Other Worlds Than These

[feawen]

"Oh i dont think anyone from the village will be here now, we had best find from someone i would think!" said Elspeth.

[Varnafindë]

"Let's try to do that, then," Barufiniel said. "Lead on - you know what to look for better than I do. I don't know these parts or these people at all."

[feawen]

Elspeth didnt really know what she was looking for but after some walking around and talking to varies different people a group of people were found who were heading in the direction if her home. She gave then some money for them delivering the letter and added a little of the money she had earned from the sale of the sheep for her parents. The rest of her sheep money and the money from Anahera clothes she kept safe on her person. As Elspeth gave the letter over she felt a sense of anticapation. She had set her feet on a new path, one she never thought she would walk and she could see where the end would take her.

[Varnafindë]

When the letter delivery was taken care of, it was time for lunch, and they went back to the inn. Rivailen was back from her information sharing, and Ashkaio was also ready for lunch.

They sat at the same table where they had been sitting last night, and talked a little - mostly about the roads to Minas Tirith - while they waited for their food to be served.

[Midge]

Aerin and Nightshade had both fallen silent. For Aerin's part, she was contemplating the vast differences between the world she had known two days ago and the world she knew now: the one that included realms she had never heard of and talking animals.

However, her time of speculation did not last long, for it was nearing noon and the two companions had reached the village.

Aerin thought aloud, "If Minas Tirith is your destination, we'd best find out if there is a carriage or caravan with whom you can travel." She looked around and noticed the inn. "A-ha! There is where we will find the answer to that particular question."

She noticed with some amusement that although the Badger did not know anything about her surroundings nor what would become of her, still she headed toward the inn with an eagerness that seemed to speak of excitement. She thought, What could she be excited about? Being stuck in a strange world where she will be welcome in few places?

Nevertheless, Aerin kept her pace fast for the sake of Nightshade.

As they walked into the inn, Aerin scanned the room quickly, cursing the fact that it was lunchtime and thus, rather full of patrons. Then she noticed a face she recognized from a previous adventure. Relieved for some familiarity, she rushed over to the table, saying,

"Baru! How good it is to see you! How have you fared since our Entwife-searching company parted?" She had forgotten to introduce Nightshade, but then she was not used to having animal companions who were privileged to have the faculty of human speech.

[Aikanáro]

There was much for Ashkaio to reflect upon. So far as it could be measured, he didn't believe that he was doing particularly badly in the attempt to follow his objective. If one were being critical - and his cousin Lontir certainly would be, if Ashkaio ever got home to tell his story - then it could be pointed out that he was traveling towards the wrong city. King Elessar and Yagluk the Mighty were almost certainly not the same person, and the idea that the former might know the whereabouts of the latter was only speculation. He was inclined to trust the information his companions gave him, and yet if Elspeth's account held true, there was a curious division of gender in this world. As all of his companions were women, this was not a point in Ashkaio's favor.

However, there was still Barufiniel, who was blood-kin to the wife of the ensi - King Elessar - and that should count for much, even in this world. Yet it was her story that was the most difficult to believe. Not the fact that she had been born in a world other than this one; it would not be a surprise to him if this Lord of Rivendell had knowledge of the doors of light which led to the other worlds. It was only the matter of her age which still perplexed him. It was a conundrum for the temples, he supposed. Perhaps her people knew nothing of the Sacred Word. Perhaps Ansuki had turned her face away from them.

That was a thought which made Ashkaio profoundly uncomfortable, as it would not have happened without reason. He decided to leave the matter aside, telling himself that it did not matter. Barufiniel seemed to him a good and kind woman, and he was here to find Yagluk, not to debate the points of higher law. If she was willing to help him, that was enough. Certainly none of the others had seemed unsettled by her statements.

To his surprise, he had slept soundly. He had needed the rest, after the long walk to the inn, and so the fears and plans that might otherwise have kept him wakeful were quieted by weariness. It was late in the morning by the time he woke, and after making his preparations for the day ahead, he went back downstairs and sat alone by the fire a while, quill and paper before him. There ought to be a record, he had decided. Not of what he planned, but of what he had witnessed. Doubtless when he returned home there would be a parade of scholars and writers wanting to know every detail of the world he had encountered, and a record to pass to them would make his life somewhat easier.

