"Angel? Angel! Dah-ling, do hurry up. We've got to go in five minutes' time, dear."
Renae's voice resonated throughout the nearly empty house, much to her stepdaughter's annoyance. The de Winter family would be at the Johansens' party, and the servants had already been dismissed for the day.
"Please do hurry, Angel darling. Angel…Angel? Are you there?"
iUrgh. Why is she so… oh, I give up. /i
"Fiiiiiiiiiine. Mom, I'm coming down soon!"
Angel yelled down the banister-less stairway. iYep, you read right - banister-less. Due to the fact that she thought it would be a 'cool idea' and 'involves unique creativity', the rest of us have to risk breaking our necks when having to walk downstairs when disturbed during unearthly hours. Such as this…/i
"Okey-dokey, dah-ling!" Renae finally decided to leave Angel alone, much to the latter's relief.
iIt's not that she's like the embodiment of Snow White's evil stepmother… she's kinda nice, really…but so tiresome! What with all her 'dears', 'dah-lings' and 'dearie'…Argh! Doesn't she realize it's annoying? And embarrassing. She's nice, but does she - do her mannerisms have to be soooooooooooo 'classy'? Seriously. It's not like anyone's gonna examine her 'classy' accent to see if it's authentic. Thank God she doesn't have a poodle…/i
Angel sighed. She'd actually talked to her stepmother, if only to get Renae off her case.
Swiveling around to face her walk-in closet, she pushed aside the racks in search of an outfit her parents would deem 'respectable'.
iThe last time I appeared in jeans at Danielle's house…/i Angel smiled wryly, recounting the incident. Her parents, especially Renae, had been mortified.
i"Dah-ling! But how could you! I'm sure you could have worn something nicer, dear…"/i They'd sent her home to change immediately.
But Angel'd never returned to the party - she hadn't wanted to go in the first place anyway.
iAnd now it's no different,/i Angel mused, continually searching through the wardrobe as the pile of clothes strewn around got bigger and bigger.
iWhy do I have to go anyway? It's not like people there know me or anything - oh wait, they do… Yeah. The 'jeans' incident had taken care of that - Angel had overheard people dubbing her as the 'dowdy girl who turned up at Danielle's birthday in jeans'. /i
iI'd much rather stay at home and watch the Lord of the Rings, or chat with Jam on the phone…or something. Oh: But Jam's going to there, it's his house after all…/i
"Angel dearie! Are you coming with us, dah-ling?"
For a moment, Angel was tempted to say no - but past experience had taught her that giving Renae a negative answer would only result in the somewhat annoying woman barging into her room and giving her a tutorial on make-up and dressing styles.
iWhich I DON'T want or need…/i "Hold on a second, Mom!" Angel yelled down the stairway again. "I'm coming!"
At top-speed, she pulled on a Grecian-style cornflower-blue toga dress, grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs, nearly breaking her neck in the process. Curse those blasted banister-less stairs - how the hell is anyone supposed to survive running down those anyway?
Grumbling to herself, she scrambled into the limo - ignoring Renae's shocked gasps "Be careful, your dress, dear!" - next to her three older brothers Christian, Michel and Nicholas.
iLucky Ardélyn - she gets to miss this 'cause she's in Paris on that weird fashion course thing…but then, unlike me, she would've wanted to go… that's my big sis for you./i
"Hey, sis - you going trekking or what?"
Nicholas grinned at his younger sister, much to her annoyance.
"Very funny, Nicky, what is it with older brothers and stupidity any-… oh freaking bloody hell." Angel had followed Nicholas' gaze to rest on her… backpack.
iShit! I must've taken the wrong bag!/i Angel made to get out of the car, but i…too late. Damn!/i Angel cursed as she tore open her backpack, hoping to find any make-up, she hadn't put on any i- and I'm definitely NOT in the mood for another of Renae's tutorials… Aha!/i
Triumphantly, Angel punched her fist into the air and she found a tube of lipstick, only to find that it was… empty.
iArgh! This isn't fair! /i
Plunging her hands deeper into the black bag, she found a pair of jeans, a black cashmere sweater and…nothing else.
iI give up, /iAngel mused to herself.
