1 Chapter 11
"Are you sure you feel up to this?" said Faramir.
"I'm fine, now stop fussing!" said Michelle. Aragorn was holding a feast to celebrate Michelle and Robyn's safe return. It would also be the first time she had seen Legolas in almost 16 years. "Send Robyn in on your way out."
"Trying to get rid of me now, are you?" he said, whilst laughing.
"Yes, now go. Honestly." Robyn came in shortly after Faramir left. "You feeling OK?"
"Shouldn't it be me asking you that?" Robyn said. "You look lovely, Mom."
"So do you. I can't a girl as pretty as yourself hasn't got a boyfriend. Maybe you'll pull tonight. The whole City is going to be there."
"Shut up. I'm not here to pull, I'm here to… well, not to pull, anyway." Robyn and Michelle's relationship was more like that of two 16-year olds than that of a mother daughter. And Robyn was often more like the mom of the two.
"What are you planning?" Michelle asked, curiously. Robyn smiled evilly.
"Now that, mother dearest, would be telling. Shouldn't we go? I think we're late."
"It doesn't matter. They all know what I'm like. Ready?" Robyn nodded her head and they left the room. Faramir was waiting for them outside. They walked, either side of him, down to the Great Hall.
When the doors opened, the crowd burst into applause. Both Michelle and Robyn went red. This was all very unnecessary, in their opinion, but Aragorn had insisted on it. They had been given seats next to the King, in full view of everyone. Throughout the whole meal, people they didn't even know kept coming up to them, telling them how glad they were that they were back and asking if they were alright now.
"I suppose it's nice that they care." Michelle whispered to Robyn.
"It's annoying, that's what it is. I'm going to kill Aragorn when everyone has gone. I'm so bored!" She replied. "Have you seen Legolas yet?" she added, innocently. Michelle looked at her daughter and suddenly understood, to Robyn's dismay.
"So, that's what you were planning. You were going to do a bit of matchmaking, weren't you?"
"As if I would." She scanned the busy room. "Ooh, there he is." She subtly pointed over to where he was sitting. He, also, was looking very bored. Michelle looked at him. 'Oh my Eru!' She thought. 'Crap! Do I look OK? OK, calm down. I look fine. Just keep calm. If he speaks to me, I'll just be nice. I do still like him after all. But, why would he want to speak to me? He won't. Then, I have nothing to worry about.'
"Oh yeah." Michelle said, trying to sound uncaring, but Robyn knew her mother too well.
"You'll be fine. Plan out what to say in your head, it's so much easier than making it up on the spot."
"Thanks Robyn." She said. "I don't need advice, especially not from my daughter. I'm fine." And she turned her back to her.
"Yeah, you look it." Michelle span back round to face Robyn.
"I do? What's wrong? Is it my hair? Should I take it down?" she said, nervously. She desperately wanted to make a good impression. Robyn burst out laughing.
"Yeah, you're really fine." She said, in between laughs. "You look gorgeous! Stop stressing. He'll love you. Now then, when's dessert arriving, because I'm still hungry!"
The meal was soon over. Gradually the crowd left, leaving only Aragorn's guests. Robyn walked over to him and slapped his arm.
"I hate you!" she said, playfully. Everyone gaped in shock. Only Robyn could get away with that. It was really quite annoying. "That was horrible. All those people staring at me, knowing all about me, and I never even knew they existed."
"You know you loved it really." Said Aragorn, whilst laughing, mainly at the expressions on everybody's faces. He then lowered his voice so only Robyn could hear him. "They haven't spoken yet, have they?" Robyn shook her head.
"No, and Mom, sort of, worked it out at dinner. But, she is really bothered about what he thinks. She was stressing about how she looked earlier, when I pointed him out. And she kept looking over at him every five seconds!"
"So, what are we going to do? How do we get them alone?"
"I don't know. I wish they would just talk to each other on their own, without our help." Michelle walked over to them.
"What are you two whispering about?" she said. She really didn't trust them.
"I was just telling Aragorn that he might want to hire a new cook, the food was a bit… well, it wasn't at it's best, shall we say."
"Robyn, please. We've had this conversation. It's 'King' Aragorn."
"Michelle, I don't mind. Just as long as she doesn't say it in public-"
"Which I don't!" Robyn interrupted.
