around his neck; when he tapped her arm, she loosened her grip slightly.  He patted her lower arm and began to climb the huge, jagged boulder, accompanied by the others at his side as they all climbed together.

As the children reached the entrance at the top of the incline, they again froze in shock.  Instead of the dense woods surrounding the level entrance into the other cave, this entrance was surrounded by what appeared to be some kind of prairie.  Huge, isolated boulders jutted out of the gently-rising hills here and there, and while evergreen trees did grow in every direction, there were not nearly enough of them to form a forest.  There was no path leading from the cave entrance that any of the children could see.

“Wh—where are we?”  Jennifer made a vain attempt to keep her voice from trembling.

Before any of her siblings could answer, a ferocious growl from somewhere nearby, outside of the tunnel entrance, startled them.  Kaylee screamed, and her brothers and sister slid back down the boulder to the bottom of the cave floor as the little girl clutched Kevin’s neck.  “Run!” Jennifer shrieked.

Still bearing Kaylee on his back, Kevin darted back in the other direction, followed by Jennifer and Joey, who ran in single file.  Lucy whined and yipped in Jennifer’s arms, but she clutched the puppy tightly to her chest.  Kaylee whimpered and trembled as she clutched her brother's neck in a tight grip; at the same time, she tried very hard not to choke him.  Sunlight poured through the tunnel roof’s wide crevice throughout the whole distance of the meandering tunnel.

At last, the children came to a narrow, very shallow waterfall that poured out of another crevice in the left wall of the now-widening cave tunnel.  “What—what was that?”  Joey’s voice shook, and he trembled.  “What was that vicious animal?!”

“Good question.”  Still holding Kaylee’s legs as she clung to his neck, Kevin peered toward the tunnel that they had just rushed through.  “A—a wolf?  A bear?  A cougar?  The way it sounded, it’s hard to tell.”

“No kidding!”  Jennifer wrapped her arms around her chest.  “At least it didn’t chase us, whatever it is, so we’re safe now.  Right now, we need to find out where we are.”

Nodding, Joey paused to drink from the waterfall in the same way that he would from a water fountain; as soon as Kevin had set Kaylee back on her feet, he and his sisters did the same.  Jennifer set Lucy on the ground at the edge of the stream, so that she could also have a drink; the delighted puppy lapped it up.

When puppy and humans had all quenched their thirst, Kaylee picked up Lucy and the children gazed around.  They had come to another bend that turned to their right.  “I believe we’re getting near the entrance.”  Kevin pointed ahead of him.

Jennifer nodded, then turned to Joey and Kaylee.  “Better be careful, you two; there’s stairs up ahead.”  She smiled wryly.  “Or I should say down ahead.”

“Stairs?”  Joey stared at the path ahead in disbelief.

“Nature-made stairs,” Kevin said, with a laugh.  “Not man-made.  God made these stairs, but He didn’t include a railing, so we’ll have to watch our step.  They lead downward, as you can see.”  He pointed forward.  “The stream from this waterfall behind us goes down these stairs, so we’ll have to be careful, so we won’t slip.”  Jennifer nodded agreement.

Slowly and carefully, the children picked their way down the stone steps, Jennifer holding on Kaylee so the little girl wouldn’t slip and fall, Kaylee clutching Lucy against her chest.  Kevin kept a hand on Joey’s shoulder.  The cave walls spread out at the entrance, and the cave floor ended at a ledge just a little way ahead of the entrance.  The stream poured over the edge of the ledge.  Once again, the children froze in shock.  “Whoa!” Joey cried out.

A steep, beautiful valley surrounded them from all sides.  Waterfalls poured down the edges of precipitous cliffs, and an extensive forest spread far ahead of them.  A huge, elegant complex of buildings appeared to jut out of the side of one of the snow-capped mountains across the valley.

-oo000oo-

A/N: *Wallowa Lake State Park is a real state park in Oregon.  However, we have taken the liberty of adding a convenient cave to the park.  No such cave exists in the real Wallowa Lake State Park.

(Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)  In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure.  This story is AU and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  (Posted with permission from the admins of SoA.)

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from Tolkien's books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur. We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help of our beta, Linda Hoyland, another well-known and prolific LotR fanwriter, whose many wonderful stories also grace this site.

Chapter 1: A Whole New World   

Arwen slowly put down the shuttle.  She could not remember weaving the last several rows on her loom.  She had just had a waking dream, a vision that was most strange.  She needed to tell her father at once, even though she hated to burden him with a new worry.  But he must know immediately.  

She put down her shuttle and, rising, went forth from her room to seek out Elrond, finding him in his study with Gandalf.  She knocked, and he bade her enter.

"Ada, I must tell you of something—I had a vision.  It was more than a brief foresight."

Both Elrond and Gandalf sat up even straighter, a look of alarm on both their faces.  Arwen, like her mother and grandmother before her, had the gift of foresight, and anything that came to her at a time like this was certainly urgent.

"Please, daughter, tell me what visions trouble you."

"I saw the opening to the Hidden Pass on the other side of the valley.  Out from it came four children of the race of Men.  Two, a boy and a girl, were youths, but the other two were very young indeed.  There was a young boy and an even younger girl, no more than four or five years of age at the most; they were all dressed most strangely, and had with them a puppy.  I could not hear what they said among themselves, but it was clear that they were lost, alone, and in distress.  I also sensed that their presence here is important in some way."

Elrond stood immediately.  "Without a guide to the bridge, they will never find their way here.  Summon your brothers and Glorfindel, and ask them to bring at least two others.  I will join them, and we shall go to meet these unexpected visitors."

"Yes, Ada!  At once."  Satisfied that action would be taken, Arwen hastened away.

Gandalf rose also.  "I think I shall come along with you as well, my old friend."

-oo000oo-

“What is this place?” Jennifer asked softly.  “It’s so beautiful!”  For a long moment, she gaped at their lush surroundings.  A loud-flowing river ran through the bottom of the valley, and the pale, cool sun hung far above the far, snow-capped mountains on the other side of the valley, and shone down on the huge, lovely basin that spread below them.  At last, Jennifer exchanged a bewildered glance with her brothers and sister.

“Uh, is—is this where we say, ‘I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore’?”  She snorted.  “Or Oregon, rather?”

“No kidding!”  Kevin snorted in his turn.  “Here’s where we could use a pair of ruby slippers, so we could click our heels together and say, ‘There’s no place like home’!”  Jennifer smiled in spite of herself, and choked back a laugh.

“Maybe it’s Oz!” Kaylee squealed, bouncing on her heels and clutching Lucy to her chest.  For the moment, she had forgotten her dread of not having their parents with them.

“Hardly, and a good thing, too!” said Kevin, with a laugh.  He bent over Kaylee, a teasing expression on his face.  “How’d you like to bump into the Wicked Witch of the West?” he said in a mock-sinister voice.  Wide-eyed, Kaylee shook her head rapidly.

“Well, whatever this place is, I’ve never heard of Wallowa Lake State Park having it,” Jennifer said.  

“Neither have I,” Kevin agreed.  Straightening his back, he gazed at the elegant complex of buildings jutting out of the cliff on the far side of the valley, and then scanned a thick forest ahead of them, a mixture of bewilderment and apprehension etching his youthful face.  “Right now, we need to find out where we are!  Mom and Dad are going to worry if we don’t get back to the campsite soon.  They told us not to be gone long.  We’re supposed to be helping them set up the tents.”

“Yeah,” said Joey.  “And Uncle Ryan and Aunt Janet—they’re gonna be worried, too.”  Kaylee began to whimper, but Jennifer put an arm around her shoulder and hugged the little girl to her side.   

A narrow path descended from the ledge and ended at the entrance to the forest.  A steep cliff dropped down from each side of it.  Cautiously, the children stepped onto that path and minced their way down it to the ground opposite.  As they stepped off that path, they came to the edge of the dense woods that completely blocked their way to the elegant house.  They could see no path into the forest to point their way.

“Well—let’s go.”  Kevin sighed.  “There’s no way around this forest that I can see.”

“No, there’s not,” Jennifer agreed.

“If we can get to those buildings, we can ask permission to use their phone.”

“Phone!” Jennifer gasped. Reaching into her right jacket pocket, she pulled out her iPhone.  “I’ve gotta call Mom and Daddy!  If we can do that, we won’t have to use those people’s phone.”

She rose to her feet, pressed the button that turned on the dial tone, and then held the iPhone to her ear.  To her disappointment, the phone remained silent.  Making a face, she looked at her siblings.

“No signal.”  Jennifer shook her head.  “Let me see if I can text Mom and Daddy.”

Clicking on the menu button and scanning the shortcuts that appeared on the screen, she clicked on the link that took her to the text page, and then pulled up the onscreen keyboard.  Tapping the letters, she typed, M/D we r n trouble.  We r lost.  Everything shook.  cave went dark, changed.  Everything changed.  Came out n strange place.  IDK where we r.  plz come find us!  911!

She chose their parents’ cell phone numbers and then clicked on “Send,” but to her disappointment, an error message popped up on the screen.  The message could not be sent.

Sighing, Jennifer dropped the iPhone back into her backpack, zipped it back up, and slid the backpack over her back once more.  “I can’t text them, either.”  She looked at Kevin.  “OK, what we do now?”

“Try to get to those buildings, if we can find a way through these woods.”  Kevin grimaced as he peered into the thick cluster of trees ahead.  Apprehension roiled in his gut.  Would they be able to find their way through?  “Where’s a compass when you need one?” he muttered.  Out loud, he added,  “Dad gave me a copy of the park ranger’s phone number, in case we needed it; it’s in my pocket.”  He patted the side of his jeans.  “When we get to that place, whatever it is, we’ll call his office.  I’m sure the owner will let us use his phone if we ask.”

Jennifer nodded.  “Let’s hope whoever lives there’s got a car.”

“Yeah.”  Kevin looked down at Kaylee, who looked as if she was about to cry, and his voice softened.  “We’ll be back with Mom and Dad just as soon as we can, Kaylee.”  Chewing her lower lip, which curled downward, the little girl nodded.  Kevin gently squeezed her shoulder.

Jennifer nodded in her turn.  She knew that Kevin was feeling apprehensive about entering that woods; she shared that uneasiness.  They could get lost in that forest all too easily, especially since they didn’t have a map or a compass to help them find their way; in fact, they already were lost.  “Right.”  She glanced down at the children.  “Kaylee, Joey, stay close to us, and hold onto Lucy.”  Nodding, Joey and Kaylee preceded their older brother and sister into the forest, with Kaylee clasping Lucy to her chest.

-oo000oo-

Arwen watched as her father, brothers, Gandalf, and the others rode away.  Then she turned and went back into the house.  "Eledhwen!  Mairen!" she called.  "Gather my ladies; we have more unexpected guests to prepare for.”

The last few weeks had been busy ones; the arrival of so many unlooked-for guests all at once—Men, Dwarves, and Elves from Mithlond and Mirkwood, converging with the looked-for arrival of Aragorn and the hobbits, and culminating in the fateful Council that her father had hosted the day before—had given her much to do.  As her father's chatelaine, it was she who was responsible for so much of the famed hospitality of Imladris.

And now four more unexpected travellers, under such strange circumstances.  And such young travellers, at that.  She wondered what their story might be.

-oo000oo-

Meanwhile, just as Kevin and Jennifer had feared, the children found themselves lost in the woods.  Pine trees surrounded them at first, and needles and pine cones littered the ground.  As they went further into the forest, the surrounding trees changed to beech and oak.  Because there was no path, they didn’t have any idea which way to go.  They could no longer see the cluster of big elegant buildings up ahead, or the tunnel that they had left; the surrounding trees blocked them both out of the children’s sight now.  They were all frightened; they didn’t know what had happened, or where they were.

“Where are we?” Jennifer whispered into Kevin’s ear.  “I can't see those buildings anymore!”  She looked behind her; the surrounding trees blocked her view in the other direction as well.  “I can’t see my way back to the tunnel, either!”

Kevin nodded agreement, pressing his lips into a tight line.  “I can’t either, Jen, but let’s not frighten Joey and Kaylee,” he whispered back.  Jennifer nodded, and took a deep breath.  She and Kevin had to be strong for Joey and Kaylee, she knew.

“Mom and Daddy are gonna be worried,” Joey said out loud, his voice tight with fear.  “We gotta go back!”

Kevin squeezed his shoulder.  “We’ll just have to do our best to get back to the campsite as fast as we can, so they won’t worry.  But first, we gotta find those buildings.  We need help to get back, Joey.”  Silently, he prayed, Please, God, get us safely back to the campsite, fast!  In Jesus’ name, amen.

“I want my mommy,” Kaylee whimpered.  “I want my daddy.”  Jennifer squeezed her little sister’s shoulder, and Kaylee clutched Lucy to her chest, burying her face in the puppy’s soft fur.

Suddenly, a bunch of strange-looking men on horses cantered out of the trees towards them, riding single-file.  One of them had a long, greyish-white beard and mustache, a pair of bushy, greyish-white eyebrows, and dark eyes; he wore a weird-looking grey robe, a tall, pointed, bluish-grey hat, a greyish-silver scarf draped around his shoulders and underneath his beard, and immense black boots on his feet.  The rest of the men were all thin, long-haired, and beardless, and they had pointed ears.  Only the bearded man’s horse had a saddle; the rest of the men were riding bareback.

Thinking that these strange men meant to hurt them, the children huddled close together; a terrified Kaylee screamed and, clutching Lucy more tightly against her chest, burrowed her face into Jennifer’s chest and started crying.  “Please don’t hurt my puppy!” she screamed, sobbing.

The strange-looking men brought their horses to a halt, and one of them, a dark-haired man with grey eyes, dismounted and approached the children, amusement etched on his beardless face.  “Little one,” he told Kaylee, “we are not going to harm your puppy, or you, either.  You and your puppy are safe.”  Kneeling, he spent a few minutes calming Kaylee down, during which time he wiped the tears off her face and rubbed Lucy’s head.

He rose to his feet.  “Where are you children from?” he asked.

The children exchanged a glance.  “Uh, Portland,” Kevin said.

At the men’s puzzled expression, Jennifer nodded agreement.  “That’s right.  Portland.”  She stared up at them all, scanning their faces.  “Uh, aren't you guys from around here?”  She scanned the surrounding forest as she spoke, and then gazed back at the strange man who stood in front of them.

Are these people actors or something? she wondered, scanning their faces in bewilderment.  They’re sure dressed weird!  Like they’re from the Middle Ages or something.  I wonder if they’re in the SCA?

"Are you from the Barony of Three Mountains?*" Jennifer asked, tilting her head in puzzlement as she spoke.  Her friend Nicole had a cousin in the SCA.  If there was an event at the park, that might explain the strange clothing.

Now it was the strange men’s turn to exchange puzzled glances.  “I am afraid we have never heard of the place, or of this Portland either,” the man who had greeted them said.  “You can tell us more about this Portland and this Barony later.  What are your names?”

Biting his lower lip, Kevin scanned the strangers; they seemed a little weird, but right now, as lost as they were, they didn't have much choice but to trust them.  He'd definitely keep a watchful eye on them, though, in case any of them gave him reason not to trust them.  Raising his right hand in greeting, Kevin cleared his throat and took a step forward, extending his hand.  “My name’s Kevin.  Kevin McCloud.  Hi.”  He shook the man’s hand and then turned to his siblings.  “This is my brother, Joey, and my sisters, Jennifer and Kaylee.”  He gestured to each girl in turn as he introduced his sisters.  

Remembering her manners, Jennifer cleared her throat.  “Hi.  We’re, uh, we’re pleased to meet you.  All of you.  How do you do?”  Clearing her throat again, she raised her own hand in greeting.

The man nodded.  “Well met, Lady Jennifer, Lord Kevin.”

Jennifer gaped up at him, puzzled.  Lady Jennifer?!  Lord Kevin?!  She exchanged a bewildered glance with Kevin.  What kind of place is this?! she wondered.  Out loud, she said, “Our school’s out for spring break; that’s why we’re not in school today.”

“Spring break?”  The man furrowed his brows in evident puzzlement, and then shrugged.  “Ah.”  The man glanced down at Lucy.  “And the puppy—does it have a name?”

“Her name’s Lucy,” Kaylee announced, hugging the wriggling puppy to her chest.  The man smiled again.

“May I hold her?” he asked Kaylee, as he knelt in front of her.  Nodding, Kaylee handed the puppy to him.  Wagging her tail, Lucy whined, yipped, and licked the man’s face as he rubbed her fur.

“This puppy has just recently been weaned,” he said, as he handed Lucy back to Kaylee.  It was not a question; he knew.  Kevin and Jennifer nodded.

“She’s just nine weeks old,” Kevin said.  “We’ve only had her a week.  She’s not housebroken yet.”

Kaylee bit her lower lip as the pain and fear returned to her eyes.  “Where’s my mommy?” she asked Elrond.  “Where’s my daddy?”

“I don’t think this man can tell us, Kaylee.”  Jennifer glanced around the dense forest surrounding them.  “Uh, where are we?” she asked.  “We’re—uh, we’re still in Oregon, right?”

Rising to his feet again, the man looked at her, puzzled.  “I do not know where this Oregon is, Lady Jennifer, but no, this is not it.  This is the valley of Rivendell.  I am Master Elrond, at your service, and this valley is my home.”

The children gaped at one another, bewildered.  “Rivendell?!” Kevin asked.  “Wallowa Lake State Park doesn’t have a valley by that name.”

Elrond’s mouth quirked upward.  “Perhaps not, but Middle-earth does.”

Frowns of bewilderment etched the children’s faces.  “Middle-earth?” Jennifer repeated.  “There’s no place on earth called Middle-earth!”  

“Indeed?”  A blank expression flitted across Elrond’s face, and then he shook his head.  “Well, children, you are indeed in Middle-earth.”

Kevin bit his lip, a worried expression in his eyes.  Well, we sure can’t call the park ranger, then!  He exchanged an apprehensive glance with Jennifer.  “Well, wherever we are, we’ve got to get back to where we come from.  Our parents and our youngest sister, and our aunt and uncle—they’re all waiting for us back at the campsite, and they’ll be worried.  We weren’t supposed to be gone long.”  His siblings exchanged apprehensive glances.  Tears welled up in Kaylee’s eyes, and she buried her face in Lucy’s fur again.  Jennifer put a comforting arm around her little sister’s shoulders.

Elrond nodded.  “Unfortunately, we cannot open a way for you to return to your world.  But we will do everything in our power to help you.  Come with us to the Last Homely House, and we’ll see what we can do.”

Joey fidgeted.  “Please, Mr. Elrond, we’ve got to get back now!  Our mom and daddy’ll be worried.”

Elrond knelt in front of Joey.  “Master Joey, the last thing any of us wants to do is to worry your parents,” he said gently.  “If it were in my power to send you back to your world, I would do it immediately.  But I cannot, so I will have to find another way to help you.  We will have to go to my house to do that.”

He looked at Kaylee, who looked as if she was going to start crying, and his voice softened further.  “Miss Kaylee, I know it is frightening to be separated from your parents like this, but we are going to take good care of you and your brothers and sister while you are here.  And we will do everything in our power to find a way to return you children to your mother and father.”  He wiped a tear that was just starting to trickle down the little girl’s soft face.

Reluctantly, the children nodded acquiescence.  “You’ll have to excuse Kaylee, Mr. Elrond,” Jennifer said, as he rose to his feet.  “It’s hard for her to be separated from Mom and Daddy, especially for long.”  She ruffled her little sister’s hair, and Elrond nodded in understanding.

“Uh, there’s just one thing, Mr. Elrond,” Kevin said.  “None of us knows how to ride.  We’ve never even been on a horse.”  He furrowed his eyebrows.  “Don’t you have a car?”

“How would he drive it, if he did?” Jennifer asked her brother.  “There are no roads in this forest, Kevin.  Not even a dirt path.  The trees are so thick, not even a jeep can get through.”

Kevin scanned the surrounding forest and shook his head.  “Nope, there’s sure not.”  Sighing, he grimaced.  “And the trees sure are thick!”

Elrond furrowed his own eyebrows in puzzlement.  “I do not know what a car is, Lady Jennifer, but we do not have one.”  He turned toward the other long-haired men.  “Glorfindel, Elladan, would you assist me in helping these children to mount?”

With inclined heads, Glorfindel and Elladan dismounted their own horses.  “I will have to hold your puppy when it is your turn to mount, Miss Kaylee,” Elrond told the little girl.

He assisted Jennifer in mounting behind one of the strange men, and Glorfindel helped Kevin to mount Elrond’s own horse.  Elrond helped Joey to remove his bulging backpack and then lifted up the little boy toward the old bearded man, who pulled him up in front of him on his horse and took Joey’s backpack, sliding it up toward his own shoulder.

After Glorfindel had remounted his horse, Elrond took Lucy from Kaylee and handed the puppy to Glorfindel, who held her as he re-mounted his horse.  Elrond then lifted Kaylee to another of the strange men, after which he mounted his own horse in front of Kevin, who wrapped his arms around Elrond’s chest.

As they rode off, single file, Gandalf sat with Joey in front of him, one arm around the child’s waist, Joey’s backpack dangling from Gandalf’s shoulder; the child was gazing about with wide-eyed astonishment at the surrounding dense forest.  He noted the boy's—Joey, he recalled—fascination with the Elves.  He was surprised at the child's silence, but perhaps that could be attributed to the sudden change in his circumstances.  Gandalf gazed about at Joey's siblings, who were also quiet but observant.  The youngest girl kept looking down fearfully, and she was sucking her thumb.  Of course, these children had said that they had never ridden horses before, and it was already evident that the little girl, in particular, was afraid to be separated from her parents.

Joey fidgeted a bit.  "Umm…sir?"

"Yes, lad?"

"What’s your name?  I can't remember it."

"You may call me Gandalf, Joey."

"Mr. Gandalf, what’s that roaring noise I keep hearing?  It sounds like loud traffic or maybe an airplane, but we’re out in the middle of nowhere."

Gandalf was unsure what the child meant by "traffic" and "airplane", but he knew what the noise was.  "Those are waterfalls, Joey."

Just then, they came out of the forest, and Joey could see the cluster of buildings once more, as well as the waterfalls that surrounded the valley.  "Wow!" he said.  “Cool!”  He exchanged an excited glance with his siblings.  Forgetting her fright, Kaylee bounced once on the saddle, but the beardless, long-haired man behind her tightened his hold on the little girl, thus restraining her from bouncing again.

“This is the Last Homely House east of the Sea,” Gandalf told Joey.

“These buildings are all one house?”  Joey’s mouth dropped open.

“They certainly are,” Elrond answered.

Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows, puzzled.  “Uh, if this is the Last Homely House, where’s the first?”

Elrond and Gandalf exchanged amused expressions.  “This is the Last Homely House and the First, Lady Jennifer,” Elrond said.  “It all depends on from which direction one approaches.  It is the Last Homely House east of the Sea, and the First Homely House west of the Misty Mountains.”  The children exchanged bewildered glances.

“Weird,” muttered Joey.

“The sea can’t be the Pacific Ocean,” Jennifer said, “not if we’re no longer in Oregon or anywhere else in the United States.  But it can’t be the Atlantic Ocean, either—that’d mean we were in Europe or Africa.  I know we’re not in any of the eastern states—we’d be west of the Atlantic if we were.”  She shrugged, exchanging a bewildered glance with Kevin.

“Don’t look at me,” Kevin said.  “I don’t know which ocean they’re talking about, either.”  He paused.  “The Mediterranean Sea, perhaps?”

“I don’t know.  Good question.”  Furrowing her eyebrows, Jennifer chewed her lower lip.  “Somehow, I don’t think so.  Anyway, that’s in Europe, and I don’t see how we could have ended up in Europe.”  She paused, furrowing her eyebrows.  “Not like this.  And Europe has the Swiss Alps and Asia has the Himalayas, but I’ve never heard of either of them having any Misty Mountains.”

Kevin nodded.  “Me, neither.  And America sure doesn’t!”

Elrond and Gandalf said nothing aloud, but exchanged a worried look; it was clear that wherever these young ones were from, neither wizard nor Elven Lore-master had heard of any of them.  It made the prospects of locating their parents seem less likely.

They rode down a wide pathway towards the Last Homely House, and Gandalf noticed that Arwen had gathered several of the staff with her to await their return.  As they crossed the bridge and drew close enough to see the Elves more clearly, Joey's jaw dropped.  "Whoa!  She's beautiful!"

Gandalf chuckled.  Even this youngster was not proof against the Evenstar's ethereal beauty.  He recalled Pippin's first sight of the Lady of Rivendell.  His jaw had dropped in just the same way.  Patting Joey's shoulder lightly, he said softly, "She is, indeed, my lad."

The horses halted in front of the terrace.  After dismounting, Elrond helped the children to do the same, one at a time, and then he handed Joey his backpack.  Joey stared at Gandalf’s outfit for a long moment, as he thrust his arms through his backpack’s handles, one arm at a time.  When his backpack was dangling from his back again, he asked, “Mr. Gandalf, why are you dressed like a wizard?”

Gandalf chuckled.  “I am dressed like a wizard, my lad, because I am a wizard.”

“What?”  Joey’s jaw dropped.  “No way!”

“Yeah, wizards don’t really exist!” Jennifer blurted out.

Elrond’s mouth quirked upward, and he and Gandalf exchanged amused glances.  The other long-haired men and Arwen all chuckled.  “They do here, Lady Jennifer, Master Joey,” Master Elrond told the two.  Joey gaped up at him in astonishment, and Kevin and Jennifer stared at each other in shock.

Smiling broadly, Kaylee bounced on her heels in excitement.  “Like in King Arthur?” she squealed.

Elrond chuckled again.  “I have never heard of King Arthur, Miss Kaylee, but yes, they do exist here.”

He turned to the other long-haired men and began speaking.  "Prepare refreshments for our new guests, once they have had a chance to see their rooms.  You will need to find some suitable food for their puppy.  She has only recently been weaned."  Turning to the children, he added, “My Elves will prepare you some food.”

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged stunned glances.  Elves?  There was no such thing; elves, like wizards, were just imaginary fairy-tale creatures!  Joey shook his head in bewilderment; he had learned the truth about Santa Claus and his elves a year earlier, and he did not know what to make of this.

Kaylee, on the other hand, got excited again; she was still a wide-eyed believer.  “Santa Claus?” she squealed again, as she jumped up and down.

“Hardly!” said Kevin, with a laugh.  “Take a good look around you, Kaylee!  This isn’t the North Pole.”

Elrond’s brows creased again, that time in puzzlement.  Guessing the meaning behind that look, Jennifer mouthed, ‘Tell you later.’  Elrond nodded in understanding and turned to Arwen, who had just joined them with a few other ladies.

"Children, this is my daughter, Arwen Undómiel.  She is the lady of the Last Homely House, and she will be helping you while you are here.”  He turned back to his daughter.

“Muin nín,” he told Arwen, “this is young Kevin McCloud, his sisters, Jennifer and Kaylee, and his younger brother, Joey.”  Elrond gestured to each child as he introduced them.  “And their dog, Lucy, nine weeks old and only weaned a few weeks ago.”  He nodded toward the puppy as Kaylee picked her up.  “You may show these children to their chambers.”

With a nod, Arwen, along with two other ladies of her household, led the children up the stairs to the wide terraced porch and into the house.  "These ladies are my friends, Eledhwen and Mairen,” Arwen told the children.  “They will be attending to your needs while you are here."  The children looked up shyly.  Kevin blushed furiously.  He'd never seen such beautiful ladies in his life!  Arwen smiled, amused.  She did not tell the children that Eledhwen had been nursemaid to her brothers and herself, or that Mairen had been nursemaid to Estel when he was young.

They passed through the wide corridors to the rooms Arwen had prepared for the children.  Her foresight had helped her to know what their ages and genders were, beforehand.  As they turned into another corridor, Arwen paused and threw open a door.  "This is the nearest bathing room."  The children peeked in to see what looked like a steaming swimming pool!  There were shelves loaded with white cloths, presumably towels and washcloths.  On another shelf were elegant bottles of glass in all the colors of the rainbow, as well as a basket heaped with bars of white soap.  The whole room smelled of herbs.  Jennifer's face lit up, and she almost took an involuntary step into the room, before she blushed and stepped back.

Arwen gave her a smile and put an arm around her shoulders.  "You shall get a chance to soak to your heart's content later, Lady Jennifer."  Jennifer smiled back.

They passed two more doors, and then Arwen opened a door on the left.  "This shall be your room, Lord Kevin."  They looked in to see a huge room with wide windows.  It was airy and light.  The large bed was carved with branches and leaves.  There was a small table and two chairs, a washstand, and a clothes chest.  However, there were no overhead light bulbs or light switches on the walls, Kevin noticed, nor could he see any electrical plug-ins on the walls.  Instead, there were candles set in sconces and in a gleaming silver candelabrum.  He slipped his backpack off of his back and laid it on the table.  He shrugged out of his jacket and draped it over the back of a chair.

"Your sisters and brother will be nearby, across the hall," Arwen told him, as she opened the door on the right.  That room was much larger.  It contained two beds, smaller than the one in Kevin's room.  In addition to a clothes chest and washstand, there was a set of shelves along one wall on which could be seen some stuffed toys and some other toys that were carved out of wood, a few books with leather covers, and a ball made of leather that was just a bit larger than a softball.  An adult-sized rocking chair stood next to a small fireplace, and a low table surrounded by four child-size chairs stood not far from the window.  The large window seat had pillows on it.  Like Kevin’s new guest room, it had no light bulbs, light switches, or plug-ins—only candles.

“You may as well take off your backpacks and leave them in here,” Jennifer told Joey and Kaylee.  “Your jackets, too.  We’re not going to need them here.  Not right now, anyway.”

“No, we’re not,” Kevin agreed.

Joey removed his backpack and dropped it on the floor, and then he pulled off his jacket and tossed it onto the bed.  Exasperation showed in Jennifer’s face as she stared down at Kaylee, whose own back was covered only by her jacket and her pullover long-sleeved shirt.  “Oh, Kaylee!  You forgot your backpack and left it back at the campsite, didn’t you?”  Biting her lower lip, Kaylee nodded.  Jennifer sighed and shook her head.

“Backpack?”  Arwen gazed at Jennifer quizzically.  The young girl sighed.

“Yes, ma’am, we’re supposed to take our backpacks with us whenever we leave the campsite.  Mom and Daddy’s orders.”  Jennifer pointed down at Joey’s backpack.  “Kevin and Joey and I took our backpacks, but Kaylee forgot hers.”  She shook her head at her little sister.  To Kaylee, she ordered, “Take off your jacket.”

Looking unhappy, Kaylee handed Lucy to Kevin, and then she pulled off her jacket and tossed it on the floor.  “Put it on the bed, Kaylee,” Jennifer ordered; silently, Kaylee did as she was told, pouting.

That done, the little girl took the squirming puppy back from her oldest brother and clasped Lucy to her chest.  “When are we going back to Mommy and Daddy?” she asked, as she buried her face in the puppy’s fur.  Arwen knelt before her and laid a hand on Kaylee’s shoulder.

“I cannot answer that question, Miss Kaylee.  But I promise you this: until we are able to figure out a way to return you to your parents, we will take good care of you children,” Arwen promised, and then rose to her feet.

In the wall to the left of the door through which they had entered was another door.  Arwen pointed to that door.  "Lady Jennifer, this is your room."

Jennifer went to open the door.  The guest bedroom to which she had been assigned was very similar to the one in which Kevin was staying, although the bed was somewhat smaller and not quite as fancy.  It had two doors—the one that opened from her little brother and sister's room, and another that seemed to open into the hallway. 

Arwen looked over the rooms fondly.  This had been her brothers' nursery, and then, years later, it had been hers.  Throughout the Third Age, a few other children had been guests there.  Estel had not grown up in the room; as a child, he had stayed with his mother in her chambers, but he had often been allowed to play in it.  The room now allotted to Jennifer had been where the nursemaid had once slept.

Jennifer slipped off her backpack and laid it on the bed, and then she removed her jacket and draped it over the back of a chair.  Removing her iPhone from her jacket pocket, she unzipped her backpack and dropped her iPhone inside, and then she zipped her backpack shut.  As she scanned the room, she noticed that, like the other rooms, it also lacked light bulbs, light switches, and electrical plug-ins.  Instead, it had candles.

They must not use electricity here, she thought.  This is just like back in the old days!  Back when people used lanterns and candles and kerosene lamps for light.  Bet they don’t have TVs or telephones or cars here, either.  Or computers!  She bit her lower lip.  Without computers, there’s sure no Wi-Fi here!  Kevin and I won’t be able to get the Internet here on my iPhone, or on his tablet.  I won’t be able to call or text or email anybody, not in Middle-earth.

