A/N: Awww thanks! I'm glad u all liked the last chp I was sooo worried it wouldn't work!

Heidi: hey hon! I'm trying to write this while watching the baftas so have to keep stopping to shout LOTR!! At the screen just so they know I want them to win EVERYTHING!

OMG LOTR just lost best picture to a damn PIANO player! Grrr :-s

Kat: this chaps speshully for you! PANGALACTICGARGLEBLASTER!! Yayay!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Áruinne

I hardly know how to put my pen to the paper! When I came back in I could not sleep and paced my room for nearly the whole night. Nothing can compare to this feeling, it's like I'm on wings and am soaring above. Although I have known Celorfiwyn since I was small never have I looked upon him in this way. I never thought I would have the audacity to do such a thing as kiss him! Maybe what my mother has given me is indeed a gift for the feelings are too much, they make me want to run and laugh. I cannot stop smiling! I fear that what I have done is written on my face and is clear for all to see, but I know that it is not. I cannot write anymore, I have to go and find him! This night has gone so slowly, at last the sun is showing her face.

The grinning Princess flung the diary onto her bed and ran for the door. It landed on her unworn nightclothes and fell open. The summer breeze from the still open window caught its pages and turned them, the neat handwriting flowing over the yellowy parchment in neat lines. The door slammed closed and hurrying footsteps retreated from the chamber.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

In another room the same morning that had taunted Áruinne for so long dawned. The golden light filtered in through the windows and illuminated the room in hues of summer. In this room there were two beds, one neatly made with the light summer sheets tucked tidily under the mattress and the other a mess of twisted covers. The same situation occurred by the two hand carved wardrobes and at the desk. There was mess and clutter around one and precise neatness at the other.

Héthien finished brushing her hair in the full-length mirror and turned to her sister who was sat cross-legged on the end of her chaotic bed, staring into the distance lost in a daydream.

"Nilmadë?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you plait my hair for me in one of those ingenious little braids you do?"

Nilmadë grinned at her twin and motioned for her to sit. Héthien settled herself at the end of the bed and Nilmadë swung her legs off the end so she could reach. Leaning forward Nilmadë took the flaxen blonde hair in her nimble fingers and began to weave. The hair beneath her hands was corn gold and soft like strands of trapped sunlight and it was exactly like her own.

"So why all the fuss over your hair Héth?"

"No reason."

Nilamdë wasn't convinced though and brought her face to the level of her twins. She was grinning wickedly, her light blue eyes alight with mischief.

"You don't do things on whims sister. Tell me."

"It's nothing I just want my hair to look nice that's all."

Nilmadë screwed up her face and stuck out her tongue, Héthien's harmonious laugh filled the air like soft rain at her sister's antics. But the funny face was pushed to one side as Nilmadë's expression dawned with a new prospect. She gasped.

"You've got your eye on someone haven't you? You have! I know it!"

"No! Don't be silly."

But it was too late. Nilmadë had seen the blush begin on her sister's pale cheeks; she giggled and sat back up to continue the braid.

"So who is it then?"

"No one."

"Awww Héth come on! I tell you when I like people!"

"All of the time then."

"So? I can look can't I?"

"See what happened last time you looked! You lost Elwing."

Nilmadë scowled and shut up. Her sister wasn't as demure as people thought. Idly she began to hum as her fingers constructed the entwining strands of hair. The tune was soft and sweet and soon Héthien added her voice to the melody. The voices rose on the air and were borne out of the window seemingly melting into the background of natural noise. The words and the song of the birds, the whisper of the breeze in the trees and the gentle rustle of leaves became one. The quavering notes rose and fell in perfect harmony; the sound was sweet and soft, woven out of dreams and life.   

The twins became so caught up in the song that they didn't hear the click of the door opening or the footsteps of someone entering the room. Only when Elwing coughed did either of them look up. Nilmadë looked down again quickly and finished tying off her sister's hair, ignoring his presence. Héthien was the first to speak.

"Vedui Elwing."

He smiled appreciatively back; you couldn't help but get on with Héthien.

"Vedui Héthien."

Silence fell again, the tension in the air grew and still Nilmadë refused to look at the elf stood nervously by the door. Eventually Héthien got up off the floor and walked past Elwing.