She was silent for the rest the car journey, alternately staring glumly out of the window and listening to her brothers place bets on their favorite soccer teams.
... ...
"Hi!" A dark-haired figure waved cheerfully at the de Winters, dragging another figure along with him. "Nice to see you… Mr. de Winter, Mrs. de Winter, Nic, Christian, Mic … hiya, Angel."
iJamie. Always full of energy like some bouncing ball…/i Angel smiled wryly to herself as she grinned in greeting.
"Hello Jam. Nice to see ya too. Is this Dylan?" Angel gestured politely to the other figure her best friend had been dragging along. She'd heard much about Jamie's older brother, but she'd never met him.
Jamie nodded, grinning like a monkey from ear to ear.
"Yeah," he joked. "I think."
Angel rolled her eyes.
"Turning twenty this year, Jam… anyone would've thought you should be mature by now, but nooooooooooooooo," she commented, holding back her laughter. "My best friend still has the mentality of a two-year-old - and your attention span isn't even worth mentioning."
Jamie put on a you-hurt-me-I'm-a-sensitive-guy look.
"That hurt!" He then pouted. "I thought you were my friend!"
Dylan, who'd been silent up till now, punched his younger brother on the head, and then excused himself, smiling.
"Dude - Yvonne's here…well, see you guys later." With that, he slipped off into the crowd.
Angel raised an eyebrow. iWell, well, well - what have we here? Dylan likes Yvonne?/i
As if reading her mind, Jamie spoke.
"Dyl really likes Yvonne. They've been dating for a week."
"Cool."
"Yeah. Shall we go outside? I don't want to spend any more time than I have to in some stuffy ballroom and I don't think you want to either."
At Angel's nod, Jamie began leading his best friend across the floor, stopping occasionally to greet arriving guests. Finally, they reached the edge of the forest at the back of Jamie's house.
"So how's life?" Angel asked her best friend, as they strolled casually into the forest they had played hide-and-seek in as children.
iIt's time to catch up - after all, I've been away in the Alps for, like, two weeks or so…/i
"Tis' fine," Jamie answered easily, his floppy fringe blowing in the evening breeze. For a moment, Angel allowed herself to indulge in childhood memories of her pulling on Jamie's fringe and braiding it, much to his embarrassment.
"A few archery practices, got stuck doing golf with Dad… you know the usual."
The two best friends chatted lightly, teasing and taunting each other as they always did.
... ...
"…Hahahahahahahaha!" Angel gasped between bouts of laughter. "That was like, so totally hilarious. And the look on Nicole's face!"
Jamie grinned, the dimples showing on his cheeks.
"That was my idea, you know," He looked at his watch. "Hey, Ange - it's kinda late, let's head back."
Angel opened her mouth to answer, when -
"Daro!" A strong and firm voice with a musical lilt resonated through the dark forest. Through the evening haze, Angel and Jamie could make out a few figures on horseback heading towards them.
Suddenly, they were surrounded by… "Elves," hissed Angel to Jamie. Her best friend nodded dumbly, but said nothing.
One of the elves sprang off his steed lightly, the moonlight glinting off his hair.
For a moment, Angel considered asking him what brand of shampoo he used; but looking at the arrows pointed at them, decided that it wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Lle lava?" The elf, obviously the leader, spoke to them. After a pause, seeing that the question was eliciting no response, he tried again. "Do you yield?"
iHis hair looks so soft and silky; I wonder what it would be like to run my fingers through…/i The elf's question startled Angel out of her reverie. Without thinking, she replied.
"Amin lava."
The elf's eyebrows rose so high, Angel could've sworn they disappeared into his forehead.
"You speak Elvish, firiel?"
