The Elves nod. I massage my temples. "Tell Arwen I'll be back soon, I need
to talk to Legolas. And tell her she shouldn't be so bloody rude." I nod at
them, then drop to the ground beneath the tree. I hear a gasp of surprise,
then I take off and start to shinny up a tree again.
"By the Valar, can she go! Shall we, brother?" The other chuckles.
"By all means, shall we wager on the outcome? Your dagger against mine that she gets away?"
"Done!" By the time they have stopped talking, I am five trees ahead of them. I leap from one to another like a squirrel. I can now see the blond heads getting closer, and hear the brothers getting closer. I catapult from the trees onto the path in front of Legolas, who recoils in shock.
"Hiya, Legolas, just thought I'd drop in!" I smile at him, panting with exertion. He looks very apprehensive. Then Elladan and Elrohir appear out of the trees and sprawl on the path in a heap. I walk up to them and toe one of them in a rib. "Get up, you louts. I don't care if you are the sons of Lord Elrond, you're still idiots." They rise to their feet, dusting themselves off.
"Funny that, Arwen says exactly the same thing." One of them comments. He sticks his hand out, "I'm Elrohir and the ugly one is Elladan."
I raise my eyebrows at them "You both look the same, so how can I tell which is the ugly one? I'm Caitlyn, or Cat by the way. Legolas, you can call me Cat too now." I turn around to face him "I came to say I'm sorry for running away before and for kicking you in the balls." I hear Elladan and Elrohir guffaw at that. I whirl around and glare at them, "And I'd do it to you two as well, if you give me just cause!" They shrug, looking at each other. "Anyway hunting rights on me are Legolas' cause he saw me first. Or mine. You can decide which one you want to approach. And I think I got away, don't you?" I flirt with them, hey twins, and they're both yummy! I put my hands on my hips and cock my eyebrows at them.
"Apology accepted." I hear a quiet voice behind me say.
"Coolies!" I grin. "Well, Elladan and Elrohir, are you going to escort me to your father, or not? I've given Arwen enough grief already, shall we go?" They look at each other speculatively. "You two so far are the silliest Elves I've met, and I've met about, oh, five at least!"
"Follow us, Cat. We shall escort you to Lord Elrond." They walk off, and I follow them.
"See ya round Legolas!" I feel like singing so I do. It's all so exciting! "Where's all ma soul sisters, let me hear your flow sisters, hey sister go sister so sister ." I sing the Moulin Rouge theme song; it's so funky to sing! Elladan and Elrohir keep looking over their shoulders at this mad girl, so I add in some motions. Are they blushing? "Remember the life down at ole Moulin Rouge, strutting her stuff on the street, she said hello, hey joe you wanna give it a go." They are blushing! "Voulez-vous couchez avec moi, ce soir? Voulez-vous couchez avec moi, ce soir?!" This is so funny, and all these other Elves are staring as well. Their ears are red! Hehe! "He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up." So amusing, I keep singing without missing a beat. They are so red! I don't think they've ever heard a song so explicit before, "The touch of her skin feeling silky smooth, the color of café au lait."So hilarious! I find it hard to keep singing without laughing. "Lady marmalade, hey, hey uhuhuh.baby, Moulin rouge, Creole lady marmalade! Yes uh!" I do a little bow. "Did you like that song, guys?"
"It was very. interesting, Lady Caitlyn." Elladan says in a choked voice.
"I'm no lady, really! Would I sing a song like that if I were a lady? I think not, somehow. I can't see Arwen singing it anyway."
"What is the Moulin Rouge?" Elrohir asks.
"A brothel, a very expensive and exclusive one. They made a play about a woman who worked there, and that's one of the songs from the play." It'd be too hard to explain what a movie is. "It's a very sad story, about a prostitute who falls in love with an innocent, a young penniless poet but is dying from a dreadful disease. And there's an evil, rich lord who tries to kill them both when he discovers that she's seeing the poet, because he wants her all to himself. It's all very sad, a doomed love story. But they're the best kind, really."
"And what does 'voulez vous couchez avec moi, ce soir' mean?" Elrohir asks, his voice stumbling over the unfamiliar sounds.
"Do you want to sleep with me tonight, basically."
They're both blushing now. I stop walking, wondering how long it'll take in their chagrin to realize I've stopped. One meter, two meters. And for a grand total of three meters they turn around. They are so red, it's unbelievable. Oh they're so cute! Like puppy dogs. I laugh at them, grinning happily.
