Peace Treaties of Men and Elves
By Blue Eyes at Night (aka BEaN)
Prologue- Late Mornings
The sun rose bright in the morning sky, a deep golden ball against a blue backdrop and many of the elves of Greenwood paused in their work to let the warm light fall onto their faces and embrace them briefly. They would close their eyes and smile before going about their work the rest of the way. The light fought the shadows that lingered from last night and slowly crept into every crevice of the wood.
Even the crevices of the royal bedroom.
A maid with golden hair slowly opened her eyes and admired the sun on her flesh for a moment, then sat bolt upright cursing and muttering to herself angrily. Suddenly two strong arms flew out of the blankets and held her in the bed, "Why so angry at yourself this morning?"
"Because for the third time this week the sun has risen before me and if I don't move quickly my tardiness will be noticed."
The arms pulled her against a chest that could've been a statue; it was so perfectly formed and unblemished that it seemed more a work of art then a being's body. Lips traced the freckles on the maid's shoulder and slowly formed the words, "Let them notice, you are forever running out of my bed before you can settle into it."
For a moment the maid savored the feeling of her lover's lips upon her skin as they were mere hours before but then she popped out of the bed, securing a sheet around her body so that she was at least decent, "Legolas, I am a palace chambermaid and eventually someone has to clean this tunnel you call a home. I am needed, Greenleaf, I must go."
Legolas jumped out of bed, tying the remaining sheets around his waist, and quickly pulled the servant into his arms and held her fast against his body, "Lithil," he purred in her ear, "Whether you go or stay you shall still be in the palace, in a chamber and a maid. You are direly needed here meleth, and someone else can clean. Saes, let me pardon you this once." {love, please)
Lithil brushed a rogue strand of gold away from his deep blue eyes and her will faltered a moment, but then some spark behind them lit, "You act as though I haven't come to your bed three times this week already! Legolas, saes, you promised you would keep us a secret so long as I wished it kept so; saes meleth don't pardon me, don't favor me in front of them. Pretend I'm just a servant to you in the day and I swear I'll make it up to you at night."
Legolas nodded glumly, "I cannot believe that you have convinced me to stay true to this foolish promise for two hundred years."
Smiling at his gloomy agreement she kissed the tip of his nose, before giving his mouth the briefest meeting and running to his door, cracking it open and dashing out into the hall to her own chambers to clean and dress for her day of work.
Feeling slightly melancholy Legolas fell back onto his bed, which still smelled like her and inhaled deeply. He had met her over two hundred years ago and had loved her from the moment he saw her, but every year, every morning after, he began to feel as if she did not love him. She made him keep their affair a secret, she would not let him pamper her or spoil her or flaunt her to his friends.
But then she did love him.
She whispered it to him every night; even if they didn't make love she was always in his arms, never out of them. And yet every time he asked to bind to her she said not yet, not now, please wait dearest and one day you'll understand. He loved her and that was his bane, for he wanted 'that day' to come at last.
Her name was Lithil, she told him, and since they were 50 years old, they had been in love. Twas no crime for a prince to love a pauper, spare maybe in Lithil's own mind. Legolas had questioned their predicament but he never could see why Lithil wanted to hide them.
A sharp knock came to his door.
"Ya naa ta?" {who is it?} He called out.
"Legolas, ta naa nin, adarlle. Let me in." {It is me, your father}
Legolas groaned as he got out of bed and crossed the room to unlock the door, he and his father had never quite seen eye to eye, "Come in, adar."
Legolas knew better then to tell Thranduil to go away, for his father came in no matter whether or not Legolas wanted him to. As the door opened Thranduil stepped into the prince's lavish chambers, father and son looked nearly identical spare that Legolas' features were softer, having not spent so much time in grief like his father had.
"What is it this morning, father? More dwarf conspiracies against you?" Legolas snorted, Thranduil had a slight paranoia about dwarves ever since Legolas' could remember but it had never been mentioned to him as to why. Thranduil stiffened and barked, "How many times have I told you not to jest about the little heathens?"
Legolas paused, "More times then days I have walked this earth, now what is it?"
"You need to get dressed properly for an introduction to royalty visiting this afternoon and I also have an errand for you to run so that you don't ruin your nice robes running through the woods shooting arrows at spiders." Thranduil said all of this very quickly as he crossed to Legolas' closet and withdrew a very intricately designed robe of deep green with golden leaves woven into the fabric, leaves that had fallen on the day Legolas was born and saved until he had turned 50, when they were sewn into the robe and given to him for his coming of age. Legolas hated to wear it, preferring another dress robe that he had to keep hidden under the mattress of his bed to prevent Thranduil from burning it.