Angel cursed herself for the slip. i?Damn all those blasted fanfics! Damn my obsession with LOTR! Damn Elvish! Damn everything! And most of all, damn the damn elf with his damn pointy ears!/iHer voice trembling a little, she spoke.
"Only a little."
The elf questioned her again.
"What business have you in the land of Lórien?" he enquired sharply.
iLothlórien? We are in Lothlórien? Oh bloody freaking hell - we are so dead./i
This time, it was Jamie who answered.
"My friend and I here were taking a walk when we got lost. Then we met you. I assure you we mean no harm."
The elf nodded.
"Very well. We will lead you to the Lady." Turning to the rest of the elves, he barked. "Blindfold them!"
iWhy on Arda do we have to be blindfolded like the Fellowship in LOTR? /iAngel whined to herself. iIt's not like we mean any harm anyway…/i
Her thoughts were interrupted when a blonde elf tied a blindfold around her head.
"My name is Rumil, arwenamin. I will lead you along, to make sure you do not trip and fall," he paused, and then continued. "My brother Orophin will lead your friend."
Angel smiled.
"Thank you Rumil," she tried to be as ladylike and gracious as possible, and on a whim, inquired. "Who was the one who questioned us?"
Rumil grinned toothily.
"Ah - that would be my other brother, Haldir," he said. "He is the Marchwarden - the head of the guards of Lórien. You are attracted to him? He is one of the most eligible bachelors in Caras Galadhon."
Angel laughed.
"Nay, I am not," she said truthfully. "T'was only his hair that caught my attention - all you people have such shiny hair. Are you advertising for Haldir?"
"No, I have no need to," Rumil replied, laughter evident in his voice. "Elleths swoon the moment they see him."
Angel shrugged, "I didn't really see his face."
For the rest of the journey, Angel and Rumil continued chatting together.
... ...
"Wow…this place is just…wow."
Angel breathed, amazed at the beauty of the elven city, as her blindfold was removed. Jamie grinned at his best friend.
"Nice to see your vocabulary has increased. Wow."
Angel whacked him on the head.
"Owwwwwww! What was that for?" Jamie rubbed his head gingerly.
"Very funny Jam. But this place is really - ethereally beautiful. Peter Jackson did it no justice in the movie."
"You're right I guess." Jamie looked thoughtfully at his surroundings, taking in the golden-leaved mallorn trees and flets.
Suddenly, Haldir appeared by their side, stern and cold as ever.
"Khila amin," he spoke quickly, and disappeared up a stairway. Quickly, Jamie and Angel followed him.
After many twists and turns, winding round the tall mallorn trees, Haldir finally stopped at the very top talan. There stood Galadriel, Lady of the Light and Lord Celeborn.
"You may go now, Haldir," Galadriel spoke. Haldir nodded curtly and disappeared down the hallway into the darkness of the night.
The Lady, on the arm of Celeborn, made her way to stand regally a few meters away from the two best friends.
"Suilad, Angelique de Winter and Jamie Johansen. Creoso a'Caras Galadhon." Galadriel smiled.
"You saw us coming in your mirror, did you not?" Angel burst out, and immediately regretted it. iWhat if she thinks we're spies of Sauron or something? /iShe resisted the urge to giggle, however, at Celeborn's shocked expression.
Galadriel smiled again, reassuringly. "Aye, I did - pen neth. And I do not think you are spies."
"Oh." iGaladriel must've read my mind or something./i Thought Angel.
"Can we go home now?" Jamie finally opened his mouth to speak, having absorbed all the scenery of the elven realm. "Our parents will be worried sick."
The Lady's smile did not falter, but the spark in her eyes was no longer ignited.
"I'm afraid not, Jamie. You, and Angelique are here for a purpose."
"What purpose?" Angel burst out again, and then blushed. "Sorry, my bad. And, could you call me Angel instead of Angelique please?"
"That is fine with me pen neth. As for the purpose," Galadriel paused. "Amin hiraetha, but I cannot tell you. You will discover it sometime in the future."
