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Sleeping Beauty	By : SilentNiobe Category: -Multi-Age > Het - Male/Female Views: 7191 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 12
- 13
- 14
Author�s Note: Thank you all so much for your patience. Life has been crazy the past few weeks, but I have my reading week now and, like I promised, I used the free time I found to reply to reviews and update. I love reading your reviews. They make me smile, they make me laugh, they surprise me and sometimes even make me cry. There is no greater gift for a writer than to see their work appreciated.

For all the information used on geology and geologists I had to ask a friend of mine who is doing a Master�s Degree as well in my university. I could not use all of the jargon he provided, since I did not understand it myself :-P, but this is the best I could do.

Disclaimer: See Prologue.

italics: thoughts

--italics--: flashback

Chapter 12 � An ally found in the truth

Alice rang the doorbell, shifting her weight anxiously from one leg to the other, as she waited for an answer. Feeling her bag to make sure the jewel had not disappeared as magically as it had appeared, she then attacked her fingernails; good thing the owner decided to open the door at that very moment, or she would have to pay for a new manicure.

�Freckles! Hi!�

Johan�s voice did not hide his surprise. The last person he had expected to find standing on his doorstep was his cousin. She was never one for unexpected visits; due to her tight schedule, she always announced them at least a week before. Yet here she was, looking as if she hadn�t had a decent sleep for ages and biting her nails, a nasty habit she had quit years ago; this could not be good.

�Hey, Johan,� she replied in a quiet voice, before moving past him inside the house. She dropped her bag on the couch, plopping down on it in a most unceremonious way.

Johan�s eyebrows furrowed at the absurd scene before him. There was definitely something wrong.

�Are you okay?� he asked her tilting his head to the side, trying to figure out what was bothering her.

Alice sighed and turned to face him.

�We need to talk. You�re the only person I can talk to, Johan.�

Her answer was enough to create a sudden feeling of worry; it must be a very serious matter, indeed. Alice was never one to act so grave; neither did she discuss her problems with anyone. He always had to practically beg her for a word of what troubled her.

�Okaaay�� He closed the door behind him and walked to the living room. Taking a seat across her on the other couch, he leaned his elbows on his knees, resting his head on the palms of his hands. �I�m all ears.�

Alice suddenly felt nervous, as she faced Johan. She took a deep breath and tried to slow the fast beating of her heart. Now it was the time. This was her chance to convince her cousin of her words; if she did not, she would be on her own.

�Right��

Another deep breath. Johan had started losing his patience.

�Alice just get ov-..�

�What really happened that night at the woods?�

The words that came out of her mouth stopped Johan mid-sentence. His heart made a leap; had she gone mad? Both knew they were not supposed to talk about that incident; it was as if it had never happened. Why did she have to dig up such a forbidden subject after so many years?

�You know what happened,� he replied in a voice not as convincing as he had hoped.

�No, I know what my parents told me. Now I want to know the truth.�

Johan looked away from her steely gaze. The truth. What was the truth? Which part of it was their childish imagination and which one the reality? He only believed in one �truth�: the one he had formed which fit into his adult mind. But why was she so determined to find out about the past? He thought that this incident was over and they would never have to talk about it again.

Alice knew that Johan was hiding something the moment he tore his eyes away from her. So it�s true� She had truly seen him; that night had been real. She wasn�t going crazy after all; and this was a comforting knowledge. But wasn�t the necklace enough evidence of his existence?

�Alice, why exactly are you here?�

Johan�s tone held the slightest bit of anger. She had known she would be the cause of it; she had asked him to talk about the unspeakable and break the barriers of logic that held them into the cage of their adult world.

�I�ve been having these dreams, Johan. It�s that man� the one in the castle� he�s real Johan!�

His heart stopped at the mention of the man and a shudder went down his spine. It cannot be� It was a myth; maybe their childish minds had created it, after all. It was so long ago, anyway, that a mere memory could not hold as credence.

�Freckles, you�re being irrational. I think�-�

��that I need to see a doctor, isn�t this what you were going to say?�

Alice sighed and leaned back on the couch. She shook her head in disappointment.

�I thought you of all people would believe me.�

�Alice, you�re talking about dreams,� he tried to reason with her.

