Disclaimer: Yadda yadda yadda ..no I don't own anything from Tolkien's
"Lord of the Rings". BUT I do own Arnaya, Nate and Gerod :)!
Chapter 4: A walk through Minas-Tirith
The guard who stood watch in front of Arnaya's prison cell nodded at the Prince of Mirkwood friendlily. The elf had come down here every day in the past week and always had a friendly word for him when he passed by.
During Legolas conversations with the witch the elf had found out that a carefully woven tapestry of lies kept her from knowing or understanding the truth. She thought, for example, that Aragorn had made an agreement with Saruman the White, for whom she mistook Gandalf, and had managed by the aid of the evil wizard to claim the throne of Gondor. Legolas had explained to her patiently how the happenings had really unfolded, but she was very stubborn and had often refused adamantly to listen to his reasoning.
He had sometimes been very close to giving up on her. Every day he had to convince himself anew that his words had any affect on her, however small it was. After a while he had realized that he could talk all he wanted, she needed to see with her own eyes that he was not lying to her, that Aragorn was a wise and just king who always had an open ear for the concerns of his subjects, instead of cruel tyrant, whom she thought him to be. Legolas had been ragging his brains about how this task could be accomplished all day long and had finally come up with a plan.
He stopped to talk to the guard, as he usually did before he entered the cell, but today he had a special request. The eyes of the man widened in surprise when he heard what the elven prince wanted from him, but after a few more convincing words from Legolas he quickly scampered off to fetch what he had been asked for. He returned shortly after with a pair of heavy looking iron handcuffs in his hands and another guardsman on tail, who wordlessly took his comrades post, while the other man and Legolas entered the prison cell.
"Back again?" the witch said, trying to sound non-challently. In reality Arnaya was very thankful that Legolas came down here every day. It was pleasant change to the boredom and loneliness of her bleak cell. When she looked up and noticed the handcuffs he held in his hands, she threw him a questioning look.
"Are we getting naughty today?" she asked innocently, while a sly smile tugged on the corners of her lips. The guardsman coughed nervously and cleared his throat in embarrassment.
Legolas laughed and shook his head. He had gotten used to her strange sense of humour and the fact that she didn't mince matters in the past few days. "No, we are going for a walk," he informed her and motioned the guardsman to open the door of the iron cage.
Arnaya's eyes darted from side to side, nervously scanning her surroundings for a possibility to escape. She was sure she could take down the guard, but the elf would pose a problem. He had been part of the Fellowship of the Ring, which meant that he had to be a skilled warrior. And even if she managed to overwhelm both of them there was still a whole palace and a city full of guards between her and freedom. She grudgingly had to admit that right now there was absolutely no possibility to escape.
Legolas stepped inside the cage, his movements careful and slow. An unspoken truce, established during the course of their long conversations, existed between them, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't try anything. They stood there motionlessly watching each other closely, trying to guess the next move of their vis-à-vis. Then she surprised him by holding out her wrist to him, motioning him to handcuff her. The iron chain that connected the two cuffs rustled loudly, when one closed around Arnaya's wrist and the other around Legolas's with a loud clicking noise.
"Well, I guess now that we have exchanged rings, you may kiss the bride," she said grinning at him teasingly.
"I would like my bride-to-be to stay with me even without the need to handcuff her to me and you obviously do not fit this description," he answered with a raised eyebrow.
"Fair enough," Arnaya shrugged her shoulders.
"Shall we?" the elf asked and offered her his arm, so that the handcuffs were hidden from curious gazes. She nodded and they both stepped out of the cell slowly.
"Prince Legolas, are you sure you don't need me to accompany on your walk?" the guardsman asked hesitantly.
"It is okay, Gerod. We want to draw as little attention to ourself us as possible," the elf answered determinedly. The guardsman that went by the name of Gerod nodded and stepped aside, letting them pass through the door.
