Since, as elfstar54321 pointed out, it is Easter, I decided to get this
one out a little earlier. Of course, it helped that I have Easter vacation
this weekend. Lots of time. This is the last chapter, by the way. But it
will be a series soon, so don't worry. I will just need time to sort out
my thoughts before I write the next installment.
---------
Between Worlds
Ch 12
By Sigil
----------
It took them nearly two weeks to make it to Rivendell. Aragorn could have done it in one; Legolas would have been there in four days. But apparently, Jack was unused to traveling quickly.
First, there was the matter of the black squirrels. Legolas had learned to avoid them as well as he could avoid Mirkwood's spiders, and Aragorn had visited him often enough to know how to do the same. But when Jack saw one sitting on the branch of a tree, scolding all passers-by, he good-naturedly threw a small stone at it.
The other three were then forced to backtrack twenty miles to save Jack from death by walnuts.
This incident, of course, merely made him more determined to go quickly to Rivendell – but, unfortunately, Jack decided that they were not making a straight enough line to where he thought Rivendell was. In the middle of the night, he set out to find a more direct route – and left the path that Legolas had so painstakingly led them to. The entire next day was spent searching for Jack, who had finally fallen asleep less than half a mile from a spider's den.
After that, Aragorn, Legolas, and Will were careful to keep a close eye on Jack. They arrived at Rivendell none the worse for wear, but extremely exasperated. Aragorn smiled with relief as he saw the valley open up at his feet.
Elrond himself came forth to greet them. "Well met, my son." He eyed Aragorn suspiciously. "Have you managed to return home unharmed?"
Legolas had to hide a smile. Elrond turned to him, a twinkle in his eye. "And you, Legolas? Not hiding some secret hurt?"
Legolas nodded.
Elrond turned to the house, where a few elves waited. "This calls for a feast!" He turned back to the companions and gestured at Will and Jack. "Are these friends of yours, Estel?"
"It's a long story, Ada." Aragorn winced. "This is William Turner, and that is Jack Sparrow. They are not from......here."
A brief look of fear flitted across Elrond's face, so swiftly Legolas was sure it had been an illusion. "From Bree, then? But you came from Mirkwood."
Aragorn was silent for a moment. "Perhaps we should discuss this inside." He said quietly.
Elrond nodded easily, but his shoulders were tense. "Of course. Welcome to Rivendell!" He turned and led the four into the house.
-----------
"So your friends are not from here." Elrond said, his back to Aragorn and Legolas. "Where, exactly, are they from?"
Aragorn, who had been intently studying the floor of Elrond's personal library, shot Legolas a pleading look. The elf shook his head. "Another world." Aragorn said slowly. "One far more advanced than ours."
"And how did they arrive here from this other world?" Elrond swung around, his expression unreadable.
"A pool, Lord Elrond." Legolas replied. "They came through a small pool in Mirkwood."
Elrond strode to a bookcase and began running his fingers along the titles, clearly looking for one in particular. "Did either of you go through this pool as well?" he asked almost idly.
"Yes." Aragorn sighed. "Both of us did."
Elrond paused for a moment. "Ah." Now he seemed to find what he was looking for. He pulled a large tome from the case and set it on the table. "Perhaps you should call your friends in here. They will need to hear this as well." He did not look up, but immediately began leafing through the book.
Aragorn opened the door and murmured something to Will and Jack, who had been waiting in the hall. They entered uneasily. Jack took a look around the room, saw nothing dangerous, and immediately plopped down on the nearest chair. Will glared daggers at his back.
Elrond marked his place in the book and looked up as the two entered. "You four have been exceedingly foolish."
Aragorn shifted uneasily. He had been waiting for this.
