Disclaimer - I don't own LOTR, it belongs to New Line Cinema, Peter
Jackson, and most importantly, J.R.R Tolkein
Arweni rode slightly apart from Legolas and Aragorn, still wary of both of them, but more so of Aragorn. They traveled for about five days before reaching Gondor. It was a little awkward, and Arweni remained silent, but Legolas and Aragorn had a chance to catch up. Upon entering Gondor, Arweni lagged far behind, marveling at both buildings and people.
"Hello, milady!" One man called out cheerfully. Arweni looked around to make certain he was talking to her.
"Hello." She answered shyly, spurring Bragol Gil so that she was riding near the others. They made their way up to the White Tree, where they dismounted. Arwen was waiting on the steps to meet them.
"Aragorn, you brought a visitor?" She asked. Aragorn kissed her before answering.
"She is Legolas's guest, not mine." Aragorn corrected. Arweni dropped to her knees in a display of reverence.
"My Queen." She muttered. Arwen pulled her back up and hugged her.
"Welcome to Gondor." She grinned and winked at Legolas over Arweni's shoulder.
"This is Lady Arweni, Arwen." Legolas informed her.
"Do you live in Gondor, Arweni?" Arwen asked. Arweni shook her head.
"No, my queen. I live in Rivendell."
"Rivendell? I thought all the Elves had left Rivendell." Arwen mused. Arweni gave a half smile and pulled back her hair.
"Yet a Half Elf remained." She said quietly. Arwen's eyebrow raised.
"Really. Where are you headed now?"
"I'm not quite sure. Perhaps to Mirkwood." Arweni looked extremely uncomfortable at the interrogation. Legolas quickly stepped up to Arwen and hugged her. The four of them headed inside. A maid showed Arweni to a room where she would be staying the night. Arweni perched carefully on the edge, looking about the spacious room. After dark fell, Arwen came by with a dress. Arweni blushed.
"I don't need any generosity, not meaning any disrespect." Arweni told her quickly.
"You must have something to wear for dinner." Arwen insisted.
"I have a spare dress!" Arweni said quickly, pulling out from a bag a dress that looked exactly like the one she had on. Arwen smiled.
"Dinner for us is a time when we dress up." Arwen held out a light blue silk dress with a gold hem.
"I can't."
"Please, take it. Just for dinner." Arwen pleaded. Arweni sighed and accepted it.
"Thank you, Milady." Arweni said quietly. Arwen smiled and let two maids in. A bath was drawn, and afterwards she was dressed in the pretty gown and they pulled all the knots out of her hair and let it hang down around her shoulders. Soon, there was a knock on the door, and she was taken down to dinner. Legolas was seated across from Arweni, Aragorn across from Arwen. Arwen was next to Legolas, leaving Arweni next to Aragorn. Dinner was filled with chatter between Arwen, Aragorn, and Legolas. Arweni ate as fast as possible. Not fast enough. Arwen began to question her again, asking how Rivendell was and what she did and who her mother and father were. Before she could ask anything else, Arweni stood up and asked to be excused. Aragorn granted it and Arweni retreated immediately. Legolas slouched in his seat, feeling more at ease without her there. He lifted his wine glass and was taking a drink when he was aware of Aragorn saying
"You should have seen how I found those two together!" He laughed. Legolas spit out his wine, spewing it over the table. Arwen laughed at Legolas's stunned and red face.
"How?" She asked, still looking amused.
"I walked into the palace, and there's Legolas with his arm around her, and they were sleeping on the floor! And when I woke them up," Legolas pushed his chair back with a violent scraping noise and took his leave after glaring at Aragorn.
"You are a mean Human, Aragorn." He snapped, exiting the dining hall. Arwen laughed as Aragorn told the rest of the story.
"Perhaps Legolas has found a friend." Arwen teased.
"That would be nice."
Legolas meanwhile, had stormed out of the palace and was surprised to see Arweni sitting and trailing her fingers in the pond beside it. Legolas smirked and crept up beside her. Suddenly, his hands splayed across her back and he pushed her in. She fell in with such a small splash, no one else heard, not even the guards. Legolas grinned, waiting for her to surface, shrieking that he ruined her dress. A few bubbles came up, but not the Half Elf. Legolas knelt, concerned. He couldn't see her. Perhaps her dress was too heavy, and causing her to sink. What kind of material was the dress? Cotton? Silk? Was silk heavy?
"ARWENI! ARWENI!" He shouted, nervous. Nothing. A few guards looked over, startled. One guard shoved his fellow guard up the steps.
"Get Lord Aragorn! Tell him his friend has gone mad!" He shouted. Legolas was scanning the surface of the water, trying to see below. Frustrated, he tore off his shirt and his boots and dove in. Bubbles streamed up around him. He could see the bottom of the pond, stone, shining eerily in the murky, filtered light. And there was Arweni, sitting on the bottom, her dress floating around her. Her head lolled on her shoulder. Panic filled the elf prince. Had she hit her head? He heard shouting up above him and when he looked up saw shadows around the edge. Legolas swam down to the bottom and was about to wrap his arms around her waist when her eyes flew open and she grinned and winked. She kicked off the bottom and broke the surface, gasping. King Aragorn was waiting stunned at the edge. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out. A soggy prince emerged just seconds later, glaring at the Half Elf. Arwen wrapped a blanket around Arweni. Arweni laughed at Legolas as he scrambled up onto the solid ground, refusing Aragorn's help.
"You are infuriating." Legolas snapped in an ornery mood. Arweni kept grinning.
"Yes well, I usually get upset too when my jokes backfire." She teased. Legolas shrugged off the blanket Aragorn had wrapped around his shoulders and hurried inside. Aragorn sighed.
"I'll go talk to him."
