Disclaimer: Don't own anything, not even Legolas action figure.
Please, please review. Was the last chapter really that bad? I only got five reviews =(
Was actually going to post later because of poor reader response and lack of funny inspirations, but since today is Legolas Day and I wish to honor our Elf by updating all my fics, I finished this chapter off today.... Sorry if it is not funny.
One of the paragraphs of this chapter was inspired by the Secret Diaries of the Fellowship =) Part of it was inspired by Snow White.
... = thoughts or random commentaries from a very sleepy authoress, stayed up all night to write chapter for Prince of Dreams to post today. Now enough babbling, on with the story.
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Chapter 6:
The trio arrived in Rivendell in the late afternoon. Their camp for the previous night was only 4 miles away from the Elven City, but both Aragorn and Legolas were determined to make their track as long as possible; walking at a snail's pace and stopping every couple of minutes to admire the beauty of the forest of Imladris. Halbarad was so bored that he too started observing the surrounding forest creatures in their daily lives. He was dismayed to find that a snail, crawling along from one tree to another on the forest floor, had actually passed them as the pair were now currently stopped yet again in admiration of the intricate patterns on the bark of an old birch tree.
The ranger could not understand why those two couldn't just get on with it. It was obvious they were attracted to each other. They were always together; they walked beside each other only inches apart; they sat together when they eat and talk; they stayed up to accompany the other during his watch; they even slept side by side every night.
Frankly, he could not believe Aragorn had not made more amorous advances on the Elf. The truth was that even Halbarad had been finding Lasgalen's appearance strangely attractive and he did not consider himself as such an Elf-fancier before. He would have made the Elf his lover by now if the Golden Creature seemed half as interested in him as Lasgalen was in his companion. Well, that was not exactly true; Aragorn would kill him if he tried anything.
But anyhow, the Elf was gorgeous, intelligent and a great cook, everything a Man could desire in a lover. Given Aragorn's previous love history and his very obvious 'reactions' to the Elf's proximity, his companion really had been behaving more like a priest under the vow of chastity than the Ladies' Man he truly was. Halbarad was being to wonder if his friend was holding back in fear of Arwen. But not going the distance wouldn't save the Man from her wrath; Aragorn should know better than that. The besotted look on the Man's face as he gazed as Lasgalen would be enough to transform the Evening Star into the violent man-eater mode.
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The time had finally come for Aragorn to say goodbye to his new companion. They have reached Rivendell and Lasgalen would be on his way to the army camp to enlist. The Man much preferred to stay away from that place for as long as possible. Once training started, he would have to spend all his time there, among his new students. There would likely be plenty of painful times ahead for the Third Commander of the Joint Army, as young Elves tended to be as mischievous as they were arrogant. Being the only Man in their midst, Aragorn knew he would be singled out for any tricks the recruits intended to play on their instructors. He really wanted to seriously hurt Elrond for putting him up to this.
Seeing Lasgalen every day would have made any mishap the Man endured from his new students worthwhile, except for the tiny fact that he was supposed to pretend not to know the Elf. It was worse than not seeing the golden creature at all for the very sight of Lasgalen would remind Aragorn of the friendship and affections that were sacrificed.
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As Aragorn watched the beautiful Elf walked away, he thought, Maybe I should try to go see Arwen tonight. There is still time to prepare a love ballad and make myself presentable before the Lady retires. It would take my mind off that Elf.
It was customary for Aragorn to compose a new song exalting the Evening Star's beauty every time they met. In fact, the Man had to kneel on one knee and sing it out loud in the gardens for all to hear, while the Lady listened on a veranda above. If Arwen thought the ballad described her perfection adequately, she would come down into the garden and meet Aragorn in person. If she did not find the song pleasing, she would stay in her chambers, preferring the company of a 'magical' parrot to the Man.
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The parrot was a gift from Lòrien for the Lady's three thousandth birthday. It was supposed to be able to see all living things in Middle Earth. The Evening Star naively took that as a fact for a gift from the Lady Galadriel would surely be magical. The truth was that during Arwen's short stay in Lothlorien, the Elf Witch had noticed how vain her granddaughter was. Galadriel knew then that any creature that could be trained to sing praises of the Evening Star's beauty would make a perfect gift for the younger Elf. She had chosen a small brightly colored parrot as it had an added cuteness factor, which Arwen would undoubtedly find appealing.
