First Meeting
Their footsteps echoed down the halls amid the awkward silence. Legolas had never had entertain a girl his age before, especially one that seemed so stuck up. He glanced over at her. She had dark, almost black hair and soft, violet eyes. She held her head so tall and proud it looked as though she were attempting to grow taller than he. He didn't like her, and he was stuck with her for a whole month.
"Oh what a joy she will be," the boy thought sarcastically, "almost as fun as getting captured and eaten up by spiders!" They passed through the dark, torch-lit hall and began up the long flight of stairs to the guestrooms and still not a word had passed between them. Legolas was growing restless. How could he possibly stand four whole weeks of silence? He had to say something or he'd go mad.
He looked over at her again. She still looked the same. She still had the same emotionless expression, same light, graceful walk.the same snotty- like aura. What should he say to her? "What a nice dress you have!" "My you're looking lovely today!" Those were the kinds of things he'd heard his father say to other she-elves that were in the palace. Well, she WAS lovely and she DID have a nice dress but there was no way he was going to tell her that and let her get the better of him. No, complimenting her would only make her think she was better than him, and if she already thought that (which was more than likely) that would only make matters worse. He'd have to start with something simple that had nothing to do with her. But what?
*****
Arwen walked briskly beside the young prince. She was growing tired of the silence. The air was so tense you could cut it with a knife. She wished he'd say something, anything. She didn't want to start the conversation and make this snobbish prince-boy think that she wanted to talk to him, like it was an honour to even speak with him. However, she wasn't sure how long she could stand this silence either. She stole a glance in his direction. He had golden blond hair and he walked silently beside her, his eyes pointed straight ahead, as though he weren't really focused on anything, as though he were, elsewhere. He had amazing eyes, piercing blue like the sky on a winter's morn. However, she didn't care how beautiful his eyes were, he still seemed stuck up and she didn't like him.
"Though," she admitted to herself, "I should probably get to know him. After all, I'm stuck with him for the next month. The conversation has got to start somewhere." She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing really came out. What do I say?
"I trust your trip was enjoyable?" a soft voice spoke. Startled to see that the prince would even speak to her she turned, rather abruptly, and answered,
"Oh yes, it was quite enjoyable. Or at least it would have been if my brothers had stayed home." She added rather clumsily at the end. Legolas chuckled beside her.
"I see. Yes, I have no siblings. Sometimes I wish I did though. I get so lonely. I want a brother to spend time with." Arwen looked over at him. She felt sorry for him, well, almost. She still thought he was stuck up.
"Oh, well, don't feel so sorry for yourself. Brothers are a pain and I would know."
"Do you dislike your brothers?" he asked.
"Yes. On the way here they were taunting me and made me very angry. Really, they act like animals!"
"What did you do?" the young prince pressed on. She blushed.
"Well, I leapt onto my brother, Elrohir, and taught him a lesson in manners!" she answered triumphantly.
"You attacked him?" Legolas asked, amazed that such a light, delicate girl would attack anything.
"Yes," she answered, obviously proud of herself. The prince couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing at the thought of Arwen viciously attacking her older, fifteen year-old brother.
"What's so funny?" Arwen snapped. Legolas stopped laughing and tried his best (to no avail) to look dignified and regain his composure.
"And you call them animals!" Legolas laughed. He immediately regretted it.
"You would dare to call me an animal? You-you insolent, rude, arrogant." she fought to think up more insults. Legolas thought that it would be hilarious if he started helping her think up more offensive words for himself, but he didn't want to push his luck anymore than he already had, (which was pretty far).
"Er, that's not what I meant! It's just that, I-I didn't think that you would be the type to lose control like that."
"I did not lose control! I was merely teaching my brothers a lesson! (One that they fully deserved, I might add)," the now-sharp voice protested.
"I'm sorry, my lady," Legolas replied, cynically, angry at this short- tempered girl, "I did not realize that leaping from your horse and landing clumsily on top of your brother to pound him with your fists was any kind of fighting technique." Arwen stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. Who did this stuck-up prince think he was, anyway?
"Kindly take me to my room, your highness," she shouted, her eyes flaming, "and stop with your rude, incessant comments!" Legolas smiled mockingly and gestured toward a large oak door that now stood beside them. The prince found himself more grateful than he had ever been that they had reached her room.
"Here is your chamber, my lady," he mocked her sarcastically, bowing as he gestured for her to enter her room, "I hope you enjoy it." He didn't mean that.
"It's a little too late for that!" she snapped loudly, "and it's all because you're here, Legolas Greenleaf! I hope I die before I must spend another second here!"
"I doubt very much that anyone would mind," Legolas muttered under his breath.
"What did you just say?" she demanded.
"Nothing! Nothing at all, my lady," he lied.
"Good! A boy like you doesn't deserve to speak!" With that, she turned on her heel and, face burning with rage, stomped into her chamber. After the door had slammed behind her his mouth curved into a smile, and as he wandered back down the hall, it turned into a laugh.
"I think that went well," he thought aloud, and he meant it.
