Chapter 1
Meeting my match
"Mani raeg Tinánia? " I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Elebri speak.
"Amin hiraetha, I" I said, " nothing. I was just thinking about what is to come.
"You are thinking too much about this," she smiled wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Then she began to sing the song my mother had taught us hundreds of years ago:
There's a song that's inside of my soul.
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again.
I'm awake in the infinite cold
But you sing to me over and over and over again.
So I lay my head back down,
and I lift my hands and pray... I gave her a weak smile and joined in. We had walked about 50 miles after we entered Fangorn Forest. As our party rounded a corner through the woods, we came upon our destination. Mirkwood was absolutely beautiful. Like my Lothlorien, there were trees that seemed to be as round as lakes and stretch as high as the Andruin was long. Some of these trees were adorned with staircases that I assumed led to dwellings and some of the houses were built big and open around the bottoms of the trees, as if they were part of the forest.
There was a small party of elves to greet us upon entering the city. When we approached them, Father dismounted his horse and stood next to me. As he did so, two male elves stepped forward from the Mirkwood party. One of them seemed to be about my father's age with long blonde hair that flowed to the middle of his back braided the elven way. He had almost colorless skin and soft facial features. The other elf was a younger version of the previously mentioned elf. He was tall with the same hair and almost the same features. He had high cheekbones and thin lips. His eyes were bluer than the Great River itself and they were bearing a look of curiosity towards me. The elder elf wore robes of white and silver, while the younger elf was wearing a tunic of embroidered silver, traditional elven pants, and boots. The elder elf approached Father.
"Vedui' Amend," he said extending the usual elven greeting of the right hand being extended from ones heart.
"Vedui' Thranduil," Father said doing the same.
"Vedui'," the younger elf said as we extended elven greetings to each other, except we placed our right hands on each other's left cheek, "mani naa essa en lle, arwenamin ?" he said as he caressed my cheek. His hands were large and masculine however they were as soft as silk. "Tinánia of Lothlorien," I replied with a smile, "Mani naa essa en lle (what is your name)?" "I am Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood." I was hoping the shock that I felt in my mind did not appear on my face. "It is a pleasure to meet you." "The pleasure is all mine Lady Tinánia." He said with a deep bow. "These are my companions," I said tuning to the rest of our party. "Prince Legolas, this is my Father, Amend, my sister, Elrania, and my greatest friend, Elebriwien, but we just call her Elebri." Legolas extended elven greetings to my father, sister, and friend, touching cheeks with the later two. Legolas then introduced his father to the rest of us, with whom he exchanged elven greetings. After introductions were over, he turned to me. "Do you know why you are here Lady Tinánia?" he asked. I nodded and he proceeded. "You are to marry my son Legolas and become his princess. I hope your father has prepared you well for the task ahead?" I received a look from my father to say yes so I nodded again. "Well then you and your companions must be tired from your travels. Tula , and I will lead you to your chambers." The group of elves dispersed and Thranduil began to walk towards an enormous house at the base of several trees. As we began to walk, Legolas took my hand and placed it on his arm, leaving the other hand on top of mine. The house was open and had an indoors/outdoors type of feel. The halls were wide, long and had many doors to them. All of the halls met in a large circular foyer that had couches and tables where elves were sitting and talking. At one end of the house was a beautiful garden with so many types of flowers, one could not count them all in a day. At the other end there was a great hall for dinning, dancing, and other social events. "Amin autien rath I," I yawned as we reached my chambers, turning to Legolas.
"Sweet dreams my lady," Legolas said squeezing my hands before turning and walking down the hall to meet his father.
My room was large with a dressing screen that had a vanity behind it, a bathroom with a grand bathtub, and a set of double doors leading to a balcony that had a large bed/couch on it. There was a canopy bed fit for a princess with a seat at the end of it next to the window. I walked over to the bed and sat down on it. It was the softest bed I had ever had. I was so exhausted that I pulled a blanket off of the seat, covered myself up and drifted in to a welcomed sleep.
Meeting my match
"Mani raeg Tinánia? " I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Elebri speak.
