A Stark Predicament

Chapter 2: A Mutant Meets The Dwarves

Alina slept for three days straight. She only woke to use the facilities and went back to sleep. She was exhausted. Once she woke up, she felt energized and back to her old self. She teleported from once side of the room to the other without feeling tired. There was a knock on the door and she teleported back into bed.

"Come in."

The door opened, Lord Elrond came in. "How are you feeling today?" He asked with a warm smile.

"Oh much better my teleportation powers have returned to full strength. How long was I out?"

"You were asleep for three days, the healers were beginning to worry. Fortunately I was able to convince them it was just you body needing to replenish itself. You did however miss the arrival of the Dwarves."

Alina shot up out of but bed but Lord Elrond pushed back down.

"Dammit I missed them. Are they still here?"

Lord Elrond looked amused. "Yes, Alina, they are still here. They are replenishing their supplies and are taking a few days rest. I explained who you are to an old friend. Do you have the strength to meet him?"

Alina was practically bouncing on the bed. "Yes of course I have the strength let him in."

With that Gandalf comes in.

Gandalf walks into the room with a flourish of his robes and introduces himself.

"Good morning, Alina, I am Gandalf the Grey. I have heard a great deal about you."

He smiles down at you and offers his hand. Alina takes and Gandalf brings it to his lips for a kiss. A slight blush dust her cheeks.

" I hope what you have heard of me was good."

Gandalf looks a little startled. "Oh yes, yes very good. Very good indeed. Lord Elrond tells me that you are from another world. That you have knowledge that the line of Durin will die on this quest and wish to save them. And the most interesting of all is that you are not human, is that correct?"

Alina looks down at her hands. It has been a long time that she has felt ashamed for being a Mutant. But the way Gandalf just said it made those old feelings come back. Gandalf noticed and took her chin in his hand. Raising it to look at him.

"Do not be ashamed of who you are, child. It was not my intention to make you feel self conscious. I only find the concept very interesting."

"Lord Elrond says you are called a Mutant. He has also explained to me what you can do. Now I wish to ask you are there more of you in your world?" Alina took a deep breath and began to explain the situation in her world. "Yes there are more of us, but we are the exception to the rule. Or you can say the minority of the population. I'm not sure if it is the same here as it is in my world. But humans have a tendency to fear what they do not understand." Gandalf nodded his head. "So since we are born different and have powers we are hated  and sometimes attacked outright, experiment on or just plain killed."

Lord Elrond was horrified

"Why do you not just fight back?" asked Gandalf

"Some do, but in my case I was taught by a great man that violence is not the answer. That trying to get the humans to understand us is the way to go. He also taught me to control my powers."

Both Gandalf and Lord Elrond looked at each other very impressed. "He sounds like a very wise man. What is his name?"

Alina smiled, it was a radiant smile. "His name is Professor Charles Xavier, maybe one day you can meet him." Alina said with admiration in her eyes.