�But you saw it, Johan! You saw the castle!�, she protested, her voice breaking with emotion. �I need to find him� He�s waiting for me��

Johan looked dumbfounded both at the tears streaming down his cousin�s face and her confession. He was at a loss of what to think! He knew Alice was a very calm person, one that would not have broken down in front of him like this. And if one of the two should find this tale unbelievable, that would have been her. She was too skeptic about everything; so what was this nonsense she was now blurting?

�Freckles, look at me� look at me!� Johan raised her chin to bring her eye-level with him. �They were just dreams� You have no proof that he exists.�

�No proof?� she repeated through clenched teeth as she blindly reached for her bag and searched inside for that one object that made everything as true as the couch she was sitting on at the moment. �How about this?�

Johan raised his eyebrow questioningly at the piece of jewelry hanging from her fist.

�It�s a necklace,� he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

�A necklace that appeared miraculously around my neck after the last dream I had of him. A necklace whose origin two highly-esteemed geologists could not find!�

Johan took the heart-shaped emerald in his hand and proceeded to look it over. He honestly couldn�t find what was odd about this piece; it looked pretty normal to him.

�I think it�s an emerald on a silver chain�� he said after a careful examination and gave it back to Alice shrugging.

�It�s not silver. Neither any other metal we know.�

�How do you know?� Johan�s interest was picked at this new piece of information.

�I took it to my father and he examined it in the university lab��

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�Well, if it isn�t my only daughter! Look at this, Henry, she actually decided to pay her poor father a visit!�

Alice rolled her eyes at her father. She had just visited her parents last week. Plus, she really wasn�t in the mood for her father�s corny jokes.

�Hi, Dad. Hello Mr. Joycey,� she said, as she closed the door behind her and walked into her father�s office. She realised she had interrupted one of two friend�s usual scientific conversations as her eyes fell upon the scattered papers on her father�s desk; they wouldn�t stop talking about their work even when Mr. Joycey joined them at their house for dinner, which was quite frequently.

�Hello to you too, Alice,� Mr. Joycey replied in a gentle manner. �What brings you to our humble place?�

�Well� I need you to take a look at something�� she trailed off as she searched into her bag for the item. Both men faked a gasp when the jewel came into view.

�My, Logan is one for expensive gifts, isn�t he Henry!� her father exclaimed, laughing along with Mr. Joycey.

�Dad!!� Alice exclaimed frustrated. �It�s not a present from Logan. It�s actually something serious��

�Not a present from Logan? Then what is it?�

�Okay, let me see you explain THAT�, the voice inside her head remarked ironically and she cleared her throat to gain herself more time.

�Uh� well, it was found in an antics� shop in Europe� I thought you could figure out how old it is� that�s IF it isn�t fake��

How she hated her nervous laughter! It had betrayed her to her father, who looked at her through narrowed eyes in suspicion.

�I think there�s something you�re not telling me, but you�ll give me the whole story after I take a look at it,� he said sighing as he got up from his chair and walked around his desk motioning for her to follow him. �Come along Henry, I might need your expertise!�

The man laughed and patted her father friendly on the back, as he got up and followed behind them. Soon, they had reached the university�s lab, where her father took a seat in front of what Alice recognized to be a dichroscope. Many years she had spent in that very room as a child. When other girls of her age played with dolls, she had played with expensive scientific equipment while her father worked, learning the secrets of the Earth from a very young age.

�Hmmm��

�What is it?� Alice asked breathless, her heart thundering in her chest.

�Well� Hmmm� The emerald was not cut with modern equipment, that�s for sure� but��

Her father moved to another dichroscope. His face had suddenly become pensive.

�Henry, why don�t you take a look at this as well? Have you ever seen this kind of emerald?�

Alice watched with growing anticipation as Mr. Joycey took her father�s place and he slowly acquired the same mood as well.

�What�- Where was this found, Alice? Did the shopkeeper tell you?� he asked her without looking up, turning the emerald around in every possible angle. There was a sense of urgency in his voice; Alice was sure she had something there.

�Um, no but- but he said it was pretty old!�

�If I�m right about its formation, then �old� is an understatement; I would say ancient,� he replied as he looked up at her father. �Did you happen to look at the chain?�

Her father shook his head and took the chain between his thumb and forefinger, feeling the metal.

