A/N: Uhhh! Fanfic is splitting! Am gonna get CONFUZZELD!! And am gonna have fics on two different sites ma brain'll IMPLODE!! Either that or squirt outta ma ears! Yuk
Lets get on with the next chapter!
Passion Lover: I think it's elfy, elfy is a cool word. Yummy yummy elfy! *giggles* Don't worry I'm as mad as a mad hatter!! It runs in fic writers I think!
KAT: YES IT IS NOT THAT IT BE!!! Yayayayaya! Circus tents for trousers and a stoned Selphie! I coulda died I was laffin that hard!!
I think this will mostly be Leggles POV. Maybe.
Tack is saddles n bridles n stuff for those who don't know.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Legolas looked at the seven elves stood before him, their faces downcast. He sighed and tried to find the words to describe what he felt.
"Do you know how much trouble you have caused?"
Not one of them made a murmur.
"I have four sets of very angry parents, a list of ruined clothes that need to be replaced and a complaint from the stables about the state of your saddles!"
His voice echoed around the great hall rising to the rafters. Still no one made a noise or moved. Legolas walked up and down the line of youngsters.
"I don't know what you were thinking any of you!
Celorfiwyn I thought you had more sense."
Celorfiwyn said nothing but kept his head bowed. Áruinne chanced a sidelong
glance at him. She could see his feelings simmering below his eyes.
"I don't know that you wouldn't have done anything…inappropriate as it were. Can you see what we mean? We can trust you but we want to know that you'll be sensible. Put yourselves in our shoes how do you think it looks? Seven of you just…"
He fell into silence. The perfect day did not reach into the hall and hung at the windows instead. Tantalizingly close yet out of reach, the icy mood in the hall barring its way.
"Just what? Just nothing! We weren't doing anything wrong!" Áruinne's head had come up. Defiance sparked in her eyes and her jaw was set.
"How do I know that Áruinne!? All I have is Galdir's word and from his point of view it looked bad."
"Galdir's a liar! He's just said that to get us into trouble!"
Legolas came the closest he had ever been to hitting one of his children then. It was infuriating that she couldn't see and she had the nerve to challenge him. She was at the stage between elfling and eldar and thus thought she knew everything. He controlled himself and forced himself not to shout.
"I trust Galdir. You do not understand the difficulty of his position. He has in his care the Prince and Princess of Érinan Lethainne if anything should happen to you then the blame would be placed on him. If any of your friend's parents were to complain then it would fall on him. Do you see Áruinne?"
She lowered her eyes again and stayed in sullen silence. Legolas gave himself a metaphorical medal. He had had years of practise on Kĩyara to be trapped by her sudden outbursts. She couldn't deny the plain truth, well Kĩyara, in her stubborn uncompromising way could but Áruinne wasn't entirely her mother after all.
"I had high hopes for all of you but you've ruined them I-"
A familiar voice spoke, up until then the eight elves in the room hadn't noticed the ninth.
"Legolas come here a minute."
Kĩyara was stood on a balcony that extended from the hall and wound in and out of a huge tree. The palace had been built around its surroundings and this was one of the many features that were commonplace. Legolas gave the assembled elves a look that told them to stay put and walked out to his wife. She stood with her back to him her hands on the beautifully carved palings around the wooden platform. He moved next to her and looked through the forest too.
"You want me?"
"Always." She replied turning to him. He smiled back. Things had become a lot easier between them since they had got back. They didn't fight and had finally realised how to live with each other. They had accepted that they were as they were and couldn't be changed.
"Don't be too harsh on them Legolas."
"Why? What they did was wrong. You know that, it wasn't fair on Galdir."
He encircled her waist with his arms and pulled her closer.
"We'd have done it."
Legolas didn't say anything. Kĩyara smiled again.
"We'd have done worse and you know it!"
Legolas sighed and looked at her face. Her eyes were sparkling and she was trying to suppress her laughter.
"You think this is funny don't you?"
