Chapter 5
SMASH! The vase splintered into a thousand pieces as it struck the wall. The Lady Arwen was fuming, and her temper was not one to be taken lightly.
"How dare he speak to me that way!" she shouted to the air. She snatched the next nearest vase off the side table and gripped it tightly; her rage delivered strength to her fingertips. She hurtled it through the air where it smashed right beside the doorframe. She immediately regretted that. Her father had appeared in the doorway and was not looking very happy. She quickly looked at the floor, her face still burning red (now from shame and embarrassment rather than anger). The silence was awkward, the air tense, and when she chanced a glance at her father she saw in his face an anger that made his eyes smolder. She looked away.
"I am continually patient with you, Arwen," he spoke, his voice dangerously soft and low, "and yet you continually disappoint me." He walked closer and Arwen's heart beat rapidly. She knew he wouldn't harm her, and yet she was afraid. "How could you treat Prince Legolas so? How could you let your temper run away with you when we are guests in this place?"
"But Father! I didn't! He.he.taunted me!"
"No more excuses, Arwen!" The Lord raised his voice, which he rarely did. He was also losing his patience with this short-tempered child, which was even rarer. "You have disrespected the royal family that welcomed us into their kingdom, you have dishonoured the name of your house and your family, and you have dishonoured yourself. I am disappointed in you, my daughter." Arwen looked at her toes in shame.
Then she thought, "this wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault, it wasn't my fault." That was the message she told herself over and over again. That was the message she'd always told herself over and over again.
"But it wasn't my fault!" she cried aloud suddenly, tears of anger welled up in her violet eyes.
"I am tired of hearing the same excuse!" Elrond shouted, just as suddenly, "you must take responsibility for your actions! You must learn to accept your own mistakes and the mistakes of others! You cannot possibly learn anything else of value until you pass this one lesson!" Arwen looked up at her father in fear. He rarely ever shouted. In fact, she had only heard him shout once, and that had been at her brothers. His voice softened at the look of fright that lay upon his daughter's face, but he did not regret what he had just done. He seated himself on the bed. "First, you will clean up this mess. Then, you will go and personally apologize to Prince Legolas for disrespecting him, and then to King Thranduil for disrespecting his." he paused, looking at the shattered glass, ".property." Arwen's heart sank. This would be humiliating. She had no desire to humble herself in front of the rudest boy she'd ever met, though she dare not say so.
Her father got up to leave. The punishment he'd bestowed upon her may not seem like much to you or I, but Elrond knew that Arwen's greatest weakness was her pride, which resulted in her explosive temper. He knew that humbling herself in any way to anyone was hard for her, let alone a prince whom she had no use for and whom she believed had wronged her.
He turned and paused before he left saying, "all through our lives we meet people we may not be particularly fond of. However, we still must learn to accept these people and treat them respectfully even if you don't take to them very well. Think about this, daughter." With that, he turned and left the room.
Arwen bent to pick up the glass. She thought of her father's words. She didn't like to admit that others were right when she was wrong. And though she would not admit it to herself or anyone else, she knew that her father had been right when he spoke those words. She knew it deep inside her heart, somehow, she'd always known.
She made a neat pile of coloured glass shards on her bed. She heard Legolas' words echo inside her head and the more she thought about it, the fewer faults she could find within them. Perhaps he was a little impulsive and perhaps he did not have the best manners but then, she too was guilty of these qualities. Perhaps her temper had run away with her and maybe she shouldn't have been so angry with him. And perhaps we are being a little too generous in saying that she admitted all this to herself for I assure you, she did not. However, she did question herself somewhat. One gets to thinking about a lot of different things, when the only activity in progress is picking up tiny pieces of coloured glass.
SMASH! The vase splintered into a thousand pieces as it struck the wall. The Lady Arwen was fuming, and her temper was not one to be taken lightly.
"How dare he speak to me that way!" she shouted to the air. She snatched the next nearest vase off the side table and gripped it tightly; her rage delivered strength to her fingertips. She hurtled it through the air where it smashed right beside the doorframe. She immediately regretted that. Her father had appeared in the doorway and was not looking very happy. She quickly looked at the floor, her face still burning red (now from shame and embarrassment rather than anger). The silence was awkward, the air tense, and when she chanced a glance at her father she saw in his face an anger that made his eyes smolder. She looked away.
"I am continually patient with you, Arwen," he spoke, his voice dangerously soft and low, "and yet you continually disappoint me." He walked closer and Arwen's heart beat rapidly. She knew he wouldn't harm her, and yet she was afraid. "How could you treat Prince Legolas so? How could you let your temper run away with you when we are guests in this place?"
"But Father! I didn't! He.he.taunted me!"
"No more excuses, Arwen!" The Lord raised his voice, which he rarely did. He was also losing his patience with this short-tempered child, which was even rarer. "You have disrespected the royal family that welcomed us into their kingdom, you have dishonoured the name of your house and your family, and you have dishonoured yourself. I am disappointed in you, my daughter." Arwen looked at her toes in shame.
Then she thought, "this wasn't my fault. It wasn't my fault, it wasn't my fault." That was the message she told herself over and over again. That was the message she'd always told herself over and over again.
"But it wasn't my fault!" she cried aloud suddenly, tears of anger welled up in her violet eyes.
"I am tired of hearing the same excuse!" Elrond shouted, just as suddenly, "you must take responsibility for your actions! You must learn to accept your own mistakes and the mistakes of others! You cannot possibly learn anything else of value until you pass this one lesson!" Arwen looked up at her father in fear. He rarely ever shouted. In fact, she had only heard him shout once, and that had been at her brothers. His voice softened at the look of fright that lay upon his daughter's face, but he did not regret what he had just done. He seated himself on the bed. "First, you will clean up this mess. Then, you will go and personally apologize to Prince Legolas for disrespecting him, and then to King Thranduil for disrespecting his." he paused, looking at the shattered glass, ".property." Arwen's heart sank. This would be humiliating. She had no desire to humble herself in front of the rudest boy she'd ever met, though she dare not say so.
Her father got up to leave. The punishment he'd bestowed upon her may not seem like much to you or I, but Elrond knew that Arwen's greatest weakness was her pride, which resulted in her explosive temper. He knew that humbling herself in any way to anyone was hard for her, let alone a prince whom she had no use for and whom she believed had wronged her.
He turned and paused before he left saying, "all through our lives we meet people we may not be particularly fond of. However, we still must learn to accept these people and treat them respectfully even if you don't take to them very well. Think about this, daughter." With that, he turned and left the room.
Arwen bent to pick up the glass. She thought of her father's words. She didn't like to admit that others were right when she was wrong. And though she would not admit it to herself or anyone else, she knew that her father had been right when he spoke those words. She knew it deep inside her heart, somehow, she'd always known.
She made a neat pile of coloured glass shards on her bed. She heard Legolas' words echo inside her head and the more she thought about it, the fewer faults she could find within them. Perhaps he was a little impulsive and perhaps he did not have the best manners but then, she too was guilty of these qualities. Perhaps her temper had run away with her and maybe she shouldn't have been so angry with him. And perhaps we are being a little too generous in saying that she admitted all this to herself for I assure you, she did not. However, she did question herself somewhat. One gets to thinking about a lot of different things, when the only activity in progress is picking up tiny pieces of coloured glass.