"-It really doesn't matter. We're all friends. Formalities aren't necessary. Those three still call me 'Strider', for heaven's sake."
"I know, but… well… it's the principle. Oh, forget it. I'm not going to win, am I?"
"Nope." Said Robyn, cheerfully. "Have you spoken to him, yet?" Michelle knew who she meant.
"You're going to get a slap in a minute, if you don't stop it. But, no I haven't. I don't know what to say! I'll say something and make a complete fool out of myself! Aragorn, do you what I should do? She really isn't helping."
"Just go and talk to him." said Aragorn. He smiled at Robyn. Maybe it wasn't going to be as hard as they had first thought. "Go on. You know you want to."
"Go!" said Robyn, impatiently, but Michelle still didn't move. "Look, I'm going to bed in a minute. When I wake up in the morning, I want you to have details for me. Preferably, I'd like a dad too, but don't rush things." She ducked just out of Michelle's hitting range. "Well, it's the truth." She laughed. "Good night, Mom." She gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and whispered: "Speak to him." Robyn didn't leave straight away, though.
"All right." Said Michelle. She couldn't handle Robyn's nagging anymore.
She turned around and saw him looking at her. 'OK, just relax.' She thought. She began to walk over to him. She had absolutely no idea what she was going to say. All she could manage was: "Um, hi."
"Hi." He said.
"How are you? No, forget that. Um, I, er, oh damn, I don't know what to say to you!"
"I'm fine. And I know what you mean. Its awkward." Michelle realised that now probably wasn't the best time to apologise, with everyone around, but she did it anyway.
"I'm sorry, Legolas." She said.
"Don't…"
"No, let me finish. Apologies don't come from me very often, so I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts. I'm sorry I hurt you. I was stupid. I hope we can forget about the past and just, well, I don't know, but I hope you can forgive me."
"I do forgive you." He said.
"Thank you!" Robyn shouted. Michelle and Legolas looked at her. "Now then, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Go to bed, if you're going!" said Michelle.
"Nah, I feel like staying now." But Tracey dragged her out of the room.
"Leave alone, now." Said Tracey. "They've got 16 years worth of catching up to do!"
"Are you sure you feel up to this?" said Faramir.
"I'm fine, now stop fussing!" said Michelle. Aragorn was holding a feast to celebrate Michelle and Robyn's safe return. It would also be the first time she had seen Legolas in almost 16 years. "Send Robyn in on your way out."
"Trying to get rid of me now, are you?" he said, whilst laughing.
"Yes, now go. Honestly." Robyn came in shortly after Faramir left. "You feeling OK?"
"Shouldn't it be me asking you that?" Robyn said. "You look lovely, Mom."
"So do you. I can't a girl as pretty as yourself hasn't got a boyfriend. Maybe you'll pull tonight. The whole City is going to be there."
"Shut up. I'm not here to pull, I'm here to… well, not to pull, anyway." Robyn and Michelle's relationship was more like that of two 16-year olds than that of a mother daughter. And Robyn was often more like the mom of the two.
"What are you planning?" Michelle asked, curiously. Robyn smiled evilly.
"Now that, mother dearest, would be telling. Shouldn't we go? I think we're late."
"It doesn't matter. They all know what I'm like. Ready?" Robyn nodded her head and they left the room. Faramir was waiting for them outside. They walked, either side of him, down to the Great Hall.
When the doors opened, the crowd burst into applause. Both Michelle and Robyn went red. This was all very unnecessary, in their opinion, but Aragorn had insisted on it. They had been given seats next to the King, in full view of everyone. Throughout the whole meal, people they didn't even know kept coming up to them, telling them how glad they were that they were back and asking if they were alright now.
"I suppose it's nice that they care." Michelle whispered to Robyn.
"It's annoying, that's what it is. I'm going to kill Aragorn when everyone has gone. I'm so bored!" She replied. "Have you seen Legolas yet?" she added, innocently. Michelle looked at her daughter and suddenly understood, to Robyn's dismay.
"So, that's what you were planning. You were going to do a bit of matchmaking, weren't you?"
"As if I would." She scanned the busy room. "Ooh, there he is." She subtly pointed over to where he was sitting. He, also, was looking very bored. Michelle looked at him. 'Oh my Eru!' She thought. 'Crap! Do I look OK? OK, calm down. I look fine. Just keep calm. If he speaks to me, I'll just be nice. I do still like him after all. But, why would he want to speak to me? He won't. Then, I have nothing to worry about.'