�It looks like silver, but it�s as light as titanium,� he muttered under his breath. �Bring it over here Henry, perhaps we could find out its molecular formation��

Alice stood forgotten in one corner of the room, as the two geologists worked on the necklace. She could tell they have found something very important, for it was not often that her father ran around grabbing books, typing furiously on his computer and moving from one instrument to the other like an excited child. At one point, he turned to look at her bewildered for the discovery.

�I� I don�t know what this is, Alice,� he told her in a barely audible voice.

�Where did you find this, my dear? This metal has never been recorded,� Mr. Joycey told her, much in the same state as her father.

�Can you imagine the applications of this metal if we manage to reproduce it?� her father asked his colleague in amazement. �Strong as steel, but light as titanium!�

�So, it�s not fake, is it?� Alice couldn�t care less about the applications of the metal. She only wanted to know if that thing was real� and, consequently, if Legolas was real.

�Fake?� Mr. Joycey laughed. It was enough answer for her.

�We will need to keep this for a while�-�

�No! No, you can�t!�

Both men looked at Alice as if she had gone out of her mind at her sudden exclamation.

�I need it� for the time being� please, you have to understand��

Her father narrowed his eyes once more suspiciously.

�Alice, what have you gotten yourself into?�

�Daddy, please, you will have to trust me� I WILL tell you, I promise; it�s just not the right time��

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�Maybe they were mistaken,� Johan said skeptically, after hearing the details about her visit.

�Johan, you very well know my father is famous all over the world for his work� And the equipment used is of the latest technology, they can�t be that wrong.�

She moved to stand before him and took his hands in her own.

�You are the only one who can understand me� You saw the palace, you know what happened that night. I�m serious about it Johan, you need to help me,� she pleaded with him once more.

Johan rubbed his neck uncomfortably. This is crazy! But at the same time, so many facts, so many coincidences� they could not be wrong! Sighing, he pulled Alice to sit on the couch with him.

�I don�t remember what happened exactly, Freckles. It was so many years ago,� he started, but paused to lick his dry lips. �God, I need a drink,� he muttered and got up to the bar.

Alice watched him silently as he poured a generous amount of whiskey in a glass, then pulled out another one, filling it as well. Good idea, Alice thought silently. I will definitely need it. Now she was absolutely certain everything was real. The last doubt she had, had been taken away by Johan�s confession. All that was left now was persuading him to accompany her in her search.

Johan finally joined her and gave her wordlessly the glass of whisky. After gulping down himself half the contents, he leaned back at the couch and looked at her thoughtfully.

�I think you really saw him. I remember you started walking towards the palace� It was as if you were in some kind of a trance,� he said, his eyes darting around, as he relived the memory. �Andrea�- yes it was Andrea I think-� She told me to catch you before you went inside, but I just� I couldn�t move� I was in such a shock, I remember��

Alice squeezed his hand, silently encouraging him to continue.

�I don�t really remember much after that, actually. It all happened in a haze� you fainted and we were trying to wake you up, but you would not� At some point our parents came running and they took you from my arms� I told them- the castle was right there before their eyes! But they couldn�t see it, Alice! They thought I was lying!�

Even after all this years, Johan could still not understand how it was possible for their parents to not have seen the imposing castle. It had been right in front of their eyes, but all they could see were trees! He had pointed at it; he had even tried to run towards it and touch its walls to make them believe him, but his parents had carried him home screaming and kicking; telling him over and over that he was unreasonable and that he would be grounded for a year for causing so much trouble over his childish imagination.

�That�s what they told me. That it had all been a sick joke,� Alice added and took a sip from her whiskey, wincing as the strong liquid burned her throat.

�I remember you got sick� The doctors had said it was from shock.�

Johan looked down after his last words, an image of his cousin�s feverish face flashing in his memory. How much had he blamed himself for her state! He hadn�t really known what had happened to her back then and all kinds of scenarios had appeared in his young mind: maybe she had caught a nasty cold; or maybe the angel had cast a curse on her and she was dying! Oh how had he cried when hidden from all other eyes! How had he prayed for her recovery!

�Why did you never tell me, Johan?� Alice asked, breaking the silence and his thoughts.

