There were plenty of things my father could say to me, but none pierced my
heart like he had said that Estel was doing the right thing. Deep in my
heart I knew that he was not doing the right thing, and all he was going to
do was break my sister's heart. I did not tell them that, I felt that was
too cruel. Luckily, my father had arranged for me to meet Lord Boromir and
Prince Legolas. I had a high regard for both men. My father insisted I
dress formally, though I knew, that I should dress the way I want to be
treated, and so, I dressed like I usually did, but I added some feminine
touches, gloves here, flowers there, some braided leaves in my hair.
I ran downstairs; I was already twenty minutes late for my meeting with Lord Boromir.
"There she is", my father told him. Lord Boromir is this stocky, red- haired, nut of a captain. I can't stand him, and from what I heard of him, is he's very much power hungry.
"Ah, the gem of the Rivendell people", he smiled at me. Okay, he's got a nice smile, but a huge nose.
"Lord Boromir, so good of you to join me on this fall afternoon", I said, smiling back.
"Of course", he bowed, and kissed my hand. I was wearing my white gloves, thank goodness. I flowed down the stairs, wearing an ice blue dress with a lot of lace, and white gloves. Of course my hair was always braided in such a manner that no mortal could follow.
"Shall you join me for tea in the garden?" I asked him, and then gestured in the direction of the garden.
"Surely I will", he said. Then he stuck his arm out, so that he could escort me. I only being polite, I looped my arm into his and walked him to the garden. He pulled out a chair for me and I sat down. . "So I hear your training is going well", he began. "I do hope you do not pursue in this sort of career, it would be very unbecoming of any young lady looking to become engaged." He said.
I was fuming, yet I did not let my anger go, not yet.
"I have pursued, yet no one wants to hire a woman. It seems as if I have been pushed away from everywhere. You know that one day I will inherit everything that you see here." I said.
"Yes, I am aware of that fact, but surely your husband will rule that", he said as if to obliterate my supremacy. I sipped my tea, I felt feeble. I disliked this feeling as much as much as I disliked him.
"Have you heard about the rise?" I asked him "Yes. I have set troops around Gondor, just for the occasion", he said.
"How is your brother, Faramir?" I inquired him, staying away from the power fact. .
"Quite fine, he will become Captain of Armies there eventually", he said.
"How is your sister, Lady Arwen?" he asked me.
"She is engaged, to Strider." I said and went on to fix myself some more tea.
"Oh. How splendid", he said, yet it disturbed him.
"More tea?" I asked him.
"Why of course, I would never miss up on that opportunity", he said. I gestured for more tea for him, and we sat in silence for a while, until my father's page came out to get me.
"M'lady, Prince Legolas has arrived", he said.
"Thank you. Tell him I will be with him in a short while", I told the page.
He bowed, and went off to tell the Prince the news.
"I am sorry, I was hoping that he would come a little later," I told Boromir.
"Anytime, it is time I get back to Gondor anyway", he said. I gave a little hug, and wished him well on his journey. I went to the main hall.
"Lady Ardonelle, long time no see", Legolas said to me.
"And same with you. You look wonderful", I said, indicating his hair.
"I know how much you love tea", Legolas said and we both burst out laughing.
"Yes, that is one of my food groups, tea", I smiled.
"Every time I come here, I always do a service for you", he said, and then added, "What do you want me to do today?"
"Teach me how to aim", I said. We went out to my target practice and he gave me the basics. Almost automatically I was doing better. I was happy I invited him over, being he was an old friend and such. Mirkwood and Rivendell elves have never gotten along, but Legolas, my sister and I were the closest of friends. Aragorn of course was one of his closest. It was interesting, the four of us, sometimes I thought that it would always be like that, the four of us.
"Good, Ardonelle", Legolas said, and then reverted back to the tea subject, "How about that tea?"
I laughed, "Of course, the tea", and led him towards it. We chatted about the weather, the rise of Sauron, and all other assorted topics. The meeting was over, around the time of the sun's last glimpse in the sky. We said our good-byes and I retired to my room, where I had a new book to read, from Bilbo. As I read my new book, and sat in my bed, I became happy with my worry-free life, and I was glad that I was not engaged to Aragorn now. I still had his engagement ring, yet I did not know what that meant. I wore it like I wear my mother's wedding ring, with pride. I slept, and I did not think about engagement rings, or anything of the sort for a while. When I woke, I checked the date on my calendar. It was my birthday, and I was glad it was. As usual, a trail of gifts led the way to the big present, usually from my grandparents. The trail of presents was from my father, mother, sister and friends. I had gotten a ring, three necklaces, a knife set from my father, and a pair of Mirkwood made boots, something I probably won't wear. When I reached the library, I found a new book, from Bilbo and Frodo. My large present sat on the table, ready for me to open it. I got to the present and began to tear the paper off of it; it was a sword and knife duo. The sword was one of the lightest I had ever felt, and the knife was expertly made. I went into my room and placed the sword and knife down somewhere. I heard a faint knocking on my hallway door; it was a surprise from Aragorn.
"I've brought you your present, Ardonelle", he said, as if I was stupid.
"Oh really", I said, and opened the door. He handed me a box. And there could only be one thing in that box, an elvish sword, one that my grandparents could only craft. I opened it, it was indeed a sword, and I called it Luune Vanesse on the spot The hilt of the sword was swirls of blue and white.
"Luune Vanesse, that is her name", I said to him.
