Yo dames and dudes! Ding ding ding! Round three. :D As I am working solo, I was very careless in updating my last chapter. After re-reading and seeing all my errors, every one was a shard of glass in my heart. I sincerely apologize for the mistakes! I will be so much more careful.
As always, I like reviews a lot. :D They make my life a happy place. Silent readers make Thranduil sad. You don't want to make Daddy Thrandy sad, do you? R&R! F&F, and as always, enjoy the story. I should be working on homework right now, actually...
Disclaimer: I do not own the work of Professor Tolkien or Peter Jackson.
The soft sounds of breathing were rhythmic and steady, even to Elf ears, so highly sensitive as they were. Tuariel watched the girls, deep in their peaceful slumber. They were so young, even by human standards. They carried with them an innocence that should not have been confused with naivete. They were at the prime of their youth, with child-bearing bodies and soft, sweet features. They were such a contrast to the sharp, immensely wise Elves. The change was refreshing.
Tauriel was loath to wake them after such a collection of ordeals, but she reached out her slim hand and gently spoke to the children. "Wake up, young ones," She murmured softly, "now thou must rise. Our King Thranduil must speak with you."
Megan rose first, squinty-eyed and mussy-haired. "Hey, guys, we got company..." She shoved at Alyx's shoulders repeatedly before flopping her way out of the bed. Her friend stirred, then propped her head up long enough to drop it on Chyann's shoulder. Chyann sat up then. Slowly, she looked down to her big sister, who had not moved at all.
Megan scratched her head and asked, "Hey, do you guys have coffee?" She jabbed at thumb over to Chardonnay. "You're going to need it."
A brief while later, Galdor, the young ladies' personal tutor, arrived with an armful of garments. "It is past noon," and he paused to hear the girls groan a bit. They had barely to escape the wrath of Chardonnay, who slept like the dead, or very near killed whoever tried to wake her.
"We have deemed from your previous garments that these would fit thou. Please." He held the clothes out to Tauriel and took his leave.
The stone door seemed to be magic. Its seams faded right back into the wall, but was marked with a symbol that they couldn't understand. To Chyann, it seemed like a prison, and wondered if they could get out even if they touched the doors like the Elves did.
The girls went through the pile, disorganizing it terribly. Once again, the smallest garments were tossed to Megan. However, there was great confusion when it came to the bigger girls.
"No, that's mine," said Chardonnay, whisking an olive green tunic from Alyx. "Too big for you."
"All hail the titty space," Alyx did jazz hands. "Toucheth not the clothes for big boobies, Megan, my dear, they're for Chardonnay, who obviously needs room for her lady lumps!"
Chardonnay snorted with laughter and tossed her long red-brown hair with faux haughtiness, "Why, yes I do!" She smiled, showing a rather endearing gap between her front teeth.
They pulled a long set of pants out, then another tunic. "I don't get this..." Chyann muttered darkly as the pant legs dangled before her.
Megan turned to Tauriel, her expression bland. "Help." The pants only came up to her thighs, and the tunic apparently had some hidden hole that Megan magically had the talent to find and stick her head through. The other three laughed.
Tauriel nodded, unimpressed. "Yes." With deft hands, she untangled Megan and attacked the disorganized pile with an unexpected ferocity. Alyx stiffened, narrowing her eyes in concentration. She was sensing emotions again, not just Megan's or Chardonnay's. Something was off about their "maid". Tauriel was steely, rather than exasperated with them; too mechanic to really be a caretaker, like how the other helpers and servants had been. While none of the girl's had ever seen an Elf before, the complete attitude of conviction was easily answered:
They didn't just get a pretty maid. The girls had been assigned a guard.
Eventually, everyone was dressed and decent and with their hair brushed and tidy as possible, considering Chardonnay's hair became horrifically curly when slept on wet.
Tauriel led the girls down the passages past strange Elves in robes of green and brown who simply floated by them, some speaking in a foreign language. Farther down the hall of stone, singing and laughter could be heard. Odd glances were thrown their way, accompanied by small murmurs drifted between Elves. Finally, a set of double oak doors that were reinforced with filigreed iron was open to reveal a small collection of Elves sitting around the King.
They filed in awkwardly. Chardonnay and Chyann stayed very close together, and the similarities between the two were striking. Megan avoided looking around. The Elvenking scared the crap out of her, and she would admit it too but for her pride.
Silently, Tauriel closed the doors behind them and they were left to face the music.
Familiar faces could be picked out with a relatively small table surrounded by wooden chairs that were carved like pale trees. A light luncheon was spread across a long table below an opened ceiling that let weak autumn sunlight into the cave system.
The king sat at the head of the table with his fingers laced together. "Be seated." He commanded with a sweep of his hands toward the four woven chairs before lightly furnished plates. The Elves fell silent as Thranduil took measure of the children anew now that they were cleaner and perhaps more pleasant-mannered.
