Chapter Two
"A DRESS!?"
A distressed cry echoed throughout all of Middle Earth.
"Yes." Legolas replied calmly.
"No way in heaven or earth am I wearing a DRESS!" Bran cried out.
"You can't go naked." Lily said, admiring herself in the mirror.
"Oh, dresses are fine for you, Miss I Make Everything Look Good, but we FAT people need our athletic
pants! Our TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR TOMMY HILFIGER ATHLETIC PANTS!"
"I think you'd look nice in a dress." Legolas cut in.
"If you say so." Bran said cheerily.
Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Moron."
***********
An hour later, Bran had managed to 'squeeze her gigantic arse', into a very nice looking
dress. Wine red with gold trimming. Next to anyone but Lily, she would have looked stunning.
Lily wore an off-the-shoulder white dress with dark red pimpernels around the waist and on the hemline of the shoulders.
"Lily, you look... beautiful." Legolas commented. Bran glared at him. "Bran, too, you look beautiful."
Bran snorted disbelievingly and stalked off down the grand and marvelous hallway.
"What's her problem?"
A bit further on down the grand and marvelous hallway, Bran ran into the two young elven boys from the
stable.
" 'Evening, Coranar, Adan." Bran said pleasantly.
"Good evening, milady." The boys said... in unison.
"I'll just pretend that doesn't bug me." Bran told them.
"Alright." They smiled cheerily.
"Nevermind." Bran rolled her eyes and began to walk off, when a voice stopped her.
"Wait!"
Bran turned quickly, causing herself to fall on her butt. "Ow...."
A male elf approached her. "Are you alright, mi-"?
"Yes." Bran cut him off.
"Oh." The elf said, looking a bit put out. Nevertheless, he held out his hand anyway to help her up.
Bran glanced at it, and helped herself up.
Again, the elf looked put out. "I have not seen you around here...." He said, dropping off.
"That's not surprising." Bran said without elaboration.
"Oh." The elf said again. "May I be so bold as to inquire your name?"
"No. But I'll give it to you anyway." Bran said. "I'm Branwyn O'Roarak."
"Branwyn, a name of beauty."
Branwyn turned and looked at him appraisingly. Then she grinned at him. "What's yours?"
The elf looked a little flustered at her sudden question. "Sulel." He answered. "It means 'windstar'."
Bran cocked an eyebrow. "I bet it does."
Sulel blushed. "I hope my younger brothers were not bothering you, mi-"
"They weren't. And please, cut the 'milady' crap."
Instead of looking offended, Sulel actually smiled. "As you wish, mi-"
"Ah, ah, ah..."
"Branwyn."
"Better."
"Bran!"
Bran turned to see Lily and Legolas approaching her.
"Hullo, I was just talking to...."
Bran glanced around her, but the other elf was gone.
"...Myself."
Legolas stared at her, and Lily giggled. "Well, can't keep Elrond the magnificent waiting." Lily said perkily.
"I suppose not." Bran said slowly, still looking for Sulel. "Where'd that bastard go?" She muttered under her breath, just loudly enough for Legolas to have a semi-seizure. She could have been mistaken, but she thought she heard a chuckle coming from the far left pillar.
"We're off?" Lily asked, for she had been itching to show off her lovely new dress.
"I suppose." Bran said. The three entered the dining hall, and Bran was assaulted with the sweet smells of roasting meats, and cooking vegetables. Legolas led both girls to their seats, and insisted on serving their plates, much to the displeasure of Bran.
"I'm a vegetarian." She said quickly as Legolas tried to pile meats on top of her plate.
"Since when?" Lily asked.
"Now." Bran told her.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Juvenile."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"That's what I thought."
Lily noticed Legolas' eyes scanning the dining hall. "Who're you looking for?" She asked.
"A good friend." Legolas answered evasively.
"Look no further." Came a deep, melodic voice from behind the sweet elven prince.
Bran's head whipped around at the sound of the voice. "Sulel?"
The elf blushed. "O-oh, Miss Branwyn. I did not see you there."
Bran cocked an eyebrow. "Apparently."
Lily grinned. "Sit down," and pulled Sulel between her and Bran, much to the discomfort of the elf.
"What's the matter? I don't bite." Bran said, noticing his nervousness.
"Most of the time, that is." Lily added. Bran reached over Sulel to thwack her friend upside the head.
