The Art of Deception
HOLY SH--! *jaw drops* I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY REVIEWS I GOT FOR THE LAST CHAPTER, WHICH WASN'T EVEN A CHAPTER! OVER SEVENTY!!! THANK YOU GUYS SOOOOOOOOOO MUCH!!! I LUV YOU ALL! I AM SOOOOOOOO DAMN SORRY THE UPDATE TOOK SO LONG!!! I'LL LEAVE ALL MY NOTES AT THE END THIS TIME SO YOU GUYS CAN READ THE CHAPTER. IT'S NICE AND LONG!
Disclaimer: don't own it.
Italics = thoughts/emphasis/Elvish
*….* = speaking in Elvish
Bold = Elvish translations
Chapter Twelve: Elf-lords, Twins, and Truths—Oh My!
Aria woke up in a cocoon of warmth. Silken sheets pressed against her skin. The pillow under her head felt like it could not be any softer. Slowly, luxuriously, before that forever cautious part of her mind took over, she stretched out. For a moment, it felt wonderful just to be alive, to not worry about anything at all. But as she finished stretching, her eyes still closed, reality once again caught up to her. With a sigh, like one who has experienced bliss but now had to leave, she slowly opened her eyes.
In an instant, that ever on-guard part of her mind started berating her. Idiot! If you were in the hands of an enemy, you would've been dead in an instant! You don't know anything about this place, these people yet! You need to stay alert, stay on your guard! She cut off the barrage of reprimands, reminding herself that all these—well, for now, let's just say people—had shown her nothing but kindness. Legolas—she still half-wondered if he would disappear when she touched him—was teaching her how to speak their lovely, flowing language. All was right with the world; she had no need to be so wary.
Johnny…her conscience reminded her. She pushed her thoughts away. She didn't want to think about that right now. All of that thinking took place in a second. The next, she was glancing over to the chair by the bed to see if Legolas was there, as he had been the morning before.
He wasn't. She felt slightly relieved, slightly disappointed. Disappointed? She knew that was just the infatuation talking. She had become very good at analyzing her own feelings and emotions, good points and bad points. Though sometimes overly suspicious, she had become good at judging others' characters, usually seeing if a ruse was up. The result of living a lie, she thought bitterly. Her mind flashed back to something Lilly had once mentioned to her.
//It was Friday night. They were at a teen nightclub, just dancing, as most people attending their high school did on Friday nights, unless they were on a date. They had just met some people attending another high school, though they had gone to get some drinks.
"You know, you make people uneasy sometimes when you stare at them." Lilly remarked.
"Are you serious?" Aria asked. "I didn't know I was staring!"
"It's like you're looking into their souls, and they can't meet your gaze for fear that you'll see anything and everything about them. It's like you're searching them for some hint of a lie or a fault." she elaborated.
Aria had felt a chill then. She had let a little too much of her true character slip, though she hadn't even noticed what she was doing. It would not do to scare people away. She would need to watch herself more carefully from now on. Unable to think of anything to say, Aria had just shrugged. For an instant, there had been an unreadable look in Lilly's amethyst eyes, but it disappeared so quickly that Aria wondered if she had imagined it. "Let's go dance," Lilly suddenly said, laughing. The mood lightened. They moved onto the dance floor, Aria listening with some amusement as Lilly whispered to her about the hot guy in the corner of the room that she had just spotted, the heavy conversation forgotten.//
She came out of the flashback. Perhaps that ability should be put to use now. She would have to do it subtly, however, unnoticeable enough so that she could still be seen as the harmless young maiden. But if they are friends, she reasoned with herself, there would be no reason for me to hide my abilities. The other part of her mind asked her, can you truly claim that you have friends? The question made her freeze. She wanted to deny it, to shout out "That's not true!" But now that the question was out, could she truly say that it was a lie. Oh she had friends, of course, tons of them. Popularity immediately gave one that. But were any of them true friends? Was even Lilly, her best friend, a true friend? And if she was not, was it Aria's fault?
Aria didn't want to think into the topic anymore. The point of the matter was whether or not these people whose home she was in right now were enemies or allies. She would have to decide that as time went along. But for now, it's better safe than sorry, she reasoned grimly. Not wanting to lose herself to unanswerable questions again, she slowly sat up. Her wounds didn't hurt, which she was very grateful for. She tested her broken arm, moving it around a bit, wincing. That would still take some time. She inspected herself but found only minor cuts and bruises left over from the fall. Standing up, she walked over to the vanity, peering into the mirror. The bruises on her face and arms could barely be seen now and would soon disappear.
Her proof would be gone.
Then again, she doubted there were policemen around here anyways. But she wondered how she would let the secret spill when she could communicate properly. Could she even? Could her parents know what she was doing? She didn't know. It defied all logic that her parents could have any knowledge if she told, but then again, logic never applied with her parents. Not wanting to lose herself in her thoughts once again, Aria once again settled on the task of brushing her hair. Having kept it down the whole day yesterday, it was now a tangled mess. I really need to ask for a strip of cloth or something, she thought, resigning herself to brushing her hair and only that. She hadn't changed yet, not knowing where the dresses from yesterday had gone.