After a few more steps they had left the darkness of the dungeons behind and Arnaya exhaled in relief, visibly relaxing as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her slender shoulders.
They walked the halls and corridors of the palace. The walls were covered with beautiful tapestries and skilfully made paintings that spoke of the glorious days of the old kings. Large windows, which almost reached to the floor, were everywhere and brightened the atmosphere with their golden light. While they walked down a corridor they could look through several marble columns which permitted passers-by a good view on a beautiful green atrium. After a while they stepped outside, though Arnaya wouldn't have minded walking through the palace a little longer.
The bright midday sun blinded her eyes momentarily. She stopped walking and shielded her face with her hand, blinking rapidly. When her eyes had adjusted to broad daylight again, her surroundings came into clearer view. In front of her lay the city of Minas-Tirith, alive with busy activity. The houses were decorated with little flags and banners with the city arms on them which flattered lively in the wind. People were scampering hectically over the square, men and women, old and young, each of them following their tasks assiduously. The city was obviously preparing for a celebration.
"What is....?" before she could finish her sentence Legolas shook his head. "Do not ask me when they are so many other people to question," he extended his arm and pointed at the square.
"What if I don't want to?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Well, we can always go back to your cell," the elf stated matter-of- factly.
His last words were enough to convince her. They stepped down the palace stairs and on their way Arnya spotted a little boy running swiftly over the pavement with a huge loaf of bread in his arms.
"Hey, little fellow!" she exclaimed, when they were close enough.
The boy stopped immediately and turned around to look who had been calling him. He spotted a strange looking woman with Prince Legolas of Mirkwood standing next to her. His mouth hung open and his little face frozen in a comical expression of surprise. It didn't happen all day that an ordinary boy like him came face to face with on of his heroes, somebody he had heard countless stories about, but never seen in person. He was absolutely sure it was him. No other elf was currently staying at Minas-Tirith. The little boy gulped nervously and stepped closer.
"Yes?" he asked timidly, casting curious gazes at the elf standing next to black haired and somewhat scary looking woman.
"I don't bite," she smiled down at the boy warmly. "What's your name?"
"Nate," the boy answered. The strange woman actually looked pretty when she smiled. He liked the way her eyes sparkled and her lips curved when she did, so Nate decided to talk to her for a little while, even though he was expected home by his mother who was waiting for him to come home from the bakery. He wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, he remembered briefly, but the fact that this woman accompanied by one of the king's closest and oldest friends, should suffice to justify breaking this rule for once.
"Listen, Nate, I'm Arnaya and that's....."
"That's Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, the best archer in Middle-Earth, friend to the King and Gandalf the White," Nate interrupted her with stars in his eyes. The elf smiled at the boy friendlily and nodded.
"Well, I would have used lesser words, but that about sums it up," Arnaya said dryly. "Can you tell me why everybody is so busy these days?"
"Yes, Lady Arnaya," Nate buffed his chest proudly, "Our new queen arrives tomorrow. My mum said she is an elf and very pretty and kind. Her name is Arwen Undomiel means something like star. If they give her a name like this she must be very pretty. We have to make a good first impression on her and make the city look nice, so that she'll like it here," the boy told her.
"Thank you, Nate," the woman said and ruffled him over the head.
The little boy turned to leave, but was stopped by the melodic sound of a beautiful male voice. "Wait," it said. Nate turned around and astonishment was clearly visible on his small face.
Legolas reached for an arrow from his ever present quiver and kneeled down so that he was on eye level with the boy. "This is an arrow made by the elves of Lorien. It is a present from Lady Galadriel. I want you took keep it, Nate," the elf said and handed the arrow to the little boy who looked at it as if it was a reliquary. He laughed happily and hugged the surprised elf tightly before he quickly ran off.
"Legolas, friend and hero of little children, saviour of puppy dogs, Prince of the braid. Will wonders never cease? What comes next?" Arnaya said with a sarcastic snort, while she tried hard to convince herself that he was the enemy and not the likeable person as which she had gotten to know him in the past few days. The elf decided to ignore her comment and shrugged his shoulders non-challently, while a proud grin was plastered over his face.
