Getting to sleep in through a part of the morning was an enjoyable experience. I was woken by the rays of sunlight that came flooding in through my window. I opened my eyes sleepily, and for a brief moment, I had the idea in my head that I was home. Then I realized that I was not home, but I was in Aratan�s guest room, in his house in Fifth Circle of Minas Tirith, in Middle-earth. That reality, all by itself, was a great deal to handle, but I really wasn�t sure that the shock had hit me yet. I didn�t think I there was any feasible way for me to get back home.
Pushing those semi-depressing thoughts out of my mind, I stumbled out of bed. Running a hand through my hair I headed for the door. While reaching for the doorknob, I suddenly realized that with Middle-earth�s sense of propriety, it wouldn�t be a good idea to leave my room dressed as I was. So, I reluctantly made a semi-conscious attempt at dressing myself in my new clothes. Digging through my pack, I found the clothes I sought to wear for the day and donned them with relative ease.
By the time I was done I was wearing my new boots, pants, my burgundy tunic, and my jerkin. There was a small mirror near the washbasin, and I used it to look myself over after I had brushed my hair. I looked really different. I mean, my physical appearance had not altered in any way, I still looked like me, but seeing myself garbed in these foreign clothes gave me anew perspective when looking at myself. I didn�t look very much like the teenage girl I was used to seeing. I now resembled a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, young woman with the sense of fierce dignity and maturity that I had always wanted to appear as.
Feeling a boost in my self-esteem I left my room and bounded down the small staircase to the dining room, where sat Aratan, Iorene, and an elderly couple, who I presumed to be his mother and father. Seeing the empty place at the table I headed for it and sat myself down.
�Good morning!� I greeted.
�That it is, and a bright and warm one, at that. I take it you rested well, for with your apparent change in appearance comes a brighter mood than I have yet been witness to,� said Aratan with a smile.
�Well, yesterday was a rather trying and long day for me, with all of these odd things going on in my life. I was very tired and slept like a rock. Thank you for allowing me to use your spare room,� I said.
�That is what guest rooms are for, dear,� said Iorene as she passed me some eggs for my breakfast. I scooped some onto my plate and started to devour them.
�Ah, I fear you have yet to be introduced to my mother and father. This is my mother, Dioreth, and my father, Thalion. Mother, Father, may I present to you Amanda,� introduced Aratan.
�It is very nice to finally meet you. Please, if you would all just call me Manda, it would make me feel more comfortable,� I said.
�Very well, Manda. Any person who my son finds trustworthy enough to befriend will always be welcomed in our home,� said Dioreth.
�I thank you for your hospitality and your kindness,� I said smiling as I resumed breaking my fast.
The rest of the morning meal was relatively quiet. I was hungry and kept stuffing my face, while everyone else at the table was picking at their food silently. I didn�t have anything worth saying, and they didn�t seem to know what to say. I was busy contemplating all the things that could possibly happen to me. I think we were all expecting some guards to come knocking on the door any moment and carry me away to be executed or something.
Now, as it so happened, we were the only people in the whole city who had an understanding of what had happened to E�rnur at Minas Morgul. That was of course excluding Steward Mardil Voronw� and which ever advisors and councils he had shared my tale with, but it wasn�t like he had honestly believed it. Even though we were the keepers of a great, though unbelievable, secret, the people of Minas Tirith were not ignorant. They all knew where their king had gone off too, that he had not returned with his escort, and so the rumors began to fly.
Inasmuch as I feared my arrest within these city walls, the idea of being forced to leave and go out onto the road or into the wilderness alone frightened me far more. I wasn�t a warrior, traveler, or ranger. I had no real outdoor skills; least of all any that would help me survive in so dangerous an element. Were I attacked by monsters or robbers I would be unable to defend myself, not to mention the fact that I had relatively no sense of direction and I would get lost.
Sipping water from my cup, I realized that all these things would come to pass. I hadn�t come so far just to die; I would have to survive on my own. At least long enough to maybe find some answers. That was another problem, I realized. I didn�t know who to go to for answers, and when and if I did find someone, what questions was I going to ask? It was all rather overwhelming for me, so I decided to put it out of my mind and enjoy my meal.
So I sat there not thinking about much of anything as I ate my toast.