Aria knew that it was morning, though she didn't know how she knew. There were no windows in the room. Still, she just had that feeling. As she brushed, she reviewed her knowledge of Middle-earth because, as she reminded herself, I'm in Middle-earth. Just don't think about the other possibilities. All she knew came from either The Hobbit or The Fellowship of the Ring. Aria had not had a chance to read any more of Tolkien's work. She would try to sort through this web.
Ok, she began, if Legolas is here, that probably means that I'm in Mirkwood. Lorien and Rivendell would both be much more open and airy. The palace of Mirkwood—assuming that I'm in the palace—was, no is, a series of caves. Since Aragorn, I think that was him, seems a lot younger, this must be before the War of the Ring. Part of her couldn't believe she was doing this. Middle-earth was a fantasy world, nothing more! But the part that was determined to keep her sanity and stuck to it stubbornly. Now, what do I know about Middle-earth? She went over all the facts she could remember from The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit. Mirkwood, Mirkwood…she mused. It's dark and murky. That sure's gonna help me tons. Aria didn't know much about it. For some strange reason, the ballad of The Fall of Gil-galad came to mind.
Softly, she began to chant,
"Gil-galad was an Elven-king.
Of him the harpers sadly sing;
the last whose realm was fair and free
between the Mountains and the Sea."
God, that's not gonna help! she thought, mentally groaning. She remembered with fondness how she had memorized what little of the ballad there had been in The Fellowship of the Ring, even making up a tune to go along with it, which had, of course, annoyed Lilly to death. For the next, well, she had no clue how long, she went over everything she could remember about The Lord of the Rings, which wasn't much, considering she had only read two of Tolkien's books. I knew it, she thought vehemently after racking her brain a dozen times over for info, I knew I should've tried to get my hands on those books faster! Suddenly, something else occurred to her, something she had once heard.
//It was a Thursday afternoon, and Aria was just about to leave school. The building was empty, considering it was almost evening. She had stayed behind for debate team and was now hurrying away. She still had to get homework done before going home. As she passed an open door, she heard people conversing inside. Peeking inside, silently, with no one noticing, she saw who they were. The Tolkien fanatics. They met once a week, discussing LOTR things. She would have loved to join that group, but no, she didn't have the time. But as she walked away, slowly, her sharp hearing picked up a strange chant:
"Legolas Greenleaf, long under tree
In joy thou hast lived. Beware of the Sea!
If thou hearest the cry of the gull on the shore,
Thy heart shall then rest in the forest no more."
The conversation had then been reduced to murmurs as she moved farther and farther away, wishing, though it was impossible, that she could be free to do what she wanted.//
Is that all I can remember about him? she asked herself. I don't even have a clue what the hell it is! She scoured her memory again. There was something about a strange Elf clad in brown and green or something like that. That doesn't help much either. Aria sighed. In The Hobbit, Thranduil was king of Mirkwood. Legolas is his son. I guess Thranduil is still the king, since Elves don't die. Well, unless he got killed but I don't remember reading about that anywhere. This sucks. She sighed again. Life was unfair.
Ok, Elrond healed Frodo, and he's the Lord of Rivendell, or Imladris. Aragorn had the whole king thing going, heir of Isildur, Elessar, etc. But all that stuff hasn't happened yet, so it's not helping me! Frustrated with this lack of information about who her hosts were, she attacked her hair furiously, almost done brushing the whole, thick mane. To clear her mind, she began singing the tune she had made up for The Fall of Gil-galad, deciding that she probably wouldn't be attacked here.
"His sword was long, his lance was keen,
his shining helm afar was seen;
the countless stars of heaven's field
were mirrored in his silver shield."
Unknown to her, Legolas was once again heading toward the healing chambers. He had come back after she had fallen asleep to take up guard again, once again soothing her sleep with a song when she fell into the strange awake yet not mode. But, waking before she, Legolas had gone away as to not make Aria nervous when she woke up. Now he was heading back, bearing dresses once more. As he neared the room, however, he was once again greeted by the sound of soft singing.
"But long ago he rode away,
and where he dwelleth none can say;
for into darkness fell his star
in Mordor where the shadows are."
He still did not understand what she was saying, but one word caught his attention. Mordor. The instant Legolas heard that word, his suspicions were aroused. How would a young woman know of Mordor, where the Dark Lord Sauron ruled? Was she a spy, holding up a deception of innocence when in truth, she was the evil? He calmed himself down enough to reason it out. She was singing, so it might have been part of the song.
That was the most reasonable answer, for Legolas knew of a few songs that mentioned Mordor in them. He relaxed a bit. If she was somehow a spy, the conditions in which she was found in would not be answerable. Why would orcs attack one of their own? Unless they purposely made it that way so that she would appear innocent, a little voice in the back of his mind nagged.
Legolas shook his head. I'm becoming more like Ada, he thought, overly suspicious of strangers. But he would not completely dismiss his suspicions; that would be folly. However, he gave them no more thought at the moment and strode silently into the room.
Aria had heard him coming, however silent he had been, though she did not know who it was. The rustling dresses had given him away. Great, she thought, how come every time someone comes, they always catch me sitting in front of the mirror, brushing my hair, and singing? God, they must think I'm so vain and petty now.
But isn't that what you want them to think? another part of her mind voiced. Don't you want them to think you're helpless?
She did. Didn't she? For some strange reason, the idea of these graceful, beautiful Elves looking upon her with disdain and resigning themselves to the fact that she was some simpering idiot with no brains made her flinch. She didn't want to be seen that way.