"Amin hiraetha, I" I said, " nothing. I was just thinking about what is to come.
"You are thinking too much about this," she smiled wrapping an arm around my shoulders. Then she began to sing the song my mother had taught us hundreds of years ago:
There's a song that's inside of my soul.
It's the one that I've tried to write over and over again.
I'm awake in the infinite cold
But you sing to me over and over and over again.
So I lay my head back down,
and I lift my hands and pray... I gave her a weak smile and joined in. We had walked about 50 miles after we entered Fangorn Forest. As our party rounded a corner through the woods, we came upon our destination. Mirkwood was absolutely beautiful. Like my Lothlorien, there were trees that seemed to be as round as lakes and stretch as high as the Andruin was long. Some of these trees were adorned with staircases that I assumed led to dwellings and some of the houses were built big and open around the bottoms of the trees, as if they were part of the forest.
There was a small party of elves to greet us upon entering the city. When we approached them, Father dismounted his horse and stood next to me. As he did so, two male elves stepped forward from the Mirkwood party. One of them seemed to be about my father's age with long blonde hair that flowed to the middle of his back braided the elven way. He had almost colorless skin and soft facial features. The other elf was a younger version of the previously mentioned elf. He was tall with the same hair and almost the same features. He had high cheekbones and thin lips. His eyes were bluer than the Great River itself and they were bearing a look of curiosity towards me. The elder elf wore robes of white and silver, while the younger elf was wearing a tunic of embroidered silver, traditional elven pants, and boots. The elder elf approached Father.
"Vedui' Amend," he said extending the usual elven greeting of the right hand being extended from ones heart.
"Vedui' Thranduil," Father said doing the same.
"Vedui'," the younger elf said as we extended elven greetings to each other, except we placed our right hands on each other's left cheek, "mani naa essa en lle, arwenamin ?" he said as he caressed my cheek. His hands were large and masculine however they were as soft as silk. "Tinánia of Lothlorien," I replied with a smile, "Mani naa essa en lle (what is your name)?" "I am Legolas Greenleaf, Prince of Mirkwood." I was hoping the shock that I felt in my mind did not appear on my face. "It is a pleasure to meet you." "The pleasure is all mine Lady Tinánia." He said with a deep bow. "These are my companions," I said tuning to the rest of our party. "Prince Legolas, this is my Father, Amend, my sister, Elrania, and my greatest friend, Elebriwien, but we just call her Elebri." Legolas extended elven greetings to my father, sister, and friend, touching cheeks with the later two. Legolas then introduced his father to the rest of us, with whom he exchanged elven greetings. After introductions were over, he turned to me. "Do you know why you are here Lady Tinánia?" he asked. I nodded and he proceeded. "You are to marry my son Legolas and become his princess. I hope your father has prepared you well for the task ahead?" I received a look from my father to say yes so I nodded again. "Well then you and your companions must be tired from your travels. Tula , and I will lead you to your chambers." The group of elves dispersed and Thranduil began to walk towards an enormous house at the base of several trees. As we began to walk, Legolas took my hand and placed it on his arm, leaving the other hand on top of mine. The house was open and had an indoors/outdoors type of feel. The halls were wide, long and had many doors to them. All of the halls met in a large circular foyer that had couches and tables where elves were sitting and talking. At one end of the house was a beautiful garden with so many types of flowers, one could not count them all in a day. At the other end there was a great hall for dinning, dancing, and other social events. "Amin autien rath I," I yawned as we reached my chambers, turning to Legolas.
"Sweet dreams my lady," Legolas said squeezing my hands before turning and walking down the hall to meet his father.
My room was large with a dressing screen that had a vanity behind it, a bathroom with a grand bathtub, and a set of double doors leading to a balcony that had a large bed/couch on it. There was a canopy bed fit for a princess with a seat at the end of it next to the window. I walked over to the bed and sat down on it. It was the softest bed I had ever had. I was so exhausted that I pulled a blanket off of the seat, covered myself up and drifted in to a welcomed sleep.
