As Legolas had said, the group reached Rivendell just before midnight. They
were met by an elf at the gate. Liera and Legolas stepped forward, for they
were more known amongst these elves. Liera bowed her head. "Greetings. I am
Liera, daughter of Viqi, granddaughter to Elrond the Halfelvin. With me are
Legolas and Relaen Greenleaf, of Mirkwood. We humbly request to stay here
the remainder of the night."
The elf bowed low. "We welcome you, friends. I am Rotinom. Gladly will we house you on your journey, but I see that you have another whom you did not name." Rotinom said as he eyed Ereht suspiciously.
Relaen stepped forward protectively. "He is our guide and companion. If you house the three of us, then you house him as well."
Liera, Legolas, and Ereht looked at Relaen, shocked. They did not expect her to stand up for Ereht so boldly. Rotinom nodded slightly. "Of course, my lady." He moved aside. "Welcome to Rivendell. I shall show you where you may rest."
The elves followed Rotinom to a round tower. Inside the tower were two rooms each with two beds. Rotinom opened the first door. "Ladies Liera and Relaen may remain here for the night." He said, bowing to the two girls. He then opened the other door. "Lord Legolas and Ereht may remain here." He said, slightly tipping his head to Legolas.
"Thank you, Rotinom. We appreciate the kindness of the elves of Rivendell." Liera said she then entered her room, followed by Relaen.
"Thank you for your kindness. We will be leaving in the morning." Legolas said to the elf.
"You are most welcome to stay as long as you wish, my lord." Rotinom said respectfully. He then left.
Legolas and Ereht entered their room. Ereht laid on one of the beds, but he could not sleep. He got up and began walking around the room. "What are you doing?" Legolas asked as he sat on the other bed.
Ereht shrugged. "I cannot seem to sleep, so I was hoping that pacing the room would make me tired. I doubt it will work though."
Legolas laughed. "You seem tense and nervous. Calm down, we are safe here. Nothing will get past the guards at the gate without us knowing about it. In a matter of days, we will reach the Shire and then the kingdom. Stop worrying yourself." He said, trying to ease the elf's nerves.
Ereht sat on his bed, facing Legolas. "I am not worried for fear that someone will come in to harm us, I do not fear death. I don't know why I'm nervous." He confessed.
Legolas saw Ereht glance at the door to the room. "Are you perhaps worried about my sister, seeing as how this is the first night on our trek that you have not been able to see her at night."
Ereht felt his ears turn red, as did his cheeks. "No, I do not worry about Relaen. She can take care of herself, plus Liera is in there." He said, stuttering slightly.
"Would it make you feel better if we spoke with them once more before we rest?" Legolas asked, for he too, felt uneasy about the girls being away from them. Ereht swallowed the lump in his throat and then nodded.
Liera laid on one of the beds in the room and Relaen sat on the other, looking out the open window in to Rivendell. "It kinda sucks that we have to leave here so quickly." She said quietly. "I wonder if they still have the extravagant feasts at sundown and the time for long tales afterwards."
Liera got up and sat next to Relaen on the bed. "Well, maybe we can talk to the guys. They may want to stay here longer too." She said with a shrug. "It wouldn't kill us to ask."
Relaen laughed. "I don't know, Ereht is in a hurry, so it just may." Liera laughed at the comment. Relaen stood and walked over to the window. "Rivendell looks so.sad.depressing even. It's like a shadow of sorrow has fallen over it since the elves went to the West." She said solemnly.
Liera laid down on the bed. "Do you know what I miss right now?" she asked, staring blankly at the wall.
Relaen grinned. She could guess what was coming next. She turned and faced her friend. "What?"
"My video games.and the internet.and T.V..Who's Line would be on right now. Not to mention Yu Yu Hakusho. I miss Link© too." Liera answered, a smile spreading across her face.
Relaen laughed. "Yeah, right now would be a good time to play Sonic Adventure 2©. Or maybe even one of the Legacy of Kain© games.ooh, or Devil May Cry©!"
Liera laughed. "Heck, even friggin Guilty Gear© or the Bouncer© would be good right now!" The two girls laughed, but their laugher was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Five bucks says it's the guys."
Relaen laughed. "Yeah, cause we all know that that money is good here." She said with a roll of her eyes. "Plus, I wouldn't bet cause I know you're right. Who else would knock on our door right now?" she reasoned. She then walked over to the door and opened it, finding Legolas and Ereht standing in the doorway.
Liera jumped from the bed and casually walked over to the door. "What are you two doing here?" she asked.