I don't have to prove anything to them! she thought heatedly, angry at herself.
Ah…that other part of her mind whispered. That's true. But you want them to like you; you want them to be your friends. If the thought had been voiced out loud, the voice would have been laden with sarcasm.
I think too much. She resisted the urge to sigh. Sometimes she was her own worst enemy.
The thinking took place in seconds as she once again showed no sign that she knew he had entered, waiting for him to let her know he was there. And she was soon greeted by a soft, "Quel amrun."
//I wake up in the morning
Put on my face//
She turned around quickly, feigning surprise. But the surprise then turned into delight as a smile spread over her face, a true smile, for she was happy to see Legolas again. "Good morning!" she said cheerfully. Her breath still caught at how gorgeous he was. His silky hair, the part that was not up in braids, spilled in golden tresses over the front of his shoulder as he leaned to set the dresses he had been carrying on the bed. His azure blue eyes met hers, and he returned the smile. Upon seeing the almost childlike smile that had graced her lips and the true delight in her eyes, his suspicion had been reduced greatly. Surely, he thought, she could not be a spy!
//The one that's gonna get me
Through another day//
Aria, however, had caught the suspicion in his blue eyes before the smile (it had made her breathe a little quicker) had dissolved it. She should not have been able to see it: Elves were impeccable masters at maintaining facades of cool detachment and hiding their true emotions. But she had, and it had startled her. What had she done? Her mind raced through everything she had said to him or any of the others. Mordor. Her breath caught. It had been part of The Fall of Gil-galad. He must have caught it. Great, she thought, how am I gonna explain this one?
She could understand his suspicions, but they still hurt.
Foolish, she chided herself. Have you learned nothing from your parents? Don't care about what he thinks. He is nothing. For heaven's sake, you've only met him for a day, you can barely communicate, and now you're let down because he doesn't think of you as his best friend? And so, as always, she pushed her emotions aside, her smile never faltering, never showing a hint of the thoughts racing through her mind.
//Doesn't really matter
What I feel inside
This life is like a game sometimes//
"Good morning?" Legolas repeated, tilting his head to one side.
"Yes," she said. "Um…" She wondered how she could demonstrate this. He obviously knew it was some kind of greeting, but it needed to be more specific than that. Aria spotted some parchment, a quill, and ink on a nearby table. Her eyes lit up, and she walked over to it, picking up the quill and dipping it into the ink. She had never used a quill before, but it was not quite so different from using an ink pen that had to be refilled often. Legolas followed, eyeing what she was doing curiously. Quickly, she drew a rough sketch of a person in a bed and the sun rising, wincing inwardly at her dismal drawing skills, but thoroughly glad that it had been her left arm that she had broken and not her right, which was her writing and drawing arm. Finishing, she pointed to it, saying, "Good morning."
A look of understanding dawned on Legolas's face. The young woman could not draw very well, but Legolas decided to make no comment. Not that she could understand me whether or not I say something, he thought wryly. But from the expression on her face, she knew the extent of her artistic skills as well. "Good morning," he said again. "Quel amrun."
"Quel amrun," she said with no hesitation. Her pronunciation was not perfect but pretty good for a beginner. Aria smiled again, truly happy at learning something else. I'm sitting here, in Middle-earth, learning Elvish from Legolas Greenleaf…who wouldn't die to be in my position? she thought, mentally smirking as she thought of how half the population on Earth would react.
Legolas, deciding it would be better if Aria changed into some more suitable clothes before continuing their lessons, handed her the stack of dresses that he had brought in. She accepted them gratefully, taking them into the closet, which had been emptied of all the other dresses, and putting them there. Going to a section of the rather spacious closet which was completely concealed from the entrance of it, she began changing into a dress made of a soft, dark green velvet, with sleeves that wide sleeves that grew even larger as they neared the ends, creating an almost bellbottom-like effect. It was gorgeous, like the medieval dresses she saw at Renaissance fairs. She changed carefully and slowly because it had sleeves, praying that she wouldn't look too ridiculous in something so fine.
Meanwhile, Legolas was standing next to the doorway of the healing chamber, peering around to the hall outside to see if there was anyone he recognized. The hall was empty. Sighing, he was about to stick his head back in when two slender, dark haired figure came dashing down the hall. Legolas recognized them at once. "Elladan, Elrohir!" he called out.
"Legolas!" Elrohir said as the two Elves ran up to him, "is anyone occupying that room?" Elladan was glancing around the hall to make sure it was still empty
Before Legolas could say anything, they ducked into the room, dragging Legolas with them. Safely in, Elladan, closed the door. That done, both of them let out a sigh and flopped onto the bed. They had obviously been running about for a while, though they were barely breathing harder than normal. Legolas cocked an eyebrow. "Are you two going to tell me why you were running like a horde of orcs was behind you?"
Two pairs of mischievous green eyes looked at him as two identical faces split into wicked grins. Elladan said, "We can only say that we have incurred the wrath of a certain, blonde Elf-lord, though," he took on an innocent expression, "I have no idea why."
Legolas sighed, trying not to smile, "What have you two done to Glorfindel this time?"