And how right Galadriel was. Ever since its arrival, the bird had become her grandchild's favorite creature in the entire Rivendell as it knew exactly how to make the Evening Star brim with joy. Yes, she liked the parrot more than her family and Aragorn. After all, they did not fawn on her all the time, nor were they 'magical', well, except for Elrond who had Vilya; but her father did not have cute green feathers..
Whenever Arwen asked, "Parrot, parrot in the cage, who is the most beautiful of them all?"
The bird would answer always, " Thou, O Lady, art the fairest of all."
The Evening Star could never get tired of hearing this, no matter how many times the parrot had answered her already. In fact, the Lady made it a point to ask the bird five times a day, when she wakes, after each meal and before she sleeps. Actually, that is not entirely true, for Arwen sometimes spoke in her sleep. Since the Lady was preoccupied with her appearance in her dreams as well, she would question the bird on those occasions as well.
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Aragorn was racking his mind for a fitting love song for his Lady. He was a very gifted songwriter, especially when it came to love ballads. He had the charm and talent to match his tall, dark, handsomeness; but today, the process was proving rather difficult; especially with the phrases like 'sun- kissed golden hair spun of the finest silk' and 'eyes brighter than the blue sky, deeper than the sea' popping into his mind and inviting themselves into his song. He did not think Arwen would appreciate that much as the maiden has dark hair and light blue eyes...
Frustrated by his lack of progress, the Man decided to vent his annoyance instead of going to see the Evening Star. He would challenge his foster brother in a practice match of swords. He found these training duels very relaxing, allowing him to release all his suppressed aggression and dissatisfaction with his life. Aragorn had bested the Elf more than five years ago, but Elladan always put up a good fight. The only ones in Rivendell whom the Man had not defeated were Lord Glorfindel and Lord Elrond; and no matter how much he wanted to hurt his foster father at times, Aragorn could not really ask those ANCIENT Elven Lords for a training session. Since the elder twin would undoubtedly be at the army camp overseeing preparations for their first day of instructions tomorrow, Aragorn had no choice but to steel himself and head towards the place he wished to avoid.
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The Man walked into the camp at the sight of Lasgalen and a DWARF arguing with one of the Elven recruiting staff. He approached the trio as quietly as possible and stood a small distance behind the golden Elf to observe the situation.
"But you have to let me join. I traveled all the way to Mirkwood only to miss the enlisting deadline by a day. The recruits had left on their track to camp back here, so I started my journey alone to Rivendell just to get another chance of joining the army. Please, I need to do this to prove myself worthy," pleaded Lasgalen.
The other Elf sneered and answered, "If you cannot even be punctual, you really do not have the discipline to be in the army. The recruiting effort ended this afternoon, thirty minutes ago. I suggest you go home."
"Well then you should let me in. I was here hours ago," argued the dwarf.
"We will not have a DWARF in an Elven Army!! Leave before I call the guards, troublemaker," yelled the staff officer.
"I am Gimli, son of Gloin. I am no troublemaker. I can no longer watch Sauron continue to cover Middle Earth in darkness and do nothing. If my people would not fight the Dark Lord, I would lend my axe to whatever Race that would; and it just so happened to be you Elves. I am not particularly fond of the idea of working under your commands, but I will do whatever necessary to stop Sauron," said the Dwarf.
Both Legolas and Aragorn were very impressed by the bravery and altruism of the Dwarf. The Golden Prince of Mirkwood decided that no matter what happened to himself, he would give Gimli a hand.
"If I remember correctly, my Lord, the recruiting notice clearly stated all able-bodied, brave fighters were welcome to join. It did not exclude any particular Race. The very fact that Gimli, a Dwarf, had came alone to Rivendell is testament of his bravery and abilities. Besides, one of our commanders is Human, so this is not just an Elven Army. If you were willing to follow the orders of a Man, but would not allow a Dwarf to enlist, other Peoples will speak ill of us, believing that the Elves were prejudiced and intolerant of those of smaller stature. The reputation of the Eldar is at stake here, please reconsider and allow Gimli to be a representative of his People in this new joint army. Only then, can we claim that our troops acted on the entire Middle Earth's behalf," orated Legolas.
Considering the Elf's introvert nature and lack of experience in dealing with people in his personal life (which was practically non-existent), it seemed strange that giving convincing speeches was one of the things Legolas excelled at. The mean staff officer was won over immediately by his arguments and began adding Gimli's name to the draft. The Prince would have felt a small sense of accomplishment under normal circumstances; but not this afternoon, he still had not figure out a way to convince the other Elf to let him join.