"The pool you came through is no ordinary pool. To those who have heard of it – and there are not many – it is known as Tarnon, the Gatekeeper. All that anyone knows of it is an old legend. It states that whoever enters the pool cannot leave until all its secrets have been discovered. They must discover how to detach themselves from its grip. If they do not, they will spend eternity trapped between worlds, unable to return home until they know how to remain there." Elrond heaved a great sigh. "I do not know why the pool allowed you to come back to me. Perhaps only so you could know what you must do. I do not think it will allow you to return again until you have solved its riddle."
Jack had slowly sunk deeper into the chair. "Is that why we couldn't get back when we slept, but old sword-boy could?" he asked.
"I would assume so." Elrond said. "Estel could only keep coming back until he had snared Legolas as well." Seeing the stricken look on Aragorn's face, Elrond sighed. "The pool wanted them there as well, Estel. It was not your fault." He walked to the door, then turned back. "You may remain here until the pool draws you back. It will call you when it feels it is time, and traveling back to it will do no good." He hesitated briefly. "We will still have a feast this evening. You might as well attend." He opened his mouth to say more, then shut it again. Slowly, he walked out and closed the door.
They sat in silence for a long time.
--------
Jack was the only one out of his four companions who did not take the news badly. His crew was safe, and he knew the Pearl was in good hands. He longed to get back to her, but he wasn't going to let that get in his way.
In contrast, Will was currently moping over Elizabeth, while Aragorn walked the halls of his home with Legolas by his side, committing it to memory.
Jack had seen what they were doing, and decided to spice up the Last Homely House. By the time of the feast, he had met Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir. They agreed – something had to be done about the present mood in the House of Elrond.
So the twins and Jack quickly borrowed some of Arwen's old dresses and a large bucket, raided flowers from the flower garden, and prepared the trap. Exactly one hour before the feast, it was sprung.
Jack sent an urgent message to Will, telling him where to go so he could hear the latest news. Elladan and Elrohir did the same for Aragorn and Legolas. Then they lay in wait.
After a brief scuffle, Aragorn, Legolas, and Will were tied to individual chairs, and the twins and Jack got to work.
It was only half an hour to the feast before they were satisfied. It had taken quite a bit of work, but now the melancholy trio was outfitted in Arwen's gowns. Aragorn and Legolas had flowers braided into their hair, while Will, with his slightly shorter hair, had managed to escape with a few flowers tucked behind his ears. All three had been given quite a bit of scent that the twins had stumbled upon, and the room fairly reeked of flowers.
After checking their bonds, the twins felt safe enough to remove their gags. Legolas immediately began muttering curses in elvish, while Aragorn just glared at his foster brothers. Will did the same for Jack.
Jack studied his work. "Yep, I do believe we have some lovely ladies here. What do you say, El?" Unable to tell the twins apart, Jack had taken to calling them both the same name.
Elrohir answered. "Yes, Jack, and I think we should leave them like this. What do you say, El?"
Elladan laughed. "Well, I suppose we could allow them to attend the feast if they promise to behave."
Aragorn was immediately suspicious. "What makes you think we cannot get out of these dresses ourselves?"
"Have you ever tried, little brother?" Elrohir smiled. "It is not easy, I can tell you that. You might be able to take the flowers from you hair, but the dresses are beyond your skill."
Elladan smiled smugly. "We only know how to get out of them because we've had practice." He heaved a gusty sigh. "Much as it pains me to admit it, we didn't think of this ourselves. Arwen has her own methods of payback."
"And if you want to stay on her good side, you won't rip your way out of her gowns." Elrohir said severely.
"Now, let us discuss our terms." Jack interrupted smoothly. "You will cheer up, or you will go to through the pool as women."
"Cheer up?" Will, who had not spoken until now, could no longer keep silent. "We are about to be sent to somewhere else! And this isn't just another continent – it's another world! Nobody knows anything about our mission, and we don't even know if we can survive. Elrond didn't say that anyone else had ever made it home."
"Ah, but he didn't say they hadn't. Where would the stories come from, if no one survived?" A roguish grin lit the pirate's face. "Someone had to have made it before. They wouldn't even know the pool existed if someone hadn't." He adopted a serious air and wagged his finger in Will's face. "Never assume you won't survive just because you don't know if anyone else has, young William."