Elrohir, his expression one of misinterpreted good will, said, "Us? Legolas? We're wounded. We only know that my Lord Glorfindel has somehow managed to turn his hair a rather astonishing shade of pink!"
At that, Legolas burst out laughing. The twins soon joined in. "Sweet Eru! You did not!"
Elladan, seeing no reason to deny it anymore, smirked and said, "Yes, we did."
Legolas, chuckling, said, "He'll have your heads for this one. How many pranks have you played on him already since you came to Mirkwood?"
Elrohir said nonchalantly, "Only a few."
Legolas, raising an eyebrow incredulously, "Only a few?"
"Only three," Elladan assured. At the disbelieving expression on Legolas's face, he amended, "maybe four, no five…possibly six."
Legolas heaved a sigh, trying not to grin. "You two are setting a very bad example for my sisters. They've started adopting some of your prank methods. As if their former pranks weren't bad enough."
"Us?!" Elrohir exclaimed, his expression indignant.
"Never!" Elladan agreed, though the impish sparkle in his eyes belied his words. "We have only your dear little sisters' best interests at heart."
"Of course, nin mellyn [my friends]," Legolas said, though he didn't believe a word of it.
"You're a fine one to talk, Legolas," Elladan said. "After all, you little sisters have confided in us many times about how their skills were taught to them by their dear elder siblings," he mimicked the small twins, "especially Leggy."
Pretending not to hear the remark, Legolas continued, "How long do you plan on hiding from Glorfindel?"
"Only until his hair becomes normal again," Elrohir said.
"And how long will that be?" Legolas asked, wondering how much trouble the twins were really going to get into.
"Around a week or so," said Elladan.
"A week?! You think you can hide from him for that long? Was Estel part of this prank as well?" Legolas asked in disbelief, glad that he was not in their positions right now.
"No, unfortunately Estel was too busy hunting orcs with you to take part," Elrohir said, wiping fake, unseen tears away. "Such a shame for our little brother."
"Thank the Valar for that," Legolas murmured, none too softly.
Elladan, ignoring the comment, said, "On the topic of hunting orcs, mellon-nîn [my friend], we were hoping that we could go along with Fimbor's orc hunting party. They always stay in the forest for several days at least, don't they?"
Legolas, seeing where this was leading laughed and said, "Nay, I'm afraid you're out of luck, my friends. My father has called all of Mirkwood's orc hunting parties back for the move back to the surface that will take place soon. None will go until we are settled in the summer palace."
"Oh," Elrohir said weakly, obviously not expecting this. But at that point, their conversation was interrupted as they heard a thump, a word in a strange language that sounded like a curse, followed by a young woman in dark green velvet falling out of the dressing chamber and onto the floor.
Aria had been listening to their conversation as she dressed, careful to avoid knocking her broken arm against anything. She had figured out soon that they weren't speaking in Elvish, or at least not whatever she was learning. The whole flow of the speech, the accents and pronunciations, the nuances, were all different. Elladan and Elrohir, she mused, recalling the names that she had heard Legolas call out. Did I ever read about them anywhere? If she had, she couldn't remember now. The name Glorfindel and Estel came up too. Estel, she had no clue about. Glorfindel…wait, she thought, wasn't that the dude who took Aragorn and the hobbits to Rivendell in the books? Some kind of Elf-lord or something, I think.
She finished dressing, listening to the laughter of Legolas and the two strangers. God, she thought, he even laughs melodically. Her curiosity finally getting the better of her, she peeked out of the closet, making sure that none saw her and almost gasped. The two strangers—Elladan and Elrohir, she reminded herself—were Elves too! Ya think? Of course, Legolas, Lord Elrond, and King Thranduil are the only Elves in Mirkwood, an Elven community! But it was still a shock seeing more of these fair creatures. What was even more surprising was the fact that these two were twins! Both with long, dark hair and forest green eyes, they contrasted sharply with Legolas's golden hair and dancing blue eyes. Their complexion was a bit darker, though still fair and the looks on their faces showed that they had just done something very naughty, though amusing. Wonder what they did…she thought. A prank? They seemed vaguely familiar for some strange reason.
These two mischievous-looking Elves made her relax a bit. It was comforting knowledge to know that Elves could have a playful streak in them instead of being perfect and beautiful all the time. As she studied them some more, she suddenly noticed what was tugging at her brain. They look like Elrond! His sons?Did he even have sons? But suddenly, she found herself falling forwards. Without realizing it, she had been leaning further and further out and was now suffering the consequences. Trying to catch herself without using any trained reflexes, she stuck out her arm—which was unfortunately the wrong one, the broken one. She heard the thump as it banged into the wall, immediately sending sparks of pain throughout her arm. "Shit!" the word exploded out of her mouth unintentionally. And so, she went tumbling to the ground in an undignified heap, jarring her arm again, which immediately went numb.
For a moment, nobody did anything as the three Elves stared at her in surprise, and Aria sat on the floor, rubbing her broken arm tenderly as it began to tingle again and glaring at the closet as if it was her worst enemy. She glanced up, and seeing that the Elves were staring at her, quickly jumped to her feet, and wincing as her left arm reminded her not to move so fast. Blushing, she said, "I am so sorry." Rule number one, she thought, mentally groaning, don't make a fool of yourself in front of an esteemed Elf-lord's sons. Then again, maybe that should be rule number three considering as how I already broke one and two. Number one: don't try to jerk an Elf prince's ears off. Number two: don't throw soap at a future king who will eventually have a very large army with very sharp weapons. I wonder; if I wished hard enough, could the ground possibly open and swallow me right now? Unfortunately, wishes didn't come true that easily, and she was left there, rubbing her arm while her eyes stared at the floor as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world and trying not to look as pathetic as she felt.
