CHAPTER 9 - But Adar, I Don't Like Meat
Nuryávië shook his head, confused.
"But Oroweth, I still do not quite understand why you stopped the healer finding Adar. He ought to know about the arrow,"
They had gathered around Legolas' bed, Thellind still unconscious in the bed opposite. Nuryávië glanced quickly at him and bit his lip, but turned back to Oroweth.
"He and Naneth have enough to worry about already. There is no need to add more to their stress. It would be best to keep the threats among ourselves," Oroweth did not sound sure, and his voice was shaking slightly, still in shock. He wrapped his arms around Calensil, as she looked up at him with big, baby like eyes.
The door opened and an elven maid poked her head around the door, fixing her gaze on the small gathering.
"The king has returned, my lords . . . and lady. He wishes you to attend dinner," she bobbed a curtsey and stood in the door, waiting for them.
"Are you ready to come down yet Legolas?" asked Nilwethion
Legolas nodded and glared at him, as if annoyed at even the question being asked. Of course he was fine! A little orc bite never hurt anyone . . .well it did, if it was deep enough, but that was not the point. The point was if he had to stay in bed for much longer he would die of boredom. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and quickly dressed, then trailed off down to the private dinner table.
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The evening meal was quiet and subdued. Each time the queen attempted to make polite conversation, she felt uncomfortable about the lack of voices around her, and gave up trying to speak. The princes and the twins did not want to speak because they were worrying about Thellind and the death threats. Calensil was silent because she, like her mother, did not want to disturb the tense feeling. The Imladris lord and lady did not need to speak to each other to communicate and the king was going over the day's events in his mind. At last he looked up.
"Nuryávië?"
"Yes Adar?"
The king frowned.
"Are you not hungry?"
Nuryávië shifted as he felt the frown of the king and the smirks of his brothers and sister and the blank stares from the Imladris twins.
"I am quite hungry Adar," he tore a piece of crust from the bread on his plate and stuffed it in to his mouth, just to show willing.
"Then why have you eaten no meat?" the king raised his goblet of wine to his lips
"I am vegetarian Adar,"
The king choked and spluttered in shock, and the queen's fork stopped half way to her mouth, her mouth hanging open in dumb shock.
"I . . . I am not sure I quite understood you. I think I must have heard you incorrectly. Did you just say . . . vegetarian?"
"Yes Adar," the prince looked at Nilwethion who was sitting opposite him. Nilwethion winked and grinned as their father turned purple, his eyes bulging. The queen put her hand on her husbands arm, attempting to cool him down, even though she was also in shock.
"Nuryávië dear, perhaps you could tell us why you are . . ."
"Vegetarian?" the prince ventured
Imlammthien nodded and raised a handkerchief to her mouth, hiding her expression.
"I believe it is immoral to eat dead animals. They give up their whole lives, taken by force, and we eat them. By the next day they are forgotten, replaced with another unfortunate creature. Can you imagine how many lives we take each year? Each week? Just because we enjoy the taste of their flesh?" All the time he had kept his eyes fixed firmly on his younger brother, but now he turned his eyes to the king. The shade of purple had deepened, and Thranduil looked as though he was about to burst a blood vessel. The queen on the other hand was looking thoughtful, and lowered the handkerchief. She pushed away the plate of meat in front of her.
"I have suddenly lost my appetite for meat," she muttered. A small, helpless sound left the kings lips.
"You mean . . .you are telling me . . .you have joined your son in this . . .this . . .madness?"
The queen nodded and wrinkled her nose. Nilwethion raised his eyebrow.
"That was unexpected," he whispered to Legolas, who was sitting next to him. Legolas, who was still unaware of all the dares, whispered back; "Is he being serious?"
Nilwethion shook his head.
"It was one of the dares," he muttered, "But this was not supposed to happen."
They looked at Nuryávië and smirked at him. In return the older elf glared back. Calensil giggled.
"If Nana thinks eating meat is wrong, then I refuse to touch it," she declared. It was now her turn to be stared at.
"Calensil . . ." began Oroweth
"No," she sniffed, "Do not tell me to do anything. If you make me eat it I will hate you for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever," she pushed her plate as far away from her place as she could, which was not very far at all as her arms were so short. Oroweth shut his mouth and shrugged.
"Adar?" asked Legolas gently. There was no reply.
"Adar?"
He looked down the table at the king and almost sniggered. It seemed as if he had frozen.
"Adar!"
At last, a small, helpless sound, as you would expect to hear from a frightened child, radiated from the king. Legolas and Nilwethion sniggered.
"Adar, may we be excused please? We wish to check on Thellind,"
The small, frightened sound coming from the king was not clear.
"Naneth, was that a yes or a no from Adar?" asked Calensil brightly, loving the attention.
