Authors' Note: Hello again and as usual thank you for all the wonderful reviews! I know these chapters aren't very long, but I will try and lengthen them in the future. I was also thinking of doing a prequel to this story, based on how Haldir and Minyoiel met. What do you think? Well, thanks again and I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Tolkien's work.
Chapter 7 A Knight in Shining Armor, Well Maybe Not
Glorfindel's shoulders shook with laughter. Besides him Erestor sat, trying to regain his normal look of stoicism. Figwit stood before them, his head down, eyes staring at his feet. Lindir was by his side, looking more or less humiliated by his current situation.
"Please Figwit, my dear lad, tell us again what it is that you want," Erestor elbowed Glorfindel hard in the ribs as tears of laughter began to form at the corners of the elf-lord's eyes.
"I wish to gain the hand of the fair Lorien maiden," at this the golden haired lord burst out into his hysterical peals of laughter. Erestor frowned down at his friend who was near rolling on the floor. "Arwen and the twins have already agreed to help me. I thought, since you two were lords of such great fame, that you might be inclined to help me as well." The chief councilor kicked at Glorfindel as he studied Figwit carefully with his gray eyes.
"And pray tell us, what is it that you need help with exactly," Erestor fought the amusement that threatened to show upon his face.
"Well, you both have attended many a fine feast and know well the ways in which to charm a maiden. Mayhap you could teach me more about proper etiquette and," here the young elf swallowed hard. "Mayhap you can teach me how to dance." The corners of Erestor's mouth began to twitch, while it appeared that Lord Glorfindel might wet himself any second now. It was at this that the chief advisor leaned down with an exasperated sigh and pulled his friend up into a sitting position. Figwit's face was now a shade of deep red as he watched Glorfindel attempt to catch his breath. When he finally did, he muttered these next few words.
"Why, Figwit, of course we'll help you!"
It was early in the morning that Figwit was awoken the next day. But unfortunately his waking was not a very pleasant one. Into his private chambers, the twins ran and hopped neatly onto his feather bed. Figwit awoke with a start; he had been torn away from a most wonderful dream, him and Minyoiel plighting their troth. Then when the sleep finally lifted from his eyes and he realized who sat on the edge of his bed, the poor elf let out a terrified screech.
"Wake up! Wake up!" the twins chorused in a sing-song voice. "It is nearly dawn, you must rise young advisor." It was at this that they both burst into a loud and somewhat rude song. Figwit had curled himself up into a defensive ball in readiness for any cruel prank the twins might try to pull upon him. But then he recalled his arrangement with them from the pervious night. They weren't here to torment him; they were here to help him! It was at this moment that he removed his head from beneath the covers and stared up at them.
"You're no going to play some horrible trick on me, are you?" his eyes were still full of question. The set of twins sighed in a frustrated manner.
"You asked us to wake you early so we could train you before any was up," Elrohir reached for the councilor's hand and pulled him out of bed. "Come now it is nearly dawn, we will only have a few hours."
A lark chirped happily in a tree just outside the window. The morning air was cool and refreshing compared to the heat of the afternoon. Minyoiel stirred slightly in her bed. She tried to keep herself in the world of dreams as long as possible, not wanting to have to face another day in Imladris. The birds chirping became more insistent, louder this time.
"Fine, fine," she muttered standing up slowly. "I shall wake." She tried to let happy thoughts enter her mind, as she was not a morning person. At least the quicker I wake, the quicker I will see Haldir. Her fiancé had a room of his own, as it was not proper for unmarried couples to share the same quarters, even if they were betrothed. But instead of smiling at the thought of seeing her beloved, she grimaced. That bird would not be quiet. The maiden moved to the window, now curious to the creature's chatty nature. But what she saw amazed her. There stood Haldir, fully dressed, his hands clasped around his mouth and his lips pursed in a whistle.
"Haldir," she whispered down to him happily. "What are you doing?"
"Come," he beckoned up at her. "I thought we could go for a walk during the sunrise." Minyoiel turned from the window and dressed quickly. Then with the skill that only a wood-elf could possess, she slide down one of the outside columns to stand before him. Together, with her arm hooked around his, the made their way through the morning mist and dew. The sun was just rising and a pink light was cast over the beautiful valley. "My dear, I have been thinking about the time we set for our wedding and I have come to a conclusion." The maiden raised her eyes to meet his and let a smile creep upon her lips. They had not set a definite time for their marriage. "Lord Elrond told me that at the end of the summer, they hold a great festival. I thought that perhaps we could celebrate our union then."
"Oh, Haldir!" she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. "Of course, that's a wonderful idea!" But before she could say anything else, a noise alerted both of their ears. It was coming from the clearing that was just a little ahead of them.
Elladan rubbed his temples vigorously. He had always been a calm and laid back elf, but now he felt as though all his patience had left him. Figwit stood before him, his fingers fumbling around a small bow used to train elflings. Finally after a few moments of struggling, he managed to notch his arrow.
"See, it only took me ten minutes to do it this time!" he smiled up at them triumphantly.
"Yes, you did very well," Elrohir smiled back at him. He had always been the more patient of the two. "Now why don't you try firing it this time?" The young elf nodded, his tongue sticking out of his mouth slightly as he aimed rather shakily for the trunk of a tree in front of him. Then with a loud "twang", he released his arrow. But instead of hitting his mark, the arrow traveled past the tree and into the woods. They then heard two loud gasps of surprise and a few muffled curses. Suddenly, the brush was parted and out stepped the March Warden with the rogue arrow in his hand and his bride beside him.
"Well, Figwit, that is enough training for today," Elladan clapped the other elf on the back and smiled nervously. "We must be off now." With that the twins took off into the forest like two young rabbits fleeing a wolf. Haldir came to stand before the trembling Figwit.
"Is this yours?" he voice was a deadly whisper. The advisor nodded his mouth too dry to talk. The blond elf than snatched the small bow that the other held. Then with a sense that he used no effort at all, he snapped it in two with his right hand. "See that it doesn't happen again," he muttered laying the pieces back in Figwit's empty hands.