Fortunately, she was spared the "uncomfortable silence" by a hand on her arm. She looked up into a pair of concerned blue eyes. *Are you well, arwen en amin?* [my lady] Legolas gestured to her arm as he spoke. The question was obvious.
Aria immediately stopped rubbing her arm, though it still hurt. She didn't want to give these people any more trouble. "No, I'm fine, Legolas. Thanks for asking, though." She smiled at him and, as if her mouth had a will of its own, asked, "Who are they?" Aria tilted her head toward the twins, the question clearly stated in her eyes.
Elladan and Elrohir were intrigued by this young woman. There had been rumors circulating about her ever since she had been brought in, exclamations of "they say her hair is silver!" and "that's impossible! No human has silver hair!" But it appeared that the rumors had been true. An abundance of liquidly silver hair spilled in unchecked waves down this young woman's shoulder, framing a small face with clear grey eyes that were incapable of any deception. It seemed also true that she could not speak the Common tongue.
Aside from the rumors, not many ladies perform some ungraceful in front of the prince of Mirkwood and the sons of Lord Elrond without bursting into tears and running out of the room in shame (which became quite bothersome at times for they would then have to console the simpering court ladies and assure them that they thought none the less of them). But, then again, humans had always been different. Though the scene was quite funny, the twins had quite enough experience with Elven maidens by now to know not to laugh.
*Them?* Legolas grinned. *They are the two biggest troublemakers in all of Arda.* The twins glared at him. Aria looked curiously on, having not understood a word but knowing that things would be explained somehow. *Well,* he amended, *perhaps my little sisters are catching up. My lady, my lords Elladan and Elrohir.* He pointed to each of them as he spoke, wondering if she could separate who was who.
She did. As soon as Legolas had introduced them by their different names, her brain had immediately begun to sort out distinctions between the two of them. They looked exactly alike, but there were differences. Elrohir, though his face was solemn now, had a sparkle in his eyes that suggested mischievousness and his posture radiated the fact that he lived his life to the limit and loved doing so. Elladan was slightly taller with a more serious face and air about him, though there was a definite glint in his eyes that suggested that he could be every bit roguish as his twin. But her brain analyzed that within seconds. Almost immediately, Aria sank into a graceful curtsy—those years of taking ballet in middle school to enhance her fighting skills had paid off—and spoke demurely, "My lord Elladan. My lord Elrohir." She had caught the titles before the names when Legolas introduced them. Though she had not known what those titles were, she had gone with 'my lord' figuring that if their father was a lord, then they must be lords too.
Then, hesitantly, she said, "Quel amrun. Im Aria." [Good morning. I'm Aria.] At that, the twins broke into identical grins. Aria glanced at Legolas, still a little unsure about her use of the language, but he nodded approvingly and she beamed with delight.
*Lady Aria,* the twins spoke simultaneously, bowing.
Turning to Legolas, Elladan said, *It seems that you are quite the teacher, Legolas. You would not believe how many rumors are flying around about your student.*
Legolas groaned. *Truly, we must have been down here for too long if even a young woman that was rescued is attracting this much attention.*
*But she isn't just any human, Legolas.* Elrohir took on a gossipy voice, *That girl has silver hair! Silver hair! And you know what else I heard? She doesn't speak Westron or any language that we know. Even Lord Elrond and King Thranduil couldn't figure out what she was saying!*
Legolas looked startled. *How did that get out?*
*What do you think servants do in there spare time, my friend?* Elladan asked with a very un-Elf-like snort. *But half of the nobles of your father's court are gossiping like commoners, along with half of the entourage from Rivendell. Half of the ladies who are seeking the hand of the youngest prince of Mirkwood are seething with jealousy and rage, as well that a young human woman could steal the attentions of their beloved prince.*
A Elbereth! Legolas thought. This is just what I need. He heaved a deep sigh, which caused the twins to grin. It was well-known that the youngest heir of Thranduil was sought after by many Elven maidens, perhaps even more than his two elder brothers.
Aria listened in interest to their conversation, still marveling at the smoothness of the language, deciding to stay quiet, though they wouldn't understand her even if she did speak. Her right hand went rubbed unconsciously at her left arm, massaging it to make the pain go away. I guess I jarred it more than I thought, she mused, suppressing a wince as sharp twinges flared up the length of her arm.
*A suggestion, mellon-nîn [my friend],* Elrohir said, managing to smirk and look sympathetic at the same time. *Go to the feast your father is tonight. If you don't show up more often, I fear my dear Lady Celóndra will track you to this room and break down the door.* At that, Legolas groaned and buried his head in his arms. Aria looked concerned for a moment, until the twins burst out laughing.
Legolas, raising his head, glared at them. *Careful, my friends. A certain Lord Glorfindel is still searching—"
He was cut off by a voice shouting angrily and heading towards them, "ELLADAN! ELROHIR! WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU TWO…" A door was opened and then slammed shut. Panicked looks fell across the twins' faces, but before they could move, the door banged open.
