Disclaimer- Refer to Chapter One
My dear readers and reviewers~ Thank you so much for all your reviews and support! It has been truly amazing.
A/N- Just a short little chapter I decided I did not want to combine with the next one since the next chapter will be rated R and then some people wouldn't be able to read this chapter since it is a vital part to my story. Not that I am under the delusion that people too young will not read the next chapter anyway, but whatever.
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A Sad Tale
'Why Prince Legolas, what a pleasant surprise this is!'
Legolas closed his eyes and breathed deeply, allowing the wind to cool the sudden fire that rippled through his muscles. He could not deal with Hadrielia and her constant flirting right now. Opening his eyes, he kept his gaze trained on the retreating form of Valia. 'Is there something you wished to speak with me about, Lady Hadrielia?' He scooped up the blanket off the ground and proceeded to make succinct folds in the soft fabric. The sooner he was done the sooner he could leave; at least he hoped it would be able to.
The maiden came to stand beside the Prince, waiting for him to turn to her; however, he tenaciously did not glance her way. She looked in the direction his gaze kept flickering to so intently and her face twisted disagreeably when she saw the familiar blond hair of Valia still in view, done up in becoming twists and braids. 'She has cast a spell over you, my lord, but I advise you to take care.'
'I beg your pardon?' Valia maneuvered through a stand of tall trees, disappearing, and Legolas turned to look down at Hadrielia standing close to him. He could discern nothing of her real emotions past the attractive mask of worry and concern she wore.
'Did you really think you were the first who has taken a fancy to her? Why so many are attracted to her is beyond me, but you are not the first. Though I must admit it has been quite awhile since the last prospective suitor tried to win her affections for his own.'
'Do not play games with me, Lady Hadrielia,' said Legolas bluntly, a dangerous fire lighting in his eyes at the mention of Valia. 'I am in no humor to give consequence to such foolishness. Speak openly or refrain from saying anything at all. I have better things to do with my time than to be diverted by your little intrigues.'
Hadrielia only smiled sweetly at the Prince, pretending the sharp tone in his voice did not exist. All she needed to do was say the right thing and she could easily arrest his attention. And unfortunately for Legolas, manipulation was second nature to her, done with such practiced ease that her victim was unaware of his danger before it was far too late. 'Valia has had quite the string of admirers before.'
'Am I supposed to be surprised by this, my lady? There is more to a maiden than looks, though Valia does not lack the beauty you obviously think she does. It would not surprise me if many an elf has taken interest in her before.' He leaned down and threw the remaining contents of the picnic into the basket, tucking the blanket on top before taking hold of the handle and straightening again. A high wind caressed the nearby trees, sending them into an excited shiver of leafy noise against one another.
'Yes,' Hadrielia admitted slowly, much to her dislike. She had to raise her voice so she could be heard over the whispering of the trees, but that did not alter her syrupy tone. 'But she shunned their attentions, pushing them away from her with a heart of stone. She will not let another grow close to her. You have heard that she has sworn never to marry or love.'
Her comments elicited the response she was watching for from Legolas. His keen eyes pierced Hadrielia, searching deep within the maiden's soul. 'What are you trying to say?' he asked carefully. 'I have heard such things from her own mouth before but I do not see why they should concern me.'
'I simply mean that you should take care, my lord. Her heart is hard. She is proud and will not let anyone claim a hold on her. There have been elves in the past who tried to win her love, but she turned them all away with cold indifference.'
Legolas did not like where the conversation was going at all, but Hadrielia had arrested his attention and he found it impossible to walk away. 'Why do you tell me these things?'
'I do not wish you to get hurt. It is clear that you have grown to care for her, but she will only reject your love if you offer it to her whether you are a prince or were a lowly servant. She has done it before.'
'Others have fallen in love with her before? She has had offers of marriage?' Legolas shifted his weight uneasily and felt the icy fingers of fear brush against his soul with a light touch. It was all that was needed to increase Legolas' steady heart rate into a panic. What if someone was to come along and ask her to plight her troth to them and she agreed? The idea unnerved Legolas, making his grip on the basket tighten.
'O yes, she used to be quite the beauty. She had her own following of lovelorn admirers in her day. She even had a few that were quite enviable.' Legolas began to finger the basket in his hand and his eyes clouded over with some unsolicited thought. Hadrielia smiled, knowing she had him wrapped around her little finger now. Male elves were so easy to manipulate, especially the ones who did not know what their own feelings were. Intelligence seemed to make no difference in the hazy realms of love.
