Disclaimer: I own Elisandra and the particular way the words in this story are put together. Everything else, I don't own.
Authors Note: B sharp. No, wait, C flat. Or maybe an F-chord...but that's more then one note. So we'll just stay with C flat...
And if you're wondering where that came from, it came from the fact that I have a cold that's making me think funny. It's also impeding my creative writing abilities, so I apologize in advance for however long it takes me to upload my next chapter.
Also, must thank all my reviewers. And remind everybody who's reading this to REVIEW! Even if it's just to comment on my authors note, review! Reviews are my lifeblood...without them, or with too few of them, my stories die...
------------------------------
-No Eyes Needed-
------------------------------
-Chapter V-
-The Nancing Mirkwood Elf Arrives-
------------------------------
Time passed in Minas Tirith, and in the world around it. The Lady Elisandra, foster daughter of the King and Queen, grew up - quite literally. By the time she reached her sixteenth birthday, she found herself even in height with King Elessar, who was the tallest of all those in Minas Tirith. She also found herself with a little brother - a flesh son of the King and Queen, named Eldarion. He was born when she was 10, and, much to the dismay of her foster parents, the difference in age drove her away from her brother instead of drawing her closer to him.
But then, as she grew, Lady Elisandra drew away from all but the King or Queen, throwing herself into her work instead of forming relationships. Her beauty had grown as she had, so much so that some said she now rivalled an Elven maiden in beauty, but even the sudden attentions of many Lords from various places was not enough to draw her to socialize more then she had to.
The reason for this was her sight. It was, as the Undómiel had said, both a blessing and a curse. She was able to see feelings in people that they would have otherwise kept hidden, and while it helped her in her appointed duty of protecting King Elessar, it did not help to form relationships, of the romantic kind or not. So she focused on her work. She was an advisor to King Elessar, the youngest he had, and she took the job seriously. She also aided the King's bodyguard in spotting those that wished him harm, and several attempts to end the King's life were stopped before they even really began because of her.
And so she lived, content because she knew no other life, protecting her father the King, advising him in matters of justice, and growing unaturally wise for her years.
---
Legolas smiled as he reached the top of the last hill before the Pelennor Fields began and spotted Minas Tirith. The city had been within Legolas's sight since yesterday evening, starting out at a white speck on the horizon, but now it had grown. It was no more then an hours ride away, and before starting that ride, Legolas sat on his horse on the hill, and scanned the city that he had not seen in close to fifteen years. He noted how much more alive the city looked then when he had last seen it, with more green visible, along with other colours, and he smiled again. Time had deffinately been good to Minas Tirith, he thought as he rode down the hill, heading for the City's gates.
He hadn't sent a messenger ahead to inform King Elessar of his visit, preferring to surprise his old friend, so as he drew closer to the city, he pulled his hood forward to hide his features. He expected to have to pull the hood back and declare himself when he reached the gate, but to his surprise, the guards let him pass without a challenge. And then, glancing down at his horse, Legolas almost laughed at himself. Of course the guards had let him pass - he was riding bareback on a clearly high-quality horse. What else could he be but an Elf? And Elves were always welcome in Minas Tirith.
Chuckling to himself inside, Legolas rode up through the various rings of the city until he reached the Palace. There he was greeted with the expected challenge.
"Halt and declare yourself and your business!" the guard ordered. Legolas pretended to ponder this for a moment, then flung back his hood and drew himself up.
"I am Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Erys Lasgalen. I have come to see the King." he said, and the guards instantly straightened, moving out of his way. They saluted him respectfully, and he nodded to them before urging his horse into the courtyard of the palace. Once inside, he dismounted, and grooms came and took his horse. He went up the steps to the Palace, where he paused to ask the guards where he could find the King.
"His Majesty is holding court at the moment, m'Lord." the guard answered respectfully. Legolas almost corrected the guard as to his title, but decided it really didn't matter, anyways, so with a nod of thanks, he went inside, following the main corridors until he came to the main court. At the doors, Legolas found his way barred again.