Aria stared. Striding in came an Elf. He looked pretty much as a normal Elf should look, slender physique, piercing gray eyes, and fine facial features. The only thing about him was that his long, flowing hair was a bright, hot pink. The sight of a fuming, over six foot tall Elf with hot pink hair was just too much. A giggle escaped her. They turned to look at her. Another giggle. Then another. The Elf with pink hair looked surprised, then embarrassed. Elladan and Elrohir looked as if they would rather be anywhere but here. Legolas was obviously not to laugh and was quite successful at it. Giggle, giggle. Horrified, Aria clamped a hand over her mouth. Luckily, he turned his attention to the two dark-haired twins.
"Uh…Gl-Glorfindel!" Elladan said nervously. "What a pleasant surprise!"
Glorfindel??? Aria thought. She tried not to bury her face in her arms and groan. Rule number four: don't laugh at important Elf-lords—even if they do have hot pink hair. The thought almost made her burst out laughing again. From how he was glaring at the twins, it was plain that they were the guilty. Control yourself, girl!
"We would love to stay and chat," Elrohir added, both of them inching towards the door, "but we have to run some errands for Ada."
The pink-haired Elf slammed the door shut. Elladan and Elrohir froze in place, their expressions like those of cornered rabbits looking at a hunter. Aria doubled up in silent laughter as Legolas tried not to do the same, though his lips twitched quite often and his eyes danced in silent amusement.
"How are you two this morning, Elladan and Elrohir?" Glorfindel's voice was normal and calm. The calm before a storm.
The twins glanced at each other nervously. They rarely saw Glorfindel this angry. But before either of them could speak, Glorfindel interrupted, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA—" But at that point in the beginning of a tirade which would have undoubtedly lasted quite a while, he was interrupted as the door banged open yet again.
Two small, golden-haired figures dashed in, hurling themselves at Legolas with hugs. "Leggy! Where have you been?" one said in a loud, demanding tone. "We haven't seen you—"
"—in ages and ages!" the other finished. And before Legolas could utter a word from his position on the floor where the two little figures had knocked him down and were currently sitting on him, the person continued, turning wide blue eyes to Glorfindel, "Glorfy, why is your hair pink?"
"I bet," the first golden-haired bundle said, a grin almost splitting her face in two, "'Ro 'n 'Dan did it," oblivious to the frantic, silent "No's!."
"Change it back, Glorfy!" the second speaker resumed, a solemn look dawning on her face. "I don't want to be mean, but you don't look pretty with pink hair."
"Elli! Cerri! Apologize to Lord Glorfindel at once! Do not shame our family with your disrespect!" Legolas commanded sternly, or it would have been sharp if he had not been trying hard not to laugh while he spoke.
Two identical faces pouted, turning towards Legolas, protesting, "It's true!" in one voice. Aria laughed at the expressions on their faces. Two pairs of sky blue eyes turned towards her. Golden curls framed tiny, angelic faces. They were dressed in fine, silken dresses, as blue as their eyes. "Leggy, her hair is pretty. It's silver and shiny and shimmery and pretty. Who's she?" one asked in a loud whisper to Legolas. He turned his head towards her as well. The resemblance struck her immediately; they were obviously his little sisters.
*Elli, Cerri,* Legolas began, switching to Sindarin, *this is Lady Aria.*
Systematically, the twins jumped up and curtsied synchronously, with a, *Lady Aria.*
*Lady Aria,* Legolas continued, standing up, *my little sisters Elaviel and Cerricwyn.*
With a light laugh, she crouched down to their eye level. "Hello, Elli and Cerri. I think we are going to be very good friends." She smiled at them, a gentle, sisterly smile. They reminded her of Johnny, the innocence and childishness obvious in their eyes and posture. Legolas was startled, not many adults bothered with the twins unless they pestered them. They were usually greeted and then ignored.
The twins, though they had not understood anything Aria had said, broke into large grins upon hearing their nicknames, Elli and Cerri, and with a look at each other, agreed that Lady Aria was very nice through that unspoken connection that they had. Cerri tugged at Legolas's sleeve, asking, *Leggy, what did the nice lady say?*
*I do not know, Cerri,* he replied. *The nice lady does not speak Sindarin or Quenya.*
*What about the one that everyone speaks?* Elli asked, frowning slightly.
*She does not speak that either, Elli. Be good to the nice lady, Elli, Cerri, or she will not pay attention to you anymore.* Legolas warned, remembering how many times various Elven lords and ladies had complained to him and his family about how the twins were always pestering them.
*We'll be good,* they both said earnestly. "We promise.* They remind me a little too much of Elladan and Elrohir when they speak like that, Legolas thought.
*Glorfy!* Elli called, distracting him from what the Elf had been doing for the past few minutes—glaring daggers at Elladan and Elrohir who seemed to be looking for a way out of the room before Glorfindel could unleash his wrath upon them. *Uncle wants to talk to you.* The twins had always referred to Lord Elrond as Uncle, and Lord Elrond had always treated them like his little nieces.
Glorfindel looked very reluctant to leave, his footsteps dragging as he walked toward the door, shooting death glares at Elladan and Elrohir up to the point where he couldn't see them anymore. The moment Glorfindel was gone from sight, the Rivendell twins let out two huge sighs of relief.