Legolas cleared his throat. "We.uh.wanted.to.uh.see if you guys wanted to stay another day." Legolas stuttered. He was to prideful to admit the real reason they were outside of the girls' room. Ereht did not object, for his pride had gotten to him as well.
Relaen shot a glance at Liera. "So, you guys didn't just want to.check up on us, maybe?" Liera asked suspiciously.
Both of the boys' faces turned a slight red. "Of course not." Ereht said, masking his true feelings. "We know you two can handle yourselves. We just assumed to ask you now if you wanted to stay." He lied.
Relaen feigned hurt. "So, you didn't care about our safety? You didn't care if we were in here, dead? I thought you cared about us!" she said before slamming the door closed. The two girls laughed and opened the door again. "Just kidding!" she grinned.
Legolas and Ereht rolled their eyes at the display. "Do you want to stay or not?" Legolas demanded, annoyance in his tone.
Liera nodded. "We were just talking about it actually. We would love to stay another night. We should tell Rotinom tonight so that he expects us."
Legolas nodded his agreement. "Since this is a big city, we'll split up into groups of two. One of us is bound to find him." He said. He put out his hand towards Liera. "Shall we?" he asked, a sly grin on his face.
Liera took his hand. "Of course." She said with a wink. The two then left to find their host.
Relaen stepped out into the hallway and closed the bedroom door behind her. She smiled at Ereht. "C'mon, let's go find Rotinom." She said. Ereht returned the smile and followed Relaen out of the building.
The two walked along side the river that went through the middle of the city, letting their gaze take in the wonder of the city. There were hardly any elves around, so the city had the appearance of being abandoned. Neither of the elves spoke, so silence hung thickly between them. It did not take them long to reach the city gates.
"Should we go back to the rooms now?" Ereht asked, his eyes peering into the woods that lie beyond the city borders.
"You can if you want, I think I am going to walk around a little more." Relaen answered as she jumped into the branches of a nearby tree.
Ereht stood underneath her. "That's not walking, that's jumping." He said with a smile.
Relaen stuck her head out of the boughs. "Who says you can't walk in a tree?" she said with a grin.
Ereht looked up the tree. "Those branches aren't strong enough. You're going to fall." He said worriedly.
Relaen smirked. "If you want me to come down, you'll have to catch me if I jump. If you won't then I'll stay up here forever.or at least until Legolas finds me, I'm sure he'll think of some way to get me down."
Ereht smiled. "I would never let you fall. If you jump, I will catch you."
Relaen jumped from branch to branch until one of the boughs was too weak for the light-footed elf. It snapped as soon as she put her foot on it and there were no other branches near for Relaen to grab hold of to catch herself.
Ereht saw the branch break and quickly ran to where Relaen was falling. He put his arms out as Relaen fell into them. She had her eyes tightly shut, expecting to feel the hard ground, but instead felt strong arms. One of her arms reached up and went around Ereht's neck. Slowly she opened her eyes to find Ereht smiling at her. "I told you I wouldn't let you fall." He said quietly.
Relaen blushed. "I'm sorry. A tree has never given out on me before." She said before yawning.
"It appears your fall has made you a little tired. I'll take you back to your room, ok?" Ereht said as he headed back towards the city.
Relaen nodded and put her head on his shoulder. "Thanks." She whispered before falling asleep.
Ereht looked down at her. The moon was reflecting off of her pale skin and made it look as if she was glowing. 'She looks as though she belongs to the Valinor.' He thought to himself. 'As if she were one of the handmaidens of Varda herself.'
"Did you guys really just come over to see if we wanted to stay another day?" Liera asked as she and Legolas walked through the city.
Legolas kissed the back of her hand. "Actually, that idea popped into my head as we stood at your door." He admitted.
Liera grinned. "I knew it!" she said victoriously. Legolas smiled and put his arm around her waist. "So what was the reason you guys came over?"
"Oh look, there's Rotinom!" Legolas said, purposefully dodging the question. He quickly led Liera to their elvin host. "Rotinom, we wanted to talk to you."
Rotinom turned to two of his guests. He bowed deeply. "What do my lady and lord ask of me?" he asked.
"Does your offer of another night's stay still stand?" Legolas asked.
"We would be honored by your stay!" Rotinom said happily. "Will you be joining us for the evening meal as well?"
Liera nodded. "We can't wait for it." She said with a warm smile.
"Then this shall be a farewell feast for your journey. Sleep well." Rotinom said. With another low bow, he left the two alone.