'You say they were enviable? Why?' asked Legolas, moving the basket to his other hand.
'Lord Elrohir and Lord Glorfindel would be quite the catch for any maiden. Both come with the promise of a very comfortable life combined with the fact that they are far from being hard on the eyes.'
'Elrohir and Glorfindel,' Legolas repeated in astonishment. He stepped forward in surprise, unaware of the effect Hadrielia was having over him.
'Yes indeed. There was a point when I thought she would have the lucky choice of having to decide between the two.'
'And it was never required of her?'
'Lord Elrond sent her on a trip to Lothlorien towards the beginning of the third age and something happened, I am not exactly sure what, but...O my, listen to me rambling on,' Hadrielia chided herself with mock contrition. 'You are probably not interested in hearing such tales and want to get back to the palace. You said yourself you were pressed for time. I will leave you in peace my lord. Good day.' Hadrielia made a graceful curtsey and turned to leave but Legolas caught her arm to prevent her from escaping. A wicked smile adorned her full lips before she acquiesced to Legolas' coaxing tugs to turn her around. She put on a sober face when she looked up at him and furrowed her creamy brow in a look of bewilderment. 'My lord?'
'What happened?' Legolas demanded.
'Happened, your highness?'
'To Valia,' growled Legolas in frustration.
'I am sure nothing that could interest you my lord. I do not want to waste your time with idle gossip. I am sure you have far more important things to do than listen to me chatter on about the past of Lady Valia.'
'You are mistaken. I have nothing pressing to attend to at the moment. Feel free to prattle on as long as you like,' offered Legolas with a gallant sweep of his arm.
'Perhaps,' mussed Hadrielia, pretending to weigh the choice in her mind while she brought her clasped hands to her lips in feigned concentration. 'Shall we sit?' she inquired at last, gesturing to a large rock near the pond. She walked past Legolas without waiting for his reply and sat on the makeshift seat, smoothing out her gossamer skirts that fluttered about her like the delicate wings of a butterfly.
Legolas was quick to follow, though he made sure to sit as far away from the lady as possible without offending her into refusing to continue her narration. 'Are you comfortable enough to continue now or do you require something else?'
Ignoring his peevish tone, Hadrielia donned a pleasant expression and shifted closer to him. 'I am quite comfortable. Your concern touches my heart Prince Legolas,' she replied, placing one hand on her chest and the other on Legolas' arm.
'Will you continue your tale please?' Legolas asked. He bent down to place the basket on the ground, and much to his relief, the movement forced Hadrielia to release her unwelcome hold on him.
'I am at your every command my lord,' Hadrielia said with yielding submission. 'Valia was never the same after her trip. She returned to Imladris without any fanfare and elves began to whisper about her silent homecoming when she resided at Lord Elrond's home instead of her own. Lord Elrond's household kept things quiet, even the servants were instructed not to say anything about Valia when asked. No one knew what happened to her until she emerged from his house several months later. She looked pale and a bit downhearted, but other than that no one thought anything of it until a few of her former admirers took up a renewed interest in her and she coldly rebuffed them. I noticed that Elrohir and Glorfindel's relationships with her altered as well. They started treating her like a beloved younger sister which surprised me greatly after their constant attentions to her as a potential bride.'
Another strong gust of wind swept over the pond and through the trees. Hadrielia paused her story to situate the chaos the disturbance had caused to her skirts. Legolas waited impatiently, amusing himself with trying to determine when the impregnated clouds would pour forth their life giving gift on the land below. The best he could judge in the darkness of early night was less than an hour. Having satisfied herself with the arrangement of her garments, Hadrielia looked up with bright eyes and resumed her recounting. 'Valia's appearance began to change soon after that. The clothing she wore grew overly modest and she no longer fashioned her hair in braids, eventually pulling it back like she does now. She became reclusive, shunning the attention of male elves and dedicating her waking hours to working in Lord Elrond's library. Eventually she grew pale from staying indoors too much and the male attention she received drifted to other maidens who were more receptive and more beautiful.' Hadrielia ducked her head to cover a smile at the keen attention Legolas bestowed on her and busied herself with smoothing her skirt again.
'And that is all?' Legolas asked when she made no further move at conversation.
'I am afraid that ends her sad tale.'
'And nothing was ever found out about what happened to her in Lothlorien? I find it very strange that whatever it was has been kept a secret so well,' mussed Legolas, more to himself than Hadrielia.