The girls did so rather nervously. They slowly ate the meat and fruit provided to them as the King and his council watched them. His steely gaze left most of them shifting uncomfortably in their seats. Except for one...
Once they had completed their small meal, he finally spoke. "Although, under Elvish law, you are guests of Mirkwood, you are unknown to me. I have many questions for you children, and I expect for them to be answered." The girls exchanged glances, and he continued, "Who are you?"
Alyx spoke up immediately, obviously not suffering from the same discomfort her friends were. "My name is Alyxandra Karsons. The white lady here is my younger cousin, The Great and Powerful Megan Wayne, Queen the Universe, Batman, and All Things Sarcastic." She announced, winking at Megan, who raised the roof with her hands with a solemn expression. Alyx pointed over to the sisters and smiled broadly. "The two gingers are Chyann and Chardonnay Mackenna.
"It means fire-born," supplied Chardonnay, who was proud of her Irish heritage. She was beginning to relax a bit after seeing Alyx so blatantly at ease.
Thranduil eyed her skeptically, obviously wondering if he was being mocked, to which Chardonnay shrugged uncomfortably under his harsh expression.
The young man sitting to the king's right spoke up softly, "Av-'osto, do not fear, young ones. He is king, and not unjust. But for our overly-cautious actions yesterday, we mean you no harm. Do not fear to speak with us."
Chyann asked, "What? What did he just say?" She looked to her friends, who scootched a little lower in their chairs. Uh oh, thought Megan.
Chardonnay looked to her sister. "Chyann." She said sharply.
"What?" Chyann snapped back,
"Mom would have us behave. Be polite."
"Good o'l Aunt Missy," Alyx called wistfully from her chair. "She'd be awesome to have right about now,"
Thranduil frowned at the girls' strange mannerisms. "Where did you come from? The Westfold, the East?"
"Texas," Megan drawled, with her back nearly on the seat of the chair.
Murmurings filled the room. At length, King Thranduil said, "I am unaware as to that location, but please explain to me the relationships betwix you."
Anxiety welled in the breast of Megan. Wherever you went, whether it was Japan or Australia, you knew Texas. She looked at Alyx, her discomfort clear on her face. She and Alyx clasped hands tightly. "We found out we were related the first year of middle school."
"Middle...school?" Asked a dark-haired elf sitting on the left of Thranduil. Another pang of deep fear thudded in Megan's breast, but she was spared from answering as Chardonnay explained their public or private school systems in Texas.
The elves were confused, but a few apparently liked the idea. Megan tuned in again, and some of the hissing words reached her ears, and she jolted in her seat. She felt her cousin look at her again.
After a brief while of the Elves chatting in their foreign language, the king said, "Please continue the tale of your kinship, Hareth Wayne."
Megan squeezed Alyx's hand. Do it for me?
As Megan hoped, Alyx continued for her. "That year we had a visiting scientist, Dr. Mikimoto, staying for the semester, a set of weeks in our education system, and we were learning about DNA, our genetic material. We got to keep our solidified samples of it. Later, we were doing research for history class on family trees. Megan and I were kind of the only friends we had. We hadn't met Chy or Char yet."
"I'm adopted," Megan said, while looking at the table, "I was always curious of who my parents were, so I asked Mikimoto-sensei to look over my DNA. It's hard to find family like that, so I just wanted him to see what kind of races I was so I could at least narrow it down for our project."
Alyx shrugged. "I liked the idea of sending mine in, too, so he took both, then sent us an e- I mean, letter- and said that we were first cousins. I had heard about an uncle of mine donating his sperm, which her mom probably used to get pregnant."
"How...does one do that?" the blonde young man asked in incomprehension. "Is there...an agreement between the two...?" The Elves around the table looked disapprovingly at the blonde man, but they, too, were curious.
"Well," Alyx said thoughtfully, "first you, you know," she flicked her wrist up and down. The men looked appalled. "Then, 'WAHOO!'" She did jazz hands again, "Then they freeze it. For later use. Yup." She nodded, nearly swooning for the horror she sensed. She and Megan folded their lips in to prevent totally inappropriate smiles. Megan was turned pink.
"Yeah..." Chardonnay broke that silence with a drawl, "Chyann and I are just sisters... Same parents."
"How far apart?" Thranduil needled.
"A year," Chyann said almost cordially. To salvage the situation, she supplied, "The four of us met for a softball...I mean sports camp, god, it's so weird to have to explain things, and after the season was over, we were together for seventh grade. I was starting sixth," she shrugged. "We got together for another season that spring."
Megan nodded, "We were like this," she twisted her fingers together.
Chardonnay smiled brightly at Alyx and Megan, the freckles across the bridge of her face stretching nicely. "Been together ever since." They smiled at each other, and they Elves were momentarily caught off-guard at how sweet their faces were when they smiled.
Megan and Alyx, both dark and slender, though dislike extremely in height and eye color, were a clean contrast to the sisters, who were very alike in shape and coloring.
