His Reluctant Highness

by El Capitan K-rage

Admittedly I did want a break from my hectic life. But I wasn't planning on this. Now I was trapped in Middle Earth...with a MarySue. And let me tell you, I wasn't happy about it. Could it get any worse? Unfortunately, the answer always seems to be yes.

10. Another Idea

Author's Note (or apology really): I am sorry it has taken me forever to update. College was in control of my soul and I had been completely swamped, which left me drained. Therefore any free time I had was devoted to sleep and not my story. Sad times, but exams are over so I have more time to write. Now on to the actual writing!

Chapter 10- Another Idea

The next morning came all too soon. I rolled toward the edge of the bed to get up and ready for breakfast and instantly regretted it. My throat was parched and my head was pounding. Apparently elves can get hangovers. It was not too bad seeing as I had not gotten absolutely smashed, but I had definitely had a slight buzz, which would explain my actions concerning a certain prince the night before. "Bugger," I muttered lowly, sitting up in bed, placing my feet on the floor and my head in my hands.

And of course at that moment there was a knock on my door. With another muttered curse I got up slowly and made my way to the door. "Yes?"

"So much for asking if you are ready to go to breakfast, I see I already have my answer," Glorfindel stated smugly, leaning against my doorframe.

"Take that look off your face," I snapped.

"Slightly hung over are we?" he questioned, his grin growing.

"Maybe," I grumbled.

"That's too bad because you aren't getting out of practice today."

"Believe me, I was not counting on it."

"Good, I will wait out here while you dress."

"Super," I replied in false cheer. I returned a few minutes later. "Ugh, I would kill for Advil right now."

"Advil?" Glorfindel asked, still looking highly amused.

"Headache medicine."

"That would be convenient. However, since we do not have this Advil you will just have to settle for Lord Elrond's special brew and thankfully no one will lose their life."

"Very funny. Wait-special brew? I don't like the sound of that," I said. "Can't I just have a little hair of the dog?"

"Hair of the dog?" he asked. "Why would you want to eat fur? That sounds absolutely disgusting and I do not believe it has any curative properties."

"No, no, no. You people take everything so literally… which is a problem because most of what I say isn't. To have the 'hair of the dog' means to have more of whatever made you sick. So I was effectively asking if I could just have more wine," I explained impatiently.

"Does it work?"

"Some people think so, but I have never tried it."

We reached the Healing Ward and greeted Faelon who happened to be working that morning. "It would be you," I muttered darkly.

"Hangover," he stated with a self-righteous nod, "I will make the draught. It should only take a few moments since I already have the supplies gathered. Nordithen and Tirithedain have already stopped by."

"Do I even want to know what is in it?" I cast a wary glance at the herbs he had begun chopping and grinding, feeling slightly better that I was not the only one suffering.

"Probably not," he quipped, smiling at me.

"It seems like whenever I am injured or ill you are right there waiting to give me some sort of foul-tasting medicine. Why is that?" I asked teasingly, deciding to be nice since my hangover was not his fault and he was the one in charge of the cure for it.

He smiled. "Obviously I enjoy watching you suffer."

"I thought so."

"It is not that bad," Glorfindel said glancing at the liquid Faelon was mixing with the herbs distrustfully.

"He's right. It's no worse than the medicine I gave you for your shoulder."

"But that was positively foul!" I cried.

"Ah, yes well here you are," Faelon said all smiles.

I looked into the glass for a moment before giving myself a little shake. "Cheers," I said, and downed the glass. "Ugh, gross," I choked out, trying not to gag. "You really must enjoy watching me suffer."

Faelon and Glorfindel both laughed. "Not really," Faelon said. "If anyone enjoys the suffering it is Lord Elrond for he is the one who made it originally. We have both had to drink it on numerous occasions and do not wish it on anyone. However it does work."

Glorfindel nodded his agreement, still smiling, and patted me on the shoulder. "Come it is time for your lesson," he said, his tone bordering on gleeful.

"You are all sadists," I muttered darkly, causing them both to laugh again.

The walk to the training field was one giant awkward silence because Glorfindel and I had not really spoken or been alone since our argument during my last training session. We reached the field and unsheathed our swords. "This is not going to be a repeat of last time is it? Because you nearly worked me to death," I commented trying to sound unconcerned but not quite pulling it off.