Their footsteps echoed down the halls amid the awkward silence. Legolas had never had entertain a girl his age before, especially one that seemed so stuck up. He glanced over at her. She had dark, almost black hair and soft, violet eyes. She held her head so tall and proud it looked as though she were attempting to grow taller than he. He didn't like her, and he was stuck with her for a whole month.
"Oh what a joy she will be," the boy thought sarcastically, "almost as fun as getting captured and eaten up by spiders!" They passed through the dark, torch-lit hall and began up the long flight of stairs to the guestrooms and still not a word had passed between them. Legolas was growing restless. How could he possibly stand four whole weeks of silence? He had to say something or he'd go mad.
He looked over at her again. She still looked the same. She still had the same emotionless expression, same light, graceful walk.the same snotty- like aura. What should he say to her? "What a nice dress you have!" "My you're looking lovely today!" Those were the kinds of things he'd heard his father say to other she-elves that were in the palace. Well, she WAS lovely and she DID have a nice dress but there was no way he was going to tell her that and let her get the better of him. No, complimenting her would only make her think she was better than him, and if she already thought that (which was more than likely) that would only make matters worse. He'd have to start with something simple that had nothing to do with her. But what?
*****
Arwen walked briskly beside the young prince. She was growing tired of the silence. The air was so tense you could cut it with a knife. She wished he'd say something, anything. She didn't want to start the conversation and make this snobbish prince-boy think that she wanted to talk to him, like it was an honour to even speak with him. However, she wasn't sure how long she could stand this silence either. She stole a glance in his direction. He had golden blond hair and he walked silently beside her, his eyes pointed straight ahead, as though he weren't really focused on anything, as though he were, elsewhere. He had amazing eyes, piercing blue like the sky on a winter's morn. However, she didn't care how beautiful his eyes were, he still seemed stuck up and she didn't like him.
"Though," she admitted to herself, "I should probably get to know him. After all, I'm stuck with him for the next month. The conversation has got to start somewhere." She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing really came out. What do I say?
"I trust your trip was enjoyable?" a soft voice spoke. Startled to see that the prince would even speak to her she turned, rather abruptly, and answered,
"Oh yes, it was quite enjoyable. Or at least it would have been if my brothers had stayed home." She added rather clumsily at the end. Legolas chuckled beside her.
"I see. Yes, I have no siblings. Sometimes I wish I did though. I get so lonely. I want a brother to spend time with." Arwen looked over at him. She felt sorry for him, well, almost. She still thought he was stuck up.
"Oh, well, don't feel so sorry for yourself. Brothers are a pain and I would know."
"Do you dislike your brothers?" he asked.
"Yes. On the way here they were taunting me and made me very angry. Really, they act like animals!"
"What did you do?" the young prince pressed on. She blushed.
"Well, I leapt onto my brother, Elrohir, and taught him a lesson in manners!" she answered triumphantly.
"You attacked him?" Legolas asked, amazed that such a light, delicate girl would attack anything.
"Yes," she answered, obviously proud of herself. The prince couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing at the thought of Arwen viciously attacking her older, fifteen year-old brother.
"What's so funny?" Arwen snapped. Legolas stopped laughing and tried his best (to no avail) to look dignified and regain his composure.
"And you call them animals!" Legolas laughed. He immediately regretted it.
"You would dare to call me an animal? You-you insolent, rude, arrogant." she fought to think up more insults. Legolas thought that it would be hilarious if he started helping her think up more offensive words for himself, but he didn't want to push his luck anymore than he already had, (which was pretty far).
"Er, that's not what I meant! It's just that, I-I didn't think that you would be the type to lose control like that."
"I did not lose control! I was merely teaching my brothers a lesson! (One that they fully deserved, I might add)," the now-sharp voice protested.
"I'm sorry, my lady," Legolas replied, cynically, angry at this short- tempered girl, "I did not realize that leaping from your horse and landing clumsily on top of your brother to pound him with your fists was any kind of fighting technique." Arwen stopped in her tracks and turned to face him. Who did this stuck-up prince think he was, anyway?
"Kindly take me to my room, your highness," she shouted, her eyes flaming, "and stop with your rude, incessant comments!" Legolas smiled mockingly and gestured toward a large oak door that now stood beside them. The prince found himself more grateful than he had ever been that they had reached her room.
"Here is your chamber, my lady," he mocked her sarcastically, bowing as he gestured for her to enter her room, "I hope you enjoy it." He didn't mean that.
"It's a little too late for that!" she snapped loudly, "and it's all because you're here, Legolas Greenleaf! I hope I die before I must spend another second here!"
"I doubt very much that anyone would mind," Legolas muttered under his breath.
"What did you just say?" she demanded.
"Nothing! Nothing at all, my lady," he lied.
"Good! A boy like you doesn't deserve to speak!" With that, she turned on her heel and, face burning with rage, stomped into her chamber. After the door had slammed behind her his mouth curved into a smile, and as he wandered back down the hall, it turned into a laugh.
"I think that went well," he thought aloud, and he meant it.