Disclaimer: Anything recognisable as Tolkien's is not mine, but any OCs belong to me and my co-writer Kaylee. We are not making any money from this.
Warnings: This ficlet contains a reference to spanking.
A/N: This is the continuation of The Greenwood Chronicles, with its focus still being the Doriathrin characters. We should really think of a new name for this set of stories! This short story is to introduce a couple of new characters, Galuchil and Faelion, who will become more important as the series progresses. Galuchil is the eldest son of Lord Arvellon, who is the eldest brother of Neldiel's mother. Faelion is the only son and youngest child of Lord Daemir, whose wife Lúthiel was the youngest sister of Arvellon's wife Elwen. Thank you to anyone reading!
….
"Hello."
The word brought Lord Galuchil's head up, and he stared at his youngest cousin as if trying to figure out why she was daring to speak to him. Aside from sharing Lord Ravondir and Lady Halloth as grandparents, they had nothing in common. The young lord had no interest in ellith, not unless he could have a kiss and cuddle with them, and slip his hands beneath their dresses. Neldiel was only twenty, just eight and a half in mortal years, so there was really no benefit to associating with her any more than he had to. After a few long moments, he finally said, "What do you want?"
"Will you play with me?" Neldiel asked plaintively.
"I will not," Galuchil said shortly. "Go away and bother someone else."
"There isn't anyone else to bother. My ada is busy talking about lord things with your ada, and he told me to stop pestering him or else." Neldiel paused, considering. "Well, he didn't actually say or else, but I could tell that's what he meant. It was an unspoken or else."
"Go away and stop bothering me," Galuchil ordered the little girl, each word clear and succinct. He gave her a long look, his dark green eyes glittering in dangerous amusement. "Or else."
"Oh, leave her alone."
Neldiel turned, and realised that she had been so intent on finding someone to play with that she hadn't even noticed the young elf sitting in the window seat with one leg curled beneath the other. She recognised Lord Faelion by his white-gold hair and his blue eyes touched with lilac, and she gave him a polite nod. He and Galuchil were always together; they were best friends and cousins, their mothers having been sisters. She wasn't sure what that made Faelion to her. Her eldest sister was ever so interested in genealogy and family ties, so she would know. Neldiel made a mental note to ask her.
"What, are you Faelion the defender of little girls now?" Galuchil asked acerbically.
Faelion smiled faintly and shook his head, the moonstones braided through his hair clicking softly against one another. "No. I just have better things to be doing…we have better things to be doing. Didn't your father get a new servant last week? Dark haired, isn't she?"
"Mhmm. You can have her," Galuchil replied, sounding bored. "I pinched her bottom yesterday and she started to cry. She isn't going to be any fun, gwador."
"Ah, well…I like a challenge."
Neldiel frowned slightly as she listened. Boys could be so very odd sometimes. "It isn't very nice to pinch people," she informed her cousin. "I wouldn't cry if you pinched me, but I would stamp on your foot so that you didn't do it again."
"And if you did that, you wouldn't have to worry about your bottom being pinched, because I would have it over my lap, being soundly reddened," Galuchil retorted harshly. "You will learn that it is not your place to complain and challenge your lords. Now, run along and irritate someone else. I've had enough of silly little girls."
Neldiel curtseyed, just the way she had been taught, with her green silk skirt spread. As she straightened, she met the youth's gaze and said, quite sweetly, "I hope she stamps on your foot and kicks you where it hurts." Galuchil's eyes widened in anger, but Faelion laughed over the sound of his gwador cursing. Giggling softly, Neldiel turned on her heel and fled before her cousin could grab her. As she ran, she could hear him snapping at Faelion for encouraging her willfulness, and that just made her smile even more. It served him right. Stupid Galuchil.