A/N - Thanks to everyone for your reviews and PMs.
Disclaimer - I don't own any of Tolkiens characters, just the ones I made up.
Chapter 3 – A Walking Disaster
The Present
The Rhûn company stopped for the third night of their long journey. Silivrén dismounted and watched Legolas talking to Collin as he had done on the two previous nights. Then the Elf pointed out into the darkness, away from the torches that provided them light. After Collin nodded and walked away, she walked up to Legolas. "Are you going somewhere?"
"To patrol the area," he said as he checked the stash of arrows in the quiver strapped to his back.
"I'm going with you."
Legolas shook his head. "Tis out of the question, Silivrén. You will remain here with Teress, in the safety of Collin and his men."
"I care not for my handmaiden's company, Legolas, you know that. Besides, I feel safer alone with you than under the protection of my father's entire regime."
His eyes scanned the immediate area to see if anyone watched them. Teress moved closer, pretending to be preoccupied with a bundle in the back of the wagon. But he knew she was listening to them. "Istale min ú-bad revia erui. Thurin ú–anna ammen." (You know we cannot go off alone. Such liberties are no longer allowed.)
Silivrén had grown fairly proficient in the Elvish language throughout the years in Legolas's company. "Im iest le, Legolas," she stammered in desperation. (I miss you)
"Man car le iest nin mar nin na si an le pansen annan?" (How can you miss me when I've been here with you all along)
"Ha nin ú-man ind a le isto ha." (Tis not what I mean and you know it.)
It pained Legolas to see such sadness in Silivrén's eyes. She was always positive and energetic, always vibrant and passionate. He wasn't used to seeing such a lack of cheerfulness in her. But regardless of her emotional state, he knew he needed to address the immediate issue and set the proper expectations. He couldn't risk anything being misinterpreted. "Min ú-bad adanir rada thia nad." (We cannot go back to the way things were."
Silivrén looked down, knowing the truth in his words, yet not having the ability to control the tears that immediately stung her eyes. "I have often wished of late…that I had never grown up. That I had remained a child forever." She looked up at him again. "Do you recall the fun we had, Legolas?"
His saddened eyes looked deeply into hers. "I recall every single moment, Silivrén and I will cherish those memories forever." Then he briefly smiled. "Even the times I wanted to bend you over my knee and whip your behind with the shaft of an arrow."
Silivrén wiped at the tears in her eyes and laughed. "Was I so bad as a child to warrant such abuse?"
"Aye, on many occasions," he said with a sideward glance before walking away.
She watched him disappear completely in the darkness of night. Her thoughts drifted to another time, remembering a certain deviant incident that had disrupted a very important delegation that justified her to receive the beating of her life. The memory of the boldness of her actions at such a young age brought a smile to Silivrén's face. If it hadn't been for Legolas's intervention, she might not have been able to sit for quite a long time.
At Eleven Years of Age
Teress adjusted the high collar of Silivrén's gown and finally stepped back to admire her. "There, now you look like a true princess."
Silivrén scowled at her handmaiden and folded her arms angrily across her chest. "I hate this gown. Why must I wear it?"
"Because your father wants you to look your best so he can introduce you to some very important people."
"But I don't want to meet any of his stuffy, old associates," Silivrén said with a stomp of her foot. When she spied Legolas stepping out of the bath chamber, she tried to go to him, but Teress prevented it. His hair was damp from his daily cleaning ritual that amused Silivrén to no end. No one in the entire kingdom ever looked as spotless every single day.
Clad in only his white robe, Legolas was not the least bit bashful in his slight attire. He turned his attention to Silivrén and snorted in disgust. "That gown is hideous!"
Silivrén cried out, "You see?"
"I made this myself," defended Teress. "What would you know of gowns, you savage?" As Legolas took an angry step toward Teress, she quickly stood up and then fell backward into the open wardrobe, knocking some of Silivrén's clothing off the hooks. She recovered herself and held her nose up with pride.
Legolas sneered at the handmaiden. "Perhaps I should walk about unclothed, like the savage you make me out to be. Would that suit you?" He reached down to the belt of his robe, with no intention of actually untying it except to frighten her.