I guess I will just have to beg more. thought the Prince, as he spoke, "Please, my Lord, I am willing to do anything to get accepted into the army."
A strange light came into the other Elf's eyes as he studied Legolas. The prince could barely stop himself from squirming under the staff officer's charged predatory gaze, while Aragorn was having an equal amount of trouble with stopping himself from drawing his sword and impaling the Elf who dared look at HIS ELF in such a manner.
At long last, the older Elf said meaningfully while licking his lips, "Well, perhaps I can arrange a little private session between us and I will see what I can do then."
The Man knew he could not really kill one of his own staff officers, but he wished more than anything else that he could. Instead, he cleared his throat loudly and drew back his hood. If looks could kill, the older Elf would be dead as Aragorn glared daggers at him. The staff officer immediately recognized his commander, to be exact, an extremely furious commander of the joint army. The Man looked as if he wanted to hack him into a thousand pieces, well, more like a million pieces. That expression was enough to make an army of Orcs flee for their lives.
The Elf cowered in fear and stuttered apologetically, "Forget I said that. I will put you on the draft right away, Master Lasgalen. I hope you don't mind, but I will be putting you in the same room as the Dwarf."
"It will be fine, thank you," said the Elf, as he turned to smile at Aragorn. He knew that the Man must have frightened the staff officer into allowing him to join. He missed the look on Aragorn's face but he was sure it must have been something to cause an Elven warrior to lose his composure that way.
His smile faded when the Man did not acknowledge him and simply walked away. Legolas had expected this, but it still hurt. But before any more dark thoughts could enter his mind, his new roommate interrupted him.
"You surely are strange for an Elf. I daresay none other would have helped me as you did just now, nor could they. I don't like Elves in general, but I don't think I will mind sharing a room with you that much. Should we go find our room and then the dining area? I am so hungry that I can eat a horse!" said Gimli enthusiastically as he began walking quickly towards the barracks.
The Elf smiled and followed suit, his longer strides allowing him to catch up easily with the shorter Dwarf. Though Legolas might have lost Strider as a friend today, he was sure he had gained a different one in Gimli the Dwarf.
Please, please review. Was the last chapter really that bad? I only got five reviews =(
Was actually going to post later because of poor reader response and lack of funny inspirations, but since today is Legolas Day and I wish to honor our Elf by updating all my fics, I finished this chapter off today.... Sorry if it is not funny.
One of the paragraphs of this chapter was inspired by the Secret Diaries of the Fellowship =) Part of it was inspired by Snow White.
... = thoughts or random commentaries from a very sleepy authoress, stayed up all night to write chapter for Prince of Dreams to post today. Now enough babbling, on with the story.
***********************************************************************
Chapter 6:
The trio arrived in Rivendell in the late afternoon. Their camp for the previous night was only 4 miles away from the Elven City, but both Aragorn and Legolas were determined to make their track as long as possible; walking at a snail's pace and stopping every couple of minutes to admire the beauty of the forest of Imladris. Halbarad was so bored that he too started observing the surrounding forest creatures in their daily lives. He was dismayed to find that a snail, crawling along from one tree to another on the forest floor, had actually passed them as the pair were now currently stopped yet again in admiration of the intricate patterns on the bark of an old birch tree.
The ranger could not understand why those two couldn't just get on with it. It was obvious they were attracted to each other. They were always together; they walked beside each other only inches apart; they sat together when they eat and talk; they stayed up to accompany the other during his watch; they even slept side by side every night.
Frankly, he could not believe Aragorn had not made more amorous advances on the Elf. The truth was that even Halbarad had been finding Lasgalen's appearance strangely attractive and he did not consider himself as such an Elf-fancier before. He would have made the Elf his lover by now if the Golden Creature seemed half as interested in him as Lasgalen was in his companion. Well, that was not exactly true; Aragorn would kill him if he tried anything.
But anyhow, the Elf was gorgeous, intelligent and a great cook, everything a Man could desire in a lover. Given Aragorn's previous love history and his very obvious 'reactions' to the Elf's proximity, his companion really had been behaving more like a priest under the vow of chastity than the Ladies' Man he truly was. Halbarad was being to wonder if his friend was holding back in fear of Arwen. But not going the distance wouldn't save the Man from her wrath; Aragorn should know better than that. The besotted look on the Man's face as he gazed as Lasgalen would be enough to transform the Evening Star into the violent man-eater mode.
