A/N: Alright, here we go again! I hope you liked the previous chapter. Did
any of you notice what little poetry there was in there (I just couldn't
resist putting down those strange couplets). Thanks for the reviews. Here
is another chapter out of the Dol Amroth trip. We'll be sticking around
there till the next chapter. Enjoy!!
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It's Time to Find a Better Mousetrap
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Two weeks into the Dol Amroth trip and I still hadn't lived down my humiliation on the first day. Of course, the trouble was just beginning, as always is the case.
It all began at a most ungodly hour in the morning. I should mention that the guest lodgings were scattered throughout the castle. My tiny room faced the sea, and it was right beside Faramir and Éowyn's room, which was to the left of mine. Aragorn and Arwen took the room to my right, and to their right was my worst, but cutest enemy. (I absolutely refuse to refer to him by name after his antics). The children, since they were still so small, stayed with their parents.
After an exhausting day, I was only too happy to sleep. It must've been about cockcrow or so when a piercing scream right outside my chamber door woke me up.
"What in Arda is going on?" I wondered as I groggily padded to the door. I opened it to find a maid, who looked at least two years my senior, clinging onto a nearby pillar for dear life with a goblet in her hand. Her hair was standing on end, and she was shuddering as if she'd seen an orc corpse.
"T-t-there w-was a-a m-mouse!" she stammered when she caught sight of me and set the goblet down somewhere.
I rolled my eyes. "And you had to wake up half of Dol Amroth just for a mouse?!" I said in exasperation.
"Niliwen, what happened?" Éowyn asked as she opened her door and peered out.
"I didn't do anything, my lady" I explained.
"I am so sorry for waking you, Lady of Ithilien. But I saw a mouse here in the passage," the maid apologized profusely as she scurried off, weaving a little bit. Just then, Queen Arwen, holding her son, emerged from her room.
"You heard the scream?" Éowyn asked her friend. The elf nodded as she allowed Eldarion to have a seat on a nearby chest.
"Loud and clear" Arwen agreed, stroking her baby's hair.
Suddenly, a baby's cry came from Éowyn's chambers. Quickly, Éowyn rushed in to see what happened, leaving me at Arwen's mercy.
I shook my head. "After all Éowyn and Faramir have tried to do, Eäriel still fusses at night for some reason" I muttered.
Arwen looked at me. "Just wait till you're a mother, Niliwen" she warned me.
"Your majesty" I said in a tired voice. "I doubt I'll even be a wife, much less a mother"
"Isn't Tonigil quite enamored by you already?" Arwen teased me. I turned crimson at this.
"I'd rather kiss an orc" I retorted. Arwen chuckled and she turned to her son, just in time to see the young prince quickly pick up a goblet of wine left on the chest and take a messy sip.
"Eldarion!" Arwen gasped as she removed the cup from her child's hands. Then King Elessar came out of the room.
"What happened?" he asked upon catching sight of the shocked look on Arwen's face.
"Our son.he drunk some wine. Estel, you know he's not supposed to!" Arwen replied fearfully.
"Calm down, Undómiel. I don't think he drunk much, judging by how much is on his shirt" Aragorn said calmly.
"Should we not give him some sort of remedy?" Arwen insisted nervously.
"It might do more harm than good at his age," Aragorn reminded her.
Arwen looked at her son then at her husband. She quickly poured the contents of the goblet out a hallway window and scooped up her child again protectively. "Why did you wake up?" she asked the King curiously.
"I heard someone screaming" Aragorn replied as he put a hand on her arm. I rolled my eyes as I returned to my chamber, now I knew just how much trouble the maid had caused with her hysterics and her drinking habits.
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I awoke later to sunshine in my face and the feeling of a tray on my lap. When I opened my eyes, I saw Tonigil's annoying grin in my face.
"Good morning" he said to me. I opened my mouth in shock and looked down on my lap. Great, he prepared breakfast for me, as if I wasn't capable of doing things myself.
"Sure, good morning! How did you get in here anyway?" I snapped.
He looked puzzled at this. "You didn't lock your door" he said.
I blushed at this. "Please, can I tell you something very honestly?" I begged him.
"You like ." he began. I threw my hands up in exasperation. Couldn't he see I was never going to fall in love with him?
"I appreciate your gift to me, and that you saved my life, but you are doing things all wrong!" I said.
He nodded as if he understood. "Enjoy your meal" he said as he retreated to the door. I thought I saw him take one last glance back before leaving.
