Mueyna had braided half of my hair. If it weren't for the ears, I would've
looked like an elf myself.
"An archery competition is to be held next week. Prince Earyn arrived this morning and challenged a few elves. Prince Legolas, your friend, is one of them. Would you care to go down to the fields to watch them practice? I have to run a few errands down in the kitchens. Shall I lead you down?" Mueyna asked politely.
"No, you go on. I'll find a way down. It can't be that hard." I continued down the hall while Meuyna turned down a small stairwell. That was where the kitchen was. I had better remember that.
When I saw a grand staircase, I assumed that I was in the middle of the building. That would mean Legolas' room was just down the hall. I felt tempted to go find it but decided against it.
I walked down the wide steps. There were other elves walking about on their own. At the bottom of the stairs was the field. Old aged leaves littered the ground from the last falls. A cold chill hung in the October morning sky. Goose bumps popped up along my arm. How could people wear this when it was almost winter?
I walked down along the hallway that opened onto the field, looking out for any signs of Legolas. Then I saw him standing there, helping Niphredil notch an arrow. Was this what the elves call practicing archery?
I suppressed a shout of anger and walked on ignoring them. Soon, I reached ground where no one was at. Somehow, the environment looked vaguely familiar. Did I see this somewhere before?
I rubbed both my arms to keep them warm. Why was I so mad about Legolas being with Niphredil? I don't care right? I shouldn't care. Don't do this to yourself Jocelyn. I had to admit. I wanted Legolas to see me in this dress. It didn't matter now because he had Niphredil to look at. Ugh, and I thought I could hang out with her.
'You have to admit that it was fun last night at the lake.'
This inner voice of mine was getting on my nerves. I decided to go grab a cloak or stay inside. It was just too cold. When I turned around, I found Legolas staring at me. I looked down at my hands nervously. Suddenly, it didn't feel so cold anymore. I started to have this jittery feeling whenever he was looking or talking to me. It must have been what happened last night. Everything was so embarrassing.
"Jocelyn, you look wonderful." Legolas smiled widely as he approached me.
"Aren't you supposed to be with Niphredil?" I said in a disgusted tone. I didn't want to show the weak side of me.
"Yeah, show the ass side of you.'
Shut up, brain! I didn't care anymore whether he thought I looked nice or not. It served him right!
"I saw you walk this way. I thought I would come to ask about you. Did you sleep well?"
I rolled my eyes. "Barely,"
Legolas pursed his lips in disapproval. "After our morning meal, you have better return to your quarters." As soon as he said that, a bell off in the distance rang. "Let us go for our morning meal." He offered me his hand. I looked off past him and ignored it. Legolas dropped his hand and chuckled. "It is this way my lady, follow me." He said, putting emphasis on the words 'my lady'. He walked towards the hallway and turned to the right.
What was the 'my lady' supposed to suggest?
'Maybe the opposite?'
A low growl escaped from my throat.
"Is something wrong?" Legolas asked, hearing the noise.
"Everything is fine." I answered a bit too hurriedly.
"I am not going to take Niphredil's hand in marriage. The closest we could be are siblings." Legolas clarified.
I looked up at him in surprise, but he kept his head straight as if what he said meant nothing to me at all. Well I hate to say it, but it did. I smiled to myself. No, why did I care? This was not right. "Why are you telling me this?"
Legolas looked down at me. "I had a feeling you wanted to know."
I furrowed my eyebrows, still smiling. "What gave you such an idea?" I ran ahead when I saw the same marble table from last night. I found Niphredil sitting in the same chair. I sat down next to her. Delighted that Legolas didn't like her that way, I greeted her cheerfully, "Hey!"
"Good morning, Jocelyn. I am sorry I left you at the lake. My father is very strict about the night. He does not like me staying out too late in the dark. I hope you understand." Niphredil apologized.
"Oh, don't sweat. I found my way out," I nodded, "in an hour, two, whole night maybe."
Niphredil laughed. "Did you hear about the competition? Prince Earyn is Legolas' elder cousin. They have not met for so many years. Earyn thought it would be nice to be a little competitive after their three hundred years apart from each other."
"Is Earyn a nice guy?" I asked, interested.
Niphredil winced when I didn't say 'prince'. She looked around to make sure nobody heard me then said, "He will be here for breakfast. You shall find out."
No longer had she said that, Lord Elrond appeared with another elf by his side. This elf had the same hair as Legolas but his face was more serious looking. His dull violet eyes darted around in alert and landed on me. I stared back at him as if challenging him. He looked on at me unblinking. I was getting a bit nervous, but thankfully Lord Elrond called him to his seat.