"Do you guys have any of our extra stuff, please," Chyann said, making a much larger attempt to be polite to the royalty of the woods, "and...where are we?"
As a few servants came forward and placed a medley of objects on the table, Thranduil answered. "You are in Northern Mirkwood in Middle Earth, Rhovanion. 'Tis October the 24, if you wish to know-."
"What," Megan cried out in dismay, "But it was June!It was June in Texas!" The other three sank back in their chairs. Chardonnay said, "So...are we all a year older now...?" She looked wide-eyed to her sister.
They shrugged, and the sisters and Alyx stood and exchanged hugs. "Holler for Autumn babies."
"Happy belated birthday all around." Megan said in numb shock. On the 23, the day they all arrived-was her birthday! Chyann and Alyx were literally a just few days apart in late September, and Chardonnay was October the 17th.
Megan gasped, finally seeing the objects on the table. "Batman!" Her face erupted in euphoric delight, and she snatched up the small plushie on the table. She hugged it close. Chardonnay laughed and 'awww' beside her. Megan felt her back be patted b Chyann.
"My bracelet!" Chardonnay then too exclaimed, and she also reached for her silver charm bracelet, a present from her father.
Chyann knew she hadn't lost anything, but she was a little envious of the feeling of being reunited with something precious. She saw Alyx reach for a blue velvet pouch.
"We were relieved to find your possessions so well intact," an Elf in dark layered armor said.
"Yeah," Megan put in with a look to the soldier Elf, "I thought those things would've used him as chew toy. But Batman always survives! Hell yeah!" When she looked to Alyx, and saw her staring intently at her pouch of Tarot cards.
Hastily, she opened the pouch by its tight drawstrings. "Cotton," Alyx mumbled, staring at the deck of exposed cards in her hands. "Give me cotton!" She shifted the cards, slotting them into different parts of the deck with urgency, a frenzied look taking over her features.
Someone's cloak was dropped in front of her, which she smoothed out quickly before spreading the cards out into a long line. She held her hands out over them, eyes closed, lips slightly parted. The room was still, an unspoken call for silence heeded by every Elves watched with interest. Slowly, she skimmed her fingertips over the cards, carefully, deliberately, and seemingly randomly selecting three and lining them up on an empty patch of the cloak.
She opened her eyes and flipped them over, gazing at the beautiful pictures displayed. An odd expression was draped over her features. Blank, but somehow unimaginably deep, as if she were seeing things inside her mind. Her eyes drifted to the first card in the line. "The Tower..." Her voice was soft, yet certain. "We arrived...at a very bad time. We are the catalysts for your coming attacks..." She moved to the second card, drinking in the image before her, letting the energy speak. "King of Pentacles in reverse...The king who is consumed with wealth and greed because you have suffered..." The third card showed a nude woman pouring wine into a river while turning away. Alyx looked directly at Thranduil, and her eyes seemed to bare him, tearing away his defenses. He felt those eyes stab him. "Temperance. Beware, you must let go of inhibition to further not wealth, but to gird Mirkwood's loins for battle!" Her eyes closed, and breathed out, before collecting the cards back in the blue velvet pouch.
"There will be an attack," she said, frowning even as the strange expression faded. "Soon. I saw a horde of disgusting things rushing around a mile away from where we came into the woods. I don't know how long, but soon." She paused, then shook her head and rubbed eyes. "Wow! That was trippy! Woof! Am I on acid?"
Megan looked at her in disbelief. Alyx was into Wicca, and had done many sorts of strange things, but this time seemed different. Everything was strange. If Megan had concentrated enough, she realized that she could vaguely understand what the Elves were saying. Every pair of eyes in the room were trained on her. "No need to look at me like that..." She muttered, stuffing the cards into the bodice of her dress. Chyann and Chardonnay laughed at the rectangular bulge of her bosom.
Thranduil's clear eyes trained on her, attempting to see through her actions, her personality, the reason for those odd cards she carried so close, and if they had truly shown her his more private side.
With the slightest shake of his head, he regained his composure and announced, "My son, Legolas," he gestured to the blonde Elf to his right, and the four girls were shocked, "shall oversee your training, and Galdor shall teach you our language and ways." His voice brooked no argument. "If you are to remain in our care, it is wise for you to become acquainted with our customs." He stood and his crow of red leaves glinted. "You are dismissed. Your training will begin on the morrow."
Hey! So, how do you guys like the girls? I actually heard about a friend of mine finding a cousin after doing a project in college, and they'd been classmates since about Junior year in high school. I got his blessing to use it for these two. More on the Red Sisters next time!
Alright, quick poll for snaps and giggles: Who are your favorite artists, or songs, or movies? Tell one, or tell all!
Mine favorite artists are Amanda Palmer and Emilie Autumn, and my favorite movie is Moulin Rouge.
I have way too many favorite songs! XD
R&R~ F&F, and see you next time!
Sincerely,
BleachmyNARUTO.