The Magic Ring (Lord of the Rings/The Sarah Jane Adventures)

Title: The Magic Ring
Author: paranoidangel42
Prompt: Elrond walks into a bar and meets... Maria Jackson!
Fandoms: Lord of the Rings, The Sarah Jane Adventures
Word count: 1800
Rating/Warnings: G, no warnings needed
Beta: hhertzof
Summary: There's a girl with a magic ring from another world in Elrond's garden and Maria knew she shouldn't have touched that ring - look where it landed her.

At the cry and thump outside Elrond looked up from his letter. There were often any manner of people outside, yet he couldn't ignore the sounds and hope others would help. He leaned out of the window and saw the gardens were empty, with the exception of a girl in unusual dress sitting in the middle of his roses, picking thorns off herself. He hadn't seen her before and knew she had not arrived in Imladris before today without his knowledge. Nor could he see how she came to be here, unless she fell from the sky. Since she was clearly in need of help, he chose not to worry about the problem until later and instead rushed outside to tend to her.

"Ow!" she exclaimed as he reached her. She'd tried turning round and the thorns had caught on her short skirt, trapping her. It was perhaps just as well that her skirt wasn't longer, for she would have been worse off. Yet he was shocked to see a skirt like it, even though her legs were covered.

"Do not move," he commanded, and she stood still, her eyes wide as he approached. Taking care not to get his own clothing entangled, he found only three thorns in her skirt and it took but a minute to free her.

"Thank you," she said, taking his proffered hand as he led her to the safety of the lawn. "Where am I?"

He was not surprised at the question, for Imladris was well-hidden, although it meant not many stumbled upon it with no knowledge of where they were. "This is Rivendell and I am Master Elrond."

She frowned and looked around. "Maria." Despite her distraction, it was clear that was her name. "I've never heard of anywhere called Rivendell."

This he was not sure he believed her, yet he was careful not to show that in his face or his voice. "Nevertheless, it exists."

"Oh, I didn't mean that." She looked up at him apologetically. "I just meant I don't know where Imladris is."

"As should be the case." Given what she had said, he did not enlighten her as to its location. Although she looked fair, he knew that not all that was beautiful was also good, so he couldn't trust her yet.

"How did I get here?" She started off across the garden and Elrond followed her, an amused look on his face despite himself. He guessed she was still a child and there had been few children in Imladris recently.

"I was just in the attic and..." She stopped and held her hand up, examining it. "This ring." She turned back to face him. "Sarah Jane told me not to touch it."

"Sarah Jane is a wise person. Rings you know not the origin of are often best left alone."

"It must have brought me here," she said thoughtfully. "So all I have to do to get home is to take it off." She did so and her shoulders slumped when nothing happened. "I don't want to be stuck here," she said in a small voice.

He gave her a reassuring smile. "I will do everything in my power to ensure that does not happen."

His words were rewarded by a smile.

"May I see?" He would be far more cautious of this ring than she and perhaps he could divine something of its purpose without leaving Imladris.

Maria held the ring out and Elrond reached out his hand to take it. But it stung him as his fingers touched it and he gasped, pulling his hand back. The ring fell to the ground. She bent down to pick it up and he grabbed her wrist before she could do so. "No," he said. "We don't know what it will do." Given the way Vilya was warming his finger, it was nothing good. Unwilling to leave it out here where anyone could come across it, he took a corner of his robe and used that to pick the ring up. The cloth between his hand and the ring reduced the stinging sensation to something bearable. "Come," he said, and took the ring into the house. Maria followed him.

Inside, he placed the ring on a table and bent down to study it. Maria's face came into his line of sight as she did the same thing. "There is writing on it, but those are not letters I have seen before." He looked up at her, hoping she knew.

"It's probably alien."

He frowned. "I have not heard of that race." If they had made this ring, then he would definitely like to know more about them.

Maria gave him a look he couldn't interpret. "No, aliens. You know, not human."

He did not know Men had such names for races that unlike them. But he would check on the origin of such a word later, it was not important now. "It is not the writing of any race I know. And I have seen the writings of all races in Middle-earth." All races that he knew of - it was possible this was from further in the east, but Maria didn't look as if she'd come that far.

