Disclaimer: Tolkien owns LOTR and all things Middle Earth, blah blah blah…
Chapter 23 – Chess and Anger
That evening after Aerdin escorted Alania to her room and asked her again, as was his habit by now, for a game the following evening he was pleasantly surprised when she agreed. The surprise must have been obvious on his face as she laughed and teasingly said "One must always keep their opponents on their toes, sire".
They had agreed to meet in a hall not unlike the one where Alania enjoyed her games with Gandalf in Rivendell. Large and well furnished, but not imposing, a large fire was roaring and a small table with food and wine rested near their game table. Alania had already managed to surprise Aerdin twice in 24 hours. First by agreeing to the game, and second by using completely unconventional opening moves for their game. He would definitely need to keep on his toes with her. As he perused the board and pondered his next move, he felt Alania's scrutiny of him and chose to say nothing about it as he did the same to her when it was her turn.
Alania watched the king as she nibbled on the food provided and sipped the wine in her goblet. She knew he was looking for something from her and she was at a loss to know what it was. She hesitated to ask for fear of being too forward. She had not yet figured out what was expected of the women in Gondor. Under normal circumstances she would have thrown caution to the wind and have been open and completely herself, but these were not normal times and she had the added burden of protecting Gandalf's manuscripts for the time being. Alania did not know how much she could trust Aerdin. Keenly intelligent and honest, almost to a fault, he was what Alania would call one of the best of men, but she had not known him for too long and chose to err on the side of caution. Her instinct, which had been correct with Georn and Legolas, was to trust Aerdin, but she would not do so heedlessly.
She knew that he was aware of her scrutiny. She wondered if she was being rude and if she was why he didn't say anything. He was a bit of a mystery to her and she wondered most of all why he had sought after her for so long. They had spent the evening in mostly silence, but it was this last thought that Alania wanted most to understand. Clearing her throat, she asked Aerdin "I do not mean to interrupt your concentration, but I was wondering if I could ask you something I have been most curious about, sire?"
"Of course. You may ask me anything you wish. And, please, do not call me sire. It is exceptionally formal and then I feel as if I need to order you about. Call me Aerdin" he replied with a wide smile. He was pleased she had initiated conversation. It had been his plan to allow her to set the pace.
"Alright, Aerdin. Gads, that feels odd, but if you don't mind it… Anyway, I was wondering why it is that you've been so determined for a game of chess with me. Certainly there are any number of willing and capable opponents here."
"That is true, and I have played with many fine men. But I sought you out for several reasons. I have never played against a woman and certainly not against anyone as distractingly beautiful and observant as you."
Alania blushed at this, and Aerdin continued by saying breezily "Also, Gandalf wrote to me recommending that I get to know you and your mind and suggested that chess would be the best way of gaining your trust."
Surprised at this bit of news, Alania asked "Well if Gandalf suggested it, why didn't you just tell me that when you first asked me? Certainly I would have agreed much sooner had I known it was Gandalf's idea."
"Ah, but that is exactly why I did not tell you. I did not want you to agree to something because it was anyone's idea other than your own. How better to gain a person's trust than by allowing them to choose to get to know you themselves?"
Aerdin smiled at Alania's small frown at his logic. She was somewhat taken aback that he did not want her to follow someone else's suggestions. He was one of very few males she had met in Middle Earth that did not assume that as a woman she couldn't think for herself. She wasn't sure what to make of that, though she could admit that she was amazed by it. Seeing his smile, she realized that he truly would follow Gandalf's advice and would get to know her mind. Startled at this insight she asked "Aerdin, are you implying that you would be interested in my thoughts about what goes on here?"