Legolas turned to begin walking back to their rooms, but Liera slipped out of his arm and went the opposite way. "Where are you going?" Legolas asked her.
"I don't want to go back yet. I want to walk around.do something." Liera explained. She began walking around the city, Legolas followed.
"Is there something in particular we are doing?" he asked her as she led him from building to building.
Liera shook her head. "Nope, not at all." She grinned. "I just wanted to walk around." Liera soon found her way to a painting that hung near a statue. "This is beautiful." She said in awe.
"It is Isildur when he fought Sauron." Legolas said, coming up behind her and putting his hand around her waist again. He turned her towards the statue that stood behind them. "And this is where the shards of Narsil were kept before they were re-forged and became Anduil."
Liera looked at it in awe. "It's beautiful. The shards of Narsil must have looked breathtaking lying here." She said quietly. She then felt her eyelids become heavy and a yawn escaped her mouth.
Legolas smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Come. You need rest." He said, pulling her away from the statue.
Liera shook her head in protest. "I'm fine. I want to walk some more." She said before tripping over a step.
Legolas caught her easily. "C'mon, you're so tired that you are loosing your balance. If you don't come willingly I may just have to carry you to your room."
Liera smirked. "I'd like to see you try." She said. Legolas picked her up without a second hesitation. "Wow.that was fast." Liera said sleepily.
Legolas grinned. "Now sleep." He said quietly. Before the words were out of his mouth, Liera was asleep in his arms. He kissed her forehead. "Sleep well my Kementari." He then took her to her room where he found Ereht laying Relaen on one of the beds. "She fell asleep too?" he asked quietly as he laid Liera on her bed, pulling a blanket over her.
Ereht pulled the blanket over Relaen. "Yes, not to long ago." He answered. He watched her sleep for a moment before heading for the door.
Legolas followed him out and made sure the door was secured behind him. "What was that look for?" he asked Ereht playfully.
Ereht gave Legolas a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"That look you gave my sister before we left the room." Legolas said, a grin on his face.
Ereht laid on his bed. "You have been hanging around the girls to much Legolas. You are beginning to talk gibberish."
Legolas laughed. "You know what I'm talking about and I know what that look was, but I'll let you stay in denial for a while." He said before rolling over and falling asleep.
Ereht sighed. 'What was that look for? You just spent time with her alone and you had to get that last look? You are truly insane, Ereht, just like them.' He said to himself as he fell into a fitful sleep.
The elf bowed low. "We welcome you, friends. I am Rotinom. Gladly will we house you on your journey, but I see that you have another whom you did not name." Rotinom said as he eyed Ereht suspiciously.
Relaen stepped forward protectively. "He is our guide and companion. If you house the three of us, then you house him as well."
Liera, Legolas, and Ereht looked at Relaen, shocked. They did not expect her to stand up for Ereht so boldly. Rotinom nodded slightly. "Of course, my lady." He moved aside. "Welcome to Rivendell. I shall show you where you may rest."
The elves followed Rotinom to a round tower. Inside the tower were two rooms each with two beds. Rotinom opened the first door. "Ladies Liera and Relaen may remain here for the night." He said, bowing to the two girls. He then opened the other door. "Lord Legolas and Ereht may remain here." He said, slightly tipping his head to Legolas.
"Thank you, Rotinom. We appreciate the kindness of the elves of Rivendell." Liera said she then entered her room, followed by Relaen.
"Thank you for your kindness. We will be leaving in the morning." Legolas said to the elf.
"You are most welcome to stay as long as you wish, my lord." Rotinom said respectfully. He then left.
Legolas and Ereht entered their room. Ereht laid on one of the beds, but he could not sleep. He got up and began walking around the room. "What are you doing?" Legolas asked as he sat on the other bed.
Ereht shrugged. "I cannot seem to sleep, so I was hoping that pacing the room would make me tired. I doubt it will work though."
Legolas laughed. "You seem tense and nervous. Calm down, we are safe here. Nothing will get past the guards at the gate without us knowing about it. In a matter of days, we will reach the Shire and then the kingdom. Stop worrying yourself." He said, trying to ease the elf's nerves.
Ereht sat on his bed, facing Legolas. "I am not worried for fear that someone will come in to harm us, I do not fear death. I don't know why I'm nervous." He confessed.
Legolas saw Ereht glance at the door to the room. "Are you perhaps worried about my sister, seeing as how this is the first night on our trek that you have not been able to see her at night."