"Declare yourself and your intentions in the court of His Majesty King Elessar." the guards at the door said. Legolas repeated what he'd told the guards outside the palace, and one of the guards slipped inside the doors behind him. He returned a moment later, and motioned for Legolas to follow him. He did so, and as he entered behind the guard, Legolas heard the herald announcing him.
Glancing up at the throne on which King Elessar sat, Legolas saw, to his satisfaction, surprise flicker across his friends face before he smiled. Rising, the King greeted Legolas formally, welcoming him to Minas Tirith, and managing to politely scold him for not sending a messenger ahead so they could have rooms ready. Legolas replied with the same formality, apologizing and giving some inane excuse for not sending a messenger ahead. The King motioned to someone in the hall, and after a few more formal words exchanged, Legolas was obliged to let himself be led out of the court by a young lady.
Walking in silence, Legolas absently observed the hallways as they went through them, then, growing bored of that, studied the lady that was his guide. He had been slightly surprised that it was a lady that Aragorn had assigned to guide him, and now, as he studied her more closely from the back, he was even more surprised. She was obviously of noble upbringing, carrying herself with the authority of one born to power, and the quality of her clothes showed that she still had that power.
But even more noticable were her looks. Unlike most everyone else in Minas Tirith, she had blond hair. She was also unusually tall, coming to just under Legolas's nose - the same height as Aragorn. More then that, Legolas couldn't see because her back was turned to him, but he wondered if this could be the foster daughter that Aragorn had told him about. He remembered Aragorn telling him of the girls unusual looks for a Gondorian, and the lady before him certainly had those. But Aragorn had told Legolas that his foster daughter was blind, and the lady leading Legolas certainly wasn't behaving like a blind person. And, as they entered a garden and the lady turned to face him, he looked at her eyes and saw that they were quite normal - though also quite blue, another abnormality for a Gondorian.
"You shall have to wait here until rooms are prepared." the lady said, not noticing Legolas's quick scrutiny of her, and Legolas nodded and bowed slightly.
"Thank you, m'Lady." he said, and the lady smiled back at him.
"It wasn't any trouble. But now, if you'll excuse me, I shall arrange for your rooms to be prepared and return to the court." she said.
"Of course." Legolas said with a smile.
"A servant shall come and get you when your rooms are ready." the lady said, gave a small curtsey, and left. Legolas watched as she left the garden, then turned his attention to his surroundings. Noting the age of the trees, Legolas sighed as he realized he wouldn't be able to climb in them without fear of hurting either the trees or himself. Instead, he sat on the ground underneath the nearest tree, and let himself relax as he waited for his rooms to be readied.
---
Elisandra alerted the servants to ready Prince Legolas's rooms, then returned to the court. Once inside, she stood by the doors and watched the small sea of people that were in the court. Her eyes flickered from familair fëa to familair fëa, mentalling making a note of who was there. She noticed that several of the more important Lords and Ladies, who hadn't deigned to show up for such an unimportant thing as a common court, were now present.
And they'd brought with them their eligable daughters, hope sparkling in both the daughters and their fëa's. Elisandra suppressed a smile at that. What did they think would happen? That their daughters might ensnare the Elven Prince? Only three times in the history of Middle-Earth had an Elf married a Human - and one such married couple was sitting upon their kingdoms thrones. Such a marriage would not be likely to happen again for a very long time. And since the Elves were slowly, but surely, leaving Middle-Earth, it was unlikely that another such marriage would EVER happen.
Besides that, Elisandra thought as she scanned the fëa's of the eligable daughters that were present, none of them looked like they would be any match for the Prince. His fëa had been incredibly strong - so much like what she remembered of her grandfathers, only different. Now turning her thoughts to the Prince's fëa, Elisandra frowned slightly, remembering the start she'd gotten when he'd walked in.
Though Elves were always welcome in Minas Tirith, Elisandra had not seen very many of them. Most of what she had seen of them had been quick glimpses as they came or left, and those were mostly messengers. Except for her mother, who didn't really appear as an Elf as she'd given up her immortality, Elisandra hadn't seen an Elf up close since her grandfather had visited her so many years ago. And he was Half-Elven.