'No one would dare cross the orders of Lord Elrond,' Hadrielia reminded. 'If you want the full account of what happened I suggest you ask him or Valia herself, though I do not think your prospects are high in obtaining any more information than what I have given you.' Hadrielia leaned closer to him once more, making contact by placing her hand on his shoulder. Legolas was overwhelmed by the sweet aroma of flowers, so different yet similar to that of Valia and strangely not an unpleasant smell. 'Please be careful. I have seen her hurt other elves who offered their love to her before. I cannot imagine that she would suddenly change her tactics after millennium of the same routine. It is obvious that she does not desire the warmth a lover's arms can provide.'
'I thank you for your advice Lady Hadrielia, but I think I know more about Valia than you do,' he said stiffly. 'Besides, you presume far too much for your own good.'
'I beg your pardon. It was kindly meant,' she said with a hurt expression.
'Let us not pretend it had anything to do with kindness and compassion on your part.' Legolas took Hadrielia's hand off his shoulder and dropped it into her lap before standing up. 'A storm is about to unleash itself on us, my lady. I would suggest that you head home before you ruin that pretty dress of yours.'
Taking his hint, Hadrielia stood with as much dignity as she could muster. 'I am not trying to be as conniving as you believe I am. I truly think you will never be able to induce Valia into marriage with you.' Hadrielia held up a silencing hand when Legolas took a step towards her with a threatening expression. 'I am leaving. I bid you a good day your highness.' Making a beautiful curtsey, Legolas watched as she glided away from him on feet that appeared to not even touch the ground. He could not help the glint of appreciation that sprang into his emerald eyes. The lady was gorgeous. Any elf would be senseless not to notice, but that was not enough for Legolas. He wanted more in a life companion, someone who shared his depth of intelligence and spirituality, besides being outwardly attractive.
Hadrielia turned around, giving Legolas a tentative smile when she saw him still looking at her. Clenching his jaw, he turned his gaze in the direction of the palace, his body following as he stalked off towards his room with as many dreary thoughts on his mind as there were clouds overhead.
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A few people have requested I email them every time I post a new chapter. If you would like me to do that for you as well, please let me know in your review. I know my updates tend to be rather unpredictable and so I am willing to email you whenever I update.
Please leave an email address with your review pretty please so that I can send you a thank you : )
My dear readers and reviewers~ Thank you so much for all your reviews and support! It has been truly amazing.
A/N- Just a short little chapter I decided I did not want to combine with the next one since the next chapter will be rated R and then some people wouldn't be able to read this chapter since it is a vital part to my story. Not that I am under the delusion that people too young will not read the next chapter anyway, but whatever.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A Sad Tale
'Why Prince Legolas, what a pleasant surprise this is!'
Legolas closed his eyes and breathed deeply, allowing the wind to cool the sudden fire that rippled through his muscles. He could not deal with Hadrielia and her constant flirting right now. Opening his eyes, he kept his gaze trained on the retreating form of Valia. 'Is there something you wished to speak with me about, Lady Hadrielia?' He scooped up the blanket off the ground and proceeded to make succinct folds in the soft fabric. The sooner he was done the sooner he could leave; at least he hoped it would be able to.
The maiden came to stand beside the Prince, waiting for him to turn to her; however, he tenaciously did not glance her way. She looked in the direction his gaze kept flickering to so intently and her face twisted disagreeably when she saw the familiar blond hair of Valia still in view, done up in becoming twists and braids. 'She has cast a spell over you, my lord, but I advise you to take care.'
'I beg your pardon?' Valia maneuvered through a stand of tall trees, disappearing, and Legolas turned to look down at Hadrielia standing close to him. He could discern nothing of her real emotions past the attractive mask of worry and concern she wore.
'Did you really think you were the first who has taken a fancy to her? Why so many are attracted to her is beyond me, but you are not the first. Though I must admit it has been quite awhile since the last prospective suitor tried to win her affections for his own.'
'Do not play games with me, Lady Hadrielia,' said Legolas bluntly, a dangerous fire lighting in his eyes at the mention of Valia. 'I am in no humor to give consequence to such foolishness. Speak openly or refrain from saying anything at all. I have better things to do with my time than to be diverted by your little intrigues.'
Hadrielia only smiled sweetly at the Prince, pretending the sharp tone in his voice did not exist. All she needed to do was say the right thing and she could easily arrest his attention. And unfortunately for Legolas, manipulation was second nature to her, done with such practiced ease that her victim was unaware of his danger before it was far too late. 'Valia has had quite the string of admirers before.'