"Oh yeah." Michelle said, trying to sound uncaring, but Robyn knew her mother too well.
"You'll be fine. Plan out what to say in your head, it's so much easier than making it up on the spot."
"Thanks Robyn." She said. "I don't need advice, especially not from my daughter. I'm fine." And she turned her back to her.
"Yeah, you look it." Michelle span back round to face Robyn.
"I do? What's wrong? Is it my hair? Should I take it down?" she said, nervously. She desperately wanted to make a good impression. Robyn burst out laughing.
"Yeah, you're really fine." She said, in between laughs. "You look gorgeous! Stop stressing. He'll love you. Now then, when's dessert arriving, because I'm still hungry!"
The meal was soon over. Gradually the crowd left, leaving only Aragorn's guests. Robyn walked over to him and slapped his arm.
"I hate you!" she said, playfully. Everyone gaped in shock. Only Robyn could get away with that. It was really quite annoying. "That was horrible. All those people staring at me, knowing all about me, and I never even knew they existed."
"You know you loved it really." Said Aragorn, whilst laughing, mainly at the expressions on everybody's faces. He then lowered his voice so only Robyn could hear him. "They haven't spoken yet, have they?" Robyn shook her head.
"No, and Mom, sort of, worked it out at dinner. But, she is really bothered about what he thinks. She was stressing about how she looked earlier, when I pointed him out. And she kept looking over at him every five seconds!"
"So, what are we going to do? How do we get them alone?"
"I don't know. I wish they would just talk to each other on their own, without our help." Michelle walked over to them.
"What are you two whispering about?" she said. She really didn't trust them.
"I was just telling Aragorn that he might want to hire a new cook, the food was a bit… well, it wasn't at it's best, shall we say."
"Robyn, please. We've had this conversation. It's 'King' Aragorn."
"Michelle, I don't mind. Just as long as she doesn't say it in public-"
"Which I don't!" Robyn interrupted.
"-It really doesn't matter. We're all friends. Formalities aren't necessary. Those three still call me 'Strider', for heaven's sake."
"I know, but… well… it's the principle. Oh, forget it. I'm not going to win, am I?"
"Nope." Said Robyn, cheerfully. "Have you spoken to him, yet?" Michelle knew who she meant.
"You're going to get a slap in a minute, if you don't stop it. But, no I haven't. I don't know what to say! I'll say something and make a complete fool out of myself! Aragorn, do you what I should do? She really isn't helping."
"Just go and talk to him." said Aragorn. He smiled at Robyn. Maybe it wasn't going to be as hard as they had first thought. "Go on. You know you want to."
"Go!" said Robyn, impatiently, but Michelle still didn't move. "Look, I'm going to bed in a minute. When I wake up in the morning, I want you to have details for me. Preferably, I'd like a dad too, but don't rush things." She ducked just out of Michelle's hitting range. "Well, it's the truth." She laughed. "Good night, Mom." She gave her mom a kiss on the cheek and whispered: "Speak to him." Robyn didn't leave straight away, though.
"All right." Said Michelle. She couldn't handle Robyn's nagging anymore.
She turned around and saw him looking at her. 'OK, just relax.' She thought. She began to walk over to him. She had absolutely no idea what she was going to say. All she could manage was: "Um, hi."
"Hi." He said.
"How are you? No, forget that. Um, I, er, oh damn, I don't know what to say to you!"
"I'm fine. And I know what you mean. Its awkward." Michelle realised that now probably wasn't the best time to apologise, with everyone around, but she did it anyway.
"I'm sorry, Legolas." She said.
"Don't…"
"No, let me finish. Apologies don't come from me very often, so I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts. I'm sorry I hurt you. I was stupid. I hope we can forget about the past and just, well, I don't know, but I hope you can forgive me."
"I do forgive you." He said.
"Thank you!" Robyn shouted. Michelle and Legolas looked at her. "Now then, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"Go to bed, if you're going!" said Michelle.
"Nah, I feel like staying now." But Tracey dragged her out of the room.
"Leave alone, now." Said Tracey. "They've got 16 years worth of catching up to do!"