Aerdin thoroughly enjoyed her caution. He noticed that she would be as direct as possible without being rude and allowing herself a way to pull out of the conversation if her question was deemed outrageous. Wishing for her to lose her caution and feel free to speak her mind he answered "Alania, so far as I am concerned, Gandalf's word is gold to me. He thinks you are one of the most observant and clever people he's known and that I should seek your council when I need to be sure of an honest voice. Further, I know you have seen me watch you spar with Elladan, Teleris and Georn. While you are a strong fighter, when you spar with Teleris blindfolded you are far more outstanding. This tells me your instincts are strong and that you trust and follow them. It would very much be a comfort if you would be more at ease with me and could lower some of your walls. And if it is alright with you, I would seek your council and advice at my will and would like for you to do the same. I am not your enemy, nor do I wish to see anything happen to you. You are here on a mission and Gandalf has entrusted you to see it through. That is all I require to trust you. I will leave you now to your thoughts and hope to see you tomorrow evening when, hopefully, I will be able to figure out what my next move ought to be. Goodnight, my lady."
With that said, Aerdin stood and bowed lightly to Alania. As he straightened, he caught her eye and gave her a smile and wink, and left Alania to wonder what to make of the King of Gondor. After a time, Alania smiled and left for her room. Aerdin, she decided, was trustworthy and would likely be an excellent source of entertainment as well, for his chess skills were no where near as challenging as Gandalf's.
While Alania spent the following weeks training further and becoming close friends with Aerdin, Legolas was returning to Rivendell. The orc army had been decimated and scattered and were no longer a threat to his home, if they had ever been a threat. It concerned the prince greatly that the fighting they had seen were more skirmishes than battles and the elves had nary a casualty. It was clear that the army had been a ruse of some sort. The same ruse he had seen the evening before they left Alania's world. Malficent had some knowledge that he was using against them. He couldn't know that it was Alania and Gandalf's doing that the orcs had dispersed because of their leaked reports about the manuscripts for his safety.
All through his journey back to Rivendell, Alania was foremost on his mind. He had wore her gift around his neck during all the fights he had seen and it served to keep his heart light when things looked bleak. Often, in the evenings, he would find himself toying with it and thinking of her. He missed all her smiles, her smell, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, the manner in which she argued forcefully but never raised her voice, her dancing and the way she looked at him when they made love. He had not forgotten his promise and during his travels he realized his mistake in not opening himself up to her. She had told him she loved him and he had yet to do the same. Urging his mount to pick up the pace, he vowed to himself to amend their situation before even speaking to anyone else.
As they entered Rivendell, Legolas practically leaped off his horse and ran to Alania's room. Without even knocking he burst in to find the room empty. Thinking that perhaps she would be in the library, her tried to find her there. Then he tried the kitchens and the Great Hall. Frustrated beyond belief at her absence, he sought out Elladan and Georn. When he couldn't find either he began to get an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. Racing outside to speak with Elrohir and Celeborn, he ran into Gandalf who had patiently been waiting for him.
"How was your trip Master Elf?" asked Gandalf with a mischievous smile.
"Where is she Gandalf?" replied Legolas.
Gandalf sighed and tried again. "What did you find on your travels Legolas?"
"What?! It was fine. Hardly an orc to be found. I can barely understand why we were getting the reports we had gotten. But that is not what I care about right now. Where is Alania?"
"I see. Is not a bit of a puzzle to you as to why there were hardly any orcs to be found?"
"Yes, of course it is. But again, I do not really care about it at this very moment…" Legolas's voice trailed off as Gandalf's gaze bore into him. Taking a deep breath, Legolas realized that Gandalf was trying to explain to him where Alania was.
"Perhaps we ought to get you some wine and a comfortable chair. There is quite an explanation here" said Gandalf as they walked into private room.
An hour later, Legolas screamed "She went where?! To do what?! Georn agreed to this?! And you let her have the manuscripts?! Have you gone daft, wizard? She could get killed!"
Legolas was furious. All he wanted to do was throttle Alania. He couldn't believe she would be foolish enough to go off with such a small group to Gondor to tackle Malficent. And he was panicked for her as well. Not thinking about what he was doing, he went off to ready his horse because he was heading to Gondor.
As he leapt onto his horse and made final arrangements with Celeborn, he was startled to see Gandalf and Elrohir ride up next to him. Seeing Legolas's expression, Gandalf chuckled and said "Now you didn't think we'd let you go off and yell at her all by yourself, did you? Besides, it was as much my idea as it was hers."
Legolas somehow found himself smiling as the three rode south to meet with their destinies.
