Chapter Two
Nileth fled deeper and deeper into the forest. Behind her, she could hear the male elf dismount to follow her on foot. This would be too easy.
She ran into the clearing, straight to her cousin. "Haldir... an... elf... was... chasing ...me..." She gasped.
Haldir turned to her laughing. "Haven't you tormented poor Kandas enough?"
She took a deep breath. "Haldir, I've never seen this elf before."
Haldir's wide smile vanished in a heartbeat. "Where is he?"
"Barging through the forest. He should be here in about thirty seconds, cousin."
Haldir shook his head. "You aren't one to give much warning, are you, Nileth?" He pulled out one fine arrow and notched it calmly. "Which two trees?"
Nileth pointed to the trees she had emerged from, and as if by magic, a young blonde elf appeared.
Haldir fired, pinning the young elf's quiver to the tree. Then he got a good look at his cousin's pursuer. "Callórë!!!" He gasped and whirled on Nileth. "You made me fire on a prince of Mirkwood?!?!"
Nileth shrugged. "Well, he shouldn't have been chasing me, the crazy fool, riding his horse at breakneck speed through the woods-"
While she was speaking, Haldir motioned them to let Callórë down.
"Haldir, is that you?" Callórë questioned. "It IS you!!! Oh, nin mellon, how I have missed you!"
"And I you, Callórë, but I must ask you why you were chasing a 'helpless' elven maid through the woods."
"Why just that. She was a helpless elven maid."
Haldir chuckled. "Don't kill him, cousin. He doesn't know you like the rest of us do." He turned back to Callórë. "The helpless maid is my cousin, Nileth. And a quick warning, she is NOT helpless."
Callórë paused to look at the delicate creature over Haldir's shoulder. "I beg your pardon if I startled you, Miss." *There is no WAY that girl can defend herself.*
Haldir caught the look and smiled. "My cousin is a fair aim with a bow, has swift knives, and is a skilled healer. She can bring you great pain if you do not respect her." He leaned forward and whispered. "Don't push her, Cal."
Callórë smiled at Nileth. "If you have a fair aim with a bow and have swift knives, why run back here?"
Nileth looked at Callórë coldly. Then she tossed her golden hair back, as if contemplating her answer. "I wasn't carrying my bow and knives. All I could think of was Haldir." She smirked at the elf. "Besides, you wouldn't be alive if I had had them. You would be dead." She glanced at her cousin. "I am going to see to the wounded now. Unless you have other torture to inflict on me."
Haldir smiled as if amused. "Not right now, cousin, not right now." He watched her walk away. Then he turned back to Callórë. "So what do you think of her?"
Callórë shook his head. "Beautiful." He sniffed. "Just so touching the way you deal with your cousin." He grinned. "Actually, she is a lovely maid. I doubt every word you said about her being able to defend herself-"
Out of nowhere, an arrow flew and pierced Callórë's leather waterbag.
Haldir grinned. "She also got extremely sharp hearing even for an elf."
Callórë rolled his eyes. "Now he tells me."
`~`~`*`~`~`
And in Lasgalen...
Lorintal waited impatiently outside the throne room. She had been woken up at the crack of dawn, groomed (much to her distaste, the elf girls raked her scalp and yanked her hair), and pushed out to the throne room. Here she had waited. FOR THREE HOURS.
Finally, she was summoned in.
"Lorintal." Thranduil boomed. "Lorintal, you will join Legolas and his band. Lelodra needs herbs found on the edges of our forest. For some strange reason, she chose the two of you. You leave in an hour. Dismissed."
Lorintal returned to her quarters grumbling. "Now we are behaving as if I am in the Last Alliance army, are we?" She snorts. "Had you told me I was leaving three hours ago, I could be ready by now. Oh, yes, had I received the preparation time I require as a female elf, I could move faster. But no..."
`~`~`*`~`~`
An hour later, Lorintal was waiting on Legolas. She checked her mount's gear for the fifth time. Where was he? Check the frog of the hoof. Where was he? Check the saddlebags. Where was he?
Finally Legolas made his appearance with an unhappy Thranduil.
"Go and be safe, my son. And if you see your brother, send him home immediately."
Legolas nodded and turned his horse toward the gate.
"Until I return, Father!"
`~`~`*`~`~`
To Rivendell!
Umbothel entered Elrond's office.
"Elrond? I'm prepared to depart as you requested."
Elrond glanced up from his work. "Good. I would like you to take Aragorn along."
Umbothel gaped.
Elrond smiled. "Your cousin would like to join you. Is that so hard to believe?"
Umbothel shook her head and smiled. "I would be delighted if Estel would join me. Just so long as he is ready to leave in an hour."
Elrond laughed. "He's been ready since he got back. I need you to deliver a prisoner he and the Rangers caught to the dungeons of the Dale in addition to your original purpose. After you finish, if you like, you may join Aragorn in visiting the Rangers, but-"
A knocking on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Enter."
Aragorn stepped inside. "Ada, I- Umbothel!"
Umbothel smirked. "Hello Estel, and how are you this morning? Better than I am, I hope. After all, I just found out my cousin is coming with me to Lasgalen."
Aragorn sniffed. "And here I thought my family loved me."
Umbothel grinned. "There's your problem- you thought!"
Aragorn laughed. "No that's Ellladan's problem!"
Elrond glared sternly at Aragorn. "Do not make fun of your brother while he's not here!"
Aragorn and Umbothel both looked downcast.
`~`~`*`~`~`
Elrohir and Elladan watched as Umbothel and Aragorn rode out to meet the Rangers.
"Do you think either of them will notice?"
"Honestly, I can't tell which one is denser."
What are the twins talking about? Is a romance stirring between Lorintal and Legolas? Or just a sibling rivalry? What about Nileth and Callórë?