I start to sing again, this time a serious song, Driftwood by Travis. With all the talk of the Sea in it, they're sure to like it, "Everything is open, nothing is set in stone, rivers turn to ocean, oceans tide you home," They're relaxing now, listening appreciatively. I make my voice throb with poignancy, from the corners of my eyes I can see other Elves gathering around us, "Home is where the heart is, but your heart had to roam, drifting over bridges, never to return, watching bridges burn, you're driftwood floating underwater, breaking into pieces, pieces, pieces." This is an Elvish song for sure. All of loss and regret, and the Sea, I can see the longing on their faces. I relax into my song, and sing louder. "Drifting now forever, and forever more, until you reach your shore." I continue singing until I reach the end of the song and bow. I stand upright, and I can see tears in their eyes.
"My lady, that was.unbelievable. You must sing this song for Lord Elrond." Elrohir says in an awed voice.
"I heard it, Elrohir." The twins turn and bow to a stately Elf in robes. He looks older then the rest of them but has more authority because of it. I stand upright, I am no subject of his, and I bow to no ruler. I merely incline my head a fraction. He does the same watching me carefully. "Welcome to Rivendell, Lady Caitlyn. Will you come with me now?"
I feel like a child caught in some incidental mischief, that although it has wasted time has no bearing on the world at large. I resist the urge to look down and scuff my foot. "Thank you, Lord Elrond." I take his outstretched hand and lay my arm along his. As we start to walk I comment, "So far today, I have been chased by two different groups of Elves and been threatened twice. The only person who has treated me with courtesy, disregarding my strange dress and stranger behavior, has been a Man named Boromir from Gondor. Is it merely because the Elves are less used to visitors then anyone else?"
He coughs politely "Perhaps, Lady Caitlyn."
"Maybe the Dwarves will be more hospitable." I sneak a glance at him from under my eyelashes. He looks like stone. He can probably see right through my act, but I'm still annoyed. "Aragorn threatened to cut my head off until he saw my ears. And he is Elven raised. Perhaps it is more the nurture then the nature that accounts for such hostility. There is naught to fear but the Shadow, and even then fear itself is more dangerous in battle." I bat my eyes at him. Then I look ahead and see Gandalf and Frodo. "Frodo!" At least the Hobbits are nice. "I'm glad to see you. Are you well recovered from the sting of Mordor steel?"
He nods hesitantly. "Yes, thanks to Lord Elrond. He is a marvelous healer."
"I know. The trees sing of it. They are proud of their Elves, and mourn over the pull of the Sea that takes their Elves away." Elrond looks surprised. "I can talk to trees, they like me." I release myself from Elrond and bow to Gandalf. "Well met, Gandalf the Grey. Have you discovered yet why and how I am here?"
"By the Valar, can she go! Shall we, brother?" The other chuckles.
"By all means, shall we wager on the outcome? Your dagger against mine that she gets away?"
"Done!" By the time they have stopped talking, I am five trees ahead of them. I leap from one to another like a squirrel. I can now see the blond heads getting closer, and hear the brothers getting closer. I catapult from the trees onto the path in front of Legolas, who recoils in shock.
"Hiya, Legolas, just thought I'd drop in!" I smile at him, panting with exertion. He looks very apprehensive. Then Elladan and Elrohir appear out of the trees and sprawl on the path in a heap. I walk up to them and toe one of them in a rib. "Get up, you louts. I don't care if you are the sons of Lord Elrond, you're still idiots." They rise to their feet, dusting themselves off.
"Funny that, Arwen says exactly the same thing." One of them comments. He sticks his hand out, "I'm Elrohir and the ugly one is Elladan."
I raise my eyebrows at them "You both look the same, so how can I tell which is the ugly one? I'm Caitlyn, or Cat by the way. Legolas, you can call me Cat too now." I turn around to face him "I came to say I'm sorry for running away before and for kicking you in the balls." I hear Elladan and Elrohir guffaw at that. I whirl around and glare at them, "And I'd do it to you two as well, if you give me just cause!" They shrug, looking at each other. "Anyway hunting rights on me are Legolas' cause he saw me first. Or mine. You can decide which one you want to approach. And I think I got away, don't you?" I flirt with them, hey twins, and they're both yummy! I put my hands on my hips and cock my eyebrows at them.
"Apology accepted." I hear a quiet voice behind me say.
"Coolies!" I grin. "Well, Elladan and Elrohir, are you going to escort me to your father, or not? I've given Arwen enough grief already, shall we go?" They look at each other speculatively. "You two so far are the silliest Elves I've met, and I've met about, oh, five at least!"
"Follow us, Cat. We shall escort you to Lord Elrond." They walk off, and I follow them.
