Chapter Eight

A Storm Brewing

"Kick butt," Ellórmë told Aldaya nearly a week later. "Kick butt, and kill butt if you have too."

Aldaya paused in mid-block, barely managing to flinch away from a blow that certainly would have left a bruise. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"Haven't you heard? Elrond and his family are invited to a dinner party tomorrow night at King Finarfin's house. Apparently all the Noldoran nobles are invited."

Aldaya groaned loudly. "I'm doomed."

Ellórmë stopped suddenly and put her hands on her hips. "Aldaya, I'm honestly disappointed in you. I thought you had more backbone than that."

Aldaya bristled. "What do you mean by that?"

"It wasn't easy for me, going back to being an elf, but I managed it. You will, too. Do not let these elf-nobles push you around. Push back, and kick some elfen-bootie if you have to."

"It's 'elven', not elfen," Aldaya said primly, and ducked under a playful blow, grinning. "All right, I won't let them push me around."

"And I'll be there to make sure you don't let them. They are just elves. What can they do?"

"That's rich, coming from you," she retorted, ducking under a swing and breathing their swords together with a crash and a spraying of sparks. "You survive a battle in which the odds are twenty to one, against you, you break into Dol Guldur while it's still inhabited by Sauron to break your father out, AND survive, and you are practically the typical hero! I'm a merchant, for Elbereth's sake, the most dangerous thing I've done in my life is take an arrow through the back—by mistake!"

Ellórmë disarmed her and Aldaya ended up on her rump, craning her neck to look back at Ellórmë. "Aldaya, feel sorry for yourself for exactly ten seconds. Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one…now stop. You have lived a life far more exciting than me. You DIED for heavens sake and came back to life! I've heard minstrels making songs about you! My father, even!"

Aldaya pause. "You really think I should stand up to them?"

"Hell yes! You think Finarfin let's people mouth off at him? I saw him disarm and disgrace a young upstart just the other day when he was making rude remarks about you."

Aldaya's jaw almost hit her knees. "He stood up for me?" she squeaked. "The High King of the Noldor stood up for me? ME?!"

"He likes you," Ellorme explained, helping her up. "You have a certain frank shyness that many of the elves grow out of at an early age. And Finarfin likes helping people. He's always been that way. Probably always will."

Aldaya nodded slowly, and sheathed her sword. "You're right, and so is he. I'm not taking any more—bull plop—from them."

Ellorme laughed. "We may have to work on your vocabulary, darling. You need something harsher."

Aldaya grinned. "If it gets any harsher, they'll throw me out."

*     *     *     *

"I was a smith, actually," the elf said with certain arrogance to his tone, his dark eyes and brow sharp against his pale skin. The elf then went into long detail of the people he had served and the kings he had sold his fortunes to. Aldaya was hard put not to yawn.

"And you, Lady Aldaya?" the elf's wife said, just as primly. "What did you do for income?"

Her tone expected something nasty. Aldaya resisted the urge to push her prissy little face down into the pie she was delicately eating. Ellórmë was right, she thought. I'm going to shock them. Once and for all. Besides, elves HATE merchants…all of them except Elrond, of course. They think we're weasel-like little animals that live only for money. They're usually right.

"I was a stripper," Aldaya said calmly.

Elrohir choked on his wine. So did the elven-couple, for that matter. Aldaya smiled blandly, one hand propping up her head.

"And, dear…" said the wife slowly as her husband disappeared to 'freshen up'. "Were you a virgin, then, when you married?" Now it was Elrond's turn to choke. Elves simply do not ask things like that.

"Not even close," Aldaya said sweetly, battering her eyelashes. It was quite true. She'd slept with Elrohir before she'd married him—but she'd been a virgin then. She didn't bother point this out. A stain now colored Elrohir's cheeks the color of the red wine he was drinking.

The woman gulped and eased away.

Aldaya glanced over and saw a stony expression on Elrohir's face. Elrond and Celebrían's expressions were bland as ever—but she thought she could see approval sparkling in their eyes. As for King Finarfin, well, he had apparently overheard, because he was trying very hard not to spit out the wine he was drinking, and look like nothing was funny.

