A/N: Hello everyone, and finally here is the chapter that you all have been waiting for! I know that it has taken forever to finally post, and I am EXTREMELY sorry! Believe me, I am! So enough for now, you just want to read, so here it is!
Chapter 5
A ring of metal upon metal was heard throughout the house of Rivendell as Dani and Elrohir fought. The two had been dueling for about a half an hour and it looked as though Elrohir was winning. Pieces of Dani's raven hair were flying about her face as she danced around the clearing. Elrohir looked as though dueling was as easy as breathing, but years of practice would make it seem so. Having managed to leave Dani with one knife in hand he would finish the match at any time, all he needed was for her to make the right move, and he would have her.
And just then she made the right move. Instead of swinging to the right, she went left, and he knocked his fist against hers and sent her knife flying to the ground. She stared for a minute at her naked hand. That was definitely a wrong move on her part, and before she could prepare for an attack, she felt cool steel at her throat. She stilled and raised her eyes to meet the mirth filled ones of her brother. She swallowed and felt the sharp blade of the knife barely touch her skin, so she stilled and waited for him to lower his blade.
"It seems as if you have lost your touch," Elrohir said as he lowered the blade and re-sheathed the two identical blades that were in his hands. He watched as Dani went to pick up her knife that had been thrown out of the way earlier, waiting for a response. When she had sheathed her knives, she turned and gave him a hard blue steel gaze.
"I have not lost my touch, I am just out of practice. With you and Elladen gone, I have no one to practice with, right?" She raised a slender eyebrow in question.
He crossed his arms over his chest as if he were ready for an argument. "Yes, but you do have Glorfindel that you could ask, or are you to afraid to ask the mighty warrior?" He asked playfully.
She smirked, her liquid eyes set in determination. "Yes, but I personally don't believe that Glorfindel wants to teach me how to use a blade. He probably has to many things to do anyways. The only people who will actually take time out of their busy lives are you two. Besides, I highly doubt that anyone would want to teach me, they look at me as just another elf-maiden with nothing better to do than sit around and talk amongst each other and groom herself even though she already looks beautiful, but not really in my case because I am not fair or slender, or--"
"Dani!"
She started, not realizing she had been rambling to herself. "What?"
"You," He said as he walked towards her and placed his hands on her shoulders, "should not be so hard on yourself. You are very beautiful, even if you don't see it yourself, I do, Elladen does, Arwen does. What is there not to like about you?"
She shifted on her feet. "Well, I'm not as fair skinned as every other she elf, I have dark skin, my hair is like no other color I have seen on any other elf. My eyes are darker than anyone else's, everyone has light blue or brown eyes. I'm not even half as beautiful as Arwen. It makes me feel different, and even thought I don't hate my appearance, I just….I don't know…" She sighed then, and looked down at her feet as if they were the most interesting things to her.
Elrohir let out a laugh that made her look up sharply. "What is so funny?"
She waited for him to catch his breath so that he could speak again. Once he did, he looked at her again, and she raised an eyebrow. "Dani, only you see the bad, wherever it is, in you. But to everyone else you are beautiful. And yes, even though what you said is true, besides being as beautiful as Arwen which, even if you aren't as beautiful as her in appearance, you make up for it in just being you. That is what makes someone beautiful, not what they look like. If you begin to see that about yourself, you might realize that other people do to, and I'm not talking about your family."
Dani's face cast a confused look. "What are you talking about?"
"What I am saying, is that there might be other people or another person who might think that you are beautiful despite what you have just told me" He gave her a warm smile.
"And who is this other person that you are speaking of?" She asked out of curiosity.
He gave her a mischievous smile then. "So, you are interested?"
She smirked. "No, just merely curious, it that ok?"
He lifted his arms and stepped back a step. "No need to get in a foul mood about it. I will tell you. Now, you know one of fathers guards, Baeron?" She nodded. "Well, his son Gilgalion seems to be quite taken with you, and he is just a little bit older than you, I think by about 70 years or so."
"Oh" was all she could manage to say. She didn't know what to think. Gilgalion was horrible to her when she was younger. Always teasing her, and telling her she was ugly because of her odd looks. She had already known that she wasn't a great beauty by elven standards, but it still hurt.
