Agent Blue: I have no idea where you read that she had black hair. Could you tell me the exact line??? Maybe you misread it, hun, but if you didn't and I'm just blind, then I'm embarrassed and sorry.
To all wondering about the Choose your own adventure fic, read my info.
Sorry I haven't updated in a while!! I've just been busy.
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"There is to be a banquet in two days," said Mithnaial Goldenlight over dinner that night. "I want all of you to be on your best behavior and please, no more squabbles with Thranduil's sons. Their father is quite a handful to deal with, himself. "
"But they are the ones that always start it,! "protested Nitu and the rest of them made noises of agreement.
"Well, then you will be the ones to end it," their mother said. "I am being serious. Do not shame our family anymore." And with those words, all was quiet.
Their father, at the moment, was in his study and everyone knew that it was his time to be alone and that no one was to disturb him for any reason, lest they be severally punished. He was an extremely serious being, almost too serious for an elf with 12 children, but he was kind and gentle when he needed to be, cruel and strict when the children needed punishment, and also made an amazing batch of fruit cakes when the occasion called for it.
After dinner, the servants cleaned up and the children were sent off to bed. Of course, that did not mean that the children were asleep like they should have been. They usually snuck into each others rooms and played games or talked until they became sleepy, but they always knew to be extra quiet and have a "guard" (usually Bemno) at the stairs to watch out for their father or mother, for the punishment for being out late was quite harsh as they had learned the night that Bemno fell asleep......
But tonight, every one of the Goldenlight children was tired and sleepy and went to bed. Everyone, except Eden, that is. Tonight, she had a sudden urge to be walk the stars. Eden did not know why exactly, but every once in a while, it was as if they spoke to her and drew her outside, but she had always gone with her parents. She had never been in the forest alone at night so she decided that she would take her horse, Summo. She wrapped herself in a cloak and slipped out of her window and down to the stables. The servants looked uneasily at her, but she assured them she would be back safe and sound.
Mounting Summo, she rode quickly and silently into the dark of the forest.
Now, gentle reader, lets take a moment to study Eden's thought process. She is an elf, and although she is quite old compared to most humans, she is still but a teenager and her thoughts run along these lines: I am old enough and I am mature and nothing can hurt me just as long as I am careful which I know I will be, so there! One would think that this kind of thinking only applies to teenaged humans, but alas! The teenage mind is universal and stretches to all lands and to all time periods.
With that said, let us return to Eden and Summo who are now much deeper into the forest. 'Now where is a place in this blasted forest where the trees will let me see the stars,' she thought, but her thought process was cut off as she heard someone yell "Hey you! Stop!" She turned to see who it was and was suddenly thrown from her horse. She hit the ground hard and groaned as she got to her feet and brushed herself off. She looked up to see her horse......with someone else on it. Well, actually, she could only see the outline of someone since it was very dark.
"Get thee off my horse, fiend!" she said, angrily. The only reply was laughter. She wrapped her cloak closer around her, only to have the hood yanked down by some anonymous hand. She swung around to face whoever it was, but she only turned to see more darkness.
"Ahhhh, so it is one of the Goldenlight children," a voice mocked.
"How can you see me?" she asked, in a commanding voice, looking around wildly. "What sort of sorcery is this?"
More laughter.
"Why don't you all face me like true elves instead of hiding like cowardly men?" she commanded, the sound of her brave ancestors in her voice. There was no laughter this time.
Suddenly, her glasses were taken from the edge of her nose and a tall presence was standing in front of her.
"Give those back!" Eden cried.
"Say that again, wench," the elf growled.
"Ahhhhh, so it is one of the King's children," she said, mockingly. "Pardon me, my lord, I did not know that the kingdom has come to be so poor that you have to steal horses from your most humble subjects." She could almost feel the anger radiating from the elf.
"I know who you are, Eben ("Eden!" she corrected)," the elf snarled, "Eden, what a peasant-like name, anyway, you better not be at the banquet in two days."
"And what if I am?" asked Eden, sounding cheerful.
"You are going to wish you did not go," he said, his voice somber and angry.
"Ohhhhhh, I'm simply shaking with fear," she smiled, "Really, I am." She pushed past him and mounted her horse and rode off back towards her house.
'Bastards,' she thought, 'I really wanted to walk under the stars tonight!'
But she was very proud of herself for what she did and said back there. She had never stood up to anyone in her entire life. She smiled for her deed.
But her smile quickly faded as she rode into the stable, only to see the angry faces of her parents, both in their nightwear, both pale with anger and worry.
"Explain yourself!" her mother demanded. The servants took the horse and left Eden alone with her parents.
"I wanted to walk under the stars," Eden said quietly.
"Wanted to walk under the stars!" her mother exclaimed, "Do you know how dangerous the forest is at night? What were you thinking!" Her mother went on and on, screaming at her, but Eden was not worried about her mother. It was her father whom she feared above all else and she suddenly wished that she was back in the forest. He glared down at Eden and made her feel very small. When her mother was finished with her lecture, she dared not look at her father.
"Eden, I would like you to come to my study in the morning," her father said coldly, "For now, go to your room."
And so Eden lay awake all night, shaking with fear. Her father's punishments went from cleaning the whole house to full out beatings. When Bemno was caught, he was whipped, and not for a short time either. Dothlir, her father, was a merciless being.
But wait......
Eden suddenly sat up. 'How exactly did they find out? I know for a fact that mother and father were asleep before I left,' she thought. 'The king's sons! It must have been them!' Her anger soared and she threw a pillow across the room and crossed her arms across her chest.
She decided she would get dressed in the ugliest thing she owned, a drab brown dress that was too large for her. She wasn't going to let him ruin her nice dresses if she was to be whipped. She got dressed and walked downstairs, slowly. She knocked softly on the door of her father's study.
