Super thanks to:
Cho-Freak-Dragon YAY NEW READER! MWAHAHA (hey!
don't leave!) and you're not weird- I'm weirder... by far... *insert evil
laugh... again* and thanks sooo much for liking my stories!! *gush*- And! Thanks
for reviewing for the last chapter! =)
aquitaineq ahh! Suspense! Is
that a good thing?
Anilmathiel Thanks a ton!
blahblah oh
darn... you're confused? Okay, basically Annacálë got mad at Canyaiel because
Annacálë thought that Canyaiel was stealing her friends... still confused? Read
on.
Melissa thanks for reviewing- and for the record, I totally agree
with you!
Sorry it took me so long... I just wrote the next chapter to my other story- "The Perfect Maiden"- which is Calwaiel's spin-off of "In the Shadows." Plus, I'm beta-ing Menthol's new story, 'The Secrets We Keep.' It's an excellent Action/Adventure story... with Legolas- but no romance!
Anyway... on to the chapter!
OH WAIT! I forgot to say in the last chapter- I hit 50 reviews! FIFTY! That is amazing guys! Thank you so much! I owe you guys something... anything... but not money. I'm broke. O=)
On to the chapter (for real now)!
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Lord Gil-Galad leads us to a little, olive-green room with no windows. The only pieces of furniture in the room are chairs- five chairs facing seven. Lord Gil-Galad, Lady Galadriel, Lord Celeborn, Lady Celebrían, and Lord Elrond sit in the row of five, leaving us to sit in the row of seven.
Annacálë sits down first. Elrohir motions for Lithelena, Calwaiel and I to sit down. I sit down all the way at the end, next to Calwaiel. Elrohir sits next to Lithelena and Legolas sits between Annacálë and Elladan.
"Now then," Lady Celebrían sighs, "What were you doing?"
Annacálë jumps up both defensively and offensively, "She... she... she..."
"There are three in this room of whom you may be referencing to, please elucidate," Lady Celebrían snaps.
Annacálë throws her a wicked stare, "Canyaiel... she... she... she..."
"Perhaps," Lord Elrond interrupts, clearly aggravated and perceptibly thinking this is stupid- I agree, "We shall ask Canyaiel what has happened, since you seem to have the need to find words."
Lord Gil-Galad stands up, appalled, "Elrond! Let my daughter," he snaps through clenched teeth, "Finish."
She straightens her back and tries to compose herself, "Thank you, Ada. I was... I was..." she repeats again, sounding less and less credible, "I was attacked?" she finishes, ending in more of a question rather than a statement.
I watch as they look at Annacálë, judging her with vigilant and sensible glimpses. Lady Galadriel breaks her gaze upon her- which was almost piteous- and turns toward me.
I stand up, trying to stay composed- I had tried to attack Annacálë at her own home, I had no doubt left a few bruises on Prince Legolas, and am tremendously tense after hearing the two Elves speak of Lord Gil-Galad.
"I..." I take a deep breath, trying to hide from the stabbing, fixated gaze of Lord Gil-Galad. It is followed by a silence. Lord Gil-Galad is glaring at me and even Lord Elrond is looking a little dubious. I take another breath and think about what I have to say- where to start.
"This evening," I begin, feeling that that is a good start, "I came... here." I curse wordlessly- I must sound like a fool! "I sat through the dinner, which was exceptional," I add, blushing a little, "and came among the others to dance.
"I walked over for a glass of wine and Lithelena," I throw a pleading gaze at her, "came towards me and we spoke a little." I take another breath and suddenly feel oddly calm, "Annacálë came up toward the table and whispered something to me- she said..." I glance over at Annacálë instinctively, but she turns her head away.
Lithelena clears her throat and glances up at the ceiling, quizzically. I blink a few times. If I can not tell them the truth... "She said..." Lithelena coughs and glances up again, with the same perplexed face- perplexed face!
"She said, 'I do not understand.' I asked if she was feeling all right. She told me she was fine. Then she asked... what was wrong with me." The whole ordeal comes rushing back to me... Everyone in the room is silent, even the inhaling of the air is quiet and still.
"Annacálë said that she wanted to be friends with me... but I did not want to. She is not Arwen- and will never be..." I consume my tears and continue, "She yelled at me. She said she tried making friends of her own- and that they left me for her. She said I had to take them away."
I glance down at Elrohir, Elladan, and Legolas- but my glance is almost empty and meaningless, "I was a little scared," I admit, blushing more, "She looked furious. Annacálë took an empty glass from the table and threw it at me- she missed, but the glass hit the tree and cut my hand."
The sound of my voice echoes in the small room. I hold up my arm as a large drop of crimson blood drops to the ground, splattering so loudly...
"I was unsure of what to do, but..." I look at Elrohir, "I am a fighter at heart. I took a glass from the table but someone grabbed my arms so I could not move. I dropped the glass and it cut my legs," I glance nervously down at Calwaiel's white dress, sprinkled with red. She will kill me for that later. "The same person pulled me back.
"Annacálë took another glass and aimed a little better this time, though not much," I add brusquely, not able to resist, "but the person who was holding me blocked it..." I blink a few times, "I was too surprised to try and break free. I started shouting and kicking... I kept shouting... Annacálë took another glass but she placed it back after Lady Celebrían arrived."
I want to sit down, so much, but I resist and straighten up, holding my head high and proud.