"There is one more room you children need to know about," said Arwen.  She stepped out of the younger children's room and indicated a door to the other side of Kevin's room.  Mairen opened the door, and they saw that there was a small bench with a hole in it.  There was a little shelf by the door, and high above the bench was a small open window.  On the bench next to the hole was a basket of clean rags, and on the other side was a bucket with a lid.  Next to the door was a sink carved of stone, with a pump.  The room smelled fresh, in spite of its obvious purpose.  "This is the water closet for this wing of the Last Homely House, children."

“Water closet?” Joey repeated, bewildered.

Kevin gazed into the room.  “Bathroom,” he told Joey.  “They must call it by a different name here, since it’s got no bathtub.  This is where you go to use the bathroom and wash your hands—we’ll be taking our baths in that other room.”

“Brush our teeth, too?” Joey asked.

Kevin shrugged.  “In here, you mean?  I suppose so.  Good thing our toothbrushes and toothpaste and hairbrushes and combs and deodorant are in our backpacks!”

Arwen overheard this exchange, and shook her head.  "You would use the basin and ewer on the washstand in your rooms for that.  The servants see to it that clean fresh water is replaced throughout the day."  Kevin and Jennifer nodded.

“Kaylee and I will have to share my toothbrush, since hers is back at the campsite,” Jennifer said.  “Thank goodness there are toilets and bathtubs here!”

Kaylee tugged on Jennifer's hand with one hand, while clutching Lucy to her chest with the other.  Jennifer bent over.  "Is that the potty, Jen?" Kaylee whispered.  

Jennifer nodded.  Kaylee scanned the water closet, looking for toilet paper; finding none, she turned to Arwen.

"Umm…Miss Un—dó—miel…”  She pronounced the unfamiliar name slowly.

“Arwen,” the lady Elf corrected.

Jennifer glanced down at her little sister.  “I’m sorry; it’s just that since we’re just kids, we were taught to address grown-ups by their last names,” she explained.  “Mr. So-and-so, Miss So-and-so, Mrs. So-and-so, and so on.”

Arwen smiled.  It appeared that where they came from, they used the forms of address common in Bree and the Shire.  “Well, Undómiel is not my last name, Lady Jennifer.  Elves do not have family names.  So Lady Arwen is the correct way to address me, because with my mother gone, I am the Lady of Rivendell.”

The children exchanged glances, and Kevin and Jennifer nodded.  “Yes, Lady Arwen,” Kevin said.

Kaylee cleared her throat and tried again.  “Lady Arwen?" she asked.  "Where's the toilet paper?"

Jennifer and Kevin and Joey all blushed, and Kevin looked down at Kaylee.  "Hush, we'll explain later, Kaylee!" he said.

But Arwen and the other Elven ladies looked curious.  "What is 'toilet paper'?" Arwen asked.

Arwen shook her head in amusement after a blushing Jennifer had answered her question.  She explained to Kaylee what the rags in the basket and the bucket were for.  She could tell that the little one was somewhat disgusted, but was too polite to do more than make a face.  She could hear young Joey mutter "Gross!" under his breath, too faintly for any but Elven ears to hear. 

While the word was oddly used, the child's tone of voice made his meaning clear.

Arwen hid her amusement.  Over the course of an Age, she had learned that different customs in different places resulted in different reactions.  Personally, she thought that using paper so wastefully was not a good custom, but she would never allow herself to show it.  They were only children, and she could clearly remember her own reaction when she had been very small on her first visit to Lothlórien, and had discovered the sanitary arrangements in the flets.

"Now, children, you have found your own places here; wash your hands, and I will take you down to the dining hall, for I am sure you are all hungry."  Arwen turned to Kaylee.  “I will have to ask you to leave Lucy here, Miss Kaylee.  Eledhwen, would you take the puppy down to the kitchen and see that she is fed?”

“Yes, Lady Arwen,” the elf nursemaid said.  Reluctantly, Kaylee handed a squirming Lucy to the elf nursemaid.  As Eledhwen held Lucy to her breast, the puppy immediately began to lick the elf’s neck. Laughing lightly, Eledhwen left the room with Lucy.

“Is it almost suppertime, then?” Jennifer asked.

Arwen shook her head.  “No, Lady Jennifer, it is still morning here.  We will be having elevenses soon.  Is it afternoon where you come from?”

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged a puzzled glance.  “Uh, yes, ma’am,” Kevin said.  “It was past 4:30 p.m. when we left the campsite.  Supper was gonna be cooked as soon as the tents were all set up.  We were supposed to help our parents and our aunt and uncle set them up after we had explored the cave.”  He shook his head.  “How can it be morning here and afternoon where we come from?”

Arwen laughed.  “Apparently, you are from another world, Lord Kevin.”

“No kidding!” Jennifer muttered.  

“I wish Mommy and Daddy were here,” Kaylee complained.

Kevin picked her up.  “We all wish that, Kaylee,” he said softly.  “But since they’re not, we’ll just have to make the best of it while we’re here, and be very brave.”  He hugged her.  “Come on, we’d better go wash our hands.”  He carried Kaylee out of the room, followed by the others.

-oo000oo-

A/N: *The SCA stands for Society for Creative Anachronism, a real international organization for those interested in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.  During events, members dress in period clothing and have mock tournaments and battles, and practice period arts and sciences.  The Barony of Three Mountains is the actual name of the Portland chapter.  However, any connection between it and this story are strictly coincidental.

Summary: (Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)  In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure.  This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  (Posted with permission from the admins of SoA.)

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from Tolkien's books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur.  We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help of our beta, Linda Hoyland, another well-known and prolific LotR fanwriter, whose many wonderful stories also grace this site.

Chapter 2: Be Our Guest

“Come on, Merry!” Pippin urged impatiently.  “Bilbo, Frodo, and Sam said they’d meet us for elevenses!”

Merry took his time as he finished brushing his foot hair and shrugging on his jacket, just because he knew it would annoy Pippin.  “I’ll be ready in a moment.  It would not hurt you to take a little more time with your own appearance, cousin,” he said, hiding a grin.

Pippin fidgeted silently, surreptitiously putting a hand up to smooth the tousled curls atop his head when Merry stopped to tiptoe up and glance in the mirror above the washstand.  He yanked it down quickly when Merry turned around.  He reached up and turned the doorknob, and then both of them used their combined weight to shove it open.  Elven doors were heavy.

The two shoved it closed and headed down the corridor.  They’d not gone a dozen steps before they saw the Lady Arwen and one of her handmaidens coming from a side passage with four children in tow.  The young ones were oddly dressed; one boy and one girl appeared to be youths younger than Pippin himself by a year or three if they’d been hobbits, and another boy and girl seemed quite young.  Pippin wasn’t sure of their ages, as he knew Men grew up at a different rate than hobbits.

He and Merry sped up their pace to catch up with the group.  They soon fell into step with them.

“Hullo!” said Merry cheerfully.  “We’ve not seen you here in Rivendell before.”

The whole group stopped.  “Good day, Meriadoc and Peregrin!  We do indeed have new guests.”  Arwen introduced each of the McCloud children in turn, by name.

Merry bowed politely.  “Meriadoc Brandybuck, at your service.  But you may call me Merry,” he said.

Pippin, blushing as he usually did in Arwen’s presence, also bowed politely.  “Peregrin Took, also at your service.”  He bowed again.  “But most people call me Pippin, or even Pip.”

“We were heading down to the dining hall to meet Frodo, Sam, and Bilbo for elevenses,” Merry said to Arwen.

“And we were going to the same place, to see our newly arrived guests refreshed from their journey,” replied Arwen.

Pippin noticed that the children were gaping wide-eyed at their size and at their hairy, bare feet and then at their pointed ears with curiosity and exchanging puzzled glances, though none of them said anything.  He also saw the older girl give a start when Merry mentioned Bilbo, though how newcomers to Rivendell could know Bilbo’s name was beyond him.  “Uh, hi,” she told the hobbits, and cleared her throat.  “Pleased to meet you.  How do you do?”  She gave them an awkward smile.  Kevin raised a hand in greeting, and then extended it to shake their hands.

As they made their way down, Lady Arwen explained that Merry and Pippin and their kin who awaited them were called “hobbits” and were not some smaller variety of Elf.  Jennifer gave Arwen a bewildered look, but said nothing; she and Kevin exchanged a puzzled glance, and then she shook her head violently in an attempt to clear her head.  “What’s a hobbit?” Kaylee asked.

“Not now, Kaylee.  Later,” Jennifer told her little sister.  “We’ll ask them later.  Right now, it’s time to eat.”

The group entered the dining hall, where they saw the other three hobbits awaiting them.  There was a large spread of food upon the table: various breads, cheeses, cold cuts of sliced meats, a large bowl of fruit, and a platter of sweet biscuits, tarts, and small fruitcakes.  A teapot and teacups were in front of Bilbo.  Frodo and Sam sat across the table from the older hobbit, but they jumped to their feet when the others entered.  Bilbo remained seated; his old bones were not so spry as they used to be.  The table was surrounded by benches for the diners to sit upon, rather than chairs.  The three hobbits had been sitting on piles of cushions that enabled them to sit high enough to reach their food, and there were three more such piles on the benches: two on the bench that Frodo and Sam were using, and a third on the other bench where Bilbo was seated.  The cushions that Frodo and Sam were sitting on scattered as they rose to their feet, and some of them landed on the floor.  Arwen picked them up and gathered them together to form neat piles once more.

“Two of the piles of cushions are for Merry and Pippin, who will probably want to sit with Frodo and Sam,” she told the children, as soon as she had repositioned Frodo and Sam’s cushions.  “The hobbits cannot reach the food otherwise.  The third is for Miss Kaylee.”

While Mairen took her seat near the children, Arwen went to the kitchen to request more plates, and perhaps more food.  She was unsure how much the children would eat, but she knew how much hobbits would, every time they sat down to a meal.  And if any of the children were in a growth spurt, they might eat just as much as the hobbits did!  She also wanted to make sure that Lucy was being fed.

Merry took the lead and began to introduce the children to the other hobbits.  “Cousin Bilbo,” he said, “may I present Master Kevin McCloud, his sister, Lady Jennifer McCloud, his brother, Master Joey, and his younger sister, Miss Kaylee?"

Bilbo gave a gracious nod.  “Bilbo Baggins at your service and your family’s,” he responded politely.  He indicated Frodo and Sam.  “This is my cousin and heir, Frodo Baggins, and our friend, Samwise Gamgee.”

Frodo and Sam gave polite bows.  “At your service,” both of them said in unison.

Jennifer looked rather gobsmacked, but managed to remember her manners.  “Uh, hi.  I’m pleased to meet you all.  We all are.  How do you do?”  She gestured toward her siblings, who nodded, and then for the second time, she shook her head violently, as if attempting to clear it. Now she understood why some things seemed vaguely familiar.  “Oh, my gosh!  No way!” she gasped.  “Nicole will never believe this!”

An astonished Jennifer sank down on the bench next to the third empty pile of cushions close to Bilbo, shaking her head in stunned amazement.

Kevin put a hand on her shoulder.  “What’s wrong, Jen?” he asked.

“Kevin, you know those Ring movies?  You know—The Lord of the Rings?  We’ve seen bits and pieces of them on cable sometimes?”  Kevin nodded.  “And Nicole’s been nagging at me to read one of her favourite novels.  It’s called The Hobbit.  And the main character is named Bilbo Baggins.  There’s going to be movies about it, too.  She wants me to read the book before the first one comes out this year!”

“Holy cow!”  Kevin slapped his face.  “I remember there was a character named Frodo in those Ring movies, and he looked an awful lot like this one here.”  He looked at Frodo as he spoke.  “I always meant to watch those movies whenever they were on TV, but they were so long, and I was too young when they first came out anyway…”

“Excuse me, Master Kevin,” Bilbo interrupted.  “I think you had better tell us what you mean.  Why do you call Frodo and myself ‘characters’?”

“And begging your pardon,” asked Sam, “but what is a ‘movie’?”

Kevin helped Kaylee to take her seat on the pile of cushions that one of the elves had stacked on the bench for her, and then he and Joey sat down at the table with their sisters.  Merry and Pippin had gone over to the other side, so the children sat by Bilbo.  Jennifer and Kaylee sat on his left, and Kevin and Joey sat to his right.  Climbing onto their own cushions, Merry and Pippin sat across the table from them next to Frodo and Sam.

“Jennifer, you seem to remember more than me,” said Kevin.  “See if you can explain it.”

She blushed, but bravely made the effort.  “Well, uh, in the place where we come from, there’s a famous book called The Hobbit, and another one called The Lord of the Rings.  A man named J.R.R. Tolkien wrote them.  They’re make-believe stories.”  Jennifer paused.  “I’ve—we’ve never read them yet; none of us have.”  She gestured toward her brothers and sister again.  “Neither have our parents, I don’t think.  And we’ve only seen bits and pieces of the movies.  But my best friend, Nicole, she’s read and watched them.  She told me that The Hobbit is about this small person named Bilbo Baggins who was very brave, and went on an amazing adventure with a wizard and some dwarfs…”

“Dwarves!” chorused the hobbits.

Jennifer looked abashed, but gamely continued, “Dwarves, then; we call them dwarfs where we come from.  Anyway, she said the other book was about a hobbit who was related to Bilbo, named Frodo.  But she wouldn’t tell me anymore, because she didn’t want to spoil any of it for me.  So, I don’t really know much about either of the books.”

Frodo glanced at Kevin.  “You said something about a ‘movie’ and seeing part of it.”

“Umm…”  Kevin floundered a bit, trying to think of an explanation.  “A movie is a way of telling a story with pictures that move.  Actors take part in movies; they portray the characters in them.  They’re like plays, except they’re filmed with movie cameras, and then they’re shown on screens.”  He tried to explain a little more about what movies were, but stopped when he realized he was just confusing his listeners.  He added, “Well, anyway, we’ve never really watched the Lord of the Rings movies, not all the way through.  Just parts of scenes here and there.”

Jennifer nodded.  “We’ve never read the books yet, either.  I really don’t know a lot about them.  I know that Bilbo Baggins had something to do with dwarfs and dragons.  And the other book, with Frodo in it, had something about a ring.”

Kevin nodded. “I do remember once, when I was channel-surfing, seeing a scene with a bunch of the characters walking up a mountain, and one with a bunch of big, ugly, scary guys in black robes on black horses.  And another scene with a funny creature of some kind, who talked weird and kept hissing.  And maybe a couple of battle scenes.  But that’s about all I recall.  What the plot is—what the movies are about—I don’t know.”  He paused.  “But then, I don’t know what the books are about, either.”  He shrugged.

“Pictures that move?” said Pippin doubtfully.

“It’s possible,” said Merry.  “Uncle Merimac had a book he got from a merchant in Bree.  Every page had a picture that was slightly different than the ones before and after; if you flipped the pages very quickly, the pictures seemed to move.  His small book just showed a running horse.  I think it would be very complicated to show a story that way, but it could be done, I suppose.”

Kevin nodded.  “Where we come from, the way it’s done, it can be.  It’s a lot more complicated than flipping through pages in a book, though.”

“I’ve seen lots of movies!” Kaylee interrupted, bouncing on her seat and smiling broadly.  “My very favorite is The Wizard of Oz, but I love lots of Disney movies, too!”

Kevin smiled.  “Yeah, she does.  Jennifer, here, has some movies and a portable DVD player in her backpack.  We were gonna watch them at the campsite this week.”

“Yeah.”  Jennifer grinned.  “I also have my own iPhone and a digital camera.  We both have our own MP3 players, which we brought with us, and at home, we also have our own CD players and CDs, Kevin and me; you can play music on them.  And Kevin has his own tablet.”  She paused.  “My iPhone and his tablet have some movies stored on them that we might also want to see while we’re on…uh…”  She broke off, as it occurred to her that the hobbits might not know what spring break was.  Who knew if Middle-earth had schools?  Did people here even know how to read?  Jennifer noticed that everyone else was looking very confused.  Clearly no one had understood anything they were talking about.  But then, she really didn’t feel like explaining everything just yet; she was too hungry.  At that moment, her stomach rumbled.

“Can we watch a movie after lunch?” Joey asked.

“We’ll see,” Jennifer told him.  “We’ll talk about that later.  There may not be time today.”

“And besides, we’re gonna have to save our batteries while we’re here,” Kevin added.  He smiled at Joey.  “There’s no Wal-Mart here to buy new batteries at, Joey, and no way to recharge our batteries or plug in our DVD players here.  There’s no electricity, not here.”  Joey shrugged.

But Frodo’s mind was still back on what Jennifer had said about the books.  It was very disturbing, and he could tell by the look on Uncle Bilbo’s face that he felt the same.  “But how would someone from another place know so much about us?” asked Frodo.  “Could it have been a wizard or an Elf with foresight who might write such a thing?  How else would this man—this Jayarar Tolkien, you called him—know about us, and about Bilbo’s adventure?”

Jennifer laughed.  “He wasn’t an elf or a wizard.  He was just an ordinary man.  A human being like us.  All I know is that he made it all up out of his head and wrote it all down as a book.  And then it was published and became a bestseller.  Both books did.”  She glanced at her brothers and sister.  “Hobbits don’t exist where we come from; he made them up.”  She glanced at Kevin and shook her head violently.  “I don’t see how this can be real.”

“Me, neither,” Kevin agreed.  Exchanging a glance with Jennifer, he grimaced.  “I feel as if we’ve stepped into The Twilight Zone!”

With a snort, Jennifer nodded.  “No kidding!”  She shook her head.  “I mean, how on earth did we wind up in a fairy-tale country?  They don’t even exist!”

Arwen had returned in time to hear the latter part of the conversation.  Her keen Elven ears had begun to understand the conversation while she was still a considerable distance from the dining room.  These were matters best left to her father and Mithrandir.  Exchanging a glance with Mairen, she interrupted, “So much talk when there is food on the table?”  With a gesture from her, the serving Elves placed extra plates and platters of food upon the table and gave each of the children a goblet of fresh cold water.  “Lucy is being fed in the kitchen,” she told the children, who smiled broadly.

“Thank you,” Jennifer said gratefully.

“Who’s Lucy?” Merry asked.

“Lucy’s our puppy,” Kaylee said.

“Nine weeks old,” Kevin added.  “She’s a Cocker spaniel.”   

Arwen sat down herself on the other side of Sam, and asked Bilbo, “Would you like me to pour the tea, Bilbo?”

He smiled.  “Of course, my dear!”  He carefully pushed the teapot and the cups her way.

Frowning, Jennifer turned to Kevin.  “Uh, Kevin, before we eat, hadn’t we better say Grace?” she asked her older brother.

Kevin nodded.  “Yeah, we had better.  We know Mom and Dad would want us to.”

As soon as he and Joey, and Jennifer and Kaylee, had taken one another’s hands and bowed their heads, Jennifer looked down at Kaylee.  “You can say the blessing, Kaylee.”

Nodding, Kaylee closed her eyes and looked down.  In a singsong childish voice, she chanted:

“Thank You for the world so sweet.

Thank You for the food we eat.

Thank You for the birds that sing.

Thank You, God, for everything.”

Letting go of her little sister’s hand, Jennifer smiled at Kaylee and helped her to position her cloth napkin around her neck, tying it behind her neck like a bib.  Scanning the open mouths of their companions, she explained, “It’s a custom where we come from, thanking God for the food before we eat.  Not everyone follows it, but some people do.  Our family does.”  Kevin nodded agreement.  Looking at the food, Jennifer added, “Uh, speaking of customs, what is the custom here for getting your food?  Do we wait for someone to serve us, or do we serve ourselves?”

“You may serve yourselves at elevenses,” Arwen told her.  “For some of our daily meals, we have different customs.”  Jennifer nodded.

Skilfully, Arwen directed the conversation away from the hobbits’ past and future stories and got the children to ask them questions about life in the Shire.  Soon all were chattering away in a friendly manner, though Arwen, Bilbo, and Frodo were careful to keep any mention of Rings and Quests out of the conversation.  But she knew from the looks that both of the Baggins cousins kept giving her that there would be questions later.  And of course, she needed to tell her father and Mithrandir about these far-flung tales from another land and time.  A shame that the children did not know more, but she had no doubt that the Grey Pilgrim would have as much as he could get from them.

Arwen looked at Kaylee.  The little girl appeared to have completely forgotten her dread of being separated from her parents, at least for the time being.

“Can I have a peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich?” Kaylee begged, looking from Jennifer to Kevin.  “And some Kool-Aid?  Please?”

Jennifer exchanged an amused glance with Kevin.  “I don’t think they have peanut butter or Kool-Aid here, Kaylee,” she said.  “We’re probably gonna have to wait till we’re back home before we can have those again.  We’ll just have to eat and drink whatever this place has.”  Kaylee pouted, and Jennifer and Kevin laughed.  The hobbits and Arwen exchanged amused glances.

Kevin pointed to one of the platters the Elves had placed on the table.  “Look, Kaylee!  Those look kind of good.”  He picked up a roll that seemed to have cinnamon on it and put it on his little sister’s plate.

She sniffed.  “It does kind of smell good…”  She picked off a little bit and took a hesitant bite.  Her eyes widened.  “It is good!”

Joey, on the other hand, had needed no coaxing; he had already filled his plate with some of the rolls, as well as a few other things on the table, mostly baked goods of one sort or another.  He crammed his mouth with part of a roll.  “Ish ish eellee good…”

Jennifer gave him a look.  “Don’t talk with your mouth full!”

Merry and Frodo looked at Pippin and laughed aloud.

“What?” said Pippin crossly, glaring at his cousins.

“Oh, that just reminded us of someone else when he was that age,” said Merry airily, as he, too, helped himself to more food.

Bilbo raised his eyebrow.  “It reminds me of several young hobbits of my acquaintance, and not just Pippin.”

There was general laughter around the table, and the meal continued merrily.

But Arwen still was thinking about what she had overheard, and when Frodo met her eyes, she could tell that he was, as well.  She was going to have to speak with her father and Mithrandir when elevenses was over, but first, she needed to see the children back to their quarters.  She picked up her roll and took a bite.

(Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)  In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure.  This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  (Posted with permission from the admins of SoA.)

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from Tolkien's books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur.  We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help of our beta, Linda Hoyland, another well-known and prolific LotR fanwriter, whose many wonderful stories also grace this site.

Chapter 3: Make Me Look Good

After elevenses, Arwen escorted the children back to their quarters, where they found Eledhwen laying out some clothing on Joey and Kaylee’s beds.

"Whatcha doing?" squealed Kaylee in delight, rushing over to the bed they had given to her.  "This is so beautiful!"  She ran her hand over the dress’s soft, smooth fabric of pale pink, embroidered with patterns of red roses.  The dress was longer than any she had at home, and the sleeves were wide and bell-shaped.  A pair of medieval-looking shoes, a pair of hand-knit stockings, a shift, and a snow-white nightgown and a robe lay near the foot of her guest bed.  

Eledhwen smiled.  "I am laying out your evening clothing, Miss Kaylee.  You would not wish to go to the evening feast in the clothing you have worn all day."  She glanced at Jennifer, Joey, and Kevin in turn.  “I have also laid out your sleeping garments.”

"Oh!" said Jennifer.  It had not occurred to her they would need to dress up for dinner!  They would, however, need pajamas when it was bedtime, of course, or whatever people slept in here.  

“What’s that?”  Kaylee touched the shift.

Jennifer looked at it.  “That’s a shift,” she said.  “That’s something girls used to wear under their dresses back in the old days.  It’s like the slips we girls wear under our dresses in our day and age, in our world.”

She glanced through the door to the other small room to see on her own bed a lovely dress of rich blue, in a very similar style, though it had silver embroidery around the neckline and hem.  Instead of buttons or a zipper, the dress had laces for fasteners; Jennifer wondered if she would even be able to manage them.  A pair of hand-knit stockings, a pair of medieval-looking shoes, and a shift lay on the bed next to the dress, and a snow-white nightgown similar to Kaylee’s and a robe lay folded near the foot of the bed.

On Joey's bed was an Elvish-style tunic of deep brown, some breeches of a lighter shade, and what appeared to be a funny-looking white dress and a robe.  The tunic and breeches looked rather odd to him, more like medieval-style leggings than the comfortable blue jeans he was wearing, or the trousers that he typically wore to church and to special events.  A pair of medieval-looking shoes and a pair of stockings lay on the bed next to the tunic and breeches, and the odd-looking dress and a robe lay folded at the foot of the bed.

As Joey stared at the weird-looking dress, Jennifer laughed.  “That’s a nightshirt, Joey,” she told him.  “Boys and men used to wear those to bed back in the old days.  Pajamas weren’t invented till later.  Kevin’ll probably be wearing a nightshirt, too, when bedtime comes.”  The little boy scowled, and Jennifer bit back a laugh.  Arwen and Eledhwen exchanged amused looks.

Kevin, who had gone with his siblings to Joey and Kaylee’s room, turned around and crossed the hall to his own guest room.  There, he found on his own bed a set of clothing similar to Joey's, only in a soft grey, as well as a similar nightshirt and robe.  He returned to join the others in the younger children’s bedroom.

Arwen spoke to them.  "A bell will ring about an hour before we dine; that will give you all the time you need to bathe and to change into your evening clothing before the meal.  Another bell will ring when it is time to go the feast hall.”

"Lady Arwen?" Jennifer asked diffidently.  "Where did all these clothes come from?"

The Elven lady smiled.  "We always keep on hand a supply of clothing for our guests."  She did not mention that both of the dresses and both nightgowns for the girls, as well as the other items, had once been her own, that Joey's clothing had once belonged to Estel, or that Kevin's had once been Elladan's.  “You will have other clothes to wear during the day, starting tomorrow.  The clothes you arrived here in would soon wear out if you wore them every day.”

“True.”  Jennifer grimaced.  “We left our other clothes back at the campsite, so we’ve got no way to change them.  I don’t suppose you’ve got a washer and dryer here, Lady Arwen.”

Arwen furrowed her brows in puzzlement.

“Washer—uh, washing machine.  It’s a machine that washes clothes,” Jennifer explained.  “And a dryer’s a machine that dries them.”

“Oh.”  Arwen nodded.  “No, we do not, Lady Jennifer, but we do have Elves whose job it is to wash the clothes of our guests.  They will wash yours tomorrow.”

“Oh, OK.  Thanks.”  Jennifer shrugged.  Entering her guest bedroom, she ran her hand over the clothes that had laid out for her.  “Uh, Lady Arwen, I don’t see a bra,” she called.

“A what?”  Arwen furrowed her brows in puzzlement as she joined Jennifer in her room.

“A bra.  You know—brassiere.”  Jennifer furrowed her own brows.  “You know—a piece of underwear that’s made to support your breasts.  Women have to wear those where we come from.  Now that my body’s changing, I have to wear one.”  She patted her own breasts.

“Oh.”  Arwen nodded.  “When your gowns are properly laced up, you will need no such garment, Lady Jennifer.”  Jennifer nodded.

After Arwen had left her guests to take their nap and Eledhwen had stepped out for a few moments, the children gathered in Joey and Kaylee’s room.  As the two younger children sat cross-legged on Joey’s bed, Kevin and Jennifer perched in chairs facing them.  For a moment, no one spoke.

“Well, what do you think?” Kevin asked.

Jennifer smiled wryly.  “Have you noticed there’s no light bulbs or plug-ins or plumbing here?”  The others nodded.  “‘No phones, no lights, no motorcars,’” she quoted from the old “Gilligan’s Island” closing theme song.  “‘Not a single luxury.”’

Kevin snorted, and then laughed.  “I wouldn’t exactly say there’s no luxuries, not here in Rivendell anyway.  But it’s true that there’s no electricity or plumbing here.  And no cars or telephones or computers, either.  I don’t know how they manage in that water closet!”   

Joey nodded.  “Like ‘Gilligan’s Island’, kind of.”

“But without the coconuts,” Jennifer added.

Kaylee made a face.  “I’m glad.  I hate coconuts!”  The others laughed.

“Well, we’re a long way from the tropics, so we don’t have to worry about those,” Jennifer told her.

Kevin nodded agreement, and then looked out the window.   “All right, you two, we need to take a nap,” he ordered Kaylee and Joey.  “So you go to your bed, Kaylee, and both of you lie down.  Eledhwen will soon be back.”  Protesting, the two younger children did as they were told; a moment later, Eledhwen returned to the bedroom.

“I will look after your little brother and sister,” she told Kevin and Jennifer.  “You go to your rooms now, and lie down.”

Nodding, the two of them rose to their feet.  “Go to sleep now,” Jennifer told Joey and Kaylee.  “We’ll be back when naptime’s over.” 

-oo000oo-

After making certain that the children were settled in their guest rooms and getting some much-needed rest, Arwen took herself to her father's study and tapped on the door.

"Enter, sellath nín," came Elrond's voice.

"Good afternoon, Ada," she said, "and to you as well, Mithrandir."  She gave the old wizard a nod.  She took a seat between her father and the wizard, as they sat around Elrond's desk.

"Are the children settled in?" her father asked.

"As much as can be expected, in the circumstances.  I left Eledhwen to sit with the younger ones, though of course their older siblings are with them as well.  But I came to tell you of some rather odd things they said while eating with the hobbits."

Elrond sat forward, and Mithrandir's expression became very alert.  "What sort of odd things?" asked the wizard.

"It seems that there are stories of hobbits in their far-off home.  They have heard of Bilbo's long-ago adventure.  But even more disturbing, they seem to have heard of the Ring, and of the coming journey of the Nine Walkers.  They also spoke of Gollum and of the Ringwraiths, though not by name."

Both Elf and Wizard jerked up in astonishment.  "What?" they both exclaimed.  Arwen nodded.

"Sadly, the children are only a little familiar with these tales; they do not even know the names of the creatures they described.  Lady Jennifer described the tales as make-believe stories where the children come from, and she said that a man in their world named Jai-ar-ar Tolkien wrote them.  She said that he invented these stories, and that he was of the Edain like themselves, though not in those exact words.  She also said that hobbits do not exist where they come from, and that this person invented them for his stories.”  Arwen paused.  “I deem that perhaps the children were considered too young to know them in full, although Lady Jennifer said a good friend of hers has been trying to persuade her to read Bilbo's story, though she has not yet done so."

"Still," said Elrond, "we shall keep this in mind when we speak to them.  Perhaps we can get them to remember a little more."

Mithrandir leaned back and steepled his fingers.  "Perhaps.  But perhaps it is as well that we do not know more of what tales they have heard.  It would not do to have it influence overmuch what is to come."

-oo000oo-

For the past hour, Kevin had been resting on the bed with his arms behind his head, but he had been unable to sleep.  Like their parents, he'd never been one for fantasy books or movies, although he had watched The Wizard of Oz and Disney movies on DVD as a child with Jennifer (and sometimes still did with Joey and Kaylee, as he had done only last night, when the entire family had watched Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs); generally, he preferred science fiction or cop shows, or books about sports or nonfiction.  But some of the video games he'd played with some of his friends had fantasy settings, so he was familiar with the idea, at least, of other worlds and travelling to them.  (Oz didn’t really count, he felt, since Dorothy had been carried there by a tornado instead of entering it through a portal, and in the movie version, she had dreamed the whole adventure.)

Kevin recalled an old sci-fi show that he and Jennifer had seen reruns of on Netflix, about a group who had slid through a strange portal from world to world, trying to get home.  None of the characters in Sliders had ever made it home.  The show had been cancelled several years ago.  Sometimes he wondered what would have happened to the characters later, if it hadn't been canceled when it was.

Kevin hoped that wasn't going to be the case for him, or his brother and sisters.  If it was just him and Jen, he wouldn't be nearly so worried (except that he and Jennifer would miss their family and friends, and hated to worry their mom and dad), but Joey was only nine, and Kaylee was practically still a baby—not as much as Megan, of course, but still way too young for a thing like this.  What were they going to do?  The people they'd fallen in with seemed kind and helpful enough, but how long would they be willing to take care of a bunch of strange children?  Would they need to turn them over to some sort of authority, or did they have something like that here?  Everything seemed so medieval here—maybe this Lord Elrond was actually an authority.

All he knew was that he was the oldest brother, and that made him responsible for all of them.  He would do anything to get them home, but if he couldn't, then he would have to keep them all safe and together.  Please, God, he silently begged, help us!

He was not sure how long he had rested, but just as he was starting to go through all the same worries in his head all over again, there was a tap at the door.  He sat up.

"Come in," he said.

The door cracked open, and it was the Lady Arwen.  "Lord Kevin, my father and Gandalf would like to speak to your family in the study."

Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure.  This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  (Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from the books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur.  We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: To our beta, Linda Hoyland, who has been of great help with this story.  Linda is a well-known and respected writer in the LotR fandom, who also posts on this site.