************************************************************************
The time had finally come for Aragorn to say goodbye to his new companion. They have reached Rivendell and Lasgalen would be on his way to the army camp to enlist. The Man much preferred to stay away from that place for as long as possible. Once training started, he would have to spend all his time there, among his new students. There would likely be plenty of painful times ahead for the Third Commander of the Joint Army, as young Elves tended to be as mischievous as they were arrogant. Being the only Man in their midst, Aragorn knew he would be singled out for any tricks the recruits intended to play on their instructors. He really wanted to seriously hurt Elrond for putting him up to this.
Seeing Lasgalen every day would have made any mishap the Man endured from his new students worthwhile, except for the tiny fact that he was supposed to pretend not to know the Elf. It was worse than not seeing the golden creature at all for the very sight of Lasgalen would remind Aragorn of the friendship and affections that were sacrificed.
************************************************************************
As Aragorn watched the beautiful Elf walked away, he thought, Maybe I should try to go see Arwen tonight. There is still time to prepare a love ballad and make myself presentable before the Lady retires. It would take my mind off that Elf.
It was customary for Aragorn to compose a new song exalting the Evening Star's beauty every time they met. In fact, the Man had to kneel on one knee and sing it out loud in the gardens for all to hear, while the Lady listened on a veranda above. If Arwen thought the ballad described her perfection adequately, she would come down into the garden and meet Aragorn in person. If she did not find the song pleasing, she would stay in her chambers, preferring the company of a 'magical' parrot to the Man.
************************************************************************
The parrot was a gift from Lòrien for the Lady's three thousandth birthday. It was supposed to be able to see all living things in Middle Earth. The Evening Star naively took that as a fact for a gift from the Lady Galadriel would surely be magical. The truth was that during Arwen's short stay in Lothlorien, the Elf Witch had noticed how vain her granddaughter was. Galadriel knew then that any creature that could be trained to sing praises of the Evening Star's beauty would make a perfect gift for the younger Elf. She had chosen a small brightly colored parrot as it had an added cuteness factor, which Arwen would undoubtedly find appealing.
And how right Galadriel was. Ever since its arrival, the bird had become her grandchild's favorite creature in the entire Rivendell as it knew exactly how to make the Evening Star brim with joy. Yes, she liked the parrot more than her family and Aragorn. After all, they did not fawn on her all the time, nor were they 'magical', well, except for Elrond who had Vilya; but her father did not have cute green feathers..
Whenever Arwen asked, "Parrot, parrot in the cage, who is the most beautiful of them all?"
The bird would answer always, " Thou, O Lady, art the fairest of all."
The Evening Star could never get tired of hearing this, no matter how many times the parrot had answered her already. In fact, the Lady made it a point to ask the bird five times a day, when she wakes, after each meal and before she sleeps. Actually, that is not entirely true, for Arwen sometimes spoke in her sleep. Since the Lady was preoccupied with her appearance in her dreams as well, she would question the bird on those occasions as well.
************************************************************************
Aragorn was racking his mind for a fitting love song for his Lady. He was a very gifted songwriter, especially when it came to love ballads. He had the charm and talent to match his tall, dark, handsomeness; but today, the process was proving rather difficult; especially with the phrases like 'sun- kissed golden hair spun of the finest silk' and 'eyes brighter than the blue sky, deeper than the sea' popping into his mind and inviting themselves into his song. He did not think Arwen would appreciate that much as the maiden has dark hair and light blue eyes...
Frustrated by his lack of progress, the Man decided to vent his annoyance instead of going to see the Evening Star. He would challenge his foster brother in a practice match of swords. He found these training duels very relaxing, allowing him to release all his suppressed aggression and dissatisfaction with his life. Aragorn had bested the Elf more than five years ago, but Elladan always put up a good fight. The only ones in Rivendell whom the Man had not defeated were Lord Glorfindel and Lord Elrond; and no matter how much he wanted to hurt his foster father at times, Aragorn could not really ask those ANCIENT Elven Lords for a training session. Since the elder twin would undoubtedly be at the army camp overseeing preparations for their first day of instructions tomorrow, Aragorn had no choice but to steel himself and head towards the place he wished to avoid.
************************************************************************
The Man walked into the camp at the sight of Lasgalen and a DWARF arguing with one of the Elven recruiting staff. He approached the trio as quietly as possible and stood a small distance behind the golden Elf to observe the situation.