'Am I supposed to be surprised by this, my lady? There is more to a maiden than looks, though Valia does not lack the beauty you obviously think she does. It would not surprise me if many an elf has taken interest in her before.' He leaned down and threw the remaining contents of the picnic into the basket, tucking the blanket on top before taking hold of the handle and straightening again. A high wind caressed the nearby trees, sending them into an excited shiver of leafy noise against one another.
'Yes,' Hadrielia admitted slowly, much to her dislike. She had to raise her voice so she could be heard over the whispering of the trees, but that did not alter her syrupy tone. 'But she shunned their attentions, pushing them away from her with a heart of stone. She will not let another grow close to her. You have heard that she has sworn never to marry or love.'
Her comments elicited the response she was watching for from Legolas. His keen eyes pierced Hadrielia, searching deep within the maiden's soul. 'What are you trying to say?' he asked carefully. 'I have heard such things from her own mouth before but I do not see why they should concern me.'
'I simply mean that you should take care, my lord. Her heart is hard. She is proud and will not let anyone claim a hold on her. There have been elves in the past who tried to win her love, but she turned them all away with cold indifference.'
Legolas did not like where the conversation was going at all, but Hadrielia had arrested his attention and he found it impossible to walk away. 'Why do you tell me these things?'
'I do not wish you to get hurt. It is clear that you have grown to care for her, but she will only reject your love if you offer it to her whether you are a prince or were a lowly servant. She has done it before.'
'Others have fallen in love with her before? She has had offers of marriage?' Legolas shifted his weight uneasily and felt the icy fingers of fear brush against his soul with a light touch. It was all that was needed to increase Legolas' steady heart rate into a panic. What if someone was to come along and ask her to plight her troth to them and she agreed? The idea unnerved Legolas, making his grip on the basket tighten.
'O yes, she used to be quite the beauty. She had her own following of lovelorn admirers in her day. She even had a few that were quite enviable.' Legolas began to finger the basket in his hand and his eyes clouded over with some unsolicited thought. Hadrielia smiled, knowing she had him wrapped around her little finger now. Male elves were so easy to manipulate, especially the ones who did not know what their own feelings were. Intelligence seemed to make no difference in the hazy realms of love.
'You say they were enviable? Why?' asked Legolas, moving the basket to his other hand.
'Lord Elrohir and Lord Glorfindel would be quite the catch for any maiden. Both come with the promise of a very comfortable life combined with the fact that they are far from being hard on the eyes.'
'Elrohir and Glorfindel,' Legolas repeated in astonishment. He stepped forward in surprise, unaware of the effect Hadrielia was having over him.
'Yes indeed. There was a point when I thought she would have the lucky choice of having to decide between the two.'
'And it was never required of her?'
'Lord Elrond sent her on a trip to Lothlorien towards the beginning of the third age and something happened, I am not exactly sure what, but...O my, listen to me rambling on,' Hadrielia chided herself with mock contrition. 'You are probably not interested in hearing such tales and want to get back to the palace. You said yourself you were pressed for time. I will leave you in peace my lord. Good day.' Hadrielia made a graceful curtsey and turned to leave but Legolas caught her arm to prevent her from escaping. A wicked smile adorned her full lips before she acquiesced to Legolas' coaxing tugs to turn her around. She put on a sober face when she looked up at him and furrowed her creamy brow in a look of bewilderment. 'My lord?'
'What happened?' Legolas demanded.
'Happened, your highness?'
'To Valia,' growled Legolas in frustration.
'I am sure nothing that could interest you my lord. I do not want to waste your time with idle gossip. I am sure you have far more important things to do than listen to me chatter on about the past of Lady Valia.'
'You are mistaken. I have nothing pressing to attend to at the moment. Feel free to prattle on as long as you like,' offered Legolas with a gallant sweep of his arm.
'Perhaps,' mussed Hadrielia, pretending to weigh the choice in her mind while she brought her clasped hands to her lips in feigned concentration. 'Shall we sit?' she inquired at last, gesturing to a large rock near the pond. She walked past Legolas without waiting for his reply and sat on the makeshift seat, smoothing out her gossamer skirts that fluttered about her like the delicate wings of a butterfly.
Legolas was quick to follow, though he made sure to sit as far away from the lady as possible without offending her into refusing to continue her narration. 'Are you comfortable enough to continue now or do you require something else?'