"See ya round Legolas!" I feel like singing so I do. It's all so exciting! "Where's all ma soul sisters, let me hear your flow sisters, hey sister go sister so sister ." I sing the Moulin Rouge theme song; it's so funky to sing! Elladan and Elrohir keep looking over their shoulders at this mad girl, so I add in some motions. Are they blushing? "Remember the life down at ole Moulin Rouge, strutting her stuff on the street, she said hello, hey joe you wanna give it a go." They are blushing! "Voulez-vous couchez avec moi, ce soir? Voulez-vous couchez avec moi, ce soir?!" This is so funny, and all these other Elves are staring as well. Their ears are red! Hehe! "He sat in her boudoir while she freshened up." So amusing, I keep singing without missing a beat. They are so red! I don't think they've ever heard a song so explicit before, "The touch of her skin feeling silky smooth, the color of café au lait."So hilarious! I find it hard to keep singing without laughing. "Lady marmalade, hey, hey uhuhuh.baby, Moulin rouge, Creole lady marmalade! Yes uh!" I do a little bow. "Did you like that song, guys?"
"It was very. interesting, Lady Caitlyn." Elladan says in a choked voice.
"I'm no lady, really! Would I sing a song like that if I were a lady? I think not, somehow. I can't see Arwen singing it anyway."
"What is the Moulin Rouge?" Elrohir asks.
"A brothel, a very expensive and exclusive one. They made a play about a woman who worked there, and that's one of the songs from the play." It'd be too hard to explain what a movie is. "It's a very sad story, about a prostitute who falls in love with an innocent, a young penniless poet but is dying from a dreadful disease. And there's an evil, rich lord who tries to kill them both when he discovers that she's seeing the poet, because he wants her all to himself. It's all very sad, a doomed love story. But they're the best kind, really."
"And what does 'voulez vous couchez avec moi, ce soir' mean?" Elrohir asks, his voice stumbling over the unfamiliar sounds.
"Do you want to sleep with me tonight, basically."
They're both blushing now. I stop walking, wondering how long it'll take in their chagrin to realize I've stopped. One meter, two meters. And for a grand total of three meters they turn around. They are so red, it's unbelievable. Oh they're so cute! Like puppy dogs. I laugh at them, grinning happily.
I start to sing again, this time a serious song, Driftwood by Travis. With all the talk of the Sea in it, they're sure to like it, "Everything is open, nothing is set in stone, rivers turn to ocean, oceans tide you home," They're relaxing now, listening appreciatively. I make my voice throb with poignancy, from the corners of my eyes I can see other Elves gathering around us, "Home is where the heart is, but your heart had to roam, drifting over bridges, never to return, watching bridges burn, you're driftwood floating underwater, breaking into pieces, pieces, pieces." This is an Elvish song for sure. All of loss and regret, and the Sea, I can see the longing on their faces. I relax into my song, and sing louder. "Drifting now forever, and forever more, until you reach your shore." I continue singing until I reach the end of the song and bow. I stand upright, and I can see tears in their eyes.
"My lady, that was.unbelievable. You must sing this song for Lord Elrond." Elrohir says in an awed voice.
"I heard it, Elrohir." The twins turn and bow to a stately Elf in robes. He looks older then the rest of them but has more authority because of it. I stand upright, I am no subject of his, and I bow to no ruler. I merely incline my head a fraction. He does the same watching me carefully. "Welcome to Rivendell, Lady Caitlyn. Will you come with me now?"
I feel like a child caught in some incidental mischief, that although it has wasted time has no bearing on the world at large. I resist the urge to look down and scuff my foot. "Thank you, Lord Elrond." I take his outstretched hand and lay my arm along his. As we start to walk I comment, "So far today, I have been chased by two different groups of Elves and been threatened twice. The only person who has treated me with courtesy, disregarding my strange dress and stranger behavior, has been a Man named Boromir from Gondor. Is it merely because the Elves are less used to visitors then anyone else?"
He coughs politely "Perhaps, Lady Caitlyn."
"Maybe the Dwarves will be more hospitable." I sneak a glance at him from under my eyelashes. He looks like stone. He can probably see right through my act, but I'm still annoyed. "Aragorn threatened to cut my head off until he saw my ears. And he is Elven raised. Perhaps it is more the nurture then the nature that accounts for such hostility. There is naught to fear but the Shadow, and even then fear itself is more dangerous in battle." I bat my eyes at him. Then I look ahead and see Gandalf and Frodo. "Frodo!" At least the Hobbits are nice. "I'm glad to see you. Are you well recovered from the sting of Mordor steel?"
He nods hesitantly. "Yes, thanks to Lord Elrond. He is a marvelous healer."
"I know. The trees sing of it. They are proud of their Elves, and mourn over the pull of the Sea that takes their Elves away." Elrond looks surprised. "I can talk to trees, they like me." I release myself from Elrond and bow to Gandalf. "Well met, Gandalf the Grey. Have you discovered yet why and how I am here?"