"Middle-earth?" She seemed surprised at the name of the world. "I mean, yes, it's from a race on another planet, I think." She shrugged. "It must be."

He frowned - planet was another word he did not know.

"Somewhere that's not on Middle-earth," she clarified.

He returned to studying the ring. "I am not a master of languages." Even if he were it was impossible to translate such a short piece of writing with no context. Yet Vilya had clearly been trying to tell him something. That it was dangerous he understood, given what it had done to Maria, but he hoped for something more. He held the finger Vilya was on over the ring. He gasped and pulled it back as he heard a hum in his mind.

"What is it?" Maria asked.

Elrond shook his head for he didn't know. But now he was prepared for what would happen, he tried again. It was not a soothing hum, but it was one that spoke of home, albeit not Elrond's home. It was, perhaps, Maria's.

"Touch the ring," he told her, and his words sounded muffled through the hum. Elrond was glad to see Maria was well-trained for she did as she was told. Now the hum changed to images he could not interpret. But now he could understand the people he saw as friends.

He removed his hand and put the other to his head, for it had given him a headache.

"Are you all right?"

Maria sounded concerned, so he dropped his arm and smiled for her benefit. "I will be fine." He would find a soothing drink and a quiet room later. But he couldn't leave a young girl and a source of great power unattended in his house. "Does the name Mister Smith mean anything to you?" It had come into his head along with an image of something that shone.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled. "Oh, yes. He's Sarah Jane's computer."

Elrond had not heard of a computer, but if it was related to Sarah Jane, then this ring did speak of home. However, he could not tell if it spoke truly.

"Then the ring will take me home?" she asked. She reached out for it, and once again Elrond stopped her.

"The ring may trick you," he cautioned.

She considered that. "Do you have any other ideas as to how I can get home?"

He had to admit that he had none. But he did not want to hurt an innocent girl, if that was what she was. If she was a spy then she had seen nothing that she would be able to report back to Sauron. "No," he admitted. "But you are welcome to stay until I can discover more about it."

Her face fell at his answer. "I do this sort of thing all the time. I really don't want to be trapped in a strange place and I'm willing to try."

Elrond took a deep breath and considered it. He was unsure of the best thing to do. But if Maria was right and she had some knowledge of what had happened to bring her here, he may have to trust her. And trust himself and Vilya to guide her destination. "You may try it if you wish. But think hard on it, for it may take you elsewhere. Or take your life."

"I don't want to die, but the ring wants me to do it. It did the same thing to me in the attic." She looked young and unsure and despite his reservations about her possible intentions, her wanted to keep her here, safe.

"The ring may take you to other strange places that will not be so kind," he warned.

"I know." She stood up straighter. "I want to try."

"Then I will help you," he said, smiling at the memory of his daughter she had conjured up for him. For a moment he wished to keep her here, then at least she would be safe.

Maria picked up the ring and put it on. Elrond held his hand close to hers and put his thought into Vilya. The hum in his mind stopped suddenly and Maria disappeared in front of his eyes. He waited, but she never reappeared. With no knowledge of what had happened to her, he could only hope she was home.

~*~*~

Maria let out a cry as she landed on a hard floor. When she looked up all hurt was forgotten as she saw she was back in the attic with Sarah Jane, Luke and Clyde staring down at her. She jumped up, a smile on her face and hugged Sarah Jane. "It worked!" she said.

Then she hugged Luke and Clyde too and when she turned back around, Sarah Jane was no longer smiling. Maria knew why. "I'm sorry, Sarah Jane," she said. "I know you told me not to touch it, but it felt like it was calling out to me and I couldn't resist."

Sarah Jane's face softened. "Oh, Maria, it's my fault. I knew it might do that and I should have locked it away somewhere safe."

"I've learnt my lesson," Maria said, smiling now. "Next time a piece of jewellery asks me to put it on, I'll just say no."

At that, Sarah Jane laughed and hugged her again.

"Where did you go?" Clyde asked.

"You'd never believe me," Maria replied, grinning.

Clyde folded his arms. "Try me."

Maria managed to keep an almost-straight face for a few seconds and then burst into laughter. Of course she would tell them where she'd been and what had happened to her, but right now, while all four of them were laughing, she was just glad to be home.