******
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Chapter 23 – Chess and Anger
That evening after Aerdin escorted Alania to her room and asked her again, as was his habit by now, for a game the following evening he was pleasantly surprised when she agreed. The surprise must have been obvious on his face as she laughed and teasingly said "One must always keep their opponents on their toes, sire".
They had agreed to meet in a hall not unlike the one where Alania enjoyed her games with Gandalf in Rivendell. Large and well furnished, but not imposing, a large fire was roaring and a small table with food and wine rested near their game table. Alania had already managed to surprise Aerdin twice in 24 hours. First by agreeing to the game, and second by using completely unconventional opening moves for their game. He would definitely need to keep on his toes with her. As he perused the board and pondered his next move, he felt Alania's scrutiny of him and chose to say nothing about it as he did the same to her when it was her turn.
Alania watched the king as she nibbled on the food provided and sipped the wine in her goblet. She knew he was looking for something from her and she was at a loss to know what it was. She hesitated to ask for fear of being too forward. She had not yet figured out what was expected of the women in Gondor. Under normal circumstances she would have thrown caution to the wind and have been open and completely herself, but these were not normal times and she had the added burden of protecting Gandalf's manuscripts for the time being. Alania did not know how much she could trust Aerdin. Keenly intelligent and honest, almost to a fault, he was what Alania would call one of the best of men, but she had not known him for too long and chose to err on the side of caution. Her instinct, which had been correct with Georn and Legolas, was to trust Aerdin, but she would not do so heedlessly.
She knew that he was aware of her scrutiny. She wondered if she was being rude and if she was why he didn't say anything. He was a bit of a mystery to her and she wondered most of all why he had sought after her for so long. They had spent the evening in mostly silence, but it was this last thought that Alania wanted most to understand. Clearing her throat, she asked Aerdin "I do not mean to interrupt your concentration, but I was wondering if I could ask you something I have been most curious about, sire?"
"Of course. You may ask me anything you wish. And, please, do not call me sire. It is exceptionally formal and then I feel as if I need to order you about. Call me Aerdin" he replied with a wide smile. He was pleased she had initiated conversation. It had been his plan to allow her to set the pace.
"Alright, Aerdin. Gads, that feels odd, but if you don't mind it… Anyway, I was wondering why it is that you've been so determined for a game of chess with me. Certainly there are any number of willing and capable opponents here."
"That is true, and I have played with many fine men. But I sought you out for several reasons. I have never played against a woman and certainly not against anyone as distractingly beautiful and observant as you."
Alania blushed at this, and Aerdin continued by saying breezily "Also, Gandalf wrote to me recommending that I get to know you and your mind and suggested that chess would be the best way of gaining your trust."
Surprised at this bit of news, Alania asked "Well if Gandalf suggested it, why didn't you just tell me that when you first asked me? Certainly I would have agreed much sooner had I known it was Gandalf's idea."
"Ah, but that is exactly why I did not tell you. I did not want you to agree to something because it was anyone's idea other than your own. How better to gain a person's trust than by allowing them to choose to get to know you themselves?"
Aerdin smiled at Alania's small frown at his logic. She was somewhat taken aback that he did not want her to follow someone else's suggestions. He was one of very few males she had met in Middle Earth that did not assume that as a woman she couldn't think for herself. She wasn't sure what to make of that, though she could admit that she was amazed by it. Seeing his smile, she realized that he truly would follow Gandalf's advice and would get to know her mind. Startled at this insight she asked "Aerdin, are you implying that you would be interested in my thoughts about what goes on here?"
Aerdin thoroughly enjoyed her caution. He noticed that she would be as direct as possible without being rude and allowing herself a way to pull out of the conversation if her question was deemed outrageous. Wishing for her to lose her caution and feel free to speak her mind he answered "Alania, so far as I am concerned, Gandalf's word is gold to me. He thinks you are one of the most observant and clever people he's known and that I should seek your council when I need to be sure of an honest voice. Further, I know you have seen me watch you spar with Elladan, Teleris and Georn. While you are a strong fighter, when you spar with Teleris blindfolded you are far more outstanding. This tells me your instincts are strong and that you trust and follow them. It would very much be a comfort if you would be more at ease with me and could lower some of your walls. And if it is alright with you, I would seek your council and advice at my will and would like for you to do the same. I am not your enemy, nor do I wish to see anything happen to you. You are here on a mission and Gandalf has entrusted you to see it through. That is all I require to trust you. I will leave you now to your thoughts and hope to see you tomorrow evening when, hopefully, I will be able to figure out what my next move ought to be. Goodnight, my lady."
