Slightly earlier than planned, comes the new update. Mostly in honnor of the fact that for the first time i twas at a re-enactment that got flooded out. If you were wondering, it was the Kelmarsh Festival of history (ran by english heritage) which was a multiperiod re-enactment with several thousand of us there. By saturday morning, there were three new rivers on site after torrential rain. Obviously everyone was camping, luckily for me we were on high enough ground to be relatively dry, though by the time we had struck tent, the water was reaching our tent. At least one person in our group woke up to water flowing OVER him, with £800 worth of plate armour under the muddly flood water. Not to mention everything else in his tent. One of the people in Saxon tents (no tent pegs there) floated away during the night and at least one person had to swim out thier tent. To get to anywhere generally had to get through at least a foot of water and was occasionally up to my knees in water (i am 5'6" with long legs so that is DEEP). When we left (8:30am) english heritage middle management was still trying to put on the show, though the on site manager wanted to call off, obviously actually knowing how bad it was. I have no idea if it went on, though damned if i know what with since all but the Romans (who were on one of the few bits of dry ground) and some insane vikings who were gonna fight whatever, were leaving whatever english heritage said.
If you hadn't guess, i am slightly pissed off about this.
Anyway, rant/horror story over, here is the chapter.
CHAPTER 29
Elrond stormed down the corridor of his haven, frowning deeply. The news he was getting from the human South hardly inspired him to great heights of good temper. He stopped short when he glanced up and saw his ward leaning against a pillar with a fairly amused expression on her face.
"What caused you to join the drastically-angled-eyebrow club?" she commented dryly. Elrond looked at her blankly.
"What?" he asked, raising one of the aforementioned drastically-angled eyebrows at her enquiringly.
"I was wondering why your face resembled a rain storm, my dearest guardian." He snorted gently.
"Númenor, Fëa," he said bluntly. One of the maia's eyebrows rose delicately.
"Ah." Númenor wasn't the friendly nation it had been during the War of Elves and Sauron now. Some time ago now they had first started dominions in Arda, then they had become jealous of the Elves. Fëa and the other rulers of Arda (for all intents and purposes, Fëa was considered one for the way she ran Imladris as an equal of her guardian) knew there were 'the faithful' still remaining in Valinor, a group of the nation which followed the original Númenorean ways, but most had now kicked over the traces with enthusiasm. Elrond was particularly having trouble taking it, mostly because they were his brother's descendants that had come to hate the race Elrond had always felt Elros should have chosen.
Knowing she would get the full story later, Fëa didn't comment but when and hugged her guardian consolingly. Elrond hugged her back tightly before kissing her brow.
"Although the Valar taking you from your parents was terrible, I thank every day I have with you making life easier for me simply by being here."
Fëa smiled gently.
XXX
Both Elrond and Fëa raised an eyebrow at the Maia that swung off his horse in front of the courtyard.
"Galadhion, is there any particular reason you are here?" Elrond asked for Fëa. The dark-haired young male rolled his eyes with a long suffering sigh.
"Because if my sister and Oropher get any sappier, I do believe I will kill them. They are disgustingly in love to the point of sending everyone around them mad or into sickness through their behaviour. Thranduil and Ada wanted to come with me, but he couldn't manipulate an excuse to escape because he's the Prince and covering to fill in what those two miss through being otherwise occupied." Fëa tried very hard not to bite her lip with amusement.
"You're not much of a romantic are you, cousin mine?" The other Maia glared at her.
"Shouldn't they have grown out of this after more than a year of marriage, though?" he griped. Fëa finally gave in to the urge and laughed.
"She's very young and he's a golden-oldie with a very pretty wife. They will grow out of it eventually, but probably not for some time yet." Galadhion groaned.
"Can I stay here until its safe, then?" he asked in a whiny voice. Both Elrond and Fëa laughed. Neither of them had ever heard the boy whine in his life and it was mildly amusing.
XXX
Riona was sitting in one of the more picturesque gardens of her family estate with her lace cushion, happily working on the ornate piece in front of her. At the sound of a soft voice and the feeling of someone sitting beside her, she looked up into an ancient Vanyarian face with some surprise.
"So you are the famed trouble-maker, then?" asked the Ellon in a musical voice. Riona raised an eyebrow at him.
