RATING: PG-13
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
47.
"A'ight, a'ight. Break it up now." Marcus approached the prince and princess with Susan at his side. "Break's over. Come on you two." He smiled at them, mischief showing brightly in his green eyes. "Prince Legolas, you're comin' with me again."
The prince reached for his quiver and arrows, but Marcus stopped him, picking them up himself. "You won't need those where we're going. Come on."
Susan had taken Elenath's sword and was leading her in the opposite direction.
"What's going on?" asked Elenath.
Susan just grinned. "We have a surprise for you."
"What kind of surprise?" asked Legolas as Marcus practically dragged him off in the opposite direction.
The young Woman shrugged. "Just a little something." With that she turned and walked away, taking Elenath with her.
***
Something was going on. Something big. Elenath realized this more and more as Susan escorted her into the palace, past an elaborately decorated Great Hall. Here it was two days before the big battle, and the scent of flowers wafted through the palace. Susan rushed her through the corridors too quickly for her to get a good view of what was going on in any of the palace's common rooms, but there was certainly a lot of activity and none of it involved weaponry or armor.
"What's going on?" asked Elenath, but Susan would not reply. They drew nearer and nearer to Kara's chambers where all of the female members of her honor guard were gathered, along with her mother and numerous maidservants. The maids were upon Elenath at once, unceremoniously stripping the princess of her armor and sweaty clothing and practically tossing her into the luxurious bubble bath that sat waiting for her.
"What in the- We don't have time for this! What are you doing?" demanded Elenath as she was scrubbed with rose petal-laden soap and water from the bottoms of her feet to the very top of her head. They even fussed over buffing and trimming her fingernails, something she had never ever done in her whole life. And no one would tell her anything.
"Chill," said Susan. "You sound like Legolas did this morning."
"But-"
One gleeful glance from her mother silenced her at once. While Elenath still sat in the bath, Llilwen approached her with the only piece of Middle Earth that the princess had ever seen before actually arriving there. The golden necklace and the green jewel that dangled from it had belonged to her mother, and so Elenath had returned it to her shortly after her arrival in Mirkwood, but now the princess had it in her possession once again. The green jewel still shone as brightly as it had in her grandmother's living room back in Indiana. "You will want this," said her mother gently. "Wear it always."
Elenath took a moment to gaze into the gem just as she had on the other side of the Gate. How long ago that seemed! Surely it had been years since she had arrived here! But no. It had been only a couple of months.
"What do you see?" asked her mother.
The princess saw nothing at first in the stone, but when she looked more deeply, she smiled. "I see Legolas."
"That is as it should be," her mother said, smiling, "for the stone shows that which you long for above anything else in all of Middle Earth. Now look deeper."
Elenath did, and after a few moments a radiant smile lit her features.
"What do you see now?" asked Llilwen.
"I see the Lord Jesus standing with open arms at the gates of the golden city."
Llilwen nodded. "This is what you long for above all else in all of creation. Let these visions be a light to guide your life, for they are the two most important things to you. Cherish them both."
The princess smiled. "Thank you, Mother. Amin harmuva onalle e'cormamin (I will treasure your gift in my heart). But what is the occasion?"
Kara came up beside her then and laughed. "I'll tell you what the occasion is, 'ol buddy 'ol pal 'ol friend! Susan and Marcus happened to overhear a conversation that you and Legolas had the other night in the courtyard. Something about how you didn't remember what you promised him on your wedding day and how you'd been planning your wedding since you were five and you wished you could remember the ceremony."
"And so," continued Susan, approaching with a vast cloud of white fabric in her arms, "We have planned a small ceremony so you can be wed before Elves, Men, and God before riding off into battle and risking your life!"
She shook the fabric out and Elenath gasped at the wedding gown she held. "It's gorgeous! Where did you get it?"
"Out of your very own wardrobe. The seamstress, bless her heart, had altered it too just in case," said Diana, Pastor Mike's Wife, as she entered the room with Little Rebecca tagging along in white taffeta, a basket of flower petals in her hand.