Chapter 4: Strangers Like Me

Nodding, Kevin swung his legs over the side of the bed and began to put his boots back on.  When he had finished tying his bootlaces, he got up and followed the beautiful Elven lady across the hall to fetch his sisters and brother.  Lord Kevin, he thought, amused.  They’re calling my sister Lady Jennifer, and they’re calling me Lord Kevin.  This place really is medieval!

Soon the McClouds were following their hostess down wide and winding hallways; Kaylee lugged Lucy in her arms.  Arwen led them to a large door at the far end of the passage.  She pushed it open.  Elrond, Gandalf, and Glorfindel waited inside.

“Ada, I have brought them as you asked,” she said.

“Thank you, Arwen.  Will not all of you be seated?”  Their host gestured to several chairs and couches near the wide-open windows at the far end of the room.  He, Glorfindel, and Gandalf sat down in three armchairs.  Kevin and Joey sat on a carved couch, and after taking hold of Lucy so that Kaylee could sit down unimpeded, Jennifer chose an armchair next to her brothers.  Lady Arwen took one next to Jennifer’s.  Kaylee squeezed onto the end of the couch next to Kevin, positioning herself between her older brother and sister.  Joey sat on Kevin’s other side.

“Children, I want you to tell us again where you come from, and what brought you here.  But first, tell me your names again, and your ages,” Elrond ordered after introducing them to Glorfindel.  He leaned back in his chair as he spoke.

The children exchanged glances.  Jennifer was sitting next to Lady Arwen; Kaylee was seated between Kevin and Jennifer, on the edge of the settee; and Joey was sitting on the other side of Kevin.  Lucy lay curled up on Jennifer’s lap, thumping her tail and licking Jennifer’s fingers.  Elrond, Gandalf, and Glorfindel were all sitting in chairs facing the children and Arwen.

“Well, uh, there’s five of us kids in our family,” Jennifer explained.  “Kevin, Joey, Kaylee, Megan, and me—Megan’s the youngest. She’s only three years old.  She’s back at the campsite with Mom and Dad.”

“That’s right.”  Kevin nodded agreement.  He began by telling his hosts his own full name and age.  He allowed Jennifer and Joey to do the same for themselves.

When it was Kaylee’s turn, she ducked her head shyly.  “I’m Kaylee.  Kaylee Anne McCloud.”  She held up her right hand with all five fingers spread out, to indicate her age.

Jennifer put in, “She just had her birthday last month.”

Elrond nodded sagely.  “Now, then, children, explain to me again where your home is, and tell me who your parents are, and how you arrived in Middle-earth.”

Jennifer scanned her siblings’ faces and then glanced at Arwen, who sat next to her.  “Well, uh, we and our parents live in Portland, Oregon; that’s where we kids were born.  Our aunt and uncle live there, too.  We’ve lived in Portland all our lives.  Portland’s a city, and Oregon’s a state.  It’s part of the United States of America—that’s our country, our nation.  The United States is in North America—that’s our continent.”  Elrond nodded.

Joey grinned.  “Hey, did you know that there are three countries in North America?  The United States, Canada, and Mexico.”

Kevin and Jennifer laughed.  “Yes, we do, Joey.  But don’t interrupt Jennifer while she’s talking,” Kevin said.  Elrond, Arwen, Glorfindel, and Gandalf chuckled.

With an amused glance at Joey, Jennifer continued, “Our daddy’s a geologist.  He works for a state agency that oversees conservation.”  

“That’s right,” Kevin agreed.  “His supervisor told him to get some soil samples and take them to his company’s lab—uh, laboratory.”  Elrond, Glorfindel, and Gandalf all exchanged puzzled glances, and Arwen furrowed her eyebrows in bewilderment.  Kevin explained, “A laboratory’s a place where you perform experiments.  You know—study things, to see what they’re made of, and how they work.”

“Ah.”  Elrond exchanged a glance with Gandalf, Arwen, and Glorfindel.  While some of the words were strange to him, he was Noldorin enough to understand the gist of their explanation.  He then gestured toward Kevin and Jennifer.  “And what is your father’s name?”

“Steven.  Steven Jackson McCloud.  Our mother’s name is Gail.”

“I see.”  Elrond nodded.  “Continue.”

Shifting position, Kevin looked at Jennifer and cleared his throat.  “Well, anyway, his supervisor wanted our father to go to Wallowa Lake State Park and get a bunch of samples of different kinds of soil there.  Every state park has its soil checked every few years, to make sure it’s healthy.  Wallowa is clear at the other end of Oregon from Portland. Since spring break was approaching, and since it was going to take him several days to get all the samples the state agency wants, he and Mom talked it over and decided to take us kids on a six-day camping trip during spring break, while he gets the samples.  Our dad’s brother and his wife—our Uncle Ryan and Aunt Janet—they decided to go with us.  School let out for spring break three days ago, on Friday, and we left for the park shortly after lunch, this afternoon.  It was a few hour’s drive, and it was shortly after 4 p.m. when we got there.”

Jennifer nodded.  “Our parents and our aunt and uncle had just started setting up the tents when we left the campsite.  They were going to start supper as soon as both of the tents were up.  It was past 4:30 then.”

Elrond nodded again.  “And what led to you children ending up here in Middle-earth?”

Exchanging a glance with Jennifer, Kevin fidgeted and grimaced.  “Well, uh, after we arrived at the park, our Uncle Ryan told us about this cave he had explored once, when he and Aunt Janet had gone on a camping trip to that very same spot where we’re camping now.  Several years ago,” he explained.  “It’s not far from the campsite, just down a path.  We all wanted to explore it, but Dad insisted on checking it out first.  And he and Uncle Ryan both did, and when they came back, they said it was safe.”

Jennifer nodded.  “So, Mom and Daddy said that Kevin, Joey, and I could go explore the cave.  Mom told us not to be gone long.  We were supposed to help them set up the tents when we got back.  Kaylee wanted to go, too, so our parents let her.”  She gave her little sister an amused look.  “And then Kaylee insisted on bringing Lucy along!”

“Hey, Lucy likes to explore caves, too!” Kaylee defended her decision.

Elrond, Gandalf, Glorfindel, and Arwen all exchanged amused expressions.  It was clear to them that it was Kaylee, not Lucy, who had wanted the puppy to come along.

Kevin laughed.  “Yeah, well, we didn’t argue with her; we let her bring Lucy.  Megan didn’t come, though; she’s only three—three and a half—so she’s too young to be exploring caves.”

Elrond nodded approval, giving the young visitors a meaningful look.  “That was very wise.”  He gazed down at the sleeping puppy on Jennifer’s lap.  “You would have done better to leave the puppy behind, too.”

Fidgeting, Kevin glanced down at Lucy, who had fallen asleep, and grimaced.  “True, but how’d we know we were gonna end up in another world?  There was no portal in that cave to anywhere else when Dad and Uncle Ryan explored it.  I know, because they went clear to the end of the cave before they came back to the campsite; they told us they had.”  Jennifer nodded agreement.  “And they didn’t say anything about entering another world.  So, we had no way of knowing.  Apparently, that portal didn’t even open up till our dad and uncle had left the cave.”  He shook his head.  “We would have never even entered that cave if we’d known there was a portal in it.”  Although after he said that, he wondered if it was true.  He might have wondered where it went to…but then again, he probably wouldn’t have brought his younger sibs with him.

“Yeah,” Joey agreed, and Kaylee nodded.

“That’s right,” Jennifer added.  “We were just gonna explore the cave, see what was in it, and then go right back to the campsite.  We were supposed to help set up the tents as soon as we got back, and then our mom and Aunt Janet were gonna start supper.  We sure didn’t expect this to happen!”  She gazed around at the surrounding room with its subtly alien look and then out the window at the foreign landscape as she spoke that last sentence.  

“No, I am sure you did not,” Arwen told her.

“No,” Elrond agreed.  He looked at the children.  “Continue, children,” he ordered.  “Tell us the rest.”  With the help of his siblings, Kevin described the short but meandering path through the woods that they had taken, from the campsite to the cave, and the cave tunnel with the level entrance that they had entered just several minutes after they had left the camp.

Wiggling, Kaylee smiled broadly.  “Hey, look what I found!”  She stuck her hand into her jeans pocket and removed her flat pebble, holding it up.  “I found this on that path!  Isn’t it pretty?”

The others smiled, and Elrond leaned forward to examine the pebble.  “Very pretty, indeed,” he told the little girl, his eyes twinkling.  “You had better take good care of it, Miss Kaylee, so that you will not lose it.”  Smiling again and nodding, Kaylee stuck it back inside her pocket.

Chuckling at his little sister and ruffling her hair, Kevin explained what had happened once he and his brother and sisters had entered the cave: their short exploration, the sudden blackout and earthquake that they had all experienced after they had gone just past the cave tunnel’s curve; how the tunnel had looked different afterward; how the now-unfamiliar cave entrance had consisted of a steep incline that consisted of a huge boulder, instead of being level with the cave floor as well as with the ground outside; and how the country outside of the cave had appeared to consist of a prairie instead of a woods, with huge boulders jutting out of the ground here and there, and clusters of trees scattered in every direction, but not enough of them to form a forest.  Kevin then told Elrond about the frightening, ferocious growl that they had heard from outside the entrance, and how close it had sounded.

“We couldn’t tell what animal it was,” he explained.  “It sounded like…”  He paused, furrowing his eyebrows.  “Uh, I don’t know.  Not really.”

Jennifer took over.  “Kind of like a—uh, like a cross between a wolf and a bear.  Or maybe a cougar—uh, mountain lion.” She paused.  “Something like that.  We really couldn’t tell what.  Well, anyway, as soon as we heard that growl, we slid back down and ran in the other direction.  Towards here.  Next thing we knew, we were in this valley.”

Elrond, Glorfindel, and Gandalf exchanged a grave look.  The description of the growls sounded like a warg to them, possibly a warg scout.  I will have to send some warriors out to the West Road, to hunt for Wargs and very likely Orcs, too, Elrond thought.  That is much too close to our borders for my comfort.  We need to send a patrol to check that out.  He looked at Glorfindel, his expression making his wishes clear, and Glorfindel nodded his agreement.

“First, we got a drink of water at that waterfall.”  Joey smiled at the memory of the cold, refreshing water, and then grimaced.  “Then we got lost in that forest.”

Elrond nodded.  “For visitors who have never been here before, that is very easy to do if they enter through the tunnel.”

“Is that tunnel the only entrance to Rivendell?” Kevin asked.

Elrond shook his head.  “No, there are a few others.  But unless you know exactly where you are going, they are very hard to find, and all too easy to miss.”  Gandalf nodded agreement.

“I was scared,” Kaylee whimpered.

Jennifer put an arm around her little sister.  “We all were, Kaylee.  But we’re safe now.  That wolf—or bear, cougar, whatever it was—didn’t get us.”

“No, it did not, Miss Kaylee,” Elrond told her.  “And you will be safe from wild animals as long as you are in Rivendell.  Evil things do not come into this valley.”

Kaylee puckered her lips, and tears glistened in her eyes.  “I wanna go home.  I want my mommy.  I want my daddy.”  She inserted her thumb into her mouth.

Arwen extended her arms, and Kaylee climbed down from her seat, approached Arwen, and climbed into the Elven maiden’s lap.  “I know you do, Miss Kaylee,” Arwen said kindly, wrapping her arms around Kaylee.  “We all know that, and we all want that for you.  My father and Mithrandir will do everything in their power to find a way to help you children get home.”  Her voice was soothing and melodious, and Kevin and Jennifer both saw their little sister noticeably relax in Arwen’s grasp.

“Yes, we will,” Elrond told the little girl.  “Meanwhile, you and your brothers and sister will be safe and well cared for while you are here.”

“Lucy, too?”  Kaylee looked at the now-awake puppy, still curled up on Jennifer’s lap.

Elrond, Gandalf, Glorfindel, and Arwen all laughed.  “Yes, Miss Kaylee.  Lucy, too,” Arwen said, her eyes crinkled in amusement.

Suppressing his own amusement, Elrond turned back to the older children.  “All right, children, one more question.  Explain to me this ‘spring break’,” he ordered.

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged puzzled glances.  “Well, uh, it’s just a week-long vacation from school,” Kevin explained.  “We have it once a year, every spring.  We have other school vacations, too; the longest one is summer vacation, at the end of the school year.”

“It lasts a few months,” Jennifer added.

“And is it spring as of now, where you come from?”

“Well, yeah.”  Kevin stared at Elrond.  “Isn’t it, here?”

Elrond, Glorfindel, Gandalf, and Arwen exchanged glances.  Elrond shook his head.  “No, it is not, Lord Kevin,” the elf lord explained.  “Here, it is mid-autumn.”  The children exchanged stunned glances.

“But—but Easter’s next Sunday,” Kaylee complained, as she fidgeted on Arwen’s lap.

Jennifer reached over and laid her hand on her little sister’s shoulder.  “Not here, it’s not,” she said gently.  “It’s the wrong time of year for Easter here, Kaylee.”

“Easter?”  Master Elrond looked at the girls quizzically.

“Uh, yeah.”  Dropping her hand, Jennifer straightened her back.  “It’s a holiday where we come from.  In the spring.  Easter Sunday.”

“Oh.”  Elrond nodded.

“We were gonna hunt Easter eggs,” Kaylee complained, pouting.  “The Easter bunny was gonna bring me some candy and toys.”

“Yeah, and I was gonna get some candy and toys, too,” Joey added.  “You know—in an Easter basket.  Stuffed animals and everything.”

“And we were gonna go to the Easter pageant and services at church,” Jennifer reminded Joey and Kaylee.

Elrond looked over at Gandalf and the wizard nodded.  The two of them were quickly realizing that the young ones were using several words that were not familiar.  However, it was fairly easy to understand roughly what most of them meant, and some words were clearly unimportant to the story of how the children had arrived.  The youngest one, especially, tended to ramble on, and from her older brother and sister’s attempts to continue, her interruptions were not especially important, or if they were, it could be spoken of later.

Kevin shook his head.  “Well, anyway, it was afternoon where we came from, and morning here.  It’s spring back home, and fall—uh, autumn—here.”  He shook his head again, bewildered.  “This is so weird!  All of it!”

“No kidding!” Jennifer agreed.  “I mean, this is crazy; people just don’t go to other worlds!  Not in real life, anyway.  That only happens in fantasy stories and science fiction.”  She shook her head.  “It’s like we’re actually living a fantasy story, and that just doesn’t happen.”

Just then, all could hear the musical sound of a bell.  “Ah,” said Arwen, “that is the signal for the time to get ready for the feast.”

Elrond nodded.  “We will see you later, children.”  They all rose to their feet, and the children followed Arwen inside and toward their guest bedrooms.  Glorfindel left with them.  He’d lead the patrol himself, to check for the presence of wargs or orcs near their boundaries.

-oo000oo-

As the children and Glorfindel followed Arwen from the room, Mithrandir turned to Elrond.

“Well, old friend, what think you of the children’s tale?”

“To be quite honest,” Elrond replied, “I could not understand even half of what they were telling us.  But it gives me the feeling that the place that they come from is a far, far different place, and much further from Rivendell than any explanation that I can think of would account for.  It is difficult to fathom what we need to know about their home and what is unimportant.”

The wizard nodded.  “Let us be frank.  It is more than likely that they do not come from Middle-earth at all.  There can only be two explanations for their presence here at so critical a time.  The first is that they were taken from their place by enchantment, either by someone in their world or ours…”  He paused, as if hesitating to go on.

“Pray go on, Mithrandir, for I would know if your mind is the same as mine in this matter.”

“I have a deep feeling that their presence is meant, and not by any enchanter or sorcerer of this world, or any world within Eä.”

Elrond nodded solemnly.  “Sent by the One who is beyond the Circles of the World.”

“Events will prove us right or wrong in this matter, but yes, I do feel it is so.  If we are right, then Eru has sent them here for a reason that will soon become clear to us.”  Gandalf looked thoughtful.  “In the meantime, we likely do not really want an explanation of every strange word they use.”  Elrond laughed and agreed.

-oo000oo-

“I wish Mom and Daddy were here!” Joey complained.

Kevin put an arm around his little brother’s shoulders.  “I do, too, Joey,” he said softly.  “We all do.”

“Yeah, really,” Jennifer said, with a sigh.  “I mean, if they were here, even if they couldn’t get us back to our world, at least they’d pray that God would.  And God would hear them.”  She paused, biting her lower lip.  “And they’d be here to take care of us.”

“Yeah,” Kaylee complained.

“Yeah, they would, and yes, God would,” Kevin agreed.  He took a deep breath.  “But since they’re not here, we’ll just have to pray to God ourselves.”  He paused.  “We’re all Christians, same as our parents, including Kaylee here; we’ve all asked Jesus to come into our hearts, and He has.  And we try to live the way Jesus wants us to.  So, surely, God will hear us if we ask.”

“Why don’t you ask Him, Kevin?” Jennifer suggested.  “You’re the oldest.” 

Kevin nodded.  “All right, but if any of you also want to talk to Him, feel free to do so.”

The four children reached out, clasped one another’s hands, and lowered their heads.  “God…”  Kevin swallowed.  “…we’re in a real predicament, and we need Your help.  We’re in a situation we never expected to find ourselves in.  We’re in a strange world with all sorts of creatures that don’t even exist back home.  How can it even be real?”  He cleared his throat.  “Our folks must be really worried!  Please show us a way to get back home to our family!”

He paused, and Jennifer spoke next.  “Please, God,” she prayed, “we don’t know what’s happening, or why.   Please get us all safely back home!”

“Please, God, get us back home,” Joey added.

“Please, God, get us back to Mommy and Daddy!” Kaylee begged, raising her head toward the ceiling, and then turning to look at Lucy, who was curled up on the bed.  She gazed down at her own feet.

“In Jesus’ name, amen,” Kevin finished.

Silence descended upon the children for a moment.  Peace settled on their hearts as they kept their heads bowed.  “This is not an accident,” Jennifer found herself mumbling, after a moment.

“What?”  Kevin lifted his head to look at his sister.

Jennifer raised her head and looked at Kevin.  “This is not an accident, is it?” she said more clearly.

Letting go of Joey’s and Kaylee’s hands, Kevin leaned back in thought, his face pensive.  “Are you saying that God sent us here?”  His sister’s words seemed to feel right.  Yet he wasn’t quite convinced yet.  Still he wanted to believe it; otherwise nothing would make any sense.  But he was responsible for his sisters and brother in their parents’ absence.  How could he be sure?  Well, he wasn’t, really, but he knew that it would be good to follow Jennifer’s lead.  Even if God had not actually sent them here, he knew that the Lord still was with them.

“But why?” Joey complained, pouting.

Jennifer looked at her little brother, amused.  “Why did God send Abraham to live in Canaan?” she asked.  “Why did God send Paul to Macedonia and Corinth and Rome and all those other places?  And what about Jonah?  Why did God send him to Nineveh?”

“That’s right,” Kevin agreed.   “He sent them to those places because He had a job for them to do there.  If He’s sent us here…”  He swallowed again.  “…that means—that means He has a job for us to do here!  And don’t forget that He’s still watching over us, even if He didn’t actually cause us to be here in the first place.”

“But what?”  Jennifer shook her head.  “What does God want us to do?  And why us?  We’re just kids, all of us.”  She bit her lower lip.  “And who besides God could have sent us here?  No one else has that kind of power, I know.  Not even the angels.”

Kevin shrugged.  “Now that, I have no idea of, Jen.  All we can do is pray and hope to be guided like the people in the Bible were.  If He sent us here, somehow He will let us know.”  He paused.  “As for who could have sent us here, I agree; only God has that kind of power.  I don’t know who else could have, either.  But…”  His voice trailed off.

Jennifer bit her lip.  She could tell that Kevin was not one-hundred percent sure, even though he was trying to be.  But she also knew that if they both kept praying, they would find out sooner or later what was wanted from them.

“But God knows our parents’ll worry,” Joey said, frowning.  “They must be worrying now!  They must be real worried!  Uncle Ryan and Aunt Janet, too!  Surely God wouldn’t send us somewhere and make them worry!”

With a sigh, Kevin put an arm around his little brother’s shoulders.  “We’ll just have to trust that God’s got that covered somehow, Joey.”  He paused, scanning his siblings’ faces.  “God will tell us what He’s sent us here for, when He’s ready.  In the meantime, we’ll just have to trust Him to take care of our parents and Megan.  And our aunt and uncle.”  He paused.  “And us.”

“And we need to listen for when He answers us,” Jennifer added.  With so many strange things around us, how will we hear that still, small voice? she wondered.  What if this was some kind of test from the Lord?  Please, God, don’t let us fail, she prayed silently.

“I want my mommy and daddy,” Kaylee complained, as she moved her thumb toward her mouth.

Reaching toward Kaylee’s hand, Jennifer gently drew it away from the little girl’s mouth.  “We all do, Kaylee,” she said softly, as she put an arm around her little sister’s shoulders.  “It’s going to be all right.   We’ll be back with them when God is ready.  In the meantime, He hasn’t forgotten us.”

The certainty Jennifer had had a few moments ago was fading, but she kept her voice confident.  She and Kevin were the oldest, and they had to be sure that Joey and Kaylee weren’t scared too much.

“No,” Kevin agreed.  “God’ll take care of us, Kaylee.  We’re in His hands.”  He paused.  “Our mom and dad aren’t here to take care of us, but God is.”  Crouching in front of Kaylee, he smiled encouragingly at his little sister, and thought of something to distract her from her fearful questions.  “And you know, Kaylee, we’re in a fairy country!  A real-life fairy-tale country!  With wizards and elves and hobbits and probably other fairy-tale creatures!  Just like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz.  She was separated from her family, too, don’t forget, until she found a way to get back home.  She was all alone in the Land of Oz, except for her dog, Toto.  She didn’t have anyone else to look after her.”

“That’s right,” Jennifer agreed.  “You’re better off than Dorothy was, Kaylee, because we’re here with you.  We’re all in this together; none of us is alone.  And Kaylee, we’re having an adventure just like her!  We’re actually living a fantasy story.”  Kaylee smiled at the thought, and Jennifer hugged the little girl.

“Talking animals, too?” Kaylee asked hopefully.  “Talking scarecrows?  Talking trees?”

Kevin and Jennifer laughed.  “We don’t know, Kaylee.  Maybe.”  Kevin grinned.  “And, hey, maybe a talking tin man or two.  We’ll just have to wait and see.”  Kaylee giggled, and he rose to his feet and ruffled her hair.

“As long as there are no winged monkeys!”  Joey made a face at the thought.

“Or wicked witches!” Jennifer agreed.  She glanced at her wristwatch, which was stubbornly telling her that it was still four forty-four, the time it had been when they had entered the cave.  “Wish I knew what time it was,” she muttered.  Out loud, she said, “Come on, you three, it’s time for our baths, and then we need to change our clothes.”

“That is right.”  Eledhwen entered Joey and Kaylee’s bedroom, followed by Mairen.  “Come with us, and we will help you get ready.”  They escorted the children out of the room.

Below the younger children’s open window, Gandalf blew out a smoke ring shaped like an Eagle.  He had been eavesdropping on the children ever since they had first entered Joey and Kaylee’s bedroom.  Manwë was much on his mind at the moment.  Of the Ainur who had come to Ëa, only the Lord of the Air still spoke directly unto Eru.  Yet from what he could tell, these young ones were familiar with Ilúvatar in a way that he could scarcely comprehend.  Quietly, he sat and sent his mind in search of faded memories of Aman, wondering what, if anything, he should say to these children.

Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure. This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse. This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  (Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson. This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies. Quotations from the books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined. Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur. We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: To our beta, Linda Hoyland, who has been of great help with this story. Linda is a well-known and respected writer in the LotR fandom, who also posts on this site.

Chapter 5: Try a Little Something New

Jennifer ran her hand over the soft, smooth fabric of her lovely blue dress. She smiled; she had never had anything so pretty! Wish I could take it home with me; I could wear it to a costume party. Or in a school play, she thought. It'd work better with buttons or a zipper, though. I'm gonna need help lacing it up. Well, her bath was finished, and it was time to change clothes, she knew, starting with the undergarments that Arwen had provided for her. The bathwater felt so good, she thought. So warm. I really enjoyed soaking in that huge tub, and Kaylee really enjoyed playing in it.

Amusement at the memory of Kaylee splashing about in the warm bathwater creased her face. It had pleased Jennifer that her little sister had, if only for a little while, been able to forget her separation anxiety. She wondered how long that would last. Wonder if they have a hot-water heater here? I'll have to ask them! How else would they be able to keep the water warm?

Jennifer gazed for a long moment at her long-sleeved T-shirt, her blue jeans, and her white ankle socks, all of which were folded up neatly on a table. Her backpack lay on the table next to her clothes, and her brown hiking boots rested on the floor underneath. She approached her backpack and unzipped it; for a few minutes, she stood rummaging through its contents. Drawing out her iPhone, she looked at it for a long moment.

If only I could call or text Nicole, or even email her, she thought ruefully. Or Mom and Daddy! Especially them! With a sigh, she grimaced. How are Kevin and I gonna manage without the Internet or cell-phone access for who knows how long? She shook her head, scowling. Kevin was probably wondering the same thing, she was sure. Or would be.

With a sigh, Jennifer dropped her iPhone back into her backpack and zipped the backpack shut. Well, maybe she could take some pics while the battery lasted. She was really going to miss tech, being able to call or text Nicole, or be on Facebook and Twitter. But she'd just have put her mind to doing without it for now.

Turning back toward the bed, Jennifer put on the undergarments that the Elves had given her, and then she picked up the dress and held it up, gazing at it. At least, in the meantime, she would get to wear a pretty dress this evening. After a moment, she took hold of its skirt and slipped it down over her head, inserting her arms through its wide, bell-shaped sleeves. That done, Jennifer perched on the edge of her bed, slipped her watch back over her wrist, and then brushed her hair. She knew the watch wasn't working, but her wrist felt strange without it. Finally, she put on the hand-knitted stockings and the soft leather slippers the Elves had left for her; they were very pretty.

Cinderella's fairy godmother should have given her slippers like these, instead of glass ones, she thought wryly. It'd be all too easy to break glass. I'm surprised her slippers stayed intact! Maybe they had to be made of glass, though, so that only her feet would fit inside them, not someone else's.

Smiling and shaking her head, Jennifer went to Joey and Kaylee's bedroom to check on her younger siblings, and to ask for help in lacing up her dress. Mairen, she noticed, had helped her little sister to change clothes, and was now brushing Kaylee's hair; Joey had donned his new Elvish clothes and was combing his hair. Lucy was lying on the floor and chewing on a sturdy rope tied up in a knot that one of the Elves had brought for her. This must be what it's like for rich people, Jennifer thought, smiling, as she watched Mairen and Kaylee.

When Mairen had finished brushing the little girl's hair, she laid aside the hair brush and turned toward Jennifer. "Do you need some assistance?"

"'Fraid I do." Jennifer bit her lower lip. "I've never worn a dress that laced up before, and I don't know how to manage these. I only know how to use laces to fasten shoes."

With a smile, the elf nursemaid approached the young girl and helped her to lace up the dress. When Mairen had finished, Jennifer noticed, to her satisfaction, that the dress was made to give her upper body some support. So this is why Lady Arwen told me not to wear my bra, she thought. With this support built in, I don't need it. She looked up at Mairen. "Thanks."

"You are welcome, Lady Jennifer." Mairen smiled kindly at her.

Kevin knocked, and then entered the room when Jennifer called, "Come in." He was shaking his head.

"I look so weird," he said, staring down at his new medieval-style clothes. Jennifer pressed her lips together to hold back a laugh.

"Well, uh, you don't exactly look like a dork, but you do look different."

"Yeah. We all do." Kevin rolled his eyes. "We boys do, anyway; it's not so different for you and Kaylee. Those are just fancy, old-timey dresses you're wearing." He looked from Jennifer to Kaylee, and shook his head. "I mean, hey, we all look as if we've gone back in time to the Middle Ages!"

Jennifer rolled her own eyes. "No kidding!" She shrugged. "It could be worse, though. At least, we're not dressed like serfs!" She paused. "Uh, Kevin, you might want to take your wallet and the park ranger's number out of your jeans pocket, since they're gonna wash our clothes tomorrow."

"I will, before I go to bed." Kevin made a face. "But you know, even if I were to keep his phone number on me, it wouldn't do me any good here. I don't think our allowance money's gonna do us any good here, either." He picked up his jeans and ran his fingers through his right jeans pocket, and then laid his jeans back down.

"Yes, well, my allowance money's back at the campsite," Jennifer said. "In my purse."

"It's just as well," Kevin said. "You couldn't spend it here, Jen. Our money's no good here in Middle-earth."

Grimacing, Jennifer nodded agreement, and then turned to Kaylee. "And Kaylee, I want you to take that pebble out of your pocket." With a nod, Kaylee scampered toward her jeans lying on the floor, and stuck her index finger and thumb inside until she found and removed the pebble. At a nod from Jennifer, the little girl laid it on the table. Jennifer smiled her approval.

Eledhwen entered the room. "It is time to go to the feast hall, children," she told them. Exchanging glances and nods, Kevin, Jennifer, Joey, and Kaylee followed her into the hall, and Mairen followed them. Jennifer, who had picked up Lucy before leaving the room, handed her to Mairen, who in turn handed the puppy to a nearby elf servant. After Jennifer left her hiking boots on the floor in her bedroom, she accompanied the others toward the staircase.

-oo000oo-

Boromir looked around the feast hall; Aragorn had yet to return from his scouting expedition to learn what had become of the Nazgûl. He wished that he could have accompanied Aragorn on the mission, so that he could learn more of this "Heir of Isildur". If the man's claims were true (and so far, there was no evidence that they were not), he could possibly one day be the King of Gondor. Boromir tried to tell himself that it did not matter who ruled, so long as the kingdom was saved from the enemy, but he had a hard time convincing himself of that, and he thought it would be even more difficult to convince his father.

But he knew that his unfamiliarity with these lands would make him a hindrance on this mission, which relied on speed and the ability to read the signs left by the enemy. Although he thought he might overcome those obstacles, he was unfamiliar with these lands, and that might slow the others down. Faramir would have been ideal for such a mission, and not for the first time, he wondered if it would not have been better if he had let his younger brother have this journey that he had insisted on taking for himself. Still, he was the one who had been given this mission by their father, and he must not allow his unease in these alien surroundings to hinder him.

He looked around the feast hall again. It was filled with folk: Elves for the most part, though there were a few guests of other sorts. Elrond sat in a great chair at the center of the long table upon the dais, and next to him to his left, sat Mithrandir. Boromir smiled. Faramir would have enjoyed this gathering, especially the opportunity to spend some time with Mithrandir—or Gandalf, as the hobbits called him.

Boromir's thoughts were interrupted as he saw four children whom he had not seen here in Imladris before being led into the feast hall by Arwen and two of her handmaidens. They were obviously not Elves, but children of the race of Men, though they were dressed in clothing of Elven cut and style. Clearly, they were guests of Elrond, as was he. He wondered when they had arrived, and why he had not seen them before. There was a youth who appeared to be in his mid-teens, a young lady slightly younger, a little boy of about nine or so, if Boromir was any judge, and a little girl of perhaps four or five. He wondered who they might be; perhaps they were the children of one of the dignitaries who had been in attendance at the Council?

Just then, all five of the hobbits entered the room, Merry and Pippin rushing in eagerly, followed by Bilbo and Frodo with more dignity, and Sam hovering shyly at the back. They spotted the children, and went over to greet them enthusiastically as Arwen left them to join her father at the High Table, while her handmaidens stayed with the children. Clearly, the little folk had already met the young ones. Pippin spoke to the youngest child, and then he looked up and noticed Boromir. He grinned and hurried over to Boromir.

"Boromir, have you met the newest guests? Come, I'll introduce you!" The young hobbit grabbed Boromir's hand and practically dragged him over to where the children stood.

"Boromir," the young Took said, "this is the McCloud family, brothers and sisters. This is Mister Kevin, Lady Jennifer, Master Joey, and Miss Kaylee." He gestured to each child as he introduced them, and then he turned to the children. "This is Lord Boromir of Gondor."

"Hi." Kevin raised his hand in greeting. "Pleased to meet you." He began to stick his hand out for a handshake, but he saw that Boromir was giving them a polite bow instead, so he returned the bow rather awkwardly. His younger brother and sisters imitated him just a beat later. He wasn't sure that the girls were supposed to bow. In the movies about historical times, didn't girls curtsey to royalty and nobles? But he didn't think his sisters knew how to curtsey.

Boromir gave a small smile of amusement. Clearly, the children were unused to the social customs that he was familiar with. He wondered where they were from. "I am most pleased to make your acquaintance," he said. "From whence do you hail?"