Renae's voice resonated throughout the nearly empty house, much to her stepdaughter's annoyance. The de Winter family would be at the Johansens' party, and the servants had already been dismissed for the day.
"Please do hurry, Angel darling. Angel…Angel? Are you there?"
iUrgh. Why is she so… oh, I give up. /i
"Fiiiiiiiiiine. Mom, I'm coming down soon!"
Angel yelled down the banister-less stairway. iYep, you read right - banister-less. Due to the fact that she thought it would be a 'cool idea' and 'involves unique creativity', the rest of us have to risk breaking our necks when having to walk downstairs when disturbed during unearthly hours. Such as this…/i
"Okey-dokey, dah-ling!" Renae finally decided to leave Angel alone, much to the latter's relief.
iIt's not that she's like the embodiment of Snow White's evil stepmother… she's kinda nice, really…but so tiresome! What with all her 'dears', 'dah-lings' and 'dearie'…Argh! Doesn't she realize it's annoying? And embarrassing. She's nice, but does she - do her mannerisms have to be soooooooooooo 'classy'? Seriously. It's not like anyone's gonna examine her 'classy' accent to see if it's authentic. Thank God she doesn't have a poodle…/i
Angel sighed. She'd actually talked to her stepmother, if only to get Renae off her case.
Swiveling around to face her walk-in closet, she pushed aside the racks in search of an outfit her parents would deem 'respectable'.
iThe last time I appeared in jeans at Danielle's house…/i Angel smiled wryly, recounting the incident. Her parents, especially Renae, had been mortified.
i"Dah-ling! But how could you! I'm sure you could have worn something nicer, dear…"/i They'd sent her home to change immediately.
But Angel'd never returned to the party - she hadn't wanted to go in the first place anyway.
iAnd now it's no different,/i Angel mused, continually searching through the wardrobe as the pile of clothes strewn around got bigger and bigger.
iWhy do I have to go anyway? It's not like people there know me or anything - oh wait, they do… Yeah. The 'jeans' incident had taken care of that - Angel had overheard people dubbing her as the 'dowdy girl who turned up at Danielle's birthday in jeans'. /i
iI'd much rather stay at home and watch the Lord of the Rings, or chat with Jam on the phone…or something. Oh: But Jam's going to there, it's his house after all…/i
"Angel dearie! Are you coming with us, dah-ling?"
For a moment, Angel was tempted to say no - but past experience had taught her that giving Renae a negative answer would only result in the somewhat annoying woman barging into her room and giving her a tutorial on make-up and dressing styles.
iWhich I DON'T want or need…/i "Hold on a second, Mom!" Angel yelled down the stairway again. "I'm coming!"
At top-speed, she pulled on a Grecian-style cornflower-blue toga dress, grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs, nearly breaking her neck in the process. Curse those blasted banister-less stairs - how the hell is anyone supposed to survive running down those anyway?
Grumbling to herself, she scrambled into the limo - ignoring Renae's shocked gasps "Be careful, your dress, dear!" - next to her three older brothers Christian, Michel and Nicholas.
iLucky Ardélyn - she gets to miss this 'cause she's in Paris on that weird fashion course thing…but then, unlike me, she would've wanted to go… that's my big sis for you./i
"Hey, sis - you going trekking or what?"
Nicholas grinned at his younger sister, much to her annoyance.
"Very funny, Nicky, what is it with older brothers and stupidity any-… oh freaking bloody hell." Angel had followed Nicholas' gaze to rest on her… backpack.
iShit! I must've taken the wrong bag!/i Angel made to get out of the car, but i…too late. Damn!/i Angel cursed as she tore open her backpack, hoping to find any make-up, she hadn't put on any i- and I'm definitely NOT in the mood for another of Renae's tutorials… Aha!/i
Triumphantly, Angel punched her fist into the air and she found a tube of lipstick, only to find that it was… empty.
iArgh! This isn't fair! /i
Plunging her hands deeper into the black bag, she found a pair of jeans, a black cashmere sweater and…nothing else.
iI give up, /iAngel mused to herself.
