Chapter Twelve
The four anxious girls were given the largest bedroom that they had ever seen; next to Arwen's empty one. It was magnificent; four giant four-poster beds were in each corner, and sturdy oak furniture lined the room.
They were given nightwear (dark green silk) and were in bed as soon after they had finished their supper. Sleep, however, was the last thing on their minds. Elven banquets, twins, a certain prince and four gorgeous dresses were. After a while, they fell asleep peacefully, if only to be woken up a few hours later.
*
"Ell...Elro...Ell...," Estriel was saying in her sleep.
"Who else is awake because of little miss I-sleep-so-you-don't-have-to?" whispered Jaena into the darkness.
"I am," said Alcarin softly.
"Me too," said Emeriel from another corner of the room.
"Elro...Ell...hir!" Estriel carried on.
"She's been going on about her stupid prince charming all night," said Alcarin.
"I'm giving her about thirty seconds before I throw something at her," said Jaena.
"Elrohir, it wasn't me kissing Elladan...it was Em...Emeriel. Elrohir, don't go!" Estriel shrieked in her sleep.
The other three girls burst out laughing.
"Elrohir, I'm serious!"
They laughed harder.
"Elrohir, we're meant to be together, don't walk away! Elrohir what happened to your face?" They laughed even harder.
"Someone put her out of her misery, please!" said Jaena in between the giggles. Alcarin went over to her, took the pillow from underneath her head and hit her with it.
"Elrohir...Elrohir your horse is kicking me!" Estriel squealed. They were now laughing so hard that their sides were splitting and tears were coming out of their eyes.
Alcarin finally gathered up the strength to shake Estriel awake. She jumped up and looked extremely surprised at all the giggling going on around her.
*
They woke up, sleepy eyed and very tired. After the sleep talking fiasco, none of them had been able to get much sleep until the early hours of the morning.
Madeline knocked at the door.
"Good morning," she said brightly.
"What time is it?" asked Emeriel sleepily.
"A few hours after dawn, Master Thranduil said not to awake you too early," she said. Alcarin groaned and turned over, away from the light that shone through from outside of the door. Estriel stretched and put the covers over her head. Jaena sat up, rubbing her eyes and said,
"Morning, we'll be down soon."
"Alright, I have some clothing for you. Apparently Ursula had some spare time on her hands, Lord only knows how." She put the neat pile of clothes on the chest at the back of the room.
"Come down to the kitchen when you're ready," she smiled, and with that she disappeared.
They got up (after some gentle persuasion from Emeriel), washed, dressed and made their way downstairs. "It was that way, I remember it like it was yesterday," said Jaena.
"It was yesterday," said Emeriel.
"Which makes it even more likely that I'm right."
"It's that way, I remember the wooden panels," said Emeriel.
"No, that way is the way to Thranduil's study. It's that way," said Jaena pointing her finger in the direction that she meant.
"Guys," said Estriel timidly. "I'll think you will find that it's that way," she pointed to the right. They had come down the staircase, and come to a large hallway with a corridor to the left and to the right, and one going straight on. There were also two large doors to the left.
"I think it's the one in the middle," said Alcarin.
"Told you," said Emeriel to Jaena.
"It's the left one, it has to be," said Jaena.
Gandalf appeared suddenly from behind one of the two enormous doors.
"Good morning," he said.
"Good morning, Gandalf," they said in chorus, and gave each other looks as if to say, " you ask him, no, you ask him."
"Um, Gandalf," asked Estriel in her I'm-the-sweetest-and-most-innocent- person-ever-to-have-lived voice, after being kicked subtly by Emeriel. "Could you tell us which corridor leads to the kitchen?"
"Well, the kitchen is at the back of the palace, so all of them do," he said looking slightly amused, and walked off.
"So...which one shall we take?" asked Jaena sheepishly.
Elrohir, Elladan and Legolas came from the passage on the right, turned and carried on down the corridor straight in front of them. "That one," said Alcarin, Emeriel and Estriel in unison. *
Breakfast was incredible. The girls had never seen so much food in one place in their lives. They used the dining room instead of the kitchen, and there were fourteen of them in all: Five humans, four hobbits, four elves and one Istari.
Madeline and four others waited on them, and made general comments in between the laughter and the chatting.
At first the girls just sat there, listening to all of them and enjoying the wonderful food, but after a while they started up conversations with the people around them. Jaena talked to Aragorn about Arwen's trip to Rivendell, Emeriel talked to Thranduil about the palace, Estriel talked to Gandalf about the ball that was to take place that night and Alcarin talked to Merry and Pippin about being mischievous in general.
*
Aragorn, Gandalf, Thranduil and the elves excused themselves, leaving the four girls and the four hobbits to themselves.
"Are you lot going to the ball, then?" asked Estriel.
"Yeah, of course. We're practically the guests of honour," said Merry, perhaps not entirely truthfully.
"Actually, I think you'll find that we are," said Alcarin.
"I think that she's right, Merry," said Sam.
"You certainly have caused a commotion in the palace," said Frodo.
"Yeah, well, what can I say? We cause havoc wherever we go," said Jaena sarcastically.
"It's not hard to imagine," said Pippin even more sarcastically, at which Jaena shot evils in his direction.
"Well, anyway," said Emeriel, interrupting the human/hobbit fight going on, "We're all going, so I guess we'll see you there. Meanwhile, we've got work to do." And with that, she walked off and beckoned to the others to follow her, leaving the hobbits speechless.