"Well I'll leave you two alone. I'm going down for breakfast"

"I'll come pick up the pieces later." She muttered under her breath as she closed the door behind her. She hadn't gone two steps down the corridor when the shouting started. She shook her head and hurried up. She had a feeling there would be a lot of pieces.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Why Nilmadë?"

"Because!"

"That's not an excuse!"

"Look you wouldn't believe me even if I told you why I did it!"

Nilmadë was stood opposite Elwing in a stance that suggested she wasn't going to give in without a fight. His grey eyes held a sorrow that was masked by the sparking anger and hers were pools of frustration.

"Why wouldn't I? If it's true I'm going believe you aren't I?"

"I don't know!"

"Try me then, I can't do anymore harm."

"Alright! You know when we were having that water fight? Well Celorfiwyn picked Áruinne up and…there was a look."

"A look." Elwing said plainly.

"Yes! You know, the look that says this might more than just friends messing about? That look. Fiarén's face was so angry and he was going towards Celorfiwyn!"

"So you thought you'd use me as a diversion? Stab me through the heart to stop Fiarén making a scene?"

Nilamdë looked down at his emotive words. It was true but she hadn't been able to think of anything else, she didn't want to see her friend's fighting over look that may or may not have meant anything.

"Look please! I didn't mean to!"

"Nilmadë when you cut me I bleed. And it hurts…" Elwing's voice trailed off.

Nilmadë looked lost and her face creased in frustrated confusion. She didn't know how to make him understand.

"I'm sorry, so sorry Elwing!"

The elf lowered his voice from a shout.

"So all this about Caladrieng isn't true? It was just a ruse?"

Nilmadë hung her head, Elwing picked up on her meaning and gritted his teeth.

"Why Nilmadë why?" His words were forced and strained.

"I was lonely and I had forgotten how it was between us. Eight weeks is so long!"

"Eight weeks is nothing in our lives, if you cannot manage that I do not know how you would have coped with a lifetime."

Tears welled up in the young girl elf's eyes. Why had Héthien been right? She had told Nilmadë that Elwing was at home waiting for her but she had blundered on regardless. Now it was all coming back to her.

"Please! All I want is your forgiveness! Can we put this behind us?"

"I don't think there is an us anymore Nilmadë."

"Look what do you want me to do? I swear if you ask me I'll get down on my damn knees and beg!"

"I don't think you can repair this."

In a whirl of ash blonde hair he walked out of the room slamming the door. Nilmadë winced.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Héthien balanced the goblet of juice and plate of pastries in one hand and carefully turned the door handle, letting herself back into the room. She had been right about the pieces, Nilmadë was sat cross-legged on floor in a sea of paper. She was muttering to herself and her hand was flying wildly over the paper rested on a board on her knee. Héthien put the breakfast down on the desk for her sister and dodged a flying ball of screwed up parchment that missed the bin by miles.

"It's not my fault…he was always wandering off…shouldn't have left me…WHY ISN'T THIS WORKING?"

Nilmadë squealed in frustration and launched another rejected drawing into the air. She didn't even aim for the bin this time and the paper flew straight out of the window. Héthien suppressed a laugh and tentatively approached her sister and knelt beside her putting a hand on her shoulder. Nilmadë turned her face to Héthien; she could see the tears of frustration running down her face and smiled sadly pulling her sister into an embrace.

"The bastard wouldn't even let me say sorry!"

"Did you explain to him?"

"Yes! But he said if I couldn't even manage eight weeks away how could I manage a lifetime! I tried to explain I did!"

Héthien didn't reply but kept her arms around her twin. She had a feeling Nilmadë wouldn't have explained it very well but didn't dare say it.

"Don't be upset Nilmadë, I don't like it when you're upset."

"I am NOT upset! I'm angry! VERY ANGRY!"

"Oh."

Héthien let go and moved away, when her sister was like this it was best to leave her to get over it if you liked being alive. She retreated to the doorway and opened it.