With that said, Aerdin stood and bowed lightly to Alania. As he straightened, he caught her eye and gave her a smile and wink, and left Alania to wonder what to make of the King of Gondor. After a time, Alania smiled and left for her room. Aerdin, she decided, was trustworthy and would likely be an excellent source of entertainment as well, for his chess skills were no where near as challenging as Gandalf's.
While Alania spent the following weeks training further and becoming close friends with Aerdin, Legolas was returning to Rivendell. The orc army had been decimated and scattered and were no longer a threat to his home, if they had ever been a threat. It concerned the prince greatly that the fighting they had seen were more skirmishes than battles and the elves had nary a casualty. It was clear that the army had been a ruse of some sort. The same ruse he had seen the evening before they left Alania's world. Malficent had some knowledge that he was using against them. He couldn't know that it was Alania and Gandalf's doing that the orcs had dispersed because of their leaked reports about the manuscripts for his safety.
All through his journey back to Rivendell, Alania was foremost on his mind. He had wore her gift around his neck during all the fights he had seen and it served to keep his heart light when things looked bleak. Often, in the evenings, he would find himself toying with it and thinking of her. He missed all her smiles, her smell, the way her nose crinkled when she laughed, the manner in which she argued forcefully but never raised her voice, her dancing and the way she looked at him when they made love. He had not forgotten his promise and during his travels he realized his mistake in not opening himself up to her. She had told him she loved him and he had yet to do the same. Urging his mount to pick up the pace, he vowed to himself to amend their situation before even speaking to anyone else.
As they entered Rivendell, Legolas practically leaped off his horse and ran to Alania's room. Without even knocking he burst in to find the room empty. Thinking that perhaps she would be in the library, her tried to find her there. Then he tried the kitchens and the Great Hall. Frustrated beyond belief at her absence, he sought out Elladan and Georn. When he couldn't find either he began to get an awful feeling in the pit of his stomach. Racing outside to speak with Elrohir and Celeborn, he ran into Gandalf who had patiently been waiting for him.
"How was your trip Master Elf?" asked Gandalf with a mischievous smile.
"Where is she Gandalf?" replied Legolas.
Gandalf sighed and tried again. "What did you find on your travels Legolas?"
"What?! It was fine. Hardly an orc to be found. I can barely understand why we were getting the reports we had gotten. But that is not what I care about right now. Where is Alania?"
"I see. Is not a bit of a puzzle to you as to why there were hardly any orcs to be found?"
"Yes, of course it is. But again, I do not really care about it at this very moment…" Legolas's voice trailed off as Gandalf's gaze bore into him. Taking a deep breath, Legolas realized that Gandalf was trying to explain to him where Alania was.
"Perhaps we ought to get you some wine and a comfortable chair. There is quite an explanation here" said Gandalf as they walked into private room.
An hour later, Legolas screamed "She went where?! To do what?! Georn agreed to this?! And you let her have the manuscripts?! Have you gone daft, wizard? She could get killed!"
Legolas was furious. All he wanted to do was throttle Alania. He couldn't believe she would be foolish enough to go off with such a small group to Gondor to tackle Malficent. And he was panicked for her as well. Not thinking about what he was doing, he went off to ready his horse because he was heading to Gondor.
As he leapt onto his horse and made final arrangements with Celeborn, he was startled to see Gandalf and Elrohir ride up next to him. Seeing Legolas's expression, Gandalf chuckled and said "Now you didn't think we'd let you go off and yell at her all by yourself, did you? Besides, it was as much my idea as it was hers."
Legolas somehow found himself smiling as the three rode south to meet with their destinies.
******
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