So it had been a great shock to her when she realized she was able to see Prince Legolas's features clearly, almost as if she could see again. It had been such a strange thing, to be used to living in darkness with only bundles of light of varrying strengths representing the people around you, and then to have someone walk in suddenly who you could see perfectly. The only sign that it was his fëa she was seeing, and not his actual physical body, was the golden-green glow that surrounded him. It gave him an etheral quality, and accented his features. Closing her eyes to block out the rest of the room, Elisandra concentrated on her memory of Prince Legolas's features.
He was tall, one of the few beings she'd ever met that was taller then her, and he had an amazingly slender build for it. Yet he moved with a grace and agility that betrayed the strength he was gifted with as one of the Elven-kind. And his face held that same strength, though Elisandra had a feeling that was more from his upbringing and past then simply due to his being an Elf. He was a Prince and a warrior, and showed it, in the set of his jaw, the way he carried himself, the expression on his face.
A smile twitching on her lips, Elisandra recalled Legolas's face. She had very few memories from when she could see, and all of them were hazy, but she knew without a doubt that Legolas was uncommonly handsome. Strong cheekbones and jaw, intelligent blue eyes, elegantly pointed ears, all framed by smooth-looking blond hair, held in place with simple braids.
Absorbed in her memories, and with her eyes closed, Elisandra didn't realize that her father had ended court until she heard a throat being cleared close by. Snapping her eyes open, Elisandra was startled to discover that the hall was now almost completely empty.
"And what would you be thinking about that would bring such a smile to your lips, Eli?" Aragorn asked with amusement.
"'Tis nothing, father." Elisandra replied smoothly, letting her expression slip into it's accustomed neutral one. She saw emotions skitter through her father's fëa, but they were gone to quickly for her to recognize them. That was one of the things she liked about her father and mother - they were able to hold their emotions in check while talking with her, so she couldn't guess what they were going to say next, unlike most everybody else.
"Very well. Shall we go?" Aragorn asked, and Elisandra felt her father's light touch on her arm. Looping her arm through his, Elisandra let herself be led from the hall.
Authors Note: B sharp. No, wait, C flat. Or maybe an F-chord...but that's more then one note. So we'll just stay with C flat...
And if you're wondering where that came from, it came from the fact that I have a cold that's making me think funny. It's also impeding my creative writing abilities, so I apologize in advance for however long it takes me to upload my next chapter.
Also, must thank all my reviewers. And remind everybody who's reading this to REVIEW! Even if it's just to comment on my authors note, review! Reviews are my lifeblood...without them, or with too few of them, my stories die...
------------------------------
-No Eyes Needed-
------------------------------
-Chapter V-
-The Nancing Mirkwood Elf Arrives-
------------------------------
Time passed in Minas Tirith, and in the world around it. The Lady Elisandra, foster daughter of the King and Queen, grew up - quite literally. By the time she reached her sixteenth birthday, she found herself even in height with King Elessar, who was the tallest of all those in Minas Tirith. She also found herself with a little brother - a flesh son of the King and Queen, named Eldarion. He was born when she was 10, and, much to the dismay of her foster parents, the difference in age drove her away from her brother instead of drawing her closer to him.
But then, as she grew, Lady Elisandra drew away from all but the King or Queen, throwing herself into her work instead of forming relationships. Her beauty had grown as she had, so much so that some said she now rivalled an Elven maiden in beauty, but even the sudden attentions of many Lords from various places was not enough to draw her to socialize more then she had to.
The reason for this was her sight. It was, as the Undómiel had said, both a blessing and a curse. She was able to see feelings in people that they would have otherwise kept hidden, and while it helped her in her appointed duty of protecting King Elessar, it did not help to form relationships, of the romantic kind or not. So she focused on her work. She was an advisor to King Elessar, the youngest he had, and she took the job seriously. She also aided the King's bodyguard in spotting those that wished him harm, and several attempts to end the King's life were stopped before they even really began because of her.
And so she lived, content because she knew no other life, protecting her father the King, advising him in matters of justice, and growing unaturally wise for her years.