***
DISCLAIMER: The characters from Lord of the Rings and their wonderful world are borrowed from J.R.R. Tolkien. The plotline and all other characters are copyright 2002 Emily (emi_kins@yahoo.com)
47.
"A'ight, a'ight. Break it up now." Marcus approached the prince and princess with Susan at his side. "Break's over. Come on you two." He smiled at them, mischief showing brightly in his green eyes. "Prince Legolas, you're comin' with me again."
The prince reached for his quiver and arrows, but Marcus stopped him, picking them up himself. "You won't need those where we're going. Come on."
Susan had taken Elenath's sword and was leading her in the opposite direction.
"What's going on?" asked Elenath.
Susan just grinned. "We have a surprise for you."
"What kind of surprise?" asked Legolas as Marcus practically dragged him off in the opposite direction.
The young Woman shrugged. "Just a little something." With that she turned and walked away, taking Elenath with her.
***
Something was going on. Something big. Elenath realized this more and more as Susan escorted her into the palace, past an elaborately decorated Great Hall. Here it was two days before the big battle, and the scent of flowers wafted through the palace. Susan rushed her through the corridors too quickly for her to get a good view of what was going on in any of the palace's common rooms, but there was certainly a lot of activity and none of it involved weaponry or armor.
"What's going on?" asked Elenath, but Susan would not reply. They drew nearer and nearer to Kara's chambers where all of the female members of her honor guard were gathered, along with her mother and numerous maidservants. The maids were upon Elenath at once, unceremoniously stripping the princess of her armor and sweaty clothing and practically tossing her into the luxurious bubble bath that sat waiting for her.
"What in the- We don't have time for this! What are you doing?" demanded Elenath as she was scrubbed with rose petal-laden soap and water from the bottoms of her feet to the very top of her head. They even fussed over buffing and trimming her fingernails, something she had never ever done in her whole life. And no one would tell her anything.
"Chill," said Susan. "You sound like Legolas did this morning."
"But-"
One gleeful glance from her mother silenced her at once. While Elenath still sat in the bath, Llilwen approached her with the only piece of Middle Earth that the princess had ever seen before actually arriving there. The golden necklace and the green jewel that dangled from it had belonged to her mother, and so Elenath had returned it to her shortly after her arrival in Mirkwood, but now the princess had it in her possession once again. The green jewel still shone as brightly as it had in her grandmother's living room back in Indiana. "You will want this," said her mother gently. "Wear it always."
Elenath took a moment to gaze into the gem just as she had on the other side of the Gate. How long ago that seemed! Surely it had been years since she had arrived here! But no. It had been only a couple of months.
"What do you see?" asked her mother.
The princess saw nothing at first in the stone, but when she looked more deeply, she smiled. "I see Legolas."
"That is as it should be," her mother said, smiling, "for the stone shows that which you long for above anything else in all of Middle Earth. Now look deeper."
Elenath did, and after a few moments a radiant smile lit her features.
"What do you see now?" asked Llilwen.
"I see the Lord Jesus standing with open arms at the gates of the golden city."
Llilwen nodded. "This is what you long for above all else in all of creation. Let these visions be a light to guide your life, for they are the two most important things to you. Cherish them both."
The princess smiled. "Thank you, Mother. Amin harmuva onalle e'cormamin (I will treasure your gift in my heart). But what is the occasion?"
Kara came up beside her then and laughed. "I'll tell you what the occasion is, 'ol buddy 'ol pal 'ol friend! Susan and Marcus happened to overhear a conversation that you and Legolas had the other night in the courtyard. Something about how you didn't remember what you promised him on your wedding day and how you'd been planning your wedding since you were five and you wished you could remember the ceremony."
"And so," continued Susan, approaching with a vast cloud of white fabric in her arms, "We have planned a small ceremony so you can be wed before Elves, Men, and God before riding off into battle and risking your life!"
She shook the fabric out and Elenath gasped at the wedding gown she held. "It's gorgeous! Where did you get it?"
"Out of your very own wardrobe. The seamstress, bless her heart, had altered it too just in case," said Diana, Pastor Mike's Wife, as she entered the room with Little Rebecca tagging along in white taffeta, a basket of flower petals in her hand.
***