Slowly, Will nodded. Aragorn and Legolas paused a moment longer, then nodded as well.
Happily, Jack spun around to confront the twins. "I think they've got it. Now, how about a drink in celebration?"
"I can get some wine from the kitchen." Elrohir volunteered.
"Wine? None of that rubbish. Break out the rum!" Jack said merrily.
Aragorn, Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir gave him a curious look. "What is rum?" Elladan asked carefully.
Jack's eyes bugged out. "What's rum?" He glanced at Will. "You've never drank rum? What kind of place is this?" Disgust was evident in his voice. "Ah, well. I'll send some back with your friends here when we return." He grumbled irritably, "Never heard of rum. What will the next place be like? Better have a good supply." He looked back up and smiled. "Shall we untie them, then?"
By the time Will, Aragorn, and Legolas were untied and helped back into their normal clothes, the dinner bell had rung. Hurrying downstairs, Will stopped his friend.
"Jack?"
The pirate turned to the blacksmith. "You don't have to thank me, Will." He grinned. "Just didn't want to have you moping through our adventure."
Aragorn and Legolas stopped as well. "It will be an honor to accompany you on this quest, Jack Sparrow and William Turner." Legolas said solemnly.
Jack took a look at their serious faces and snorted. "What are we waiting for?" He gestured to the hall. "The feast is ready."
Laughing, the friends rushed down to eat.
Tomorrow could come when it would. They would be ready.
-----------
FIN
--------
Well, that's the end. But don't worry; I'm planning on making this into a series called the Gatekeeper Archives. Now I just have to decide where they go next. It's between Star Wars, Robin Hood, Batman, and Peter Pan. Though I am getting major Equilibrium/Reign of Fire/Newsies crossover ideas. I might write that one first, then have the characters from those fandoms get caught the came way the four from this story are. BTW, if you haven't seen any of those movies, I'd suggest watching them. Especially Equilibrium. It's rated R for violence, but it's well worth watching. It's like a better version of the Matrix. Reign of Fire is only rated PG- 13, and I believe Newsies is PG. All three have Christian Bale (one of my fave actors) in them, so that will make it fun. Oh, and I think I'll have a vote to see which one you guys want to see next. I'm getting plot bunnies for all of them, I just don't know which one to write first.
I actually had time to not only write a fairly long chapter, but respond to reviewers as well! *huge gasp* Anyway, here's my responses:
BudgieBrain: Yeah, sorry that was worded a little weird. I meant that Elrond was Aragorn's dad (foster dad, anyway) and Legolas didn't want to go to his father because Elrond would know more about things like the pool.
Vana E: Whoa. That was one cool review. Possibly the longest I've ever received, and chock full of plot bunnies. I love reviewers like you! I'm glad you like my idea for the series. It's really starting to come to life in my head.
Lady Starlight2: No! Know you're attacking me with rabid cheerleaders? Oh, the pain! *whimpers* I updated, look! Call off your minions of doom!
Ainu Laire: Yep, it will be one long journey. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Rachel13: I don't know – getting chased with an inflatable baseball bat in McDonald's ball pit seems pretty scary to me. Hope you liked the chapter!
Makoto-47: Sorry for leaving you out! *hits self on head* I KNEW I was going to forget someone! Thanks for reviewing.
Kelsey: Actually, I haven't seen Hidalgo yet. I want to, but I haven't had time. And yes, Legolas' healing did have to do with the pool, but that's all I'm saying for now. *evil grin*
Osparrow: I'm blushing! The best crossover you've ever read? Wow!
Elven-Elements: Thanks for your review! I actually received your last review about fifty or sixty times because ff.net was being stupid, so thanks for that one as well. You have won my award for review received the most amount of times.
Kate the Tigeress: Yep. To Rivendell they went......It's so much fun to impose crazy people on the elves.
