Chapter Eleven
"Quick, put them all back!" screeched Emeriel.
"Er...coming!" said Estriel.
"We can't just be standing here," said Alcarin.
"Sit down on the sofas, look natural!" said Jaena.
The four girls sat down on the sofas, crossed their legs and looked at their nails and stared at the ceiling.
"Come in!" they yelled simultaneously.
Madeline came in, dressed in far neater clothes than she had been the last time they had seen her.
"I am sorry to bother you, girls - but Thranduil has requested your presence at dinner tomorrow night. His distant relation yet close friend whom he has not seen for a fair while is visiting - the King is hoping that he will be of some help in the current affairs. He knows that he would be most interested to meet you."
"Okay, sure..." said Estriel, worriedly.
"However," Madeline carried on. "It is a formal occasion, and you will be required to wear gowns."
"But we don't have any..." interrupted Jaena.
"They will, of course, be supplied. Ukira will be down shortly to help you chose them."
"Thank you, Madeline." Said Estriel.
"Tell him that we will be honoured to attend," said Emeriel politely, as Madeline left and closed the door behind her.
"We've only been here a day and already there's a party where we get to wear cool dresses and stuff? I'm all for staying here..." said Alcarin. *
Urika was there ten minutes later, followed by three servants, (small boys) each weighed down by marvellous gowns. She asked them to follow her, and she led them upstairs to a large empty room, with clothing rails crafted from Ash, Birch and Oak branches.
The boys hung the dresses on them, and hurried out. The girls admired the dresses from afar, and noticed that they were mainly in greens and browns, the odd pale blue and one light violet.
"They're beautiful," Jaena said softly.
"Yes, indeed. Of course, these are probably only models," said the bossy looking dressmaker.
"Models?" said Alcarin, confused.
"Yes. We can alter the ones here, or we can make new ones to fit you exactly using the fabrics you see here."
"Can we design our own?" said Estriel, excited. The other three gave Estriel extremely strange looks.
"Es, this is an Elven banquet - not the MTV Movie Awards, hun," said Jaena. They all laughed, but Ukira gave them a strange look. "Never mind..." mumbled Jaena, embarrassed. Ukira nodded, unsure.
"Please feel free to take a look at the dresses," she said. They all wandered round, admiring the stunningly made gowns. They fell in love with many of them, yet none of them felt exactly right. Then came a knock at the door, and in came another woman.
"Ukira, you forgot these," she said in a scornful tone. She stepped aside as two more boys came in carrying about five dresses each. Ukira apologised, and the three elves left.
The girls immediately dived for the dresses that had been laid carefully on the wicker chair.
They discarded the first few straight away, but then found a white dress.
"How pretty is that?"
"Gorgeous..."
"It needs something else though."
"Another colour, maybe."
"Green!"
"Purple?"
"Silver..."
"We can't all have it," said Emeriel reasonably.
"Ukira," said Estriel, turning to face her. "Could you create four of these dresses by tomorrow?"
"Yes, that is possible - I would need to take measurements." They spent another half an hour telling her exactly how they wanted their dresses and being measured. She wrote down the exact details and then sent them away, having her work cut out for her and her two helpers.
"Quick, put them all back!" screeched Emeriel.
"Er...coming!" said Estriel.
"We can't just be standing here," said Alcarin.
"Sit down on the sofas, look natural!" said Jaena.
The four girls sat down on the sofas, crossed their legs and looked at their nails and stared at the ceiling.
"Come in!" they yelled simultaneously.
Madeline came in, dressed in far neater clothes than she had been the last time they had seen her.
"I am sorry to bother you, girls - but Thranduil has requested your presence at dinner tomorrow night. His distant relation yet close friend whom he has not seen for a fair while is visiting - the King is hoping that he will be of some help in the current affairs. He knows that he would be most interested to meet you."
"Okay, sure..." said Estriel, worriedly.
"However," Madeline carried on. "It is a formal occasion, and you will be required to wear gowns."
"But we don't have any..." interrupted Jaena.
"They will, of course, be supplied. Ukira will be down shortly to help you chose them."
"Thank you, Madeline." Said Estriel.
"Tell him that we will be honoured to attend," said Emeriel politely, as Madeline left and closed the door behind her.
"We've only been here a day and already there's a party where we get to wear cool dresses and stuff? I'm all for staying here..." said Alcarin. *
Urika was there ten minutes later, followed by three servants, (small boys) each weighed down by marvellous gowns. She asked them to follow her, and she led them upstairs to a large empty room, with clothing rails crafted from Ash, Birch and Oak branches.
The boys hung the dresses on them, and hurried out. The girls admired the dresses from afar, and noticed that they were mainly in greens and browns, the odd pale blue and one light violet.
"They're beautiful," Jaena said softly.
"Yes, indeed. Of course, these are probably only models," said the bossy looking dressmaker.
"Models?" said Alcarin, confused.
"Yes. We can alter the ones here, or we can make new ones to fit you exactly using the fabrics you see here."
"Can we design our own?" said Estriel, excited. The other three gave Estriel extremely strange looks.
"Es, this is an Elven banquet - not the MTV Movie Awards, hun," said Jaena. They all laughed, but Ukira gave them a strange look. "Never mind..." mumbled Jaena, embarrassed. Ukira nodded, unsure.
"Please feel free to take a look at the dresses," she said. They all wandered round, admiring the stunningly made gowns. They fell in love with many of them, yet none of them felt exactly right. Then came a knock at the door, and in came another woman.
"Ukira, you forgot these," she said in a scornful tone. She stepped aside as two more boys came in carrying about five dresses each. Ukira apologised, and the three elves left.
The girls immediately dived for the dresses that had been laid carefully on the wicker chair.
They discarded the first few straight away, but then found a white dress.
"How pretty is that?"
"Gorgeous..."
"It needs something else though."
"Another colour, maybe."
"Green!"
"Purple?"
"Silver..."
"We can't all have it," said Emeriel reasonably.
"Ukira," said Estriel, turning to face her. "Could you create four of these dresses by tomorrow?"
"Yes, that is possible - I would need to take measurements." They spent another half an hour telling her exactly how they wanted their dresses and being measured. She wrote down the exact details and then sent them away, having her work cut out for her and her two helpers.