The four anxious girls were given the largest bedroom that they had ever seen; next to Arwen's empty one. It was magnificent; four giant four-poster beds were in each corner, and sturdy oak furniture lined the room.
They were given nightwear (dark green silk) and were in bed as soon after they had finished their supper. Sleep, however, was the last thing on their minds. Elven banquets, twins, a certain prince and four gorgeous dresses were. After a while, they fell asleep peacefully, if only to be woken up a few hours later.
*
"Ell...Elro...Ell...," Estriel was saying in her sleep.
"Who else is awake because of little miss I-sleep-so-you-don't-have-to?" whispered Jaena into the darkness.
"I am," said Alcarin softly.
"Me too," said Emeriel from another corner of the room.
"Elro...Ell...hir!" Estriel carried on.
"She's been going on about her stupid prince charming all night," said Alcarin.
"I'm giving her about thirty seconds before I throw something at her," said Jaena.
"Elrohir, it wasn't me kissing Elladan...it was Em...Emeriel. Elrohir, don't go!" Estriel shrieked in her sleep.
The other three girls burst out laughing.
"Elrohir, I'm serious!"
They laughed harder.
"Elrohir, we're meant to be together, don't walk away! Elrohir what happened to your face?" They laughed even harder.
"Someone put her out of her misery, please!" said Jaena in between the giggles. Alcarin went over to her, took the pillow from underneath her head and hit her with it.
"Elrohir...Elrohir your horse is kicking me!" Estriel squealed. They were now laughing so hard that their sides were splitting and tears were coming out of their eyes.
Alcarin finally gathered up the strength to shake Estriel awake. She jumped up and looked extremely surprised at all the giggling going on around her.
*
They woke up, sleepy eyed and very tired. After the sleep talking fiasco, none of them had been able to get much sleep until the early hours of the morning.
Madeline knocked at the door.
"Good morning," she said brightly.
"What time is it?" asked Emeriel sleepily.
"A few hours after dawn, Master Thranduil said not to awake you too early," she said. Alcarin groaned and turned over, away from the light that shone through from outside of the door. Estriel stretched and put the covers over her head. Jaena sat up, rubbing her eyes and said,
"Morning, we'll be down soon."
"Alright, I have some clothing for you. Apparently Ursula had some spare time on her hands, Lord only knows how." She put the neat pile of clothes on the chest at the back of the room.
"Come down to the kitchen when you're ready," she smiled, and with that she disappeared.
They got up (after some gentle persuasion from Emeriel), washed, dressed and made their way downstairs. "It was that way, I remember it like it was yesterday," said Jaena.
"It was yesterday," said Emeriel.
"Which makes it even more likely that I'm right."
"It's that way, I remember the wooden panels," said Emeriel.
"No, that way is the way to Thranduil's study. It's that way," said Jaena pointing her finger in the direction that she meant.
"Guys," said Estriel timidly. "I'll think you will find that it's that way," she pointed to the right. They had come down the staircase, and come to a large hallway with a corridor to the left and to the right, and one going straight on. There were also two large doors to the left.
"I think it's the one in the middle," said Alcarin.
"Told you," said Emeriel to Jaena.
"It's the left one, it has to be," said Jaena.
Gandalf appeared suddenly from behind one of the two enormous doors.
"Good morning," he said.
"Good morning, Gandalf," they said in chorus, and gave each other looks as if to say, " you ask him, no, you ask him."
"Um, Gandalf," asked Estriel in her I'm-the-sweetest-and-most-innocent- person-ever-to-have-lived voice, after being kicked subtly by Emeriel. "Could you tell us which corridor leads to the kitchen?"
"Well, the kitchen is at the back of the palace, so all of them do," he said looking slightly amused, and walked off.
"So...which one shall we take?" asked Jaena sheepishly.
Elrohir, Elladan and Legolas came from the passage on the right, turned and carried on down the corridor straight in front of them. "That one," said Alcarin, Emeriel and Estriel in unison. *
Breakfast was incredible. The girls had never seen so much food in one place in their lives. They used the dining room instead of the kitchen, and there were fourteen of them in all: Five humans, four hobbits, four elves and one Istari.
Madeline and four others waited on them, and made general comments in between the laughter and the chatting.
At first the girls just sat there, listening to all of them and enjoying the wonderful food, but after a while they started up conversations with the people around them. Jaena talked to Aragorn about Arwen's trip to Rivendell, Emeriel talked to Thranduil about the palace, Estriel talked to Gandalf about the ball that was to take place that night and Alcarin talked to Merry and Pippin about being mischievous in general.
*
Aragorn, Gandalf, Thranduil and the elves excused themselves, leaving the four girls and the four hobbits to themselves.
"Are you lot going to the ball, then?" asked Estriel.
"Yeah, of course. We're practically the guests of honour," said Merry, perhaps not entirely truthfully.
"Actually, I think you'll find that we are," said Alcarin.
"I think that she's right, Merry," said Sam.
"You certainly have caused a commotion in the palace," said Frodo.
"Yeah, well, what can I say? We cause havoc wherever we go," said Jaena sarcastically.
"It's not hard to imagine," said Pippin even more sarcastically, at which Jaena shot evils in his direction.
"Well, anyway," said Emeriel, interrupting the human/hobbit fight going on, "We're all going, so I guess we'll see you there. Meanwhile, we've got work to do." And with that, she walked off and beckoned to the others to follow her, leaving the hobbits speechless.