Ashkaio knew, on some level of consciousness, that it was just as likely that he would never go home, or that he would go and find Tathera in ruins, but he was not allowing himself to let those possibilities influence his actions. As far as he knew, he still had a chance. He picked out the letters carefully, in that fine, thin-stroked Ruvikan script which he had labored over so many hours with his tutors to perfect.

Their fields are alike to ours, he wrote. Their foods, their speech, their economics, even their system of governance. Their city has an ensi, though they do not name him as such. The roads are poorer...I have met several who wish to travel with me to the city...

He wrote as much as he could think of, and then rolled up the paper and tucked it away safely. There would be time later to add more. It hadn't occurred to him to ask how many days' walk the city was from here, but suspected it would be a lengthy enough journey.

At lunch he sat with the others, next to Rivailen, whom he had learned was a healer. That was well, he had thought, they might have need of her skill if what he had heard was any indication. she had been telling him more about the doorway she had seen and the creature that had emerged from it, when their table was approached by yet another stranger. This woman, however, appeared to know Barufiniel, and so he didn't worry overmuch, despite the fact that she was a strange sight, mainly due to the fact that she was followed by a short-legged animal with a striped face. Ashkaio didn't mean to stare, but he couldn't help but look curiously at the creature, wondering why Barufiniel's acquaintance had thought to bring it inside the inn with her.

[feawen]

Anahera sat listening to the many conversation going around the table as the group eat another meal. Another person approached the table, what was another person, she thought and continued to eat until she noted the black and white animal walking on its hind legs beside the woman. What a strange world to teach the wild animals to wonder around after you like that. strange!

[Varnafindë]

After they had been served, the inn quickly filled up with other customers. It seemed that there were far more people than just the residents who would take lunch at the inn. The food was good and plentiful.

Barufiniel had nearly finished her second course when a new arrival rushed up to her and greeted her.

"Aerin!" Barufiniel exclaimed and rose from the table to greet her friend. "It's good to see you, too! I ..."

She stopped. Someone else had stepped forward and now stood next to Aerin. Someone she had never seen before - but oh, she had seen so, so, many of her kind.

For a moment Barufiniel thought she was back in Narnia. But she shook her head, of course she wasn't. There was no doubt, though, that the badger in front of her was a Talking Badger. She recognized the intelligence, the intellect, behind the gaze which calmly met her own.

"Impossible," she whispered. "How come?"

But then it struck her that on a day like this - at a time when someone was messing with the portals - it might indeed be possible.

"Greetings, Lady Badger," she addressed the other, her voice not quite steady, her friend forgotten. "Do I see before me ... a real Narnian Talking Badger?"

[Varnafindë]

If the inn was where they would find the answer they needed, better get there as quickly as possible, Nightshade thought, and increased her speed. What did Aslan have in store for her?

Just outside the inn she straightened up and walked on her hind legs just behind Aerin into the building.

She felt a little uncomfortable to be so close to humans. But she couldn't smell any Telmarines around, and no aggression from those few who took any notice of her, so she should be safe. Many didn't even look up from their meal.

It didn't take Aerin long to decide where to go. At the table where she was heading, a tall woman was sitting - by the smell and the looks of her, she was another Elf.

Nightshade stayed behind Aerin until she had greeted this Baru, who apparently was an old friend of hers. Only as Baru rose to greet her friend back, did Nightshade step forward.

The effect on Baru was formidable. She stopped speaking and just stared. But Nightshade noticed that there was no fear or anger in the Elf, just genuine surprise and astonishment.

And when she spoke, Nightshade was just as surprised.

"You know about Narnia?" she exclaimed. "I am indeed a Narnian Badger, an Old Narnian, if you see what I mean. My name is Nightshade - and I am no lady," she added, blushing at the mistake, "just plainly Nightshade - but how is it that you know about Narnia?"

[feawen]

The fact that the black and white creature talked amused Anahera, she had seen the men of the ships with talking birds on their shoulders. Not understanding many of the words the creature spoke Anahera take the animal to the a talking pet, a mocking trick. Anahera had traveled by blue light to a world where she understand little and where magic appeared a daily thing. This did not suprise her!

Elspeth on the other hand, upon hearing the badge speak uttered a small eck and her eyes become as wide as saucers.