"But you have to let me join. I traveled all the way to Mirkwood only to miss the enlisting deadline by a day. The recruits had left on their track to camp back here, so I started my journey alone to Rivendell just to get another chance of joining the army. Please, I need to do this to prove myself worthy," pleaded Lasgalen.
The other Elf sneered and answered, "If you cannot even be punctual, you really do not have the discipline to be in the army. The recruiting effort ended this afternoon, thirty minutes ago. I suggest you go home."
"Well then you should let me in. I was here hours ago," argued the dwarf.
"We will not have a DWARF in an Elven Army!! Leave before I call the guards, troublemaker," yelled the staff officer.
"I am Gimli, son of Gloin. I am no troublemaker. I can no longer watch Sauron continue to cover Middle Earth in darkness and do nothing. If my people would not fight the Dark Lord, I would lend my axe to whatever Race that would; and it just so happened to be you Elves. I am not particularly fond of the idea of working under your commands, but I will do whatever necessary to stop Sauron," said the Dwarf.
Both Legolas and Aragorn were very impressed by the bravery and altruism of the Dwarf. The Golden Prince of Mirkwood decided that no matter what happened to himself, he would give Gimli a hand.
"If I remember correctly, my Lord, the recruiting notice clearly stated all able-bodied, brave fighters were welcome to join. It did not exclude any particular Race. The very fact that Gimli, a Dwarf, had came alone to Rivendell is testament of his bravery and abilities. Besides, one of our commanders is Human, so this is not just an Elven Army. If you were willing to follow the orders of a Man, but would not allow a Dwarf to enlist, other Peoples will speak ill of us, believing that the Elves were prejudiced and intolerant of those of smaller stature. The reputation of the Eldar is at stake here, please reconsider and allow Gimli to be a representative of his People in this new joint army. Only then, can we claim that our troops acted on the entire Middle Earth's behalf," orated Legolas.
Considering the Elf's introvert nature and lack of experience in dealing with people in his personal life (which was practically non-existent), it seemed strange that giving convincing speeches was one of the things Legolas excelled at. The mean staff officer was won over immediately by his arguments and began adding Gimli's name to the draft. The Prince would have felt a small sense of accomplishment under normal circumstances; but not this afternoon, he still had not figure out a way to convince the other Elf to let him join.
I guess I will just have to beg more. thought the Prince, as he spoke, "Please, my Lord, I am willing to do anything to get accepted into the army."
A strange light came into the other Elf's eyes as he studied Legolas. The prince could barely stop himself from squirming under the staff officer's charged predatory gaze, while Aragorn was having an equal amount of trouble with stopping himself from drawing his sword and impaling the Elf who dared look at HIS ELF in such a manner.
At long last, the older Elf said meaningfully while licking his lips, "Well, perhaps I can arrange a little private session between us and I will see what I can do then."
The Man knew he could not really kill one of his own staff officers, but he wished more than anything else that he could. Instead, he cleared his throat loudly and drew back his hood. If looks could kill, the older Elf would be dead as Aragorn glared daggers at him. The staff officer immediately recognized his commander, to be exact, an extremely furious commander of the joint army. The Man looked as if he wanted to hack him into a thousand pieces, well, more like a million pieces. That expression was enough to make an army of Orcs flee for their lives.
The Elf cowered in fear and stuttered apologetically, "Forget I said that. I will put you on the draft right away, Master Lasgalen. I hope you don't mind, but I will be putting you in the same room as the Dwarf."
"It will be fine, thank you," said the Elf, as he turned to smile at Aragorn. He knew that the Man must have frightened the staff officer into allowing him to join. He missed the look on Aragorn's face but he was sure it must have been something to cause an Elven warrior to lose his composure that way.
His smile faded when the Man did not acknowledge him and simply walked away. Legolas had expected this, but it still hurt. But before any more dark thoughts could enter his mind, his new roommate interrupted him.
"You surely are strange for an Elf. I daresay none other would have helped me as you did just now, nor could they. I don't like Elves in general, but I don't think I will mind sharing a room with you that much. Should we go find our room and then the dining area? I am so hungry that I can eat a horse!" said Gimli enthusiastically as he began walking quickly towards the barracks.
The Elf smiled and followed suit, his longer strides allowing him to catch up easily with the shorter Dwarf. Though Legolas might have lost Strider as a friend today, he was sure he had gained a different one in Gimli the Dwarf.