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Eight summers later Edie was seventeen, in fact she had just turned seventeen and it was only another year until she would be of age to marry Lord Antinous, a man that she had gradually learned to hate more and more over the years she had known him.
He was a snob, he was rude, he only pretended to respect her when her Father was around and Edie could see now that he was marrying her purely so he could be king.
Edie was sitting at supper, long tables were set out laden with food on white tablecloths. Lord Antinous had taken a seat beside her.
As Edie brought a cup of wine to her lips Lord Antinous leaned close to her, "Only one more year, my love." He said, chuckling as she grimaced and nearly spilled wine down her front.
She turned coldly to face him, "A year I shall cherish, Lord Antinous." She said smiling tiredly at him.
Lord Antinous snorted, he knew perfectly well she hated him.
He was handsome, yes. He had dark brown hair, so dark it was almost black, worn shorter than was the fashion, and dark green eyes. His face was angular, yet chiselled and he stood a good foot taller than Edie. His smile could mean so many things, and her Father had grown fond of him. Edie hated the man, she hated him with a fiery passion that burned so hot that sometimes she just wanted to scream or hurt someone.
Edie's Father was sitting on her other side, he hadn't heard the exchange between Edie and Lord Antinous. "Well Edith, it's only a year until you wed." he said, putting a hand on hers and looking down at her warmly.
Edie forced a smile. "Time has gone by so quickly, Father." She said and turned back to her food, just looking at it, she wasn't hungry anymore, just being near Lord Antinous made her feel ill. She turned back to her Father, "Father, may I be excused?" There was no point in her staying there and enduring the company of the one man she hated most in Middle-Earth.
"Why? What's wrong?" the old king asked her.
"A headache." She said putting a hand to her head for extra effect.
Her Father nodded and Edie pushed away from the table and walked quickly up to her rooms.
She sat by the window for a while, looking out and thinking, then there came a knock at her door.
"Come in." she called out, hoping that it was not Lord Antinous.
Her maidservant, Ranker, entered and nodded respectfully. "His Majesty and Lord Antinous request your presence in the Great Hall, Ma'am." She said and dipped her head again.
"Oh. Thankyou Ranker, do you know what it's about?" Edie asked her, standing up and smoothing out her dress.
"No, Ma'am. Sorry." Ranker said and stood by the door waiting to be dismissed.
"That's alright, Ranker, you may go now." Edie said and watched the maidservant dip her head once more and exit.
Edie sighed and made her way down to the Great Hall, and as she entered she noticed her Father and Lord Antinous standing in the corner talking quietly, no doubt about her.
She made her step heavier and her Father turned and saw her, "Ah, Edith, there you are. Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, a little, thankyou, Father." Edie said and came to a halt before the two men.
"Edith, Lord Antinous and I have been talking." He said, pausing for a moment. To Edie this sounded dubious and a little suspicious. In Edie's experience a statement starting with 'we've been talking' never ended well. Her Father continued on, "We think that there's no point in waiting another year until you get married, you should know each other by now, and it's only a year early. It will happen within the month."
Edie nearly choked with anger, she was sure that the decision had been Lord Antinous's doing. "What?"
Lord Antinous moved so he was beside and took Edie's hand. "Isn't that wonderful news, my love?"
Edie squeezed his hand hard, hoping that it hurt him and knowing that it didn't, and then took her hand back, "Do excuse me, I think I need to have a lie down."
Edie started for the door, but Lord Antinous caught up with her, "Allow me to escort you, my Lady." He said, putting a hand around her waist.
Edie waited until they were halfway to her rooms before coming to a halt and turning to face Lord Antinous. "You absolute beast of a man!" she said restraining herself from hitting him.
"Pardon, my Lady?"
"How could you? How could you? Why? Why did you bring the ceremony forward?" Edie almost shouted at him.
"I don't know what you're talking about...love." Lord Antinous said smiling in a way that angered Edie even more.
The 'love' bit was the last straw, Edie slapped him faster than he was expecting and stormed off down the corridor, leaving him stunned with a hand pressed to his cheek where she'd hit him.
As soon as Edie reached her rooms she realised that she couldn't stay in there one moment longer, she couldn't marry Lord Antinous, and she wouldn't.
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Okay, I know that chapter didn't have any LOTR characters in, but the next one will. Promise!