Kevin blinked, and glanced at his siblings. "Uh…we're from Oregon, in the United States of America. It's a long way from here. We got lost, and Lord Elrond found us and took us in."

Boromir's glance grew keen. Obviously, there was a much longer story behind these strange children than he was being told. He suspected that the Elves had told them to say as little as possible of their tale. But he had never heard of these "states of America" that Master Kevin mentioned, nor of the place called "Or Egon".

Jennifer exchanged a glance with Kevin, and then looked up at Boromir. "I'm sorry, sir, what's your last name?"

"Last name?" Boromir looked at her, puzzled.

"Well, yeah. You know—family name." Jennifer tilted her head as she stared up at him. "Ours is McCloud."

Boromir looked from her to Kevin. "Except for the Men of the Breelands, Lady Jennifer, no one of the race of Men have family names. In fact, except for the Men of the Breelands and the hobbits, no one of any race has a family name that I know of."

Kevin stared at him, and then at his sister. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Lord Elrond told us that, and so did Lady Arwen," he said, and Jennifer nodded. "Uh, what should we call you, then?"

"Just address me as Lord Boromir for now."

The signal for the actual meal was given. Boromir went to take his place at the High Table, and watched curiously as Merry, Pippin, Sam, and the two handmaidens led the children over to one of the lower tables. Frodo and Bilbo also had their seats at the High Table; as everyone took their seats, the hobbits were all seated on piles of cushions, and so was the youngest child, Kaylee. Boromir found himself seated next to Legolas, to the left of Elrond, Mithrandir, and Glorfindel. Arwen sat to Elrond's right, with Bilbo and Frodo by her side, and then Gloin and Gimli. It was thought best not to put the Dwarves next to the Prince of Mirkwood. To Boromir's puzzlement, the children held hands, bowed their heads, and closed their eyes, and the youngest one said something he could not hear.

Legolas turned to him as the food was served. "I have yet to meet those children of Men," said the Elf. "I saw that you were introduced to them. What is their story?"

Boromir shook his head. "I know little more than their names, and that they come from a strange place called Or Egon, in the land of 'united states'. I, too, wonder at their story."

-oo000oo-

Kaylee made a face at the food that the serving Elf had set before her. She had enjoyed the bread and butter that the meal had started with, and her glass of water wasn't so bad (though not as cold as she was used to), but this brownish soup containing some finely-chopped onion and a few bread crumbs looked completely distasteful. She glanced up at her older sister, who was taking regular swallows of the soup. If only Mommy was here! she thought, biting her lower lip. I want my mommy!

Across the table from Kaylee, Merry, Pippin, and Sam were digging in and praising the soup delightedly, comparing it to Shire food. "This is the best soup we've tasted yet!" Pippin said.

Merry and Sam nodded agreement. "Our cooks in the Shire couldn't have made it any better," Merry said.

Sam smiled in response. "Did you notice a bit of thyme, and maybe some summer savory?"

The other hobbits nodded enthusiastically. "I do believe those onions are sweeter than what we grow in the Shire," said Pippin.

"Yes, Mr. Pippin," said Sam. "The head gardener told me they're a big yellow variety 'specially grown only in Rivendell. They're extra sweet, he said."

Turning to Jennifer, Kaylee tugged on her big sister's sleeve. Jennifer turned to her. "What is it?" she asked in a low voice.

"I don't like this stuff," Kaylee whispered. "I want a drumstick! I want pizza! I want spaghetti!"

Jennifer pressed her lips together in an evident attempt to smother her laughter, amusement creasing her forehead. "I don't think they have pizza or drumsticks or spaghetti here, Kaylee," she whispered back. "And even if they do have chicken, it may not be fried with a crust like it is in America."

Kaylee bit her lower lip. "I wish Mommy was here," she whispered, her voice on the edge of a whimper.

Jennifer hugged the little girl to her side. "So do I, Kaylee," she whispered back. "We'll be back with our parents eventually; we won't be here forever. It'll be all right."

Making a face, Kaylee looked up at Joey, who was scowling next to her. "I want a hamburger," he muttered. "And French fries. And a chocolate malt." Kaylee swallowed hard and nodded agreement. What Joey said would be good, too. If only they could go to Burger King!

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged amused glances. "We're not in America anymore, Joey," Kevin told the younger boy. "We're in a foreign country now; that means we're gonna have to eat foreign food. I don't believe they have hamburgers and French fries and malts here."

"Don't they have a McDonald's here?" Joey pouted. "Or a Burger King? Or a Kentucky Fried Chicken? Or maybe a Pizza Hut...!"

"Whoa! Whoa," said Kevin, laughing. "I don't believe they have any of those kinds of places here. Yes, some foreign countries do, but we're not just in another country, Joey, or even just another continent; we're in another world. We'll just have to make the best of what this place has, while we're here."

"That's right," Jennifer said. "We'll just have to eat what they serve us, and not complain." She nudged Kaylee. "Just try it, Kaylee! A few sips." Kaylee made a face in response. She was sure she would hate this soup.

Eledhwen and Mairen had watched and listened to the whole exchange, amusement on their faces. "I take it that Miss Kaylee and Master Joey don't like beef soup?" Eledhwen asked.

"Not particularly. They prefer chicken noodle soup." Jennifer shook her head as she spoke. "Plus, none of us have ever eaten soup made this way. You'll have to excuse Joey and Kaylee, Miss Eledhwen, especially Kaylee. She doesn't like to eat anything that's unfamiliar to her. Little kids—" She glanced at Kaylee and shrugged. "—they tend to be like that. Joey and Kaylee, they miss the foods they're used to. And not having our parents here with us makes it worse."

"That is true, and I am sure it does." Eledhwen smiled, then gestured at Kaylee. "Just try it, Miss Kaylee. A few sips," she coaxed. "I want you to try everything you are served, all right? None of our foods will be familiar to you, I know, but I believe you will find that you like some of it."

Nodding agreement, Mairen turned to Joey. "You, too, Master Joey."

Joey made a face. "Do I have to?" he complained, appealing to Kevin and Jennifer.

"Yes, Joey, you have to," said Kevin firmly. "It's either that or go hungry. You, too, Kaylee." Jennifer nodded agreement.

Pouting again, Joey took a sip of his soup, and a scowling Kaylee followed suit. To her surprise, it did not taste as bad as she had feared, and so she swallowed some more before she stopped, while finishing off the glass of water that she had been served. Joey did the same. Kaylee noticed that though the taste of the soup was strong, it also tasted kind of sweet. Kevin and Jennifer, meanwhile, took small, hesitant sips of the watered wine that they had been given.

Soon, the serving Elves replenished the younger children's glasses of water, removed the bowls of soup, and replaced them with gleaming white plates of light-brown-colored rice mixed with a sauce of some sort. Again, Kaylee looked down at her own serving with distaste. She fidgeted on her cushions.

Jennifer took a bite of the dish. "Try it, Kaylee!" she urged. "Just a few bites, if you find you don't like it." Making a face again, a reluctant Kaylee picked up her spoon, dug it into the rice dish, and inserted it into her mouth. To her surprise and delight, it had chicken in it, so she ended up eating half of the rice dish before she stopped.

The food kept coming. Unlike the meals the children were used to at home, the Elves did not put all the food on the table at once, but took away the previous dish when they brought the new one. Jennifer tried to set a good example for the younger ones, and managed to avoid making a face when she saw that the chicken dish that came next was stewed. Like Joey and Kaylee, she would have much preferred their chicken fried with a crust, and she was sure that Kevin did, too. Still it wasn't too bad, although the sauce was a little sour. To her surprise, both Kevin and Joey scarfed theirs down as quickly as the hobbits did.

"This is a fair treat, this is," said Sam. "I'm going to have to see if I can get the recipe off the cooks."

"It's real good!" said Joey, smiling broadly.

Kaylee picked at hers. "I'm getting full," she said. "But I did try some." She looked apologetically at Mairen, Eledhwen, and Jennifer.

At the same moment, Joey and Pippin said in unison, "I'll finish it, if you don't want it!"

Kevin and Jennifer scowled at Joey, and Pippin exclaimed, "Ow!" as Merry kicked him under the table. Exchanging amused glances, Kevin and Jennifer shook their heads.

Mairen smiled. "Perhaps you may wish to save some room for the final dish—it is to be a sweet to finish off the meal!"

"Oh! Dessert!" Joey exclaimed.

Kaylee perked up. "There's dessert?" she asked hopefully.

"Apparently so," Jennifer said.

"Oh, goody!" Kaylee bounced on her cushions, causing them to scatter. Maybe she could find room for dessert. Her siblings, the hobbits, Eledhwen, and Mairen all laughed, and Jennifer stood up to reposition the cushions for Kaylee.

As Jennifer sat back down, one of the serving Elves brought a large pie to the table. It smelled wonderful! As the pie was portioned out, the children saw that it had different kinds of fruit, raisins, and nuts. Everyone's face lit up, and Pippin even clapped his hands in anticipation.

"I love this one!" said Pippin. "We had it once before, shortly after we got here! I would've never thought of putting quinces in with apples and pears!"

Jennifer's eyebrows rose in surprise, as she had never been fond of pears and she had no idea what a quince was, but this was delicious, and all the children finished their portions, even Kaylee.

The meal ended, and Merry and Pippin hopped down from their seats. "I think," said Merry, "that Pip and I are going out for a pipe and a sniff of air. But…" He gestured to Frodo and Bilbo, who were heading in their direction. "…we will probably go to the Hall of Fire for a while afterwards. Will you be joining us?"

"What's the Hall of Fire?" asked Kevin.

"It is where we nightly have song and story," answered Mairen. "We Elves sometimes stay up through the night there, but our mortal guests often join us for a few hours, at least, until weariness leads them to their beds."

"Please, can we?" asked Kaylee, tugging at Jennifer's sleeve, and looking up at her older sister and brother with big eyes. "Pretty please?"

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged glances. "Well, just for a little while," said Jennifer. "But not past your bedtime! The same goes for you, Joey." She looked from one to the other. "Don't forget that we've been up for much longer than usual. That nap we took this afternoon didn't really make up our lost sleep."

"That's right," Kevin agreed. "We're gonna be suffering from jet lag for the next few days, until we get used to this time difference."

"But we haven't been on a plane," Joey protested.

Kevin and Jennifer laughed. "No, but the time difference is just as great as if we had, Joey," Jennifer told her little brother. "So, we may as well call it jet lag."

While the hobbits left the feast hall to have a pipe, Mairen and Eledhwen guided the McClouds to another room with a wash basin and a water closet conveniently located near the feast hall. They were glad to freshen up after the meal. After the girls had finished using the toilet, they used the wash basin to wash their hands, and Kaylee tolerated Jennifer washing her face and using a wet cloth to dab away a spot on Kaylee's Elvish dress, where she had spilled a few drops of sauce. The girls came out and allowed the boys to use the small room. While the girls waited for Kevin and Joey, a servant brought Lucy to them. Kaylee happily took hold of Lucy and clasped the puppy against her chest. "Lucy!" Wagging her tail, Lucy yipped and licked her face.

When the boys were finished, the Elven ladies led the children across a passage and through a couple of other doors, and came into another big room. Kaylee was glad that Mairen and Eledhwen had showed them the way. There weren't any tables, and the only chairs were a few big ones upon a sort of stage. But all around the walls were benches, and there were big soft cushions scattered all over the floor. There were big carved pillars around the room between the benches; in the middle of the room was a giant fire pit, sort of like the one Kaylee's family had on their patio, but way bigger and fancier, and a big fire burned brightly there, making the room feel warm and cheerful. She looked up where the big chairs were; Lady Arwen and her father were sitting in two of them. Kaylee still wasn't sure what to call him—Mr. Elrond didn't sound right. Maybe Jennifer could tell her later. Some of the rules about manners seemed all different here. Arwen had told the children to address her as Lady Arwen, so at least Kaylee knew what to call her. And Boromir had told them to address him as Lord Boromir. She saw Mr. Gandalf sit down next to Lady Arwen, and Arwen's father in a third chair.

Holding Lucy against her chest with one hand, Kaylee clung to Jennifer's hand with the other, wondering where they were supposed to sit, but just then Joey pointed and waved towards the wall behind them. The children turned and saw Merry and Pippin waving at them merrily. Bilbo and Frodo were on the bench, toes dangling. There were several cushions on the floor in front of them, two of which Merry and Pippin were perched on, and there was some room on the bench next to Bilbo. All of the children went over and claimed cushions next to Merry and Pippin. As soon as Kaylee had perched cross-legged on her cushion, she set Lucy on the floor and leaned against Jennifer. The puppy immediately began to scamper about, yipping; Kaylee giggled, watching her.

The room was gradually filling up with Elves. There were also a few men, including Boromir, and there were three or four dwarfs together on a bench by the opposite wall.

Kaylee had just gotten comfortable on her cushion, leaning against her big sister. Jennifer placed an arm around her, and began to stroke her hair. Kaylee stuck her thumb in her mouth.

After a few minutes, an Elf got up and stood before the stage. He faced each side of the room and bowed before each, and then, with an amused glance at the playful puppy, he began to sing.

"Rómen Isilo, númen Anaro
Orta eressë ambo
Taliryar nar marya laiqua ëaressë
Mindoniryar nar fánë ar úrúmala
Taniquetil pella
Valinoressë Tulë lá nan minë eressë él
Ya wilë Isilello
Ar Aldu nar heldë
Ya coller Fuio telpë lótë
Ya coller i corna yávë auréva
Valinoressë
Valinoressë nar i falassi Inwinórëo
Ar isilmë cala sarnientassë
Fallerya ná telpë lindalë
Calala talamessë
I velici ëar-lëor pella
I anda falassë litsëo
Ya rahta háya
I lókecásina andonna
I tië Isilo,
Taniquetil pellal
Valinoressë…"*

Kaylee had never heard anyone sing like that! She couldn't understand the words at all, but as she listened, pictures formed in her mind of a lovely scene: a far green country beneath a large mountain. In a few minutes, Lucy settled down in front of Kaylee and stopped barking. Curling up on the floor, she held her head up to look at the Elf, thumping her tail on the floor.

Jennifer was sitting near Bilbo. She too was seeing beautiful images, but had no idea what the words meant. He looked at her, and very quietly muttered the translation.

"East of the Moon, west of the Sun,
There stands a lonely hill;
Its feet are in the pale green sea,
Its towers are white and still,
Beyond Taniquetil
In Valinor.

"Comes never there but one lone star
That fled before the moon;
And there the Two Trees naked are
That bore Night's silver bloom,
That bore the globéd fruit of Noon
In Valinor…"

The old hobbit continued on, but Jennifer found her thoughts clung to an image of two beautiful trees: one glowing silver, the other gold…

-oo000oo-

A/N:

*This is a Quenya translation of J.R.R. Tolkien's poem "The Shores of Faëry" from The Book of Lost Tales II, translated into Quenya by "Elders" of the Lord of the Rings fanatics plaza. Our thanks to them.

The menu was taken from the site, "Gode Cookery". For those of you interested in the food they were eating, (since we cannot give links, descriptions are below:

PANE E BURRO (Bread & butter)

DE CONDITURA CAEPARUM (Onions in strong sweet broth)

Beef broth and sautéed onions thickened with a few bread crumbs.

Ingredients: Onions, strong broth, pepper, and white grape juice.

Source: Platina

The onion is also cooked under ashes and coals until the rawness is steamed out of it; when it has cooled it is chopped finely and put in a dish with salt and oil and defrutum, or rolled in must. There are those who also sprinkle the onion with pepper or cinnamon.

RISUM IN QuO IVS IVRE (Rice in the juice you please)

Rice baked in an almond broth.

Ingredients: Rice, chicken stock, almond milk, salt, saffron, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon.

Source: Platina

Enough has been said about simple things; but cooks now call me to preparations once again. Spelt meal is cleaned and rinsed, cooked in juice of chicken for a long time; when it has cooked transfer part of it into a deep dish. To this, when it has cooled a little, add the yolks of three eggs with some saffron and return it to the pot and sprinkle with spices.

Prepare rice in the same manner as the meal. Some leave out the eggs. It is done according to your choice.

PVLEVS IN ACRESTA (Chicken in verjuice)

Chicken stewed in verjuice, herbs, & spices.

Ingredients: Chicken, verjuice, parsley mint, saffron, salt, pepper.

Source: Platina

Cook down a chicken with some salt flesh; when it is half-cooked, put into your pot grapes with the seeds removed. Add parsley and finely chopped mint, pepper and saffron powdered together. Put all these into a kettle. When the chicken is cooked, fill the plates.

PATINA DE COTONIA
(Quince and Walnut Pastries) Quinces are combined with apples and pears, stewed with walnuts, and baked in a delicate pastry.

Ingredients: Quince, apples, pears, walnuts, raisins, sugar, flour, lard, water, salt.

If you are very interested in Medieval and Renaissance food, "Gode Cookery" (http://www.godecookery.com/) is a excellent site to begin with.

Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure. This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  (Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson. This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies. Quotations from the books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur.  We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: To our beta, Linda Hoyland, who has been of great help with this story.  Linda is a well-known and respected writer in the LotR fandom, who also posts on this site.

Chapter 6: Immortals

Song had followed song, and Kaylee had eventually slipped into dreams, blissfully unaware when her big brother picked her up and carried her to bed, followed by her sister leading a sleepy Joey by one hand and carrying a sleepy puppy with the other.  Suddenly, her eyes popped open. To her surprise, she was lying on a bed—one of the beds in the guest room that Lady Arwen had assigned to her and Joey.  Mairen was pulling her dress upward, and Jennifer was standing close by. Yawning, Kaylee raised her arms so that the Elf-nanny would be able to pull her dress over her head.  Moments later, Mairen had helped Kaylee to put on the snow-white nightgown that Arwen had given her.

Kissing her on the forehead, Mairen stepped back and removed the robe off the foot of the bed.  The little girl slid off the bed and wandered into Jennifer's guest bedroom to rummage through her older sister's backpack, looking for a book.

Yawning again, Kaylee dug L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz out of Jennifer's backpack, returned to her and Joey's guest bedroom, and brought it to her big sister.  As she approached the bed, she noticed that Lucy was curled up, asleep, in a little dog bed on the floor against the wall.  "Would you read to me?" Kaylee held up the book in front of her big sister.

Jennifer smiled. "Please."

"'Please,'" Kaylee echoed. "Please, Jennifer? Read to me? Pretty please?"

Jennifer chuckled. For the past three nights, she had been reading the children's fantasy novel to Kaylee every night at bedtime, and so she had brought it along to continue to read to her little sister while they were on their camping trip. She had packed it in her own backpack, along with several picture books that she also intended to read to Kaylee during their trip, before they had left for Wallowa Lake State Park. "Sure. Come on, we'll snuggle up together on the bed."

Kaylee crawled under the bedcovers, a rag doll that Lady Arwen had given her earlier that day in the crook of her arm, and Jennifer lay on top of the covers next to her. As the candlelight flickered next to the bed, she read aloud to her little sister Chapter 4: "The Road Through the Forest." Jennifer was forced to squint as she read the chapter to Kaylee because the candlelight was so dim. Kaylee listened intently as she looked at the illustrations, rubbing her eyes now and then and yawning periodically while she listened, obviously determined to stay awake during the chapter.

When Jennifer had finished Chapter 4, Kaylee laid her head on Jennifer's arm while suppressing a yawn. "Please, can we watch the movie tomorrow? We didn't get to watch one today."

"No, we didn't have time to today," Jennifer said. She removed her arm from under Kaylee's head and gazed down at her little sister. "But I don't know that we really need to watch The Wizard of Oz at this time, Kaylee. You know, as Kevin said earlier, we're having a very similar adventure to the one Dorothy had." Also, Jennifer thought, we need to save the batteries.

Kaylee smiled broadly. "Are we over the rainbow?"

Jennifer laughed. "Kaylee, we're not even under the rainbow! But we are in a very different land that we never expected to be in, just as Dorothy was. In fact, just as Kevin said earlier, we're in a fairy-tale kind of country, same as Dorothy was; we're living a fantasy story. And you know, we're much better off than she was, because we're all in this together, you and me and Kevin and Joey—and Lucy. Poor Dorothy had only her dog, Toto, for company."

Kaylee nodded. "Yeah." She grimaced. "I wish Mommy and Daddy was here," she said wistfully.

"'Were' here, Kaylee," Jennifer corrected her. She wrapped her arm around Kaylee's shoulders and hugged her to her side. "I wish they were, too, Kaylee. We all do. And I wish that Megan and Uncle Ryan and Aunt Janet were also here." She paused. "But you know, Dorothy didn't get to have her aunt and uncle with her, either. Not on that first trip to Oz, anyway. As I just said, we're living a fantasy story, and in fantasy stories, kids who go to other worlds don't get to have their parents with them. Not while they're in that other world."

"And now, Miss Kaylee, it is time for bed," Mairen told the child.

"Yes, Kaylee, it's time for prayers and lights out," Jennifer said, removing her arm from around Kaylee's back and glancing at her watch. Then she peered through the door to the opening to Kevin's guest bedroom, where Joey had been getting ready for bed. "It'll soon be time for Joey to be joining you." She smiled mischievously. "Don't think I haven't noticed you yawning and trying to keep your eyes open ever since you woke up in your bed earlier, Kaylee McCloud!" Kaylee giggled.

After Kaylee had knelt against the bed to say her bedtime prayers, Jennifer tucked her under the covers. Before she had a chance to do anything more, though, Kaylee screwed up her face in an evident effort to refrain from crying, and tears welled up in her eyes. "What's the matter, Kaylee?" Jennifer asked softly.

"I want my mommy," Kaylee whimpered, choking back sobs. "I want my daddy."

Biting her lower lip, Jennifer hugged her little sister to her side. Their mother was usually the one to read to Kaylee and put her to bed, although Jennifer sometimes did it in her stead. "We all do, Kaylee," she said softly. "You're not the only one. I know it's lonely without our mom and daddy, but we won't be here forever." She kissed Kaylee on the forehead and began to sing to her softly as their mother usually did.

"Jesus loves me, this I know.

For the Bible tells me so.

Little ones to Him belong.

They are weak, but He is strong.

"Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

The Bible tells me so."*

As Kaylee's eyes slid closed, Jennifer began to sing another song.

"Hush, little baby, don't say a word.

Daddy's gonna buy you a mockingbird.

When that mockingbird won't sing,

Daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring…"*

By the time that Jennifer had finished singing that nursery rhyme to Kaylee, the little girl's breathing had evened out, and the expression on her face had smoothed. Rising to her feet, Jennifer straightened the covers over her sister and gently kissed her forehead again, careful not to wake her. "I will take good care of your little sister, Lady Jennifer," Mairen whispered.

Jennifer smiled her gratitude. "Thanks," she whispered, and then headed toward the bedroom door as a yawning Joey entered, followed by Kevin. It was his turn to go to bed now.

"I'll join you when Joey's asleep," Kevin whispered.

Turning around, Jennifer nodded. "Let me know, I'll be in my room," she whispered back.

"We can talk in my room," he answered. "That way, we won't wake them up."

-oo000oo-

"Kaylee and Joey are both asleep now, aren't they?" Jennifer asked Kevin in a low voice, after they had retreated to Kevin's room.

"Yes." Kevin nodded. "And I'm glad. It's real hard on Kaylee, not having our mom and dad around."

"It sure is. She was all right while I was reading to her, but she was close to tears when it was time for her to go to sleep. It is hard on her, real hard, being separated from our mom and dad like this. To be honest, it's real hard on all of us." Jennifer made a face. "And not just because we're separated from Mom and Daddy, either, although I do miss them terribly." She sighed. "I miss having electricity, Kevin. I really do. I miss all the tech and the Internet and stuff."

"I know. I do, too." Kevin grimaced. "We can't do most of the things we usually entertain ourselves with. For one thing, we should keep our using our devices to a minimum to save the batteries."

"Well, we've got replacement batteries and battery chargers in our backpacks, don't forget."

"True, but even with spares, we can't expect our players and flashlights and other stuff to hold out as long as we're here. We don't know how long we're gonna be here, don't forget. And even though most of our batteries are rechargeable, there are no plug-ins here to plug the battery chargers into. We're gonna have to save our batteries as much as possible." Jennifer grimaced; her brother was right.

"I guess we'll have to just make do with entertaining ourselves like the Elves do. The Hall of Fire was really interesting; it was like being at a live concert, sort of," she said.

"Did you kind of get the gist of the songs even though they were in another language?" Kevin asked her.

"Yes. But I was glad that Mr. Baggins translated that one song, the one that was so pretty, about a mountain and two trees…" She could not get that image out of her mind.

Jennifer leaned back against the chair next to Kevin's bed, her arms folded across her chest. "One thing I didn't understand," she said, after a moment. "I wonder what was so special about those trees. I just don't get it! What's so special about a tree, anyway? I mean, a tree's a tree." She shook her head.

Kevin bit his lower lip. "You've got me. And in the song, those trees gave off light." He snorted. "Trees can't give light! Only the sun can do that."

Jennifer nodded agreement. "That's right! Well, that and light bulbs. Only light bulbs haven't been invented here yet."

"No, they haven't. And anyway, they can't give out light the way the sun can. I would think that it was just, you know, a pretty metaphor or something, except that Mr. Baggins said most Elf songs are from their real history." Kevin shook his head. "There's so much about Middle-earth I just don't understand. We could ask someone, and maybe they would tell us more—maybe Master Elrond or Lady Arwen?"

Jennifer nodded. "Yeah, I'm sure they would. But would we understand it any better if they did?"

Kevin shrugged. "Only one way to find out."

Jennifer shrugged. "True."

Kevin continued, "I really wish we could get on the Internet, you know. Since Tolkien made up this place, there's sure to be a lot of Web sites about it on the Internet. And it might explain some of the stuff we don't understand. I wish we could just Google 'Two Trees'!"

"I know. If we were back home, we could. I would like to look them up. There's sure to be lots of books written about it, too." Jennifer paused. "When we get back home, I'm going to read that book Nicole recommended to me. Both books, in fact; Nicole has them both, so I'm sure she'll lend both of them to me. She already wants to loan me The Hobbit, as you know; I'm sure she'll also loan me The Lord of the Rings if I ask her. And I'm gonna see if Tolkien wrote any other books. I might want to read them, if he did." As Kevin nodded agreement, Jennifer folded her arms across her chest and scanned Kevin's guest room. "I want to look this place up on the Web, too, Kevin. I also want to text Nicole and let her know what's happening." She grimaced. "More than that, I want to text Mom and Daddy!"

Kevin smothered a chuckle. "Nicole'll never believe you, you know, if you ever do tell her what's happened to us."

Jennifer grinned. "No, I guess not." She shook her head. "I'm not sure Mom and Daddy will, either, or our aunt and uncle, not when we do finally have a chance to tell them. They're gonna want to know what's happened to us, you know, Kevin." She bit her lower lip. "How do we explain?"

"I don't know." Kevin sighed. "Right now, though, let's just worry about getting back to them. We can worry about how to explain things to them when we do get back. We can always show them the pictures and videos we're gonna take while we're here. That'll be our proof." Jennifer nodded agreement. Kevin added, "You know, Jen, somehow, we're gonna have to do without the electronic gadgets and stuff, just like Kaylee's going to have to manage without Mom and Dad. It's not like we have a choice, you know." He bit his lower lip and grimaced. He knew what they had to do, but he didn't like it, and neither did Jennifer.

"No, we don't," Jennifer agreed, scowling. "I hate that part." She shrugged. "Oh, well, at least we're together, and the people here are nice." She paused, furrowing her eyebrows, as a thought came to her. "I don't want to lose my baton skills, Kevin, so I'm going to have to find something to practice with while we're here. A tree branch, maybe. What about you? How are you going to keep up your basketball skills?"

"Good question." Kevin grimaced. "Unless I can find a hoop to nail to a tree or a wall outside, and a suitable ball to practice with—one that can bounce—I don't see any way to. And I don't see any way for Joey to practice his baseball skills here, either. So far, we haven't found any other kids here, so he's got no one to play baseball with."

Jennifer shook her head. "It's not just Mom and Daddy and Aunt Janet and Uncle Ryan we're gonna have to explain things to, then, is it?" she asked. Kevin made a face. "Guess we'll have to ask God to help us keep our skills, then, so we won't have to start learning them all over again when we get back home. There's absolutely no way our coaches or my baton corps leader and director are going to believe us, if we tell them we went to a fantasy-land while we were on our camping trip."

"No kidding," Kevin muttered, staring down at the floor, a troubled expression on his face.

Jennifer sighed. She, Joey, and Kevin had always loved to take part in P.E. and afterschool sports. Kevin had played basketball for the past several years, and he was a member of the high-school basketball team. Joey had been pitching for his baseball team in the minor league division of Little League baseball for the past two years; soon after his ninth birthday, he had been promoted to the major league division. Jennifer was the assistant director of the city's Optimist Youth Band Baton Corps, and she loved to take part in intramural sports at school. To let their sports skills become rusty because of an extended stay in Middle-earth, wherever that was, was simply unthinkable.

Jennifer sighed. She knew that God was with them, but how could He let them get stuck in another world? Why had He let this happen to them? Why would He send them to another world, one that apparently wasn't even in their universe? Surely, if there was a mission or ministry the Lord had in mind for them, as they had guessed earlier that day, they could perform it just as easily in their own world.

Please, God, she prayed silently, help us through this, and give us strength. If You have called us here for some kind of mission, please tell us what it is and help us to do it, so we can get back home. Help Kevin and me to be strong for Joey and Kaylee. And please help our parents and our aunt and uncle not to worry. In Jesus' name, amen. She sighed. I wish Mom and Dad were here, God, so they could pray. We need them!

There was a light tap on Kevin's door. Thinking perhaps it was Joey or Kaylee awake and needing something, Jennifer said, "Come in!"

But when the door opened, it was not either of the younger children, but Gandalf the Wizard. "I wondered if I might have a word with you?"

Kevin looked as surprised as Jennifer felt, but he politely said, "Uh, yes, sir. Come in."

Gandalf came in, and took the chair that sat by Kevin's bed. "I have overheard you children speaking together of God, who is in this world and time, too, and goes by the name of Eru Ilúvatar."

Jennifer felt a shiver run down her spine—not fear exactly, but a feeling of awe. She felt she was about to hear something amazing. She glanced at Kevin, whose eyes were narrowed.

"Is there some reason we shouldn't speak about our faith?" he asked, his tone a little angry.

Jennifer put her hand on his arm to calm him down.

Gandalf smiled. "It warms my heart to hear you speak so of our Creator, and yet there are some things that should remain hidden. Long, long ago, I was once privileged to be with Him when He sang our world into being. Seldom do I recall that time, before I was sent from the West to bring aid and a message of hope to the people of Middle-earth."

Exchanging stunned glances, Kevin and Jennifer gaped at Gandalf. "Are—are you an angel?" Jennifer gasped.

"An angel?" Gandalf stared at her in evident puzzlement.

"Well, yeah! You know—a messenger from God. He sends angels to give messages to people and protect people and stuff. The Bible speaks of them—it's the Word of God. The angels live in Heaven with God," Jennifer explained, and Kevin nodded agreement. He picked up his teen study Bible and held it up for Gandalf for a brief moment, and then set it back on the table. Jennifer added, "I have one, too. It's in my room."

Gandalf looked briefly thoughtful. "I suspect that you may be right, in a way. And yet I had to give up much of my power to come here. So now I am an Istar, a wizard. But if all goes well and I can fulfill my purpose in being here, I will once more serve as a Maiar, what you have named an angel. But in this form, I do not have all the abilities, or indeed all the memories, I had in Aman. The veil over my memories is lifted if there is something I need to know in order to accomplish my mission, as was revealed to me tonight when I overheard you speaking." He paused, looking from Jennifer to Kevin.

"The times your book speaks of are far distant from now, in the far distant future, and are not ready to be revealed to mortals, or to Elves." He stood up. "I know that I have given you much to think upon, but I trust the One to whom we look to guide you well in what you can and cannot reveal. I will leave you now to get some rest. You have had a very busy day." With that, he gave a nod and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.

Jennifer and Kevin exchanged astonished glances. "Gandalf's an angel!" Jennifer said. "An angel sent by God!"

"Yeah!" Kevin shook his head, awe-stricken. "I can't believe it! But I'm so glad there's an angel here."

"Yeah! Me, too." Jennifer nodded, smiling broadly. "I don't know how much he'll be able to do, though. The way he talked, he left behind a lot of his angelic powers when he left Heaven to come here."

Kevin bit his lower lip. "True. God put him in a human body when He sent him here." He furrowed his eyebrows in intense puzzlement. "You know, Jen, I thought we were in another world. But the way Gandalf talked, it sounds as if we're in another time in our world. A far-off distant time, way in the past."

