Once I was able to breathe normally again I gave Stacey a glare that could make the Pacific Ocean freeze over, "What was that for??" I yelled (this time when I say ‘yelled’ I MEAN ‘yelled’… hey, there’s a first time for everything or so I’m told).
"What was what for?" Stacey asked innocently.
I continued glaring, then said, "Let’s go see how Frodo’s doing, Katy." Katy was still on the ground with a traumatized look on her face. Merry and Pippin jumped up to come too.
"I’ll come with." Stacey volunteered.
"Um… Actually I think Elrond wants to keep the visitors down to those who came with him for now…" I lied and we walked off in the direction the others had went only a few minutes before. I kept turning nervously around to make sure we weren’t being followed, and I saw no signs of it.
Soon we were lost, "Maybe that elf knows where he is." Merry offered.
"That’s what you said about the last five elves we’ve passed, and still no one even knows who Frodo is." I sighed.
"Well, maybe this one will." Pippin piped in.
"Fine. So ask him." I said.
"I am not supposed to talk to strangers." Pippin said, he still felt bashful about speaking with the elves.
"You know, maybe if you didn’t greet them by saying, ‘Dolle naa lost’ they would help us." Katy said.
"What does that mean anyway?" Merry asked.
"Um…" I didn’t want to tell them what it meant as I wasn’t even sure if I pronounced it right or not.
"It means ‘your head is empty’." Katy explained.
"You have been greeting all the elves with that?" Pippin exclaimed.
"No wonder they won’t help us." Merry murmured.
"Hey, they’re the rude ones!" I said in my own defense, "they won’t even tell me if I’m pronouncing it right!"
"Just ask them nicely this time." Katy told me.
"Fine." I grumbled.
I walked up to an elf, "Excuse me, but do you know where Elrond has taken the halfling that just arrived?" I asked as nicely as I could, "He’s a friend of ours."
"Yes, I saw Elrond, Glorfindel, the Dûnadan, and two hobbits go up those stairs." He said pointing. At least I think it was a he. Elves all have long hair, so it can be hard to tell.
"Nice ears," I commented, but couldn’t help adding: "Live long and prosper," along with a Vulcan salute. The confused look on the poor elf was all I needed to start laughing as we made for the stairs.
We finally found the room he had been taken to (having been redirected nearly ten more times), and Elrond and the others were all too busy to notice us come in. "He’ll be fine." I murmured to Merry who was starting to look worried for his friend again. We stood around in the background for a while, but when no one noticed us, Katy and I got bored and left.
The rest of that day until dinner was spent by us avoiding a certain person who had insisted on hugging us when we came in.
Wandering into a large room with tables we saw Aragorn sitting with Merry and Pippin. Sam was probably still with Frodo, as were Gandalf and Elrond, trying frantically to heal him. We went over and sat down next to them.
"Strider," I said sitting next to him, "I do hope you are planning on taking a bath tonight. You stink, and your hair is greasier than bacon!"
He grumbled something about me not being much better, but I let it slide as I heard a new voice… One I had been avoiding all afternoon.
"There you guys are!" Stacey exclaimed, "I’ve been looking everywhere for you!" Merry and Pippin started laughing again at the memory of our earlier plight, though they tried to hide it by shoveling food in their mouths. Aragorn looked confused about what the hobbits found so amusing.
She came and sat down right in between me and Katy. I tried to slide away, but Aragorn was there, and I didn’t want to get too close to him until he washed up. "How are you here anyway?" I asked pitifully.
"Well, I was in physics, then I blacked out and woke up in some woods. I followed a nearby stream, going upstream, and ran into a road." She began to explain, "Eventually, I saw an old man riding down it, and he turned out to be Gandalf. He took me with him here since I was by myself, and we’ve been here for about 4 days now."
"Well, too bad we didn’t go upstream like you wanted to, huh, Katy," I said with sarcasm dripping from every word, "we could have met up with Stacey and walked ALL THE WAY to Rivendell with her!"
Stacey ignored my comment and proceeded to put her arms around our shoulders saying, "We have a lot to catch up on, so how did things go with you guys and Strider?" Katy was shaking, and I was stiff, trying to keep myself from punching her and making a scene in the middle of Elrond’s dining hall.
"Strider," I managed to force out, "Can I borrow your sword for a moment?"