~DISCLAIMER~ Nope, still don't own any of Tolkien's characters…
I wandered back in a daze to where Emeriel and Calíme were excitedly chattering.
"Rae! Rae, come here!" Emeriel grabbed my arm and dragged me over to Calíme.
"What? Em, what's so important?" I was a little annoyed, for I wanted to be alone and contemplate his arrival, then maybe talk to Lady Galadriel about his arrival.
"You saw them, didn't you? The strangers? You saw them in the royal chamber?"
"Yes…why?"
"Did you see him? Did you see the Prince?" Calíme asked excitedly. It got my attention.
"Prince? Which one is a Prince?"
They both sighed, remembering that I was young and (more importantly) human. Emeriel explained it to me. "Remember this morning, Lady Galadriel spoke of the Prince of Mirkwood?" I nodded, remembering little more than a Prince something-or-other who could not attend the wedding. Emeriel continued, "Well, he's here!"
My heart skipped a beat. "You mean, the Prince in that group…is an elven Prince?" Calíme and Emeriel nodded excitedly.
I couldn't believe it. I knew there was only one elf in that group. And there was no question in my mind that he was my elf from the Mirror. I must have had a strange expression, for Calíme glanced sideways at me. "Are you ok?" she asked.
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm fine. Just…awestruck a little," I lied. "You know, a Prince coming here."
"I know!" Cali must have accepted my excuse. "Isn't this exciting?"
"Plus," Emeriel added, "a dwarf is traveling here! And humans and halflings, too!"
"Halflings?" I asked.
"Yeah, those short things with them."
"You mean hobbits? Isn't that what they're really called?"
Emeriel thought for a minute. "Yeah, I think you're right, Rae." She shrugged. "Do the humans intrigue you?" she asked me.
"Of course, a little." I was desperately trying to figure out how to turn the conversation back to my elf Prince without being too obvious. Now I really wished I had paid more attention at the feast when Galadriel had spoken of him. I had to know more about him.
Emeriel and Calíme were talking more about the group. "Um, I have a question," I said.
"Well, we'll try to answer it!" Emeriel answered with a smile.
"What is the elven Prince's name?" I asked innocently. I was playing the role of the naïve human – a role I had invented in order to pump people for information without them knowing it.
"He is Prince Legolas. He is the son of Mirkwood's King Thranduil," Calíme answered.
Their conversation continued, but I heard no more. Legolas. I finally had a name to attach to the image burned into my mind. A name to my destiny.
But I was jolted out of my thoughts by the one thing I didn't want to hear. "Shamiel was so excited when she realized Legolas was here. You know her thing with Elves in high places," Calíme said.
My blood felt cold inside me. "Shamiel's interested in him?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
Emeriel laughed. "She's interested in every male elf to come near her, you know that! But an elf Prince? She's doubly interested."
I just nodded. "Of course," I said with a weak smile.