I'm still getting the feeling I'm forgetting someone. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
---------
Between Worlds
Ch 12
By Sigil
----------
It took them nearly two weeks to make it to Rivendell. Aragorn could have done it in one; Legolas would have been there in four days. But apparently, Jack was unused to traveling quickly.
First, there was the matter of the black squirrels. Legolas had learned to avoid them as well as he could avoid Mirkwood's spiders, and Aragorn had visited him often enough to know how to do the same. But when Jack saw one sitting on the branch of a tree, scolding all passers-by, he good-naturedly threw a small stone at it.
The other three were then forced to backtrack twenty miles to save Jack from death by walnuts.
This incident, of course, merely made him more determined to go quickly to Rivendell – but, unfortunately, Jack decided that they were not making a straight enough line to where he thought Rivendell was. In the middle of the night, he set out to find a more direct route – and left the path that Legolas had so painstakingly led them to. The entire next day was spent searching for Jack, who had finally fallen asleep less than half a mile from a spider's den.
After that, Aragorn, Legolas, and Will were careful to keep a close eye on Jack. They arrived at Rivendell none the worse for wear, but extremely exasperated. Aragorn smiled with relief as he saw the valley open up at his feet.
Elrond himself came forth to greet them. "Well met, my son." He eyed Aragorn suspiciously. "Have you managed to return home unharmed?"
Legolas had to hide a smile. Elrond turned to him, a twinkle in his eye. "And you, Legolas? Not hiding some secret hurt?"
Legolas nodded.
Elrond turned to the house, where a few elves waited. "This calls for a feast!" He turned back to the companions and gestured at Will and Jack. "Are these friends of yours, Estel?"
"It's a long story, Ada." Aragorn winced. "This is William Turner, and that is Jack Sparrow. They are not from......here."
A brief look of fear flitted across Elrond's face, so swiftly Legolas was sure it had been an illusion. "From Bree, then? But you came from Mirkwood."
Aragorn was silent for a moment. "Perhaps we should discuss this inside." He said quietly.
Elrond nodded easily, but his shoulders were tense. "Of course. Welcome to Rivendell!" He turned and led the four into the house.
-----------
"So your friends are not from here." Elrond said, his back to Aragorn and Legolas. "Where, exactly, are they from?"
Aragorn, who had been intently studying the floor of Elrond's personal library, shot Legolas a pleading look. The elf shook his head. "Another world." Aragorn said slowly. "One far more advanced than ours."
"And how did they arrive here from this other world?" Elrond swung around, his expression unreadable.
"A pool, Lord Elrond." Legolas replied. "They came through a small pool in Mirkwood."
Elrond strode to a bookcase and began running his fingers along the titles, clearly looking for one in particular. "Did either of you go through this pool as well?" he asked almost idly.
"Yes." Aragorn sighed. "Both of us did."
Elrond paused for a moment. "Ah." Now he seemed to find what he was looking for. He pulled a large tome from the case and set it on the table. "Perhaps you should call your friends in here. They will need to hear this as well." He did not look up, but immediately began leafing through the book.
Aragorn opened the door and murmured something to Will and Jack, who had been waiting in the hall. They entered uneasily. Jack took a look around the room, saw nothing dangerous, and immediately plopped down on the nearest chair. Will glared daggers at his back.
Elrond marked his place in the book and looked up as the two entered. "You four have been exceedingly foolish."
Aragorn shifted uneasily. He had been waiting for this.
"The pool you came through is no ordinary pool. To those who have heard of it – and there are not many – it is known as Tarnon, the Gatekeeper. All that anyone knows of it is an old legend. It states that whoever enters the pool cannot leave until all its secrets have been discovered. They must discover how to detach themselves from its grip. If they do not, they will spend eternity trapped between worlds, unable to return home until they know how to remain there." Elrond heaved a great sigh. "I do not know why the pool allowed you to come back to me. Perhaps only so you could know what you must do. I do not think it will allow you to return again until you have solved its riddle."
