Author's note:
Te Papa's over!! It's REALLY over!! And what an EXCITING night it was. We had a fire alarm. Tee hee hee! It went just after my flute duet and I was like "Damn, why couldn't this have happened 5 minutes ago?" I would have gotten off doing my flute thing then and I wouldn't have had to have made a TOTAL ass of myself. Gillian aka Lili, Courtney aka Quartz and I were making plans for our combined birthday party as our birthdays are within 16 days. (Mine's July 27, Lili's is August 7 and Quartz's is August 12) We're going to do this whole LOTR theme thing and it's all going to be quite groovy. Quartz, Lili and I are going to dress up as elves (of course) namely Galadriel (me), Celebrian (Lili) and Arwen (Quartz). So I'm looking forward to that. Anyway Disclaimer: Legolas, Arwen, Elrohir, Elrond, Galdor and Aragorn or any other LOTR character doesn't belong to me, much to my eternal sadness. I give you chapter 11.
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Chapter 11 – Waking, feasts and talks of insanity.
Alice fluttered back into consciousness to the sound of voices. Oh it was probably the morning crew on 91ZM, a sign which stated she must get up to be on time for school. But it was so warm in her bed. Why must she awaken so soon? She rolled over on to her back and opened her eyes. The world around her was blurry. Reaching up she rubbed them and they swam back into focus. Since when had her bedroom had a cream marble roof and drapes all of a sudden? It was then in a moment of pure blonde theoretic that made her sit bolt upright and blurt out random questions.
"Who? What? When? Where? How? Why?" She said hastily, all in one breath.
"You are in the house of Elrond, my father," a melodic voice told her from beside her bed. Alice turned to see a very pretty woman. She had long, dark, hair, blue eyes and smooth pale skin. "We are very glad you have awoken at last. You have been asleep for close to two weeks."
"TWO WEEKS?!" Alice cried, incredulous.
"That is correct," The woman replied. "By the bye, I am Arwen, daughter of Elrond. One which the people in the world that you lived in would call Aunt." This comment caused Alice to look at Arwen.
"Aunt?!" This just wasn't fair. Alice had imagined aunts to be middle aged, eccentric, wrinkly spinsters that treated you as their own and gave you nutty presents and unwanted advice on life. They aren't meant to be willowy, 6 foot, and more gorgeous than you are. Life was odd at the best of times. Sigh.
"Of course," Arwen replied.
"I'm sorry," She mumbled. "I imagined aunts to be... somewhat different."
"Yes I imagine they are different where you are my niece," Arwen said with a bemused expression on her face.
"Alice!" Exclaimed a voice from the doorway, that she could only distinguish as Legolas's. "You have awoken!"
"Legolas has barely left your side," Arwen explained, her eyes twinkling with glee. "He seems quite... devoted to you."
Alice's eyes quickly narrowed. "I know what you're thinking. Don't think it." She couldn't help but notice the rising blush in Legolas's face. Why was he blushing?! What did he have to blush for?!
"I am just glad that Legolas will not spend the eternal ages alone," She continued cheerfully.
"Hang on," Alice said, determined to quell any notions of a non-existent romance between her and the elf prince. "Who said that I was Legolas's eternal age life partner?"
"By the words that have not yet been said," Arwen explained, still grinning. "Legolas seems particularly smitten."
"I am not at all smitten Arwen," Legolas stated trying to clear his face of the blush that was there previously. "But we all knew how smitten you are with Estel." This time it was Arwen's turn to blush.
"Who's Estel?" Alice inquired grinning. If Arwen was this easily teased then her existence in Rivendell was going to be interesting. Very interesting indeed.
After Alice was lead away to be washed and dressed by elven maids, she learned that Lord Elrond requested her presence. She was lead down to another magnificent marble room where she was told to wait. Alice could just feel the nervousness bubbling up in the deep recesses of her stomach. Oh how she hated it. Suddenly a man appeared. He looked old and wise, yet young and vigilant at the same time. His hair was chestnut in colour and he was clothed in long robes. She suspected him to be Lord Elrond.