He heaved a sigh. "I am sorry about that. I got rather carried away and should have listened more than I did. Your explanation was logical, but I seek only to make you cautious. There is much ahead of you." He ran a hand through his hair, then fixed his gaze on mine and I could read the worry there. "I care for you greatly," he said quietly placing a hand on my shoulder, "and therefore I am concerned for your safety."

"I know," I said, resting my hand over the one on my shoulder "And I appreciate your concern, but please do not make more of it than it is."

"I will not. Besides, you were right. I cannot tell how his highness feels. He keeps his thoughts and emotions hidden behind that impassive gaze of his," he said frustrated, removing his hand from my shoulder and waving it dismissively.

"He is a prince, it seems logical that he would."

"Poor elf, if only he were not constantly being hunted by ellith he might be a tad more open," Glorfindel observed.

The vision of Legolas being literally hunted by ellith made me laugh. "I agree, having to deal with females like Almira and Lady Valda would do some kind of damage."

"So you have heard of Lady Valda?" Glorfindel said a distasteful look on his face.

"Yes, I heard she is the Middle Earth version of Almira. I have not had the displeasure of meeting her though." The very idea made me frown.

"Well then it is your lucky day, because here she comes," he whispered quietly.

"What?" I hissed. But it was too late. A sharp voice called from behind me, "Kate!"

I forced a polite smile on my face and turned to greet her. "Lady Valda, how do you do?"

"I am well thank you," she responded, looking me over disdainfully causing me to ball my hands into fists. "And you?"

"I too am well, thank you for inquiring. To what do I owe the pleasure of this impromptu meeting?"

"I merely wanted to see the elleth that has the prince so ensnared. And as far as I can tell she is nothing special or even ordinary. In fact, she seems to be quite beneath most elleth which leaves me to question why he would be interested in her. Just what is it about this elleth that has him so captivated? Or perhaps the question is just what does she do that keeps him so interested?"

I was pissed. There was no denying it. I sheathed my sword and ignoring Glorfindel's cautionary whisper walked right up to her and stopped approximately two inches from her face. She was a few inches taller than me forcing me to tilt my chin up, but I barely noticed. In an enraged whisper I snapped, "I may not be anything extraordinary but I will be damned if I will just let you insult me without knowing a thing about me and having never met me before now. If you wanted to terrorize or intimidate someone you picked the wrong girl. Whatever is between his highness and me is our own business and you cannot coerce me into feeling guilty or unworthy of our relationship. So, that being said, I suggest you run along and take your childish antics with you before I really lose my temper."

She just huffed and whirled away, however before taking more than three steps she whirled back and exclaimed melodramatically, "His highness is mine!"

I just smirked. "Is that so? I did not see your name on him."

"Oh, it's there," she sneered.

"He just cannot read it?"

"YOU WILL NOT COME BETWEEN US!" she cried shrilly, and then hurried away pretending to sob.

"That would make sense if there was something to come between." I sighed, turning to face Glorfindel again.

Glorfindel just shook his head. "I am afraid she is a tad delusional."

"A tad?" I questioned disbelievingly.

"Alright completely." He shrugged. "You handled that well. Hopefully she will have gotten the message and will not give you too much trouble in the future. Though, if she does you should know that her threats are empty ones. She will not cause you actual harm. I doubt she could anyway. Come let us begin your lesson."

Unsheathing my sword again, I wanted to believe him but knew deep down that females like her did not like being shown up. It was only a matter of time before she made her next move. I sighed and turned to the task at hand, putting her out of my mind for the moment.

The rest of my lesson with Glorfindel was uneventful. Like usual, I spent most of it getting the snot beat out of me and I kept repeating to myself that it was worth it. Staying alive during the Quest was my number one objective.

When we finished, I delayed Glorfindel with a question that been bothering me. "Does Legolas have a lot of women gunning for him?"

He looked confused for a moment, and I prepared to rephrase my question when his expression cleared and a triumphant smile lit his face. "Ah yes, gunning: meaning desiring him or trying to be with him. It takes me a few moments sometimes to translate your slang as it has been so long since I have heard some of the phrases from Anna," Glorfindel explained and I smiled bemused. "To answer, yes."

"Oh," I stated deflated.

"But it is to be expected given his status. Why do you ask?"