Jack had slowly sunk deeper into the chair. "Is that why we couldn't get back when we slept, but old sword-boy could?" he asked.
"I would assume so." Elrond said. "Estel could only keep coming back until he had snared Legolas as well." Seeing the stricken look on Aragorn's face, Elrond sighed. "The pool wanted them there as well, Estel. It was not your fault." He walked to the door, then turned back. "You may remain here until the pool draws you back. It will call you when it feels it is time, and traveling back to it will do no good." He hesitated briefly. "We will still have a feast this evening. You might as well attend." He opened his mouth to say more, then shut it again. Slowly, he walked out and closed the door.
They sat in silence for a long time.
--------
Jack was the only one out of his four companions who did not take the news badly. His crew was safe, and he knew the Pearl was in good hands. He longed to get back to her, but he wasn't going to let that get in his way.
In contrast, Will was currently moping over Elizabeth, while Aragorn walked the halls of his home with Legolas by his side, committing it to memory.
Jack had seen what they were doing, and decided to spice up the Last Homely House. By the time of the feast, he had met Elrond's twin sons, Elladan and Elrohir. They agreed – something had to be done about the present mood in the House of Elrond.
So the twins and Jack quickly borrowed some of Arwen's old dresses and a large bucket, raided flowers from the flower garden, and prepared the trap. Exactly one hour before the feast, it was sprung.
Jack sent an urgent message to Will, telling him where to go so he could hear the latest news. Elladan and Elrohir did the same for Aragorn and Legolas. Then they lay in wait.
After a brief scuffle, Aragorn, Legolas, and Will were tied to individual chairs, and the twins and Jack got to work.
It was only half an hour to the feast before they were satisfied. It had taken quite a bit of work, but now the melancholy trio was outfitted in Arwen's gowns. Aragorn and Legolas had flowers braided into their hair, while Will, with his slightly shorter hair, had managed to escape with a few flowers tucked behind his ears. All three had been given quite a bit of scent that the twins had stumbled upon, and the room fairly reeked of flowers.
After checking their bonds, the twins felt safe enough to remove their gags. Legolas immediately began muttering curses in elvish, while Aragorn just glared at his foster brothers. Will did the same for Jack.
Jack studied his work. "Yep, I do believe we have some lovely ladies here. What do you say, El?" Unable to tell the twins apart, Jack had taken to calling them both the same name.
Elrohir answered. "Yes, Jack, and I think we should leave them like this. What do you say, El?"
Elladan laughed. "Well, I suppose we could allow them to attend the feast if they promise to behave."
Aragorn was immediately suspicious. "What makes you think we cannot get out of these dresses ourselves?"
"Have you ever tried, little brother?" Elrohir smiled. "It is not easy, I can tell you that. You might be able to take the flowers from you hair, but the dresses are beyond your skill."
Elladan smiled smugly. "We only know how to get out of them because we've had practice." He heaved a gusty sigh. "Much as it pains me to admit it, we didn't think of this ourselves. Arwen has her own methods of payback."
"And if you want to stay on her good side, you won't rip your way out of her gowns." Elrohir said severely.
"Now, let us discuss our terms." Jack interrupted smoothly. "You will cheer up, or you will go to through the pool as women."
"Cheer up?" Will, who had not spoken until now, could no longer keep silent. "We are about to be sent to somewhere else! And this isn't just another continent – it's another world! Nobody knows anything about our mission, and we don't even know if we can survive. Elrond didn't say that anyone else had ever made it home."
"Ah, but he didn't say they hadn't. Where would the stories come from, if no one survived?" A roguish grin lit the pirate's face. "Someone had to have made it before. They wouldn't even know the pool existed if someone hadn't." He adopted a serious air and wagged his finger in Will's face. "Never assume you won't survive just because you don't know if anyone else has, young William."