Normally his behaviour would have irritated her greatly, but right now other thoughts occupied her mind. Hadn't the boy said that Aragorn would marry an elfish woman? This fact was totally new to her and also extremely surprising. She couldn't imagine that said Arwen would even as much as consider marrying the King of Gondor, about whom Arnaya had come to hear so many horrendous tales over the past few years, especially as elves were known for their friendliness and the fact that they were very peace-loving. Maybe she should ask somebody about that.
She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts determined to investigate further in this matter, dragging a stunned Legolas, who was still handcuffed to her, with her by the force of her unexpected movement. She had spotted the perfect source of information and was headed directly towards the little fountain in the middle of the square were, some women were standing, all about her age, chatting to each other merrily. Arnaya put on her sweetest smile and approached the little group. The women grew totally silent when she stepped up to them and eyed both strangers with curious gazes.
"Excuse me, fair maidens," Arnaya said in a sugary sweet voice, "my friend and I got into a little quarrel. He just told me that the king would be married to one of the most beautiful women in Middle-Earth. I said that her personal qualities were also very important, after all she is our future queen. He didn't agree with my opinion. You know how men can be... when they are confronted with beauty, their brain stops working and their hormones take over. I don't know what got into him, he usually is utterly thoughtful. So I wondered whether I could hear your opinion on that matter, because you seemed to be sensible and smart women."
Some of the young women nodded at her with understanding smiles on her faces and one of them, an attractive blond and obviously the leader of this little group, answered her friendly and with excitement ringing in her voice, " I can't imagine a better match for King Aragorn. If the rumours about her a truth, she is the daughter of Lord Elrond, who is said to be a wise adviser and an excellent healer. Your friend will be glad to hear that she really is extremely beautiful, but also sharp witted and brave."
The woman stepped closer to her and added in a confidential tone, "Have you heard the story about how the two of them got to know each other? It is so sweet," she giggled slightly when she said the last words.
Arnaya had to suppressed the urge to role her eyes with all her might. When she hated something with all her heart, it was most definitely naivety and girlishness. The other woman decided to continue her merciless onslaught on her with both of this extremely annoying qualities. The young witch only managed to sustain her fake smile by thinking about what she would do to her if she had back her magical powers. She would most definitely transform her into a chicken. It would fit her perfectly, because she had already mastered the art of cackling perfectly. Arnaya's grin grew a bit bigger at that thought, which, ironically, encouraged her counterpart to continue talking.
"Aragorn grew up in Rivendell under the custody of Elrond. Then one day, when he had barely passed the sill to manhood he met her for the first time and immediately fell in love with her. For many years he admired her from a far and worshipped her like a goddess. Ah, I wish a man would do something like that for me..Anyways, after he had proven himself worthy to her, she opened her heart to him. I probably wouldn't have lasted any longer than five minutes. Just one look from his beautiful brown eyes and I would have melted to a puddle," the blond piped out.
"Yes, wouldn't we all?" Arnaya managed to choke out. She was quickly running out of patience and her inner voice begged her to turn tail and run. "Well, thank you so much for your help! Unfortunately we have to go now. A good day to you, fair maidens!"
"The same to you," the women answered almost in unison and some of them threw Legolas appreciative glances, giggling and blushing like teenagers. Arnaya frowned and shook her head. She nudged the elf in the side and motioned him to leave with her, which he did with a triumphant grin on his face.
"I think I have seen enough of this city of fools. I want to return to my cell, if you don't mind," she mumbled sourly.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi guys! I really happy you have liked the story so far. I'll do my best to update ASAP. Unfortunately I can't grantee for anything, because right now I'm absolutely swamped with work from university (tons of reading and some papers). But I'll do my best (no one *laughs like a mad woman* can keep me from writing for long)!