"Ah Lindelë," He said. "My granddaughter." Alice instinctively curtsied, not knowing what else to do.
"Greetings, Lord," She said. Elrond chuckled.
"Arise, dear one," He commanded. "You need not kneel to the floor. It is not fitting for a lady of your status." Alice quietly obeyed and brought herself to her feet praying to all that was holy that she would not trip on the hem of her dress.
"I'm sorry," She said ruefully. "I didn't know what I should have done."
"You followed your customs of greeting someone important," Elrond said. "I admire your wisdom in one so young."
"Thank you," Alice answered. "I do try to have some common sense." Suddenly, someone entered the room; another man. He was tall and quite handsome and he bore much resemblance to Elrond and Arwen. But his eyes were something else. They were a deep grey-blue in colour and housed a great sadness.
"Welcome home Elrohir my son," Elrond said calmly. "May I present to you Lindelë, your daughter?" The sadness in the man's eyes turned to pure amazement.
"By Valar!" he exclaimed, his eyes becoming misty. "She bears much resemblance to Iluminel!" he stepped toward his daughter and embraced her. Alice awkwardly returned her father's hug. It seemed this morning was full of awkwardness for her. She had suddenly gained an aunt, a father and a grandfather all in the same morning. If she gained any more relatives between now and sunset, she swore she would lose all the little sanity that remained in her. Although one question nagged at the edge of her mind. Where was her mother? Had she met some nasty fate? Preferably not. When her father stopped embracing her he began to ask her many questions. Elrond stated he had some business to attend to, so Alice and Elrohir went for a walk around Rivendell.
"Your presence relieves me of much of the worry I possessed daughter," Elrohir told her.
"I'm just glad to finally know who I really am," Alice said in return. "To finally know who one of my parents is," She turned toward her father. "Dad, I've got this question nagging me. Where's my mother?" She saw him pause.
"Lindelë, your mother... perished," He explained. "Of a broken heart due to your parting. She was saddened to lose her only child. She experienced a special bond with you." Alice felt tears forming in her own eyes.
"I wish I could have known her," Alice mourned.
"You would have been great companions," Elrohir assured her. "But let us banish all thoughts of sadness. Tonight we shall feast for your return."
"Cool!" Alice exclaimed.
"It is not cold," Elrohir protested, confused.
"Cool is a word youths use in Higher earth meaning very good," Alice explained.
"Interesting," He remarked. "Now, tell me. What is this I hear from my fair sister about you and Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Mirkwood being smitten with each other?"
"What?!"
The feast was spectacular. Alice adjusted her exquisite jewelled head dress that she had been dressed in. The clothes that she had been clothed with were in her opinion, absolutely gorgeous. The dress was a very pale pink that looked silvery white when it caught the light. Her blonde hair was tied in the most wonderful hairstyle that she would never be able to duplicate in a million years. The elf maidens that fixed her hair were far more skilled than all of her hair dressers that she had had cut her hair put together although it took ages as the maids spent most of the time admiring Alice's locks. She cringed at the memory. It was only hair after all. The feast however, was spread out in front of her and looked so lavish. Never in her life had she seen so much wonderful things to eat. She wanted to try everything at once, but kept herself. She had self control. Soon Legolas sat next to her dressed in silver and green, Alice suspected this to be the colours of Mirkwood. He looked REALLY good in those colours. Her self control that she had had previously was swiftly drifting out the window whilst she was aware of Legolas sitting next to her. She wondered what was in that goblet that had been set in front of her. It smelt wonderful. She reached for it until Legolas's hand grabbed her arm.
"Do not touch it," Legolas warned. "Not until the feast has begun." Alice nodded, silently praying to all higher forces that existed he had not noticed that her breathing had quickened. All her acting skills had forced the blush down below her neck, so nothing to worry about there. It was just that annoying, hastened heart rate. Speaking of her heart, it was beating at the speed of a bullet train, much like the ones in France.