Slowly, Will nodded. Aragorn and Legolas paused a moment longer, then nodded as well.
Happily, Jack spun around to confront the twins. "I think they've got it. Now, how about a drink in celebration?"
"I can get some wine from the kitchen." Elrohir volunteered.
"Wine? None of that rubbish. Break out the rum!" Jack said merrily.
Aragorn, Legolas, Elladan, and Elrohir gave him a curious look. "What is rum?" Elladan asked carefully.
Jack's eyes bugged out. "What's rum?" He glanced at Will. "You've never drank rum? What kind of place is this?" Disgust was evident in his voice. "Ah, well. I'll send some back with your friends here when we return." He grumbled irritably, "Never heard of rum. What will the next place be like? Better have a good supply." He looked back up and smiled. "Shall we untie them, then?"
By the time Will, Aragorn, and Legolas were untied and helped back into their normal clothes, the dinner bell had rung. Hurrying downstairs, Will stopped his friend.
"Jack?"
The pirate turned to the blacksmith. "You don't have to thank me, Will." He grinned. "Just didn't want to have you moping through our adventure."
Aragorn and Legolas stopped as well. "It will be an honor to accompany you on this quest, Jack Sparrow and William Turner." Legolas said solemnly.
Jack took a look at their serious faces and snorted. "What are we waiting for?" He gestured to the hall. "The feast is ready."
Laughing, the friends rushed down to eat.
Tomorrow could come when it would. They would be ready.
-----------
FIN
--------
Well, that's the end. But don't worry; I'm planning on making this into a series called the Gatekeeper Archives. Now I just have to decide where they go next. It's between Star Wars, Robin Hood, Batman, and Peter Pan. Though I am getting major Equilibrium/Reign of Fire/Newsies crossover ideas. I might write that one first, then have the characters from those fandoms get caught the came way the four from this story are. BTW, if you haven't seen any of those movies, I'd suggest watching them. Especially Equilibrium. It's rated R for violence, but it's well worth watching. It's like a better version of the Matrix. Reign of Fire is only rated PG- 13, and I believe Newsies is PG. All three have Christian Bale (one of my fave actors) in them, so that will make it fun. Oh, and I think I'll have a vote to see which one you guys want to see next. I'm getting plot bunnies for all of them, I just don't know which one to write first.
I actually had time to not only write a fairly long chapter, but respond to reviewers as well! *huge gasp* Anyway, here's my responses:
BudgieBrain: Yeah, sorry that was worded a little weird. I meant that Elrond was Aragorn's dad (foster dad, anyway) and Legolas didn't want to go to his father because Elrond would know more about things like the pool.
Vana E: Whoa. That was one cool review. Possibly the longest I've ever received, and chock full of plot bunnies. I love reviewers like you! I'm glad you like my idea for the series. It's really starting to come to life in my head.
Lady Starlight2: No! Know you're attacking me with rabid cheerleaders? Oh, the pain! *whimpers* I updated, look! Call off your minions of doom!
Ainu Laire: Yep, it will be one long journey. Thanks for coming along for the ride!
Rachel13: I don't know – getting chased with an inflatable baseball bat in McDonald's ball pit seems pretty scary to me. Hope you liked the chapter!
Makoto-47: Sorry for leaving you out! *hits self on head* I KNEW I was going to forget someone! Thanks for reviewing.
Kelsey: Actually, I haven't seen Hidalgo yet. I want to, but I haven't had time. And yes, Legolas' healing did have to do with the pool, but that's all I'm saying for now. *evil grin*
Osparrow: I'm blushing! The best crossover you've ever read? Wow!
Elven-Elements: Thanks for your review! I actually received your last review about fifty or sixty times because ff.net was being stupid, so thanks for that one as well. You have won my award for review received the most amount of times.
Kate the Tigeress: Yep. To Rivendell they went......It's so much fun to impose crazy people on the elves.
I'm still getting the feeling I'm forgetting someone. Thanks to everyone who reviewed!