Lily tried to scowl, but ended up laughing. Sulel smiled, but said nothing, waiting for a formal introduction.
"Sulel is a good friend, and the son of my father's chief advisor." Legolas smiled.
At that, the halls to the hall flew open, revealing a beautiful brunette woman in a pearly white dress. She gracefully walked towards the head table,
where both Lily and Bran were sitting, as well as Aragorn. "Eww..." Lily and Bran said at the same time. "It's Arwen."
In some odd twist of fate, Arwen ended up sitting next to Bran, whose eyes were gleaming bright with some unknown emotion. Lily gulped.
"So, you must be the girl who fell from the sky." Arwen said with a forced smile.
"I am. My name is Branwyn O'Roarak. This is my friend, Lily Anderson." Bran replied, the maniac glint growing stronger. She picked up a glass of burgundy wine. Her eye twitched.
"That's such a lovely dr- oops!"
The entire goblet of wine went pouring onto Arwen's beautiful pearl dress. Bran's eyes widened. Weather it was with shock or pleasure was debatable. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, not looking one bit of it.
Arwen's angry face was the same color as the spilt wine, but for the sake of looking good, she forgave Bran with a tight-lipped smile.
Bran, however, was not finished.
It was a few minutes before she did anything else, and the entire hall was grateful for those few moments of peace.
An elf servant wandered by with a large plate of calamari. An opportunity too perfect to miss.
Bran quickly slid her chair right in front of the unsuspecting servant, tripping the poor elf and sending his plate flying into Arwen's face and hair.
Arwen shot up out of her seat like a rocket.
"You!" She screeched, her eyes burning. "You!"
Bran looked up at the enraged elf with huge, watery eyes. "I'm sorry." Her lip trembled convincingly and she even managed to make herself look smaller.
"Sit down, Arwen. She didn't mean to." Sulel jumped to Bran's defense as Aragorn tugged on Arwen's arm. "It was an accident."
Arwen grudgingly sat, casting a dark look towards Bran, who smirked evilly.
However, when Bran turned to Lily, she found her best friend batting her eyelashes at Legolas.
Quickly, Bran adverted her eyes and scowled at her plate.
Lily was not going to hear the end of this.
"A DRESS!?"
A distressed cry echoed throughout all of Middle Earth.
"Yes." Legolas replied calmly.
"No way in heaven or earth am I wearing a DRESS!" Bran cried out.
"You can't go naked." Lily said, admiring herself in the mirror.
"Oh, dresses are fine for you, Miss I Make Everything Look Good, but we FAT people need our athletic
pants! Our TWO HUNDRED DOLLAR TOMMY HILFIGER ATHLETIC PANTS!"
"I think you'd look nice in a dress." Legolas cut in.
"If you say so." Bran said cheerily.
Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "Moron."
***********
An hour later, Bran had managed to 'squeeze her gigantic arse', into a very nice looking
dress. Wine red with gold trimming. Next to anyone but Lily, she would have looked stunning.
Lily wore an off-the-shoulder white dress with dark red pimpernels around the waist and on the hemline of the shoulders.
"Lily, you look... beautiful." Legolas commented. Bran glared at him. "Bran, too, you look beautiful."
Bran snorted disbelievingly and stalked off down the grand and marvelous hallway.
"What's her problem?"
A bit further on down the grand and marvelous hallway, Bran ran into the two young elven boys from the
stable.
" 'Evening, Coranar, Adan." Bran said pleasantly.
"Good evening, milady." The boys said... in unison.
"I'll just pretend that doesn't bug me." Bran told them.
"Alright." They smiled cheerily.
"Nevermind." Bran rolled her eyes and began to walk off, when a voice stopped her.
"Wait!"
Bran turned quickly, causing herself to fall on her butt. "Ow...."
A male elf approached her. "Are you alright, mi-"?
"Yes." Bran cut him off.
"Oh." The elf said, looking a bit put out. Nevertheless, he held out his hand anyway to help her up.
Bran glanced at it, and helped herself up.
Again, the elf looked put out. "I have not seen you around here...." He said, dropping off.
"That's not surprising." Bran said without elaboration.
"Oh." The elf said again. "May I be so bold as to inquire your name?"
"No. But I'll give it to you anyway." Bran said. "I'm Branwyn O'Roarak."
"Branwyn, a name of beauty."
Branwyn turned and looked at him appraisingly. Then she grinned at him. "What's yours?"
