IOHITF - WARNING!!! Contains Legolas-mocking!!!
E/N: OMG I'm so happy! I got 10 reviews! A whole 10 reviews! Woohoo! I never expected it would reach that amount right away! Thnx everybody so much for reviewing! I'm so happy! Well anyway, now that that's dealt with, I'll get back to writing, and don't worry, I do not plan on making any changes in the plot, unless *glares at Diabolical PlotBunnies of Doom(tm)* my "beloved" pets decide to interfere. Feel free to help me kill them if they do. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this new chappie,
Love, peace and a paperclip,
-xxx- Elvea
PS: Legolas's character is based more on the character in the books than in the movies. If you have read the books, you may have noticed that he's pretty proud.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that New Line Cinema or Tolkien Enterprises already owns *sobs* and I am not gaining any other profit out of writing this than (positive) reviews and a good laugh when I think of a new cruel way to annoy Legolas. So there.
This chapter is dedicated to Eva, my ever so great beta... |:o)
"There stood barrels, and barrels, and barrels; for the Wood-elves, and especially their king, were very fond of wine, though no vines grew in those parts." (the Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, chapter 9; Barrels Out of Bond)
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Chapter 1 - Minas Tirith
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~*~ Elena's POV ~*~
'I am NOT putting that thing on!' I exclaimed, pointing at the gown the maid held out in front of me.
'But Lady Elena! It is not lady-like to go out in clothes like those!' the maid replied, nodding towards my clothes. I looked down at my blue blouse, jeans and sneakers, more than slightly dirty from the journey to the city.
'But I can't ride wearing THAT! How am I supposed to sit?!'
'I take it they'll give you a sidesaddle'
'I can't ride with a sidesaddle! I am not going to walk about wearing that... TENT!'
'You're gonna have to wear something other than those filthy rags!' the maid said, letting annoyance through in her voice. Just then, Aragorn walked in.
'Is there a problem, Lady Elena?' he asked, smiling politely. Oh my God, he looks good when he does that... Arwen is one lucky woman.
'I'm not going to wear that thing!' I repeated, pointing at the gown. Aragorn started laughing.
'Put it away' he commanded the maid. 'Lady Elena, I think my wife may have some riding-clothes for you to borrow. Follow me' He left the room and I followed him. At least he treated me like a guest, unlike a certain stuck- up Elf prince who shall remain nameless for the time being. Stupid Legolas. We went through numerous halls, up and down more than a few stairs, through endless seeming hallways until we finally reached Queen Arwen's quarters. Dear God this place is a maze! Aragorn knocked on one of the many, many doors. A maid opened it.
'Arlina, please make my queen aware of my presence' he said. The maid bowed and walked back into the room. Several moments later she returned, followed by the queen. The maid bowed again, then left.
'You desire, my beloved?' Arwen asked.
'My dearest Arwen' -aww that's so cute!- 'Could you please help our guest to some proper riding-clothes, she doesn't have anything but her own' Aragorn answered. Arwen smiled.
'Of course' she said, then gestured me to follow her. 'Follow me'
~*~
I laughed, for the first time since I'd ended up in Middle-earth, and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. It had been about an hour since I'd entered Arwen's quarters now, and not only had I been able to conclude that Arwen was indeed as beautiful as Tolkien had described in his books, but she was also kind, helpful and most of all extremely funny. Some girls just have it all.
'No wonder he screamed when I pulled his hair' I said, still laughing.
'When it comes to his hair Legolas is indeed very vain at times' Arwen agreed.
'And what about those pointy ears of his?'
'Don't tell me you pulled those too...'
'And what if I did?' I asked. Arwen chuckled.
'Don't worry. All you probably did was damage his pride. He'll get over it and then I'm sure he'll be nicer to you' she replied. I raised an eyebrow.
'Legolas, nice?'
'Yes of course, he's an Elf, hate is not in his nature'
'If you say so...'
'Maybe you should give him a second chance, forgive him'
'No way, he has to apologize first' I said, folding my arms over each other. Arwen sighed.
'Can't you swallow your pride for once and apologize?'
'Of course I can. And I will...'
'Good'
'...but Legolas has to do it first'
~*~ Aragorn's POV ~*~
'YOU LET HER OUT OF HER ROOM?!' Legolas shouted infuriated.
'Calm down my friend, she's with Arwen right now' I replied soothingly.
