A/N – Sorry this took so long!!! My computer did something weird, but any ways… you get two new chapters! Not just one, but two! Excitement! But also, sniffle! The beginning of the masquerade is upon us, meaning the beginning of the end is also upon us.  I just wanted to take a moment to thank my new readers! I never thought I would get so many this late in the game, so thank you for your support! Now, let's see what ickle Legolas has in store for Venny, shall we?

***I also threw in a little surprise for all of you! Hope it ties up some loose ends. :)

Chapter 28

            Venitia awoke the Friday of the first ball with a strange feeling of excitement. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she had a strange feeling that something big was going to happen at these masquerades.

            Tonight was the night that Legolas was supposed to supply her with her costume. She was slightly worried, but not all that much.  Legolas was very wise and trustworthy.

            She got out of her bed and stretched, the sky outside matching the blue in her room.  The day was flawless; it was sunny and the sky was blue without a cloud in sight. A warm breeze swept through Venny's room as she opened the door to her balcony.  She stood there for a moment in her nightgown, when she caught sight of her mother, running around, followed by servants.  The enormous outdoor patio had been set up with decorations, and a small stage for the orchestra.  A tent was being put up in the field.  Venitia laughed as she watched her mother franticly yet still gracefully run around, stopping ever so often to check something. She suddenly looked up and noticed Venitia, but instead of waving, she yelled, "Venitia! Get down here and help me!"

            Venitia laughed and quickly changed.  After stopping by the kitchens to steal something to eat, she went out back to help her mother.

            "There you are! I thought that army would teach you to rise at a more punctual time," her mother said when Venitia joined her.

            "Sowwy," Venitia said through a mouth full of toast.

            "Do not talk with your mouth full," Arwen said automatically, and Venitia swallowed.

            "What do you wish me to do?" Venitia asked.

            "Set these up by the food tables," Arwen said, plunking many banners showing the Gondorian colors into Venitia's arms.  Venitia staggered away, still trying to eat her toast.

            Venitia deliberately took a long time setting the banners up on the dozens of tables so she wouldn't be stuck with another tedious chore.  Around 11 o'clock in the morning, a servant came hurrying up to her just as she finished.

            "This just came for you, your highness," the servant said. He handed her a letter, bowed quickly, and left.

            Venitia examined the envelope; it read To Her Royal Highness, Venitia, Princess of Gondor. Intrigued, she flipped it over to see a seal she did not recognize.

            Opening the envelope, she pulled out a long, folded piece of paper.  Opening it, she read:

            Dear Venitia,

                        I, along with the entire country, have heard of the upcoming masquerade ball to celebrate your return from an expedition with the Army of Gondor. I only wished to write you to congratulate you on leading such a wonderful life.

                        I realize that this is sudden and most likely completely unexpected. I have always kept my ear open to hear news of you.  I have come to appreciate that I would have been nothing but a burden to you, seeing as you have gone so far without me in your life.  You are to be crowned queen; I would have been nothing but an affliction to the life you were so obviously born to lead.  I want to congratulate you on this, and look forward to having you as this country's ruler.

                        As for myself, I have been keeping busy. I began to work as a carpenter on the western border of the country. My aunt fell ill, however, and as she had three tiny children, I felt I had a duty to go comfort her.  She died but five months ago, and I have been caring for the children while I try to find someone worthy to take them in. I am no father, not yet, at least. After that I hope to return to being a carpenter, hopefully in the same area as before.

                        I must admit I think of you often, and of the life I left behind. Yet the more I think on it, the more I firmly believe I made the right choice. You will be the greatest queen that ever ruled, and I will always be your loyal subject.

                        I hope that you will always remain in good health.  Who knows? Maybe we shall meet again one day. If you should wish to write back, I would be ecstatic to hear from you. Until then…

                        Your humble servant,

                        Thaddeus

            Venitia gaped at the page. She smoothed it out and read it quickly again. Suddenly, she smiled widely. Who would have thought, Thaddeus? She had to admit, his letter was true.  With a shrug, she decided all could be forgiven.

