LOVE'S CHANCE AT FATE
PLEASE REVIEW SO I CAN POST THE NEXT CHAPTER!! I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE IT ^_^
**AHEM** Please don't sue me for changes in plot lines, the use of Tolkien's world, or Elvish translations. Word translations made possible by:
So please don't sue me. I CITED!
Chapter Ten: Grown Up Playmates
Early morning came and went before Vilisse found the will power to get out of bed. It had been her usual late hours she had worked the previous night, but still her dreams had been plagued by something strange. Every so often now, she had dreams of the strangest sort. It as if they had never sent her away during her childhood, as if she had been back home with her parents, like she had never left.
After readying herself for the day's chores, she took her pack and headed out. It was Saturday after all, prime-time for the market. This was when all the best produce was in from the fields, and the little town buzzed with excitement. It was also harvest month, when the summer crops had finally come to town and the best of everything was present.
She passed through the Inn unnoticed, and the mid morning sun shined bright, beating down on her as she passed through the busy streets. The crowded streets were packed with tables and carts set up with ripe produce and their farmers. Women with bundles full of fruit and veggies led their screaming children past Vilisse as she made her way towards the fruit carts.
Not far away, four strangers took a walk in the fresh morning air. They treaded lightly on the crowded cobble stones and tried to stay out of the hustle and bustle of the market. They had stayed the night in the Inn, and had gotten up early before the morning was completely wasted.
"Do you think she was the one?" Asked one of their company. The familiar golden haired elf thought back to the previous night.
"I'm not sure. She looked the part, there was something about her, something familiar. I could have been mistaken." He answered, shielding his eyes from the bright sun, looking down at the ripe nectarines. He picked one up and in the common tongue asked for it's price to the farmer and payed for it. He took a tasteful bite.
"How could it not be? Her father said she'd probably be hiding somewhere. I'd say working at that Inn, she'd be hiding for certain." Replied another in their Elven tongue.
"If it is her, she's not hiding, she's trying to disguise herself. Amerlin is not her rightful name." Commented the third.
"But why would she still be on the run? Surely she is old enough now not to cower away from her family. Surely she must know that they still love her?" Questioned the first..
"I do not know. Nor do I intend to pry it from her. Did you not wonder why she kept her ears concealed? And only when she was caught off guard could we tell what she was?" Asked the blonde haired elf, merely making a point.
"Yes, but she is practically betrothed to you, Legolas, and you to her. Would you find her and let her go, if this elf happens to be Vilisse?" Asked the third elf. Prince Legolas gave him a sharp look.
"Ramilin, I do not intend to force anyone into what they do not wish for. Vilisse Arandur is an elf as well. How can I have her, when she will not have me? It is a two way street, my friend."
"Yes, but by law she was granted to your family, your highness." Answered the First.
"We don't even know that it is her. Stop making assumptions, as we all should. Let us enjoy the morning. It is still beautiful and we have business to attend to."
Vilisse looked closely at some strawberries that a friend of her's family grew.
"Ah, Amerlin! Good to see you! It's been so long now, I thought something had happened to you!" Her friend, a human girl around 19 embraced her.
"Good to see you too, my friend. Your strawberries do look delicious!" Her friend grinned.
"You can have one, no charge, if you want. We've got some nectarines over here too. They're pretty good. I had one earlier." Vilisse took a bite out of a strawberry as she walked over to the nectarines, where unbeknownst to her, Legolas had been there only moments before. She bent down to smell them.
"Mmm... smell good! I'll take four." She said, handing over some of her savings. "So, have you done anything interesting lately?" Vilisse grinned as her and her friend began to take a walk through the market, leaving the rest of her family to take care of the carts.
"No, not really. Though my uncle Clavis stopped by to help with the harvest last week. Other than that, nothing. And you? Anything interesting at the Inn lately?"
"No... not really. Except I saw four elves last night, that was a bit strange..." Her friend bubbled with excitement.
"Ooo! What did they look like? I've always wanted to see elves, they must have been so beautiful!" She sighed. "Lucky you, you always get in on the good stuff."