She was silent for the rest the car journey, alternately staring glumly out of the window and listening to her brothers place bets on their favorite soccer teams.
... ...
"Hi!" A dark-haired figure waved cheerfully at the de Winters, dragging another figure along with him. "Nice to see you… Mr. de Winter, Mrs. de Winter, Nic, Christian, Mic … hiya, Angel."
iJamie. Always full of energy like some bouncing ball…/i Angel smiled wryly to herself as she grinned in greeting.
"Hello Jam. Nice to see ya too. Is this Dylan?" Angel gestured politely to the other figure her best friend had been dragging along. She'd heard much about Jamie's older brother, but she'd never met him.
Jamie nodded, grinning like a monkey from ear to ear.
"Yeah," he joked. "I think."
Angel rolled her eyes.
"Turning twenty this year, Jam… anyone would've thought you should be mature by now, but nooooooooooooooo," she commented, holding back her laughter. "My best friend still has the mentality of a two-year-old - and your attention span isn't even worth mentioning."
Jamie put on a you-hurt-me-I'm-a-sensitive-guy look.
"That hurt!" He then pouted. "I thought you were my friend!"
Dylan, who'd been silent up till now, punched his younger brother on the head, and then excused himself, smiling.
"Dude - Yvonne's here…well, see you guys later." With that, he slipped off into the crowd.
Angel raised an eyebrow. iWell, well, well - what have we here? Dylan likes Yvonne?/i
As if reading her mind, Jamie spoke.
"Dyl really likes Yvonne. They've been dating for a week."
"Cool."
"Yeah. Shall we go outside? I don't want to spend any more time than I have to in some stuffy ballroom and I don't think you want to either."
At Angel's nod, Jamie began leading his best friend across the floor, stopping occasionally to greet arriving guests. Finally, they reached the edge of the forest at the back of Jamie's house.
"So how's life?" Angel asked her best friend, as they strolled casually into the forest they had played hide-and-seek in as children.
iIt's time to catch up - after all, I've been away in the Alps for, like, two weeks or so…/i
"Tis' fine," Jamie answered easily, his floppy fringe blowing in the evening breeze. For a moment, Angel allowed herself to indulge in childhood memories of her pulling on Jamie's fringe and braiding it, much to his embarrassment.
"A few archery practices, got stuck doing golf with Dad… you know the usual."
The two best friends chatted lightly, teasing and taunting each other as they always did.
... ...
"…Hahahahahahahaha!" Angel gasped between bouts of laughter. "That was like, so totally hilarious. And the look on Nicole's face!"
Jamie grinned, the dimples showing on his cheeks.
"That was my idea, you know," He looked at his watch. "Hey, Ange - it's kinda late, let's head back."
Angel opened her mouth to answer, when -
"Daro!" A strong and firm voice with a musical lilt resonated through the dark forest. Through the evening haze, Angel and Jamie could make out a few figures on horseback heading towards them.
Suddenly, they were surrounded by… "Elves," hissed Angel to Jamie. Her best friend nodded dumbly, but said nothing.
One of the elves sprang off his steed lightly, the moonlight glinting off his hair.
For a moment, Angel considered asking him what brand of shampoo he used; but looking at the arrows pointed at them, decided that it wasn't such a good idea after all.
"Lle lava?" The elf, obviously the leader, spoke to them. After a pause, seeing that the question was eliciting no response, he tried again. "Do you yield?"
iHis hair looks so soft and silky; I wonder what it would be like to run my fingers through…/i The elf's question startled Angel out of her reverie. Without thinking, she replied.
"Amin lava."
The elf's eyebrows rose so high, Angel could've sworn they disappeared into his forehead.
"You speak Elvish, firiel?"