It was his first day here, and already he was trying to take over this place or something. I didn't like that elf one bit. He seemed very arrogant. I watched him sit down across from his cousin, Legolas, who was looking at me curiously. I guess he saw my exchange of looks with Earyn. I ignored him as my food was being set in front of me.
This time I didn't care whether the food was good or bad. I barely ate anything last night and I went swimming. Thank god the bread and fruits didn't look bad.
After breakfast, I quickly retired to my room. I slept through the entire afternoon and woke up just as the sun was setting in the west. The first thing that came to my mind was where Legolas was. I decided to take a trip down the hall.
I got out from under the covers reluctantly. A cool breeze blew through the open window and balcony. They should fix some shutters on those things. I slipped my feet into the slippers Mueyna provided me with, and left my room quietly.
Thankfully, no one was in the hall. I felt like I was a spy, wanting no one to be in the hall. Why should I act like this?
'Because you're going to Legolas' room and you're not supposed to.'
What?! I had every right to go there as any other elf. I was mostly thinking of Niphredil.
'You do, but you don't have a reason to go there.'
Did I need one?! Seriously, I hated my conscience. I slipped past the staircase unnoticed. Soon, I was standing in front of a door with the name 'Legolas' engraved on it.
Should I knock to see if he was there or should I just open the door? Was it locked? You know, this was actually really lame so I'd just leave now. As I turned around to go, Legolas opened the door. He looked me up and down curiously then smirked.
"Jocelyn, what are you doing here?"
I looked down at myself and noticed that my gown was twisted. I can't believe I didn't check if I looked ok before I left my room! I recovered from my shock and retorted, "What makes you think I am? I could just be walking by."
"Jocelyn, I am the only person you are acquainted with whose on the second floor West Wing." Legolas said reasonably with his eyebrows raised.
I tried to think of something to talk back about but I couldn't think fast enough. "Just watch me walk away." I pointed.
"Wait," Legolas shouted after me. He shut the door behind him and caught up. "It is dinner. Let us go down together."
I stopped in my tracks as I thought of last night's meal. "I am not going to have some raw meat sit in the pit of my stomach. I like my food cooked. You go down. I need to talk to the chef." I meant all this in a nice way, mind you. I ran ahead, back past the grand staircase to the small stairwell that Mueyna had went down. I remembered where it was! I stepped down the stairs and noticed they managed to have a window facing the north to light the way. Through the thick walls, I heard the bell signaling for dinner to begin. The stairs winded down until finally it ended in a brightly lit kitchen.
About thirty elves were bustling around hurriedly, preparing the dinner. I went towards the maid who seemed to be the head cook. "Excuse me? I was wondering if my-"
"Are you here to take Prince Legolas' dish? Well here, be careful. That is his favorite. Marek, Prince Earyn's done yet?" A man at the other side of the kitchen gave her the thumbs up. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take Prince Earyn's meal also and bring it up to the hall." The round- faced woman turned me around and pushed me on.
"Come on, come on! We don't have all day. Take this to Lord Earyn. I do not want to see this on the ground. I will have you out of Rivendell before you can say dinner." Marek shouted at me.
"You don't understand. I'm not a-"
"Oh, close your mouth and get a move on!"
Oh my god! This was ridiculous. I didn't want to argue anymore so I just went with the flow. On the opposite wall of the stairs that I just came down, was another set of stairs that led up. This one was wider.
I climbed the steps and soon found myself in the clearing where the meal table was set. All the elves were sitting in their usual seats added that Prince Earyn was there and my seat was empty. I walked over to Legolas, who was talking to his cousin. "I can't believe I'm serving you dinner." I interrupted. I placed the plate in front of him.
"Jocelyn, why are you doing this?" Legolas asked in wonder.
"Those chefs thought I was a maid." I rolled my eyes. I tend to do that a lot nowadays. Hmm, wonder why.
"It is not their fault they have mistaken." Earyn said with authority.
I glared at him as I fixed my gown. "Who said you were included in the conversation?" I shot back at him. I dropped his plate in front of him.
Legolas felt the tension between us and broke it. "Jocelyn, your meal is served. Why not you go back to your seat?"
I shook my head stiffly. "No thanks, suddenly my appetite disappeared." I turned on my heels and walked away quickly but not quickly enough to not hear this.
"Who does that girl think she is?!" Earyn protested.
"Please do not keep this at heart. She is just a mere human."
I whipped around at that. Legolas was shaking his head then. What, so he disapproved of me? "What's that supposed to mean?!" I shouted angrily. "So I'm not good enough for you elves! Is that it? This place might be more beautiful than L.A. It might even be better, but at least in L.A., we are all equal!" With that said, I stormed off. I had better win an award for that speech. No, no time for sarcasm. I was real mad this time.