"That can't be!" Jennifer shook her head vigorously. "If there is such a time—or was—why doesn't the Bible mention it? Or our history books?"

Kevin shrugged. "You got me."

A yawn caught Jennifer off guard. It was bedtime—in fact, it was past time for her and Kevin to be going to bed. "Guess we'll have to talk about this tomorrow. I'm sleepy." She yawned again. "Good night, Kevin," she said.

"Good night." Stifling a yawn, Kevin turned toward his bed. Yawning yet again, Jennifer left his room to enter her own bedroom and approached her guest bed, where the nightgown and robe that Eledhwen had given her lay folded at its foot. She saw no use in putting on the robe now; as soon as she had her nightgown on, she was going to bed. She was too tired to read that night; the novels that she had brought with her would have to wait until the next day, when she had time to read. She would also have to make time to read her Bible the next day.

Mustn't forget to say my prayers first, though, she thought, as she pulled her dress up over her head. She smiled broadly. Thank You, God, for sending us an angel!

-oo000oo-

*A/N: "Jesus Loves Me" and "Hush, Little Baby" are both in the public domain.

Can you guess the origin of the title of this chapter? HINT: It follows the pattern of previous titles...

Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar world and part of an unexpected adventure.  This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings​ belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from the books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur. We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: To our beta, Linda Hoyland, who has been of great help with this story.  Linda is a well-known and respected writer in the LotR fandom, who also posts on this site.

Can you guess the origin of the title chapter? HINT: It follows the pattern of previous titles, also 1989.

Chapter 7: Part of Your World

The next morning, Joey was awakened by the loud chirping of birds.  He sat up and looked around his unfamiliar surroundings.  So, it wasn't a dream.  He sighed and glanced over at the other bed, where Kaylee was still soundly sleeping.  Through the open door to the side of the room, he could see the foot of Jennifer's bed in the small room that connected to theirs.  At least he wasn’t alone here in Middle-earth; Kevin and Jennifer and Kaylee were also here.  And so was Lucy, who was curled up asleep in a little dog bed on the floor against the wall.  She twitched her right back leg and her nose; apparently, she was dreaming.

Joey wondered if he could slip out before his sisters woke, to make his way to what the Elves called the "water closet".  Miss Eledhwen had shown him the fancy bowl under the bed that she called a "chamber pot", but it would be just too embarrassing to use that thing.  What if Kaylee woke up and saw him?  He turned beet-red at the very thought of it!

Very carefully, Joey tiptoed out and made his way to the room in question, proud of himself for dealing with the matter all by himself.  After he finished, he quickly scurried back to his and Kaylee’s guest room, hoping that he wouldn't see anyone.  This long white shirt they'd given him to sleep in seemed altogether too much like a dress for his taste; he wished he had his Star Wars or Spider-Man pajamas.  Except that he had left his Spider-Man pajamas at home, along with his Spider-Man backpack, and he had left his Star Wars pajamas back at the campsite.  Oh, well, he wasn't going to see either movie again anytime soon, anyhow!  He shrugged.

Joey had almost made it back to the bedroom when he saw his brother coming down the hall in the direction he had been coming from.  Kevin still looked half-asleep, and did not even spot him as he shuffled past.  Joey bit his lower lip and smirked.  He was right.  A nightshirt really did look like a dress, and it looked even weirder on his big brother.

Joey re-entered his and Kaylee’s guest bedroom.  He looked at his bed and groaned.  Now I gotta make my stupid bed!

It took him several minutes to finish the job, but at last, his bed was made.  By then, Lucy was also up, and was pattering around on the floor, sniffing.  “Hey, Lucy,” Joey said softly, rubbing her head, and then he straightened his back and scanned the room.  Well, I guess it’s time to get dressed, he thought, but what shall I wear?

Before he had time to think about it, one of the lady elves from the day before entered the bedroom, carrying an armload of clothes.  “Good morning, Master Joey,” she said cheerfully.  “You wake up your little sister while I wake up Lady Jennifer and Lord Kevin.  Lady Arwen has asked me to bring some new clothes for you and your brother and sisters.”  Nodding, Joey approached Kaylee’s bed, then turned toward the elf.

“Uh, sorry, I forget your name,” he said.

“My name is Eledhwen,” she said.

Slowly, Joey repeated it three times; Eledhwen corrected his pronunciation until, on the third try, he got it correct.  “Sorry, that’s a hard name to pronounce,” he said.  “But I never was all that good with foreign names.”  Eledhwen laughed.

Joey turned back to his little sister as the elf watched.  “Wake up, Kaylee,” he said, shaking her shoulder.

“Go ‘way,” the little girl muttered grumpily, her eyes still closed.

“Wake up, Kaylee.  It’s morning!”  Joey paused, and then imitated their mother: “Rise and shine!”

Groaning, Kaylee sat up and rubbed her eyes, pouting.  “I want my mommy,” she mumbled.  Joey bit his lower lip again.  So did he.

Just then, Jennifer, who was still in her nightgown, entered the room.  “Good morning, you two,” she said, and then saw the elf.  “Oh.  Morning.”

“Good morning, Lady Jennifer.”  The elf smiled at her.  “Lady Arwen has asked me to wake you children and bring you some more clothes.”  She laid the stack on Joey’s bed.

Jennifer nodded.  ‘Well, I’m already awake.  In fact, it looks as if we all are.” She yawned and stretched her arms above her head.  “I just got out of the bathroom—uh, water closet.  Kevin’s still in there.  He went in when I came out. He’ll be back in a moment.”

Joey nodded.  “I used the bathroom, too.”

Jennifer looked at Kaylee.  “Guess I’d better take Kaylee there, then.” She approached her little sister.  “Come on, Kaylee.  Time to go potty, and then we need to get dressed.”  She took Kaylee out of the room.

-oo000oo-

After the children had prepared to go down to breakfast, they made their way through the passage.  Eledhwen had helped them dress, this time in clothing somewhat similar to the night before, but not quite so fancy and formal.  In the process, the children had fastened leather pouches to their new belts, one for each child; it was evident that since their new Elvish clothes had no pockets, pouches would be needed to carry their small belongings.  Kevin had removed several Band-Aids and a small bottle of antiseptic out of his first-aid kit and slipped them into his pouch, in case of an emergency, as well as his handkerchief.  Jennifer had knelt down to tie Kaylee’s hiking boots for her.

When the children had assured Eledhwen that they could find their way to the dining hall on their own this time, she had agreed.  She had gathered the clothing they had arrived in, and was now preparing to take it down to the laundry.

"Lady Jennifer, is there any special treatment this clothing needs?" the elf nursemaid asked her.

Jennifer shook her head.  "It's just jeans and T-shirts and jackets.  And socks and underwear, and our hiking boots.  And Kevin and Joey’s belts, only our boots and belts don’t need washing.  Sometimes, though, our boots need to be polished.”  She paused.  “You might want to make sure the zippers are zipped, and that the snaps are snapped together."  She pointed at the zippers on the jackets and blue jeans as she spoke.

When Eledhwen looked puzzled, Jennifer showed her the zippers and snaps on their jackets and on Kevin and Joey’s blue jeans, and then she demonstrated for the elf nursemaid how to zip and unzip the zippers and how to fasten and unfasten the snaps on their clothing.  “Our backpacks have snaps and zippers, too,” she said, holding hers up to demonstrate.

"Why, how clever!" the Elven-maiden exclaimed.

Jennifer grinned as she watched Eledhwen zip her jacket up and down again several times.  Suddenly, she remembered something.  "Oh!" she exclaimed.  "Kevin, Joey, and Kaylee—did all of you empty your pockets last night?"  She looked in her own jeans pockets to make sure they were empty.

Wincing, Kevin’s face flushed, and he examined his jeans pockets.  “Drat!  I forgot.”  While he sheepishly removed his wallet and the park ranger’s phone number from his back jeans pocket and returned to his own bedroom to leave them on his table, Joey and Kaylee grinned smugly, and virtuously pointed to the small tables by their beds, on which they had laid the contents of their pockets the previous evening.

"See," boasted Kaylee, "we remembered!"  She pointed at the pebble she had laid on the table the evening before.

Jennifer shook her head at her little sister, and repeated what their mother often said: "Kaylee, we don't brag about doing what we are supposed to do anyway!"

"I'm sorry," Kaylee said, looking abashed.

Joey rolled his eyes at Kaylee.  “Well, anyway, I remembered to bring my backpack, which is more than you did!”

Kaylee’s eyes filled with tears, and Jennifer put an arm around her shoulder.  “That’s enough, Joey.  You know Mom doesn’t like us to gloat when someone makes a mistake.”

Shrugging, Joey bit his lower lip.  “Sorry.”

Eledhwen stifled a smile; she could see how the elder sister was striving to fill in for their absent mother.  "Well, I shall take these away now."

At that moment, Mairen entered the room, and Eledhwen carried out the children’s clothes.  Mairen picked up Lucy and gently clasped the puppy against her chest.  “I shall take you down to the kitchen for your own breakfast, and then down to the kennels for a few lessons,” she told Lucy, who licked her neck and thumped her tail against the elf nursemaid’s chest.  Mairen turned to Kaylee.  "Lucy will get to meet the other dogs who live here, Miss Kaylee."

Kaylee reached up and patted the puppy.  "You be a good girl, Lucy, and mind your teacher!"

Suppressing a laugh, Mairen left the room with Lucy, passing Kevin as he entered.

The children headed off for breakfast.  They did recall the way to go, and as before, they soon ran into the hobbits again.  This time, Merry and Pippin were accompanied by Frodo, Bilbo, and Sam, as well as two Dwarves.

"Good morning, McClouds," said Bilbo cheerfully.  Kevin noticed that as Bilbo spoke, the other hobbits stood back slightly and watched him politely.  "Have you met our friends yet?  They are most honorable Dwarves from Erebor.”

The older one bowed to them.  "Glóin, son of Gróin, at your service and your family's."  He gestured to the other younger Dwarf.  "This is my son, Gimli."

The other Dwarf also bowed.  "At your service."  Unlike his father’s hair, which had a lot of grey in it, his own hair and his lengthy beard were red.  The lower half of both dwarves’ beards were divided into two thick braids, and Gimli’s hair also had one or two narrow braids dangling from his scalp.

Kevin hesitated only briefly, and then he bowed awkwardly.  "Uh, hi.  Pleased to meet you.  Kevin McCloud, uh, son of Steven McCloud, at your service.  These are my sisters, Jennifer and Kaylee."  He gestured toward each sister as he introduced her.  Jennifer bobbed a little bow, and Kaylee imitated her.  “And this is my brother, Joey."  When Joey didn't try to bow, Kevin lightly kicked his foot.  With his face flushed, Joey also gave an awkward bow.

"We are on the way to breakfast," said Bilbo politely.  "Won't you join us?"

Jennifer exchanged a glance with Kevin and nodded.  “We’d like that.  Thanks.”  She smiled at Bilbo.

The children fell in behind the others and followed along.  “I don’t get it,” Joey whispered, puzzled.  “We don’t bow and say, ‘at your service,’ at home.”

“True, but we’re not at home anymore,” Kevin whispered back, with a wry smile.  “We’re in a foreign country, remember?  Another world, actually, but it may as well be a foreign country—it is, really, when you think about it.  And foreigners have different customs from us Americans.  We have to be polite their way while we’re here.”  Joey shrugged, and then nodded.

“Yeah.”  Jennifer nodded in her turn.  “We do have to, don’t we?”  She looked at Kaylee.

Kaylee looked up at her big sister and nodded.  "Uh-huh.  I'm hungry!”

As they entered the dining hall, the children saw that it was set up differently for breakfast.  A great sideboard was set up on one side of the the room, with bowls and plates and silverware, and a good many different kinds of foods.  There was a large tureen filled with some sort of hot cereal that had berries and nuts floating in it; there was a selection of breads; and there were several kinds of meat—not only bacon, ham, and sausage, but fish and some sort of meat pie.  And there were many other things as well.

"It's like a buffet," Kevin whispered to Jennifer.

"What's a buffet?" asked Pippin, whose sharp hobbit ears had heard.

"It's like this," Jennifer answered, "a lot of foods, and everyone serves themselves."

"They always have breakfast this way," said the hobbit.  "It's the way we usually have second breakfast in the Shire, too, especially when there is company."

"Well, in the Great Houses, like the Great Smials or Brandy Hall, at any rate," put in Frodo.  "Smaller homes don't always do it this way."

"Sometimes in the Shire, when we have the big village feasts, we do it for supper, too," Sam put in.  "Everyone brings a dish to share."

“And so we serve ourselves, as we did at elevenses yesterday?” Jennifer asked.  Frodo nodded.

Jennifer helped herself to a bowl of the porridge-like substance.  It did not look quite like oatmeal, but it smelled really good.  "What is this?" she asked.

"The Elves call it frumenty," said Merry. "It's cracked wheat, with a little bit of milk and eggs in it.  When they serve it for breakfast, they put fruit and nuts in it, but sometimes at supper, they put in meat and serve it as a side dish."

Kevin and Jennifer helped Kaylee and Joey with their selections.  Kaylee did not want any of the frumenty, but agreed to taste a bite of Jennifer's when they got to the table.  But Jennifer persuaded her little sister to have some fresh bread and butter, and some of the fruit: there were sliced apples and pears, and some grapes.  Kaylee took some grapes and several apple slices, as well as two slices of bacon and a piece of sausage.  Both Kevin and Joey filled their plates with meat—bacon, ham, sausage, and some sort of chop, but no fish.  They also took some of the bread and fruit.  They were disappointed to find no eggs to go with the ham, sausage, and bacon.  Kevin also took a small spoonful of frumenty, but Joey did not want to try it.

The pitchers at the end of the dining hall held only water, but there was a teapot.  Jennifer and Kevin poured cups of hot tea for themselves and cups of water for Joey and Kaylee, and took them to the table, where all four of them sat side by side.  To Jennifer’s relief, there was a small pitcher of honey on the table; she drizzled some honey into her own tea with a little wooden honey dipper.

Kevin left his own tea unsweetened.  Too bad there’s no orange juice, he thought.  I’m surprised there’s no milk either, except maybe in the frumenty.  Doesn’t Rivendell have any cows?

Bilbo grinned.  "You can thank me for that," the old hobbit said.  "When I first came here, I insisted on tea for breakfast with all the trimmings.  Many of the Elves drink it as well, now."

After Kevin, Jennifer, Joey, and Kaylee had taken one another’s hands and bowed their heads, and Kaylee had asked the blessing, the children talked for a little while with the hobbits about the food.  It turned out that food in the Shire was closer to the sorts of foods that the McClouds ate at home, if somewhat more old-fashioned than they were used to.  However, the children soon learned that not even the hobbits ate dry cereal like Cheerios and corn flakes.

Kevin tried to explain the concept of dry cereal.  "You buy them at the store in boxes.  They’re made of grain.  The Cheerios are made of dried oats that have been turned into little O shapes."  He made a circle with his fingers to demonstrate.  "You just pour them in a bowl, add some sugar, and pour on some milk, and they are ready to eat with a spoon.  If you want to, you can also chop up some fruit and include it in with the cereal, too.  Some cereal comes in flakes—corn flakes, wheat flakes, bran flakes, and so forth—and may have raisins in them.  Like raisin bran.  Not all flakes do, though."

"And some are like little squares with cinnamon, or little balls or circles or other shapes, and come in all kind of colors!  They’re delicious!" Joey added enthusiastically.  When he was home, he loved Fruit Loops and Lucky Charms, although his mother would not let him or Kaylee have them very often.  She did, however, allow them to eat Rice Krispies, which they also loved.

Kaylee smiled broadly.  “They’re soo delicious!”  She smacked her lips.

Merry looked at the children suspiciously.  "How do they make them like that?  It seems like it would be an awful lot of work to sit around and make enough tiny little bits of circles or squares or whatever, enough to fill a box.  What's the use of it?"

Sam shook his head.  "Don't sound too good to me."

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged glances.  “They’re made in factories,” Kevin explained.  “Factories are places where things are made that people need or want.”  It was clear from the expressions on the others’ faces that his explanation did not satisfy their curiosity.  Kevin shrugged.  “It’s kind of hard to explain to people who have never heard of factories, I’m afraid.”  Biting her lower lip, Jennifer nodded agreement.  Kevin continued, “Well, anyway, the factories make the different kinds of cereal and put them in boxes and ship them to stores, and there, people buy them.  That’s where we get ours.”

Jennifer nodded agreement.  “We buy our cooked cereal in stores, too—oatmeal and Malt-o-Meal and cream of wheat.  You have to cook them before you can eat them.  Once they’re cooked, we always put some milk and sugar in ours before we eat them.”

Just then, Gandalf and Boromir entered the dining hall and, within a few minutes, presented themselves at the table with laden plates.  "May we join you?" Gandalf asked.  The others gestured toward the empty chairs in welcome.

As Boromir and Gandalf sat down, Boromir asked curiously, "What were you speaking of?"

Frodo looked up with a twinkle in his eye.  "The children were trying to explain one of the foods they are accustomed to in their own land: little bits of grain served in boxes."

Kevin and Jennifer looked at each other in dismay as they thought of trying to explain it all over again.  Bilbo decided to take mercy on them and changed the conversation.  "Over the years I've been here, I've introduced some of our Shire foods here, but the Elves' foods are all quite delicious, if you only give it a chance."

After several moments of silent eating and of listening to the hobbits discuss the food, Jennifer, who had finished her frumenty, laid her spoon down and wiped her mouth with her cloth napkin.  “Uh, I have a question.  Why does everyone here call me ‘Lady Jennifer’?” the young girl asked.  “And why is everyone calling my brother ‘Lord Kevin’?  Is that some kind of custom here?”

“In a manner of speaking.” Gandalf nodded.  “We tend to be more formal with ladies than I suspect people are in your world.”

Boromir nodded.  “Besides which, you are a noble young lady, and here in Middle-earth, we address noble ladies, in particular, accordingly.”

Jennifer blushed.  “I don’t know how noble my heart is, but thanks.  I try.”

Kevin laughed sheepishly.  “Same here, to be honest.”

Gandalf chuckled.  “Yes, you do; we’ve all seen that.  But Boromir isn’t talking only about nobility of spirit.”

“No.”  Boromir nodded agreement.  “You and your brothers and sister all come from a noble family in your world, Lady Jennifer; we have all sensed that.  You may not see yourself that way, but you are.”

Jennifer exchanged an amused, nervous glance with Kevin and shrugged.  “Well, uh, thanks again, but we’re not, not really.  There are no aristocrats in our country, no class system.  There are in some other countries, but not in the United States of America.  No titled lords and ladies, just people who are rich, poor, or middle class, depending on how much money they make.”

Kevin nodded agreement.  “We’re not rich, but we are middle class.  Our dad works as an geologist, so he earns enough money to provide for our needs and some of our wants.”

“That’s right,” Jennifer said.

Boromir looked from Kevin to Jennifer, and then smiled at the young girl graciously.  “You are noble on the inside, Lady Jennifer.  And that is where it counts the most.”  He looked at Kevin.  “I have seen that same nobility in you, Lord Kevin.”

Jennifer blushed again and exchanged a glance with her brother.  “Uh, thanks.  It’s—it’s kind of you to say so.”

“Yeah,” Kevin agreed.  “Thanks.”

Kaylee wiggled and bounced on her seat.  “Hey, does that mean I’m a lady, too?”

Gandalf's eyes twinkled.  "It certainly does, little one.  Lady Kaylee!"  The little girl giggled, and the rest laughed.  Kevin ruffled her hair affectionately.  "Although at your age, it is customary here in the North to call you 'Miss' Kaylee."

"Hey, Lady Kaylee, that rhymes!" Joey said, with a grin.

“It certainly does, Master Joey,” agreed Boromir, smiling in amusement.

“You know what that means, don’t you?”  Jennifer turned to her little sister.  “It means you have to behave like a lady, and that means having good manners.  Saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ and ‘excuse me’, using good table manners, not interrupting people when they talk, and all that stuff.  And Joey, it means you have to behave like a gentleman, and that means having good manners, too.”

Gandalf nodded agreement.  “Well, one thing has become clear to me.  You children have wise parents, and so I have no doubt that Master Joey and Miss Kaylee will learn good manners.  They have already begun to, in fact.”  Jennifer nodded. 

Kevin and Jennifer looked at one another.  It appeared that they'd be "Lord" and "Lady" whether they had real titles or not.  And while it seemed strange to hear Joey and Kaylee addressed as "Master" and "Miss", Bilbo said that was the custom for children in his home of the Shire, and in the place called Bree.  It would be far too difficult to argue with everyone, and easiest to just go along with the customs.

-oo000oo-

After breakfast, the children were approached by Mairen, who brought them Lucy back from the kennels and said the Lady Arwen had asked her to show them the parts of the Last Homely House they had not seen yet.  Kaylee took Mairen's hand and skipped alongside the Elf-maiden, asking many questions.  Joey walked at Mairen's other side; wagging her tail, Lucy scampered alongside Joey.  Kevin and Jennifer fell back slightly.

"Jen," whispered Kevin, "do you think we should talk to Joey and Kaylee about what Gandalf told us?  What if one of them says something they’re not supposed to?"

Jennifer shrugged and shook her head, not to say "no", but to indicate that she wasn't sure.  "I almost can't believe it myself—I mean, not about the angel part, but just that all of this still seems so unreal.  I know it has to be real, because, well, it can't be a dream.  There are just too many details, and everything here is so vivid.  No dream I’ve ever had has had so many details, or such vivid ones."

"I know what you mean.  None of my dreams ever have, either."  Kevin sighed.  "But I do think that we have to talk to them.  I think it will make Kaylee, and probably Joey, too, feel better if they know an angel is watching over them."

Jennifer looked thoughtful.  "I don't think he's that kind of angel.  He said he was a 'Maia', whatever that is.  That's probably a totally different kind of angel than the ones we know about."

Kevin was about to reply when he realized that Mairen, the two younger children, and Lucy were way ahead of them.  They had stopped to wait for Kevin and Jennifer to catch up.  They'd stopped near the large double doors that opened to the outside.  The two older McClouds stepped up their pace to catch up with the others.

As soon as Kevin and Jennifer caught up, Mairen swung open one of the double doors.  The doorway led to a wide, stone-flagged porch.  The steps that began at the porch went down to what looked like a large vegetable garden, though it was much prettier and more elegant than any vegetable garden they had ever seen before.  It was arranged in beds built of stone, with the stone wide enough at the top to sit on and easily reach into the beds.  The beds led to a large greenhouse, and in the center of the garden was a large well, with stone benches built around it.

"A wishing well!" Kaylee exclaimed, with a delighted grin on her baby-like face, and raced forward.

Mairen laughed and allowed the little girl to run ahead on her own, followed by Joey and Lucy.  "What does she mean by 'wishing well'?"

"It's a custom in our country," said Jennifer.  "If you drop a penny or other small coin in the well and make a wish, it’s supposed to come true."

Mairen stopped and looked at them incredulously.

Kevin shook his head.  "It doesn’t, really.  It's just a thing for fun," he said.  "Most grown-ups don't really believe it, but it's fun to imagine it.  And little kids do believe it sometimes."

"Ah, I see," she said.  "And of course, seeing the small ones enjoying the custom also makes the grown-ups happy as well.  And do grown-ups also observe the custom, even though they do not believe?"

Jennifer smiled.  "Yes, because it reminds them of when they were little.  And also, sometimes young couples’ll do it just because it seems romantic."

With a smile and a nod, Mairen went on to show them the greenhouse, and also the laundry-house, which was nearby.  There, they found Eledhwen with some other Elves.  They were washing some clothes in large stone basins using a long paddle-like board to move the cloth around and sometimes to beat the clothes, and there was a fire beneath a large copper cauldron of water, from which steam arose.  Just beyond, they saw a long, fence-like structure, on which some more clothing was hung to dry, including their own.  The children’s own clothes rather stood out, the blue jeans, brightly colored T-shirts, and jackets in sharp contrast to the white linens and to the more subdued colors of the Elves’ clothing hanging alongside them.  Jennifer noticed that all of these clothes seemed to be everyday clothing.  None of the sorts of colorful finery was on display there.  She asked about that.

Eledhwen shook her head, and some of the other Elves laughed at her question.  "Fine clothes like those you wore to the feast would never be washed in water," she said.  “Instead, they are brushed clean and hung in the fresh air.  If they become badly soiled or stained, the spots may be cleaned alone."

Jennifer nodded.  “Oh.  Well, where we come from, all of our clothes get washed in water.  Even fancy dress-up clothes.”

“Not all of them,” Kevin reminded her.  “Some of them have to be dry-cleaned, remember?”

Jennifer nodded, smiling sheepishly.  “Oh, yeah, that’s right!  I forgot.  You can’t wash those clothes in water, so you have to take them to the cleaners.”

Eledhwen joined Mairen, and they showed the children a few more areas, where various crafts and work was done.  Then the two elf maidens led the children and Lucy back through the vegetable garden and the wishing well in the center.

"We have some other tasks to attend to, Lord Kevin and Lady Jennifer.  Do you wish to return to your rooms?"

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged glances.  "No, thanks," said Kevin.  "I think we'll rest here a few minutes, if you don't mind, and then maybe do a little more exploring."  Jennifer nodded agreement.

The two Elf-maidens gave them a nod and a word of farewell.  Jennifer sank down on one of the benches by the well and held her arms out silently.  Kaylee crawled into her sister's lap, as a now-exhausted Lucy curled up beneath the bench.  Joey had gone to the well and was hanging over it on his elbows, peering down into it.

Kevin looked at him.  "Hey, Joey!  Come on over here.  We have some stuff we need to tell you guys about some things before we go back inside."  Joey raced toward them.

Jennifer looked at her little brother and sister.  "What do you think about all these Elves, and the hobbits and dwarves and so on?"

Kaylee looked puzzled at the question.  "I like them!  Everyone is friendly, and it's beautiful here!"  She smiled broadly.  “It’s just like a fairyland!”  The others laughed.

"Why are you asking us that, Jen?" Joey said.  "There's nothing bad about these people!  I just know they're good guys!"

"What about Gandalf?  He's a wizard," said Kevin.

"Well, he's a good one, then."  Joey looked up at his older brother defiantly.

Kevin chuckled.  "You are right, Joey."  He sat down on the bench next to the one where Jennifer and Kaylee were.  "He is good, but he's more than just a good wizard."  He turned to Kaylee.  “And he’s not a humbug wizard, either.”

Joey sat down and looked at his brother.  "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's a sort of secret."  Kevin turned to Kaylee, whose eyes had grown wide.  "Can you keep a secret, Kaylee?"

She nodded silently and snuggled closer to Jennifer.

"Last night, after you two went to bed, Gandalf came to my room and spoke with Jennifer and me.  He told us what he is.  Joey, Kaylee, Gandalf is a kind of wizard they call an Istar, but he was something else before that.  He’s an angel, sent by God."

"WHOA!" Joey exclaimed.  “A real angel, huh?"

“Yep, a real angel.  No wings, though.”  With a smile, Kevin looked at Kaylee, who still had not said anything.  "What about you, kitten?  What do you think?" 

"I'm glad he's an angel.  I like him!”  Kaylee tilted her head.  “But why is it a secret?"

Kevin bit his lower lip.  "Well, uh, that's kind of hard to explain.  But it seems that we may not be in another world after all, but far back in the past—sometime maybe after the Garden of Eden, but before Abraham, and maybe even before the Flood and Noah."  Kaylee exchanged a glance with Jennifer.  Kevin added, “Only thing is, you won’t find this time in any history book.  Or the Bible, either.”

"Whoa!  That's a long time ago," said Joey, seemingly taking it in stride.  "So why is it a secret?  And why is it not in history books or the Bible?"

"Well, it seems as if it is not the right time for the people here to know about many of the things that God revealed in the Bible.  God revealed himself to Abraham, and this seems to be a long time before Abraham."  Kevin paused.  “As for why it’s not in the Bible or history books, well, Jen and I just don’t know.  The Bible only tells about humans, Adam and Eve, you know; it doesn’t say anything about elves, dwarfs, or hobbits.  I don’t know why that’s the case.”

Joey and Kaylee were silent for a few moments, trying to absorb the information they had just heard.  Then in a small voice, Kaylee asked, "Does this mean we can't talk about Jesus?"

“Yeah, the Bible says we have to talk about Jesus!” Joey added, frowning.  “So people can get saved.”

Jennifer looked at Kevin.  "I'm not sure, sweetie.  Jesus was in a lot of prophecies back in Old Testament times, but they never said His name exactly.  As far as we can tell, none of those prophecies exist here yet, and even if any of them do, none of them have come true."

“Yeah, Jesus hasn’t even been born yet.  Most of the folks in the Bible haven’t been born yet.  Abraham’s gotta be born first, you know.  Back home, Joey, we can tell people about Jesus—in fact, we’re commanded to—because we live after Jesus came.  If we’re right about where we are—or when, rather—that’s not the case for the people here.”  Kevin looked troubled.  "I guess we'll have to pray about that, and maybe we can all talk with Gandalf about it again later.  We'll see what he says about it."

Jennifer nodded.  “Yeah.”

Just then they heard the chime of the bell which indicated it was nearly time for lunch.  As Kaylee leaped to her feet and darted ahead of her brothers and sister, she tripped and fell on the path.  Sobbing, she turned sideways and clutched her right elbow.

Jennifer and Kevin darted toward her.  As Jennifer gently lifted Kaylee into a sitting position, Kevin removed the little girl’s now-bloodstained hand from her elbow and looked at it.  “It’s all right, Kaylee,” he said soothingly.  “It’s just a scraped elbow.  I know it hurts, but I’ll fix you right up.”  He removed the Band-Aids, the bottle of antiseptic, and his handkerchief from the pouch that the Elves had given him that morning, and after he had gently dabbed her scrape with the handkerchief, he dribbled some antiseptic onto it.  Then he tore the wrapping off one of the Band-Aids.  Within a few minutes, he had taped the Band-Aid over her elbow and wiped the blood off her left hand.  All the while, Jennifer whispered soothingly into her little sister’s ear.

At last, Kaylee’s sobs subsided, and Jennifer wiped off the tears streaking her face.  “Come on, Kaylee.”  Jennifer lifted the little girl up in her arms.  “I’ll bet you anything there’ll be something good for lunch.”  A wan smile crept across Kaylee’s face, and Jennifer laughed.  Followed by Lucy, the children went inside, Jennifer carrying Kaylee.

-oo000oo-

One morning, a few days later, on the terrace, Kaylee had been earnestly explaining Santa Claus to the hobbits, with Joey giving her some help.  Their explanation had been rather confusing, as it had been laced with ideas from various television specials and Christmas movies and Clement C. Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas”.  Just as the hobbits were getting completely confused, Mairen and Eledhwen came to remind the younger children that they had been invited to take elevenses with Bilbo.  Joey, Kaylee, and the hobbits hurried off with Eledhwen, and Mairen stayed with Jennifer and Kevin.

Elrond, Arwen, Glorfindel, Legolas, Gandalf, and the older children had been standing in the background and listening in amusement.  Now with the hobbits and younger children gone, they entered the dining room and took their seats at the table, and so did Mairen.  Servants served the food.  "Now, then," Elrond asked, one eyebrow climbing up his forehead as he picked up his fork.  "Who is this Santa Claus?”

Kevin and Jennifer looked at each other.  “It’s a good thing Kaylee and Joey are gonna be eating elevenses with Eledhwen and the hobbits, this time,” Jennifer said, with a grin.  “Especially Kaylee.”  She took a bite after she had spoken.

“Yeah,” agreed her brother, grinning back.  As he laid his fork down, he looked at Elrond.  “You remember what Kaylee said, how excited she got, when you first told us you were Elves.”  Elrond nodded.  “He’s a make-believe character where we come from, but he’s based on a man who really existed a long time ago, in our world..."  Pausing to clear his throat, Kevin (with occasional help from Jennifer) tried to explain some of the story, beginning with Saint Nicholas, and adding in what they knew of how the legend had evolved.  The Elves and Gandalf exchanged puzzled glances as Kevin spoke.

“Well, anyway, little children often still believe in him; Kaylee does,” he continued.  “That’s why she got all excited when you told her that all of you were Elves, Master Elrond.  Joey believed in him till last year; Jennifer and I both did when we were Kaylee’s age."   The two of them went on to explain the modern ideas, including Santa's elves.  "The elves—they’re make-believe characters, too, in our world, and they’re nothing like the real-life Elves we’ve met here.  They’re more like—uh, well, like…”  He paused, thinking.  “Well, really more like...hobbits, except for the furry feet."  Kevin blushed.