Angel cursed herself for the slip. i?Damn all those blasted fanfics! Damn my obsession with LOTR! Damn Elvish! Damn everything! And most of all, damn the damn elf with his damn pointy ears!/iHer voice trembling a little, she spoke.
"Only a little."
The elf questioned her again.
"What business have you in the land of Lórien?" he enquired sharply.
iLothlórien? We are in Lothlórien? Oh bloody freaking hell - we are so dead./i
This time, it was Jamie who answered.
"My friend and I here were taking a walk when we got lost. Then we met you. I assure you we mean no harm."
The elf nodded.
"Very well. We will lead you to the Lady." Turning to the rest of the elves, he barked. "Blindfold them!"
iWhy on Arda do we have to be blindfolded like the Fellowship in LOTR? /iAngel whined to herself. iIt's not like we mean any harm anyway…/i
Her thoughts were interrupted when a blonde elf tied a blindfold around her head.
"My name is Rumil, arwenamin. I will lead you along, to make sure you do not trip and fall," he paused, and then continued. "My brother Orophin will lead your friend."
Angel smiled.
"Thank you Rumil," she tried to be as ladylike and gracious as possible, and on a whim, inquired. "Who was the one who questioned us?"
Rumil grinned toothily.
"Ah - that would be my other brother, Haldir," he said. "He is the Marchwarden - the head of the guards of Lórien. You are attracted to him? He is one of the most eligible bachelors in Caras Galadhon."
Angel laughed.
"Nay, I am not," she said truthfully. "T'was only his hair that caught my attention - all you people have such shiny hair. Are you advertising for Haldir?"
"No, I have no need to," Rumil replied, laughter evident in his voice. "Elleths swoon the moment they see him."
Angel shrugged, "I didn't really see his face."
For the rest of the journey, Angel and Rumil continued chatting together.
... ...
"Wow…this place is just…wow."
Angel breathed, amazed at the beauty of the elven city, as her blindfold was removed. Jamie grinned at his best friend.
"Nice to see your vocabulary has increased. Wow."
Angel whacked him on the head.
"Owwwwwww! What was that for?" Jamie rubbed his head gingerly.
"Very funny Jam. But this place is really - ethereally beautiful. Peter Jackson did it no justice in the movie."
"You're right I guess." Jamie looked thoughtfully at his surroundings, taking in the golden-leaved mallorn trees and flets.
Suddenly, Haldir appeared by their side, stern and cold as ever.
"Khila amin," he spoke quickly, and disappeared up a stairway. Quickly, Jamie and Angel followed him.
After many twists and turns, winding round the tall mallorn trees, Haldir finally stopped at the very top talan. There stood Galadriel, Lady of the Light and Lord Celeborn.
"You may go now, Haldir," Galadriel spoke. Haldir nodded curtly and disappeared down the hallway into the darkness of the night.
The Lady, on the arm of Celeborn, made her way to stand regally a few meters away from the two best friends.
"Suilad, Angelique de Winter and Jamie Johansen. Creoso a'Caras Galadhon." Galadriel smiled.
"You saw us coming in your mirror, did you not?" Angel burst out, and immediately regretted it. iWhat if she thinks we're spies of Sauron or something? /iShe resisted the urge to giggle, however, at Celeborn's shocked expression.
Galadriel smiled again, reassuringly. "Aye, I did - pen neth. And I do not think you are spies."
"Oh." iGaladriel must've read my mind or something./i Thought Angel.
"Can we go home now?" Jamie finally opened his mouth to speak, having absorbed all the scenery of the elven realm. "Our parents will be worried sick."
The Lady's smile did not falter, but the spark in her eyes was no longer ignited.
"I'm afraid not, Jamie. You, and Angelique are here for a purpose."
"What purpose?" Angel burst out again, and then blushed. "Sorry, my bad. And, could you call me Angel instead of Angelique please?"
"That is fine with me pen neth. As for the purpose," Galadriel paused. "Amin hiraetha, but I cannot tell you. You will discover it sometime in the future."