"An archery competition is to be held next week. Prince Earyn arrived this morning and challenged a few elves. Prince Legolas, your friend, is one of them. Would you care to go down to the fields to watch them practice? I have to run a few errands down in the kitchens. Shall I lead you down?" Mueyna asked politely.
"No, you go on. I'll find a way down. It can't be that hard." I continued down the hall while Meuyna turned down a small stairwell. That was where the kitchen was. I had better remember that.
When I saw a grand staircase, I assumed that I was in the middle of the building. That would mean Legolas' room was just down the hall. I felt tempted to go find it but decided against it.
I walked down the wide steps. There were other elves walking about on their own. At the bottom of the stairs was the field. Old aged leaves littered the ground from the last falls. A cold chill hung in the October morning sky. Goose bumps popped up along my arm. How could people wear this when it was almost winter?
I walked down along the hallway that opened onto the field, looking out for any signs of Legolas. Then I saw him standing there, helping Niphredil notch an arrow. Was this what the elves call practicing archery?
I suppressed a shout of anger and walked on ignoring them. Soon, I reached ground where no one was at. Somehow, the environment looked vaguely familiar. Did I see this somewhere before?
I rubbed both my arms to keep them warm. Why was I so mad about Legolas being with Niphredil? I don't care right? I shouldn't care. Don't do this to yourself Jocelyn. I had to admit. I wanted Legolas to see me in this dress. It didn't matter now because he had Niphredil to look at. Ugh, and I thought I could hang out with her.
'You have to admit that it was fun last night at the lake.'
This inner voice of mine was getting on my nerves. I decided to go grab a cloak or stay inside. It was just too cold. When I turned around, I found Legolas staring at me. I looked down at my hands nervously. Suddenly, it didn't feel so cold anymore. I started to have this jittery feeling whenever he was looking or talking to me. It must have been what happened last night. Everything was so embarrassing.
"Jocelyn, you look wonderful." Legolas smiled widely as he approached me.
"Aren't you supposed to be with Niphredil?" I said in a disgusted tone. I didn't want to show the weak side of me.
"Yeah, show the ass side of you.'
Shut up, brain! I didn't care anymore whether he thought I looked nice or not. It served him right!
"I saw you walk this way. I thought I would come to ask about you. Did you sleep well?"
I rolled my eyes. "Barely,"
Legolas pursed his lips in disapproval. "After our morning meal, you have better return to your quarters." As soon as he said that, a bell off in the distance rang. "Let us go for our morning meal." He offered me his hand. I looked off past him and ignored it. Legolas dropped his hand and chuckled. "It is this way my lady, follow me." He said, putting emphasis on the words 'my lady'. He walked towards the hallway and turned to the right.
What was the 'my lady' supposed to suggest?
'Maybe the opposite?'
A low growl escaped from my throat.
"Is something wrong?" Legolas asked, hearing the noise.
"Everything is fine." I answered a bit too hurriedly.
"I am not going to take Niphredil's hand in marriage. The closest we could be are siblings." Legolas clarified.
I looked up at him in surprise, but he kept his head straight as if what he said meant nothing to me at all. Well I hate to say it, but it did. I smiled to myself. No, why did I care? This was not right. "Why are you telling me this?"
Legolas looked down at me. "I had a feeling you wanted to know."
I furrowed my eyebrows, still smiling. "What gave you such an idea?" I ran ahead when I saw the same marble table from last night. I found Niphredil sitting in the same chair. I sat down next to her. Delighted that Legolas didn't like her that way, I greeted her cheerfully, "Hey!"
"Good morning, Jocelyn. I am sorry I left you at the lake. My father is very strict about the night. He does not like me staying out too late in the dark. I hope you understand." Niphredil apologized.
"Oh, don't sweat. I found my way out," I nodded, "in an hour, two, whole night maybe."
Niphredil laughed. "Did you hear about the competition? Prince Earyn is Legolas' elder cousin. They have not met for so many years. Earyn thought it would be nice to be a little competitive after their three hundred years apart from each other."
"Is Earyn a nice guy?" I asked, interested.
Niphredil winced when I didn't say 'prince'. She looked around to make sure nobody heard me then said, "He will be here for breakfast. You shall find out."
No longer had she said that, Lord Elrond appeared with another elf by his side. This elf had the same hair as Legolas but his face was more serious looking. His dull violet eyes darted around in alert and landed on me. I stared back at him as if challenging him. He looked on at me unblinking. I was getting a bit nervous, but thankfully Lord Elrond called him to his seat.