Teress squealed and rushed out of the chamber, thoroughly amusing Legolas. He wondered why she bothered locking horns with him when she knew he had a physical advantage over her. Even though Legolas would never intentionally harm the handmaiden, he despised her meddlesome disposition.
Silivrén would have shared in the clowning had she not been so caught up in the issue with her gown. "Do you honestly think I look hideous in this gown?" Oblivious to the state of his attire, she rushed over to where he was selecting clean clothing from his drawer.
"Erelei, I didn't say you looked hideous. I said your gown is hideous." He proceeded to slide into his leggings first before removing his robe.
"This is terrible! What am I to do?"
"You are to do nothing. You will wear this…this gown to the delegation."
"Fine. I will do as you say, but must I sit in the hall during the deliberations?"
"That is your father's wish." He slipped on a shirt and began to clasp it.
Silivrén groaned at length. "The discussions bore me to tears. Can't we do something else?"
"Perhaps later. For now we must go to the king's hall."
"May I at least visit the puppies before we go? I so want to see them." She graced him with her most charming smile.
Legolas sighed as he looked down at her. She knew the precise manner in which to force him to give into her every whim. "Very well. But don't put a single stain on that atrocity of a gown."
Silivrén hurried out of the chamber, welcoming anything that would delay the moment she was required in the king's hall, although she truly did wish to see the puppies born only four days ago.
§
The kennels were a short walk away from the king's hall. Silivrén went to Darri's stall and found her lying with her six pups suckling greedily from her. Paying no heed to the white gown she wore, Silivrén sat on the straw and carefully picked one of the pups up to hold. Then she spent an extended amount of time holding each of the other pups, one at a time.
Legolas grew extremely impatient as he stood outside the kennel compound. He turned his head into the doorway. "Silivrén, you have wasted enough time!" he yelled inside. "Come out here now or I will throw you over my shoulder!"
Silivrén made a face and stuck her tongue out in the direction of the door. Then she stood up and stepped out of Darri's stall. As she proceeded to walk down the center aisle, she absently unlatched each of the stall door locks along the way. Or perhaps she had done so on purpose. By the time she headed toward the King's hall, all twenty-three hounds, except for Darri and her puppies, dashed out of the kennel compound.
Legolas jumped at the sight of the hounds rushing toward the king's hall.
Bursting into laughter, Silivrén quickly ran to the door.
"Silivrén, no, stop!" yelled Legolas.
She ignored his warning and proceeded to open the door before any of the guards understood what was happening. The hounds squeezed through the doorway, barking and yapping all the way into the main hall. The sight that confronted Silivrén was something she would have laughed at, had she suddenly not realized the damage being done.
The hounds leaped on the tables, knocking over trays of food and spilling beverages all over the guests.
Thinking she could help the situation, Silivrén jumped up on one of the tables to breakup a pair of hounds battling for a large partridge on a platter. The terrified woman seated nearby screamed and her chair fell backward, her wig torn from her head by a passing hound.
Silivrén slipped on a plate of radishes and fell face first into a bowl of honey. When she recovered, she ran her hands over her sticky face to remove the globs of honey dripping from her. Then she stood up on the table once again and ran to the other side.
She didn't get far as her eyes suddenly fell upon the infuriated face of her father. Not looking where she was going, she turned and tripped over one of the hounds on the table. She nearly landed into a pot of hot stew, only to have some of it splash onto her arm. There was no time to think about the sudden pain as she rolled off the table and toppled to the hard floor.
Legolas stood frozen at the door, his astonished eyes panning the chaos in the hall as the king's hunting dogs terrorized the guests and battled over the banquet on the tables. How could they have caused so much damage in only two minutes?
Several of the Rhûn guards stood behind him, equally dumbfounded at what they saw. Legolas quickly set them to retrieving the dogs while he searched the room for Silivrén.
Silivrén crawled beneath the table until she reached the other end, only to be confronted with boots that looked all too familiar. A pair of hands pulled her up on her feet. When she looked up, she was staring into Legolas's exasperated eyes.
"Are you all right?" he asked, more concerned for her welfare than anything else happening around them.
"You!"
