A/N: Yes, I finally made this chapter! Sorry it took sometime to work on,
but I promise this is a barrel of laughs. Still don't own anything except
Niliwen. The idea of peace negotiations really came from "Scribe", but I
swear there will be no skinchangers in this story. Please review as usual!
The Fine Art of Diplomacy
It was about a week before the New Year when we returned to Emyn Arnen. We'd barely unpacked our bags when we learned of a treaty to be signed between Gondor and the Dunlendings. And of course this meant that we'd be spending more time in the City again.
It was about three days before the New Year when the Dunlending delegation arrived in Minas Tirith in the morning. I was catching up on things with Ioreth in the Houses of Healing when I heard of the arrival. I returned to the Citadel just in time to join the welcoming. That's one thing I did right.
After a while, the treaty was going to be discussed. I decided to perhaps loiter outside the hall, but then Éowyn saw me.
"Niliwen, what are you still doing out here?" she asked me.
"Nothing in particular" I replied innocently.
She shook her head and said, "If you've got nothing to do, then can you put some things in order in the Steward's office upstairs? The ladies are going to join in the meeting too".
I marveled at this. Normally, women were not allowed to join such things.
"Oh alright" I said reluctantly. I was hoping to eavesdrop on the negotiation.
"Thank you. Come down for lunch in about three hours, or if you feel like it" she said merrily before she slipped into the room.
After I'd finished putting the books back on the bookshelves, I found a large heavy book called "Translations Into Numenorean". Looked like Faramir had been working on translating something from the Vaults of Lore.
Anyway, I decided to have a look at the book. It was rather heavy and so I had a difficult time dragging it to the windowsill to take a good look at it. After looking at a few pages, I got a headache and I left the book on the sill. Suddenly, I heard a "THUD!"
"Oh Elbereth! Please don't tell me it landed in the street!" I muttered as I looked down. Much to my relief and dismay, the book was resting on an awning a couple of meters from the floor level of the room.
Only one thing to do. I had to retrieve it myself. I knew that the book was at least 60 years old. So I lowered myself from out the window and landed with an even louder THUD on the awning. I inched forward.and nearly tumbled off. I knew I could survive Ithilien, but Minas Tirith was always another story.
After a while, I reached the book. Then my foot slipped off the awning and I was hanging on by one foot and my fingertips. Then I realized that my foot was entangled in a string of pennants. After I pulled with all my might, my foot got loose, but there was still a pennant on my boot.
Five minutes, and several scrapes later, I finally hauled myself up to the study and put the book back on the shelf. Then, when I was going downstairs, I passed by the meeting room.
I swear, I hadn't heard much. But after about five minutes of accidental eavesdropping, a Dunlending delegate caught me.
"Who are you?" he asked me.
"I'm Niliwen, a resident of the Steward's household" I said truthfully. I assumed I did not have to mention that I was a mere attendant. Well, I should've because he would've left me alone right there and then. But instead, I was dragged in. The room was filled with the dignitaries of Gondor, and those of Dunland.
"Is this eavesdropping little girl your daughter?" the delegate asked Faramir. I was in shock. I wasn't a little girl! And I certainly am not related to anybody in Ithilien!
"Excuse me sir, but I'm already twenty-one years old, and Lord Faramir is not my father. I'm merely an attendant in Emyn Arnen," I said, with a blush starting to creep across my face.
"You look no more than sixteen," the delegate said.
I could see the people in the room starting to laugh. This was honestly getting ridiculous and embarrassing.
"I'll go now. I'm sorry for the interruption," I said. For once, I decided to admit my mistakes. So there!
"That wasn't the first one. Something fell on the awning a while ago" Prince Imrahil noted. I stopped in my tracks
"No uncle, there were two things. One of them must have been a boot, since I saw a bootlace dangling down for just a while" Faramir added
"Did anything fall from higher up, Niliwen?" Éowyn asked me.
"Actually, it was." I began, hoping to fumble for an excuse to get out of this fix.
"Don't lie Niliwen" Faramir warned me.
"Sir, I was just reading your book on translat-" I blurted out before I clapped my hand over my mouth.
"What does that have to do with anything?' a Dunlending asked.
"There's something silver on your boot" Éowyn whispered to me. I looked down and saw the offending pennant.
"The book fell, and I got it back, and I just had a slight accident with the pennant" I admitted.
"If that's all, then the tale is explained then" Faramir said. I slipped out of the room quietly.
"So was the King angry with me?" I asked Ëowyn at lunch that day.
"No, but he just found the incident a bit funny. You didn't rip the whole string out" she said.
"That wasn't very funny. I don't think I'm proving to be a good help to you and Faramir" I said
"You told the truth, and that proves a lot. Next time, we'd find it more considerate and grown-up of you if you acted more gracefully, on and off the roofs" she said.
I promptly stopped slouching and reflected on her words. She said "more grown-up". Perhaps I was growing up, but not as gracefully as I wished to.
"So, what little scrape did you get into Niliwen?" Beregond asked me.
"Nothing much. And I was able to do a few things right, thank you very much" I said.