“And you should see the clothes they wear,” Jennifer added, grinning.

The others all laughed, and Kevin thought of how seldom he heard Elves actually laugh aloud.  When they did, it sounded like...well, not like any mortal laughter.  It was almost like music.  He sighed in contentment and continued.

“Christmas Day is on December twenty-fifth, and Santa delivers the toys the night before.”  Kevin paused.  “Little kids are always so excited when it’s time to go to bed on Christmas Eve, because they know that Santa is going to come and bring them toys and candy while they’re asleep.  It’s easier to get children to go to bed then than any other night of the year, because they know that Santa won’t come while they’re awake.  And it’s easier to get them to behave themselves when Christmas Day is approaching, because they know that Santa Claus only brings toys to good children.”  Exchanging knowing looks, Elrond and the others chuckled, and Kevin grinned again.  “It’s true about the ice and snow at the North Pole, since it’s right at the top of the world above the Arctic Circle, though it’s not true about the rest.”

Kevin was surprised to see the expressions on everyone else's faces turn grave and serious, and wondered what he had said to elicit that reaction.  But before he could try to decide whether to ask about it, Jennifer spoke up.  “That’s right.  Joey knows the truth about Santa Claus now; last Christmas was his last to believe.  Kaylee and Megan still believe.  Megan only learned about him last Christmas.”

Kevin nodded agreement, and Jennifer smiled wistfully.  “That’s the nice thing about being a little kid, you know—you get to believe in the magic.”  She laughed.  “Kaylee likes to leave cookies out for Santa on Christmas Eve, before she goes to bed, because she knows he’ll be getting hungry on that long flight.”  She took a swallow of her water.

Elrond nodded, his eyes twinkling.  “I see.  And now that you have told us about Santa Claus, who is the Easter bunny?”  He paused.  “I seem to remember Miss Kaylee mentioning that bunny while I was questioning you children about your arrival here.”  He took a bite of his bread and followed it with a sip of wine.

For the next several minutes, as everyone finished eating, Kevin and Jennifer explained to the Elves and Gandalf about the Easter bunny.

“Uh, Gandalf,” Jennifer finally said, “could you do us a favor?  Could you talk with Joey and Kaylee about—uh, what you and Kevin and I talked about the other night?”

Kevin nodded.  “Jennifer and I spoke with them the morning after our arrival, but they have some questions we can’t answer.”

Gandalf nodded.  “Certainly.  Why don't you children come to my quarters when you have finished lunch?”

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged relieved glances.  “Thanks,” Jennifer said.  "We will be there."  Exchanging a glance with Kevin, she added, “We want to be there, too, Kevin and me.”  Kevin nodded agreement.

-oo000oo-

Gandalf knew that the older McCloud siblings wished him to speak to the younger children, and to answer some questions they had.  For himself, he had not a few questions of his own.  He hoped that he had the answers that the children needed.  He had never been as sure of himself since arriving in Ennor as he had been when he had dwelt in the West.

Now he awaited them in his quarters a few hours later, where he had asked them to come after they had finished eating luncheon.  There was a tentative tap at his door.  "Enter," he said.

The door opened, and Jennifer and Kevin ushered Joey and Kaylee in ahead of them.  Lucy scampered into the room ahead of the younger children.  The children looked about Gandalf’s room curiously.  Like all the guest rooms in Rivendell, it was beautiful, but it was still somewhat plainer than their own rooms.  The wizard sat in an armchair by the hearth, smoking his pipe, and there was a large cluster of smoke rings above his head.  They were stacked up in rows, and were not dissipating the way smoke rings usually do.

His guests gaped at them in slack-jawed wonder.  He smiled and shook his head.  "Just one moment," he said.  He made a small gesture with his hand, and the smoke rings linked together in a long chain, and then floated out the wide-open window.  "There."  He knocked his pipe out and laid it aside.  "Master Elrond does not care for smoking; he would not reproach me for doing so in the privacy of my room, but I try to avoid having any smoke smell indoors.  By keeping the smoke together and sending it all away at once, I am able to not leave any scent behind."

Joey gaped at the window.  “Whoa!  How’d you do that?!”

Gandalf chuckled.  “I am a wizard, Master Joey.  I can do many things that mortals and elves cannot do.”

He gestured to the other chairs in the room.  "I understand you have some questions.  Please be seated, and we will see if I am able to answer them."

Although there were enough chairs for all of them, Kaylee preferred to sit on Jennifer's lap.  Lucy decided she wanted the wizard's lap, and trotted over, standing up and, with a whine, putting her front paws on his knees.  He chuckled, and indicated she was welcome.  After three tries, she managed to leap up onto Gandalf’s lap with his help and then settled right down, licking his right hand.  He placed his other hand upon her back and began lightly stroking her.

"Now we are all comfortable, children.  What do you still need to know?"

Kaylee was staring at him, her eyes wide.  "Are you really an angel?"

Joey shook his head in bewilderment.  “Angels don’t smoke!”

Gandalf turned his bushy eyebrows and intense stare at the boy, suppressing his smile.  "And you know that how, Master Joey?"  His black eyes were twinkling, but Joey was intimidated by those eyebrows.  Gandalf had rather thought they would work just as well on a young boy as they did on certain Tooks.  He was glad to note that he appeared to be right on that point.  "Now, I believe I was about to answer your sister."

He turned a much gentler gaze on the little one.  "Miss Kaylee, I believe from what Lord Kevin and Lady Jennifer told me, that it is quite likely.  We do not call ourselves angels.  We are called the Ainur, and we were in the presence of the Creator when the world was sung into being.”  His dark eyes looked wistful.  "All was well, until our brother Melkor wished to make his own song.  He sowed disharmony among the Ainur.  But Eru Ilúvatar turned the Song back to His own purpose."  He stopped as he saw confusion on Kaylee's face.  He paused and thought briefly, before continuing in simpler words.  "This made Melkor angry, and he left the others and persuaded many other Ainur to join him.  Melkor chose to try and destroy the world.  The oldest and most powerful among us were called the Valar.  I was among the Maia, who were servants of the Valar.  Sauron joined Melkor's side along with many others.  After Melkor's defeat, Sauron decided he would take Melkor's place.  We wizards—Istari, as we are called—were sent here to Middle-earth to assist the Free People in their fight against Sauron.”

Gandalf paused as Lucy began to chew his index finger.  After a moment, he withdrew his finger and patted her on the head.  "When I came to Middle-earth, and became a wizard, I lost many of my powers and some of my memories, for we Istari were not meant to order Elves and Men and other free peoples around, but to serve as guides and advisors most of the time.  Our power is used to help, but never to force."

Jennifer looked thoughtful.  “I wonder where Satan fits into all of this.  He’s the enemy of God in our time.  Or of Eru, as you call him.  We call him God.  Or Jehovah.”

"Perhaps that is simply another name for Melkor the Deceiver.  Or perhaps another who rebelled has taken that name.  We have no way to know."

“Satan wanted to take God’s place and take over ruling the universe,” Kevin said.  “His original name was Lucifer; he was the leader of the angels before he fell.  He’s also called the devil.  He led a revolution in Heaven, trying to overthrow God, and God threw him and his demons out.”  He paused.  “And then he tempted Eve, who fell, and Adam fell with her.  They were the very first human beings; God created them.  He made them in His image.  They both disobeyed God when Satan tempted Eve.  Sin came into the world as a result.  And death came along with it.”  Jennifer nodded agreement.

Gandalf took another puff of his pipe.  "Much is known of the origins of the Elves and their awakening in the First Age, but of Men, there are no legends of their beginnings before they first met Elves.  Such stories would be lost, with no way to record them.  It is not unlikely that the tale you have of Man's creation may be the real one.  But it is not one I have ever heard told; at any rate, I do believe that your 'Lucifer' could easily be Melkor, for he has many names."  He looked at the children.  "We do know that Men were first encountered to the East."

“Well, the devil and his demons are still on the loose in our time,” Jennifer said.  “God hasn’t imprisoned them yet.”

"Is that so?" the wizard asked.

Kevin made a face.  “It sure is!  Why do you suppose there’s so much evil in the world where we come from?”

"Melkor is in the Void here and now, yet his evil marring of Arda cannot be undone.  And he had many who helped him who still roam the world.  Perhaps your Satan was another of Melkor's following.  I certainly hope that it is not Sauron, for that would bode ill for our errand," he muttered the latter almost under his breath, and the children were not sure they heard him right.

“Errand?  What errand?” Kevin asked, exchanging a puzzled glance with Jennifer, Joey, and Kaylee.

"Never you mind, young man."  The children wanted to ask Gandalf what he meant by that; however, the glint in his eyes discouraged them from pursuing the subject.

Joey looked thoughtful, and then, looking at Gandalf, he said, "Kevin said we have to be careful of what we say.  Can't we talk about Jesus?  We're supposed to tell everyone about Him."

“Jesus has to be born first, Joey,” Jennifer reminded him.

Gandalf nodded.  "I do not think you must never speak of Him, but you must remember that the things you know about Him have not yet been revealed.  It might be safe for you to tell stories about Him, but you must not try to make others believe that they are anything but stories of your own land.  I think that if you simply keep in mind that our Creator has a plan for things to happen in His own time, you will not go wrong.”

“Yes, sir.”  Kevin looked thoughtful.  “We’re not in another world, are we?  We—went back in time.”

“Way back,” Jennifer added.  “Not even Abraham’s been born yet, has he?”

"I do not know who Abraham is, but that is what Master Elrond and I believe, although it could be possible that you are also in another world as well.  We have no other experience like yours to go by, after all."  Gandalf sighed, and gave a pat to the puppy in his lap.  "But whether you are only changed in time, or in time and space, we do know that you are now far back before the Age that you know in your home."

"So," asked Jennifer, "you are saying that maybe we can tell a little about what we believe, but it's not the right time for us to try to get other people to believe what we believe?"

"Yes, Lady Jennifer.  I also think that you may talk among yourselves, and share the songs and tales of your land with others, so long as you remember that none of what you speak of has come to be as yet."

He looked once more at the two younger children.  He was sure that they did not truly understand all that was at stake, and yet he felt confident that they would know when it was right to speak and when it was not.  "Do not worry, children.  So long as you remember what I have told you, I do not think you will say anything out of turn."

The children exchanged glances and nodded.  “Yes, sir,” said Kevin.  He shook his head.  “I just don’t know what to make of it, Gandalf.  None of us do.  Our Holy Book, the Bible, doesn’t talk about this time, and neither do our history books.  The Bible only talks about the fall and redemption of man—it doesn’t even mention elves, dwarfs, or hobbits.”

“It sure doesn’t,” Jennifer agreed.

Scanning their faces, Gandalf asked, "Have any of you more pressing questions?  If not, I will be glad to answer later, if you think of any.  In the meanwhile, I have to meet Master Elrond."

"No, sir," said Kevin politely, answering for them all.  "You've given us an awful lot to think about.  I'm sure we’ll have more questions later.  But not right now."

A brief silence descended upon the group for a moment, and then Kaylee wiggled on Jennifer’s lap as she prepared to get down.  “Hey, Mr. Gandalf!  Guess what!  I know what one plus one is.”

“Oh?”  Gandalf raised his bushy eyebrows.  “And what is that, may I ask?”

“Two!”  Smiling broadly, Kaylee held up two fingers and then slid off her sister’s lap.

The others laughed, and Jennifer rubbed her back.  “Well done!” said Gandalf, with a chuckle.

The rest of the children rose, and Kaylee reclaimed Lucy.  "Thank you, Mr. Gandalf," she said, smiling broadly.  "Lucy likes you.”

He smiled.  "And I like her, too.  She is a delightful puppy.”  He rubbed Lucy’s head, and she licked his fingers.  “Farewell, children, for now."  He stood as the children left the room.

Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar world and part of an unexpected adventure.  This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings​ belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from Tolkien's books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur. We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help of our beta, Linda Hoyland, another well-known and prolific LotR fanwriter, whose many wonderful stories also grace this site.

Chapter 8: Jolly Holiday

The Last Homely House east of the Sea was, as Bilbo once told the children, "a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all"—or, as the children discovered, playing or exploring or reading as well.  Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear, and sadness.  Evil things did not come into that valley.

Rivendell was a place of tranquillity and beauty, and soon some of the anxiety and loneliness were lifted from the children's minds and hearts.  They did not stop missing their parents, but they soon ceased to pine for them, including Kaylee.  Kevin and Jennifer, in particular, continued to miss having modern-day conveniences, but they managed to find the strength to do without them, and to ration their use of the electronic gadgets that they had brought with them in order to save the batteries.  The children soon adapted to their current situation and grew healthy and content for the time being.  Though home always remained in the back of their minds, they found they were not pining for home quite so much.

For Kevin, Jennifer, Joey, and Kaylee, their stay in Rivendell was like one of their annual summer trips, only without their parents.  Arwen took them on a second tour of the Last Homely House, and Master Elrond or one of the other Elves periodically took them out to explore the valley of Rivendell.  The rest of the time, they explored the house on their own and played with the younger hobbits, among themselves, and with Lucy.

Every morning, after Lucy had had her own breakfast, the servants took the puppy down to the kennels for obedience training.  In addition to being housebroken, which was done on a pad and outside in the grass, Lucy gradually learned to sit, to stand, to stay, to lie down, to heel, and to come when called.  However, while she was soon housebroken (for which the children were grateful, as it spared them having to do that nasty job themselves), bringing her to the point where she was otherwise reliable in her response to commands was a slow process.

Kaylee spent a good deal of time on a daily basis playing with the dolls and stuffed animals that Arwen gave her, drawing pictures on the sheets of rag paper that Elrond gave her, and looking at the pictures in her storybooks.  Joey read his comic books, and he played with the toys in his backpack and the toys that Elrond gave him.  Both of the younger children also spent time playing with Lucy; frequently, they went to the kitchen by themselves or with the hobbits to visit the cooks and get something to snack on.

One afternoon, Kaylee was sitting cross-legged on the terrace, playing with Lucy.  As always, when feeling playful, the puppy growled and scampered about, crouching and chewing on Kaylee's fingers as she wiggled her hand about in Lucy's mouth.  The little girl giggled.

"Well, that looks like fun!" a now-familiar voice said above her.

Raising her head, Kaylee saw Gandalf standing over her.  "Hi, Mr. Gandalf!"  She smiled broadly and waved at him.  Chuckling, the wizard crouched next to her on the terrace, laying down his staff, and removing his bluish-grey pointed hat to set on the terrace next to it.

"And what are you and Miss Lucy doing?" Gandalf asked, his eyes twinkling.

"Playing!"  Kaylee giggled as Lucy ran toward the edge of the terrace and then back towards her, yipping.  "Lucy likes to play!"

Gandalf laughed.  "Yes, I can see that."  The puppy scampered up to him, and Gandalf lifted her up and rubbed her head.  Wagging her tail, Lucy licked his beard and then began to chew on his fingers.  "Still teething, I see, Miss Lucy," the wizard said in mock-sternness.  Lucy thumped her tail against his chest, and Kaylee grinned.

"She likes you," she announced.

With a chuckle, Gandalf set the puppy on the terrace.  "The feeling is mutual.  Lucy is a sweet puppy."  He re-positioned his legs and looked at Kaylee.  "Where are your brothers and sister, Miss Kaylee?"  He scanned the terrace as he spoke.

"Inside."  Kaylee shrugged.  "I wanted to go out and play."  She looked up at the elf-nursemaid who was sitting on a step nearby.  "Miss Mairen's with me."

Nodding toward Mairen, Gandalf agreed, "Yes, I see that she is."  Mairen smiled at them both.

"Hey, Mr. Gandalf, guess what?"  Kaylee bounced, smiling broadly.  "Mommy and Daddy's gonna take us to Disneyland this summer!"

"Are they, really?"  Gandalf tilted his head.  "And what is Disneyland, Miss Kaylee?"

"A theme park.  We've been there before.  We'll get to see Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck and Disney princesses and the Seven Dwarfs!"  Kaylee beamed at the prospect.  "And go on the rides and everything!"

Gandalf chuckled.  He hadn't the least idea of what she was talking about, but whatever this Disneyland was, it was clear that Kaylee and probably her siblings enjoyed going there.  "And what are you going to do before then, when you go home?"

Kaylee shrugged.  "Don't know.  School's gotta be out for the summer first."  She looked at Gandalf.  "I'm in pre-K.  We get to play games and draw and colour and learn stuff, and Miss Jackson reads to us."

"We?"

Kaylee nodded.  "The other kids and me. In my class."

"And who is Miss Jackson?"

"She's my teacher."  She smiled.  "And guess what?  I can write my own name, and my ABCs!  I can say them, too!  And I can count to ten!"

Gandalf nodded with a half-shrug.  He wished he had more understanding of the things the children spoke of.  It was disturbing to imagine a world so foreign to his knowledge; sometimes he felt that there might be something important in the child's prattle that he might miss because he did not know what she was talking about.  On the other hand, there was always something delightful to be found in any child's innocent prattle.  If nothing else, it made him smile.  "So are there many other children in your class?"  He had learned early on that the children of this family used the word for baby goats to describe other children—very odd.

Kaylee nodded.  "We have ten, six girls and four boys.  Most of them are nice, but sometimes Mikey—that's one of the boys—he gets mad, and then he's mean."  She scowled.  "Miss Jackson makes him stand in the corner.  She says it's 'time out'."

"And does that work?" he said with an ill-concealed smile.

Kaylee shrugged.  "Well, I guess so.  He's usually over being mad and says 'sorry' when she lets him come out."  Lucy ran toward her, and the little girl picked her up.

Just then they heard Jennifer calling, "Kaylee!  It's time to come in and get ready for dinner!"  She came out onto the terrace, and Mairen rose from her seat on the bench, taking Lucy from the little girl.  Kaylee turned back to wave at Gandalf, who smiled and waved back, and then Mairen and Jennifer escorted the little girl indoors.

Gandalf remained on the bench and took out his pipe thoughtfully.

-oo000oo-

Once a day, Jennifer spent some time practicing her baton moves with a tree branch that she had found on one of their exploring expeditions; she also spent some time every day reading the teenage novels that she had brought with her to read on the camping trip, until she had finished them all.  As often as they dared, she and Kevin also took pictures and videos of their surroundings and of their new companions with her digital camera and his tablet.  They fully intended to show the photos and videos to their parents when they returned to their own world.  It would be their proof that they were telling the truth.  In addition, in her bedroom, Jennifer read the books that she had brought with her.  After she had finished Little Women, she read, in gulps, The Legend of the King.  She also spent some time daily reading her teen study Bible.

One day, Jennifer was marching up and down the path, twirling her tree branch, flipping it in the air and catching it as she had been taught.  Over and over again, she did just that, and in between, she twirled it in her right hand.

"What are you doing?"

Startled, Jennifer froze, just managing to catch her branch before it slipped out of her hand.  Whirling toward her right, she saw Merry and Pippin standing in front of the other hobbits.

"Uh, h—hi," she said.  "I was just practicing.  You startled me."

Merry smiled sheepishly as he and the other hobbits approached her.  "I'm sorry," he said.  "We have never seen that before."

Jennifer shrugged.  "No, I guess you haven't.  Middle-earth doesn't have any marching bands or majorettes, does it?"

"No, it doesn't," Frodo said.

The young girl smiled.  "I've been twirling batons ever since I was little.  I was just seven when I first started learning.  When a band marches in a parade, it's our job as majorettes to perform with the batons.  Sometimes, during the parade, the procession stops, and then we do a dance routine with our batons.  We do that during halftime at sports events, too."

Without warning, Jennifer spun in a circle and then, facing the hobbits, she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, moving her arms from side to side, and she twirled her tree branch as she did so.  The hobbits clapped when she ended her dance routine to face them, arms at her sides, smiling broadly, with her branch dangling from her right hand.  Then she blushed as she realized that just beyond the hobbits, several Elves were also watching and had applauded, Lady Arwen among them.

-oo000oo-

Kevin turned on his tablet's touch screen.  After it had finished booting up, he tapped on the gallery icon, and a list of photos came up.  Jennifer looked over his shoulder as he tapped a folder that he had created a week after their arrival in Middle-earth.

"Look at that!"  He grinned, and Jennifer laughed.  With his tablet, Kevin had secretly taken a picture of the hobbits a few minutes before, while they had been gathered around, chatting.  Jennifer looked at the hobbits themselves, who were sitting on the other end of the terrace, chatting, and then exchanged a look with her brother, who nodded.

"Come here, Frodo!  Everyone!"  Jennifer gestured toward the hobbits.  "Kevin and I want to show you something."

The hobbits approached them, and Kevin held out his tablet.  All of them gaped at the photograph.  It had captured their images so perfectly!  "That's an eye-opener, and no mistake."  Sam shook his head, awe-stricken.

"How can this be?" Frodo asked, open-mouthed.

Jennifer blushed.  "To be honest, I know how to work it, but I don't really know how it works!"  She added, "But there are some people who do; they're the experts."

Kevin nodded agreement.  "That's true.  We have a lot of things that we don't know how they work, even though we do know how to use them.  But we're gonna take this picture home, along with all the others we've been taking here."

Glancing down at his tablet, he added, "I need to go over this tablet, Jennifer, before I take any more pictures.  The pictures I've got on it are taking up too much memory.  Some of them, I'm going to have to delete."

"All right."  Jennifer nodded, and Kevin stood up to go to his room.

A short time later, Kevin was in his own room sitting on his bed, doing just that, when he heard a tap on his door.

"Hey, Kev!  It's me; can I come in?"

It was Joey's voice.  "Sure, Joey!"

Joey found Kevin in his room lying on his bed, looking at his tablet.  For the past fifteen minutes, he'd been going through his pictures, trying to decide which to keep and which to delete, since he didn't want to use up too much of its memory.  And the more he kept stored on it, the easier it would be to use up the battery, too.  But it could wait.  "Hey, Kevin!  Look what I found!  Eledhwen said it used to belong to a boy who used to live here when he was little—not an Elf, but a human like us; I don't remember his name.  She said we could have it!"

With a broad smile, Joey held up a leather ball. It was round, and slightly smaller than a soccer ball.  Kevin examined it carefully.  Neither of them would be able to bounce it, he knew, but they could throw and kick it if they wanted to.  "Could we go outside and kick it around a little?" Joey asked hopefully.  "Maybe throw it back and forth?"

Kevin laid down his tablet and propped himself on his elbows to think about his little brother's request.  It would probably be a good idea to stop for a little while and play with him.  Joey didn't have too many people to play with, after all.  They were the only children here, and though the hobbits, especially Merry and Pippin, would play with him almost like kids sometimes, he knew they were actually grown-ups or, in Pippin's case, almost grown-up.

He sat up and reached over to ruffle Joey's hair.  "Sure, bro!  Let's go down to that little field near the stable."  He shut his tablet off and rose from the bed.

Joey grinned.  "All right!" He sped ahead, as Kevin got up to hurry after him.

The field was a wide meadow, sometimes used for grazing for the horses, but it was currently lying fallow.  It was a perfect spot for practicing dribbling and passing, and Kevin was enjoying it a lot.  He'd been about Joey's age when he had decided to give up soccer and football, and to concentrate on basketball.  Joey himself had decided to concentrate on baseball after this year, but both of them had enjoyed playing soccer and football¹ when they were little.  Their mom had always thought that soccer and basketball were both safer for kids than football.  They began to practice throwing and kicking the leather ball around the field.

They'd been at it about twenty minutes when they heard a hobbit voice shout, "Kick-the-ball!"  It was all four of the younger hobbits.  They showed Kevin and Joey the rules of what they called "kick-the-ball", which was almost like softball, except that it was played without a bat; they kicked the ball instead.  It was also somewhat similar to British cricket, since the pitcher more or less bowled the ball instead of throwing it.

They divided into teams of three: Kevin, Frodo, and Sam against Joey, Merry, and Pippin.  The two boys were amazed at how accurate all of the hobbits were at both kicking and pitching.  Finally, after the two teams had tied twice, they all fell back into the grass for a breather.

They talked for a while.  The hobbits talked of the various sports they played in the Shire.  Kevin and Joey explained the rules of football, basketball, soccer, and baseball, and the hobbits talked about roopie, nine-pin, and conkers².  The hobbits were surprised to learn that golf was played in the children's land, even though Joey said it was a "boring old people's game."

The afternoon had drawn on pleasantly, and Merry was trying to talk them into playing a tiebreaker, since he was used to winning when he played.  But then Pippin's stomach began to rumble and so did Joey's, and so they decided that going back for tea was a better idea.

-oo000oo-

Every night at bedtime, Jennifer read a story to Kaylee.  After she had finished reading to her little sister The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, she commenced reading to Kaylee at bedtime the storybooks that she had stored in her backpack for their camping trip, sometimes two or three stories a night.  She also occasionally read the stories aloud to her little sister during the day.

One day, Jennifer sat down on the bench with Bilbo on one side and Kaylee on the other, as she took out The Big Book of Fairytales that Kaylee had brought to her just minutes before.  Among other stories, it contained Charles Perrault's classic tale of Cinderella, beautifully illustrated.  "This is a very old story from our...uh, land—a fairy tale," she told the old hobbit as she opened it.  "It's one of the best-known tales of its kind."  Bilbo nodded, and she began to read it aloud to him and Kaylee.

"Once there was a gentleman who married, for his second wife, the proudest and most haughty woman that was ever seen.  She had, by a former husband, two daughters of her own, who were, indeed, exactly like her in all things.  He had likewise, by another wife, a young daughter, but of unparalleled goodness and sweetness of temper, which she took from her mother, who was the best creature in the world.

"No sooner were the ceremonies of the wedding over but the stepmother began to show herself in her true colors.  She could not bear the good qualities of this pretty girl, and the less because they made her own daughters appear the more odious.  She employed her in the meanest work of the house.  She scoured the dishes, tables, etc., and cleaned madam's chamber, and those of misses, her daughters.  She slept in a sorry garret, on a wretched straw bed, while her sisters slept in fine rooms, with floors all inlaid, on beds of the very newest fashion, and where they had looking glasses so large that they could see themselves at their full length from head to foot.

"The poor girl bore it all patiently, and dared not tell her father, who would have scolded her; for his wife governed him entirely.  When she had done her work, she used to go to the chimney corner, and sit down there in the cinders and ashes, which caused her to be called Cinderwench.  Only the younger sister, who was not so rude and uncivil as the older one, called her Cinderella.  However, Cinderella, notwithstanding her coarse apparel, was a hundred times more beautiful than her sisters, although they were always dressed very richly.

"It happened that the king's son gave a ball, and invited all persons of fashion to it.  Our young misses were also invited, for they cut a very grand figure among those of quality.  They were mightily delighted at this invitation, and wonderfully busy in selecting the gowns, petticoats, and hair dressing that would best become them.  This was a new difficulty for Cinderella; for it was she who ironed her sister's linen and pleated their ruffles.  They talked all day long of nothing but how they should be dressed…"*

Bilbo was very attentive, his eyes wide at the magnificent and brilliantly-coloured pictures.  He could discern no brush-marks on the page.  And the words were the most even that he had ever seen; not even Elves could write so perfectly.  He did not recognize any of the letters, but he could not tell how they had been put upon the page.  Perhaps they had used some sort of printing process—but the woodblock printing they used in the Shire was never quite this perfect, either.  Still, as fascinated as he was with the book itself, he did not want to interrupt Jennifer's reading.  He'd ask his questions later.

He felt movement behind him. Jennifer had not noticed, but she was beginning to acquire a larger audience.  Pippin and Frodo stood directly behind him, and he could see Merry and Sam behind Jennifer and Kaylee.  Some of the Elves were beginning to drift their way as well, even more silent than hobbits.  They were attracted by the story, which was new to them.

Jennifer kept on reading, totally unaware of her listeners, and Kaylee grinned each time her sister turned the page—the story was clearly not new to her, as she would occasionally quote some of the words as Jennifer spoke them.

Jennifer finally came to the last page of writing, although next to it was a large illustration of what was clearly a royal wedding.  "...her two sisters found her to be that fine, beautiful lady whom they had seen at the ball.  They threw themselves at her feet to beg pardon for all the ill treatment they had made her undergo.  Cinderella took them up, and, as she embraced them, said that she forgave them with all her heart, and wanted them always to love her.

"She was taken to the young prince, dressed as she was.  He thought she was more charming than before, and, a few days after, married her.  Cinderella, who was no less good than beautiful, gave her two sisters lodgings in the palace, and that very same day matched them with two great lords of the court." ³

Jennifer jumped in startlement at the sudden sound of clapping hands, and blushed as she looked around and saw everyone standing around behind her!

Before she could say anything else, Pippin leaned over Bilbo's shoulder and looked at her.  "What's a fairy godmother?”

-oo000oo-

...Exhilaration!  That's what Jennifer felt.  She was at the top of a giant roller coaster, ready for the downhill.  She stood and opened her arms wide, as—swoop! down she went.  She was as steady as a rock, although there were loops and swirls, and even one turn that went nearly upside down.  Her breath caught, not fear, but thrill.  She glanced down and saw there were miles to go to the bottom; she could not even see the ground, for she saw only clouds and mist below her.  It was like flying! If she wanted to, she knew she could simply launch herself forward.

Jennifer sat up suddenly and gave a little shake of her head as she realized she had only been dreaming.  She loved that particular dream.  She swung her legs out and put her feet on the floor.  She needed to use the convenient chamber pot located beneath her bed.  She stood up and padded over to close the door between her room and the room where Joey and Kaylee slept; then she pulled out the porcelain pot and used it to empty her bladder.  But her middle still felt full and a little sore.

Oh, dear!  She had nearly forgotten.  Biting her lower lip and shoving the chamber pot back beneath the bed, she laid back down and began to count the days backwards as well as she could recall.  They'd been in Rivendell over three weeks now.

She sighed as she snuggled back up in her blankets.  What could she do?  They were only supposed to be camping for a week, so she had not brought any of her usual supplies.  But now she knew the signs: she'd probably start some time tomorrow, or maybe in the middle of the night tonight.  Embarrassing as it was, she would need to ask someone what to do.

After breakfast the next morning, she slipped away from her brothers and sisters, and went to look for Lady Arwen.  She found her in the kitchen, discussing the evening's feast with the head cook.  As soon as Arwen had finished her conversation, Jennifer went up to her.

"Lady Arwen?  Are you too busy now?  I need to ask you about something."

"Of course, Lady Jennifer.  What is it?  Is there a problem?"

Jennifer felt herself blushing.  "Um...well, it's personal."

Arwen nodded.  "Ah!  Well, then follow me."

Jennifer followed Arwen to her solarium.  A maidservant was tidying and dusting, but Arwen dismissed her, and she gestured for Jennifer to be seated as she herself sat down in her own favourite chair.  Jennifer chose a chair across from her hostess.

Arwen leaned forward.  "Now, my child, tell me what troubles you."

"I, well..."  Jennifer stopped for a second, and then just blurted out, "It'stimeformyperiodandIdon'thavemysupplies."  She said it all at once, without taking a breath.

For just an instant, the Lady Arwen looked puzzled, and then the light dawned.  "I see.  Do not be discomfited, Jennifer.  This is a simple enough problem to solve.  Although Elf-women do not have female blood flow so often as the Edain, we are not completely immune.  And of course, we have often had women of the Dúnedain among us who needed to deal with their moon cycle."

Jennifer let out a huge sigh of relief.  Thank goodness Lady Arwen understands, she thought.

"Since you say that your time is close, we cannot stop it.  But I will provide you with strips of cloth that you can use for this time.  When they are soiled, simply put them in the buckets in the water closet provided for soiled rags, and they will be dealt with."

Jennifer nodded.  She had used pads when she had first started, so this probably would be similar.  She much preferred tampons, though.  But she was interested in one of the Lady's earlier statements.  "Thank you!  But what did you mean, 'stop it'?"

"We have a mixture of herbs that can be taken as a tea.  It is called dárithil*, and the main herb used in it is ithildin.  You must begin taking it about two days after this moonflow ceases and continue until the Moon is full.  Once the Moon begins again to wane, you must start taking it again.  I will provide you with a generous supply that should last you for many months."

"Oh, Lady Arwen, that would be wonderful!"  Jennifer smiled broadly.  Just think, no more periods after the one coming up, as long as they were in Middle-earth!

-oo000oo-

Every evening, the children spent some time together in Kevin's room as they always did in the living room at home with their parents, praying and singing hymns, praise music, and gospel songs, and Kevin would read aloud from his teen study Bible to his siblings as Jennifer read along in hers.  Every week, as they were required to do at home, they all memorized Bible verses, a separate verse per child, and they recited them to one another on Sunday mornings.  At mealtimes, Kaylee continued to ask the blessing before they ate.