Legolas turned to the source of the loud, livid voice and instinctly pushed Silivrén behind him.
Silivrén clung to his tunic and peered around his waist as he backed them away from the king, who advanced with a fury she had never seen before.
"Are you trying to ruin me?" the king yelled in his daughter's direction.
She cowered behind Legolas, but kept staring around him to see the look on her father's reddened face.
"What in blazes made you do this?" ranted King Rataman.
Legolas held a hand out. "My Lord, tis not Silivrén's fault."
"Do not lie for her, Legolas. I know what my own daughter is capable of. This is not the first time I have witnessed her antics."
Legolas kept a protective hand around Silivrén, keeping her behind him.
Rataman was momentarily distracted as he watched the guards leash the hounds and escort them out. The guests were emerging from whatever place they had sought refuge from the animals. Not one had managed to avoid the flying food or beverages.
Silivrén was unable to stop her laugh at the sight around the hall.
Legolas turned angrily to her. "Silivrén, keep quiet."
"Step aside, Legolas," seethed the king.
Legolas turned back to the king and raised his chin with authority. "No, my Lord. I cannot allow you to exact physical punishment upon her."
"She is a walking disaster! Get her out of my sight!"
Legolas continued to shield Silivrén from the king as he led her away.
As they walked out of the hall and proceeded down the corridor in the direction of her room, Silivrén kept looking up over her shoulder at Legolas. He appeared angry, but didn't once look at her until they passed the threshold of her room. "I didn't mean to release the hounds, Legolas."
Legolas tilted his head in disbelief. "You can't fool me, Silivrén. You knew exactly what you were doing. After this incident you know very well your father will never again allow you to attend a delegation."
Silivrén continued to plead her case. "I honestly didn't purposely do it."
He cringed at the sticky substance on his hands from touching Silivrén's gown. "There is no need to explain to me. I will call for Teress to help bathe you."
Silivrén walked toward the bath door. "No, I don't want Teress. I will bathe myself."
§
While Silivrén soaked in the tub, she smiled to herself in satisfaction. If she never had to attend another delegation, that would suit her perfectly. Even though it took her some time to wash away the sticky honey from her hair, it was well worth the sacrifice. Not to mention that Teress's ugly gown was ruined.
When she came out of the bath in a clean tunic, she paused near the door to determine Legolas's mood. He was seated on the daybed, testing the fletching on each of his arrows. His movements were abrupt, leading her to believe that he was still angry.
Aware of her apprehension as she stood at the threshold between the chambers, Legolas looked up in her direction. "Tolo si." (come here)
Silivrén slowly walked up to him, fearing that he might exact his own punishment after preventing her father from doing so.
Legolas pushed his arrows aside and reached for her hand. He pushed the sleeve upward from her arm to reveal a large red welt and then stood up. After retrieving a small vial from his dresser, he returned and had Silivrén sit on the daybed while he knelt in front of her. He poured some white lotion from the vile onto his hand and gently rubbed it on her arm.
Silivrén bit her lower lip to conceal the pain she felt. Soon the coolness of the lotion quickly took the burning away.
"How does that feel?"
"The pain is gone." She gazed into his eyes, trying to read his thoughts. "I'm sorry."
"There's no need to seek my forgiveness." He chuckled. "I was quite reckless myself as a child."
"Will papa be angry with me for a long time?"
Legolas cupped her chin with a smile. "You know the power you hold over your father. He cannot resist you, no more than I can, Erelei." Then he stood up and sat down beside her, resuming the inspection of his arrows. "Shall we resume your lessons?"
Silivrén lifted her feet up on the daybed and laid down on her side, her head resting on his lap. "Aye, saes." (please)
"Telia is the feminine form of 'to play'. The masculine form is telio. In a sentence combine the feminine form with words I've already taught you."
"Im iest telia lin an finnel," she said without hesitation.
Legolas stopped fletching and incredulously looked down at her. "You want to play with my hair?"
Silivrén burst into giggles.
Legolas spent the next few hours continuing to teach Silivrén his language. He was surprised that she picked it up rather quickly and could comprise whole sentences that actually made sense. It wouldn't be long before they could have an entire Elvish conversation around others and no one would know what they were saying.