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"I heard Master Tonigil talk about surprising a lady" Pippin sniggered later when I met up with him, Merry and Elfhelm near Imrahil's study. We were standing in a sunlit passage that was a bit secluded from the rest of the castle. Considering that Prince Imrahil, or his sons came up here often to be alone, this wasn't very surprising.
"Well, he should choose a different lady" I sulked, knowing what he was talking about. Just then, we caught sight of Éomer going in our direction.
"Good morning, your majesty!" Elfhelm greeted. Éomer groaned slightly at this.
"Please, there's only so much of that 'your majesty' line that I can take" he told us. He looked rather tired, as if he'd barely gotten a wink of sleep.
"You look awful, King Éomer" Merry commented.
"Elfwine kept on crying last night. Turns out it was just a bit of gas. Lothíriel is still asleep because of what happened" Éomer said.
"Well, why aren't you?" I asked.
"I have to see to a few matters. Have you seen my sister?" Éomer asked me.
"You might want to ask Lord Faramir about that matter" I said. "I think he and the Prince of Dol Amroth went to the courtyard with King Elessar and Queen Arwen"
"Thank you" he said gratefully as he walked away. I threw up my hands in despair. If only Tonigil was at least a little bit more like Éomer or Faramir or Aragorn! King Éomer at least respects his wife's need to sleep in.
"If any of you are bored enough, I know where we can find a chessboard around here" Elfhelm offered.
"I'm all for a quick game. How about you, Pip?" Merry said, elbowing Peregrin in the ribs.
"I think I'll ask Lady Éowyn if I can join you. She might need my help" I said.
"You know, I sometimes need to pinch myself when I look at her" Elfhelm confided.
"Why is that so?" Pippin asked.
"It's been only little more than two years since the War ended, and she's already been hailed as a heroine, married to the Steward, and become a mother, all within that short span of time!" Elfhelm said. "She is like a sister to me, you know. I don't know if I can call it growing up, but since she met Lord Faramir, she has become a different woman,"
"Different? Was she not happy when she was a child?" Merry asked.
Elfhelm shook his head. "I remember when she and King Éomer were orphaned at a young age. Then that snake Grima came to Edoras one stormy night when King Éomer was about eighteen. From that time, I rarely saw Lady Éowyn have a smile on her face, until after Sauron was defeated and she fell in love with the Steward. A rather fitting tale for the Lady of the Shield-arm, don't you think?" he said.
"It is a good one. Tell me, what did your people think of King Éomer marrying Princess Lothíriel?" I asked.
"Well, the advisors were happy that there would be a queen in Edoras after many years. As for the people, they had mixed reactions. Most were happy too, but there were some who frowned upon the marriage," the Marshal answered. "The same people who disapproved of Lady Éowyn and Lord Faramir as a couple"
"Same thing happened here in Gondor. The people should be glad now that there are heirs to the thrones of Gondor and Rohan, and also to the Prince of Ithilien!" I declared.
"Weren't you supposed to be going." Pippin began.
"I 'most forgot!" I said as I ran up the passage, my leather sandals slapping against the stone floor. Just when I'd gotten to the end of this passage, I stepped into something sticky that very nicely stuck my left sandal to the floor. Great, a mousetrap.
"Have you seen Niliwen?" I heard Faramir call from the hallway below me. I slapped my forehead. I was supposed to be helping him sort out his accounts today!
"Just a minute!" I called, hoping to stall for time. Just then, Éowyn entered the passage. She saw me and gave me a perplexed glance.
"Your brother was looking for you" I informed her as I tried to hide my stuck shoe.
"What happened?" she asked, eyeing my feet. I knew I couldn't hide my predicament.
"Somebody has to build a better mousetrap" I winced as I pulled my sandal loose. I could see globs of the sticky substance dripping off the sole.
'Didn't you get any sleep last night?" I asked her. Éowyn shook her head.
"I wish there was some way Eäriel would calm down at night. She's so fretful, as if she gets nightmares or something" Éowyn mused.
"Maybe she is like her father. You know Faramir does get dreams about the Drowning of Numenor" I quipped.
"He had that dream again last night. But he tells me he dreams of it less and less now that he is content with his life," Éowyn said, a small smile crossing her face.
I shrugged. I couldn't fathom though why Faramir and Éowyn, both of them being young and brave, chose to settle down and start a family, unlike some people their age and older, who still chose to wander all over Middle- Earth and seek renown.
"There you are. I've been looking for you two all over the place" Faramir said as he joined us, carrying Elboron and Eäriel.