Chapter 4: A walk through Minas-Tirith
The guard who stood watch in front of Arnaya's prison cell nodded at the Prince of Mirkwood friendlily. The elf had come down here every day in the past week and always had a friendly word for him when he passed by.
During Legolas conversations with the witch the elf had found out that a carefully woven tapestry of lies kept her from knowing or understanding the truth. She thought, for example, that Aragorn had made an agreement with Saruman the White, for whom she mistook Gandalf, and had managed by the aid of the evil wizard to claim the throne of Gondor. Legolas had explained to her patiently how the happenings had really unfolded, but she was very stubborn and had often refused adamantly to listen to his reasoning.
He had sometimes been very close to giving up on her. Every day he had to convince himself anew that his words had any affect on her, however small it was. After a while he had realized that he could talk all he wanted, she needed to see with her own eyes that he was not lying to her, that Aragorn was a wise and just king who always had an open ear for the concerns of his subjects, instead of cruel tyrant, whom she thought him to be. Legolas had been ragging his brains about how this task could be accomplished all day long and had finally come up with a plan.
He stopped to talk to the guard, as he usually did before he entered the cell, but today he had a special request. The eyes of the man widened in surprise when he heard what the elven prince wanted from him, but after a few more convincing words from Legolas he quickly scampered off to fetch what he had been asked for. He returned shortly after with a pair of heavy looking iron handcuffs in his hands and another guardsman on tail, who wordlessly took his comrades post, while the other man and Legolas entered the prison cell.
"Back again?" the witch said, trying to sound non-challently. In reality Arnaya was very thankful that Legolas came down here every day. It was pleasant change to the boredom and loneliness of her bleak cell. When she looked up and noticed the handcuffs he held in his hands, she threw him a questioning look.
"Are we getting naughty today?" she asked innocently, while a sly smile tugged on the corners of her lips. The guardsman coughed nervously and cleared his throat in embarrassment.
Legolas laughed and shook his head. He had gotten used to her strange sense of humour and the fact that she didn't mince matters in the past few days. "No, we are going for a walk," he informed her and motioned the guardsman to open the door of the iron cage.
Arnaya's eyes darted from side to side, nervously scanning her surroundings for a possibility to escape. She was sure she could take down the guard, but the elf would pose a problem. He had been part of the Fellowship of the Ring, which meant that he had to be a skilled warrior. And even if she managed to overwhelm both of them there was still a whole palace and a city full of guards between her and freedom. She grudgingly had to admit that right now there was absolutely no possibility to escape.
Legolas stepped inside the cage, his movements careful and slow. An unspoken truce, established during the course of their long conversations, existed between them, but that didn't mean that she wouldn't try anything. They stood there motionlessly watching each other closely, trying to guess the next move of their vis-à-vis. Then she surprised him by holding out her wrist to him, motioning him to handcuff her. The iron chain that connected the two cuffs rustled loudly, when one closed around Arnaya's wrist and the other around Legolas's with a loud clicking noise.
"Well, I guess now that we have exchanged rings, you may kiss the bride," she said grinning at him teasingly.
"I would like my bride-to-be to stay with me even without the need to handcuff her to me and you obviously do not fit this description," he answered with a raised eyebrow.
"Fair enough," Arnaya shrugged her shoulders.
"Shall we?" the elf asked and offered her his arm, so that the handcuffs were hidden from curious gazes. She nodded and they both stepped out of the cell slowly.
"Prince Legolas, are you sure you don't need me to accompany on your walk?" the guardsman asked hesitantly.
"It is okay, Gerod. We want to draw as little attention to ourself us as possible," the elf answered determinedly. The guardsman that went by the name of Gerod nodded and stepped aside, letting them pass through the door.
After a few more steps they had left the darkness of the dungeons behind and Arnaya exhaled in relief, visibly relaxing as if a heavy weight had been lifted from her slender shoulders.