Please review now (please), luv Joy ;0)
Eight summers later Edie was seventeen, in fact she had just turned seventeen and it was only another year until she would be of age to marry Lord Antinous, a man that she had gradually learned to hate more and more over the years she had known him.
He was a snob, he was rude, he only pretended to respect her when her Father was around and Edie could see now that he was marrying her purely so he could be king.
Edie was sitting at supper, long tables were set out laden with food on white tablecloths. Lord Antinous had taken a seat beside her.
As Edie brought a cup of wine to her lips Lord Antinous leaned close to her, "Only one more year, my love." He said, chuckling as she grimaced and nearly spilled wine down her front.
She turned coldly to face him, "A year I shall cherish, Lord Antinous." She said smiling tiredly at him.
Lord Antinous snorted, he knew perfectly well she hated him.
He was handsome, yes. He had dark brown hair, so dark it was almost black, worn shorter than was the fashion, and dark green eyes. His face was angular, yet chiselled and he stood a good foot taller than Edie. His smile could mean so many things, and her Father had grown fond of him. Edie hated the man, she hated him with a fiery passion that burned so hot that sometimes she just wanted to scream or hurt someone.
Edie's Father was sitting on her other side, he hadn't heard the exchange between Edie and Lord Antinous. "Well Edith, it's only a year until you wed." he said, putting a hand on hers and looking down at her warmly.
Edie forced a smile. "Time has gone by so quickly, Father." She said and turned back to her food, just looking at it, she wasn't hungry anymore, just being near Lord Antinous made her feel ill. She turned back to her Father, "Father, may I be excused?" There was no point in her staying there and enduring the company of the one man she hated most in Middle-Earth.
"Why? What's wrong?" the old king asked her.
"A headache." She said putting a hand to her head for extra effect.
Her Father nodded and Edie pushed away from the table and walked quickly up to her rooms.
She sat by the window for a while, looking out and thinking, then there came a knock at her door.
"Come in." she called out, hoping that it was not Lord Antinous.
Her maidservant, Ranker, entered and nodded respectfully. "His Majesty and Lord Antinous request your presence in the Great Hall, Ma'am." She said and dipped her head again.
"Oh. Thankyou Ranker, do you know what it's about?" Edie asked her, standing up and smoothing out her dress.
"No, Ma'am. Sorry." Ranker said and stood by the door waiting to be dismissed.
"That's alright, Ranker, you may go now." Edie said and watched the maidservant dip her head once more and exit.
Edie sighed and made her way down to the Great Hall, and as she entered she noticed her Father and Lord Antinous standing in the corner talking quietly, no doubt about her.
She made her step heavier and her Father turned and saw her, "Ah, Edith, there you are. Are you feeling better?"
"Yes, a little, thankyou, Father." Edie said and came to a halt before the two men.
"Edith, Lord Antinous and I have been talking." He said, pausing for a moment. To Edie this sounded dubious and a little suspicious. In Edie's experience a statement starting with 'we've been talking' never ended well. Her Father continued on, "We think that there's no point in waiting another year until you get married, you should know each other by now, and it's only a year early. It will happen within the month."
Edie nearly choked with anger, she was sure that the decision had been Lord Antinous's doing. "What?"
Lord Antinous moved so he was beside and took Edie's hand. "Isn't that wonderful news, my love?"
Edie squeezed his hand hard, hoping that it hurt him and knowing that it didn't, and then took her hand back, "Do excuse me, I think I need to have a lie down."
Edie started for the door, but Lord Antinous caught up with her, "Allow me to escort you, my Lady." He said, putting a hand around her waist.
Edie waited until they were halfway to her rooms before coming to a halt and turning to face Lord Antinous. "You absolute beast of a man!" she said restraining herself from hitting him.
"Pardon, my Lady?"
"How could you? How could you? Why? Why did you bring the ceremony forward?" Edie almost shouted at him.
"I don't know what you're talking about...love." Lord Antinous said smiling in a way that angered Edie even more.
The 'love' bit was the last straw, Edie slapped him faster than he was expecting and stormed off down the corridor, leaving him stunned with a hand pressed to his cheek where she'd hit him.
As soon as Edie reached her rooms she realised that she couldn't stay in there one moment longer, she couldn't marry Lord Antinous, and she wouldn't.
***************************************
Okay, I know that chapter didn't have any LOTR characters in, but the next one will. Promise!
Please review now (please), luv Joy ;0)