            Still smiling, she folded the letter back up and put it in her pocket. A grumbling in her stomach told her she should hurry up and find some food. She quickly tucked in the last corner of the banners, and hurried toward the door to the kitchen.  It was filled with servants and chefs running every which way.  Venitia ducked under people carrying trays, and narrowly missed being pelted by a cake. She quickly spotted a loaf of bread and some sausage sizzling on a pan.  After being impatiently grunted at when she asked the chef if she could eat it, she put the sausage on a plate, grabbed the bread and headed back outside. She snatched a piece of paper and a pen from a desk right in front of the door. Once outside, however, she carefully avoided her mother and headed to her thinking spot in the woods. She sat down on the cool ground and set down her plate. She pulled Thaddeus' letter from out of her pocket and the paper.  She thought for a moment then wrote:

            Dearest Thaddeus,

                        Your letter did come as quite a surprise. I was very glad to hear from you and to know that you are doing fine. My condolences on your aunt's passing; it must have devastating for the children. For their sake, I pray you find them a loving home.

                        Thank you for your congratulations on the expedition. It was quite an experience.

She went on to tell him some of the things that had happened during the trip. She included the cave, the nehipox, and with a note of pride, her massacre of the goblins. She stopped to take a bite of the sausage, and then wrote:

                        And now that I have returned, Mother insists that there be a party. She always goes half mad when we have a party, so I am never really sure why she persists to have so many. I am afraid I will never quite be able to figure my mother out completely.

                        It feels nice to have someone to write to. She stopped and thought a moment, munching on the bread.  Perhaps, she wrote, we could be penfriends. You know, we could write to each other every so often to tell each other what is going on our lives. I know I always love to receive mail, and I adore writing letters as well. Think on it; it might be fun.

                        Anyway, this letter is far longer than I thought it was going to be. I hope I haven't bored you to death. I do think of you. But I think perhaps you are correct; it has been better for both of us that we did not get married.

                        I hope to hear from you. Until then…

                        Yours truly,

                        Venitia

She signed her name with a silly flourish. The clock rang one o'clock, and Venitia sprang up, sending the crumbs on her dress to the ground. The masquerade began in three hours! Panicking, Venitia picked up all her things and ran toward the palace.

            She dropped the plate off at the kitchen, then ran to her room. Dropping the letters on her desk, she quickly drew a bath and sank into it. After cleaning her hair and body, she got out. She hastily powdered her body and left the bathroom.

            She stopped dead.  There, on her bed, was the most gorgeous dress she had ever seen in her life.  She carefully picked it up, as if it would disappear. It was a deep, silvery blue. Its sleeves were wide, and Venitia could tell it went off her shoulders. It was intricately embroidered with little crystal stones.  Lying next to it was a necklace, a mask, and a note.

            Hope you like it.

            Legolas

She smiled and picked up the necklace. It, too, was blue, but what looked like silver liquid swirled through the blue gems.  The mask was blue as well, with little beads that resembled the stones in the dress. On the floor was a blue pair of shoes.

            Venitia eagerly put on the dress; it seemed to flow onto her.  The sleeves hung like bells on her arms, and the skirt was just big enough so she could move her legs.  She stared at herself in the mirror for a few minutes, until she snapped out of it by the clock on her shelf ringing two-thirty.  She spent a good half hour putting her hair into soft curls that came down exactly to the where her shoulders met the dress. She was fixing some stray hairs when a knock came at her door.

            "Come in," she said.

            Legolas walked in. She turned around, and said,

            "It's beautiful."

            He smiled and picked up the necklace. She turned back around to face the mirror as he came up behind her and fastened the necklace around her neck.  He then placed a thick strand of her hair in front of each ear, and that was when it hit her.

            "Ohhh," she said.

            "You just realized it now?" he said. He smiled, though. "You are an elvish princess, just like your mother."

            Venitia looked at herself in the mirror, fingering her curls. She then actually took notice of Legolas in the mirror, and turned around.

            He was wearing human clothing, and had left all of his hair down.  He had somehow drawn a very strange looking beard onto his face that she supposed was meant to be brown. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he held a finger up.  He then pulled out a mask, which covered half his face and replaced it with the face that was drawn onto it. Venitia burst out laughing.

            "Father!" she said. Legolas laughed as well.

            "Well, seeing as he won't be himself tonight, I though someone ought to," he said.

            The clock now rang a quarter past three. Venitia supposed she should finish getting ready, and Legolas wanted to go laugh at Almira being a leaf, so he left.

            She inconspicuously pinned the hair in front of her ears so it would stay there. She applied some light color to her still-tanned face, and some pink to her lips. Standing back, all she felt she needed was some pointy ears and she would be an elf.

            Securing her mask and pinning that as well, Venitia nodded to herself in the mirror and left the room. The masquerade would soon begin.

***I posted two chapters at once (yay me!) so the masquerade starts…(press the button)