*'Ro, 'Dan, you two better get moving.* Cerri said.
*Whatever for, Little Cerri?* Elrohir asked. He grinned, saying, "We are safe for at least an hour.*
Ellli shot him a look that said you're-so-stupid, *You don't really think Uncle had to see Glorfy, do you?*
The twins froze once again. *You mean—?* Elladan asked, the question obvious.
*You didn't!* Legolas breathed.
Cerri smirked, a strange expression on such an angelic face, though one Aria suspected was found on that face quite often. *We know all about your prank, 'Dan.* Her voice became serious, one professional prankster talking to another. *You were sloppy this time, and since you have taught us many new methods*—Legolas groaned at that—*we decided to help you clean up a bit.*
*So we suggest,* Elli took up, also smirking, *that you get away quickly before Glorfy comes back and finds out that it was a trick.*
*Ah…* Elladan said, making his way toward the door. *We will be leaving now, Legolas. Remember what we said about the feast tonight.* He bowed once more to Aria. *My lady.* And with that, he was through the door.
Elrohir stood for a moment and stared at the Mirkwood twins, who looked up at him ingenuously, any signs of a smirk gone. Then he shook his head, bowed to Aria, and disappeared silently into the corridor along with his twin.
Elli and Cerri burst into giggles afterwards as Legolas shot a half-despairing, half-affectionate look towards them. *We have to go too, Leggy,* Elli said in a somber voice.
Cerri made a face. *Once Ada finds out, he's going to be mad, so we have to hide too.* They both kissed him on the cheek and dashed away. *Bye, Leggy!* they called out as they left.
Cerri reappeared one last time, sticking her head through the doorway. *We know you won't tell on us.* she said before a *Come on, Cerri!* led her down the hallway again.
Yet again, they reappeared. Rushing into the room, they both gave Aria a hug. With a laugh of delight, she hugged the small bodies back. Then they were gone with one last, *Bye, Ari!*
For a second, time seemed to freeze for Aria. Ari Ari Ari Ari Ari Why did you leave me, Ari? Why did you leave me, Ari? Ari? Ari?Ari?Ari? With an effort, she resumed an easygoing manner. Legolas looked at the doorway and heaved a sigh, a half-smile playing around his lips before turning back to her. By that time, she was in control of her emotions again.
Legolas looked concerned and, pointing to her arm, asked, *Are you well, my lady?*
Aria realized that without meaning to, she had begun rubbing her arm again. Immediately, she stopped, saying, "I'm fine." God, I think I shook it up a little too much when I bumped into that wall, she thought as her arm sent up rapid twinges of pain, telling her that she was not fine. But, she stubbornly ignored it all.
They spent the rest of the morning once again learning each other's languages, covering the objects in the rooms that they had not gotten to the day before. At noon, a servant brought them lunch, full of various foods that Aria had never seen before in her life. As they sat down to eat, Lord Elrond paid them a visit.
*Lord Elrond,* Legolas greeted, standing up. Aria did the same, not wanting to appear rude.
*Young prince,* Elrond acknowledged, looking a bit distracted. *Have you seen my sons?* He sighed. *It seems that Elladan and Elrohir have played another prank on Lord Glorfindel.* His lips twitched as he was about to smile. *He is quite angry at the two of them.*
*Elladan and Elrohir, my lord?* Legolas asked, his expression thoughtful. *I have not seen them today.* Aria suppressed a grin. From the names Elladan and Elrohir, she could guess what was being discussed.
Lord Elrond gave Legolas a piercing look to which Legolas did not respond. Finally, he sighed. *Perhaps you have, young prince.* He raised a hand to stop any protests as Legolas opened his mouth. *But I will not force you to betray your friends.* Suddenly, his voice cracked out to Aria's direction, as sharp as a whip, *What are you doing, young lady?*
Startled at the stern tone of Lord Elrond's voice, Aria dropped her right arm. She had been rubbing her broken arm again. With a sigh, he gestured for her to let him see her arm. Aria immediately began saying, "No, I'm fine. My arm doesn't hurt." You're lying through your teeth… But a wince gave her away as she accidentally moved her left arm. Reluctantly, she rolled up her sleeve and submitted herself to his ministrations. Her arm had been broken in two places, at her forearm and upper arm. She had not even noticed the break in her forearm before for all her concentration on other things. It was only a gentle break, though. The break of her forearm had been much worse. Lord Elrond soon pronounced to her (though she couldn't understand) and Legolas that she had shaken the bone from how it was set, and that he would have to reset it.
Lord Elrond reset the bone in Aria's forearm, with her gritting her teeth against the pain. She probably could've gone through the process without so much as a wince, but she didn't want them to get suspicious. He also rebandaged both breaks, telling Legolas, "Your young student is almost as bad as you and Estel when it comes to injuries, young prince. A set bone being shaken out of place is quite painful, as I'm sure you and Estel already know."
"Surely we are not as stubborn as you say!" Legolas protested.
Lord Elrond sighed exasperatedly. "I think I remember that one time where some of my healers left because you two would not stay in bed. And the time you and Estel came back from that hunting trip with numerous broken ribs and severe loss of blood, proclaiming that you were "just fine." And then—"
Legolas raised his hands in defeat. "Point taken, my lord."