The two were done with their sparring match for the day and decided to head back to their chambers and clean up. When Dani got to her room, she saw Arwen sitting on her bed, reading a book.
"Arwen?" She asked, wondering why her sister was here when she should probably be helping with whatever feast her father was planning for the guests.
Dani's graceful sister looked up. "Oh Dani, I hope you don't mind me being in here, I was just called a while ago by one of the maids to come and help you pick a dress for tonight's feast, and you weren't here so I decided to wait for you."
"It's ok. So, is there a certain dress that I should wear?"
Arwen stood and went to Dani's wardrobe and opened it. She had very few dresses, but she would make do with what she was given to pick from. She pulled one from the wardrobe. It was a long light blue gown that was light and airy, not to Dani's liking. "How about this one?" Dani shook her head, and Arwen pulled out another one. This one was a dark crimson color, a little bit darker than Dani's hair, it was the perfect color for her. It was also a simple dress. Long sleeves that flared just slightly at the wrist, not to low of a neckline, it tightened a little at her waist to give her figure an enhancement, and pooled at her feet so she could walk comfortably. "This one?"
"That is more like it." Dani said as Arwen laid the dress onto her bed. Arwen gave her a smile. "What shall you be wearing Arwen?"
Arwen smiled. "A silver gown. It is very beautiful, too much for me really, but father insisted. I heard that Legolas will be wearing silver, I think father wanted that too so that we would look good together." She shrugged her shoulders.
Dani gave a weak smile. "You will look beautiful together. It seems as thought he is forcing this upon you too quickly, but who am I to judge?"
Arwen met Dani's gaze and gave her a sad look. "You're my sister, you can judge, besides, you the only other female around that I can really talk about this stuff with."
Dani smiled, and ran a hand over her hair as an impulse.
"Should I leave you to bathe?" Arwen asked, making her way to the door. "I think you should have more than enough time to bathe and get dressed, even with time to spare." She exited, and left Dani to get ready.
Dani looked about her room. Her dress was laid out on her bed, ready to be worn. She took her hair out of its ponytail, and ran her fingers through it, tugging at the knots that caught her fingers. As she went into the bathroom, she noticed the steam coming out from the door. Looking inside, she saw that a hot bath had already been drawn for her, and the scent of flowers filled the air. She slipped off her clothes, and sank into the warm water. She sighed as she felt her muscles relax, and she leaned her head back and closed her eyes. After a while of just resting, she sunk her head into the water to wash her hair. After she had washed herself, she just lay in the warm water, thinking about the night ahead of her. She would have to be on her best behavior and act as ladylike as she could. No doubt Elrond would keep a strict eye on her, but she decided to make the best of the night no matter what Elrond would do. The thought of Gilgalion suddenly came into her head and she grimaced inwardly. Would he want to spend the evening with me? Would he want to dance with me? She thought. Not really wanting to have to deal with that this night, she decided that she would stay as close to her brothers as possible, then when Gilgalion would ask her to dance, she could say she was going to dance with one of her brothers. Yes, that should work.
After drying herself off, Dani went back into her room and stood in front of the dress. She glared at it. "The things I do to please people" she said to the crimson fabric as she lifted it up. She draped the towel that was around her onto her bed, and slipped on the dress. It fit her perfectly, and it was so long that it covered her feet and made it look like she was floating when she walked.
She walked over to her mirror and looked at herself. The color of the dress matched her hair, only a few shades darker, and made her look even darker than she normally did. Her skin was a nice bronze color, and her hair shone, but her eyes stood out amongst all the crimson. It made them look like pools of water at night and was a nice contrast to the rest of her appearance. She smiled, thinking she looked not at all that bad. Her eyes fixed on her hair and she frowned slightly. Now what am I going to do with it? She thought. Then, as if the Valar had heard her soft knock was upon her door.
"Come in," She said. The door opened and Arwen appeared, looking as stunning as ever. Her silver gown made her look radiant, and her dark hair was pulled back by tiny braids at the side of her head. Her silver circlet shined on her forehead.
"I was wondering if you needed any help." She said as she strode over to her sister.