"I know, I'm supposed to help you with the accounts" I rattled off.
"I'll help. I know you're good with figures, and so is Faramir, but I think you two need an extra hand" Éowyn volunteered as Faramir handed Eäriel to her.
"I don't think we should let the children in the study" Faramir said cautiously. It was then I noticed that Éowyn was looking at Elboron intently, as if something was on the child's face. I also looked closely, and I noticed streaks of something black on the baby's golden head.
"Faramir, why is there black ink in our son's hair?" Éowyn asked.
"He took a very uncanny interest in the bottle of ink on the desk in our room" Faramir replied. "After that, I decided not to let the children out of my sight, so I took them along,"
"He didn't eat the ink, did he?" Éowyn asked as she tried to rub the ink off Elboron's hair with her fingers.
"I stopped him before he could, but it all ended up in his hair and on the table. I did my best in trying to clean him up, my love" Faramir explained as we went to their chamber.
This room had other things aside from a bed, a chest of drawers, a dresser and the usual bathing room and privy behind a door at the side. Of course, Faramir and Éowyn had asked for two cradles for their children. Aside from the cradles, the bedchamber also boasted of a wonderful view of the sea (like most rooms here in Dol Amroth), and a small nook had been set up for writing and studying in. The cool breeze blew in through the window, and I could see the banner of Dol Amroth fluttering in the wind from a nearby turret.
"Are we going to work here?" I asked.
"All the papers are in the room" Éowyn said as she sat on the bed as she watched her children. Eäriel, no longer fretful, was watching the seagulls out the window. Elboron on the other hand was more absorbed in studying his reflection in a small hand mirror left on the bed.
I crossed to the study area in search of a piece of paper. "Do you keep clean paper here?" I asked.
"There's a big sheet rolled up on the desk," Faramir answered.
I searched the desk, only to come up empty. "Are you sure?" I asked.
Faramir joined me at the desk. "I could've sworn there was a roll here when I left" he muttered as he opened some drawers.
Suddenly, a piece of paper blew in through the half-open door. I picked it up and to my horror, it read "Niliwen, please say you love me!".
"I think I'm going to have a word with your friend Tonigil about borrowing parchment" Faramir said.
I smiled with twisted glee. I told you I hate him. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Enjoyed it? Yes, Tonigil will learn his lesson! The next chapter will be longer, I promise. Please review!
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It's Time to Find a Better Mousetrap
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Two weeks into the Dol Amroth trip and I still hadn't lived down my humiliation on the first day. Of course, the trouble was just beginning, as always is the case.
It all began at a most ungodly hour in the morning. I should mention that the guest lodgings were scattered throughout the castle. My tiny room faced the sea, and it was right beside Faramir and Éowyn's room, which was to the left of mine. Aragorn and Arwen took the room to my right, and to their right was my worst, but cutest enemy. (I absolutely refuse to refer to him by name after his antics). The children, since they were still so small, stayed with their parents.
After an exhausting day, I was only too happy to sleep. It must've been about cockcrow or so when a piercing scream right outside my chamber door woke me up.
"What in Arda is going on?" I wondered as I groggily padded to the door. I opened it to find a maid, who looked at least two years my senior, clinging onto a nearby pillar for dear life with a goblet in her hand. Her hair was standing on end, and she was shuddering as if she'd seen an orc corpse.
"T-t-there w-was a-a m-mouse!" she stammered when she caught sight of me and set the goblet down somewhere.
I rolled my eyes. "And you had to wake up half of Dol Amroth just for a mouse?!" I said in exasperation.
"Niliwen, what happened?" Éowyn asked as she opened her door and peered out.
"I didn't do anything, my lady" I explained.
"I am so sorry for waking you, Lady of Ithilien. But I saw a mouse here in the passage," the maid apologized profusely as she scurried off, weaving a little bit. Just then, Queen Arwen, holding her son, emerged from her room.
"You heard the scream?" Éowyn asked her friend. The elf nodded as she allowed Eldarion to have a seat on a nearby chest.
"Loud and clear" Arwen agreed, stroking her baby's hair.
Suddenly, a baby's cry came from Éowyn's chambers. Quickly, Éowyn rushed in to see what happened, leaving me at Arwen's mercy.
I shook my head. "After all Éowyn and Faramir have tried to do, Eäriel still fusses at night for some reason" I muttered.
Arwen looked at me. "Just wait till you're a mother, Niliwen" she warned me.