---
Legolas smiled as he reached the top of the last hill before the Pelennor Fields began and spotted Minas Tirith. The city had been within Legolas's sight since yesterday evening, starting out at a white speck on the horizon, but now it had grown. It was no more then an hours ride away, and before starting that ride, Legolas sat on his horse on the hill, and scanned the city that he had not seen in close to fifteen years. He noted how much more alive the city looked then when he had last seen it, with more green visible, along with other colours, and he smiled again. Time had deffinately been good to Minas Tirith, he thought as he rode down the hill, heading for the City's gates.
He hadn't sent a messenger ahead to inform King Elessar of his visit, preferring to surprise his old friend, so as he drew closer to the city, he pulled his hood forward to hide his features. He expected to have to pull the hood back and declare himself when he reached the gate, but to his surprise, the guards let him pass without a challenge. And then, glancing down at his horse, Legolas almost laughed at himself. Of course the guards had let him pass - he was riding bareback on a clearly high-quality horse. What else could he be but an Elf? And Elves were always welcome in Minas Tirith.
Chuckling to himself inside, Legolas rode up through the various rings of the city until he reached the Palace. There he was greeted with the expected challenge.
"Halt and declare yourself and your business!" the guard ordered. Legolas pretended to ponder this for a moment, then flung back his hood and drew himself up.
"I am Prince Legolas Greenleaf of Erys Lasgalen. I have come to see the King." he said, and the guards instantly straightened, moving out of his way. They saluted him respectfully, and he nodded to them before urging his horse into the courtyard of the palace. Once inside, he dismounted, and grooms came and took his horse. He went up the steps to the Palace, where he paused to ask the guards where he could find the King.
"His Majesty is holding court at the moment, m'Lord." the guard answered respectfully. Legolas almost corrected the guard as to his title, but decided it really didn't matter, anyways, so with a nod of thanks, he went inside, following the main corridors until he came to the main court. At the doors, Legolas found his way barred again.
"Declare yourself and your intentions in the court of His Majesty King Elessar." the guards at the door said. Legolas repeated what he'd told the guards outside the palace, and one of the guards slipped inside the doors behind him. He returned a moment later, and motioned for Legolas to follow him. He did so, and as he entered behind the guard, Legolas heard the herald announcing him.
Glancing up at the throne on which King Elessar sat, Legolas saw, to his satisfaction, surprise flicker across his friends face before he smiled. Rising, the King greeted Legolas formally, welcoming him to Minas Tirith, and managing to politely scold him for not sending a messenger ahead so they could have rooms ready. Legolas replied with the same formality, apologizing and giving some inane excuse for not sending a messenger ahead. The King motioned to someone in the hall, and after a few more formal words exchanged, Legolas was obliged to let himself be led out of the court by a young lady.
Walking in silence, Legolas absently observed the hallways as they went through them, then, growing bored of that, studied the lady that was his guide. He had been slightly surprised that it was a lady that Aragorn had assigned to guide him, and now, as he studied her more closely from the back, he was even more surprised. She was obviously of noble upbringing, carrying herself with the authority of one born to power, and the quality of her clothes showed that she still had that power.
But even more noticable were her looks. Unlike most everyone else in Minas Tirith, she had blond hair. She was also unusually tall, coming to just under Legolas's nose - the same height as Aragorn. More then that, Legolas couldn't see because her back was turned to him, but he wondered if this could be the foster daughter that Aragorn had told him about. He remembered Aragorn telling him of the girls unusual looks for a Gondorian, and the lady before him certainly had those. But Aragorn had told Legolas that his foster daughter was blind, and the lady leading Legolas certainly wasn't behaving like a blind person. And, as they entered a garden and the lady turned to face him, he looked at her eyes and saw that they were quite normal - though also quite blue, another abnormality for a Gondorian.
"You shall have to wait here until rooms are prepared." the lady said, not noticing Legolas's quick scrutiny of her, and Legolas nodded and bowed slightly.
"Thank you, m'Lady." he said, and the lady smiled back at him.
"It wasn't any trouble. But now, if you'll excuse me, I shall arrange for your rooms to be prepared and return to the court." she said.