Ignoring his peevish tone, Hadrielia donned a pleasant expression and shifted closer to him. 'I am quite comfortable. Your concern touches my heart Prince Legolas,' she replied, placing one hand on her chest and the other on Legolas' arm.
'Will you continue your tale please?' Legolas asked. He bent down to place the basket on the ground, and much to his relief, the movement forced Hadrielia to release her unwelcome hold on him.
'I am at your every command my lord,' Hadrielia said with yielding submission. 'Valia was never the same after her trip. She returned to Imladris without any fanfare and elves began to whisper about her silent homecoming when she resided at Lord Elrond's home instead of her own. Lord Elrond's household kept things quiet, even the servants were instructed not to say anything about Valia when asked. No one knew what happened to her until she emerged from his house several months later. She looked pale and a bit downhearted, but other than that no one thought anything of it until a few of her former admirers took up a renewed interest in her and she coldly rebuffed them. I noticed that Elrohir and Glorfindel's relationships with her altered as well. They started treating her like a beloved younger sister which surprised me greatly after their constant attentions to her as a potential bride.'
Another strong gust of wind swept over the pond and through the trees. Hadrielia paused her story to situate the chaos the disturbance had caused to her skirts. Legolas waited impatiently, amusing himself with trying to determine when the impregnated clouds would pour forth their life giving gift on the land below. The best he could judge in the darkness of early night was less than an hour. Having satisfied herself with the arrangement of her garments, Hadrielia looked up with bright eyes and resumed her recounting. 'Valia's appearance began to change soon after that. The clothing she wore grew overly modest and she no longer fashioned her hair in braids, eventually pulling it back like she does now. She became reclusive, shunning the attention of male elves and dedicating her waking hours to working in Lord Elrond's library. Eventually she grew pale from staying indoors too much and the male attention she received drifted to other maidens who were more receptive and more beautiful.' Hadrielia ducked her head to cover a smile at the keen attention Legolas bestowed on her and busied herself with smoothing her skirt again.
'And that is all?' Legolas asked when she made no further move at conversation.
'I am afraid that ends her sad tale.'
'And nothing was ever found out about what happened to her in Lothlorien? I find it very strange that whatever it was has been kept a secret so well,' mussed Legolas, more to himself than Hadrielia.
'No one would dare cross the orders of Lord Elrond,' Hadrielia reminded. 'If you want the full account of what happened I suggest you ask him or Valia herself, though I do not think your prospects are high in obtaining any more information than what I have given you.' Hadrielia leaned closer to him once more, making contact by placing her hand on his shoulder. Legolas was overwhelmed by the sweet aroma of flowers, so different yet similar to that of Valia and strangely not an unpleasant smell. 'Please be careful. I have seen her hurt other elves who offered their love to her before. I cannot imagine that she would suddenly change her tactics after millennium of the same routine. It is obvious that she does not desire the warmth a lover's arms can provide.'
'I thank you for your advice Lady Hadrielia, but I think I know more about Valia than you do,' he said stiffly. 'Besides, you presume far too much for your own good.'
'I beg your pardon. It was kindly meant,' she said with a hurt expression.
'Let us not pretend it had anything to do with kindness and compassion on your part.' Legolas took Hadrielia's hand off his shoulder and dropped it into her lap before standing up. 'A storm is about to unleash itself on us, my lady. I would suggest that you head home before you ruin that pretty dress of yours.'
Taking his hint, Hadrielia stood with as much dignity as she could muster. 'I am not trying to be as conniving as you believe I am. I truly think you will never be able to induce Valia into marriage with you.' Hadrielia held up a silencing hand when Legolas took a step towards her with a threatening expression. 'I am leaving. I bid you a good day your highness.' Making a beautiful curtsey, Legolas watched as she glided away from him on feet that appeared to not even touch the ground. He could not help the glint of appreciation that sprang into his emerald eyes. The lady was gorgeous. Any elf would be senseless not to notice, but that was not enough for Legolas. He wanted more in a life companion, someone who shared his depth of intelligence and spirituality, besides being outwardly attractive.
Hadrielia turned around, giving Legolas a tentative smile when she saw him still looking at her. Clenching his jaw, he turned his gaze in the direction of the palace, his body following as he stalked off towards his room with as many dreary thoughts on his mind as there were clouds overhead.
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A few people have requested I email them every time I post a new chapter. If you would like me to do that for you as well, please let me know in your review. I know my updates tend to be rather unpredictable and so I am willing to email you whenever I update.
Please leave an email address with your review pretty please so that I can send you a thank you : )