They walked the halls and corridors of the palace. The walls were covered with beautiful tapestries and skilfully made paintings that spoke of the glorious days of the old kings. Large windows, which almost reached to the floor, were everywhere and brightened the atmosphere with their golden light. While they walked down a corridor they could look through several marble columns which permitted passers-by a good view on a beautiful green atrium. After a while they stepped outside, though Arnaya wouldn't have minded walking through the palace a little longer.
The bright midday sun blinded her eyes momentarily. She stopped walking and shielded her face with her hand, blinking rapidly. When her eyes had adjusted to broad daylight again, her surroundings came into clearer view. In front of her lay the city of Minas-Tirith, alive with busy activity. The houses were decorated with little flags and banners with the city arms on them which flattered lively in the wind. People were scampering hectically over the square, men and women, old and young, each of them following their tasks assiduously. The city was obviously preparing for a celebration.
"What is....?" before she could finish her sentence Legolas shook his head. "Do not ask me when they are so many other people to question," he extended his arm and pointed at the square.
"What if I don't want to?" she asked, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Well, we can always go back to your cell," the elf stated matter-of- factly.
His last words were enough to convince her. They stepped down the palace stairs and on their way Arnya spotted a little boy running swiftly over the pavement with a huge loaf of bread in his arms.
"Hey, little fellow!" she exclaimed, when they were close enough.
The boy stopped immediately and turned around to look who had been calling him. He spotted a strange looking woman with Prince Legolas of Mirkwood standing next to her. His mouth hung open and his little face frozen in a comical expression of surprise. It didn't happen all day that an ordinary boy like him came face to face with on of his heroes, somebody he had heard countless stories about, but never seen in person. He was absolutely sure it was him. No other elf was currently staying at Minas-Tirith. The little boy gulped nervously and stepped closer.
"Yes?" he asked timidly, casting curious gazes at the elf standing next to black haired and somewhat scary looking woman.
"I don't bite," she smiled down at the boy warmly. "What's your name?"
"Nate," the boy answered. The strange woman actually looked pretty when she smiled. He liked the way her eyes sparkled and her lips curved when she did, so Nate decided to talk to her for a little while, even though he was expected home by his mother who was waiting for him to come home from the bakery. He wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, he remembered briefly, but the fact that this woman accompanied by one of the king's closest and oldest friends, should suffice to justify breaking this rule for once.
"Listen, Nate, I'm Arnaya and that's....."
"That's Prince Legolas of Mirkwood, the best archer in Middle-Earth, friend to the King and Gandalf the White," Nate interrupted her with stars in his eyes. The elf smiled at the boy friendlily and nodded.
"Well, I would have used lesser words, but that about sums it up," Arnaya said dryly. "Can you tell me why everybody is so busy these days?"
"Yes, Lady Arnaya," Nate buffed his chest proudly, "Our new queen arrives tomorrow. My mum said she is an elf and very pretty and kind. Her name is Arwen Undomiel means something like star. If they give her a name like this she must be very pretty. We have to make a good first impression on her and make the city look nice, so that she'll like it here," the boy told her.
"Thank you, Nate," the woman said and ruffled him over the head.
The little boy turned to leave, but was stopped by the melodic sound of a beautiful male voice. "Wait," it said. Nate turned around and astonishment was clearly visible on his small face.
Legolas reached for an arrow from his ever present quiver and kneeled down so that he was on eye level with the boy. "This is an arrow made by the elves of Lorien. It is a present from Lady Galadriel. I want you took keep it, Nate," the elf said and handed the arrow to the little boy who looked at it as if it was a reliquary. He laughed happily and hugged the surprised elf tightly before he quickly ran off.
"Legolas, friend and hero of little children, saviour of puppy dogs, Prince of the braid. Will wonders never cease? What comes next?" Arnaya said with a sarcastic snort, while she tried hard to convince herself that he was the enemy and not the likeable person as which she had gotten to know him in the past few days. The elf decided to ignore her comment and shrugged his shoulders non-challently, while a proud grin was plastered over his face.
