DISCLAIMER: I still do not own any of Tolkien's characters (surprise,
surprise.)
Author's note: As you've probably noticed, the last chapter was written from Legolas' point of view. However, I feel the need to add Arwen's as well so just keep in mind that I will alternate between the two. (Ex.) every other chapter will be from Arwen's point of view and the others will be from Legolas'.
It had been three weeks since they'd left Rivendell. At first, all Arwen could think about was the journey, and going to someplace that was exciting and far away. However, now all she could think about was how sore her bottom was getting. She had never been away from Rivendell nor had she rode a horse for this long before.
"If we do not rest soon," she thought inwardly, "I shall get off my horse and run beside it! Oh, how my bottom hurts!" Just as she was seriously considering doing just that, her father, Lord Elrond of Rivendell, dropped back behind the others to come and ride beside her.
"Having problems, my dear?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied dryly, "I am extremely uncomfortable and I am growing tired. When will we arrive?"
"Soon, soon, Arwen, you needn't worry much longer," her father laughed, "We have almost reached the forest and it is a week's journey from its border to the king's dwelling." Arwen slumped and released an exaggerated sigh.
"A week? I do not believe I will last that long. I shall surely fall off my horse and break my neck before we get there!"
"Do not fret, melamin*," the lord laughed, "I shall not allow any harm to come to you. However, there are other matters I came to speak with you about." Arwen turned and smiled mischeiviously at her father.
"There always are," she replied. Her father smirked and continued.
"King Thranduil has a son, Legolas I believe his name is. He is the same age as you are and he will be taking care of you and showing you around while we're there. I would appreciate it if..."
"I can take care of myself!" the young girl snapped, "I don't need a snooty prince boy to do it for me!"
"Arwen, please!" her father begged, "just don't be stubborn, (if you can help it) I know that you can look after yourself but we've really got to respect the king's wishes while we are there."
"The king's wishes? Why would the king desire his son to take care of me?" she inquired, (rather insulted that both her father and this King Thranduil did not believe she could take care of herself).
"The prince needs some lessons in manners," Elrond continued, "and you could use some too. This might just be the perfect opportunity to learn some! Just please cooperate!" Not bothering to let her answer he left her side and returned to his position at the front of the long procession. Miffed at what, to her, seemed like a silly idea that she had to go along with anyway, she sat brooding on the back of her horse.
"I need a lesson in manners, do I? Well, if that's the case then I don't see what two people who supposedly have no manners can learn from each other," she thought, "I do not wish to have the company of some rude, stuck-up prince and I definitely do not want a lesson in manners. Especially from him!" As she sat fuming her two older brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, twins of twenty years, rode up beside her.
"Come, come now, sister," Elladan teased, "what is wrong this time? Is father not allowing you to make garlands of flowers for all the horses?"
"Or worse yet," Elrohir taunted further and held his nose, "is he making you bathe?"
"Oh be silent, you half-witted idiots," she snapped back, "just because I made a garland for my horse so she could be even more beautiful than she already is, (more so than your ugly excuses for horses, anyway) does not mean that you have to taunt me." At this her brothers laughed even harder.
"Well in that case I don't think your so-called garland did its job. I thought that garlands were supposed to stay on, not fall onto the ground for your horse to eat," Elrohir replied.
"all right, so it didn't work that well. At least I tried, unlike you lazy slugs who don't try to do anything." Her brothers snorted and answered,
"Takes one to know one." That did it.
"Oooooooh! I hate you both!" she screamed and leapt right off her horse and onto Elrohir, knocking him off his own. Elrond heard the commotion and turned back. He found Arwen sitting on Elrohir pounding him as hard as she could with her little fists. Elrohir was covering his head with his arms and he was barely managing to gasp out,
"Get her off me!" between stifled laughter.
"ARWEN!" Lord Elrond shouted, his deep, powerful voice reverberated off the surrounding hills. Arwen stopped in her tracks and looked up fearfully at her father.
"But, Father! They were teasing me for no reason at all! They, they..."
"That does not give you the excuse to viciously attack them! Now, get off your brother!" Arwen shot one last look of loathing at Elrohir and got back on her horse. Her brother rose and dusted himself off, trying his best not to laugh, (Arwen was strong yes, but her fists were small and did not do that much damage). He turned and began to walk back toward his horse who had begun to graze by the roadside.
"And as for you!" his father added. Elrohir hesitated. "Apologize to your sister immediately and stay away from her for the rest of the way," he shot a warning glance at Elladan, causing the smirk that was on his face to vanish, "that goes for both of you." He turned and looked Arwen straight in the eyes and said, "a lesson in manners?" She looked away.
After her father had yet again resumed his position at the front of the line and all the other elves that accompanied them had stopped staring, Arwen clenched her fists and thought,
"A lesson in manners, indeed! If anyone needs manners it is certainly my brothers!" She looked away across the rolling plains and to the misty hills beyond and she sighed, wishing, dreaming that perhaps one day she herself would travel to far off lands, not somewhere where she would have to be entertained for weeks by some small prince boy. Tears of longing welled up in her eyes as she dreamed of these adventures she so desired, and she was saddened that she had no one to share these dreams with. She had no mother, she disliked her brothers, she was too quick to anger to have any friends, and her father was far too busy to bother with all of her impractical dreams. She gazed up at the clouds that blew swiftly across the sky at unreachable heights.
"Oh, how I wish I could fly up there along with you!" she whispered up to them, but they blew away with the cool, spring breeze as quickly as they had come, and they left her behind.