"Men." Arwen said with a smile to Arweni.
"Elves." Arweni sighed.
Arweni rode slightly apart from Legolas and Aragorn, still wary of both of them, but more so of Aragorn. They traveled for about five days before reaching Gondor. It was a little awkward, and Arweni remained silent, but Legolas and Aragorn had a chance to catch up. Upon entering Gondor, Arweni lagged far behind, marveling at both buildings and people.
"Hello, milady!" One man called out cheerfully. Arweni looked around to make certain he was talking to her.
"Hello." She answered shyly, spurring Bragol Gil so that she was riding near the others. They made their way up to the White Tree, where they dismounted. Arwen was waiting on the steps to meet them.
"Aragorn, you brought a visitor?" She asked. Aragorn kissed her before answering.
"She is Legolas's guest, not mine." Aragorn corrected. Arweni dropped to her knees in a display of reverence.
"My Queen." She muttered. Arwen pulled her back up and hugged her.
"Welcome to Gondor." She grinned and winked at Legolas over Arweni's shoulder.
"This is Lady Arweni, Arwen." Legolas informed her.
"Do you live in Gondor, Arweni?" Arwen asked. Arweni shook her head.
"No, my queen. I live in Rivendell."
"Rivendell? I thought all the Elves had left Rivendell." Arwen mused. Arweni gave a half smile and pulled back her hair.
"Yet a Half Elf remained." She said quietly. Arwen's eyebrow raised.
"Really. Where are you headed now?"
"I'm not quite sure. Perhaps to Mirkwood." Arweni looked extremely uncomfortable at the interrogation. Legolas quickly stepped up to Arwen and hugged her. The four of them headed inside. A maid showed Arweni to a room where she would be staying the night. Arweni perched carefully on the edge, looking about the spacious room. After dark fell, Arwen came by with a dress. Arweni blushed.
"I don't need any generosity, not meaning any disrespect." Arweni told her quickly.
"You must have something to wear for dinner." Arwen insisted.
"I have a spare dress!" Arweni said quickly, pulling out from a bag a dress that looked exactly like the one she had on. Arwen smiled.
"Dinner for us is a time when we dress up." Arwen held out a light blue silk dress with a gold hem.
"I can't."
"Please, take it. Just for dinner." Arwen pleaded. Arweni sighed and accepted it.
"Thank you, Milady." Arweni said quietly. Arwen smiled and let two maids in. A bath was drawn, and afterwards she was dressed in the pretty gown and they pulled all the knots out of her hair and let it hang down around her shoulders. Soon, there was a knock on the door, and she was taken down to dinner. Legolas was seated across from Arweni, Aragorn across from Arwen. Arwen was next to Legolas, leaving Arweni next to Aragorn. Dinner was filled with chatter between Arwen, Aragorn, and Legolas. Arweni ate as fast as possible. Not fast enough. Arwen began to question her again, asking how Rivendell was and what she did and who her mother and father were. Before she could ask anything else, Arweni stood up and asked to be excused. Aragorn granted it and Arweni retreated immediately. Legolas slouched in his seat, feeling more at ease without her there. He lifted his wine glass and was taking a drink when he was aware of Aragorn saying
"You should have seen how I found those two together!" He laughed. Legolas spit out his wine, spewing it over the table. Arwen laughed at Legolas's stunned and red face.
"How?" She asked, still looking amused.
"I walked into the palace, and there's Legolas with his arm around her, and they were sleeping on the floor! And when I woke them up," Legolas pushed his chair back with a violent scraping noise and took his leave after glaring at Aragorn.
"You are a mean Human, Aragorn." He snapped, exiting the dining hall. Arwen laughed as Aragorn told the rest of the story.
"Perhaps Legolas has found a friend." Arwen teased.
"That would be nice."
Legolas meanwhile, had stormed out of the palace and was surprised to see Arweni sitting and trailing her fingers in the pond beside it. Legolas smirked and crept up beside her. Suddenly, his hands splayed across her back and he pushed her in. She fell in with such a small splash, no one else heard, not even the guards. Legolas grinned, waiting for her to surface, shrieking that he ruined her dress. A few bubbles came up, but not the Half Elf. Legolas knelt, concerned. He couldn't see her. Perhaps her dress was too heavy, and causing her to sink. What kind of material was the dress? Cotton? Silk? Was silk heavy?
"ARWENI! ARWENI!" He shouted, nervous. Nothing. A few guards looked over, startled. One guard shoved his fellow guard up the steps.
"Get Lord Aragorn! Tell him his friend has gone mad!" He shouted. Legolas was scanning the surface of the water, trying to see below. Frustrated, he tore off his shirt and his boots and dove in. Bubbles streamed up around him. He could see the bottom of the pond, stone, shining eerily in the murky, filtered light. And there was Arweni, sitting on the bottom, her dress floating around her. Her head lolled on her shoulder. Panic filled the elf prince. Had she hit her head? He heard shouting up above him and when he looked up saw shadows around the edge. Legolas swam down to the bottom and was about to wrap his arms around her waist when her eyes flew open and she grinned and winked. She kicked off the bottom and broke the surface, gasping. King Aragorn was waiting stunned at the edge. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her out. A soggy prince emerged just seconds later, glaring at the Half Elf. Arwen wrapped a blanket around Arweni. Arweni laughed at Legolas as he scrambled up onto the solid ground, refusing Aragorn's help.
"You are infuriating." Legolas snapped in an ornery mood. Arweni kept grinning.
"Yes well, I usually get upset too when my jokes backfire." She teased. Legolas shrugged off the blanket Aragorn had wrapped around his shoulders and hurried inside. Aragorn sighed.
"I'll go talk to him."
"Men." Arwen said with a smile to Arweni.
"Elves." Arweni sighed.