A/N: Whew! I'll try to post the next chapter by Halloween. I can't promise that though. Well, send a review! Have a Happy Halloween!
The Fine Art of Diplomacy
It was about a week before the New Year when we returned to Emyn Arnen. We'd barely unpacked our bags when we learned of a treaty to be signed between Gondor and the Dunlendings. And of course this meant that we'd be spending more time in the City again.
It was about three days before the New Year when the Dunlending delegation arrived in Minas Tirith in the morning. I was catching up on things with Ioreth in the Houses of Healing when I heard of the arrival. I returned to the Citadel just in time to join the welcoming. That's one thing I did right.
After a while, the treaty was going to be discussed. I decided to perhaps loiter outside the hall, but then Éowyn saw me.
"Niliwen, what are you still doing out here?" she asked me.
"Nothing in particular" I replied innocently.
She shook her head and said, "If you've got nothing to do, then can you put some things in order in the Steward's office upstairs? The ladies are going to join in the meeting too".
I marveled at this. Normally, women were not allowed to join such things.
"Oh alright" I said reluctantly. I was hoping to eavesdrop on the negotiation.
"Thank you. Come down for lunch in about three hours, or if you feel like it" she said merrily before she slipped into the room.
After I'd finished putting the books back on the bookshelves, I found a large heavy book called "Translations Into Numenorean". Looked like Faramir had been working on translating something from the Vaults of Lore.
Anyway, I decided to have a look at the book. It was rather heavy and so I had a difficult time dragging it to the windowsill to take a good look at it. After looking at a few pages, I got a headache and I left the book on the sill. Suddenly, I heard a "THUD!"
"Oh Elbereth! Please don't tell me it landed in the street!" I muttered as I looked down. Much to my relief and dismay, the book was resting on an awning a couple of meters from the floor level of the room.
Only one thing to do. I had to retrieve it myself. I knew that the book was at least 60 years old. So I lowered myself from out the window and landed with an even louder THUD on the awning. I inched forward.and nearly tumbled off. I knew I could survive Ithilien, but Minas Tirith was always another story.
After a while, I reached the book. Then my foot slipped off the awning and I was hanging on by one foot and my fingertips. Then I realized that my foot was entangled in a string of pennants. After I pulled with all my might, my foot got loose, but there was still a pennant on my boot.
Five minutes, and several scrapes later, I finally hauled myself up to the study and put the book back on the shelf. Then, when I was going downstairs, I passed by the meeting room.
I swear, I hadn't heard much. But after about five minutes of accidental eavesdropping, a Dunlending delegate caught me.
"Who are you?" he asked me.
"I'm Niliwen, a resident of the Steward's household" I said truthfully. I assumed I did not have to mention that I was a mere attendant. Well, I should've because he would've left me alone right there and then. But instead, I was dragged in. The room was filled with the dignitaries of Gondor, and those of Dunland.
"Is this eavesdropping little girl your daughter?" the delegate asked Faramir. I was in shock. I wasn't a little girl! And I certainly am not related to anybody in Ithilien!
"Excuse me sir, but I'm already twenty-one years old, and Lord Faramir is not my father. I'm merely an attendant in Emyn Arnen," I said, with a blush starting to creep across my face.
"You look no more than sixteen," the delegate said.
I could see the people in the room starting to laugh. This was honestly getting ridiculous and embarrassing.
"I'll go now. I'm sorry for the interruption," I said. For once, I decided to admit my mistakes. So there!
"That wasn't the first one. Something fell on the awning a while ago" Prince Imrahil noted. I stopped in my tracks
"No uncle, there were two things. One of them must have been a boot, since I saw a bootlace dangling down for just a while" Faramir added
"Did anything fall from higher up, Niliwen?" Éowyn asked me.
"Actually, it was." I began, hoping to fumble for an excuse to get out of this fix.
"Don't lie Niliwen" Faramir warned me.
"Sir, I was just reading your book on translat-" I blurted out before I clapped my hand over my mouth.
"What does that have to do with anything?' a Dunlending asked.
"There's something silver on your boot" Éowyn whispered to me. I looked down and saw the offending pennant.
"The book fell, and I got it back, and I just had a slight accident with the pennant" I admitted.
"If that's all, then the tale is explained then" Faramir said. I slipped out of the room quietly.
"So was the King angry with me?" I asked Ëowyn at lunch that day.
"No, but he just found the incident a bit funny. You didn't rip the whole string out" she said.
"That wasn't very funny. I don't think I'm proving to be a good help to you and Faramir" I said
"You told the truth, and that proves a lot. Next time, we'd find it more considerate and grown-up of you if you acted more gracefully, on and off the roofs" she said.
I promptly stopped slouching and reflected on her words. She said "more grown-up". Perhaps I was growing up, but not as gracefully as I wished to.
"So, what little scrape did you get into Niliwen?" Beregond asked me.
"Nothing much. And I was able to do a few things right, thank you very much" I said.
A/N: Whew! I'll try to post the next chapter by Halloween. I can't promise that though. Well, send a review! Have a Happy Halloween!