"Not the reason you are thinking," I replied hurriedly and he rolled his eyes. "I just want to know how many more confrontations I should be expecting."

"I cannot say. Lady Valda is very young and rather silly about his highness. Most of Legolas' admirers will probably treat you with polite disdain. You should know, Legolas pays little attention to most of the elleth here. Which is why his friendship with you is so unusual."

I said nothing, mulling his words over. "You should go, Legolas is expecting you," his voice broke into my thoughts.

"Right, thanks," I said before hurrying to the archery field. I arrived to see Legolas pacing.

"Finally!" he cried upon seeing me. "What took you so long? Did you get lost?" Legolas teased.

"Actually my lesson with Glorfindel ran late because I was accosted by one of the members of your fan club," I snapped.

"What? What happened?" he asked in surprise and slight concern and I felt guilty for snapping at him. I sighed heavily and ran a hand through my hair beginning to regret mentioning it. "It's nothing," at his dubious glance I continued, "really, I promise. Accosted is not even the right word. It is more like insulted."

"Kate…" Legolas said warningly.

"Fine! She basically insinuated I must be putting out for you to be interested in me and that I was ugly and you were hers." I said quickly and quietly, hoping he got the gist of it and would not ask for the finer details.

"Putting out?"

I covered my face with my hands and groaned, "This is so embarrassing. Why couldn't you leave it at nothing?"

"What does it mean?" he repeated firmly.

I uncovered my face, averting my eyes and cleared my throat nervously before beginning. I was whispering so quietly he had to lean closer to hear me. "It means…well it means I, I …I am performing favors for you."

"Favors? As in doing something for me?" He did not seem to be grasping the concept. I could have kicked myself for mentioning it. I swallowed. "Of a sexual nature."

"WHAT?" Legolas yelled, straightening quickly, causing several other elves to look in our direction.

"Quiet!" I cried. "Oh this is humiliating."

He began blushing, which I found endearing, then his cleared my throat, "I apologize for her behavior-"

"Don't," I commanded briskly. "It is not your place. You are not the one at fault. If I am to forgive her it will only be after she apologizes to me." Giving myself a slight shake I finished lightly, "Besides you cannot control the members of your fan club."

"Unfortunately not. Who said such a thing?"

"The esteemed Lady Valda," I said sarcastically and Legolas shuddered.

"She thinks we are destined to be together," He stated dismayed. "Can you imagine a lifetime of continuous complaining from a wife who would spend the majority of her time in front of a mirror or whatever reflective surface could be found?"

I gave a short laugh before continuing, "No and I do not want to."

Legolas sighed. "Elleth like her take an almost perverse pleasure in ruining my relationships be they friendly or romantic. Do not let her scare you," he stated, a note of pleading in his voice.

"Oh, trust me she won't. So far she has only succeeded in pissing me off."

"I do not know who to be more worried for: you or Lady Valda."

I just smiled. "Yes, yes you do." That being said, I drew an arrow, aimed and nearly hit the center.

Legolas was stunned. I shrugged a bit embarrassed and said, "Intense emotions make me focus."

"To say the least," he replied. Shaking his head he ordered me to try again. We spent the rest of the lesson in a peaceful companionship with him correcting my form when necessary and giving me tips on how to improve my technique. Though I never got another arrow anywhere close to the center, I was at least hitting the edges of the target more often, which was pretty good for the second day if I do say so myself.

When the hour was up, we began walking back toward the guest rooms. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day?" Legolas began conversationally.

"I am to have lunch with Maerwen and some of her friends," she answered. "I am greatly looking forward to it. I miss non-hostile female company and would like to gain more female acquaintances."

"I see. We ellyn just are not witty or entertaining enough to satisfy you, eh?"

I laughed. "Exactly!"

"I am hurt," he said, adopting a wounded look.

"Don't be," I said teasingly, "You will always have Almira or Lady Valda to inflate your ego."

"Don't remind me," Legolas said, "Kate, about last night-"

"Oh that," I said, "Look I overreacted." Blushing, I continued, "I had a bit too much to drink and therefore was not exactly thinking clearly. I thought you might have wanted to walk with her. However Faelon quickly pointed out that she probably ambushed you like usual. So then I got upset with Almira. She's making females from Earth look bad. I mean, she has absolutely no regard for other people's feelings seeing as she always ambushes you and gives you no choice but to walk with her."