"I think it was a yes," smiled the queen, "Off you go,"
Within a few moments, the king and queen of Mirkwood were left alone with the lord and lady of Imladris. For want of something to say, Queen Imlammthien turned to her friend.
"So, Celebrian my dear, how do you like Mirkwood so far?"
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"Nuryávië! You sounded as if you believed what you were saying!"
Nuryávië found himself being applauded and bowed.
"I had been thinking about what to say when Ada asked me about it. Did you see his face?"
"How could we miss it?" burst Legolas, laughing loudly, clutching at his sides, "It was as bright as a beacon!"
They fell about in hysterics, and at last Legolas stopped laughing enough to turn to Calensil and ask; "Did you mean what you said about joining Nana and Nuryávië?"
She nodded, unable to speak through her mirth.
"I was half expecting our Naneth to push away her plate as well," admitted Elrohir, sitting on a table with his feet dangling over the side. His twin was lounging next to him.
"I wish Arwen was here to see this!" grinned Elladan, "The way you play Dares is hilarious!"
"Whilst we're on the subject of Dares," began Nilwethion, sitting up, becoming serious once more, "Has the sun gone don yet? I have to go and get the piece of spider web,"
Instantly, the others because serious as well.
"Little brother, Thellind took the dare back when we were walking back through the forest," said Oroweth. Nilwethion shrugged.
"He did not tell me, so it still stands. You know the rules of the game as well as any of us,"
"See sense Nilwethion!" cried Elladan, "Do you want yourself to be killed?"
Again, the young prince shrugged as if he did not care.
"Not really, but a dare is a dare. I am not going to let you beat us,"
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PERSONAL REVIEW THINGY
IMBEFANIEL ~~ glad you found it funny. I'll have to go and check out that chapter of yours.
GREENLEAFGRL ~~ I'm not quite sure about the answer to that question. I haven't really given it much though. I think something is going to happen later, but not much more than a side-romance in this fic. They might get married, they might not.
DOT ~~ I was never really away. Legolas is a slow learner in that respect. Thellind will recover in time; I'm going to wake him up in the next chapter, just after Nilwethion goes off looking for a spider web. Oops, I just said too much. LEXIE ~~ glad you like the story.
FIREANGEL ~~ don't worry; I'm not going to kill any of the princes, or the twins. As I said to DOT, Thellind is going to be fine.
O.B.I.M. ~~ wow, that was a short review!
A/N: **gives out choc 'n' cherry cookies to all beloved reviewers**
Nuryávië shook his head, confused.
"But Oroweth, I still do not quite understand why you stopped the healer finding Adar. He ought to know about the arrow,"
They had gathered around Legolas' bed, Thellind still unconscious in the bed opposite. Nuryávië glanced quickly at him and bit his lip, but turned back to Oroweth.
"He and Naneth have enough to worry about already. There is no need to add more to their stress. It would be best to keep the threats among ourselves," Oroweth did not sound sure, and his voice was shaking slightly, still in shock. He wrapped his arms around Calensil, as she looked up at him with big, baby like eyes.
The door opened and an elven maid poked her head around the door, fixing her gaze on the small gathering.
"The king has returned, my lords . . . and lady. He wishes you to attend dinner," she bobbed a curtsey and stood in the door, waiting for them.
"Are you ready to come down yet Legolas?" asked Nilwethion
Legolas nodded and glared at him, as if annoyed at even the question being asked. Of course he was fine! A little orc bite never hurt anyone . . .well it did, if it was deep enough, but that was not the point. The point was if he had to stay in bed for much longer he would die of boredom. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and quickly dressed, then trailed off down to the private dinner table.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The evening meal was quiet and subdued. Each time the queen attempted to make polite conversation, she felt uncomfortable about the lack of voices around her, and gave up trying to speak. The princes and the twins did not want to speak because they were worrying about Thellind and the death threats. Calensil was silent because she, like her mother, did not want to disturb the tense feeling. The Imladris lord and lady did not need to speak to each other to communicate and the king was going over the day's events in his mind. At last he looked up.
"Nuryávië?"
"Yes Adar?"
The king frowned.
"Are you not hungry?"
Nuryávië shifted as he felt the frown of the king and the smirks of his brothers and sister and the blank stares from the Imladris twins.
"I am quite hungry Adar," he tore a piece of crust from the bread on his plate and stuffed it in to his mouth, just to show willing.
"Then why have you eaten no meat?" the king raised his goblet of wine to his lips
"I am vegetarian Adar,"
The king choked and spluttered in shock, and the queen's fork stopped half way to her mouth, her mouth hanging open in dumb shock.
"I . . . I am not sure I quite understood you. I think I must have heard you incorrectly. Did you just say . . . vegetarian?"
"Yes Adar," the prince looked at Nilwethion who was sitting opposite him. Nilwethion winked and grinned as their father turned purple, his eyes bulging. The queen put her hand on her husbands arm, attempting to cool him down, even though she was also in shock.