"Yes actually, I don't know what to do with my hair," Dani said and ran her hand through it.
"Well, lets see what I can do," Arwen said as she pulled Dani over to a seat in front of a mirror on the wall. She picked up a brush and swept it through her raven hair to get the tangles out. She then started to pull it back twisting it at different places then pulling them this way and that, pinning pieces here and there. After a while, and a good couple of 'ouches' from Dani, she declared she was done. Dani looked at herself in the mirror and could only stare at herself. Her hair looked beautiful. The top of her head had twists and tiny braids that were pinned at the top to let the other half of her hair hang down in curls. From the back it looked like a blood red waterfall, and Dani could only thank her sister.
"You should only look as beautiful as you really are," Arwen said with a smile. Again, all Dani could do was thank her. "I think we have a little while yet, I'll go and get one of the twins to come and escort you to dinner while you get your shoes on." She said, and left the room.
"Shoes…I don't have any other shoes but my boots...I think," Dani said to herself as she went back to the wardrobe to see if anything was there. At the bottom were slippers of the same color as her dress. She picked them up and sat on her bed to put them on. They were too small, and she threw them back into the wardrobe. Putting on her black boots she chuckled. "Boots and a dress. Oh the fit Arwen would have, but they can't be seen, so they will have to do."
A soft knock, and "Dani," made her stop talking, and finish putting on her boots. She went to the door and opened it. Elrohir was her escort, and before she was going to say hello to him, she heard him give a small gasp.
Looking at him with a raised eyebrow she saw the shocked face of her brother. "What? Do I look that terrible?" She asked jokingly.
Elrohir shook his head. "The exact opposite Dani, you look wonderful," He looked her up and down, still not believing his eyes. This couldn't be the same Dani today he fought with. That Dani was a tough, tunic and leggings wearing elf who didn't care about what she wore. But now…now she was a beauty to behold. Her whole appearance fit so perfectly that he was almost at a loss for words. But looking at this dark creature that was his sister, her eyes stood out as plain as fire on a pitch-black night. He looked into those eyes that were giving him a curious look and he shook himself mentally and took her arm in his smiling. "You look to wonderful in fact, I think I will just have to keep all of those males away from you. They will be drawn to you like a river to an ocean." He said as they walked towards the dinning hall.
Dani gave a short laugh. "Elrohir, don't tease me. I feel so…exposed in this. Don't make this any harder than it is."
"Now Dani, what made you think I was teasing. I was being completely honest. You look wonderful, and do not say you don't, because even thought you don't see yourself as beautiful, other eyes beg to differ," He said patting her arm. "Now, as for the being drawn to, that will be a definite, all the other maidens are dressed in light colors, with their blond hair and blue eyes. You my dear sister are like the darkness of a cloudy night with just the slight red embers of the last bit of sunlight. Arwen may have the beauty of the clearest night, but you have the beauty of the most opaque night."
Dani didn't say anything for a moment, she was to startled to say anything. Elrohir's words were the nicest anyone had ever said to her, and her cheeks were on fire. "You are too kind Elrohir," Was all she could manage.
He chuckled then, "I was just telling you the truth," He said. They were silent the rest of the way to the dinning hall and once they did, Elrohir felt Dani tense. He patted her arm. "Don't worry, its just dinner,"
"I know, I'm just nervous." She said, and he patted her arm again, and gave her hand a comforting squeeze. She relaxed a little. Putting her head up and shoulders back, the two entered the dinning room. There were flashes of color all around Dani as all the people walked about. The noise level was loud as chatter and melodious laughter filled the air. Elrond was at the head of the table with Thranduil. Arwen was also there looking wonderful. Elladen was to her right, and he at Elrond's left. To the right of Thranduil was Prince Legolas, in silver just like Arwen had said. He had the Mirkwood circlet about his forehead.
As the two walked towards their seats, Dani couldn't help but feel the stares from the people around her, and the hushed whispers. She kept her face blank, and her head high. Her lips twitched into a smile as she noticed Elladen's much more than shocked face. Elrohir led her to her seat, which was next to Arwen, on her left, then Elrohir sat down next to Dani.