Damn all hormones She thought viciously. Just because he lay his hand – Ok, his wonderfully gorgeous SOFT hand... Stop it Alice... – I have to get all bothered about it! Alice plastered a wonderfully fake smile on her face, hoping Legolas wouldn't be able to tell it from her normal smile.
"Sorry," she said. "Why can't I touch it before the feast starts?"
"That is the time when the wine is safe to consume," Legolas informed her. Elrond stood and said a few words in Elvish that Alice didn't understand, although she very much wanted to. That was the time which Alice believed the feast began, although she didn't touch the wine, with good reason. Also the fact that Legolas forbade her after seeing her on a sugar high and realising that drunk Alice/Lindelë would be much, much worse had a part to play in it also. At one point in the evening Alice met Galdor, a vigilant elf, and his daughter. She was also informed that Galdor had a son who was currently absent and that she would meet him later. Galdor's daughter had long, flaxen hair which was braided into what looked to be a long french plait, pale blue eyes, translucent skin and a pallid face.
"You must be Lindelë," She said. "My name is Nimithil, daughter of Galdor. I have heard much about you."
"What?" Alice asked. "That I've lost my sanity?"
Nimithil giggled. "You are not the only one. I believe that sanity is one bank on the left side of the rushing chasm of insanity. I believe I am on the right side, which means I am beyond insanity." This made Alice burst out laughing.
"I know what you mean!" Alice exclaimed between laughter. "I, however am about to fall in the chasm of insanity. Or I'm already there. Depends on how you perceive me really."
"Yes," Nimithil said. "You are not insane." Alice looked at Nimithil and wondered briefly what this elf had been smoking to not think her even the slightest bit crazy.
"Don't I even get to be odd?" Alice asked.
"No," answered Nimithil. "I am odd. Being odd is good."
"Right," Alice said sceptically. "Moving on."
"You have met Prince Legolas haven't you?" Was Nimithil's next question.
"Yep," Alice replied.
"You are lucky," Nimithil informed her enthusiastically. "Prince Legolas is a fine elf. Handsome too. I would give myself over to Valar to meet him. Maybe not. That would mean I would be dead." Alice looked at Legolas across the room who looked pretty uninhibited. Alcohol probably had a LOT to do with that. But Nimithil was correct, Legolas was quite hot. Perfect model of a guy. It was a wonder that he was still single.
"Yeah Legolas is pretty gorgeous," Alice concurred. "My friends were all trying to steal his heart back in my former home."
"I would try to steal his heart," Nimithil remarked dreamily, looking in the same direction as Alice. "What about you Alice, have you tried?"
"Huh?" Murmured Alice snapping out of her daydream. "Oh. No."
"You spent a month with Prince Legolas living under your roof and you made no attempt?" Nimithil spluttered. "Why?! I thought you were both already pledged in love. By the looks he is giving you."
"What looks? And the reason is... well it was immoral at the time," Alice replied. "He was a guest at my house."
"Oh," Was the uninterested reply. "How does he act?"
"He's really sweet," Alice informed her. "A real gentleman." Their conversation was cut short when Elrohir delivered Legolas to where they were sitting.
"Daughter," Elrohir addressed her. "I think it is time you learned to dance who better with Legolas?" Alice let a little sigh escape. Nimrithil smiled. It was the start of a new a brilliant friendship while Alice began a new period in her life.
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Phew! Chapter 11 was such a hard one to write. Long too. Notes: No Galdor isn't someone I made up. If you've read Fellowship of the Ring you'll know he was one of the elves that is mentioned only at the council of Elrond and is never mentioned again. Another thing is that Nimrithil means 'Pale moon' in Sindarin and is loosely based on my friend Melanie. Galdor seems to be her favourite character. I thought it appropriate to make a character based on her his daughter. The conversation about Alice's sanity was one that Melanie and I had one day. She's really odd, but really cool. I felt like being creative so I got out my Sindarin vocab page and started piecing words together, which is my favourite thing to do ha ha. Anyway. If you haven't already, I beg of you. Go read Bride Of Legolas' work. She is a total genius!!