Anahera looked at her new friend who appeared to be struggling to hold her self together. Hitting Elspeth on the back she asked "What wrong you?"

[Midge]

Aerin watched as her old friend Baru, while clearly surprised by the Talking Badger, greeted the creature as if she knew the creature could speak and expected her to respond verbally. Caught off guard, Aerin thought, Well, there is always more to learn about those you think you know!

Then she caught the word "Narnia" come from Baru. Of course! She'd heard lots about Baru's previous homeland on her first adventure, when they freed the Entwives.

I KNEW that word sounded familiar! Pleased, she watched as realization of what was happening dawned on Baru while the two, old and new friends, talked. Then another excellent thought hit her. If Baru was more familiar with Narnia, then the burden of explaining that she'd found a Talking Animal would no longer fall to her.

With several very good reasons, she smiled.

[Varnafindë]

"I was born in Narnia," Baru answered, almost in a whisper, going down on her knees as she used to do in the old days when she wanted to be on a level with a Talking Beast.
"My parents came from this world, they went through some kind of portal, like I suppose you have done now - and they lived in Narnia for - for many, many years, until the Great Lion sent us back.
Oh, Nightshade - my dear Badger - you don't know what it means to me to meet a Narnian again after all these years!"

She was about to embrace the animal, but hesitated, suddenly uncertain. Nightshade interpreted her uncertainty correctly, and with a wide smile she opened her own arms (short as her front limbs were) to the Elf, and Baru flung her arms around her and wept.

"My dear child," Nightshade murmured, patting the other gently on the shoulder as far as her paw would reach. "My dear child."

Finally Baru let go of the Badger, took her paws in her hands and gave her a beaming smile.

"This is wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Now that you're here, I must show you everything! We're on our way, about to leave, actually, to Minas Tirith - that's our capital - the King and Queen are my kinsmen - they will be delighted to meet someone out of my childhood. You will come with us, won't you? You can sit with me on my horse - I know how to make you reasonably comfortable - oh, do come!"

Nightshade's own eyes became a little misty.

"This is Aslan's doing," she declared. "We came to this Inn to look for someone to show me the way to Minas Tirith, because I need to speak to your Queen - and then I meet her kinswoman? There is a clear pawprint in that ...
I've never ridden a horse before, but I'll attempt greater feats than that to do what the Great Lion wants me to do. Yes, I'll come with you to Minas Tirith."

Baru stared at her in awe. Then she nodded.

"And you must tell me what has happened in Narnia since my parents and I left," she said, more quiet now. "Roughly three hundred years - here. And then we'll have to work out how much time has passed there."

She turned to Aerin with an embarrassed laughter.

"I'm afraid I forgot you for a little while - I'm sorry!" she said. "You and I have a lot to talk about as well. It must be more than ten years ago that we freed the Entwives. You must tell me what has happened since then - I hope you'll be coming with us to Minas Tirith, too?"

[Midge]

"Quite honestly, this is the first big event for me since the Entwives were freed. I went and saw Rohan up close with Magor and then we went to Minas Tirith. I was on my way back home from there when up pops a Talking Badger in the middle of a previously empty field!"

Aerin chuckled. "For the life of me, I don't know how I manage to get myself tangled up in all these adventures, but here I am again, more than halfway deciding to turn around and go right back to Minas Tirith with you." She was quiet for a few moments, aware of the eyes that watched her hopefully.

Then she sighed. "Well, I can't think of a single good reason to say no and I can think of several good reasons to say yes. Why not?"

She looked around for the innkeeper. "Do you happen to have any more of these delicious-looking 'vittles'?" She looked back out of the corner of her eye, wondering how many of her friends would see her little joke.

[Earniel]

Beryn stretched lazily on her bed of dry leaves. She had slept soundly all night until first light. If it didn't attract so many hunters, roaming and camping in bear-form could be quite comfortable. But then she had come to Gondor to meet people, if she had wanted to merely roam unchecked, she should have gone north, not south, for her long trek.

Funny thing, though, she would probably have encountered dragons - or signs of them- had she decided to go to the Northern Waste. Smaug the Golden had come from there, the legend said. It was told dragons and cold drakes roamed there and few so far had dared to go and see it this was still true today.

Perhaps one day, Beryn thought, but maybe that was a trip for two.