She noticed that Elladen still had his gaze focused on her so she stared back. "Elladen…?" She raised an eyebrow.
He regained his focus as he blinked a couple of times. "Wow, Dani you look amazing." He said.
"Well, thank you Elladen. No, you don't need to say anything, I heard it all from Elrohir." She replied with a smile.
Before Elladen could respond, Elrond stood and the room hushed as people scrambled to their seats. "Friends, let tonight be a night of joy. We have guests from the great land of Mirkwood visiting, let us give them a night of merriment that they will not forget. Let us celebrate the ever hopeful union of my daughter Arwen, and the Prince of Mirkwood Legolas in hope to unite our lands together. Let us toast to their future." Cheers filled the air, and people began talking amongst their neighbors as they ate the delicious foods.
Elrond sat and Thranduil engaged him in conversation. Elladen joined them, and Elrohir was in conversation with the other person next to him, not Dani. She and Arwen were in conversation, which was soon interrupted as Thranduil began to speak of Dani.
"Elrond, is this not your foster daughter?" He asked, and she could feel her sibling's eyes, and Legolas' eyes upon her.
"Yes, Thranduil she is," He replied.
"She is quite…" He paused. Dani held her breath, hoping he wouldn't say anything too terrible, but she made herself ready just in case. "Different. Beautiful, but different…where is she from where they are so dark?" He gave her a smile, but she didn't respond in any way. She felt Arwen's hand on hers, giving a tight squeeze that said not to worry. She looked into her sister's eyes, they were filled with sadness. Dani gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand back.
"It's alright, it's not the first time I've heard it. Just a little to announced for my liking."
Arwen gave a hard stare. "He shouldn't have said that. Don't worry, have fun, and don't think about what he said."
Dani nodded. She had heard that said about her before, but like she said, not so announced as it was. She fixed herself on finishing her dinner, ignoring everything around her. It was as though I was not even here! She thought to herself. As she went back to her dinner, she felt eyes upon her, they burned into her greatly, and she looked to the right of her where the burning was coming from. Down near the end of the table she saw an elf staring at her. He had light brown hair, and brown eyes. She nudged Elrohir.
"Who is that?" She asked him.
"Who?"
"The elf down near the end of the table. The one staring at me."
She heard Elrohir chuckle. "That is Gilgalion. Don't you recognize him?"
She shook her head. "No." She really did not recognize him. She shifted her eyes to where he was again, but he was in conversation with a neighbor. Turning to resume to eating, her eyes met with the cerulean ones of Legolas. He smiled slightly to her, and she gave a small one back. Before she could get to absorbed in observing him, she averted her gaze away from his. But she still felt his eyes boring into her. Her neck began to grow hot as she sat. Eventually she felt that she was no longer being looked at, and that it was safe to look up. The elves around her began to finish their dinners, and they all calmly waited for Lord Elrond to dismiss them.
Another five minutes or so passed, and the Lord of Rivendell stood. "Now, may you all have a night of merriment filled with dancing and music. Let the night begin!" Slight cheers went up as people began to diffuse into the Hall of Fire. Music could be heard flowing through the doors, and couples began to form. Dani sat watching as these things went on. Elrond and Thranduil had left, making their way to the Hall. Legolas came over and asked Arwen to dance, but as he did, and she accepted only because it was the polite thing to do and since the night was in part a celebration to them, she saw Legolas' eyes flick to hers for a brief moment before returning to Arwen.
As couples filtered out of the dinning room, Dani sat and watched. Her brothers were talking to some elf maidens that seemed to giggle at every word they said. She sighed and rested her head on her hand. A piece of her hair fell in her face, and she tucked it behind her ear. Eventually her brothers led the fair maidens to the dancing area, and there were but a few people left. Dani started to play with the napkin on the table when she felt a presence beside her. Looking up, she saw that it was Gilgalion.
He held out his had to her. "Would you join me for a dance?" He asked, smiling down at her. She swallowed, and gently placed her hand in his.