When the dancing began, Elrohir pulled her aside. "Why did you do that?" he demanded. "It will be all over the island before morning! And your reputation is ruined!"

"Elrohir," she said calmly, "I don't give a shit for my reputation, and neither do they. They would have found a way to ruin my reputation anyway. Besides, it was true."

Elrohir froze. "What?"

"I was a stripper. It was when I was sixteen, on a dare. My best friend said she'd do it with me, so we got up on a table in a tavern and…stripped."

Elrohir looked like he'd taken a blow to the head. He blinked dazedly. "You never told me this!"

"You never asked," she pointed out with a grin. "Besides, what's the harm in a little fun?"

"What's the harm? Have you never thought how this might reflect on our family—what if King Finarfin overheard? What do you think he would have thought?"

"That it was sweet revenge?" she offered. Elrohir scowled. "Elrohir, why are you so mad?"

"Because I had hopes the elves would finally except you, in time! And now there is no chance they ever will!"

"How can you know that?" she snapped, getting angry in turn. "What, was I just supposed to wait a few centuries until they got over my mortal-ness, or I got over my personality?"

"Yes, actually, that was the plan."

Aldaya went very still. "If you don't love me for who I am," she began coldly.

"I love you, but they never will! Not now!"

"You think I care? Anyone single-minded enough to listen to gossip isn't my friend anyway, and I wouldn't want to be there's. The harsh reality is, they may never except me, Elrohir. I'm too different, too alien. Maybe, in time, if I did something stupid and heroic they would, but even then its up in the air."

"Just be careful what you say from now on."

Aldaya's face hardened. "Don't tell me what to say, Elrohir."

"It's for your own good!"

"Don't patronize me, either!"

Her voice rose sharply, and everyone went suddenly very quiet in the room. Someone tittered, and Elrohir colored. Quieter, Aldaya said, "You need to think less about what other people think about us and more about how you feel about yourself, about us. That's all that really matters."

Then she stalked from the place, holding her head up and walking like a human without the easy gliding pace elves choose.

Because I'm not afraid, she thought bitterly as she ignored the glances and whispers. Because I won't be someone I'm not—not in this life or the next, and not here and not in Middle-Earth. They can bloody well get used to that.

Aldaya walked down towards the shoreline, wrapping her arms around her against the chill breeze.

"Lady Aldaya?"

Aldaya turned to find herself face to face with a very handsome young elf, perhaps a little younger than Elrohir, his locks curly, for an elf's, and his eyes very bright. She studied him, and nodded. He seemed faintly familiar…

"Excuse me for interrupting you. My name is Legolas."

A smile broke out on Aldaya's face. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Legolas."

"Please…just Legolas."

"Then I am just Aldaya."

A smile, surprisingly shy for such a renowned elf, broke out across his face. "I'm sorry, but you looked so upset I wanted to make sure you were all right…"

"I'm fine, thank you. Just a little put off by the niceties."

"That's why I left my father's court," Legolas agreed. "Leave politics to politicians and battle to warriors, as we say."

Aldaya smiled. "It's a good saying."

She watched the stars for sometime, not even realizing that Legolas was still beside her, so when he spoke she jumped a bit.

"Was it true?"

"Was what true?"

"About your profession?"

Aldaya smiled. "Half-truth. I did it once with a friend, on a dare, when I was a teenager. I was a merchant, actually."

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "You have amazing insight, Aldaya. Had you told them that, they never would have let you live it down."

She looked at him curiously. "You don't seem to mind."

Legolas shrugged slightly, managing to look very elven at the same time. "I became very good friends with a dwarf and a human," he said quietly. "Some things you learn to except—like that not all people are the same, no matter what profession they're in."

"Not all mortals are impossible, you mean?" she asked dryly.

"Something like that." He smiled. "Are you cold? Would you like to go back inside?"

"I'm fine, thanks, but you can go if you want."

"Aldaya!"

Aldaya turned to find Earal running up to her at breakneck speed. Something in his voice, in the near-frantic expression on his face, made her heart pound and flung adrenaline into her system. "What is it? What's happened?"

"It's Tindome."

"Tindome?" she cried.

"He's missing."