"Indeed, she spent the entire time talking about herself, cornering me right after the dinner she spent doing the same thing," Legolas replied in a perturbed tone before grinning mischievously. "A bit too much too drink?"

"I was hoping you'd miss that part," I stated ruefully.

"You know better."

"True," I admitted. "As you know, Bellon and Maerwen's engagement celebration was last night. And seeing as the wine was flowing freely and I don't really have a lot of drinking experience, especially with this higher tolerance you elves have, I got a bit intoxicated. Therefore my annoyance with Almira was rather blown out of proportion."

"Hence Faelon's hasty retreat," he surmised.

"More like rescue," Legolas raised an eyebrow but I refuse to elaborate. "I definitely owe him one."

"And there I was hoping you would rescue me. I had to spend an extra five minutes coming up with every possible activity I could to get out of seeing her today and continuously peeling her hands off my arm."

"Poor elf. You have my sympathy," I said.

"As I should," He retorted haughtily.

I just laughed again before bidding him farewell seeing as we had reached our rooms.

"Until this evening," Legolas replied and the mischievous smile had not left his face. I had the odd feeling he was up to something.

As I entered my room, I leaned back against the door and took a deep breath. I gathered my self together, locking away my feelings of embarrassment and mortification at the events of the past day and a half and prepared for lunch with Maerwen and her friends. I did not want to be late. A half hour later found me power-walking to her house. Only to realize that I had no idea where I was going, I abruptly stopped. "Great, just great," I muttered. I gave a look around but there was no one in sight. And it was not like I could use my non-existent cell phone to call Faelon. "Damn," I muttered again about to elaborate on my swearing when I heard a timid voice utter "Lady Kate?"

I whirled around to see a petite, bleach blonde ellith standing in front of me. "Yes?" I was sure I had never met this elleth before and so had no idea why she would seek me out. I did not have a problem with the fact that she knew who I was, my coloring gave me away.

"I am Ansa, a friend of Maerwen. I was on the way to her house when I spotted you and thought you might need some help," she admitted quietly.

I smiled in relief. "Yes I definitely could use some help. Unfortunately I was not paying attention last night and now have absolutely no idea where to go. And it's just Kate. Forgive my reserve; I was afraid you might be one of Lady Valda's harpies." I gave a self-conscious shrug.

"You need not apologize, you have good reason to be on your guard. I heard about the incident this morning," she stated with a twinkle in her eye, she walked to me and took my arm in hers and began walking.

"Already? How?" I asked allowing myself to be lead down the correct path.

"Nordithen and Tirithedain were on the field this morning and saw the exchange. Though I must admit they were quite disappointed they were not close enough to hear what you said that so upset her Ladyship. And in all honesty, I am quite disappointed as well. She is not exactly our favorite person as I am sure you know."

"So I have heard. And now I know why," I said dryly.

"Yes she is quite unpleasant, as are her followers. No doubt you have also heard of Lady Wynona?"

"Unfortunately yes."

"Vicious, the lot of them," she spat vehemently.

"What did they do to you?" I asked, surprised by her vehemence seeing as she seemed rather timid.

"I will tell you when we reach Maerwen's for it only happened yesterday and I did not want to mention it to Maerwen on her special day."

"That was kind of you."

"Thank you, though I must admit I was hard-pressed not to. I was practically enraged."

"Then this should be interesting," I commented, having a hard time picturing the petite elleth being anything but kind or reserved.

"Ah, here we are," she announced walking right through the front gate and in the front door. "Where are you ladies?"

We followed the chorus of voices into the courtyard where one lone table remained from the night before, loaded with as many leftovers as it would hold.

"Hello Ansa, Kate," Maerwen greeted, rising and lightly hugging us both. "I see you two have already met. Kate, allow me to introduce you to our other friends. This is Lena, Sunniva, Eydís, and Elwen, whom you already know."

I curtseyed, and they replied in kind. "Shall we eat?" Maerwen asked.

"Please," Sunniva pleaded enthusiastically. She was tall and thin, just like all elves, probably about 5'10" with long, pale blonde hair and clear blue eyes. "So, Kate, how do you like Imladris so far?" She asked a sunny smile on her face as we loaded our plates and began eating. She seemed to be the most outgoing of the group from what I could tell of her demeanor. "Is a certain highness making it easier?" she teased. Oh yeah, definitely the most unreserved.