�Do you realize how crazy all this is, Alice?�

�I know� but you believe me right?�

Johan looked in her green eyes. She always looked at him with such trust� �My big brother�, that�s what she always referred to him as. And she had always been a little sister to him. His little freckled Alice, who now needed him the most; an ally in this madness.

�I believe you, Freckles. You know I do.�

�Thank you, Johan� Thank you so much!�

Alice threw herself in the arms of her cousin, catching him off guard. Johan smiled; it was good to have his little cousin back for one more adventure. Although they were not kids anymore, the excitement for such a discovery made his blood bubble.

�So what do we have to do now?� he asked pulling away from her suffocating hug.

�Well� we need to go to Europe� to the place where the castle is supposed to be.�

Alice winced at the last sentence, knowing how hard it would be for Johan to go back to his parents� house. But she was surprised at his grin.

�Sounds good to me� When do we leave?�

Alice�s grin mirrored her cousin�s, as she produced two air-tickets from her bag.

�How about tonight?�

************************************************************************************

�Alice, I still don�t understand why you need to leave,� Jean told her best friend worried, as she held her luggage, while Alice was trying to find her passport. �Johan, please, will YOU at least tell me what�s going on?�

Johan just laughed at Jean�s constant fussing.

�Alice, maybe you should try to call Logan�� Marisa piped in, earning a sigh from Alice.

�Cut it off, both of you. I need some time away to figure things out,� she told them once more, using the excuse she had come up with for her sudden departure.

�But if you talked�-�

�Jean!�

�Okay, fine. You know better.�

�That�s right, I know better,� she told her emphatically hoping that the discussion would end there. Maybe her friends seeing her off at the airport was not such a good idea after all. But she didn�t have another choice; she could not leave without notice and have her fussy friends report her as missing! �Alright, we�re all set!� she exclaimed, when she finally found her passport. �That�s where we say our goodbyes, girls.�

Three pairs of arms wrapped tightly around her, �aww�s and �we�re gonna miss you�s uttered at the same time by all three. She had to wonder sometimes: didn�t her friends know the vital importance of breathing?

�Okay, okay enough!� her muffled voice was heard from the tangle of limbs, as Johan watched with amusement Alice pushing her friends away with irritation. �I will miss you too, but you don�t have to squeeze me to death!�

The trio proceeded to say their goodbyes to Johan, fortunately for him not so expressively.

�Take care, Alice!�

�Be careful both! Don�t mess into any trouble!�

�Yeah, I�m sure Logan will realize it was a mistake! So come back as soon as you can!�

Alice fought the urge to roll her eyes as she walked into the corridor that would lead them into the plane for their transatlantic flight. She heard Johan snicker beside her and gave him a glare.

�Not a word,� she warned him, but Johan was not one to be discouraged by her threats.

�You have some friends!�

�They just worry about me too much, that�s all,� she said in defense to her friends.

�I think they worry about everything too much,� Johan replied laughing. �I�m glad I don�t have to hang out with them.�

�That�s where you�re wrong, dear cousin.� A warm smile brightened her face at the thought of her friends. They could be very embarrassing and annoying sometimes, but she loved them dearly. �Once you get know them, you won�t be able to live without their constant fussing.�

Johan just shrugged and took a step into the plane�s cabin, Alice following behind him. Settling their hand-luggage on the cabinets above them, they both sat on their seats sighing. Everything had happened so fast� Both watched in silence as the plane prepared to take off. Lost each in their own thoughts, they paid no attention to the plane crew as they explained the safety procedures; neither did they register the strange sensation in their stomachs as the plane lifted to the air. It was when Alice looked at the ground below them moving further and further away, until it was hidden from view by the clouds, that both realised the craziness of their wild goose chase.

�Johan? What the fuck are we doing?�

Johan looked at Alice with a smile.

�I don�t have a freakin� clue. But I love it!� he answered with a grin.

�Do you realize we�re chasing after a myth?� she chuckled at the absurdity of the situation, shaking her head at her own madness.

�He�s not a myth, Freckles. We have enough proof for that,� Johan told her in a more serious tone, taking her hand in his own for reassurance.

Johan is with me and we�re flying to Europe� Alice thought with relief. Everything was going according to plan. So why did the feelings of worry and anxiety not leave her?

As the stewardess gave them a blanket and the lights of the cabin went off, she found her answer.

How am I going to face Legolas?

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