'That's even worse! She'll kill her! She'll get away! She'll-'
'I said: calm down. I don't think she's as dangerous as you seem to think, and I'm sure Arwen can handle her'
'She's crazy. Everyone in their right mind knows you can't be from another world'
'I don't think that's what's really bothering you, Legolas'
'Then what do you think is bothering me?'
'She damaged your pride' I stated dryly.
'Damaged my- as if! She?'
'She pulled your hair, right?'
'And my ears!'
'Why don't you just forgive her for that? I'm sure it was all just a misunderstanding...'
'ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!' Legolas shouted at me. A curse upon Elves and their stiff necks!
'Well you imprisoned her for a, what I think to be, quite weak reason. I think the least you could do is apologize for the circumstances'
'She attacked me!'
'She pulled your hair, you imprisoned her. Maybe you're overreacting a bit...' I pointed out to the Elf. Legolas fell silent for a while, thoughtful look in his bright blue eyes.
'I guess you're right, maybe I did overreact' he said after a while.
'And...?'
'Maybe I should apologize indeed' he smiled slyly.
'Finally' I let out a sigh of relief.
'But she has to apologize first'
~*~ Elena's POV ~*~
I looked into the mirror. My curls and freaky golden-brown eyes (what? I happen to think that the golden circle around my eyes is freaky, okay?) topped a deep red gown that reached to the floor. It was cut low with a low back, but had a wide skirt. All together it was a very simple gown, but somehow it had a certain elegance about it. I sighed. The only reason I was wearing the thing was because of a special feast tonight. Arwen had convinced me to be present at the feast, and to apologize. This had taken Arwen a while, because I had absolutely no intention to do such thing. It was the argument that "I'd be the wisest" that had finally convinced me. Of course it also helped that I'd taken a nice warm bath (the first in days since Mr. Prissy didn't allow me to bathe because "I might escape". Yeah right), had washed my hair and also had gotten some clothes from Arwen to keep for the journey that lay ahead of me.
Dressed in the gown Arwen had borrowed me for the evening I left my room, started walking down the hallway, and then stopped. I had absolutely no idea where the dining hall was. Helplessly I looked around for someone to give me directions.
I stood in the hallway for several minutes, lost, not knowing what to do or where to go. I didn't want to risk getting lost while searching for the bloody hall either, so I just waited for someone to show up. Finally I heard footsteps coming from around the corner, shortly after followed by a young maid entering the hallway.
'Ah, Lady Elena! There you are! They're waiting for you in the dining hall, we must hurry, follow me!' the maid said as she saw me standing in the middle of the hallway, doing nothing in particular. Is it just me, or do people just command me around all the time? I nodded and silently followed the girl, wondering how in the world this girl could wander in a place like this without getting lost.
~*~
The sweet scent of wine and many different kinds of food filled my nose and mind with delight as I approached the dining hall. Soft music, laughter and the mumbling sound of numerous voices came from behind two large doors, guarded by two men in full armor. When they saw me and the maid approach they immediately sprang up and bowed -geez how in the world can they make such swift movements wrapped in iron cans?- then they opened the large doors. The maid left without saying a word, leaving me on my own to enter the giant hall. As I entered the hall, all heads turned to me and everybody stared. Hell, even Legolas was staring. Now there's your average cliché Cinderella entrance. Please people, STOP STARING!!!
I looked around the hall. It was crowded with people, probably guests of the king, and servants walked about everywhere serving whine and other things. In the center of the hall stood a huge wooden table with an incredible amount of chairs around it. My God, did Aragorn invite all of Gondor over for dinner or something? At the head of the table stood the dais, with a smaller table on it and five chairs behind it, looking out over the long table. The seats of the royal family and their most honored guests, most likely.
I walked towards the only people in the immense hall I knew: Arwen, Aragorn and Legolas. They were standing together talking to some people I'd never seen before. Next to Arwen stood a little boy, trying to get her attention. As I walked towards the small group, Legolas continued staring at me, and frankly it was getting on my nerves.
'Continue staring at me like that' I said to him when I reached the group, 'and you'll get to study my fist up close'
'Well I'm sorry' he responded, 'but it doesn't happen every day that some *peasant* like you gets royal favor' I opened my mouth to say something mean in return, but Arwen elbowed me.
'You're supposed to apologize, not to start another fight' she hissed. Aragorn turned away from the man he had been speaking to.
'Lady Elena, I'd like you to meet someone' he said, then rested his hand on the shoulder of the little boy. 'This is my son, Prince Eldarion' he said proudly. I smiled at the little boy.