Lord Elrond finished bandaging Aria's arm. He gave her a stern look accompanied with a command not to make the break worse. She understood what he was saying as clearly as if he had been speaking in English. With that, he left, saying, "I must find Elladan and Elrohir." He smiled wryly, "unless Glorfindel has already found them."
With a laugh, Legolas sat down at the table that contained their lunch, gesturing for her to do the same. *If Elladan and Elrohir are lucky, Glorfindel won't find them. If they are not…* he broke off there, laughing once again.
Aria laughed along with him, the names immediately hinting at what he was talking about. They had come to an unspoken agreement the day before to converse with each other as if there was no language barrier between them. It made everything seem a lot more real and the atmosphere more friendly.
Legolas continued, *Elli and Cerri will get into trouble as well when Ada finds them. Still, they will find a way out of punishment. They always do. My father, King Thranduil has always been lenient with them.* He proceeded to describe his family. *I have two older brothers. Calith—he's my eldest brother—will be heir to my father's throne. He is, fortunately, the most diplomatic of us three and is currently in Lothlórien, along with my sister, Norith, who is the oldest of us six. Tándir,* he frowned a little, *he is behaving strangely these days, always picking fights with me.* Legolas sighed, remembering the situation. *I do not know what is wrong. We used to be the best of friends, and close brothers. Now…all we do is fight.* He lapsed into silence.
Aria was gazing at him, though he didn't seem to notice, too busy frowning at his food. *You're way too hot for your own good, do you know that?* Aria asked him. He looked up. "I mean you seem to be perfect in every way. Girls would kill to get your hair and that skin. You're kind and polite—God, I can't believe I'm saying all this. I sound like one of your fangirls.* Legolas looked at her curiously. For once, she was deeply glad that he didn't know what she was saying. He continued peering at her, and she hesitated.
Should I tell him about my parents? she wondered. Well, he won't understand you anyway, the other part of her mind said wryly. He wouldn't. But she had been keeping this secret for so long. Could she truly let it go so easily? Why am I hesitating? I should be relieved to finally tell someone. She didn't know whether she could trust him or not. Hello, he won't understand you…That was true, but this secret had been her life, had been her brother's life. Tell him. For Johnny's sake.
"Legolas…" she began slowly, her right hand clenching in her lap. He continued looking at her, waiting for her continue. He noticed that her expression had suddenly become tense. She suddenly looked at him, and for a moment, he was taken aback by the intensity in her eyes. "I want you to know the truth about my life. Being taken to this place feels like a fresh start for me, a place where I can be myself and not have to worry about enemies and parents every minute. I don't want you to be like my friends, who don't know the truth about me. They see only what I want them to see." She smiled bitterly—how good she had become at this deception! "I don't want you to be like that. I want you to be my friend—my true friend."
Legolas could tell that she was telling him something very serious. With every word, her eyes seemed to become more solemn, more tense, yet relieved in a strange way. To say that he had been startled at the smile so full of bitterness and self-loathing was an understatement. What could have happened in the life of this innocent young woman for such emotions to surface? He remembered the bruises she had been with when she first came. Something to do with that?
Aria spoke again after a long moment of silence, looking down at her hands. "My parents…they're abusive. I don't know how it happened. They used to be kind and caring." She smiled sadly at the memory. "But they changed one day. They became abusive, telling me that if I went to the police or told anyone, they would harm my little brother, Johnny. Using a child for blackmail…" She didn't mention her weapons training. Aria stared into Legolas's eyes for a long moment before smiling. "You're the first person I've ever told that, even though you can't understand me. When we can understand each other, I'll explain everything more clearly." When you find out that I can use weapons…she added silently.
Legolas's expression was thoughtful, truly wondering about this strange young woman. The rest of the meal was finished in silence.
But Aria was relieved that she had finally told someone. I'm going to trust you, Legolas Greenleaf…well, not completely yet. But I promise that when I can communicate, I will tell you everything, even about my weapons training. So I'm giving you my trust. Please don't shatter it like my parents did. Please don't shatter my trust.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok, you guys. I would've continued writing about the feast and all but that was seventeen pages already. Yup, seventeen full pages. I haven't put up the notes at the beginning that I'm going to leave yet, so it's 17 pages of the story. That's my way of saying I'm so sorry I didn't update.
Anyways, I figured out that fiddles and violins are the same thing! (asked a professional violin person) They have fiddles in Middle-earth, don't they? And what kind of hairstyles would they have in Middle-earth? Also, can someone help me come up with some girls names? I wanna change Aria's best friend's name. Cuz Lilly is my real name. Now before you start thinking self-insert, like I said, this was a spur of the moment fic, and I was out of name ideas and I just never got around to changing it till now. So please give me some suggestions…seeing my real name in a fic makes me nervous. What do you think of some of the following:
Alethea
Lena
Aleia
Kira
Celena
Kiara
Rhea
Any other suggestions??? Please tell me what you think! and I figured out how I'm gonna let her show her skills, though it'll be a while before she does. Spent a really long time on the phone with my friend to figure it out. Thanx, E! (E, you know I'm talkin' to you! Didn't know what to call you cuz I don't know if you wanted your name on the internet ^_^ )
Well, I'm going to MA for the next four weeks so I don't know if I'm gonna be able to update…I'll try to though! Bye! Luv you all!
~Angel of Death~