Ereht felt his ears turn red, as did his cheeks. "No, I do not worry about Relaen. She can take care of herself, plus Liera is in there." He said, stuttering slightly.
"Would it make you feel better if we spoke with them once more before we rest?" Legolas asked, for he too, felt uneasy about the girls being away from them. Ereht swallowed the lump in his throat and then nodded.
Liera laid on one of the beds in the room and Relaen sat on the other, looking out the open window in to Rivendell. "It kinda sucks that we have to leave here so quickly." She said quietly. "I wonder if they still have the extravagant feasts at sundown and the time for long tales afterwards."
Liera got up and sat next to Relaen on the bed. "Well, maybe we can talk to the guys. They may want to stay here longer too." She said with a shrug. "It wouldn't kill us to ask."
Relaen laughed. "I don't know, Ereht is in a hurry, so it just may." Liera laughed at the comment. Relaen stood and walked over to the window. "Rivendell looks so.sad.depressing even. It's like a shadow of sorrow has fallen over it since the elves went to the West." She said solemnly.
Liera laid down on the bed. "Do you know what I miss right now?" she asked, staring blankly at the wall.
Relaen grinned. She could guess what was coming next. She turned and faced her friend. "What?"
"My video games.and the internet.and T.V..Who's Line would be on right now. Not to mention Yu Yu Hakusho. I miss Link© too." Liera answered, a smile spreading across her face.
Relaen laughed. "Yeah, right now would be a good time to play Sonic Adventure 2©. Or maybe even one of the Legacy of Kain© games.ooh, or Devil May Cry©!"
Liera laughed. "Heck, even friggin Guilty Gear© or the Bouncer© would be good right now!" The two girls laughed, but their laugher was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Five bucks says it's the guys."
Relaen laughed. "Yeah, cause we all know that that money is good here." She said with a roll of her eyes. "Plus, I wouldn't bet cause I know you're right. Who else would knock on our door right now?" she reasoned. She then walked over to the door and opened it, finding Legolas and Ereht standing in the doorway.
Liera jumped from the bed and casually walked over to the door. "What are you two doing here?" she asked.
Legolas cleared his throat. "We.uh.wanted.to.uh.see if you guys wanted to stay another day." Legolas stuttered. He was to prideful to admit the real reason they were outside of the girls' room. Ereht did not object, for his pride had gotten to him as well.
Relaen shot a glance at Liera. "So, you guys didn't just want to.check up on us, maybe?" Liera asked suspiciously.
Both of the boys' faces turned a slight red. "Of course not." Ereht said, masking his true feelings. "We know you two can handle yourselves. We just assumed to ask you now if you wanted to stay." He lied.
Relaen feigned hurt. "So, you didn't care about our safety? You didn't care if we were in here, dead? I thought you cared about us!" she said before slamming the door closed. The two girls laughed and opened the door again. "Just kidding!" she grinned.
Legolas and Ereht rolled their eyes at the display. "Do you want to stay or not?" Legolas demanded, annoyance in his tone.
Liera nodded. "We were just talking about it actually. We would love to stay another night. We should tell Rotinom tonight so that he expects us."
Legolas nodded his agreement. "Since this is a big city, we'll split up into groups of two. One of us is bound to find him." He said. He put out his hand towards Liera. "Shall we?" he asked, a sly grin on his face.
Liera took his hand. "Of course." She said with a wink. The two then left to find their host.
Relaen stepped out into the hallway and closed the bedroom door behind her. She smiled at Ereht. "C'mon, let's go find Rotinom." She said. Ereht returned the smile and followed Relaen out of the building.
The two walked along side the river that went through the middle of the city, letting their gaze take in the wonder of the city. There were hardly any elves around, so the city had the appearance of being abandoned. Neither of the elves spoke, so silence hung thickly between them. It did not take them long to reach the city gates.
"Should we go back to the rooms now?" Ereht asked, his eyes peering into the woods that lie beyond the city borders.
"You can if you want, I think I am going to walk around a little more." Relaen answered as she jumped into the branches of a nearby tree.
Ereht stood underneath her. "That's not walking, that's jumping." He said with a smile.
Relaen stuck her head out of the boughs. "Who says you can't walk in a tree?" she said with a grin.
Ereht looked up the tree. "Those branches aren't strong enough. You're going to fall." He said worriedly.
Relaen smirked. "If you want me to come down, you'll have to catch me if I jump. If you won't then I'll stay up here forever.or at least until Legolas finds me, I'm sure he'll think of some way to get me down."