"Yes, thank you," She replied. As she stood up he let go of her hand and moved his to the small of her back. She tensed a bit to the unfamiliar contact, but kept a cool composure. He on the other hand felt her tense up, but did not do anything. As they walked he could feel her tense muscles move beneath his fingers. Soft music flooded her pointed ears as they walked into the Hall of Fire. Couples danced on the floor, others sat and talked. She spotted Legolas and Arwen dancing amongst the many faces. They were not too hard to find. They were the two dressed in silver, two beautiful people, looking beautiful together. She did not even realize the slight sigh she gave when she saw them until Gilgalion spoke up.
"Is something the matter my lady?" He asked. His brown eyes boring into her dark ones.
"Hmm…? Oh no, I'm fine," She replied. He smiled then and stood to face her as a new song started. He placed his hands on her waist, and she placed hers around his neck.
"Lle naa vanima," He whispered into her ear. She blushed slightly. You are beautiful
"Diola lle," She replied. Thank you
"Amin vanima morier," He said then, and her blush deepened, and he laughed at her. My beautiful dark one
"Diola lle," She replied again. They danced for a while longer, in silence. One was content just dancing with their cherished one. The other was uncomfortable. This was obviously Dani, for she felt out of place. She felt like a stain on a white satin gown. The room in which she was in was the white satin gown, it was filled with fair maidens in their pastel gowns, and frail figures. She was the stain among the fairness which enveloped her, suffocating her. Her darkness drew stares from all around, and she did not like it.
My beautiful dark one? Since when did I become his? She thought. She had barely spoken to him for years, and now she was his? Letting her eyes wander among the faces, she saw her brothers dancing with she elves, talking with them. Dani smiled. She was happy for her brothers. She scanned the room for Arwen, and found her still in the arms of Legolas. Such a contrast. Legolas and his light skin, blue eyes, and blond shinning hair; and Arwen with her dark rich hair, grey-blue eyes, and pale skin. But they did make a nice couple. I will never find anyone that will even remotely make a nice match to me. She thought.
Drifting out of her thoughts, and back into reality, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. Soon the music was over, and Gilgalion was summoned by his father. He excused himself and thanked her for the dance. Not knowing what to do, she made her way to the balcony over looking a garden, and got some fresh air. Laughter and music played around her, but she paid no attention and looked up to the stars. It was a clear night, perfect for star gazing. For a moment she was content. Standing there, no one near to talk to or bother with. Just a silence that enveloped her with the far off sound of music and a voice that sang like a nightingale, oh how she wished she could sing like that, but she knew she had no voice. It was not soft and melodious like others, it was deep, and did not seem pleasing to the ear.
So there she stood, enjoying the cool nights breeze that made pieces of her hair whip into her face, and the 'alone time' she was having. But that moment was disturbed when she saw a figure to her left. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the figure was clad in silver, so she assumed that maybe it was Arwen, and she lifted her head up to say hello when she saw who it really was. Her mouth shut immediately when the gaze of his eyes met hers. She turned back around to resume her other positions, which was not facing him, hoping he would not say anything, but luck was not on her side.
"Good evening Lady Danidriel," He said as he moved a little closer to her. Leaving enough space though to make it seem as if they were not conversing at all.
"Good evening Prince Legolas," She replied, once again hoping he would just leave it at acknowledgments, instead of a conversation.
"It is a beautiful night, is it not?" No such luck.
"Yes, very." She replied. "Where is Arwen, why are you not dancing with her?" She asked.
He turned to face her and while he replied he studied her. Her dark hair was of a color he had never seen before. Mirkwood elves had the golden hair like the sun, so he rarely got to see a different shade of hair color. Rivendell had the dark, brown or even black hair that was a contrast to Mirkwood's. Lothlorien elves had the hair color of the moon. A pale silvery color, some even had the golden silver, but still it glowed, and fascinated many. But Dani's hair, its deep dark red was found where? He knew not, and she knew not also, she only knew that she had the likeliness of her mother in her appearance. Her dark skin also fascinated him. It was the tone of a mortal who had stayed in the sun for long periods of time. A golden brown hue that gave her a healthy glow which the normal elven paleness did not. She was…out of the ordinary, that was for sure. She looked like no other elf anyone had seen, well except maybe her family, but her parents had dies, and her grandparents probably were either gone, or unfortunately, dead. "She needed a break, so she went to go sit down, I came out here for some fresh air, and now I am talking to you."
