Author's Note: This one's a bit of a detour, but it has some character developing. :) It seems to be a tie between the names Galiana and Lehana so maybe this will help – Galiana means "supreme one" and Lehana means "one who refuses." I'm thinking the story is going to be about an elvin warrior (a girl of course). Thank you so much to everyone who helped!!! On with the story!
The days passed by, and Donovan healed well. In two weeks, they were back at training. Whatever discomfort or uneasiness Venny had felt before around him was gone. No barrier was between them any more, and they became even better friends than before.
One day, the family received some exciting news. Almira was to return after being away for nearly three months. She was to reach Gondor in two days time.
Venitia was excited for her sister's return, and Arwen insisted on having a party thrown to welcome her home. Legolas, as Aragorn had predicted, showed up the day before she arrived home.
Almira reached the palace, looking different but very happy. She had grown, and had a new look about her. She seemed much more carefree.
"Venitia!" she cried as she ran to her sister after hugging her parents.
"Almira! I missed you so much! You must tell me all about it!"
"Oh, I will!"
Donovan gave Venitia the day off to be with her sister. They went out to the large balcony on the third floor that overlooked the fields in the back of the palace.
"The mountains, Venitia! You have to see the mountains! And all the forests!"
Venitia laughed at her sister's excitement.
"I wished it could have lasted forever!"
"Well, that would have been no fun. You would have never seen us again," Venitia said feigning sadness.
"Oh, Venny, don't kid," her sister laughed.
She went on to tell Venitia of all her adventures, of how she had met elves and different kinds of men and "hobbits, Venitia! We actually saw hobbits!".
After this had gone on for some time Venitia said, "So, I can take it you had a good time?" she said jokingly.
"The best!"
"Well, you were not gone so long that you have forgotten what day of the year is coming up, did you?" Venitia said.
Almira looked quizzical.
"Your birthday?" Venitia helped.
Almira gasped. "My birthday! I had almost forgotten!"
"Not just any birthday, either. You will be turning sixteen. That is a very important age," she said.
"I remember your sixteenth birthday. Father threw a huge ball and I was only allowed to stay an hour," Almira pouted.
Venitia laughed. "Well, if it is any consolation, Muriel will probably be only allowed to stay at yours for an hour," she smiled.
Almira smiled as well. "Wait…you mean, Father is throwing a ball? For me?"
"Yes, for you, silly. You have go tell Annette what you want your dress to look like, although, if I'm not mistaken, she has had one ready since you were five," Venitia laughed. Annette had always like Almira the best. "Now, you have been with me long enough. I think Legolas is pining away for you," she joked.
Almira laughed and jumped up. "Alright, I will go find him. See you at dinner."
Venitia waved. She stayed where she was and looked out. Fields went as far as the human eye could see, and the forest stretched far to the west. The horses were being let roam free, and they ran around near the stables, situated not far from the palace. The enormous mansion that had been built for all of the servants stood a little to the right. Venitia smiled as she saw her littlest sister sitting in the middle of the field, painting the edge of the forest.
Soon she saw her father walking out to meet Muriel. He was the biggest supporter of her art, and adored everything she did. Venitia laughed as Muriel suddenly jumped on her father and they started play-fighting. They both looked up and noticed her standing there. They waved, and she waved back. They soon went back to playing.
"He adores her, doesn't he?" Arwen's voice suddenly came from behind Venny. She walked up to Venitia.
Venitia smiled and said, "Yes, he does." She thought for a moment and then said, "He never played with me quite like that," trying not to sound bitter.
Her mother smiled. "No, he felt that as the oldest, you should learn from a young age to be responsible. I never was too sure if I agreed with that," she said in her musical voice.
Venitia looked at her in surprise. "Really?"
"I did not want you to grow up too serious. I do not think you did, but I don't know if he sees that."
"What do you mean?"
"He sees you as a responsible, trustworthy and honest young woman."
"Nothing more?"
Arwen only smiled. She brushed a hair away from Venitia's face. "He may not want to, but he should." She kissed Venitia's forehead. "He adores you, too, don't forget that," she said, then turned and left the balcony.