Thranduil looked his youngest son sharply in the eye, "You are to wear this robe not the one that you hide away from me, understand? I will be forced to punish you severely if you embarrass me in front of Gray Haven royalty."
"Gray Haven monarchs?" Legolas interrupted.
"Did you not hear me the first time, son? Yes, Gray Haven monarchs who just now sent runners to alert me they were coming." Thranduil pinched the bridge of his nose in an irritated fashion, "You task is one they requested and I have no understanding of why it is to be done, however, to keep you busy you have to hunt down a servant and bring her with you to meet them."
"A servant? Whatever for?"
"If I knew, son, I would tell you but I don't so I won't." Thranduil began walking towards the door, "I don't know her name but they sent a drawing of her said to be excellent likeness."
The old King handed his son a sheet of parchment tied by a golden ribbon and left. As always Legolas felt his head spinning and the coldness and quickness of his father's visit, but quickly overcame it. He was very pleased with his little mission, Lithil could help him find the girl and he could spent time with her. He thought maybe he would try to steal a kiss from her in front of the others, he did love being mischievous when she was around them. For the two hundred years that he had been forced to keep them a secret, he always insisted on reeking his little revenge upon her by ambushing her in empty rooms or corridors, or specially requesting something be brought to his room when it was her month to clean the royal families chambers. Legolas simply loved torturing the poor dear, she wanted secrecy and he didn't and this was his way of making her heart stop when she thought he was going to kiss her in public or profess love to her in public. But he would never break his promise to her, everything he said to her was sacred to him, and he would never actually go against what she so desired.
After pulling on a tunic, figuring to dress in his robes at the last possible moment, he untied the ribbon that was fastened to the parchment and looked at the "excellent likeness" of the servant girl.
His mouth dropped open in shock and the picture floated down to the floor in his shock, the picture was one drawn by his sister, an exceptional artist, on the night that he and Lithil had first consummated their love for each other... The picture was of Lithil.
Why would Gray Haven monarchs wish to see Lithil?
A/N- Hello Daughter of Telcontar fans and other strangers! This is my new pet-fic, though I have to admit I really wanted to write the one about Gilaren, this story has many of the same morals so it's a good warm up to Gilaren. Lithil has been swimming around the ocean of my head for a while and here's the long and short of her: she seems bitchy now but I assure you there is method behind the madness and its good method not whore-method. K, what do you guys think????
By Blue Eyes at Night (aka BEaN)
Prologue- Late Mornings
The sun rose bright in the morning sky, a deep golden ball against a blue backdrop and many of the elves of Greenwood paused in their work to let the warm light fall onto their faces and embrace them briefly. They would close their eyes and smile before going about their work the rest of the way. The light fought the shadows that lingered from last night and slowly crept into every crevice of the wood.
Even the crevices of the royal bedroom.
A maid with golden hair slowly opened her eyes and admired the sun on her flesh for a moment, then sat bolt upright cursing and muttering to herself angrily. Suddenly two strong arms flew out of the blankets and held her in the bed, "Why so angry at yourself this morning?"
"Because for the third time this week the sun has risen before me and if I don't move quickly my tardiness will be noticed."
The arms pulled her against a chest that could've been a statue; it was so perfectly formed and unblemished that it seemed more a work of art then a being's body. Lips traced the freckles on the maid's shoulder and slowly formed the words, "Let them notice, you are forever running out of my bed before you can settle into it."
For a moment the maid savored the feeling of her lover's lips upon her skin as they were mere hours before but then she popped out of the bed, securing a sheet around her body so that she was at least decent, "Legolas, I am a palace chambermaid and eventually someone has to clean this tunnel you call a home. I am needed, Greenleaf, I must go."
Legolas jumped out of bed, tying the remaining sheets around his waist, and quickly pulled the servant into his arms and held her fast against his body, "Lithil," he purred in her ear, "Whether you go or stay you shall still be in the palace, in a chamber and a maid. You are direly needed here meleth, and someone else can clean. Saes, let me pardon you this once." {love, please)
Lithil brushed a rogue strand of gold away from his deep blue eyes and her will faltered a moment, but then some spark behind them lit, "You act as though I haven't come to your bed three times this week already! Legolas, saes, you promised you would keep us a secret so long as I wished it kept so; saes meleth don't pardon me, don't favor me in front of them. Pretend I'm just a servant to you in the day and I swear I'll make it up to you at night."
Legolas nodded glumly, "I cannot believe that you have convinced me to stay true to this foolish promise for two hundred years."
Smiling at his gloomy agreement she kissed the tip of his nose, before giving his mouth the briefest meeting and running to his door, cracking it open and dashing out into the hall to her own chambers to clean and dress for her day of work.