"The good stuff? You know, there's more out there than just elves. I mean, would you really want to live forever? And on top of all that get pulled into an unwanted relationship for forever?" Lessie looked at her, a little angry.
"I don't get it, why do you hate elves so much? Every time we get to talking about them, it's as if you never want to see another elf in your life, when you've been lucky enough to see some. You're as bad as the young men I swear!"
Legolas cocked his ears, not more than five feet away, though many people between.
"I just don't think elves are all they're cracked up to be. I don't hate them per say, it's just royalty that get's at me. You know what they do? They sell their daughters to make money off the marriage trades. That's what they do. How would you like that? You think you have this whole life in head of you and all of eternity, but when you turn a certain age, all your freedom is gone." Lessie stayed quiet for a moment or too, realizing there was something about her friend she didn't understand. Amerlin spoke as if she had gone through the ordeal herself.
"Well, it's not like I've got a chance of escaping that fate either, even though I have no royal blood in me. You think we have a better chance of escaping an arranged marriage, though we be just daughters of the working class? Speaking of which, father will be growing curious as to where I've been." She embraced Vilisse again. "It was good to see you, and let less time pass between our meetings!" Lessie headed back up the busy cobble streets, disappearing into the crowd.
Legolas had heard the whole thing as he had drawn closer, telling his company to stay behind for a moment.
Vilisse shook her head in thought, turning back to a cart full of corn bushels and raspberries. She bent down to have a good look at them, and felt someone looking over her shoulder. She abruptly stood and turned around to face the snoop before her. In the process however, she had knocked into him in surprise. Without even making a sound, he instantly grabbed his nose, as it began to bleed, not letting his eyes off her as she offered him her hanky.
"Oh, I am so sorry!" She had forgotten about her current conversation completely, and helped him hold it his nose, noticing he had been one of the elves at the Inn the night before.
"Dat's ok, I shouldn't hab stood so close," he managed to say, though sounding quite funny with his nose plugged up. Vilisse led him away out of the hustle and away from the carts. His company stood at a distance, smirking at him in his current situation. She sat him down on a brick barrier that separated the market cobble stones from the grass as she continued to help him hold his nose.
"I am truly very sorry sir. It seems you caught me off guard... much like that glass last night." She grinned.
"Well, I shouldn't have stood so close." His said again, as momentarily his nose stopped bleeding. He took the cloth down a bit. "I suppose you have dealt with this before?" He asked with a smirk. "Well, when I was a child, I had a friend who's nose bled very easily. We used to play outside the woods near his home and rough-housed a bit. So I'd always clean it for him, because he couldn't see where it was coming from," she laughed, remembering one of the good moments of life at the palace, and seemed to have momentarily forgotten the feeling of foreboding she had the night before about this stranger.
"When I was younger, blood used to upset my stomach. Not that I saw much of it anyway," he added.
"You know, my friend used to get so sick at the sight of his own blood he'd throw up! So I'd make him close his eyes." She went to the water pump and washed blood from the hanky.
"You don't have to do that, I'll clean off my own blood," he offered.
"No, it's all right. But you can have it! I don't think I would use it now," she grinned, holding it up to him. It seemed that somehow he was familiar to her. No, his handsome face wasn't just vaigly familiar... it was... recognizable. Vilisse's breath caught in her throat. He was what she had run from, from a fate that befell her years before. Her smile and laughter faded to a frown. Years had boiled down to this, the moment she knew she must never encounter. Years ago, she knew she would have fallen for his charms and grace, as she had just done."Is there something the matter, malady?" He asked, his grin losing its stamina. She began to back away from him. Turning quickly, she darted through the crowded streets. Legolas chased after her, and his group in hot pursuit of their friend.
Translations:
Vilisse: (meaning in Quenya) a person's "spirit", meaning his or her general personality and attitude.
Huore: Heart-vigor, aggressive in the ways of the heart (traditional spelled with two dots above the e, however my computer doesn't know the codes).
Istima: Knowledge, learned.
Elwen: Hearted- to have heart.
Arandur: A King's servant, Steward.
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