"Of course." Legolas said with a smile.
"A servant shall come and get you when your rooms are ready." the lady said, gave a small curtsey, and left. Legolas watched as she left the garden, then turned his attention to his surroundings. Noting the age of the trees, Legolas sighed as he realized he wouldn't be able to climb in them without fear of hurting either the trees or himself. Instead, he sat on the ground underneath the nearest tree, and let himself relax as he waited for his rooms to be readied.
---
Elisandra alerted the servants to ready Prince Legolas's rooms, then returned to the court. Once inside, she stood by the doors and watched the small sea of people that were in the court. Her eyes flickered from familair fëa to familair fëa, mentalling making a note of who was there. She noticed that several of the more important Lords and Ladies, who hadn't deigned to show up for such an unimportant thing as a common court, were now present.
And they'd brought with them their eligable daughters, hope sparkling in both the daughters and their fëa's. Elisandra suppressed a smile at that. What did they think would happen? That their daughters might ensnare the Elven Prince? Only three times in the history of Middle-Earth had an Elf married a Human - and one such married couple was sitting upon their kingdoms thrones. Such a marriage would not be likely to happen again for a very long time. And since the Elves were slowly, but surely, leaving Middle-Earth, it was unlikely that another such marriage would EVER happen.
Besides that, Elisandra thought as she scanned the fëa's of the eligable daughters that were present, none of them looked like they would be any match for the Prince. His fëa had been incredibly strong - so much like what she remembered of her grandfathers, only different. Now turning her thoughts to the Prince's fëa, Elisandra frowned slightly, remembering the start she'd gotten when he'd walked in.
Though Elves were always welcome in Minas Tirith, Elisandra had not seen very many of them. Most of what she had seen of them had been quick glimpses as they came or left, and those were mostly messengers. Except for her mother, who didn't really appear as an Elf as she'd given up her immortality, Elisandra hadn't seen an Elf up close since her grandfather had visited her so many years ago. And he was Half-Elven.
So it had been a great shock to her when she realized she was able to see Prince Legolas's features clearly, almost as if she could see again. It had been such a strange thing, to be used to living in darkness with only bundles of light of varrying strengths representing the people around you, and then to have someone walk in suddenly who you could see perfectly. The only sign that it was his fëa she was seeing, and not his actual physical body, was the golden-green glow that surrounded him. It gave him an etheral quality, and accented his features. Closing her eyes to block out the rest of the room, Elisandra concentrated on her memory of Prince Legolas's features.
He was tall, one of the few beings she'd ever met that was taller then her, and he had an amazingly slender build for it. Yet he moved with a grace and agility that betrayed the strength he was gifted with as one of the Elven-kind. And his face held that same strength, though Elisandra had a feeling that was more from his upbringing and past then simply due to his being an Elf. He was a Prince and a warrior, and showed it, in the set of his jaw, the way he carried himself, the expression on his face.
A smile twitching on her lips, Elisandra recalled Legolas's face. She had very few memories from when she could see, and all of them were hazy, but she knew without a doubt that Legolas was uncommonly handsome. Strong cheekbones and jaw, intelligent blue eyes, elegantly pointed ears, all framed by smooth-looking blond hair, held in place with simple braids.
Absorbed in her memories, and with her eyes closed, Elisandra didn't realize that her father had ended court until she heard a throat being cleared close by. Snapping her eyes open, Elisandra was startled to discover that the hall was now almost completely empty.
"And what would you be thinking about that would bring such a smile to your lips, Eli?" Aragorn asked with amusement.
"'Tis nothing, father." Elisandra replied smoothly, letting her expression slip into it's accustomed neutral one. She saw emotions skitter through her father's fëa, but they were gone to quickly for her to recognize them. That was one of the things she liked about her father and mother - they were able to hold their emotions in check while talking with her, so she couldn't guess what they were going to say next, unlike most everybody else.
"Very well. Shall we go?" Aragorn asked, and Elisandra felt her father's light touch on her arm. Looping her arm through his, Elisandra let herself be led from the hall.