"Your majesty" I said in a tired voice. "I doubt I'll even be a wife, much less a mother"
"Isn't Tonigil quite enamored by you already?" Arwen teased me. I turned crimson at this.
"I'd rather kiss an orc" I retorted. Arwen chuckled and she turned to her son, just in time to see the young prince quickly pick up a goblet of wine left on the chest and take a messy sip.
"Eldarion!" Arwen gasped as she removed the cup from her child's hands. Then King Elessar came out of the room.
"What happened?" he asked upon catching sight of the shocked look on Arwen's face.
"Our son.he drunk some wine. Estel, you know he's not supposed to!" Arwen replied fearfully.
"Calm down, Undómiel. I don't think he drunk much, judging by how much is on his shirt" Aragorn said calmly.
"Should we not give him some sort of remedy?" Arwen insisted nervously.
"It might do more harm than good at his age," Aragorn reminded her.
Arwen looked at her son then at her husband. She quickly poured the contents of the goblet out a hallway window and scooped up her child again protectively. "Why did you wake up?" she asked the King curiously.
"I heard someone screaming" Aragorn replied as he put a hand on her arm. I rolled my eyes as I returned to my chamber, now I knew just how much trouble the maid had caused with her hysterics and her drinking habits.
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I awoke later to sunshine in my face and the feeling of a tray on my lap. When I opened my eyes, I saw Tonigil's annoying grin in my face.
"Good morning" he said to me. I opened my mouth in shock and looked down on my lap. Great, he prepared breakfast for me, as if I wasn't capable of doing things myself.
"Sure, good morning! How did you get in here anyway?" I snapped.
He looked puzzled at this. "You didn't lock your door" he said.
I blushed at this. "Please, can I tell you something very honestly?" I begged him.
"You like ." he began. I threw my hands up in exasperation. Couldn't he see I was never going to fall in love with him?
"I appreciate your gift to me, and that you saved my life, but you are doing things all wrong!" I said.
He nodded as if he understood. "Enjoy your meal" he said as he retreated to the door. I thought I saw him take one last glance back before leaving.
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"I heard Master Tonigil talk about surprising a lady" Pippin sniggered later when I met up with him, Merry and Elfhelm near Imrahil's study. We were standing in a sunlit passage that was a bit secluded from the rest of the castle. Considering that Prince Imrahil, or his sons came up here often to be alone, this wasn't very surprising.
"Well, he should choose a different lady" I sulked, knowing what he was talking about. Just then, we caught sight of Éomer going in our direction.
"Good morning, your majesty!" Elfhelm greeted. Éomer groaned slightly at this.
"Please, there's only so much of that 'your majesty' line that I can take" he told us. He looked rather tired, as if he'd barely gotten a wink of sleep.
"You look awful, King Éomer" Merry commented.
"Elfwine kept on crying last night. Turns out it was just a bit of gas. Lothíriel is still asleep because of what happened" Éomer said.
"Well, why aren't you?" I asked.
"I have to see to a few matters. Have you seen my sister?" Éomer asked me.
"You might want to ask Lord Faramir about that matter" I said. "I think he and the Prince of Dol Amroth went to the courtyard with King Elessar and Queen Arwen"
"Thank you" he said gratefully as he walked away. I threw up my hands in despair. If only Tonigil was at least a little bit more like Éomer or Faramir or Aragorn! King Éomer at least respects his wife's need to sleep in.
"If any of you are bored enough, I know where we can find a chessboard around here" Elfhelm offered.
"I'm all for a quick game. How about you, Pip?" Merry said, elbowing Peregrin in the ribs.
"I think I'll ask Lady Éowyn if I can join you. She might need my help" I said.
"You know, I sometimes need to pinch myself when I look at her" Elfhelm confided.
"Why is that so?" Pippin asked.
"It's been only little more than two years since the War ended, and she's already been hailed as a heroine, married to the Steward, and become a mother, all within that short span of time!" Elfhelm said. "She is like a sister to me, you know. I don't know if I can call it growing up, but since she met Lord Faramir, she has become a different woman,"
"Different? Was she not happy when she was a child?" Merry asked.
Elfhelm shook his head. "I remember when she and King Éomer were orphaned at a young age. Then that snake Grima came to Edoras one stormy night when King Éomer was about eighteen. From that time, I rarely saw Lady Éowyn have a smile on her face, until after Sauron was defeated and she fell in love with the Steward. A rather fitting tale for the Lady of the Shield-arm, don't you think?" he said.