In any case she did not have to travel north to see dragons, she had actually managed to come across what was (probably) the only dragon in existance this far south. And she'd better go see what it was up too today if it hadn't slipped away through some strange shining gate-thing during the night. Stranger things had happened only just yesterday.

[Midge]

Aerin's horse, Glaeren, was getting on in years, as horse made her second trip south to Gondor in as many months. Aerin smiled as she thought back to her previous adventure, when she'd gotten the horse.

And several new friends, she thought. Who knew what this new venture would bring?

They'd been on the road south for a few days now and Glaeren's step was lighter than it had been in a while. If her old friend Magor were here, he would say that the horse could tell they were starting something new and exciting.

"Who knows, Magor?" Aerin murmured. "Maybe she can."

She looked around at the group of people she traveled with, still slightly awed at the Talking Badger in their midst and the stories of opening portals to other worlds. With all these strange new happenings, the king certainly needed to be made aware.

She noticed their pace had slowed ever so slightly from when they'd packed up camp that morning. Aerin nudged Glaeren forward.

"On, Glaeren! On, to Minas Tirith!" she cried.

[Earniel]

Beryn approached the tiny dragon's den from down wind. She could smell it was still here, so it hadn't excaped or flown off during the night. Good.

She was still in bear-form, thinking the creature may be less alarmed by an animal than a human. She could walk more stealthily was a bear too, even if there were more feet to keep track of this way. But a random passing bear would not raise suspicion, and would allow her to covertly study the scaly beast some more.

For the moment the little dragon wasn't doing anything spectacular. It walked around the forest floor with its nose to the ground, sniffing. It moved more rapidly when it picked up a scent it was apparently looking for. It started digging rapidly in the ground, sending the soil flying like an enthousiastic puppy. The serpentine neck snaked forward and then up, tossing something small and squeaky into the air before catching it again and swallowing it without even a single bite.

Beryn stiffled a snort of surprise. Mice? The dragon was hunting mice?! This seemed so ill-fitting for a creature whose reputation could send entire villages running. Even a tiny one. But then what did other baby dragons eat normally? Beryn was somewhat glad she didn't know from experience.

[feawen]

Elspeth has gotten over the shock of the talking animal. After she had tried to explain to Anahera why it had been a shock and failing she had given up being shocked!
The group had been traveling for a while now and the pace of slowing down. The
traveling was making Elspeth sore while Anahera was happy to be moving again. To her moving and traveling ment going places, and she hoped that place was some to be home.

[Midge]

Lur and Lantie were enjoying the way the breeze felt as they hiked with Indigo. Although they might have felt overwhelmed by all the new things they found (beds, they had taken to happily; nightclothes were not quite so joyously received), they instead kept their eyes open. You never know what you might find, they discovered.

When the sun (which was a source of wonder to the twins, who were familiar with the patterns of the stars, but were unused to seeing them so clearly due to the thick cloudy atmosphere of Perelandra) was high overhead, they stopped at the insistence of Indigo for a midday meal, although the twins were used to simply eating as they got hungry. However, the spot he chose was a nice one - a small creek meandered by a grove of shady trees.

The twins watched as he spread a blanket on the ground, then carefully unpacked some provisions. As they did so, the learned what the word "picnic" means. Lur laughed.

"Dear Indigo! In our land, we eat this way all the time. We do not have a cover over the ground, but we do eat outdoors under the sky and the trees for every meal." Lantie smiled, remembering the fruits of Perelandra, and then she felt the peace of Maleldil settle over them once again as they fell to with Indigo.

[Earniel]

"I assume it never rains at inopportune moments in your country for you to eat under sky and trees all the time," Indigo said good-naturedly as he slathered some butter on the delicious bread mistress Rosian had provided them with.

"But the cover is mostly to keep the sand out of the bread, and the ants out of the butter! They have no sense of waiting their turn, those insects!"

"And I dare say you wouldn't find such tasty things as these growing on trees, even in Perelandra!" He added as he cut a few slices off the nut-and-honey cake and handed them to the twins for a taste.

Not far from their resting place the road meandered on in the sun and occasionally other travellers passed them by. Indigo felt quite content, this was how travelling should be! With good weather, interesting companions and full provision sacks! He wondered whether he could introduce the twins to the concept of afternoon naps after the meal.