"We need to talk, guys," Kevin told his siblings one morning after breakfast, as soon as they had entered his guest room.

"What about?" Jennifer asked.  Joey and Kaylee looked up at their older brother.  Lucy lay cuddled in Jennifer's arms.

"Well…"  Kevin perched on the edge of his bed.  "Remember when we first realized that we were gonna have start praying more ourselves, because our parents aren't here to help us pray?"

"Yeah," Joey mumbled.  Kaylee said nothing.

"And we've been praying and reading my Bible and Jennifer's quite a bit since then.  All of us.  Not just by ourselves, but together as well, every day.  And we've each been memorizing a Bible verse a week," Kevin went on.  "I don't know about you all, but I've been hearing God's still small voice in my spirit more and more ever since we came here."  Kevin cleared his throat.  He looked at Jennifer, who nodded agreement.

"Lately, I've been getting this feeling in my heart—my spirit—that He wants us to really start memorizing Bible verses.  Not just one verse a week, as we've always had to, or a verse a day for schoolwork, but as many as we can memorize.  A crash course of Bible verses."

Jennifer winced.  While she memorized verses because her parents and her teachers at their Christian school told her to, she had never enjoyed the task.  She set Lucy down on the floor.  "Uh, God wants us to do what?!"

Kevin touched her hand.  "I know."  He smiled grimly.  "I don't want to, either.  And I know Joey and Kaylee don't.  But this is what I'm feeling God's telling us."

Sighing, Jennifer lowered her head.  "Please, God," she complained, "do we have to do this?"  Immediately, her whole body stilled, and she remained motionless for the next few minutes.

At last, with a sigh, she muttered, "Yes, Father," and raised her head.  A resigned expression had replaced the resentment on her face.  "He's telling me the same thing."

Jennifer looked at Kaylee and then at Joey, both of whom gaped up at her with horrified expressions.  "Sorry, Kaylee, Joey.  I know you don't want to—I don't, either; none of us do—but we all have to do this.  If Mom and Daddy were here, we'd have to do as they told us, don't forget, even if we didn't like it.  Well, we also have to do as God tells us.  He's our Heavenly Father, remember."  She turned to Kevin.  "But how will we know what Bible verses we're supposed to memorize?  We don't even know what God has sent us here to do!"

Nodding, Kevin glanced at the ceiling.  "Yes, God.  How are we supposed to know?  Please tell us!"  His body suddenly stilled, and he lowered his head.  A few minutes later, he looked up at his brother and sisters.  "He'll tell us," he said.  "He'll tell us what verses to memorize, starting out, and when He's ready, I know He'll tell us what job He's sent us here to do.  In fact, I think I already know which verses for us to start on."  He looked at Kaylee.  "Since you haven't learned to read yet, Kaylee, one of us will read them to you over and over, and you'll have to keep repeating them back until you know them by heart.  The rest of us will read them for ourselves.  Jen, can I borrow your notebook so I can write the verses down for each of us?"

"OK."  Jennifer left the room, and returned a few minutes later with her spiral notebook, a pencil, a pocket pencil sharpener, and her teen study Bible.  Kevin removed his own teen study Bible from his backpack and then scanned his siblings' faces.  "If any of you feel a need to memorize a particular verse, tell me."  He looked at Jennifer.  "Since you brought your own Bible, you can use yours to memorize with.  I'll use mine to write down Joey and Kaylee's verses so they can practice theirs."  Jennifer nodded.

"But why?" Joey complained.  "Why now?  We've never had to memorize so many Bible verses before!"

Kevin glanced down at his Bible for a moment, then turned his gaze to Joey.  "I think," he said slowly, "it's because of the reason God has called us here.  He has a job for us to do here; I'm sure of it."  Jennifer nodded agreement.  "I'm thinking He wants us to know by heart as much of His Word as we can, so we'll be well-equipped to do that job."

"Yeah," Jennifer said slowly.  "I think you're right, Kevin.  After all, we don't yet know what God's called us here to do, or what we're going to face while we're doing it.  I get the feeling that it's something pretty serious, though, or God wouldn't be calling us to prepare this way."  She turned to Joey and Kaylee.  "We'd better get started, then."  Kevin nodded agreement, and Joey and Kaylee exchanged pouts.

-oo000oo-

Joey wandered around, muttering the Scripture passage that Kevin had assigned him that morning, memorizing it verse by verse.

"'Listen to your father, who gave you life,'" he muttered, "'and do not despise your mother when she is…'"  He paused and held up the piece of paper to refresh his memory.  "'…when she is old'!"  He shook his head.  "'Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old.'"

Joey paused, and then examined the passage from the Book of Proverbs.  He read aloud, "'Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as well.'" Looking up and dropping the paper to his side, he repeated, "'Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as—'"  He paused.  "'—as well.'"

He cleared his throat, and then started over, repeating them until he could say the words all the way through.  Then he held the paper up again and read the next verse aloud.  "'The father of a righteous child has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.'"

Joey continued with the rest of the verses on the paper, until he thought knew them all.  Finally, he paused a moment to catch his breath, and then started to recite the whole passage over.  "'Listen to your father, who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as well. The father of a righteous man has great joy; a man who fathers a wise son rejoices in him.'"  He paused.  "'May your father and mother rejoice; may she who gave you birth be joyful.'  Proverbs twenty-three, verses twenty-two to twenty-five."

He blew out a deep breath, and took one in again, and then with his eyes closed, Joey recited the entire passage again, ending with the Scripture reference, and then yet again.  As soon as he had finished the passage that time, clapping from behind him startled him.  Whirling around, he saw Glorfindel and Lindir standing in the doorway, smiling down at him.

"Uh, hi, Lord Glorfindel.  Hi, Master Lindir," the child said sheepishly.

"Hello, Master Joey.  You have been quite busy, I see," Glorfindel said.

"You certainly have been," Lindir agreed.

"Yeah, well, Kevin told me to memorize this passage." Joey held up the piece of paper.

Glorfindel exchanged a glance with Lindir, and then nodded approval.  "Your brother did well to assign it to you.  Those are wise words you have just memorized, and you will do well to remember them and abide by them.  Well done."

Joey smiled.  "Yes, sir.  Thanks."

-oo000oo-

Elrond found himself angrily pacing the terrace.  He had to admit that he was as close to anger as he had been in a long time.  He was reluctant enough to allow the younger hobbits to accompany the mission; to allow young children to go was sheer folly!

There had been no question of it: they were not of this world, and they were too young for the peril of such a desperate journey.  He was fuming as he took his seat on the terrace, near Gandalf.  There was no way he could, in good conscience, allow this!

And yet, last night, the Lady Galadriel had bespoken him mind-to-mind, telling him that it was necessary that the older children must go.  "Each of the four children has a part to play; it is why they were sent here.  The little one must stay in Rivendell, for it is there she shall play her part.  But the older three must join the Company."

With a sigh, Elrond sat down.  For a few moments, as Gandalf sat silently near him, Elrond was deep in thought over his mother-in-law's revelation.  She had been quite firm; in all the things she had seen in her Mirror, the three older McCloud children had been in the company of those who were going on the Quest.

Elrond jumped as he felt tiny teeth digging into his big toe.  If he had not been so distracted, he would have noticed the puppy approaching him.  Looking down at his feet, he saw Lucy crouched in front of his foot, her front paws on the floor and her rear in the air, gnawing on his toe and growling playfully.  As he raised his head, he noticed that the McCloud children had followed the puppy onto the terrace.

"That is enough, Lucy.  My feet are not for chewing," he told the puppy with a mixture of amusement and exasperation, as he jerked both feet back.  He pointed a slender finger at the pup.  "Sit," he commanded.  He was glad when she complied; the kennel-master had made progress with the spoiled little animal, then.  "Good dog," he praised her in his warmest voice.  Bending over, Elrond patted her on the head, and she wagged her tail.  With the ends of his mouth quirked upward, Elrond held his index finger in front of Lucy's mouth, and allowed the puppy to begin chewing on it while thumping her tail against the flagged terrace.

Kaylee and Joey giggled at the sight, and Kevin, Jennifer, and Gandalf all laughed.  "Lucy wants to play with you!" Kaylee said, smiling broadly.

Elrond chuckled.  "Yes, I can see that.  Unfortunately, Miss Kaylee, I do not have time to play with Lucy right now."

"You'll have to excuse Lucy, Master Elrond," Jennifer said.  "She's teething.”

"Yes, she is, and while that is happening, she will be gnawing on everything she can get her little teeth on."  Elrond handed the wiggling puppy to Jennifer.  "Take her off this terrace, if you would, children.  Take her down to the stables and see if the grooms can give you an old scrap of leather for her to chew on.  Gandalf and I have things to discuss."

"Yes, sir."  Grinning, Kevin gestured to his siblings and led the way off of the terrace.  Gandalf chuckled, and Elrond shook his head in amusement.

As soon as Elrond was certain that the children were well out of earshot, he turned to Mithrandir.  "I had a communication from the Lady Galadriel last night.  She sought me out with osanwë and informed me that the three older children must go with the company when it leaves Rivendell.  She says they have some part to play in the events to come."  He allowed his anger at the news to show.  They were only children, after all!

He expected Mithrandir to share his consternation.  After all, it would fall to the Istar to be responsible for them if they went on what was sure to be a gruelling and perilous journey.  He was shocked when the wizard nodded.

"I must agree with the Lady of the Golden Wood.  It has been growing on my heart, in the days since you and I first discussed it, that the coming of these young ones at this time is not mere chance, if chance you call it."

Elrond shook his head.  Part of him wanted to argue with his mother-in-law and with Mithrandir.  But he knew from experience that while he could always argue with the wizard, it would be fruitless to argue with her.  Yes, they had agreed during their previous discussion that Eru may well have sent these children here for a purpose, but even so…  He shook his head again.

"Very well, though it leaves me with foreboding.  This is a dangerous journey.  There is no way to promise their safety."  Elrond sighed heavily.

"No, there is not.  There will be no safety for them, or any of us who journey South.  And yet there will be no safety anywhere in Middle-earth either, if Sauron has his way.  We do not even know when or if these young ones will be returned to their world.  My heart tells me they will be needed in some way before the end."

"I shall worry, nonetheless, old friend," said the Elf-lord.  "And not the least for you.  But my heart is somewhat comforted in knowing you will be with them."

Gandalf nodded.  "I shall take my leave now.  I would speak with your daughter about the well-being of the youngest child.  I fear she will not take well to being left behind."

Elrond nodded agreement.  "I fear you are right, Gandalf."  With an answering nod of his own, the wizard left the terrace.

The Master of Imladris leaned over the terrace wall, surveying his domain, and feeling not much mollified at all.  Even if he had to make the best of it and allow Kevin, Jennifer, and Joey to go, nothing would make him like it.  And Kaylee, he was sure, would like it even less.

-oo000oo-

1. Since the McCloud children are American, "soccer" refers to what the rest of the world calls "football", and "football" here in this context refers to American football.

2. "Roopie" is a hobbit ballgame that has found its way into fanon, but was originally created by the incomparable Baylor.  Nine-pin is a historical predecessor of modern bowling and is mentioned in The Hobbit as a sport played in the Shire, along with quoits.  Conkers is a traditional game played in the UK, and is "played using the seeds of horse chestnut trees—the name 'conker' is also applied to the seed and to the tree itself.  The game is played by two players, each with a conker threaded onto a piece of string: they take turns striking each other's conker until one breaks. (Wikipedia)".  This game has also found its way into hobbit-fic fanon in a number of stories, and Bilbo admits having some skill in the game in the 2012 Peter Jackson movie, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

3. This version of Cinderella comes from Andrew Lang's translation of the classic French fairy tale, as told by Charles Perrault, and is in the public domain.

*The name dárithil is courtesy of the Web site, http://funtranslations.com/elvish, Fun Translations, and means basically "stop moon".  Ithildin is a canonical flower, but its use in this case is simply made up for the story.

Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure. This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse. This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  (Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belong to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson. This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from the books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined. Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur.  We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: To our beta, Linda Hoyland, who has been of great help with this story. Linda is a well-known and respected writer in the LotR fandom, who also posts on this site.

Chapter 9: Once Upon a Dream

Yawning, Jennifer laid her teen study Bible on her table, and then recited her latest memory verse for the last time that day. Afterward, she knelt beside her bed.

"God," she prayed, "we've been here for several weeks now, and we still don't know why You've sent us here. We don't even want to be here, Lord; we want to be home! Home with our mom and daddy. Home with Megan. We don't want to worry Mom and Daddy, and we hate it that we're not with them. I mean, this isn't like being at summer camp or visiting our grandparents!" She took a deep breath. "Surely, we can carry out a ministry at home, can't we, Father? Why do we have to be in a fantasy world to do it?"

Jennifer swallowed. "Please, God, speak to me. Tell me why we're here." She paused. "In Jesus' name, amen."

With a sigh, she drew the covers back and crawled underneath. To her relief, a supernatural peace flooded through her. I'm with you, a still, small voice spoke in her gut. I have sent you here, and I am here with you. I am also with your parents.

Yes, Father, she thought, before she drifted off...

...only to find herself seeing a strange man standing before her in what appeared to be the middle of a wilderness, with mountains on the horizon. To her surprise, Kevin and Joey were with her and that man, as were Boromir, Gandalf, Legolas, Gimli, and all of the hobbits except Bilbo. Where's Kaylee? she wondered.

As Jennifer scanned the horizon, she saw a black cloud moving slowly toward them. It was not a thunderstorm cloud or a wall cloud containing a tornado; it was pitch-black, for one thing, much blacker than any wall cloud she had ever seen, and it had a feeling of evil about it which not even wall clouds had. Jennifer shivered as she watched it, and then she turned toward her companions. Unless they successfully completed their mission, whatever it was, that black cloud would not only catch up with them, it would cover all of Middle-earth. She knew it, though she did not know how she knew…

Jennifer's eyes popped wide open, and she shot up in her bed, her heart pounding and her whole body shaking. God? she silently prayed. What was that about?

No answer came to her. Taking a slow, deep breath, she lay back down and closed her eyes. She would just have to trust that her Heavenly Father would tell her when He was ready.

Jennifer woke early the next morning. Unlike most dreams, that one had stuck with her. She could still recall it perfectly. She rose and drew on the silk dressing gown that the Elves had given her, and instead of passing through the nursery where Joey and Kaylee slept, she stepped out the door to the corridor and took the few steps across the hall to Kevin's room. She tapped lightly on the door, and hoped that he was not deeply asleep.

"Come in!" came her brother's voice.

She cracked open the door and slipped into the room. To her surprise, Kevin was awake and dressed. He sat in a chair by the window with his Bible in his hands.

"Why are you up so early?" she asked.

"I could ask you the same question," answered Kevin, "but I had a very strange dream last night."

"You, too?" Jennifer asked in amazement.

Kevin jerked his chin up and stared at her. "Tell me your dream." He gestured to his bed, and she sat down. Then she carefully related her dream to him.

He had begun to nod his head when she had only just begun to speak. "That's the exact same dream I had," he said, when she had finished. "I also had the feeling that if we did not succeed, the darkness might even follow us home—if we ever got back there. I couldn't get back to sleep after that, so I finally decided to get up at dawn and do some reading. I've been reading about Joseph."

"The one who was sold into slavery in Egypt, or Jesus' earthly father?" Jennifer asked.

"The one who was sold into slavery."

Jennifer sank onto Kevin's bed, stunned. "This was no ordinary dream, then," she said. "It was a message from God!"

Kevin nodded agreement. "Yeah. I really think it was," he said slowly. "I believe He was telling us why He's sent us here. We still don't know what He wants us to do, exactly, but we do know it's serious, whatever it is. Something to do with battling some kind of demon—maybe this Sauron that Gandalf told us about, or Satan, perhaps—and defeating some kind of spiritual darkness. A darkness that will completely cover all of Middle-earth if it's not stopped. It might even follow us to our world, if we can't stop it." He paused. "Definitely serious."

Shivering, Jennifer took a deep, shuddering breath. "Yeah. Very serious." She paused. "I have a feeling we're gonna know just what He's sent us here for very soon." She took another deep breath, and then quoted softly, "'Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.'"

Nodding, Kevin continued, "'Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people.'"

He paused, and then added, "'Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.'" Kevin stopped briefly to take his breath. "'You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.'" He halted for a moment, and then continued. "'I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.'"

Kevin stood silently for a moment after he had stopped quoting the Bible verses. "God is with us, Jen, and He will help us resist the evil one. Satan can try to hurt us, but he can't defeat us, because God is greater than him, and the same thing goes for this Sauron. Whatever it is that God's gonna have us do, He'll give us the strength to do it, and He will give us the victory over the powers of darkness. We'll have to remember that." He paused, and swallowed hard. "Because it's true." He took a deep breath, and Jennifer suspected that he was trying to convince himself as well as her.

She nodded agreement. "Yeah. It's true." She cleared her throat, and then quoted, "'My prayer is not that You take them out of the world but that You protect them from the evil one.'" She grimaced. "Looks like we're gonna be doing some kind of spiritual warfare, doesn't it? All of us." She shook her head. "I still don't understand why God would choose us, Kevin!"

Kevin shrugged. "Hey, you know how God likes to pick unlikely people."

"No kidding," Jennifer muttered.

-oo000oo-

Arwen was looking for Kevin and Jennifer. The brother and sister were not in their rooms. Joey and Kaylee had gone down to the kitchens with the hobbits for "elevenses", but the older children had not accompanied them.

She came to the open doors to the outside, near the garden at the end of the corridor, and heard the low murmur of voices; stepping outside, she saw the two speaking quietly with their heads bowed and their eyes closed, which surprised her. But before she could say anything to them, Kevin gave a nod and touched his sister's hand, and both looked up and saw her standing there. Kevin stood up. "Lady Arwen!"

"Lord Kevin and Lady Jennifer," she said, returning the boy's greeting. "I was searching for the two of you."

"Is everything alright?" asked Jennifer, a flash of worry on her face. "Did Kaylee or Joey get in trouble? Are they hurt?"

Arwen smiled a reassuring smile, and shook her head. "Nay, the little ones are all right. They are in the good company of hobbits, and are being watched over by Eledhwen. But my father and Gandalf would like to speak with you."

"What about?" Kevin asked.

She shook her head. "That is for them to say. But I will accompany you to my father's study, and you shall find out."

"Of course," Jennifer replied. "We don't mean to be rude, but we naturally just wondered."

"You did not offend, but it is an answer better left until you get there."

They followed her back through the passageways, speaking of Lucy's progress in being housebroken and in learning to heel and to sit on command, and soon found themselves at the large double doors that led into the study of the Lord of Rivendell. Arwen tapped lightly on the door, and her father's voice bid them enter. Her father was seated behind the large table that served him as a desk, and Gandalf was standing behind him near the large window overlooking the Valley, and giving a great view of one of the waterfalls in the distance.

Kevin and Jennifer had begun to absorb the manners of Rivendell, and both of them gave a small bow to Master Elrond and Gandalf, and waited to be spoken to first.

"Good day, Lord Kevin and Lady Jennifer," Elrond said. "Will you be seated?" He gestured to three chairs across from him. They sat down in the two nearest ones.

"Good day, Master Elrond and Gandalf," Kevin responded. He found it odd that in this place where titles were insisted on, that no one ever used a title with the wizard.

"Do you wish me to stay, Ada?" asked Arwen.

"I do."

She sat in the third chair. Although she had not been privy to her grandmother's communication, nor to Gandalf's presentiments, she had a feeling that she might guess the subject of the conversation.

But it was not her father who opened the conversation. It was Gandalf who spoke first. "You two may be aware that you children have arrived in the midst of preparations for a journey, although you have never been told just what that journey was about."

"Yes, sir," said Kevin.

"It's pretty obvious," added Jennifer, "but no one will talk about where they are going, or why. The hobbits shut right up if they are talking about it when we come along, and some of the others never seem to talk about it at all."

Gandalf smiled at them. "You are very perceptive, Lady Jennifer. Yes, this quest that has been planned relies on secrecy. Up until now, there was no reason for you to be involved, or to be privy to the details of the mission."

"But now there is?" Kevin asked.

"Now there is," responded the wizard, nodding, "because there is reason to believe that your presence here at this time is not a mere accident. There is every indication that you are meant to go on this journey yourselves."

Arwen watched them closely. They did not seem to show much surprise.

"We wondered about that," said Kevin. "Not the going-on-the-journey part, I mean, since we didn't know about that, but we did think that there is a reason for us to be here." He looked Gandalf in the eye, and Gandalf returned his gaze with a knowing nod, remembering what they had spoken of not long after the children had arrived.

"May I ask what that reason is?" Elrond put in.

"We knew we wouldn't be here unless God had sent us here. After all, He's the only one who could," Kevin said, exchanging a glance with Jennifer. "And we knew He wouldn't have sent us to Middle-earth unless He had a job for us to do here. We figured all that out soon after we arrived here." He glanced again at Jennifer, who nodded agreement. "And that's not all. Both of us, Jennifer and me, had dreams last night—the same one, in fact. We both saw ourselves in a place we had never seen before, and we were with some of the people we've met here. Joey was with us, but Kaylee was not. All the hobbits except for Mr. Bilbo Baggins were there, as well as Lord Boromir, the Elf Legolas, and Master Gimli—and some man I've never seen before. And you were there as well, Gandalf." He described his own dream in detail, describing the black, evil-looking storm cloud in the process. Jennifer nodded agreement, and then she and Kevin turned their attention back to Elrond.

"I see." The elf lord nodded. "So it would not surprise you to know that Gandalf has had a similar foresight?"

Kevin and Jennifer looked at one another uneasily. "Is it all right to ask if we may know what it's all about now?" he asked.

Gandalf nodded. "Kevin and Jennifer, do you remember our discussion on your second day here? And what I told you children about Melkor and Sauron?"

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged another glance and nodded. "Yes, sir." Kevin swallowed. "What about them?"

As succinctly as possible, Gandalf and Elrond explained the tale of the One Ring, and Frodo's upcoming mission to destroy it, and thus rid the world of the evil of Sauron. Kevin and Jennifer both had stunned expressions when Gandalf and Elrond had finished, and then Jennifer shook her head in bewilderment.

"I don't get it," she said. "This ring you talked about—it's just a piece of jewelry! An inanimate object. How can a ring be evil?"

Elrond smiled ruefully. "It would be easier for all if it was just a piece of jewelry, Lady Jennifer," he said. "Unfortunately, it is not. It is a Ring of Power, and as such, it contains great power. Moreover, it is the One Ring. Sauron created that Ring to rule all the other Rings of Power, and in the process, he put a great deal of his own power into it. It has the power to corrupt everyone who has possession of it. Those who desire power for themselves, in particular, are at especial risk of being corrupted."

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged another glance and shook their heads. "So that's what The Lord of the Rings is about," Jennifer said softly as she looked at Kevin, and her brother nodded agreement. For a long moment, they sat in silence.

"Whoa!" Kevin finally said softly, shaking his head. "It's kind of like Star Wars, then. The Death Star had to be destroyed."

Jennifer nodded. "True, except the Death Star couldn't corrupt anybody."

Gandalf and Elrond looked puzzled. "Another tale from your world? Is it a real one, or one created by your people, such as you believed about Middle-earth?" asked Gandalf.

This time, Kevin and Jennifer did look surprised. In fact, both of them were startled: if Middle-earth was real in this place and time, what if Star Wars and other stories like that were, too? That was almost too much to think about.

Jennifer's eyes grew wide. Could even a place like Oz exist? But no, she argued with herself; Baum set that fantasy somewhere in the U.S., and everyone knew that magic land didn't really exist! But...naw, could it, actually? She shook her head to clear it and answered the wizard's question.

"A tale created in our world," Jennifer answered. "It's set in outer space. A man named George Lucas created it. As far as we know, it's not real."

Nodding, Kevin asked, "If we go, what does that mean? Will Kaylee stay here, where it's safe? I guess Joey has to go, since he was in our dreams, but how dangerous will it be?" These were only the first questions to come to mind, but he knew there would be many more.

"Miss Kaylee will have to stay here, as will your dog, but the two of you and Master Joey will go on the Quest," Elrond said. "My daughter will look after your little sister and Lucy in your absence." Smiling, Arwen nodded agreement as she looked at Kevin and Jennifer. Elrond added, "I am afraid that it will be quite dangerous, which is the main reason that Miss Kaylee will remain here in Rivendell. She will have her own role to play in the events to come, but she will play it out here."

Exchanging a troubled glance with Kevin, Jennifer bit her lower lip. "That's going to be really hard on Kaylee, Master Elrond," she said. "She's already missing our parents, and now she's going to miss us as well. Being separated from her whole family's gonna be really tough on her." Kevin nodded his own agreement. Jennifer added, "How are we gonna tell her?"

Elrond nodded sagely. "It will need to be done sooner rather than later, I think. Do you wish me to tell her?"

Jennifer looked up hopefully, but then shook her head. As nice as it would be to let someone else do the telling, Kaylee was their little sister and also their responsibility. "No, we'll do it."

Kevin nodded decisively. "Yes, we will." He looked at Jennifer. "We'll tell her and Joey together."

-oo000oo-

"Joey! Kaylee!" Jennifer called, as she and Kevin entered the kitchen.

The two younger children whirled around, half-eaten biscuits in their hands. "Hey, come try these! They're delicious!" Joey smiled broadly and took another bite out of his biscuit.

Jennifer and Kevin laughed. "I'm sure they are, Joey, but we don't have time to munch on cookies—uh, biscuits—right now," Kevin told him. "Right now, Jennifer and I need to talk to you." Jennifer nodded agreement.

"Come on, you two. We need to go up to our rooms and talk." Jennifer extended her hand toward the two. Exchanging puzzled glances, Joey and Kaylee approached them. As Kevin and Jennifer took them out of the kitchen, Kaylee and Joey finished their biscuits.

As soon as the four children entered Kevin's bedroom minutes later, Joey turned toward him and Jennifer. "What's up?" he asked, his brow furrowed in puzzlement. "Is everything all right?"

Nodding, Kevin gestured toward the chairs. "Better sit down, you two. We've got a lot to talk about." After the four children had taken their seats, Kevin cleared his throat. "We—uh, we've found out why God has sent us here. And it's very serious, Joey and Kaylee. Only if we can do what God has sent us here for will everything be all right, Joey."

"That's right." Jennifer glanced at Kevin and turned back to the two younger children. "Remember the Star Wars movies?" Kaylee and Joey nodded. "Remember what had to be done in the very first Star Wars movie?"

Joey exchanged a glance with his little sister. "They had to destroy the Death Star. The Rebels did," he said.

"That's right," Kevin said. "And why did the Rebels have to destroy the Death Star?"

Joey bit his lower lip. "Well, uh, because—because the Emperor was going to be too powerful if it wasn't. He'd be able to use the Death Star to blow up whole planets, and nobody would've been able to stop him. He blew up Alderaan with it."

Jennifer and Kevin nodded. "That's right," Jennifer said. "Well, Kaylee and Joey, Middle-earth is faced with a similar danger right now. Remember what Gandalf told us about Melkor and Sauron, the day after we came here?" Joey and Kaylee nodded. For the next few minutes, being careful to use words that a five-year-old would understand, Jennifer and Kevin explained to Joey and Kaylee what Gandalf and Elrond had told them about Sauron and his Ring.

"If Sauron ever gets his Ring back, he'll be just like Emperor Palpatine in the Star Wars movies," she said. "He'll be way too powerful. Nobody'll be able to stop him, just as nobody would have been able to stop the emperor as long as the Death Star existed. He won't be able to blow up whole planets, but he will be able to control everybody. He wants that Ring back, and he's bound and determined to get it. It's got to be destroyed so that he'll never be able to use it."

Kevin nodded. "Remember how the Rebels had to destroy the Death Star, Joey?"

Joey furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. "They had to blow up that re—rea…" His voice trailed off.

"Reactor," Kevin finished for him. "The main reactor. There was an exhaust port in the Death Star's surface that went clear down to the main reactor. If a Rebel fired a weapon from his ship right into that port, it would explode and the whole Death Star along with it, and it did. There was no other way to destroy it. That was the only way to blow it up; just firing a weapon at it wouldn't do it." Joey nodded agreement. Kevin added, "And then they had to do the same thing all over again in Return of the Jedi."

Joey nodded vigorously. "They sure did!"

Kaylee smiled broadly. "Yeah!" She wiggled.

Kevin continued, "It's the same way with the Ring that Sauron made, Joey and Kaylee. Unfortunately, it's so strong that not even a really hot fire can destroy it. You can't break it into pieces with a sledgehammer, or melt it by throwing it into a regular fire, not even a really hot one; it's that strong. Gandalf and Master Elrond told us there's only one place where it can be destroyed. The same place where it was made: Mount Doom in Mordor. Mordor's where Sauron lives, you see, and Mount Doom is where he made that Ring. It has to be thrown into the fire there—I suspect it's lava."

Jennifer bit her lower lip. "I believe it is, too. Well, anyway, Frodo Baggins has volunteered to go to Mount Doom and throw it into the lava there, to destroy it. It's a volcano, you see, and that's where Sauron made his Ring, as Kevin said. It's hundreds of miles away, east of Rivendell. Samwise Gamgee's going to go with him, and several others are, too." She paused. "It's gonna be a quest, Joey and Kaylee, just like the ones in stories about the Middle Ages."

"That's right." Exchanging a glance with Jennifer, Kevin took a deep breath. "This is not going to be easy to tell you two," he told Joey and Kaylee gently. "It turns out that God brought us here because He wants us to go on this quest, too. You and Jennifer and me, Joey. We have to go, too, with the others. Since cars haven't been invented yet, and since we won't riding horses or traveling by wagon, we're going to have to walk the whole way. It's going to take us a long time to get there."

Kaylee stiffened her back, her face etched with distress. She frantically scanned her siblings' faces. "What about me?"

Kevin softened his voice. "You'll have to stay here, Kaylee. With Lucy."

"No!" Wailing, Kaylee slid off her chair. Jennifer reached out to her, and Kaylee rushed toward her, crying. "I don't want to stay here! Not without you! Please don't leave me here!"

With Jennifer's help, Kaylee climbed into her lap and buried her face in her big sister's chest. "Shh." Wrapping her arms tightly around Kaylee, Jennifer kissed her little sister on her head. "It's not our choice, Kaylee," she said gently. "It wasn't our choice to come here, and the way they talk, it's not going to be our choice to take you with us, either. I'm sorry, Kaylee. I know you don't want to be separated from us; we don't want that, either. But you'll have to be. You and Lucy have got to stay here with Master Elrond and Lady Arwen while we're gone."

Kaylee didn't say a word. She just clung to Jennifer and sobbed violently. In that moment, Gandalf and Elrond entered the room.

Kaylee looked up and raced over to them. "PLEASE don't make me stay! PLEASE! I'll be good and everything!"

Elrond was taken aback. He was unused to such an outburst. Gandalf knelt down, and embraced her. "There, there," he said gently. "I know you will be good, child. But no amount of promises to be good will help you to go on this journey. You simply are not old enough." He rubbed her back gently. "Do not weep, Kaylee, for this parting may be hard, but it will not be forever." He stopped rubbing her back and patted it gently. "Be brave, little one."

Elrond was not sure, but he thought he noticed a brief flash of red light from Gandalf's hand, and nodded.

Kaylee leaned back from the wizard, wiping the tears off her face with the back of her hand. She sniffled. "I can be brave," she said in almost a whisper, and then just a little louder, "I can be brave."

"That's my girl," Gandalf said, giving her a brief hug, before standing back up.

Elrond handed her a fine linen handkerchief. "I think you need to blow your nose, Miss Kaylee," he told her, and she did so.

"Well," she said, looking at her siblings and biting her lower lip, "I can be brave, but I'll still miss you. I wish I could go."

Kevin and Jennifer gaped at their little sister, and then at Gandalf. "How did you do that?!" Jennifer asked him, her mouth wide open.

Gandalf chuckled. "As an Istar, I have ways of comforting little ones that mortals and Elves do not possess, Jennifer."

-oo000oo-

Boromir knocked at the door to Master Elrond's study, and at his host's call of "Enter," he opened the door and came into the room. He was somewhat surprised to see both Master Bilbo Baggins and Mithrandir in the room. They were seated across from Master Elrond at the large carven table that the Elf used as his desk. There was another empty chair there.

"Be seated." Elrond said. "As you know, we are trying to decide whether to allow the two youngest hobbits to be part of the Company as it travels South."

Boromir nodded as he sat down. He was both surprised and more than a little dubious about this, but his opinion had not been asked.

Bilbo Baggins must have noted something in his expression. He gave a small snort. "Master Boromir, you underestimate my young kin. I have no doubt whatsoever that they have already laid plans to slip out and follow Frodo if the permission has not been given. They will be far safer as part of the Company, and not trailing along behind it. Furthermore, Frodo will need them; they are family." This last word was spoken with the snap of finality and authority that reminded Boromir that this small person was well over a hundred years of age, and used to being listened to.