Venitia sighed and turned back to Muriel and her father. He was now lying next to her while Muriel went on painting. Venitia shrugged to herself and went inside.
She passed Legolas and Almira talking about the mountains up north. She slipped past them and went outside to the front of the palace.
She sat on the steps that led down to the street below and thought. Why was it that Muriel had her father, and Almira had Legolas, but Venitia was sitting here all alone? She watched with amusement as the people rushed by, not noticing that their princess was sitting there quietly watching them. A group of kids were playing with marbles at the edge of the steps. Struck by a thought, Venitia got up and walked toward them.
"Good afternoon," she said with a smile as she bent down toward them.
"Hello," they said amiably. Venitia was sure that they did not know who she was.
"Who is winning?" she asked.
"I am!" one little boy said proudly.
She laughed and sat down. "May I watch?"
"You can play, if you want," a little girl said. "My name is Agrata," she said proudly.
"Excellent to meet you, Agrata. My name is Venny," she said as she put her hand out. The little girl shook it importantly.
"This is Emory, and that is Kyros and Warrick," Agrata continued.
"A pleasure," Venitia said. "How old are all of you?"
"Seven years old," Agrata said before any of the boys could speak.
"Seven? Very important age," Venitia said.
Agrata nodded in agreement. "We'll start a new game for Venny."
"No!" poor Kyros said. He had been the little boy who was winning.
But Agrata paid no attention to him and swept the marbles up. They began playing.
It was the most fun Venitia had had in a long time. She never won, but that was only because Agrata seemed to have a strategy for every move that the other players did.
One time, Venitia was so close to winning, but Agrata pulled a very clever move and beat her.
"No!" Venitia said and fell over dramatically. The kids laughed and tried to pull her back up. "No, no! My life is over!" Venitia said spectacularly and refused to be pulled up. She closed her eyes and resisted the arms of the little kids. Suddenly a marble came flying at her face and she opened her eyes. They were laughing as they started pelting her with marbles. She pretended to scream in pain when she suddenly heard,
"Venitia, what are you doing?"
She carefully looked up to see her father standing over her.
"I…I was just playing a game," she said, unable to contain her laughter.
The kids also started to laugh, and they were all soon doubled over, leaning on each other. Aragorn looked very confused, but said, "Come on, dear. It is time for dinner."
"Same time tomorrow?" Agrata asked hopefully.
Venitia smiled. Tomorrow was Sunday, and therefore she had no training. "Same time tomorrow," she affirmed, and got up and followed her father into the palace. At the door she turned around and waved to them. They eagerly waved back, and Venitia chuckled.
She followed her father, who apparently did not want to say anything, to the dining hall. She caught a glimpse of herself in one of the many mirrors in the hallway, and chuckled when she saw that she looked a fright. She shrugged and continued on.
"There you are Venitia! We were getting worried he wouldn't find you," Arwen said.
"I was outside," Venitia said as she sat down.
"Rolling in the dirt?" Legolas said quietly with a smile.
"Maybe," she answered, returning his smile.
The entire dinner conversation consisted of questioning Almira about her trip. She seemed very happy for all the attention.
After dinner, everyone went around the fireplace to hear more of Almira's stories. Venny, however, went to her room. Those kids had really worn her out. She excused herself and went straight to bed, even though the sun hadn't set all way yet.
She woke up in the wee hours of the morning and could not fall back to sleep. She got out of bed and sat on her balcony that was attached to her room. It looked out over the side of the palace that was once Mordor. It wasn't exactly the best view in the place, but it was a good place to think. A cool breeze swept by; autumn had fallen. The sky sparkled with stars. Venitia thought back to all the times when she was a child. Her father had put her in front of books; she had learned about history and languages as a child. Yes, she had played once in a while, but now thinking on it, she realized that she was normally found with her nose in a book, or telling her sister off for doing something that any normal child would do. I've grown up too fast, she thought sadly. Suddenly she noticed something glimmering in the tree below, and heard a soft voice humming.