"No! No. No I don't I just…that used to be me stood there. We've, well me certainly, have done worse things than that and got away with it. Punish them but don't be too harsh. Don't pick out Celorfiwyn either. Yes he should know better," Said Kĩyara seeing that Legolas was about to break in "but we forget. We have accepted him for his fighting skills and his maturity but he's still a youngster. We overlook it and expect too much of him."
Legolas opened his mouth to speak but shut it again. She was right. He didn't answer but kissed her forehead and let her move away from him.
"Thank you." She said and smiled after him as he walked back into the hall.
"Right you've Kĩyara to thank for this leniency so be grateful. You're to clean every piece of tack there is and no weapons practise or leaving the palace until you've done it."
Seven heads bobbed in acknowledgement.
"You can go now."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"I hate this."
Nilmadë flung the sponge down and looked along the rows of tack. They disappeared into the distance and she was convinced that the number was infinite. Row upon row of old and creaky leather looked down on her.
"We got off lightly don't complain." Said Celorfiwyn.
He had taken the telling off seriously. He felt that he had betrayed a trust and he was prepared to serve his punishment. Fiarén wasn't talking to him either, he knew why. But he couldn't talk to his friend he couldn't muster the courage.
"I suppose so." Isorfir said.
"There's over two hundred and fifty sets of tack here you know."
"We know."
They all stopped working to look along the building they were in. Light filtered in through the windows and particles of dust made it seem golden. The wooden pegs held leather that was older even than them. All of which had to be cleaned. Glancing at one another they set back to work.
"We have time to talk now so we might as well get it over with Nilmadë."
It was Elwing who had spoken. He hadn't shown it in the confusion on the beach but he was hurt. Deeply.
The others kept on working in silence.
"I just moved on that's all Elwing. We were away for so long and…"
"And you forgot. Forgot about me."
"No it wasn't like that. I didn't forget about you! I forgot how it felt though. Then I met Caladrieng-"
"Who?" Elwing's face was impassive.
"Caladrieng. He was…he is…Look I can't tell you because I don't know how. I'm sorry Elwing I didn't mean to hurt you!"
"I'm sure you didn't Nilmadë but you have."
Nilmadë mumbled her answer. "Sorry."
She was upset too. She hadn't meant to hurt him and she couldn't have anticipated the hurt she felt now. She began to regret her choice, but if she hadn't Fiarén and Celorfiwyn would have fought and who knows what could have happened. Reasoning was futile so Nilamdë took out her heart felt sorrow on the dirty leather beneath her fingers. She worked the cloth in harsh circles driving the soap into the material making it shine, before long she had finished and was looking for the next saddle.
Two days later the seven companions walked out of the building and into the bright light of the day. With out a word they looked at each other and smiled.
Then they ran, ran for the feel of the wind in their hair, ran for the earth beneath their flying feet, ran for the blood pumping through their veins. They ran for the pure joy of living. For the freedom of youth and friendship and the knowledge that this would be kept safe inside their memories for eternity.
Fiarén
For now my feelings have abated towards Celorfiwyn. Nothing could spoil this perfect day. We served our punishment. But that is not what makes this day special. As we walked out we were all seven. All of us together in a friendship we will hold forever. Nothing that has been said or done could overcome that bond. The sun was warm and fell upon us like spring rain, refreshing and cleansing. The arda earth was around us but most of all within us. None of us could subdue the feeling inside, the feeling we had to listen to our hearts and answer the call of people. So we ran. We ran for miles without tiring we went through the forest and out onto the plains without a care in the world.
When eventually we had to stop it was on a rise on the grasslands by a sparkling blue stream. All seven of us laid there in a circle our heads to the centre and looked at the sky. It was flawless topaz blue. There are no words that elves or mortals can devise that could describe our feelings today. We have all agreed one thing; Life should be beautiful.
A/N: I was thinking of all my mates when I wrote this. It's a for those guys who love ya in spite of your self! Stag, Al, Ems, Kat, Caz, Heidi n Steph just to mention a few!
I can't remember the correct spelling of eldar so it's going to be spelt eldar form now on. Its like that because my lotr book is all the way over there *waves hand to table on other side of itsy bitsy study* too…much…effort!