Dani just nodded.
"What about you? Why aren't you dancing?" He asked.
"I was," She retorted "but my partner had somewhere else to go, so he left, and I too came out here for some fresh air."
He mimicked her actions of nodding her head.
They were silent for a moment, then Legolas started another conversation. "So, you practice in the art of combat?" He asked.
She snapped her head to look at him. "Yes, where did you learn that?"
"I over heard your brothers talking about you as I came over here. I was surprised." He said, and he was surprised. Elf maidens were not taught in that area where he came from, so it was a shock when he had learned that Dani was being taught.
Dani smirked. If this was one of those women aren't supposed to fight kind of conversations, she was ready. Too many times had she been ridiculed about that. 'A lady should not fight.' 'Ladies cannot fight, they are too weak, and cowardly.' Were the all to familiar words people, and other soldiers of Rivendell had said when they knew that Elladen and Elrohir had started to teach her. But she proved them wrong. True, she was not the greatest fighter, but she could hold her own. "Surprised, why?" She asked in mock wonder.
He turned his whole body towards her, leaning against the railing of the balcony. It looked to Dani as if he was preparing himself to fight her himself, just not physically, but verbally. So, she did the same things. Her mouth twitched when she saw one of his dark eyebrows raise slightly. "Well, where I come from, ladies are not taught in the art of combat. They have no need to be. Why should we let them be harmed in battle when they are needed at their homes, and with their families?"
Dani's face held no expression, which made it impossible for Legolas to figure out what she was thinking. "Well, that is where you come from. Here, elves, no matter what gender may do as they please. Yes, it is not looked upon highly that females should join in fighting, but they may if they wish. I am only being taught by my brothers because they offered, and I was merely curious. It does not mean that I have any interest in joining Rivendell's military. Besides, females were not just made to have children and stay at home. Us being soldiers is not a bad thing. You males think to quickly, and never think things through. Females on the other hand look at things from different angles, and don't just do what comes to mind. It has been proven that with women in battle, things get done much more efficiently and with a better outcome."
Legolas' gaze was cool, hiding the ever so building up tension, and little anger. True, he had never looked at things that way, but she was downright insulting the male gender. "What you are saying is true Danidriel, but have you ever thought about it this way. The female gender does tend to be weaker, and can get hurt more easily, therefore hindering the males. Plus, sometimes things need to get done quickly, no matter the outcome. We don't always have time to look at things from all angles when time is an issue. Yes, we don't always think things through, but sometimes there is no time, and people's lives may be at stake."
"Call me Dani," She replied coolly. "I do believe what you are saying Legolas, but when there is time, a woman can give an alternate idea with the promise of more lives not being wasted."
Legolas nodded in agreement. "A very good point Dani, but tell me this. If women knew that they had this power, and patience to think things through, and wish to bring home their brothers, sons and husbands, why are there so very few that do join in the military?" He smiled then, as if he had somehow won.
Dani blinked a few times, thinking of an answer. "Because Legolas, maybe the few have confidence in themselves to stand against an army of men, while others fear the thought of war and embarrassment of being with these men who look down upon them." It was her turn to smile, as his was swiped off his handsome face.
The two did not discuss anything further as they were in their own thoughts, and they did not realize that people were gradually heading off to bed, tired from the night's excitement. They were reminded of this as silence started in. Dani turned, and so did Legolas. The music had stopped, and there were still about half of the total amount of people left in the room. They were sitting and talking, most were friends from the two lands catching up. She heard Legolas shuffle next to her, and she looked towards him. He approached her and stuck out his hand. Not knowing what to do, she reached out as well, and shook his hand. He chuckled slightly, let go and bowed down. "Good night Dani." He said, then turned to go to his room.
"Good night Legolas," She said to his retreating form, before heading to her room herself. She smiled along the way, remembering their friendly argument.
A/N: I hope you all enjoy!! And don't forget to review, because I need reviews if you want me to get going on the other chapter. Hopefully it won't be as long of a wait, but I'm not really guaranteeing anything. REVIEW…please O_o