Does that elf ever sleep? Venitia thought in amusement. She left the balcony and headed downstairs. She went out the back door and stood underneath the tree where Legolas was lying on a limb, singing a song.
"Up so early?" he asked without ever looking down.
"I went down early," she answered.
He smiled, still staring up at the stars.
"You gave your father quite a surprise today," he said.
"What do you mean?"
"He went crazy with worry when he could not find you. Then, imagine his surprise when he found you playing with children?"
She sighed heavily. "It was fun," she said defensively.
"I am not accusing you of anything," he said softly. "He has not seen you in that light before."
"Well, it's his fault," she said bitterly. "He raised me to be serious and responsible while my sisters get to have fun."
He smiled. "He raised you the way he thought an oldest child should be raised. Do not blame him for everything."
"Then who should I blame? My mother? She always tried to have fun with me, but my father somehow always stopped it. I could speak three languages by the time I was ten, could recite the history of the world, retell all of his stories and battles yet I had no friends! You don't find that upsetting?" she said, now angry.
He thought for a moment. "Maybe you are somewhat right. I have noticed you hold back many times over the years, and it always brought me pain. I remember when you were a child your sisters would be playing and you would be sitting on the side reading a book," he laughed at the memory. "But maybe the time has come to change, if only slightly."
She felt some of her anger leave. He was right; he was always right. Her father had only raised her the way he thought was fit. She suddenly felt sleepy again, and waved good-bye to Legolas as she staggered back to her room.
She stopped at her parents' room. She leaned her head against the door frame as she watched their peaceful sleeping figures. Suddenly she was so overcome by sleep that she walked into the room and fell asleep at the foot of their bed.
***
She woke suddenly, and found that it was nine o'clock in the morning. It took her a second or two to figure out where she was. Her parents were no longer in their bed, but someone had laid a blanket over her. She smiled to herself and left for her own room.
It was Sunday, and a beautiful autumn day. She walked outside and toward the stables. The leaves were turning red and orange, and the forest looked like it was on fire. The sky was a flawless blue. The air always seemed cleaner and the sun seemed to shine clearer in the autumn. She took Crystal out and saddled her. Venitia wasn't sure where she wanted to go, and was content for awhile to just trot around the fields. It soon was noon, and she headed inside to eat lunch.
She ate quite ravenously, for she hadn't had any breakfast. She figured she had about two hours until the kids would be ready to play marbles again, so she headed back out. Crystal was grateful for the chance to stretch her legs, and galloped at full speed for a couple of minutes.
The horse took Venitia into the forest. Venitia just stared up at the trees. She smiled as she thought of the story her father once told her of the trees that could talk and move. She sometimes wished that she had lived back in those days when her father was a Ranger and roamed the lands. She wished she could have just been free to walk the earth and see everything with no restrictions. She could have fought for freedom, just like her father did. She had met that little hobbit once; he was the nicest little person she had ever met. That had been a long time ago, for he had traveled with the Lord Elrond and Gandalf, her father's friend, to the west.
See, that is exactly what I am talking about, she thought to herself. I can recount hundreds of stories about the past and my father's friends, but can recount no stories of my past with my friends! Because I had no friends! she thought angrily. She noticed that the horse had led her back to the stables. It looked to be mid-afternoon. She smiled at how she had had her head in the clouds for so long.
She left Crystal and traveled around the palace to the front. There were Agrata and the boys waiting for her.
"Venny!" they cried as she walked toward them. She laughed as they pulled her down to sit with them.
"Ready to lose again horribly?" Agrata said smugly.
Venitia laughed. "I'm ready."
They played for hours, two at least. Venitia suddenly realized that she had promised to help Gallagher, the man that her father had hired to plan Almira's party. She leaped up suddenly.
"I'm sorry. I have to leave," she said.
They looked at her with sad faces.
"Oh, don't do that. Come on, you'll have lots of fun without me," she pleaded
They continued looking at her.
"Alright, I'll tell you what. Would you like to come help me with something?"
