Chapter 11 - Unfold
Not often was the house of the King's advisor visited at the crack of dawn, and never to the purpose of the young Elves crouched beneath one of its windows, manifestly engaged in a bout of fierce conversation.
"She could be awake. You know her; she will maim us if she finds out."
"You were the one to propose this scheme, Feredir. Now is not the time to doubt it," said the other.
The ellon addressed let out an uneasy breath, but objected no further. "We ought to be careful. Ensure that she is unconscious first."
His pale-haired friend nodded curtly to acknowledge the caution, before swinging one leg up onto the windowsill. Placing a hand on the frame, he pulled himself up, and balanced nimbly on the crooked ledge. The action was carried out soundlessly, which made one suspect that such business was not unfamiliar to him.
Upon stealing a glance at the bed across the room, he confirmed that the subject of their discussion was indeed asleep. Cautiously, he slipped from his perch and onto the floorboards, before turning to signal to his associate. Perceiving his friend's affirmative gesture, Feredir too scaled the elevation and joined the ellon in the room.
"Make haste," Legolas hissed, "where did she put the letter?"
Holding up a hand in response, Feredir crossed the room to approach a chest of drawers pushed up against the wall. Smoothing his fingers upon the worn surface, he muttered, "I remember – it was here."
His fingers had stilled above a small drawer. Legolas, who had followed beside him, drew it open softly. Weighted by an ink vial was a piece of folded parchment, which the conspirators turned over in their hands to scrutinise with curiousity.
"Read it," Feredir urged, glancing up briefly at the sleeping elleth. "Quick."
They studied the letter's contents with growing incredulity. Legolas, who had been reading over his friend's shoulder, raised a sceptical eyebrow.
"I certainly would not wager much upon his penmanship," he mused.
"What did you expect, Thranduilion? Infatuation makes the best of us fools."
"I would not have thought –" Legolas began erewhile, but his speech trailed into silence. There had been a shifting of air behind him, subtle enough to be mistaken for the wind, and yet -
"What are you doing?"
The friends started at the new voice, turning to the speaker with barely concealed horror. The latter was sitting up in bed, her hair tousled with sleep, her brows furrowed.
"I wake up," Eroth said slowly, "when the sun has barely risen, and I find two persons in my bedroom. Rummaging, it seems-" she raised an eyebrow, "– through my drawers.
"From my knowledge of aforementioned individuals," Eroth continued, rising from the bed, "they have no previous habit of breaching the regulations of privacy at ungodly hours, and therefore I may reasonably come to the conclusion that they are here under no good intent."
"Eroth –" Feredir began, somewhat flustered as the elleth advanced towards them, her eyes narrowing.
"What, then –" Eroth said quietly, heedless of her friends' efforts to stem her approach, "may I repeat, are you partaking in?"
Suddenly, her eyes fell to the parchment in their hands, and realisation flashed across her features.
The elleth had barely taken another step when her friends started into action, taking advantage of her sleep riddled state by making their escape through the windows.
If Eroth had not been fully lucid before, the flight of the guilty individuals certainly served to rouse her into action. In a fluid motion she had leapt out after them, easily trailing their clumsy retreat into the trees.
Perhaps because one was spurred on by anger, and the others hasty with culpability, the elleth gained on the companions after no lengthy chase. Erewhile, the offenders found themselves cornered on a suspended platform, one of many built within the complexities of the Elven settlement.
"Eroth," said Legolas, after a tense silence, "we held no ill intent."
Eroth's gaze never flickered. "I see."
"I held no intent at all," the dark-haired ellon added, "Legolas was the one set upon the plan."
If looks could scald, the one the Prince shot at Feredir held enough heat to do so. But the elleth's ire had found its target, and she motioned towards the ground with a tilt of her head.
"Well, Legolas, let us settle affairs below."
With her nightgown hanging from her shoulders and feet bare, his friend hardly looked a vengeful spirit. Yet something in her voice gave him pause. Legolas had not thought a mere letter could be so important to her – she was Eroth, after all. And Eroth would never look twice at an admirer but from below her nose. Yet she was grave now, grey eyes hard, and as he watched she glanced away and leapt from the platform.
Legolas stepped back, on the cusp of offering the damned letter to its owner – yet somehow, he had to know the rest of its contents. There must be a reason Eroth cherished it thus. And so he followed her down through the branches, towards the gathering mists at the ground. Eroth was beside him when his feet touched the ground, silent. The ellon turned to face his friend.
"It was Istuon? I would never have guessed."
Eroth leant an arm against the bark, regarding him impassively. "Should that surprise you?"
The ellon's brows drew together. The change in her manner was already perplexing, but he did not want to believe that it was Istuon who could cause it. "You must remember his conduct; especially towards you."
"It is reasonable to forgive him for some minor offences several centuries ago."
"They were hardly minor offences, mellon nin."
"It matters not," Eroth replied quietly, stirring from her position to step towards him, "and if it did, it should not matter to you."
"Either way," she continued, moving closer, "it would be graciously appreciated –"
Eroth paused, her balance shifting, and the ellon uttered a cry of surprise. She had hooked his knees, her feet catching the spot with precision, so that they folded under him.
Kneeling down swiftly, she checked his fall and wrapped an arm around his neck, "– if you produced the letter. Directly."
"I do not have it," Legolas choked out.
"I don't believe you."
He was thrown backward, and found that within a dizzying instance his back was against the ground, and Eroth was leaning over him. It was a considerably uncomfortable position, and reminded him of the first time he had been rendered like this; except that in the former she had demanded to learn to fight, and in the next she had used those requested skills to render him thus.
Eroth pressed her fingers to his throat, but her touch was light – intended only to threaten. "How much have you seen?"
Enough to bring considerable irritation. Flashing her a roguish smirk, he said, "only until the part where your admirer compared your hair to… the setting sun."
She flushed with indignation, and Legolas took the opportunity to drag her arms sideways. When she lost her balance he was quick to flip their positions, pinning her wrists to the soil.
"I am sorry," he smirked, "I have need to withhold the letter."
Beneath him Eroth's skin was flushed, look turning murderous, but when they fixed on something behind him her eyes widened.
Author's Note:
Thank you to all who have come across my story, and somehow stayed with it. I hope that it has brought you as much joy to read as it has for me to write it. Most of all, thank you to the people behind the kind favourites, follows and reviews. They never fail to brighten a dreary day.
shush child: Really? I'm flattered :) Hope you enjoy the updates!
legolasgreenleaf15: I'll be replying to your amazing reviews here to save you from navigating around in the site. I don't blame you for thinking that it was Legolas, I myself am guilty of some misleading in the earlier chapters (he does seem to care for his friend somewhat more than he realises). I agree; Eroth does not quite understand what relationships entail yet, so her so-called feelings towards her admirer may not be exactly justified. I hope that this chapter - and the next - clears it up a bit! PS: does the name Istuon ring a bell?
I'm glad you enjoyed the tiny insight into Thranduil's world. Yes - it is foreshadowing something, and the fact that love is on his mind is significant. I hope it worked!
The protectiveness is indeed coming through; especially when you consider his 'curiosity' for the identity of the admirer in this chapter. There will be more where that comes from in later events as well :p As for the whispered words, I may have a plan to reveal them in a future scene. Again, I cannot stress enough how happy your feedback makes me, so thank you mellon nin!