If it were possible to describe the sensation of falling through a portal connecting two different realities, many words come quickly to mind. But if you wished for just one of those many, the answer which seems best fitting would be... sickening. Not only did gravity have no real place, but the sudden bursts of color and light were enough to drive any person to wishing they were blind. The swirls which danced before Ashley's eyes reminded her of what would be considered, in the 60's, as a "psychedelic" experience. But there was more to this trip than stomach churning mind games but a physical pull on the body as well. There were times when gravity played tricks, pulling, sometimes rather roughly, half of you one way and the other half in a complete opposite direction. The colors would sometimes be replaced with stars and glimpses of galaxies never before touched by life. Random images blossomed within the tunnel where time had no place. For a moment there may be a beautiful flower, opening it's petals to greet the dawn, and at the next, a horrid vision of "survival of the fittest."

      Ashley did not know how long she fell through the vortex, nor did the woman even realize when she had been spit from it's swirling opening. For, at some point in the travel, a head splitting pain had settled itself within her temple. From that moment on, blackness enveloped Ashley and of the trip through the vortex, she knew no more of.

      "Lasto beth nin, tolo dan na ngalad." ~[Listen to my voice, come back to the light.]~

      There was a voice, though who's voice it was she could not clearly make out. The darkness that surrounded her mind caused Ashley to think that she were sleeping deeply and with this realization, she was not so sure she wanted to wake up.

      "Lasto beth nin, tolo dan na ngalad." ~[Listen to my voice, come back to the light.]~

      She inwardly sighed and wished the voice to go away, to let her wrap herself in the dark and comfortable folds of sleep. And her mind was resolved to wake for nothing, to let the weariness of the last few days just wear away.

      "Nileregwen."

      Course that might just do the trick of waking her from such a sound sleep. Ashley's mind immediately registered the fact that only very few people new that name and, there was only one who would call her by that name before any other.

      Knowing that the confines of her dreams could no longer hold her curiosity, the woman slowly began to open her eyes.

      This in itself was a bad idea because the light was so bright and harsh that very little could be perceived in those first few moments of waking, save for a blinding glare. After letting her eyes adjust to the sharp lighting contrast, Ashley looked to her left and found someone there she did not expect... two someones actually.

      A dark haired Elf smiled gently at her and Ashley had to fight back the urge to quote one of her friend Mark's sayings. Having watched The Lord of the Rings movies so many times, it would have been impossible for her not to realize who this Elf was. An Elven Lord and the greatest healer of Middle-Earth. But before she could even begin to say his name, not to mention ask what was going on, her eyes strayed to the second figure, who was even more unmistakable than the first.

      This man, though you could not really call him a man, was clothed in grey robes which blended well with his long hair and beard of the same color. An oddly pointed hat rested upon his head and a gnarled staff in his hand.

      Ashley blinked a couple of times, recognition setting in, "Lord Elrond?... Gandalf?..."

      Of course this caught the Elven Lord a little off guard and he cast a quick glance to the Istari behind him. But the old wizard just smiled and something in his eyes told Elrond that his question would be answered soon enough.

      "How do you feel?" The Elf asked in the common speech, not quite knowing if she spoke the Elven tongue or not.
      Ashley sat up slightly, her head throbbing in protest as she leaned against the back of the bed, "At the moment..." she winced then looked at the two figures in the room once more, "I'm more struck with awe than anything else."
      The wizard laughed, "So, what Legolas has told me was true. Or so I gather from your perplexed expression."

      Legolas...

      The mere mention of his name brought new found worries to the woman's mind, "Legolas? Where is he? Is he alright?"
      Elrond laid a calming hand on her shoulder, "He is fine and fared much better than you. I have already tended to the elbow which, he told me, you had already cared for." the Elf smiled slightly, "As for where he is, I cannot say. My sons have most likely learned of his arrival by now and are anxiously throwing every question they can think of at him."
      "I was wondering." Gandalf began before the woman could voice her opinion of what Elrond had said, "Legolas seemed a bit on edge when he brought you here and, try as I may, the stubbornness of my young friend has prevailed and he will issue forth no explanation. I was hoping that you might be a bit more forthcoming."