"Nuryávië dear, perhaps you could tell us why you are . . ."
"Vegetarian?" the prince ventured
Imlammthien nodded and raised a handkerchief to her mouth, hiding her expression.
"I believe it is immoral to eat dead animals. They give up their whole lives, taken by force, and we eat them. By the next day they are forgotten, replaced with another unfortunate creature. Can you imagine how many lives we take each year? Each week? Just because we enjoy the taste of their flesh?" All the time he had kept his eyes fixed firmly on his younger brother, but now he turned his eyes to the king. The shade of purple had deepened, and Thranduil looked as though he was about to burst a blood vessel. The queen on the other hand was looking thoughtful, and lowered the handkerchief. She pushed away the plate of meat in front of her.
"I have suddenly lost my appetite for meat," she muttered. A small, helpless sound left the kings lips.
"You mean . . .you are telling me . . .you have joined your son in this . . .this . . .madness?"
The queen nodded and wrinkled her nose. Nilwethion raised his eyebrow.
"That was unexpected," he whispered to Legolas, who was sitting next to him. Legolas, who was still unaware of all the dares, whispered back; "Is he being serious?"
Nilwethion shook his head.
"It was one of the dares," he muttered, "But this was not supposed to happen."
They looked at Nuryávië and smirked at him. In return the older elf glared back. Calensil giggled.
"If Nana thinks eating meat is wrong, then I refuse to touch it," she declared. It was now her turn to be stared at.
"Calensil . . ." began Oroweth
"No," she sniffed, "Do not tell me to do anything. If you make me eat it I will hate you for ever and ever and ever and ever and ever," she pushed her plate as far away from her place as she could, which was not very far at all as her arms were so short. Oroweth shut his mouth and shrugged.
"Adar?" asked Legolas gently. There was no reply.
"Adar?"
He looked down the table at the king and almost sniggered. It seemed as if he had frozen.
"Adar!"
At last, a small, helpless sound, as you would expect to hear from a frightened child, radiated from the king. Legolas and Nilwethion sniggered.
"Adar, may we be excused please? We wish to check on Thellind,"
The small, frightened sound coming from the king was not clear.
"Naneth, was that a yes or a no from Adar?" asked Calensil brightly, loving the attention.
"I think it was a yes," smiled the queen, "Off you go,"
Within a few moments, the king and queen of Mirkwood were left alone with the lord and lady of Imladris. For want of something to say, Queen Imlammthien turned to her friend.
"So, Celebrian my dear, how do you like Mirkwood so far?"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Nuryávië! You sounded as if you believed what you were saying!"
Nuryávië found himself being applauded and bowed.
"I had been thinking about what to say when Ada asked me about it. Did you see his face?"
"How could we miss it?" burst Legolas, laughing loudly, clutching at his sides, "It was as bright as a beacon!"
They fell about in hysterics, and at last Legolas stopped laughing enough to turn to Calensil and ask; "Did you mean what you said about joining Nana and Nuryávië?"
She nodded, unable to speak through her mirth.
"I was half expecting our Naneth to push away her plate as well," admitted Elrohir, sitting on a table with his feet dangling over the side. His twin was lounging next to him.
"I wish Arwen was here to see this!" grinned Elladan, "The way you play Dares is hilarious!"
"Whilst we're on the subject of Dares," began Nilwethion, sitting up, becoming serious once more, "Has the sun gone don yet? I have to go and get the piece of spider web,"
Instantly, the others because serious as well.
"Little brother, Thellind took the dare back when we were walking back through the forest," said Oroweth. Nilwethion shrugged.
"He did not tell me, so it still stands. You know the rules of the game as well as any of us,"
"See sense Nilwethion!" cried Elladan, "Do you want yourself to be killed?"
Again, the young prince shrugged as if he did not care.
"Not really, but a dare is a dare. I am not going to let you beat us,"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
PERSONAL REVIEW THINGY
IMBEFANIEL ~~ glad you found it funny. I'll have to go and check out that chapter of yours.
GREENLEAFGRL ~~ I'm not quite sure about the answer to that question. I haven't really given it much though. I think something is going to happen later, but not much more than a side-romance in this fic. They might get married, they might not.
DOT ~~ I was never really away. Legolas is a slow learner in that respect. Thellind will recover in time; I'm going to wake him up in the next chapter, just after Nilwethion goes off looking for a spider web. Oops, I just said too much. LEXIE ~~ glad you like the story.
FIREANGEL ~~ don't worry; I'm not going to kill any of the princes, or the twins. As I said to DOT, Thellind is going to be fine.
O.B.I.M. ~~ wow, that was a short review!
A/N: **gives out choc 'n' cherry cookies to all beloved reviewers**