"'Famed trouble-maker'?" she asked curiously. He smiled angelically at her. Riona would never say it out loud, but the saintly air the Elf gave off made her fingers itch to do something to make him slightly less perfect – like dye his hair green.
"Forgive me, I don't believe we have been introduced," he said, still smiling too sweetly to be entirely normal. "I am Ingwë."
Riona blinked, slightly surprised to be in the presence of the High-King of all the Elves. She bowed her upper body, placing a hand over her heart in respect for him. He was well known to be a very good king, even if from possibly the most boringly well-behaved race of Elves ever.
"I am Riona, though I believe you already know that." The perfect blond Elf beside her smiled slightly, a hint of amusement entering his expression.
"My Lord Manwë has mentioned your name once or twice." Riona snorted.
"You have an English grasp of understatement, my lord. I suspect if I have been half as successful as I think I have that it was more than once or twice, unless you are counting only times without expletives attached." The blond laughed softly, a bell like sound that really made Riona want to do something to make him slightly less perfect.
"English, my lady? It is not a term with which I am familiar, unfortunately." Riona laughed wryly.
"I would doubt that you had, England is a country near my own. Daffyd's home country shares its only land border with England and is ruled from the English capital as a subservient nation." The King raised an eyebrow. "Don't expect a non-partisan view on any political point involving England from me. The English and Irish nations have always had a somewhat stormy relationship, politically speaking." He laughed that bell-like laugh again.
"I shall endeavour to avoid the point then, lady." He paused, "It is not a good thing to have an English grasp of understatement, then?" Riona smiled at him.
"It is the one thing that nation does well, actually, their grasp of understatement is legendary and it irritates the Yanks, so I'll give them that as a good point..." Riona trailed off, only to turn with a startled expression when the lord beside her actually laughed properly.
"You are indeed an entertaining conversation partner, lady, though one really should have guessed that considering some of your previous actions." He rose and bowed to her, kissing her knuckle and leaning over to whisper to her. "Do not tell Manwë I said this, but I look forward to your next prank on him. It definitely helps brighten days filled with possibly the most boring race of Elves Ilúvatar ever created."
Riona stared after him in shock. Did he just say that? She made a mental note to ask her husband whether the ultimate Lord of the Elves could read minds.
XXX
Oropher kissed his young wife gently, hand wandering over her hips and waist. Meriliel giggled slightly and she nuzzled his chest, hand rubbing circles on his firm muscles. The kiss turned rather serious at that point. Eventually, the older Elf pulled away for a moment.
"Have you seen your brother round lately? I just noticed that I haven't seen him around much," he asked, not entirely paying attention, as Meriliel was doing some very interesting things to him.
"He's in Imladris; he said something about wanting to escape the love-birds. I think he thinks we are too obviously in love." Oropher snorted with laughter. He then kissed down her collar-bone, eliciting a passionate moan from his wife.
"We should find him a love at some point then..." Oropher suggested in a low voice. His wife's giggle at the suggestion quickly turned into a moan as Oropher grinned, by now knowing exactly how to get the young Maia he had the extreme pleasure of calling his wife to react.
"Maybe we should wait a while. I wouldn't want to force him onto some poor unsuspecting elleth," she commented. Oropher chuckled deeply, grinning as he noticed the shiver go through Meriliel's body at that sensation. He lightly blew air across the pale skin, earning him another shudder and a slight moan.
"True..."
"I think the official excuse for his prolonged absence is training in another realm to become a Councillor, so he can better fulfil his role as brother-in-law to our dear old king." Oropher glared up at his wife.
"Old?" She grinned at him and moved a hand, earning a loud noise that consisted of some untranslatable profanities. Oh she was a quick learner.
"Old, but not dead yet," she whispered throatily. She was kissed rather thoroughly. He forgot that his wife had just called him 'old' in favour of what she was doing to prove that he wasn't dead yet.
"You know, I don't think my other Councillors would like me making Galadhion one when he gets back from Imladris." Meriliel did something else rather interesting.
"So?"
AN:BTW, i have nothing against the americans, its a country which provides me with some lovely reviewers! Riona however, is displaying an attitude i come across frequently as a brit. Note, as always, my character do not represent my own views, thier views are based on what seems most appropriate for thier backgrounds.