"It is a good one. Tell me, what did your people think of King Éomer marrying Princess Lothíriel?" I asked.
"Well, the advisors were happy that there would be a queen in Edoras after many years. As for the people, they had mixed reactions. Most were happy too, but there were some who frowned upon the marriage," the Marshal answered. "The same people who disapproved of Lady Éowyn and Lord Faramir as a couple"
"Same thing happened here in Gondor. The people should be glad now that there are heirs to the thrones of Gondor and Rohan, and also to the Prince of Ithilien!" I declared.
"Weren't you supposed to be going." Pippin began.
"I 'most forgot!" I said as I ran up the passage, my leather sandals slapping against the stone floor. Just when I'd gotten to the end of this passage, I stepped into something sticky that very nicely stuck my left sandal to the floor. Great, a mousetrap.
"Have you seen Niliwen?" I heard Faramir call from the hallway below me. I slapped my forehead. I was supposed to be helping him sort out his accounts today!
"Just a minute!" I called, hoping to stall for time. Just then, Éowyn entered the passage. She saw me and gave me a perplexed glance.
"Your brother was looking for you" I informed her as I tried to hide my stuck shoe.
"What happened?" she asked, eyeing my feet. I knew I couldn't hide my predicament.
"Somebody has to build a better mousetrap" I winced as I pulled my sandal loose. I could see globs of the sticky substance dripping off the sole.
'Didn't you get any sleep last night?" I asked her. Éowyn shook her head.
"I wish there was some way Eäriel would calm down at night. She's so fretful, as if she gets nightmares or something" Éowyn mused.
"Maybe she is like her father. You know Faramir does get dreams about the Drowning of Numenor" I quipped.
"He had that dream again last night. But he tells me he dreams of it less and less now that he is content with his life," Éowyn said, a small smile crossing her face.
I shrugged. I couldn't fathom though why Faramir and Éowyn, both of them being young and brave, chose to settle down and start a family, unlike some people their age and older, who still chose to wander all over Middle- Earth and seek renown.
"There you are. I've been looking for you two all over the place" Faramir said as he joined us, carrying Elboron and Eäriel.
"I know, I'm supposed to help you with the accounts" I rattled off.
"I'll help. I know you're good with figures, and so is Faramir, but I think you two need an extra hand" Éowyn volunteered as Faramir handed Eäriel to her.
"I don't think we should let the children in the study" Faramir said cautiously. It was then I noticed that Éowyn was looking at Elboron intently, as if something was on the child's face. I also looked closely, and I noticed streaks of something black on the baby's golden head.
"Faramir, why is there black ink in our son's hair?" Éowyn asked.
"He took a very uncanny interest in the bottle of ink on the desk in our room" Faramir replied. "After that, I decided not to let the children out of my sight, so I took them along,"
"He didn't eat the ink, did he?" Éowyn asked as she tried to rub the ink off Elboron's hair with her fingers.
"I stopped him before he could, but it all ended up in his hair and on the table. I did my best in trying to clean him up, my love" Faramir explained as we went to their chamber.
This room had other things aside from a bed, a chest of drawers, a dresser and the usual bathing room and privy behind a door at the side. Of course, Faramir and Éowyn had asked for two cradles for their children. Aside from the cradles, the bedchamber also boasted of a wonderful view of the sea (like most rooms here in Dol Amroth), and a small nook had been set up for writing and studying in. The cool breeze blew in through the window, and I could see the banner of Dol Amroth fluttering in the wind from a nearby turret.
"Are we going to work here?" I asked.
"All the papers are in the room" Éowyn said as she sat on the bed as she watched her children. Eäriel, no longer fretful, was watching the seagulls out the window. Elboron on the other hand was more absorbed in studying his reflection in a small hand mirror left on the bed.
I crossed to the study area in search of a piece of paper. "Do you keep clean paper here?" I asked.
"There's a big sheet rolled up on the desk," Faramir answered.
I searched the desk, only to come up empty. "Are you sure?" I asked.
Faramir joined me at the desk. "I could've sworn there was a roll here when I left" he muttered as he opened some drawers.
Suddenly, a piece of paper blew in through the half-open door. I picked it up and to my horror, it read "Niliwen, please say you love me!".
"I think I'm going to have a word with your friend Tonigil about borrowing parchment" Faramir said.
I smiled with twisted glee. I told you I hate him. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------
A/N: Enjoyed it? Yes, Tonigil will learn his lesson! The next chapter will be longer, I promise. Please review!