"Sunniva!" Ansa cried, looking slightly embarrassed.

"What?" Sunniva demanded exasperatedly. "She knows I am kidding. You know I am kidding, right?"

"Yes, I do," I said quickly through a mouthful. Swallowing, I continued, "I really love Imladris. It's so beautiful and peaceful. And his highness has been very kind and most agreeable, though not overly so."

"Unlike Lady Valda." Lena stated disapprovingly. She was also quite tall, probably about 5'8" with the same pale blond hair however her eyes were more of a deep cerulean color.

"Unlike Lady Valda," I echoed with a grimace.

"What did she say?" Eydís asked enthusiastically. She was the shortest one in the group (aside from me) only standing about 5'6". She had strawberry blonde hair and beautiful sky blue eyes.

"More importantly, what did you say?" Elwen asked, pausing between bites. She was about 5'8" as well, but she had golden blonde hair that stood in contrast with her gray eyes. Aside from Maerwen, I was the only one present who did not have blonde hair. Maerwen also had brown hair, though hers was far darker than mine, making her royal blue eyes that much brighter. Elven beauty really was rather disconcerting and annoying.

"Well, she implied I was a worthless slut with no other purpose in life than to ruin her relationship with Legolas," I said feeling myself growing irritated at the memory.

"That sounds quite similar to what Lady Amani said to me," Ansa announced quietly, pushing her plate away from her, obviously no longer hungry.

"What?" Sunniva asked surprised. "Why would she be insulting you?"

"She thinks there is something going on between Nordithen and me. Nordithen! Of all people," she exclaimed and then promptly blushed.

"Is there?" I asked bluntly.

Her eyes widened. "No, no…never. He is a wonderful ellon but I doubt he even knows I exist." She shook her head slightly, almost disappointedly, it seemed to me.

"I do not know about that," Lena said speculatively. "At the party last night he did seem to glance in your direction quite often."

"And I have witnessed him watching you at dinner recently," Eydís declared. "He definitely knows you exist."

"I bet he finds you more attractive than Lady Amani," Elwen claimed, "You certainly are nicer."

"Why would he not know you exist?" I asked curiously, "Do you not all hang together?" At their confused glances, I amended my speech a little. "I meant don't you spend your free time together and what not?"

"Oh," they chorused. "We do," Maerwen began, "But Ansa just moved here not but nine months ago."

"Where did you move from?" I asked her.

"Lothlórien. I decided to move when my parents decided to sail for Valinor." She smiled sadly.

"I did not mean to-"

"Do not fret. I am not upset, I just miss them," she said kindly.

"Understandable. However nine months seems sufficient enough time to prove your existence," I said.

"I suppose," she began her gaze shifting to her hands in her lap. "But we spend most of our days working and the Rivendell Guard has their monthly patrols, so if I do see him it is only at dinner and we barely get the opportunity to speak solely to each other. That being said, our schedules are hardly favorable for getting to know one another. I am really only well acquainted with these ladies because I live and work with them."

"I have been meaning to ask exactly what you ladies did for a living," I stated, sensing Ansa was not entirely ready to voice her complete thoughts on Nordithen.

"Well Ansa, Lena, and I work in the Kitchens together," stated Eydís, "And we live in a house not far from here that my parents gifted me when they sailed."

"Maerwen and I are seamstresses," pronounced Sunniva.

"And you know my job," stated Elwen dryly.

"And I am afraid none of us envy you for it," teased Lena.

"I would not expect you too," she replied easily.

"I really feel badly about Almira," I said. "I feel she makes us Earthlings look bad."

"Perhaps that is why you were sent here as well," supplied Ansa.

"As damage control?" I posed. "That's not a bad explanation actually."

"I hear she has recently made friends with Lady Amani," gossiped Sunniva.

"If by friends you mean united in their dislike for Lady Valda and willing to tolerate each other, then I agree," stated Elwen wryly.

"I do. Almira probably does not view her as much of a threat as Lady Valda and funnily enough Lady Amani probably feels the same about Almira," Sunniva observed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. There are three of them?" I asked disbelievingly.

"Yes," Maerwen stated wearily, "Not including their followers, like Lady Winona."

"This is terrifying," I commented incredulously.