      Ashley sighed, debating wether or not to tell of anything that may occur in the future. She struggled with the pros and cons for a few moments.

      "If you do not wish to tell in fear the Legolas will learn, do not worry. What you say will stay within this room." Elrond said, knowing that any information would be helpful as to what exactly was taking place.
      "It's not that..." Ashley looked at Gandalf for a moment, recalling the moment before falling to Earth, which Legolas had described to her. It was the same moment when the Istari should have died. "I don't...." she tried again, looking now out the open balcony.

      A breeze wafted through the windows and everything about her looked of fall. The leaves of the valley were turning brown with shades of bright red and orange and yellow blended with the skill of a great painter. Blue was the sky and few clouds hovered in it's confines. The songs of nearby birds filled the air and somewhere close there was a voice, singing softly to the beauty of the valley. In that moment, Ashley's mind fully realized that she was in Rivendell, the Last Homely House, Imladris.

      Without realizing it, she spoke her thoughts in a whisper which could barely be heard, "The Elves Autumn..."

      Elrond glanced sharply at Gandalf, but the woman took no notice of it.

      After a few moments, she brought her attention back to the two figures and smiled, "Fine, I'll answer the question but it might not hold well."

      Gandalf nodded, sitting in a chair near the foot of the bed. Elrond had already been in a chair for quite some time during the healing process and he now shifted slightly to make it a bit more comfortable.

      "Apparently," she glanced to the Elf Lord, "You already know my name so I can dispense with the formalities. Also," this time her eyes flickered to Gandalf, "Legolas must have told you where he was and where I come from."

      The wizard nodded.

      "Then I am supposing why Legolas was so jumpy is the fact that he's already lived this moment once."

      "I found Legolas about a mile from my home and, after he finally came too, he told me what had happened. The fact that some unknown rip in time spit him into my world caused me to realize that it was due to something not happening here the way it was supposed to. I..." she looked around for her backpack and found it lying on a table at the foot of the bed.

      "Gandalf, would you mind handing me my bag?" she asked, blushing slightly and mentally reprimanding herself for just addressing an all powerful wizard in such a common way.

      The Istari handed her the bag and, after a few moments of looking through its contents, Ashley pulled out her gigantic copy of The Lord of the Rings.

      She laid the book on her lap, "I went and got my book and..." the woman turned the page to where the pages should have been blank. There was only one problem... now the pages before were blank as well.

      Ashley closed the book with a shaking hand, realizing what was now happening and she turned to the chapter when Frodo crossed the Ford. Those pages had words.

      "So only the pages that speak of things that haven't happened yet..." she whispered.
      Gandalf cleared his throat, bringing the woman from her thoughts, "You were saying?"
      "Right..." She looked up from the book, "I went and looked in this book after Legolas told me what happened to him and all the pages afterward were blank. Now, all the pages before are blank as well."
      "I do not see what this has to do with the situation." Elrond stated.
      Ashley shook her head, "Sorry, my thoughts are scattered. Legolas left Middle-Earth when..." she stopped, not quite knowing how to put this, "When a fellowship he was in was traveling to Mordor. The fellowship passed through the Mines of Moria and that's where Legolas was pulled from. Now though, he's come back but..."

      At the mention of Mordor and a fellowship, Elrond and Gandalf exchanged glances.

      "But he's come back BEFORE the fellowship reaches Moria, even before it has been assembled. At least," she looked at the two, "At least I think before. Has Frodo arrived?"

      This question caught both off guard and, by the look on their faces, Ashley now feared she had asked the wrong question.

      "Yes, he arrived just yesterday." a voice from the door spoke.

      If Ashley had been shocked before, this new surprise was even more nerve rattling.

      Standing in the doorway to her room was a man who looked to be in his thirties. He was dressed in Elvish fashion, but adorned dark colors instead of the bright fashion of the Eldar. His hair was a bit unkept, as was the scruffy and rather short beard he sported. The man's eyes however, were so bright and wise beyond years that Ashley's first reaction to their piercing stare was to do one of two things, shrink away, or faint. She was overcome with a sudden emotion to kneel before the man, for she knew that before long, an entire country would be doing the same. Her breath caught in her throat she could barely choke out his name.

      "Aragorn..."