Nodding at Bilbo, Elrond continued, "What you do not know is that there is also a likelihood that the three elder McCloud children may also need to go upon the journey."

"What?" Boromir exclaimed in shock. "But they are mere children, save for young Lord Kevin, and he is not truly an adult either!"

Mithrandir nodded sadly. "And yet both myself and the Lady Galadriel, wisest of the High Elves remaining in Middle-earth, have had this foresight. It is necessary for the outcome of our quest that they be included. And we shall need your help."

Elrond gave a deep sigh, and added, "Normally, this is a task I would ask Aragorn to perform, but as he is leading one of the scouting parties, I think it would be best if you do so. I do not command you in this, but I do ask if you would be willing to teach Lord Kevin and Master Joey, as well as the young hobbits, the rudiments of using their weapons?" He paused. "Of course, that will mean giving Lord Kevin and Master Joey their own weapons before you leave on the quest. Except for Frodo, the hobbits already have swords." Mithrandir nodded agreement. "These lessons will be of benefit to them, even if they do not go on the journey, and will also be a good outlet for youthful energy."

"I will be giving Frodo my old sword, Sting, Master Elrond, since his was destroyed by the Black Riders. Merry and Pippin and Sam have their own swords still, that they received from Tom Bombadil, but are you going to supply the children with weapons?" Bilbo asked.

"Yes, Bilbo, I have already spoken to the armourer."

Boromir's eyebrows climbed nearly to his hairline, but before he could think to say "yea" or "nay", the Wizard spoke.

"I know," said Mithrandir (or Gandalf, as these Northerners called him), "that you have experience of this. I seem to recall that on one of my visits to Minas Tirith years ago, that you had the training of some of the young cadets?"

Of course. Faramir had been one of his students. He had quite enjoyed the job, too, until his father had decided he was not harsh enough with the lads. Denethor had him replaced with a sour and grizzled old veteran who knew the way to his lord's esteem was to be extra hard on the Steward's younger son. But Boromir had continued to teach his little brother in secret.

Bilbo spoke up again. "If my cousins are to have swords, I'd as soon have it that they learn what to do with them. I was lucky. Spiders do not carry swords. If I had been so unfortunate as to encounter an enemy who did, I should not have lasted two minutes."

"Very well," he answered. After all, teaching swordplay was something he was good at. And the task would give him something to do besides cool his heels until it was time to leave.

"Thank you so much, Lord Boromir," said Master Elrond. "Your help may very well mean the difference between life and death for the youngest members of the Company."

-oo000oo-

A/N: The Bible passages that Kevin and Jennifer quote above are from the New International Version, and consist of Ephesians 6:10-18, James 4:7, 1 John 4:4, John 16:33, and John 17:15.

Portions of the latter part of this chapter are slightly altered from Dreamflower's story, "A Conversation in Rivendell".

Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar fantasy world and part of an unexpected adventure. This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse. This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.  (Co-written by KathyG and Dreamflower.)

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson. This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies. Quotations from the books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined. Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur. We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: To our beta, Linda Hoyland, who has been of great help with this story. Linda is a well-known and respected writer in the LotR fandom, who also posts on this site.

Chapter 10: I'll Make a Man Out of You

A few days later, Aragorn strode down the path that led to the armoury; while he did hope to speak to the smith about the reforging of Narsil, he had another purpose as well for returning to Rivendell at this time.

Clack. Clack. Clack. "Get your shoulders up, Master Joey! Master Meriadoc, breathe! Master Peregrin, switch places with your cousin!"

Thwack. Thwack. Thwack. "Well done, Lord Kevin!"

Aragorn chuckled. The voice was Boromir's. Obviously, the Steward's son was experienced in training young recruits. Arwen had told him that the Gondorian had taken on the training of the younger hobbits and the two strange boys she had told him of. He had returned briefly to Rivendell to deliver a report to Elrond and Gandalf of what he had discovered in his scouting so far, and to get more supplies before he and his Rangers searched farther afield.

He saw Pippin and a little boy of about nine going at it with wooden practice blades. The leather practice armour the boy was wearing looked quite familiar—it had been Aragorn's at one time, made for him during his childhood many years ago. The two appeared well matched. Pippin's maturity and lower center of gravity gave him a bit more power, but the boy had a slightly longer reach, and he was quite enthusiastic. Both of them seemed to be quick, though Pippin was somewhat more coordinated. They were not, however, landing many blows.

Merry appeared overheated and out of breath. He was currently at one side, getting a dipper of water from Sam and being scolded fondly by Frodo.

On the other side of the grounds, Boromir was carefully watching a youth of about fifteen or sixteen years of age raining blows upon a pell. Occasionally, the warrior would step in to correct the boy's stance or grip. The boy clearly was a novice, which was puzzling. Most boys of his age would not be making those mistakes. Aragorn wondered why the youth appeared to have had no training. The boy had none of the signs of a son of the working class. His skin was clear, and not weathered or sunburned; his build lean and well proportioned; and he bore none of the callouses to be found on those who did manual labor, and nearly all gently-born sons learned early to wield a weapon. However, Boromir had called him "Lord Kevin". The Ranger's curiosity was piqued.

Boromir stopped and turned to Pippin and the younger boy, who were still flailing away at one another with enthusiasm, rarely ever getting in an actual hit, and only once in awhile blocking a shot. Most of the swings went wild. Aragorn smiled and shook his head as he watched Boromir remonstrating with them; the Gondorian shook his finger at them and sent the young boy over to the side to get some water, and summoned Merry. Now it was Brandybuck against Took, and Pippin was steadier against his cousin's more calculated onslaught. Boromir stood back, watched a few minutes, then shouted, "Master Meriadoc! Once more! Mind your breathing!"

Boromir summoned the younger boy, set him to the pell, and then summoned the older one to stand beside him, and had him imitate a series of stances and exercises that the warrior demonstrated. Aragorn found himself impressed with Boromir's teaching skills.

After a few more moments, Boromir had his students take a run around the training ground twice, and then head into the armoury to remove their practice gear. He himself made his way over to where Aragorn had stood watching.

"My Lord Aragorn," he greeted, with a nod.

"My Lord Boromir," Aragorn responded just as formally. He hoped the two of them would progress to less formality before they had to leave Rivendell. But he knew that the Captain-General of Gondor was still wary of him and his intentions.

"What do you make of my students?" asked Boromir.

"I was not surprised to see you working with Merry and Pippin, who are determined to go with us. But who are these young newcomers?"

"Young Lord Kevin and Master Joey are clearly in need of the skills of a warrior. I do not know what else you have been told of them, but the place they come from is clearly a very different and a more peaceful place, almost like the Shire of the Hobbits. They've had no need to learn swordplay or how to wield weapons, but now those skills may be vital to them, for Master Elrond and Mithrandir have told me they do not know if the young ones will ever return to their homeland."

"Is it so far, then?" Aragorn asked, puzzled. Arwen had not had time to tell him everything.

"Maybe you can tell me," Boromir replied, "for it is said by many here that you have wandered far into distant lands. Have you ever heard of the states of America, or the land of Or Egon?"

Aragorn blinked. "No, indeed."

Boromir led the way to the armoury, the two Men speaking together as they walked.

"All my Lady Arwen had the chance to tell me of these new visitors was their names and their ages, and the fact that they seem to come from a very far land indeed," said Aragorn.

The Gondorian nodded. "I have learned little more; none here have heard of their lands, not even Mithrandir. I have spoken with them, but their customs and ways are so different from ours, and many of their words make no sense; I cannot truly understand them. I do know they come from a land of peace and many wonders."

Aragorn shook his head in confusion. "If even Mithrandir does not know from what land they hail, then it must be a far place indeed."

They approached the armoury building, and could hear chattering within as Merry, Pippin, Joey, and Kevin discussed their lesson. They all stopped talking as soon as the two Men entered, and stood respectfully looking up at their teacher with their hands behind their backs. The older boy did a double-take as soon as he saw Aragorn.

Boromir gave them a nod. "Lord Aragorn, you already know Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. My other two pupils are Lord Kevin McCloud and his brother, Master Joseph McCloud." He gestured toward each boy as he introduced them. Turning toward the boys, he told them, "Boys, this is Aragorn, son of Arathorn."

Kevin hesitated only briefly as he tried to recall the proper response; he bowed his head, and said, "Uh—uh, at your service and your family's." He tapped Joey on the shoulder. "Joey." A startled Joey gave a bow of his own.

"I'm at your service, too," the little boy said, as he straightened his back. He gazed up at the tall Man, who stood even half a head taller than Boromir.

Aragorn smiled and inclined his head. "At your service, young gentlemen, and I am most pleased to meet both of you. You appear to be diligent students for Lord Boromir."

"We have a lot to learn," said Kevin. "We've only ever seen real swords in museums and such, or in historical shows. I've never even held one before we came here—neither of us have." He glanced at Joey. "I sure hope we can learn enough in the time we have."

Joey looked at Aragorn curiously. "Mister, are you the one that Merry and Pippin call 'Strider'?" He tilted his head as he spoke.

Aragorn chuckled. "Indeed, I am. They were introduced to me by that name, for that is what folk call me in Bree, where we met. You are most welcome to call me by that name as well, if you wish, Master Joey. You as well, Lord Kevin."

Kevin glanced at Boromir, who looked disapproving, and then exchanged a glance with Joey. "Uh, we'll have to think about that, sir. I am not sure if that would be respectful, since we've only just met." Boromir gave him a very slight approving nod.

Aragorn glanced at the other Man; Gondorians were much more formal than the Dúnedain of the North. Perhaps it was best not to insist on informality yet; Kevin and Joey were, after all, under the other Man's tutelage. "That is also acceptable to me," he said. "But the offer stands if you should feel differently when we know one another better."

Kevin nodded. "OK, thanks." He looked down at Joey, who nodded.

"You'll like good old Strider a lot when you get to know him," Pippin put in. "But when he gets going on those long legs of his, you'll know how he got that name!"

"You are a very cheeky hobbit, Master Took!" Aragorn laughed.

Merry raised an eyebrow at the Ranger. "You mean to say you are just now noticing that? His cheek is famous in the Shire."

"And yours is not, Mr. Brandybuck?" Aragorn asked with a smirk.

Merry grinned. "I taught him everything he knows," he replied.

Joey stared at the two hobbits; he still was not quite sure what to make of them. Sometimes they seemed quite grown-up, but at other times, they acted as if they were no older than he was.

Pippin looked at his cousin. "Merry! We need to tidy ourselves up and get ready for tea—we are supposed to take tea in Bilbo's rooms with Frodo and Sam this afternoon, remember?"

"Of course I remember, you silly Took! Lady Arwen and Lady Jennifer and Miss Kaylee will be there." He glanced up at Aragorn. "Why don't you come along as well, Strider? I know Bilbo will be glad if you come. And this will be your chance to meet Kevin and Joey's sisters, Lady Jennifer and Miss Kaylee." He turned to the boys. "You could come as well."

Boromir shook his head. "I must take the boys to the paddock. They are to have riding lessons today."

The boys looked excited rather than disappointed, so the two hobbits led Aragorn back to the House so that they could all get washed and changed into clean clothes before going to tea with Master Bilbo.

It did not take long for the hobbits to make themselves presentable, and after they met Aragorn in the corridor near their own quarters, they headed for Bilbo's little apartment.

Merry tapped firmly upon the door. Unlike all the other doors they had seen in Rivendell, this one was round.

Frodo opened the door, and grinned as he saw Aragorn there. "Ah, Strider! It's so good to see you are back. I had heard you might be." He ushered them all in. Sam was beside a fireplace, putting wood in the fire. Aragorn could hear Bilbo humming in the small kitchen that stood to the left of the door.

Arwen, Jennifer, and Kaylee had only just arrived themselves; Lucy was sitting obediently by Kaylee's feet, her tail thumping the floor. Jennifer was sitting in a chair. Arwen's face lit up, as did Aragorn's when they saw and greeted each other by name. Jennifer froze, looking startled, as soon as she saw Aragorn.

It's him! The man in my dream! she thought. I wonder if it's the same man in Kevin's dream, too! He said he saw a strange man in his dream also. She made a mental note to tell Kevin later. And then her face softened as she watched Aragorn and Arwen; it was like they were the only two people in the whole world for a moment. It was so romantic!

Aragorn's her boyfriend! she thought, smiling broadly. Lucky Arwen!

In the weeks since their arrival in Middle-earth, Jennifer had grown fond of Bilbo's cozy sitting room. It had a couple of sofas and several chairs. Some of the chairs, including Jennifer's favorite, were large enough for humans to sit in, as well as one of the sofas, but the other chairs and the other sofa were hobbit-sized. There was a low, round table in the middle, sort of like a round coffee table, but a little shorter, and yet the top was a little bigger. An old-fashioned crocheted doily was on top of it.

Bilbo came bustling in with an enormous tray—as always, Jennifer wondered how he could carry it—and placed it in the middle of the doily. There were cookies—no, they called them biscuits here, she reminded herself—and tiny cakes, and Sam brought out some little sandwiches and a big pot of tea on another tray. Frodo had gone to the kitchen, and he came out with yet another tray, this one with cups and saucers. Three sets were full-sized, and the rest were hobbit-sized. Jennifer mentally counted them, and realized that they must mean for Kaylee to use one of the hobbit-sized cups.

Returning to the kitchen, Frodo came back out with a bowl containing some cuts of meat. He set it down on the floor, and Lucy scampered toward the bowl, quickly gobbling the meat down.

Arwen turned to the girls. "Aragorn, these are two of the children who arrived in Middle-earth, Lady Jennifer McCloud and her little sister, Miss Kaylee." She gestured toward the puppy, who was devouring the meat. "And their puppy, Lucy."

Aragorn smiled. "I have just met their brothers on the training ground. They were having a lesson in swordplay along with Merry and Pippin. They are having a riding lesson now." He inclined his head toward Jennifer and then toward Kaylee. "Well met, Lady Jennifer and Miss Kaylee. At your service and your family's."

"We're pleased to meet you, Lord Aragorn. How do you do?" Jennifer said. Exchanging a glance with Kaylee, she and her little sister bowed toward the Ranger. "Uh, at your service, too," she added, as she straightened her body. Aragorn remembered what Boromir had told him about these children's ways and customs being different from those of Middle-earth.

Frodo nodded, and then turned toward Bilbo. He raised his voice so that his older cousin would hear him. "I added another cup and saucer, Uncle Bilbo, seeing that Aragorn has joined us."

"Quite so, my lad, quite so," Bilbo answered. He grinned up at the tall man. "So glad you could join us, Dúnadan!"

"It's good to see you as well, old friend," the Ranger answered, smiling. He and Arwen arranged themselves on the larger sofa, and the hobbits and Kaylee all sat in the smaller chairs that were arranged around the table. Jennifer took one of the larger chairs. At Bilbo's urging, Sam joined them on one of the smaller chairs.

Bilbo asked Lady Arwen to pour out the tea, and Frodo passed around the food. Jennifer was not especially hungry, but she took one of the small sandwiches and a couple of the cookies—biscuits. Was she ever going to get used to calling them that? We'll have to get used to calling them cookies again when we go back home, she thought wryly. Kaylee took two sandwiches and five biscuits, and Bilbo poured a glass of water and set it before the little girl. Jennifer shook her head. Wait till Kevin learns I actually met the man I saw in my dream!

They all began to talk. Bilbo told the rather amusing story of his first meeting with Aragorn. Apparently, he first had seen him all scruffy and dirty from camping out in the Wild for weeks, and had taken him for a dangerous ruffian at first.

Then Aragorn made Frodo blush by recounting the first time they had seen each other, and the hobbit had embarrassed himself by jumping up and singing on a table. "It seemed like a good idea at the time," the hobbit mumbled, red-faced.

Merry and Pippin laughed loudly at their older cousin, but he shook his head. "How many times have I heard the two of you use that excuse?"

Sam rolled his eyes, and Bilbo caught his look and winked.

Jennifer smiled. That was one of Joey's favorite excuses as well. She looked over and saw Arwen smiling at her. Jennifer got up her nerve to ask something that had been tickling her curiosity ever since Aragorn had entered the room. "Lady Arwen, how did you and Lord Aragorn get together?" Then she blushed at her own temerity. Aragorn spluttered in his tea, and Bilbo bit back a grin.

Arwen blushed as well, and laughed. "Our story is a long one, but I can tell you if you wish…"

-oo000oo-

That evening after the feast, instead of going to the Hall of Fire, Elrond summoned several people to his study. In addition to those who were going on the journey, he included his daughter, Glorfindel, Erestor, and Bilbo. Then he summoned the McCloud children to join them.

"Lord Kevin, Lady Jennifer, I want you to tell them what you told us about the manner in which you and your siblings came to Middle-earth, the day you arrived," Elrond ordered, as the four children took their seats.

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged glances, and then looked down at Joey and Kaylee, who both squirmed. "Do you want us to tell them everything we told you?" Kevin asked him. Elrond nodded.

Kevin cleared his throat, and then, for the next several minutes, as Joey and Kaylee listened, he and Jennifer explained to Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli, Legolas, Erestor, and the five hobbits everything that they had previously told Elrond, Arwen, Glorfindel, and Gandalf on the day of their arrival. In the process, all four children told the group their full names as well as Megan's, and everything else that they had previously shared on the day of their arrival. When Kevin and Jennifer had finished, silence descended upon the group for a few minutes.

"This is—incredible," Boromir said softly, shaking his head.

Aragorn nodded agreement. "It is, indeed, but it explains why these children are so different, and why everything in their world is so inexplicable."

"The only race in our world is Man," Jennifer said. "There are no other races there. No Elves, no Dwarves, no hobbits, no wizards; they're just imaginary fantasy creatures where we come from. Well—" She glanced down at Kaylee, and added, "—except for the elves at the North Pole, that is." With a grin, she winked at Elrond, who raised an eyebrow and quirked his lips in amusement. "Well, anyway, the elves in those stories are nothing like the elves here."

She cleared her throat. "There's just plain ordinary human beings where we live. There are different races among human beings, but that's it."

"Are there orcs and trolls there?" Aragorn asked Jennifer.

Jennifer furrowed her eyebrows in puzzlement. "What—what's an orc?"

Gandalf chuckled. "I believe you have your answer, Aragorn." He turned to Jennifer. "An orc is an evil creature, Jennifer, otherwise known as a goblin."

"Oh." Jennifer exchanged an uneasy glance with Kevin, and then turned to Aragorn. "No, sir, there's not. No goblins or trolls, either, except in fairy tales. They're just make-believe." She swallowed hard. "There's no goblins or trolls here, are there?"

"I'm afraid there are, Jennifer," Aragorn told her soberly. "They may be only imaginary creatures in your world, but they are quite real here. And dangerous." Kaylee shivered.

Kevin gulped. "Uh, what about dragons?" He gazed intently at the Ranger. "They don't exist here, too, do they?"

"There used to be dragons here, Kevin, but not anymore. Smaug was the last of his kind." Gandalf told him. "A dragon is one creature you don't have to worry about encountering." Kevin smiled, relieved.

Aragorn nodded agreement. "Are there no dragons in your world?"

"No, sir." Kevin shook his head. "They're just fantasy creatures, too, where we come from."

Furrowing her eyebrows, Jennifer bit her lower lip. Kevin looked at her questioningly. "What is it, Jen?" She took a deep breath, and then leaned sideways to whisper into Kevin's ear. When she leaned back, he frowned and fidgeted for a long moment.

"I think we may as well tell them," he finally said. "The hobbits and Lady Arwen already know, and it's gonna be kind of hard to keep from talking about it altogether while we're here. They may as well know." Jennifer nodded.

"Know about what, Kevin?" Aragorn asked.

Kevin and Jennifer exchanged uneasy glances. "Well, uh," Kevin said slowly, "what would you guys say, if we said you're all pretend characters in a book where we come from? Some of you, in fact, are in two books. Novels. Books of fiction." He paused. "Make-believe stories." He cleared his throat and scanned their faces.

Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, and Gimli exchanged stunned glances. "It's true." Frodo nodded. "As hard as it is to believe, it's true. Lady Jennifer and Lord Kevin recognized us at first sight, even though we had never met before." The other hobbits, including Bilbo, nodded agreement, and so did Arwen.

Kevin and Jennifer immediately commenced explaining to the assembled company everything that they had previously told the hobbits during elevenses on their first day in Middle-earth about Tolkien, the fantasy novels he had written, the movies that had been made about the second book, The Lord of the Rings, and the upcoming movie that was coming out in their world, based on The Hobbit. They also explained as much as they could about movies and TV, just as they had already told the hobbits that first day.

Elrond raised his hand at the spate of questions that the others had about the children's revelations. "Please save your questions for the children for another day, and understand that they do not know all about these things they tell us of." Both Gimli and Boromir sat back, and nodded. Legolas, who was standing, also nodded his head. Aragorn had already heard much of this from Arwen.

"Nicole wants to take me to see The Hobbit movie when it comes out in December," Jennifer said. "She's my best friend back home; we like to spend a lot of time together, and talk to each other all the time. Sometimes, we have sleepovers at each other's houses, too. I was hoping she'd be able to come with us on the camping trip, but her parents had other plans for spring break." She grimaced. "Anyway, she has her own copies of the books, and she's seen The Lord of the Rings movies, too, and she's going to take me to see the first of The Hobbit movies when it comes out. Before that, though, she wants me to read the book. Since she has her own copy, she's gonna lend it to me when we get back home."

She paused, biting her lower lip. "If we get back home." She smiled ruefully. "Since we've never read the books or watched the whole movies—just bits and pieces of them—we can't tell you how the quest will turn out."

Gandalf smiled reassuringly at them. "It is just as well, children, for who is to say that the outcome will be the same here as it is in your books? If we know too much, we may spoil things by trying too hard to make them happen. Even the foresight of the Wise does not always turn out as it appears."

Elrond nodded. "While it is well to have some idea of what may happen, it is good to remember that things can change due to our own actions."

"Yes, sir." Kevin shook his head and exchanged a bewildered glance with Jennifer. "None of us understand this. Since Tolkien made all this up, how can it be real?"

"Yeah!" Jennifer agreed. "It was supposed to be just a make-believe story set in a fantasy world. With make-believe characters."

To their surprise, it was Gimli who answered. "Of course it is real. We are here. You can see us and touch us and smell us. You can see and hear and feel Middle-earth around you. You can see that we are not make-believe, and neither is the world we live in. Does the 'how' matter? What matters is that you are here as well."

"I agree," said Boromir. "These questions of 'real' or 'unreal' do not enter into our counsels, for we must deal with what is."

Aragorn crossed his arms. "Gimli and Boromir are right, children. While such questions of philosophy may be interesting, they have no place in the discussions of how we must conduct ourselves in this matter."

"And," Elrond added, "how do you know this gentleman made up his stories? Perhaps he, too, found himself here at some time. Or perhaps not. We do not know, but since you are here, then perhaps he was as well."

Kevin and Jennifer gaped at him for a long moment. That was one possibility they had not thought of!

Kevin looked at Jennifer. "When we go back home, Jen, we need to look up J.R.R. Tolkien. See if we can find out how he got started writing his stories."

Jennifer nodded agreement. When, she thought. I really hope that it is "when", and not"'if"!

The conversation now began to deal with the planning of the journey, what would be needed in the way of supplies, and what route the Company would take. This wasn't a conversation that the children could contribute to, so when first Kaylee, and then Joey, began to yawn, Elrond dismissed the four of them to their beds.

After the door closed behind them, Elrond asked both Aragorn and Glorfindel to share the results of their scouting expeditions.

"I found no signs at all of Orcs," said Glorfindel, "but I did find signs of a rather large pack of Wargs. They did not linger in the vicinity of Imladris, but turned South. None remained near enough to be a threat to us."

"But if they went South," said Gandalf, "they might yet become a threat to those of us who will be travelling in that direction." Elrond nodded agreement.

"As for the Nine," said Aragorn, "our mission is not finished. So far, we have searched South along the river beyond the Ford. Eight of their horses drowned in the flood, three near the Ford itself, and five more beyond the rapids, where we also found one of the Ringwraiths' cloaks. I will set back out at dawn and catch up with Halbarad and his patrol, to search as far as Tharbad. Elladan and Elrohir will be going with me so far as that, ere they turn aside for Lothlórien."

"Very well," said Elrond. "Be thorough, my son, but do not take too long. I would hope that the Company may set out ere the turning of the year."

-oo000oo-

As Jennifer put on her nightgown an hour later, she thought about the story that Aragorn and Arwen had told her earlier. Gosh! she thought. To think they've been engaged to be married for decades now! How could they stand to wait so long? I sure couldn't! She grimaced at the thought.

I can't believe how long he's been her boyfriend! Jennifer shook her head in bewilderment as she pondered that, and then smiled. They sure love each other, I can tell! Arwen is so lucky.

Jennifer recalled her last conversation about dating with her mom. I guess that maybe being patient isn't a bad thing. Even though they've had to wait years and years and years, they seem so happy together, and are willing to keep waiting to get married still. I know they can't get married until that Sauron guy is defeated. I sure hope he will be, soon! With a sigh, she turned over to get some sleep, imagining what Arwen's wedding might be like.

-oo000oo-

Kevin lay in his bed, grimacing. He did not like what Elrond and the others had told him. Goblins? Trolls? Not good at all!

We are in a fantasy land; I should have known, he thought. But goblins are dangerous, and I get the feeling that trolls here are, too. Not like the little toy trolls they sell at Wal-Mart, the ones with the funny-looking hair and ugly-but-cute faces. He sighed. I really don't like it that my sister and my little brother are going on this trip! It sounds really dangerous. I hate the thought of leaving them behind; I'd miss them if we did, but at least they'd be safe.

He turned on his side. Since they do have to go along, I'll just have to do everything I can to keep them safe. At least the grown-ups will be doing the same thing. He glanced up at the ceiling. Please, God, protect Jennifer and Joey! And me. And Kaylee. And Lucy, too. In Jesus' name, amen.

-oo000oo-

The next morning, it was Jennifer and Kaylee's turn to have a riding lesson. Jennifer had been told that she and Kaylee should dress practically, so she put on her blue jeans, T-shirt, and jacket, instead of the gowns that they had been wearing since coming to Rivendell. Eledhwen helped little Kaylee into the clothes she had been wearing on their arrival: her long-sleeved pullover shirt, blue jeans, and jacket. They also put on their sturdy hiking boots, instead of the Elven slippers they had been wearing indoors. Jennifer was surprised to learn that Mairen was going to be their teacher. The Elf-maiden was also clad practically in a long tunic and leggings of grey, and knee-length soft boots.

The three of them walked down to the stables after breakfast, accompanied by Sam and Bilbo. Sam was going to check on the hobbits' pony, Bill, and Bilbo had a treat for his pony, Merrylegs. He had agreed that Kaylee could learn to ride on his old pony, who was cheerful and gentle.

Bilbo was telling the girls and Sam stories of other ponies he had ridden—a little Dwarf pony named Myrtle that he had ridden on their journey to Rivendell, and a pony given to him by the King of Mirkwood, Thranduil. Bilbo had named it Cheesy, because of its yellow coat, which he had ridden on his return journey. They were all laughing at his account of how it had balked at coming down a mountain, and even Gandalf had a hard time coaxing Cheesy forward.

In the stables, they found the groom had already chosen three horses for them to use, as well as taken Merrylegs from his stall. He spoke to Mairen in Sindarin, and she nodded and replied in the same language, but then turned and translated for the girls. "I told him to speak so that you could understand."

The Elf bowed his head. "My apologies! I do not often speak with guests."

"Curubor asked, did we wish to use saddles, for most of the time Elves do not use saddles. But we will use them now."

The Elf brought out the saddles from a room at the other side of the stable. He carefully showed Jennifer and Kaylee how to put the saddles on, and to fasten them properly. Meanwhile, Bilbo and Sam had visited with Bill briefly, and were putting the saddle on Merrylegs.

Curubor led their mounts out of the stable, and then Eledhwen began explaining how to mount.

Jennifer felt awkward as she followed the instructions to mount. It was hard to get her left foot in the stirrup, hold on to the horse, and figure out how to swing her right leg over. Eledhwen told her to hold the reins and some of the horses' mane in her hand. "Won't it hurt the horse to pull its mane?" she asked.

Amused, Eledhwen shook her head. "Grab onto the cantle and jump up with your right leg," she told her. Then she went over to see how Kaylee was doing with Merrylegs.

It took a second try for Jennifer to get her leg over and then to sit down. She sat very gingerly, fearful of startling her horse.

Now that Eldwhen had Kaylee settled, she gave Jennifer a nod of approval, and then took the reins from them both, and began to lead them around the paddock. After a few times, she gave them the reins, and had them walk around and around on their own. She mounted her own horse and kept pace with them, giving the girls pointers as they rode

The girls had been riding around the paddock for what seemed like ages. Jennifer had been a bit nervous to begin with, and she still felt a lack of confidence. But, she thought, I'm bound to get better with practice. At least this horse only has to walk, and that's a whole lot easier than trotting, galloping, and jumping! But she shuddered at the thought of that last. Thankfully, Mairen had said nothing about jumping so far.

Kaylee had been clearly scared when she had first mounted Merrylegs, but she had fallen in love quickly with the sweet-natured little pony, and now was laughing as she walked her mount around the paddock, listening to encouraging praise from Sam and Bilbo, who were leaning against the fence and watching intently. "Look at me!" she practically shouted. "See me riding, Jennifer!"

Jennifer laughed. "You sure are, Kaylee! We both are."

But then Mairen said, "Anor is high in the sky. I believe that luncheon draws nigh. I am sure that you girls do not wish to dine smelling of horse and sweat. One last time around the paddock, and then we will go back up to the main house."

Jennifer was relieved, but Kaylee seemed disappointed to have the lesson end. They dismounted, and under the direction of Mairen, Curubor, and Sam, they learned how to remove the tack and help their mounts to cool down.

Finally, they began the walk back to the main house. Jennifer's head was filled with thoughts of a warm bath and a hot lunch. Kaylee skipped next to her, holding her hand and chattering about the lesson.

-oo000oo-

One morning, after Aragorn had returned from his hunt for the Ringwraiths, the beautiful weather had led several of the inhabitants outdoors to the large porch where the Council had been held.

Kaylee stepped out upon the terrace, her Big Book of Fairytales clutched to her chest. To her dismay, Jennifer wasn't there, and Kevin was watching carefully as Glorfindel and Boromir demonstrated a swordplay move for him. On the other side, Aragorn and Gandalf were sitting in chairs close to the entrance, watching and listening to Glorfindel and Boromir, and Joey was sitting cross-legged on the stone floor, his remote control in hand, controlling his toy car as it rolled across the terrace in one direction and then another. Merry and Pippin were watching Joey maneuvering his car in fascination.

Aragorn turned to the little girl. Seeing the stricken expression on her face, he asked, "Is something wrong, Kaylee?"

Pouting, Kaylee approached the Ranger. "I want someone to read to me." She glanced down at her book. "Where's Jennifer? Kevin's too busy." She looked sadly up at her oldest brother.

"Right now, Jennifer's busy with Lady Arwen," Aragorn told her. "Why don't you bring the book to me? Perhaps I can read it to you."

As the expression on her face brightened, Kaylee hurried toward Aragorn and climbed into his lap. Opening the book, Aragorn's face furrowed in puzzlement, and he sighed. "Perhaps you had better wait until Jennifer is free, Kaylee," he said gently. "I cannot read this book to you."

"But why?" Kaylee complained.

"Because, Kaylee, it is written in a language I cannot read."

Joey scrambled to his feet, dropping his remote control; the toy car came to a halt. He approached Aragorn and Kaylee and looked over the Ranger's shoulder at the picture book's open page. "But it's written in English!" he protested. "Surely, you can read English, right? That's what we all speak."

"That's right," Kevin agreed, turning his face toward Aragorn. "That's our native language."

Looking from Kevin to Joey, Aragorn chuckled. "I do not know what English is, Joey, but you have not been speaking it. None of you have, save perhaps for some words we cannot understand, such as 'moovees', 'teevee,' or 'vacation'."

Kevin whirled around. As he, Merry, Pippin, Boromir, and Glorfindel all came toward Aragorn, Kaylee, and Joey, a bewildered expression crept across the youth's face. "What language have we been speaking?" he asked, glancing at his younger siblings as he spoke.

Gandalf spoke up. "You children have been speaking the Common Tongue, Lord Kevin, ever since you came to Middle-earth."

"The Common Tongue?" Kevin tilted his head as he stared at Gandalf. "What language is that?"