"Especially for you since they are all after his poor highness," acknowledged Ansa, "and if not him, any other noblemen present.

"Great," I muttered sarcastically. "More ellith out to get me."

"Do not worry," stated Elwen. "We will do what we can to keep you from being annoyed to death."

I laughed. "I appreciate that, though unfortunately you will not be able to protect me on the quest." I was no longer laughing.

"How are you feeling concerning the quest?" Eydís asked, noticing the rather obvious change in my demeanor.

"Very nervous. I do not suppose any of you know, though Maerwen you might if Bellon told you, but in my world the quest and the history of Middle Earth was common knowledge accessible by all." Needless to say they were stunned. "It was written by a man named J.R.R. Tolkien as a fairytale, and until now that is exactly what I believed it was: a fairytale, an elaborate story, certainly not a real place."

"This is incredible," whispered Sunniva in awe. "So you know what is to happen, which is why they sent you on the quest, right?"

I nodded. "Though I did not necessarily want to go because what if I mess something up? Or something does not happen as it should and I could not fix it? I still don't know if I want to go. I do not really want that kind of responsibility on top of everything else."

"That is quite a lot to take on," Lena admitted, giving me a sympathetic look.

"Tell me about it. You can now hopefully understand why I am not too excited about this quest. Not to mention the Almira factor."

"It is completely understandable. There you will all be, trying to save the world and she will be too busy to help because she will be trying to make Legolas fall in love with her," teased Elwen, though it was not too far from the truth.

"Poor elf," Maerwen muttered, as almost everyone did these days when discussing Legolas.

Seeing as we had finished our meal by now, Elwen stood, "I am afraid I must be off. I have work to attend to." At my confused gaze, she stated, "I am also a maid and today I am to clean whatever needs cleaning. And I must say it is far more pleasant than attending to Lady Almira."

"I also must be off," I said, rising as well. "I have a history lesson with Erestor. Thank you for having me over. It was lovely. It was a pleasure meeting all of you."

"You as well," said Ansa, with the rest nodding.

"This is also a daily occurrence," added Maerwen, "so please feel free to make this part of your daily ritual."

"I would be glad to," I stated enthusiastically, and with a final goodbye left the house with Elwen.

We chatted on our way back to the guest wing, and parted ways at my room. I then grabbed my things and headed straight for my meeting with Erestor. When I arrived, he was staring out the window of the library with a pensively amused expression on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" I inquired, setting my stuff down and taking a seat.

"From my vantage point, I can see what seems to be a very important meeting between the children of Elrond and his highness Legolas." He turned to look at me. "They are up to something."

"Don't look at me. I am just as clueless as you."

"It figures. Though I doubt that will last for long," he said with a smile.

I held up my hands in mock surrender. "I am not interested in dastardly deeds. I am not looking to get kicked out of Imladris."

He laughed. "That's what they all say. However the twins and his highness can be very persuasive."

"Do you know this from past experience?" I asked, eyebrow raised as he came to sit across from me at the table.

"Not exactly, for I was corrupted by their father." At my disbelieving stare, he smiled and said, "They had to get it from somewhere. Poor Arwen is more like their mother, generally acting as either lookout or cover; though they both had their days."

I just shook my head. "Crazy elves."

"You included," he shot back.

"Maybe." I gave a small smile and my eyes drifted towards the window. "Maybe."

"Now," he began clapping his hands together, "let's review some crazy elves in history."

I gave a short laugh and turned my attention back to the books in front of me, devoting the rest of the afternoon to study.

After Erestor's lesson I decided to find Legolas and the children of Elrond. I approached the garden and could hear their conversation. I paused for a moment, ignoring the voice that reminded me what my mother had always said about eavesdropping.

"Thanks for the concern," I heard Legolas say dryly.

"Well it's true," Elrohir said defensively.

Elladan just rolled his eyes. "Forgive them, they are idiots and easily excitable. What they meant to express is that we are happy for you and the possibility of finding a relatively normal ellith to become involved with."

I crept closer at that, peering around a bush to see them.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Legolas asked exasperatedly.

"Well you really haven't had the best luck with ellith," Elladan stated rubbing his neck.

"What about Lady Anisa?"

"Friendly," Arwen said, "but dumb as a brick."

"Fine. What about Lady Rana?" Legolas suggested defensively. Arwen just gave a snort of disgust.