*Melamin-my beloved
Author's note: As you've probably noticed, the last chapter was written from Legolas' point of view. However, I feel the need to add Arwen's as well so just keep in mind that I will alternate between the two. (Ex.) every other chapter will be from Arwen's point of view and the others will be from Legolas'.
It had been three weeks since they'd left Rivendell. At first, all Arwen could think about was the journey, and going to someplace that was exciting and far away. However, now all she could think about was how sore her bottom was getting. She had never been away from Rivendell nor had she rode a horse for this long before.
"If we do not rest soon," she thought inwardly, "I shall get off my horse and run beside it! Oh, how my bottom hurts!" Just as she was seriously considering doing just that, her father, Lord Elrond of Rivendell, dropped back behind the others to come and ride beside her.
"Having problems, my dear?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied dryly, "I am extremely uncomfortable and I am growing tired. When will we arrive?"
"Soon, soon, Arwen, you needn't worry much longer," her father laughed, "We have almost reached the forest and it is a week's journey from its border to the king's dwelling." Arwen slumped and released an exaggerated sigh.
"A week? I do not believe I will last that long. I shall surely fall off my horse and break my neck before we get there!"
"Do not fret, melamin*," the lord laughed, "I shall not allow any harm to come to you. However, there are other matters I came to speak with you about." Arwen turned and smiled mischeiviously at her father.
"There always are," she replied. Her father smirked and continued.
"King Thranduil has a son, Legolas I believe his name is. He is the same age as you are and he will be taking care of you and showing you around while we're there. I would appreciate it if..."
"I can take care of myself!" the young girl snapped, "I don't need a snooty prince boy to do it for me!"
"Arwen, please!" her father begged, "just don't be stubborn, (if you can help it) I know that you can look after yourself but we've really got to respect the king's wishes while we are there."
"The king's wishes? Why would the king desire his son to take care of me?" she inquired, (rather insulted that both her father and this King Thranduil did not believe she could take care of herself).
"The prince needs some lessons in manners," Elrond continued, "and you could use some too. This might just be the perfect opportunity to learn some! Just please cooperate!" Not bothering to let her answer he left her side and returned to his position at the front of the long procession. Miffed at what, to her, seemed like a silly idea that she had to go along with anyway, she sat brooding on the back of her horse.
"I need a lesson in manners, do I? Well, if that's the case then I don't see what two people who supposedly have no manners can learn from each other," she thought, "I do not wish to have the company of some rude, stuck-up prince and I definitely do not want a lesson in manners. Especially from him!" As she sat fuming her two older brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, twins of twenty years, rode up beside her.
"Come, come now, sister," Elladan teased, "what is wrong this time? Is father not allowing you to make garlands of flowers for all the horses?"
"Or worse yet," Elrohir taunted further and held his nose, "is he making you bathe?"
"Oh be silent, you half-witted idiots," she snapped back, "just because I made a garland for my horse so she could be even more beautiful than she already is, (more so than your ugly excuses for horses, anyway) does not mean that you have to taunt me." At this her brothers laughed even harder.
"Well in that case I don't think your so-called garland did its job. I thought that garlands were supposed to stay on, not fall onto the ground for your horse to eat," Elrohir replied.
"all right, so it didn't work that well. At least I tried, unlike you lazy slugs who don't try to do anything." Her brothers snorted and answered,
"Takes one to know one." That did it.
"Oooooooh! I hate you both!" she screamed and leapt right off her horse and onto Elrohir, knocking him off his own. Elrond heard the commotion and turned back. He found Arwen sitting on Elrohir pounding him as hard as she could with her little fists. Elrohir was covering his head with his arms and he was barely managing to gasp out,
"Get her off me!" between stifled laughter.
"ARWEN!" Lord Elrond shouted, his deep, powerful voice reverberated off the surrounding hills. Arwen stopped in her tracks and looked up fearfully at her father.
"But, Father! They were teasing me for no reason at all! They, they..."
"That does not give you the excuse to viciously attack them! Now, get off your brother!" Arwen shot one last look of loathing at Elrohir and got back on her horse. Her brother rose and dusted himself off, trying his best not to laugh, (Arwen was strong yes, but her fists were small and did not do that much damage). He turned and began to walk back toward his horse who had begun to graze by the roadside.
"And as for you!" his father added. Elrohir hesitated. "Apologize to your sister immediately and stay away from her for the rest of the way," he shot a warning glance at Elladan, causing the smirk that was on his face to vanish, "that goes for both of you." He turned and looked Arwen straight in the eyes and said, "a lesson in manners?" She looked away.
After her father had yet again resumed his position at the front of the line and all the other elves that accompanied them had stopped staring, Arwen clenched her fists and thought,
"A lesson in manners, indeed! If anyone needs manners it is certainly my brothers!" She looked away across the rolling plains and to the misty hills beyond and she sighed, wishing, dreaming that perhaps one day she herself would travel to far off lands, not somewhere where she would have to be entertained for weeks by some small prince boy. Tears of longing welled up in her eyes as she dreamed of these adventures she so desired, and she was saddened that she had no one to share these dreams with. She had no mother, she disliked her brothers, she was too quick to anger to have any friends, and her father was far too busy to bother with all of her impractical dreams. She gazed up at the clouds that blew swiftly across the sky at unreachable heights.
"Oh, how I wish I could fly up there along with you!" she whispered up to them, but they blew away with the cool, spring breeze as quickly as they had come, and they left her behind.
*Melamin-my beloved