The elf looked a little flustered at her sudden question. "Sulel." He answered. "It means 'windstar'."
Bran cocked an eyebrow. "I bet it does."
Sulel blushed. "I hope my younger brothers were not bothering you, mi-"
"They weren't. And please, cut the 'milady' crap."
Instead of looking offended, Sulel actually smiled. "As you wish, mi-"
"Ah, ah, ah..."
"Branwyn."
"Better."
"Bran!"
Bran turned to see Lily and Legolas approaching her.
"Hullo, I was just talking to...."
Bran glanced around her, but the other elf was gone.
"...Myself."
Legolas stared at her, and Lily giggled. "Well, can't keep Elrond the magnificent waiting." Lily said perkily.
"I suppose not." Bran said slowly, still looking for Sulel. "Where'd that bastard go?" She muttered under her breath, just loudly enough for Legolas to have a semi-seizure. She could have been mistaken, but she thought she heard a chuckle coming from the far left pillar.
"We're off?" Lily asked, for she had been itching to show off her lovely new dress.
"I suppose." Bran said. The three entered the dining hall, and Bran was assaulted with the sweet smells of roasting meats, and cooking vegetables. Legolas led both girls to their seats, and insisted on serving their plates, much to the displeasure of Bran.
"I'm a vegetarian." She said quickly as Legolas tried to pile meats on top of her plate.
"Since when?" Lily asked.
"Now." Bran told her.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Juvenile."
"What was that?"
"Nothing."
"That's what I thought."
Lily noticed Legolas' eyes scanning the dining hall. "Who're you looking for?" She asked.
"A good friend." Legolas answered evasively.
"Look no further." Came a deep, melodic voice from behind the sweet elven prince.
Bran's head whipped around at the sound of the voice. "Sulel?"
The elf blushed. "O-oh, Miss Branwyn. I did not see you there."
Bran cocked an eyebrow. "Apparently."
Lily grinned. "Sit down," and pulled Sulel between her and Bran, much to the discomfort of the elf.
"What's the matter? I don't bite." Bran said, noticing his nervousness.
"Most of the time, that is." Lily added. Bran reached over Sulel to thwack her friend upside the head.
Lily tried to scowl, but ended up laughing. Sulel smiled, but said nothing, waiting for a formal introduction.
"Sulel is a good friend, and the son of my father's chief advisor." Legolas smiled.
At that, the halls to the hall flew open, revealing a beautiful brunette woman in a pearly white dress. She gracefully walked towards the head table,
where both Lily and Bran were sitting, as well as Aragorn. "Eww..." Lily and Bran said at the same time. "It's Arwen."
In some odd twist of fate, Arwen ended up sitting next to Bran, whose eyes were gleaming bright with some unknown emotion. Lily gulped.
"So, you must be the girl who fell from the sky." Arwen said with a forced smile.
"I am. My name is Branwyn O'Roarak. This is my friend, Lily Anderson." Bran replied, the maniac glint growing stronger. She picked up a glass of burgundy wine. Her eye twitched.
"That's such a lovely dr- oops!"
The entire goblet of wine went pouring onto Arwen's beautiful pearl dress. Bran's eyes widened. Weather it was with shock or pleasure was debatable. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" She exclaimed, not looking one bit of it.
Arwen's angry face was the same color as the spilt wine, but for the sake of looking good, she forgave Bran with a tight-lipped smile.
Bran, however, was not finished.
It was a few minutes before she did anything else, and the entire hall was grateful for those few moments of peace.
An elf servant wandered by with a large plate of calamari. An opportunity too perfect to miss.
Bran quickly slid her chair right in front of the unsuspecting servant, tripping the poor elf and sending his plate flying into Arwen's face and hair.
Arwen shot up out of her seat like a rocket.
"You!" She screeched, her eyes burning. "You!"
Bran looked up at the enraged elf with huge, watery eyes. "I'm sorry." Her lip trembled convincingly and she even managed to make herself look smaller.
"Sit down, Arwen. She didn't mean to." Sulel jumped to Bran's defense as Aragorn tugged on Arwen's arm. "It was an accident."
Arwen grudgingly sat, casting a dark look towards Bran, who smirked evilly.
However, when Bran turned to Lily, she found her best friend batting her eyelashes at Legolas.
Quickly, Bran adverted her eyes and scowled at her plate.
Lily was not going to hear the end of this.