Ereht smiled. "I would never let you fall. If you jump, I will catch you."
Relaen jumped from branch to branch until one of the boughs was too weak for the light-footed elf. It snapped as soon as she put her foot on it and there were no other branches near for Relaen to grab hold of to catch herself.
Ereht saw the branch break and quickly ran to where Relaen was falling. He put his arms out as Relaen fell into them. She had her eyes tightly shut, expecting to feel the hard ground, but instead felt strong arms. One of her arms reached up and went around Ereht's neck. Slowly she opened her eyes to find Ereht smiling at her. "I told you I wouldn't let you fall." He said quietly.
Relaen blushed. "I'm sorry. A tree has never given out on me before." She said before yawning.
"It appears your fall has made you a little tired. I'll take you back to your room, ok?" Ereht said as he headed back towards the city.
Relaen nodded and put her head on his shoulder. "Thanks." She whispered before falling asleep.
Ereht looked down at her. The moon was reflecting off of her pale skin and made it look as if she was glowing. 'She looks as though she belongs to the Valinor.' He thought to himself. 'As if she were one of the handmaidens of Varda herself.'
"Did you guys really just come over to see if we wanted to stay another day?" Liera asked as she and Legolas walked through the city.
Legolas kissed the back of her hand. "Actually, that idea popped into my head as we stood at your door." He admitted.
Liera grinned. "I knew it!" she said victoriously. Legolas smiled and put his arm around her waist. "So what was the reason you guys came over?"
"Oh look, there's Rotinom!" Legolas said, purposefully dodging the question. He quickly led Liera to their elvin host. "Rotinom, we wanted to talk to you."
Rotinom turned to two of his guests. He bowed deeply. "What do my lady and lord ask of me?" he asked.
"Does your offer of another night's stay still stand?" Legolas asked.
"We would be honored by your stay!" Rotinom said happily. "Will you be joining us for the evening meal as well?"
Liera nodded. "We can't wait for it." She said with a warm smile.
"Then this shall be a farewell feast for your journey. Sleep well." Rotinom said. With another low bow, he left the two alone.
Legolas turned to begin walking back to their rooms, but Liera slipped out of his arm and went the opposite way. "Where are you going?" Legolas asked her.
"I don't want to go back yet. I want to walk around.do something." Liera explained. She began walking around the city, Legolas followed.
"Is there something in particular we are doing?" he asked her as she led him from building to building.
Liera shook her head. "Nope, not at all." She grinned. "I just wanted to walk around." Liera soon found her way to a painting that hung near a statue. "This is beautiful." She said in awe.
"It is Isildur when he fought Sauron." Legolas said, coming up behind her and putting his hand around her waist again. He turned her towards the statue that stood behind them. "And this is where the shards of Narsil were kept before they were re-forged and became Anduil."
Liera looked at it in awe. "It's beautiful. The shards of Narsil must have looked breathtaking lying here." She said quietly. She then felt her eyelids become heavy and a yawn escaped her mouth.
Legolas smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Come. You need rest." He said, pulling her away from the statue.
Liera shook her head in protest. "I'm fine. I want to walk some more." She said before tripping over a step.
Legolas caught her easily. "C'mon, you're so tired that you are loosing your balance. If you don't come willingly I may just have to carry you to your room."
Liera smirked. "I'd like to see you try." She said. Legolas picked her up without a second hesitation. "Wow.that was fast." Liera said sleepily.
Legolas grinned. "Now sleep." He said quietly. Before the words were out of his mouth, Liera was asleep in his arms. He kissed her forehead. "Sleep well my Kementari." He then took her to her room where he found Ereht laying Relaen on one of the beds. "She fell asleep too?" he asked quietly as he laid Liera on her bed, pulling a blanket over her.
Ereht pulled the blanket over Relaen. "Yes, not to long ago." He answered. He watched her sleep for a moment before heading for the door.
Legolas followed him out and made sure the door was secured behind him. "What was that look for?" he asked Ereht playfully.
Ereht gave Legolas a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"That look you gave my sister before we left the room." Legolas said, a grin on his face.
Ereht laid on his bed. "You have been hanging around the girls to much Legolas. You are beginning to talk gibberish."
Legolas laughed. "You know what I'm talking about and I know what that look was, but I'll let you stay in denial for a while." He said before rolling over and falling asleep.
Ereht sighed. 'What was that look for? You just spent time with her alone and you had to get that last look? You are truly insane, Ereht, just like them.' He said to himself as he fell into a fitful sleep.