Author's note: If you recognize the characters or places, they're Tolkien's. If not, then I most likely invented them. This is the first fic with chapters that I've posted; feedback is much appreciated.
Chapter 1- Awaken
It was a perfectly normal evening in Ithilien the night that Lady Elwyn, daughter of Cyanne and Einar, went to meet the family of the man that she had an arranged courtship with. The sun still peeped cautiously over the horizon, casting a golden glow across the city and providing a bit of light for Elwyn as she gazed out the window of the carriage that had come to pick her up. She could have taken her own horse, but Alaric, the man with whom she had an arranged courtship, had insisted that she ride in a carriage.
As much as she liked Alaric, Elwyn was still nervous. She knew that if she made one wrong move, everything would be ruined, and she didn't think that she could find a man that she liked as much as Alaric.
The carriage stopped. A footman opened the door and announced, "Lady Elwyn of Ithilien, daughter of Lord Einar and Lady Cyanne."
Elwyn stepped from the carriage, ascended the steps, and walked through the doors of the mansion, where Alaric was waiting for her. He took her arm and led her to the dining hall. Walking beside him, she glanced at the side of his face. He was, without a doubt, the definition of handsome…but Elwyn wasn't sure if she agreed with that definition. Stop that! she scolded herself. There's more to Alaric than his looks.
In the dining hall, she found her appointed seat beside Alaric. Before sitting down, he said to her, "Elwyn, this is my father Arsenio, my mother Amaya, and my younger brother Adrian," gesturing to the respective figures.
Elwyn noted that Lord Arsenio looked like a warrior—tall, broad, and very muscular. His wife sharply contrasted with him, being small and quite thin, though still beautiful. But it was not Alaric's parents that caught her attention. It was Adrian.
If Alaric was handsome, then Adrian was blindingly, stunningly, impossibly handsome. Elwyn felt her knees go weak.
You should be ashamed of yourself—letting yourself go without knowing a thing about this man! At least see if his mind can live up to his face, she ordered herself.
"Pleased to meet you all," she said with a not of approval. Alaric and Elwyn took their seats. As the first course was brought out, Lady Amaya asked Elwyn, "How have things been going for you, dear?"
"Wonderfully, Lady Amaya. I've begun to work on my fighting skills a bit more," she announced.
"Elwyn is a very apt fighter. If there is ever a war, she will fight and shall be as pertinent as any men of her age," Alaric stated.
Elwyn elbowed him playfully. "I can see why you didn't include yourself in that group," she added.
"I can see why you did that as well, Alaric. You'd never admit that a woman is better at anything," Adrian declared sarcastically.
He gave Elwyn a quick smile. She felt very faint. "Adrian, I'll admit that Elwyn writes better than I—or anyone I know of—can. The way she words things…it is as if one of the Valar speaks," Alaric rejoins.
"Then is the pen your preferred weapon?" Adrian asked her.
Elwyn smiled. "It is, unless times call for other things. Then I will use a bow or a sword."
"Noble weapons," Adrian stated with a nod. "Especially the bow."
"Adrian is a Ranger," Alaric explained.
Elwyn nodded her acknowledgement. Somehow, this made him more attractive. She concentrated on the meal in an attempt to push Adrian from her mind. As hard as she tried, she could not stop herself from glancing at him at very frequent intervals throughout the entire meal.
As she left, Elwyn was grateful that she had things to do in the morning that kept her from staying in the house of Lord Arsenio any longer.
Upon entering his chambers, Adrian fell into a chair. This was bad. No, this was terrible! His brother had spoken of Elwyn very fondly, but he hadn't thought that his feelings would overpower Alaric's.
It was not the way that her hair flowed down her back in a half-updo. It was not the perfect shape and proportions of her body, nor was it how courteous and ladylike she was. Adrian had fallen for Elwyn for the woman he saw that she was; the woman who was portrayed so beautifully by her facial expressions and speech. Several times that night, he had intentionally asked her questions requiring much thought and rather lengthy answers just to watch her think, to hear her response, to know her more deeply.
He knew that if she ever married Alaric, there would be trouble. The fact that she would be his sister-in-law would not lessen his love. It had been difficult to keep it a secret tonight—how could he keep something so massive from Alaric forever?