Feeling slightly melancholy Legolas fell back onto his bed, which still smelled like her and inhaled deeply. He had met her over two hundred years ago and had loved her from the moment he saw her, but every year, every morning after, he began to feel as if she did not love him. She made him keep their affair a secret, she would not let him pamper her or spoil her or flaunt her to his friends.
But then she did love him.
She whispered it to him every night; even if they didn't make love she was always in his arms, never out of them. And yet every time he asked to bind to her she said not yet, not now, please wait dearest and one day you'll understand. He loved her and that was his bane, for he wanted 'that day' to come at last.
Her name was Lithil, she told him, and since they were 50 years old, they had been in love. Twas no crime for a prince to love a pauper, spare maybe in Lithil's own mind. Legolas had questioned their predicament but he never could see why Lithil wanted to hide them.
A sharp knock came to his door.
"Ya naa ta?" {who is it?} He called out.
"Legolas, ta naa nin, adarlle. Let me in." {It is me, your father}
Legolas groaned as he got out of bed and crossed the room to unlock the door, he and his father had never quite seen eye to eye, "Come in, adar."
Legolas knew better then to tell Thranduil to go away, for his father came in no matter whether or not Legolas wanted him to. As the door opened Thranduil stepped into the prince's lavish chambers, father and son looked nearly identical spare that Legolas' features were softer, having not spent so much time in grief like his father had.
"What is it this morning, father? More dwarf conspiracies against you?" Legolas snorted, Thranduil had a slight paranoia about dwarves ever since Legolas' could remember but it had never been mentioned to him as to why. Thranduil stiffened and barked, "How many times have I told you not to jest about the little heathens?"
Legolas paused, "More times then days I have walked this earth, now what is it?"
"You need to get dressed properly for an introduction to royalty visiting this afternoon and I also have an errand for you to run so that you don't ruin your nice robes running through the woods shooting arrows at spiders." Thranduil said all of this very quickly as he crossed to Legolas' closet and withdrew a very intricately designed robe of deep green with golden leaves woven into the fabric, leaves that had fallen on the day Legolas was born and saved until he had turned 50, when they were sewn into the robe and given to him for his coming of age. Legolas hated to wear it, preferring another dress robe that he had to keep hidden under the mattress of his bed to prevent Thranduil from burning it.
Thranduil looked his youngest son sharply in the eye, "You are to wear this robe not the one that you hide away from me, understand? I will be forced to punish you severely if you embarrass me in front of Gray Haven royalty."
"Gray Haven monarchs?" Legolas interrupted.
"Did you not hear me the first time, son? Yes, Gray Haven monarchs who just now sent runners to alert me they were coming." Thranduil pinched the bridge of his nose in an irritated fashion, "You task is one they requested and I have no understanding of why it is to be done, however, to keep you busy you have to hunt down a servant and bring her with you to meet them."
"A servant? Whatever for?"
"If I knew, son, I would tell you but I don't so I won't." Thranduil began walking towards the door, "I don't know her name but they sent a drawing of her said to be excellent likeness."
The old King handed his son a sheet of parchment tied by a golden ribbon and left. As always Legolas felt his head spinning and the coldness and quickness of his father's visit, but quickly overcame it. He was very pleased with his little mission, Lithil could help him find the girl and he could spent time with her. He thought maybe he would try to steal a kiss from her in front of the others, he did love being mischievous when she was around them. For the two hundred years that he had been forced to keep them a secret, he always insisted on reeking his little revenge upon her by ambushing her in empty rooms or corridors, or specially requesting something be brought to his room when it was her month to clean the royal families chambers. Legolas simply loved torturing the poor dear, she wanted secrecy and he didn't and this was his way of making her heart stop when she thought he was going to kiss her in public or profess love to her in public. But he would never break his promise to her, everything he said to her was sacred to him, and he would never actually go against what she so desired.
After pulling on a tunic, figuring to dress in his robes at the last possible moment, he untied the ribbon that was fastened to the parchment and looked at the "excellent likeness" of the servant girl.
His mouth dropped open in shock and the picture floated down to the floor in his shock, the picture was one drawn by his sister, an exceptional artist, on the night that he and Lithil had first consummated their love for each other... The picture was of Lithil.
Why would Gray Haven monarchs wish to see Lithil?
A/N- Hello Daughter of Telcontar fans and other strangers! This is my new pet-fic, though I have to admit I really wanted to write the one about Gilaren, this story has many of the same morals so it's a good warm up to Gilaren. Lithil has been swimming around the ocean of my head for a while and here's the long and short of her: she seems bitchy now but I assure you there is method behind the madness and its good method not whore-method. K, what do you guys think????