They nodded eagerly. She led them into one of the entrances that didn't exactly make it look like a palace and to the ballroom. She watched as their eyes opened wide at the sight.
"Wow," they all said.
"You would think the king lived here," Kyros said.
Venitia stifled a laugh and saw Gallagher pacing nervously.
"Gallagher! I brought some help!" she called.
He was nervous, twitchy sort of man, and he did not look too happy at the sight of four children.
"Your highness! Thank you!" he said dubiously.
"Venitia. My name is Venitia," she said quickly, but the kids were not paying any attention. They were walking in circles at the enormity of the room.
"The head table will go where it always goes…" he started blabbing on, but Venitia wasn't really listening. She nodded here and there, but focused her attention on the children.
"It's pink! Yuck," Warrick said.
"Pink is very nice color," Agrata said.
"Pink is a girly color," Emory agreed with Warrick.
"But it's such a light pink. It's pretty," Agrata said.
The room indeed was pink, but Agrata was right, it was such a light pink that you didn't really notice. It was two floors high, so there was a balcony that looked down on the dance floor. The head table always went directly across from the marble stairs that led down onto the floor. The tables went on the sides, and depending on the occasion, plants lined the walls. The floor itself was made of marble and the ceiling was intricately carved in an elaborate design.
Venitia had always like this room. It had a grandness about it. It was always decorated with blue for her occasions. Almira's favorite color, however, was green.
"…green does not look good with pink, so I was wondering what your thoughts were?" Gallagher was saying.
She snapped out of her reverie and nodded. "Yes…what about a shimmery green? That might work."
He nodded. "I will send for an sample at once," and he hurried off, no doubt to Annette.
She walked to where he had designs laid out on a table near the stairs. Green fabric was to drape off of everything, it seemed. The plants were to line the walls sporadically, a change from previous balls. She liked it.
"Would you care to dance, my lady?" Emory's voice came from behind her.
She turned to find him bowing with his hand extended. She laughed and took it. Agrata was whirling poor Kyros around like a top. For a lad of seven, Emory was rather tall.
"Do you know how to waltz, my lord?" Venitia asked mockingly serious.
"I do," he said. "My mother taught me once," he said quietly so the others wouldn't hear.
She smiled and they started to dance. He was actually quite good, and they would have danced perfectly if Agrata and Kyros did not keep running into them. Warrick tapped his foot in time, and kept shouting corrections at Agrata and Kyros. Soon, Agrata was threatening to beat him up if he did not keep quiet. He immediately fell silent, for Venitia was pretty sure that Agrata was serious.
Their enjoyment was cut short when Gallagher came rushing back.
"What about this, your highness?" he asked.
It was an emerald that shimmered. She held it up against the pale pink of the wall, and, surprisingly, it looked perfect.
They nodded to each other and Gallagher said, "I will order twenty bolts of it." He always was a little overly cautious.
"…I want to dance with her!"
"I got her first!"
"Yes, but she left you! Ha!"
The boys were fighting.
"Whoa, calm down. What is going on?" Venitia asked.
They blushed and didn't say anything.
"They have been fighting over you and who gets to dance with you next," Agrata said angrily.
Venitia laughed. "How about-"
"May I dance with her next?" a voice came behind her.
She turned around to see her father. He smiled at her and held out his hand. She took it, and they started to waltz. The kids shrugged and started dancing with one another.
"Venita, I think I owe you an apology. A rather large one in fact."
"Father –" she started to protest, but he held up his hand.
"Let me finish," he took a deep breath. "I raised you the way I thought you should have been raised. I realize now I made many mistakes. I should not have forced you into a corner with a book while I played with your sisters. You should have seen the same side of me that I showed them. Besides, a queen should know how to have fun. Looking back, I realize I should have taught you that along with history and languages. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"
She hugged him tight. "You can still teach me," she said. "I have not grown too old yet," she said with tears in her eyes. "I love you, Father."
He smiled wide. "I love you, too," he said as he kissed her forehead and they continued to waltz.