"You may sit down now," Lady Celebrían says, after a moment of silence.
Lord Gil-Galad sighs, "Your story is a little incomplete. Why would your friends desert you for Annacálë? Surely you did something wrong."
I jump up and snarl, "I did nothing wrong."
"Havo dad, Canyaiel," Lord Elrond commands. I sit down, enraged and fuming.
"What was Lady Lithelena doing? And Lords Elladan and Elrohir? What of Prince Legolas? And Lady Calwaiel?"
Lithelena stands up, "I admit," she says daringly and in a very fresh voice- almost as if it is being dipped into icy water, "I was going to attack Annacálë. But," she adds, fearlessly, "I did not. That is what is important, is it not? The fact that I did not do it."
"But you still wanted to," Lord Gil-Galad implores.
She scoffs, "Annacálë wanted to do it- and she did. I wanted to do it, but I did not. What separates me from her is that I can control my anger."
"Was Lord Elrohir not holding you back?"
She smirks, but I could tell she was breaking down, the one flaw in her little 'plan' is caught, "Perhaps I can not control my anger as well as I hope, but I have friends who prevent me from doing so."
Lord Gil-Galad can say nothing to that; he turns to Calwaiel, "And of you?"
"I was not going to hurt anyone, nor did I have any intention of doing so," she blushes a little, her cheeks becoming a fiery, dusky rose color, "I am afraid I acted a bit childish... I was shouting at her..."
"What did you say?" he asks, pressuring her for answers.
She takes a breath. "I told her to control her anger," she says quickly, spewing out her words like poison.
Lady Galadriel glances nonchalantly at Legolas. "Lady Canyaiel speaks the truth," he says, quietly, glancing up at them with his stony expression.
"And what were you doing, Elrohir and Elladan?" Lord Elrond asks.
"I knew not that a disagreement occurred until I saw Legolas holding Canyaiel back. I ran over there and as soon as naneth came Legolas released her. She became angry and lunged toward him, but I pulled her back," Elladan looks over at Elrohir.
Elrohir stands up. "I saw Lady Annacálë speaking with Canyaiel. I knew they were..." he pauses for a moment, "Not getting along at the moment and I walked over there as Lady Annacálë was throwing a glass at her. I took Lady Lithelena's arms, so she would not do anything reckless..."
"Why were they not getting along?" Lord Celeborn asks.
The questions swirl about in my head, taunting me. I am so dizzy...
Elrohir looks deep in thought for a moment, "They were not getting along because of..." he bites his cheeks and I know he is nervous, "personal matters."
All this I know already. Are you convinced now? Elrohir and Elladan sit down.
"Annacálë?" Lord Gil-Galad sighs down at her, "I wanted not to believe in the words that they spoke, but I know now they must be true."
I glare over at her, she is looking livid and fractious and poignant and bothered.
Lady Galadriel stands up, and I realize how dazzling she is. "This problem can not occur again."
"No, it can not," Lord Gil-Galad agrees.
A hole forms in my stomach, everything swirling down it. This is not happening.
"What do you propose we do about it?" Lord Elrond asks.
Lord Celeborn takes a deep breath, "They should talk about this 'personal matter' and form a solution."
No and no. I am not speaking with her. And why are they speaking as if we are not here?
Lady Celebrían shakes her head, "No. The anger is still too near. They can not simply speak of it peacefully..."
Hannon le, Lady Celebrían!
"They may stay here tonight. There is a guest room... Annacálë knows where it is."
I stand up, "Please, if you think it not uncouth... I really do not care much for this... idea. I understand that this can not happen again, but surely there must be another alternative!"
Lord Elrond frowns, "I think it best if we do this. You and Annacálë will spend the night together in the guest room. I expect you to have this problem resolved by morning."
"Lord Elrond!" I shout, lowering my voice carefully. "I can not spend a night in the same room as her."
"And do you think I want to spend the night with you?" Annacálë shouts back, standing up.
Fury boils in my veins, my skin seems to tingle with livid anger, "If it were not for you, none of us would be here right now! If you were not so easily jealous-"
"Jealous?" she shrieks, "You were the one that was-"
"Havo dad!" Lord Elrond commands. I sit down, begrudgingly.
Lady Celebrían glances carefully at each of us, "It is as I thought. They will not be able to survive through the night."
"What do you suppose we do?" Lord Celeborn asks.
Lady Celebrían sighs, "We can not force her to do anything such as what we ask her now."
"You give her much freedom," Lord Gil-Galad observes.
Lady Celebrían smirks, "You do not know Lady Canyaiel as I do."
"Nothing is getting done," Lord Celeborn carefully probes. Lord Elrond glares at me as if to say 'How are you, Lady Canyaiel, one whom I almost raised along with Arwen, affiliated with such nonsense as such?'
I glare back as if to say, 'It is because of Arwen's departure that I am in this horrible mess. She was the one who got me out of trouble, while I, in.'
Lady Galadriel nods the slightest bit, "Many issues there are between each of them."
Lord Elrond sighs, "Very well. All of you are staying tonight," he commands, annoyed and thoroughly exasperated at having to deal with such petty issues.
Fun.
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Sorry that was so boring and blah! I need ideas... Major writers block. I know this chapter was basically a re-cap, but now... mwahaha! Leave me one- ideas? Anything!