"Come in, Eden" his cold voice said from the other side of the door. Eden opened the door and walked inside, closing the door behind her.
"I'll spare you the lecture," he said, putting down the book in his hand, "That was your mother's job." Eden smiled a little.
"My job is to oversee your punishment," he continued. "I guarantee you it will not be pleasant." Eden swallowed hard.
"But," he said, " I have never had to punish you before. This is your first time disobeying orders so I will keep that in mind. Your punishment will be to do all the servants work for today. I suggest you get a good start. I have already informed Alna of your punishment and you should report to her as soon as possible."
"Thank you father," Eden curtseyed and turned around to leave.
"Eden, I am not finished and I have not dismissed you!" Her father growled angrily. Eden turned around, her face a slight pink with embarrassment..... and fear.
"I need you to transport some documents to the palace," he said, "You will stop for nothing and I will expect you home before dark. Now, you are dismissed." He turned away from her and once again, she curtseyed and walked out the door and to the servant quarters.
Alna smiled as the girl cautiously approached her.
"Got in a bit of trouble did we?" Alna said. Eden blushed slightly and nodded.
"Well, here is what I want you to do......," and so she went on to explain the tasks that were to be performed, how they were to be performed, the amount of time spent on each task, and of course, the equipment that was to be used. Eden noted this information and was soon ready to start her labor.
She finished in the afternoon. The sun was still bright in the sky but the day was starting to end when she remembered the documents. Grabbing the documents and her horse she rode towards the palace. When she got to the gates, she was stopped.....by the king's sons and the guards.
"Well, well, well, is that a servant from the Goldenlight household?" one of the princes laughed.
"No, I believe it's one of their many children," said his brother. "Look at her clothes, Legolas! It seems her parents are running out of money!" She looked down at herself. 'Oh no!' she silently screamed. 'I forgot to change!'
But the one named Legolas, the oldest, the one who fought in the war of the ring, merely looked up at her, studying her. Then he finally said, "If you enjoy wearing clothes like that, I suggest you come to see our servants. They are wearing the latest fashions, according to you, that is." Everyone laughed.
"Let me pass," she commanded, angrily. "I need to give something to the king."
"How dare you talk like that to the sons of the king!" one of the guards spat.
"I will shower the princes with respect just as soon as they learn to mind their manners, now if you'll excuse me, I really must be getting-," but she was interrupted.
"Alright, alright, I'll let you pass, but on one condition," said another one of the guards, "Leave your horse out here." Eden held her breath for a second and decided not to argue. Without a word, she jumped off and the guard opened the gate for her. She walked in and walked into the palace and gave the documents to the king, who looked down upon her.
After that, she walked back to the gate and pushed and pulled at the door only to discover it locked. She started to panic. Her father told her to be home before dark and the sun was starting to set. She pounded on the gate, but no one answered. Tears welled up in her eyes as she slumped against the door. If she did not get home in time, she would be in for another punishment and the next probably more severe than the previous.
The place seemed empty as she stood there alone and when she thought the situation couldn't get any worse, it started raining. Now, Eden usually loved the rain, but it could not soothe her now as she sat against the gate. The rain was hard and she was soaked in a few moments. She tried pounding against the gate more, but still no answer came. She let out a soft sob and turned around only to walk into Legolas.
"Having trouble opening the gate?" he said coldly. Eden nodded.
"Have you ever tried something called knocking?" he glared and knocked on the gate which opened almost at the touch of his hand. "It can prove to be very helpful." The other two princes and the guards were standing under a huge tree, grinning at her.
" I did knock," Eden muttered, "And no one answered." She suddenly realized that her horse was nowhere to be found.
"Where is my horse?" she asked, through gritted teeth.
"He got tired of waiting for you so he left," one of the guards said and everyone else laughed. Pushing her wet hair, out of her face, she started to walk into the forest.
"Where are you going?" asked one of the younger princes.
"Home," she answered as she walked farther and farther.
"You are going to walk?" he laughed. Eden turned around, tears of anger and frustration in her eyes.
"Well, seeing as I don't have my horse, there is nothing I could do but walk," she answered in a quivering voice.
After 100 more feet of walking, she sensed another presence near her. She turned to the around and saw that no one was there. Holding herself, she kept walking, and looked up past the tree tops.
The sun was setting.
"Do you even know where you're going?" a familiar voice said. Eden turned around.
No one.
"Where are you?" she asked.
"Turn around, oh watchful one," he said, sarcastically. "Maybe you really did need those glasses." She turned around to face him. He was much taller than her and she glared up at him. He, like her father, made her feel very small. She hated him for it...and yet......
"My prince," she said, trying to sound as humble as possible, "Kindly get out of my way so I can go home."
"It'll take you hours," he said," Here, have a horse." Legolas whistled and to her surprise, Summo trotted towards her.
"How did you......,"Eden was shocked, "How..why..wait....huh?"
"Have a safe trip and don't fall off," he said and then climbed back up into the trees and disappeared. She sighed and mounted Summo and began to ride back home. 'Why was he being so nice to me?' she wondered.
'Wait a moment!' she thought, 'Why am I even thinking about him! Stop it, Eden, stop it! King's oldest son and heir to the throne equals bad..... but extremely handsome! Ewww now you sound like an orc! Just stop thinking!'
But she couldn't and no matter how much she tried, his face appeared in her mind. She was disgusted with herself. The sun was just about to set when she rode into the stable. She walked into the house and went to her room where she had the servants prepare a bath. She then dressed in her most comfortable outfit and went to help the servants with dinner.
Of course, she never was thinking about what she was doing. She had something (or someone) on her mind.