"There's breakfast on the desk if you want it." Héthien said as she darted out the door to avoid another flying ball of paper.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The night stole away the day all too quickly and it wasn't long before the sweet summer melodies of the birds was replaced by the hooting of owls in the forest. The lances of keen red-hot sunlight had been overtaken by the cool waves of moonlight and the heat of the summer day was dulled by the night. Quietly Nilmadë slipped from her bed and padded across the warm floor, stealthily she opened the door and checked Héthien was asleep before creeping out.

The soothing whispers of night air cooled her skin as she walked down the silver moonlit corridors of the palace. Her feet made little noise on the flagged floor and before long she was descending the stairs into the main entrance of the Palace. The twins had rooms in the Palace because it was a privilege bestowed on the most important elves of the land and their father happened to be one. Elwing lived in the houses built high in the mallorn trees of the forest, as did Isorfir and Celorfiwyn.

Érinan Lethainne was a rich mixture of all the races of elves. The palace was built in the rustic style of the Mirkwood elves but had the splendour of Rivendell; then again there was the Lothlorién manner of living in the forest that constituted part of the kingdom.

It was into this area that Nilmadë now walked. Her bare feet knew the path well and she loved the feel of the soil under her toes and the gentle tickle of the grass. One, two, three she counted as she walked past the spiralling staircases that wound around the trunks of the silvery trees.

She alighted on the fourth one and began her ascent as quiet as a mouse. When she was a quarter of the way up the tree a platform jutted off to her left, surrounded by intricate palings. This wasn't the room she was looking for and continued up the tree. It was only when she had reached the uppermost branches and it made her dizzy to look down did she know that she had reached her destination. Directly in front of her was the topmost room, perched perilously in the highest bough of the tree.

She pushed back the soft velvet curtain that separated it from the stairs and walked into it. The floor gave a little creak beneath her. She stood stock-still least she wake the sleeping elf to her right. Elwing turned slightly in his bed but did not stir.

Nilmadë stood for a long while watching his chest rise and fall, taking in every feature. Never before had she so longed to have him and never before had he been so unobtainable. His ash blonde hair was ruffled and spread out on the pillow like a halo, his face a picture of sleeping innocence. For a moment Nilmadë's resolve wavered as she was confronted by the sleeping elf. But she tore her eyes away and summoned back her previous anger.

Her blue eyes swept the room looking for something. They rested on the chest of drawers; grinning wickedly she pulled them open. Her hands leafed through the materials until she found what she was looking for. They clutched the cloth tightly and her face lit up with unsuppressed mischief. She could barely hold back her laughter as she descended to the forest floor. The first part of her plan was complete.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Héthien leaned over her sleeping sibling and gently shook her awake.

"Nilmadë, time to get up."

Nilmadë groaned slightly and sat up.

"I want to go back to sleep."

"Why are you so tired sister?"

"Erm..no reason."

Héthien eyed Nilmadë dubiously but didn't say anything. Her sister was up to something; she knew she had snuck out last night because there were dirty footprints on the floor. She shrugged and turned away.

Nilmadë's hand closed around the clothing under her pillow and her impish smile returned.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Below her Nilmadë could see the milling elves. The annual summer games were soon and the practises had begun today. From her vantage point on the top of the palace she could see Isorfir getting humiliated by Kĩyara in the sword ring and Fiarén and Celorfiwyn's figures by the archery butts. Perfect. Everyone was about.

The banners of green and purple fluttered above her head as the breeze caught them. Nilmadë looked up at them and untied the rope tethering the Greenleaf flag to the wooden pole that bore it. She quickly tied the loose end of rope around the clothes she was holding and hoisted them high into the air where the breeze caught them. She grinned and shouted at the top her lungs

"ELWING! THIS IS MUCH MORE FUN THAN BEGGING FOR YOUR FORGIVENESS!"

As one the crowd turned and looked up to where Elwing's underwear was hung on the flagpole for all to see.

The chestnut haired queen of Érinan Lethainne was the first to collapse into fits of laughter. Nilmadë grinned wickedly and hung tightly to the wooden pole beside her.

A/N: OMG that was soooo long, my brain hurts! But what fun! The cheeky minx she is! Next chapter I PROMISE that I will do Áruinne and Celorfiwyn. This just had to be done coz Kat gave me the idea and I couldn't stop laughing! Elven underwear rules…