"Yes, that is perfect for her name, I saw the sword and it reminded me of your eyes." He said to me in the alluring way he had said everything years before.
"Thank you, Aragorn", I said to him, wondering.
"You're most welcome. Only you could be presented with that sword", he said and walked off. It was most professional of him to do that, and I knew there could be no other sword to covet my waist as this one did.
I ran downstairs; I was already twenty minutes late for my meeting with Lord Boromir.
"There she is", my father told him. Lord Boromir is this stocky, red- haired, nut of a captain. I can't stand him, and from what I heard of him, is he's very much power hungry.
"Ah, the gem of the Rivendell people", he smiled at me. Okay, he's got a nice smile, but a huge nose.
"Lord Boromir, so good of you to join me on this fall afternoon", I said, smiling back.
"Of course", he bowed, and kissed my hand. I was wearing my white gloves, thank goodness. I flowed down the stairs, wearing an ice blue dress with a lot of lace, and white gloves. Of course my hair was always braided in such a manner that no mortal could follow.
"Shall you join me for tea in the garden?" I asked him, and then gestured in the direction of the garden.
"Surely I will", he said. Then he stuck his arm out, so that he could escort me. I only being polite, I looped my arm into his and walked him to the garden. He pulled out a chair for me and I sat down. . "So I hear your training is going well", he began. "I do hope you do not pursue in this sort of career, it would be very unbecoming of any young lady looking to become engaged." He said.
I was fuming, yet I did not let my anger go, not yet.
"I have pursued, yet no one wants to hire a woman. It seems as if I have been pushed away from everywhere. You know that one day I will inherit everything that you see here." I said.
"Yes, I am aware of that fact, but surely your husband will rule that", he said as if to obliterate my supremacy. I sipped my tea, I felt feeble. I disliked this feeling as much as much as I disliked him.
"Have you heard about the rise?" I asked him "Yes. I have set troops around Gondor, just for the occasion", he said.
"How is your brother, Faramir?" I inquired him, staying away from the power fact. .
"Quite fine, he will become Captain of Armies there eventually", he said.
"How is your sister, Lady Arwen?" he asked me.
"She is engaged, to Strider." I said and went on to fix myself some more tea.
"Oh. How splendid", he said, yet it disturbed him.
"More tea?" I asked him.
"Why of course, I would never miss up on that opportunity", he said. I gestured for more tea for him, and we sat in silence for a while, until my father's page came out to get me.
"M'lady, Prince Legolas has arrived", he said.
"Thank you. Tell him I will be with him in a short while", I told the page.
He bowed, and went off to tell the Prince the news.
"I am sorry, I was hoping that he would come a little later," I told Boromir.
"Anytime, it is time I get back to Gondor anyway", he said. I gave a little hug, and wished him well on his journey. I went to the main hall.
"Lady Ardonelle, long time no see", Legolas said to me.
"And same with you. You look wonderful", I said, indicating his hair.
"I know how much you love tea", Legolas said and we both burst out laughing.
"Yes, that is one of my food groups, tea", I smiled.
"Every time I come here, I always do a service for you", he said, and then added, "What do you want me to do today?"
"Teach me how to aim", I said. We went out to my target practice and he gave me the basics. Almost automatically I was doing better. I was happy I invited him over, being he was an old friend and such. Mirkwood and Rivendell elves have never gotten along, but Legolas, my sister and I were the closest of friends. Aragorn of course was one of his closest. It was interesting, the four of us, sometimes I thought that it would always be like that, the four of us.
"Good, Ardonelle", Legolas said, and then reverted back to the tea subject, "How about that tea?"
I laughed, "Of course, the tea", and led him towards it. We chatted about the weather, the rise of Sauron, and all other assorted topics. The meeting was over, around the time of the sun's last glimpse in the sky. We said our good-byes and I retired to my room, where I had a new book to read, from Bilbo. As I read my new book, and sat in my bed, I became happy with my worry-free life, and I was glad that I was not engaged to Aragorn now. I still had his engagement ring, yet I did not know what that meant. I wore it like I wear my mother's wedding ring, with pride. I slept, and I did not think about engagement rings, or anything of the sort for a while. When I woke, I checked the date on my calendar. It was my birthday, and I was glad it was. As usual, a trail of gifts led the way to the big present, usually from my grandparents. The trail of presents was from my father, mother, sister and friends. I had gotten a ring, three necklaces, a knife set from my father, and a pair of Mirkwood made boots, something I probably won't wear. When I reached the library, I found a new book, from Bilbo and Frodo. My large present sat on the table, ready for me to open it. I got to the present and began to tear the paper off of it; it was a sword and knife duo. The sword was one of the lightest I had ever felt, and the knife was expertly made. I went into my room and placed the sword and knife down somewhere. I heard a faint knocking on my hallway door; it was a surprise from Aragorn.
"I've brought you your present, Ardonelle", he said, as if I was stupid.
"Oh really", I said, and opened the door. He handed me a box. And there could only be one thing in that box, an elvish sword, one that my grandparents could only craft. I opened it, it was indeed a sword, and I called it Luune Vanesse on the spot The hilt of the sword was swirls of blue and white.
"Luune Vanesse, that is her name", I said to him.
"Yes, that is perfect for her name, I saw the sword and it reminded me of your eyes." He said to me in the alluring way he had said everything years before.
"Thank you, Aragorn", I said to him, wondering.
"You're most welcome. Only you could be presented with that sword", he said and walked off. It was most professional of him to do that, and I knew there could be no other sword to covet my waist as this one did.