It was his first day here, and already he was trying to take over this place or something. I didn't like that elf one bit. He seemed very arrogant. I watched him sit down across from his cousin, Legolas, who was looking at me curiously. I guess he saw my exchange of looks with Earyn. I ignored him as my food was being set in front of me.
This time I didn't care whether the food was good or bad. I barely ate anything last night and I went swimming. Thank god the bread and fruits didn't look bad.
After breakfast, I quickly retired to my room. I slept through the entire afternoon and woke up just as the sun was setting in the west. The first thing that came to my mind was where Legolas was. I decided to take a trip down the hall.
I got out from under the covers reluctantly. A cool breeze blew through the open window and balcony. They should fix some shutters on those things. I slipped my feet into the slippers Mueyna provided me with, and left my room quietly.
Thankfully, no one was in the hall. I felt like I was a spy, wanting no one to be in the hall. Why should I act like this?
'Because you're going to Legolas' room and you're not supposed to.'
What?! I had every right to go there as any other elf. I was mostly thinking of Niphredil.
'You do, but you don't have a reason to go there.'
Did I need one?! Seriously, I hated my conscience. I slipped past the staircase unnoticed. Soon, I was standing in front of a door with the name 'Legolas' engraved on it.
Should I knock to see if he was there or should I just open the door? Was it locked? You know, this was actually really lame so I'd just leave now. As I turned around to go, Legolas opened the door. He looked me up and down curiously then smirked.
"Jocelyn, what are you doing here?"
I looked down at myself and noticed that my gown was twisted. I can't believe I didn't check if I looked ok before I left my room! I recovered from my shock and retorted, "What makes you think I am? I could just be walking by."
"Jocelyn, I am the only person you are acquainted with whose on the second floor West Wing." Legolas said reasonably with his eyebrows raised.
I tried to think of something to talk back about but I couldn't think fast enough. "Just watch me walk away." I pointed.
"Wait," Legolas shouted after me. He shut the door behind him and caught up. "It is dinner. Let us go down together."
I stopped in my tracks as I thought of last night's meal. "I am not going to have some raw meat sit in the pit of my stomach. I like my food cooked. You go down. I need to talk to the chef." I meant all this in a nice way, mind you. I ran ahead, back past the grand staircase to the small stairwell that Mueyna had went down. I remembered where it was! I stepped down the stairs and noticed they managed to have a window facing the north to light the way. Through the thick walls, I heard the bell signaling for dinner to begin. The stairs winded down until finally it ended in a brightly lit kitchen.
About thirty elves were bustling around hurriedly, preparing the dinner. I went towards the maid who seemed to be the head cook. "Excuse me? I was wondering if my-"
"Are you here to take Prince Legolas' dish? Well here, be careful. That is his favorite. Marek, Prince Earyn's done yet?" A man at the other side of the kitchen gave her the thumbs up. "Well, what are you waiting for? Take Prince Earyn's meal also and bring it up to the hall." The round- faced woman turned me around and pushed me on.
"Come on, come on! We don't have all day. Take this to Lord Earyn. I do not want to see this on the ground. I will have you out of Rivendell before you can say dinner." Marek shouted at me.
"You don't understand. I'm not a-"
"Oh, close your mouth and get a move on!"
Oh my god! This was ridiculous. I didn't want to argue anymore so I just went with the flow. On the opposite wall of the stairs that I just came down, was another set of stairs that led up. This one was wider.
I climbed the steps and soon found myself in the clearing where the meal table was set. All the elves were sitting in their usual seats added that Prince Earyn was there and my seat was empty. I walked over to Legolas, who was talking to his cousin. "I can't believe I'm serving you dinner." I interrupted. I placed the plate in front of him.
"Jocelyn, why are you doing this?" Legolas asked in wonder.
"Those chefs thought I was a maid." I rolled my eyes. I tend to do that a lot nowadays. Hmm, wonder why.
"It is not their fault they have mistaken." Earyn said with authority.
I glared at him as I fixed my gown. "Who said you were included in the conversation?" I shot back at him. I dropped his plate in front of him.
Legolas felt the tension between us and broke it. "Jocelyn, your meal is served. Why not you go back to your seat?"
I shook my head stiffly. "No thanks, suddenly my appetite disappeared." I turned on my heels and walked away quickly but not quickly enough to not hear this.
"Who does that girl think she is?!" Earyn protested.
"Please do not keep this at heart. She is just a mere human."
I whipped around at that. Legolas was shaking his head then. What, so he disapproved of me? "What's that supposed to mean?!" I shouted angrily. "So I'm not good enough for you elves! Is that it? This place might be more beautiful than L.A. It might even be better, but at least in L.A., we are all equal!" With that said, I stormed off. I had better win an award for that speech. No, no time for sarcasm. I was real mad this time.