"Beautiful, to be sure," Elrohir admitted, "But so self-concerned."

"She wasn't that bad," Legolas claimed, but was simply ignored.

"Let's not forget Lady Golwen," Elladan added dramatically, the mention of her name causing everyone to shudder. "She must have been like 12,000 years old. She was so proper and dull! You weren't even allowed to touch her. You literally had to be two feet from her at all times."

"Oh! And we cannot forget Lady Orodiel who had that ridiculously high-pitched giggle that she would emit every time Legolas said anything, even if it was not even remotely funny." They all began laughing uncontrollably, except Legolas of course, and trying to imitate her giggle.

Out of sympathy and guilt, I decided to make my appearance known and serve as a distraction. "That sounds horridly annoying," I said in an amused tone.

At once all three of them ceased their laughter and shifted their gaze to me. I noticed their slightly panicked looks, especially that of Legolas, and halted my steps and asked, "Am I disturbing you? Because if so I can leave if you were discussing something private."

"Not at all, Kate," Legolas said, giving me a reassuring smile, his expression becoming more closed. "My friends were just taking some time to remind me of all my best relationships," he finished sarcastically.

"It sounds like it," I responded dryly, coming to join their circle. "By the way, Erestor and I are quite curious as to what you four are up to. Him probably a tad more than me since he knows what you are capable of and I have no desire to become entangled in your devious plans."

"That is disappointing because we need your help," Elrohir said slyly.

"I'll bet you do," I muttered causing them to grin, and then louder, "What exactly do you have in mind?"

"It is time for a little payback," Arwen said. "I do not know about you but I am tired of Lady Amani and Lady Valda's disdain. I am also tired of Almira's blatant disregard for anyone other than herself." She snapped the twig she had been holding, then flushed embarrassedly at her show of frustration. Clearing her throat, she continued, "That being said, we are taking it upon ourselves to give them a taste of their own medicine."

"So…you are planning on talking to them until they want to cut off their own ears rather than listen anymore?" I asked sarcastically.

"No," Elladan said, too excited to be put off by my sarcasm. "We are going to play pranks on all of them, then frame each of them so it looks like they are playing pranks on each other."

I began to smile slowly. "This could be epic," I said in reverence.

"Are you in?" Legolas asked, all of them gazing at me expectantly.

"I don't know. They hate me enough already. I don't exactly want to add any fuel to the fire."

"Do not worry-" Arwen began, but was interrupted by an overly smooth voice. "Kate, a word if I may?"

I hesitated for just a moment, before smiling tightly, rising and replying, "But of course."

I followed the strange elleth several feet away. She stopped suddenly, causing me to stop short and spun to face me. "As I am sure you know I am the Lady Amani."

"Actually I didn't, seeing as I am not from here," I stated slowly.

"Exactly!" she cried, taking a quick step forward and pointing her finger in my face accusingly.

"Exactly what?" I asked confused as to where this was going and knowing it was not going to be pleasant.

"You are not from here," she announced triumphantly.

"I thought we established tha-"

"Do not interrupt me!"

"I didn't. You-"

"Silence! You have no right to correct me. You have no standing, peasant," she spat. "And because of this I have come to inform you that this farce of a relationship you have with his highness cannot last. It is shameful and being the kind person that I am," she paused at my barely concealed scoff and eyed me distastefully before continuing harshly, "I have come to inform you that to continue your dalliance will only damage your already questionable reputation further."

"Look, I-" I began only to be interrupted.

"No, no, no," she said loftily, waving her hand in the air. "There is no need to thank me. Just know that you should preserve what little is left of your reputation because his highness will soon forget you once he realizes he is in love with me."

"How long until the supposed epiphany?" I asked derisively.

Her face flushed with anger and she hissed, "Do not mock me. I will not be outdone by some half-breed who thinks she belongs here. Because I'll have you know that you are sadly mistaken. You do not belong here and you never will." And with that she turned on her heels and strode away.

I stood there for a good thirty seconds in complete disbelief. I was so angry, but what was worse was how much her words had hurt. Clenching my jaw, I turned and walked purposefully back towards Legolas, Arwen, Elladan and Elrohir. "I'm in," I ground out before quickly stalking out of the garden, heading God knows where and not particularly caring as long as I could be alone.