Nileth fled deeper and deeper into the forest. Behind her, she could hear the male elf dismount to follow her on foot. This would be too easy.
She ran into the clearing, straight to her cousin. "Haldir... an... elf... was... chasing ...me..." She gasped.
Haldir turned to her laughing. "Haven't you tormented poor Kandas enough?"
She took a deep breath. "Haldir, I've never seen this elf before."
Haldir's wide smile vanished in a heartbeat. "Where is he?"
"Barging through the forest. He should be here in about thirty seconds, cousin."
Haldir shook his head. "You aren't one to give much warning, are you, Nileth?" He pulled out one fine arrow and notched it calmly. "Which two trees?"
Nileth pointed to the trees she had emerged from, and as if by magic, a young blonde elf appeared.
Haldir fired, pinning the young elf's quiver to the tree. Then he got a good look at his cousin's pursuer. "Callórë!!!" He gasped and whirled on Nileth. "You made me fire on a prince of Mirkwood?!?!"
Nileth shrugged. "Well, he shouldn't have been chasing me, the crazy fool, riding his horse at breakneck speed through the woods-"
While she was speaking, Haldir motioned them to let Callórë down.
"Haldir, is that you?" Callórë questioned. "It IS you!!! Oh, nin mellon, how I have missed you!"
"And I you, Callórë, but I must ask you why you were chasing a 'helpless' elven maid through the woods."
"Why just that. She was a helpless elven maid."
Haldir chuckled. "Don't kill him, cousin. He doesn't know you like the rest of us do." He turned back to Callórë. "The helpless maid is my cousin, Nileth. And a quick warning, she is NOT helpless."
Callórë paused to look at the delicate creature over Haldir's shoulder. "I beg your pardon if I startled you, Miss." *There is no WAY that girl can defend herself.*
Haldir caught the look and smiled. "My cousin is a fair aim with a bow, has swift knives, and is a skilled healer. She can bring you great pain if you do not respect her." He leaned forward and whispered. "Don't push her, Cal."
Callórë smiled at Nileth. "If you have a fair aim with a bow and have swift knives, why run back here?"
Nileth looked at Callórë coldly. Then she tossed her golden hair back, as if contemplating her answer. "I wasn't carrying my bow and knives. All I could think of was Haldir." She smirked at the elf. "Besides, you wouldn't be alive if I had had them. You would be dead." She glanced at her cousin. "I am going to see to the wounded now. Unless you have other torture to inflict on me."
Haldir smiled as if amused. "Not right now, cousin, not right now." He watched her walk away. Then he turned back to Callórë. "So what do you think of her?"
Callórë shook his head. "Beautiful." He sniffed. "Just so touching the way you deal with your cousin." He grinned. "Actually, she is a lovely maid. I doubt every word you said about her being able to defend herself-"
Out of nowhere, an arrow flew and pierced Callórë's leather waterbag.
Haldir grinned. "She also got extremely sharp hearing even for an elf."
Callórë rolled his eyes. "Now he tells me."
`~`~`*`~`~`
And in Lasgalen...
Lorintal waited impatiently outside the throne room. She had been woken up at the crack of dawn, groomed (much to her distaste, the elf girls raked her scalp and yanked her hair), and pushed out to the throne room. Here she had waited. FOR THREE HOURS.
Finally, she was summoned in.
"Lorintal." Thranduil boomed. "Lorintal, you will join Legolas and his band. Lelodra needs herbs found on the edges of our forest. For some strange reason, she chose the two of you. You leave in an hour. Dismissed."
Lorintal returned to her quarters grumbling. "Now we are behaving as if I am in the Last Alliance army, are we?" She snorts. "Had you told me I was leaving three hours ago, I could be ready by now. Oh, yes, had I received the preparation time I require as a female elf, I could move faster. But no..."
`~`~`*`~`~`
An hour later, Lorintal was waiting on Legolas. She checked her mount's gear for the fifth time. Where was he? Check the frog of the hoof. Where was he? Check the saddlebags. Where was he?
Finally Legolas made his appearance with an unhappy Thranduil.
"Go and be safe, my son. And if you see your brother, send him home immediately."
Legolas nodded and turned his horse toward the gate.
"Until I return, Father!"
`~`~`*`~`~`
To Rivendell!
Umbothel entered Elrond's office.
"Elrond? I'm prepared to depart as you requested."
Elrond glanced up from his work. "Good. I would like you to take Aragorn along."
Umbothel gaped.
Elrond smiled. "Your cousin would like to join you. Is that so hard to believe?"
Umbothel shook her head and smiled. "I would be delighted if Estel would join me. Just so long as he is ready to leave in an hour."
Elrond laughed. "He's been ready since he got back. I need you to deliver a prisoner he and the Rangers caught to the dungeons of the Dale in addition to your original purpose. After you finish, if you like, you may join Aragorn in visiting the Rangers, but-"
A knocking on the door interrupted their conversation.
"Enter."
Aragorn stepped inside. "Ada, I- Umbothel!"
Umbothel smirked. "Hello Estel, and how are you this morning? Better than I am, I hope. After all, I just found out my cousin is coming with me to Lasgalen."
Aragorn sniffed. "And here I thought my family loved me."
Umbothel grinned. "There's your problem- you thought!"
Aragorn laughed. "No that's Ellladan's problem!"
Elrond glared sternly at Aragorn. "Do not make fun of your brother while he's not here!"
Aragorn and Umbothel both looked downcast.
`~`~`*`~`~`
Elrohir and Elladan watched as Umbothel and Aragorn rode out to meet the Rangers.
"Do you think either of them will notice?"
"Honestly, I can't tell which one is denser."
What are the twins talking about? Is a romance stirring between Lorintal and Legolas? Or just a sibling rivalry? What about Nileth and Callórë?