Normally his behaviour would have irritated her greatly, but right now other thoughts occupied her mind. Hadn't the boy said that Aragorn would marry an elfish woman? This fact was totally new to her and also extremely surprising. She couldn't imagine that said Arwen would even as much as consider marrying the King of Gondor, about whom Arnaya had come to hear so many horrendous tales over the past few years, especially as elves were known for their friendliness and the fact that they were very peace-loving. Maybe she should ask somebody about that.
She suddenly snapped out of her thoughts determined to investigate further in this matter, dragging a stunned Legolas, who was still handcuffed to her, with her by the force of her unexpected movement. She had spotted the perfect source of information and was headed directly towards the little fountain in the middle of the square were, some women were standing, all about her age, chatting to each other merrily. Arnaya put on her sweetest smile and approached the little group. The women grew totally silent when she stepped up to them and eyed both strangers with curious gazes.
"Excuse me, fair maidens," Arnaya said in a sugary sweet voice, "my friend and I got into a little quarrel. He just told me that the king would be married to one of the most beautiful women in Middle-Earth. I said that her personal qualities were also very important, after all she is our future queen. He didn't agree with my opinion. You know how men can be... when they are confronted with beauty, their brain stops working and their hormones take over. I don't know what got into him, he usually is utterly thoughtful. So I wondered whether I could hear your opinion on that matter, because you seemed to be sensible and smart women."
Some of the young women nodded at her with understanding smiles on her faces and one of them, an attractive blond and obviously the leader of this little group, answered her friendly and with excitement ringing in her voice, " I can't imagine a better match for King Aragorn. If the rumours about her a truth, she is the daughter of Lord Elrond, who is said to be a wise adviser and an excellent healer. Your friend will be glad to hear that she really is extremely beautiful, but also sharp witted and brave."
The woman stepped closer to her and added in a confidential tone, "Have you heard the story about how the two of them got to know each other? It is so sweet," she giggled slightly when she said the last words.
Arnaya had to suppressed the urge to role her eyes with all her might. When she hated something with all her heart, it was most definitely naivety and girlishness. The other woman decided to continue her merciless onslaught on her with both of this extremely annoying qualities. The young witch only managed to sustain her fake smile by thinking about what she would do to her if she had back her magical powers. She would most definitely transform her into a chicken. It would fit her perfectly, because she had already mastered the art of cackling perfectly. Arnaya's grin grew a bit bigger at that thought, which, ironically, encouraged her counterpart to continue talking.
"Aragorn grew up in Rivendell under the custody of Elrond. Then one day, when he had barely passed the sill to manhood he met her for the first time and immediately fell in love with her. For many years he admired her from a far and worshipped her like a goddess. Ah, I wish a man would do something like that for me..Anyways, after he had proven himself worthy to her, she opened her heart to him. I probably wouldn't have lasted any longer than five minutes. Just one look from his beautiful brown eyes and I would have melted to a puddle," the blond piped out.
"Yes, wouldn't we all?" Arnaya managed to choke out. She was quickly running out of patience and her inner voice begged her to turn tail and run. "Well, thank you so much for your help! Unfortunately we have to go now. A good day to you, fair maidens!"
"The same to you," the women answered almost in unison and some of them threw Legolas appreciative glances, giggling and blushing like teenagers. Arnaya frowned and shook her head. She nudged the elf in the side and motioned him to leave with her, which he did with a triumphant grin on his face.
"I think I have seen enough of this city of fools. I want to return to my cell, if you don't mind," she mumbled sourly.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi guys! I really happy you have liked the story so far. I'll do my best to update ASAP. Unfortunately I can't grantee for anything, because right now I'm absolutely swamped with work from university (tons of reading and some papers). But I'll do my best (no one *laughs like a mad woman* can keep me from writing for long)!