'A pleasure to meet you' I said to Eldarion.
'Are you an Elf too?' Eldarion asked promptly. Arwen and Aragorn smiled, Legolas pulled a face as if he was about to throw up. I ignored him.
'No honey, she isn't an Elf' Arwen told her son.
'But she's pretty mommy!' the boy exclaimed. I felt my face flush.
'Yes dear, we know. But it doesn't make her an Elf' Aragorn said to him. My face took an even deeper shade of red. Hello it doesn't happen every day that the king of Gondor decides to agree with his son that you're pretty. Besides, I'm not. I have freaky eyes. Arwen turned to me.
'You have to forgive Eldarion' she said. 'He's only seven years old, he doesn't quite know the differences between Elves and Men yet' she paused shortly before she continued. 'You can forgive him, can't you?' she looked me straight in the eyes.
'Of course I can forgive him' I answered.
'I wasn't talking about Eldarion anymore' Arwen went on, still not releasing me from her gaze. I knew exactly who she was talking about, and even though I had promised her to do it I wasn't sure if I could forgive Legolas, or apologize to him for my own mistakes. I knew for sure that it would make my time in Middle-earth a whole lot more pleasant and would contain a whole lot less negative tension, but I doubted if I could really get along with Legolas even if we did make up. The only way to find out what would happen was by trying. I turned to Legolas.
'Legolas, can I talk to you in private for a moment?' I asked him. Oh please please please bear with me here!
'I don't see why I should waste more time than necessary on my prisoner' he answered. If I wouldn't have held myself back, I would've slapped him right across the face, or worse. Stupid, stuck-up, annoying, arrogant, ugly -no he's not ugly-, pathetic, low-life, lame excuse for an Elven being... I wonder if he would accept that as his new title...
'Well I'm sorry *Lord Greenleaf*, but it's important and I'm sure you'll find it interresting' I answered, swallowing my anger for the moment and hoping that he wouldn't say another stupid thing in response. Amazingly enough, he didn't.
'Follow me' he said. Oh sure, go ahead, take command again, not like you care if I mind... I think this is going to be even harder than I thought it would be, he's already annoying me again... Legolas started walking towards an empty corner of the hall, and I followed him. There was no turning back now. He stopped walking when he reached the corner, then turned to me.
'Well, what was so important?' he asked in a bored tone of voice. Can't he at least pretend to care?!
'I uhm, well...' I started. Legolas yawned. Great, make it even harder than it already is. 'I want to apologize to you' I said. An amused grin crept up his face.
'What for?' he asked, smiling slyly. What for? Is it bad if I haven't thought of that yet?
'For uhm... for pulling your hair... oh and your ears... and uhm, for kicking you and stuff... and for, uhm... for the trouble I caused you the last couple of days, oh and also for insulting you... and for any other way that I've been rude to you' I said, thinking of things to say as I spoke. Okay, I think all my pride went right down the drain there.
'Apology accepted' Legolas answered dryly, then he started walking back to Arwen and Aragorn. That's it?! Apology accepted?! Isn't this the part where he starts apologizing? I grabbed his wrist, and he turned back to me. 'Is something wrong?' he asked innocently.
'Aren't you supposed to apologize now?' I said, letting go of his wrist.
'I'm a prince, I don't have to apologize to a mere peasant like you' he said arrogantly, then he walked away, a smug grin on his face. He actually found all this amusing?! I can't believe he just said those things! Actually I can but that doesn't matter. He is so going to pay for it!
~*~ Legolas's POV ~*~
I hadn't felt this good in days. Not only had Elena apologized to me and made herself look like a fool, I had also managed to rub some salt into her wounds. As I re-joined Aragorn and Arwen I noticed that she was still standing in the corner where I left her. She stood quite calmly, as if thinking about some things. Then she started walking back to us and smiled at me sweetly. I knew she'd make up her mind. I knew she'd come around and realize she's no match for me. I continued my conversation with Aragorn. From the corner of my eye I could see Eldarion tug her sleeve. I took a sip of the wine a servant just handed me. She stooped down so that their faces were at the same level.
'I want to tell you something' I heard the boy say in a conspiring tone. Inconspicuously I pricked up my ears.
'Go ahead then' I heard her reply in a warm tone of voice. I could see Eldarion lean in to whisper something in her ear. I set the glass of wine at my mouth to take another sip.
'I think Legolas might have a crush on you' the boy whispered.
~*~ Elena's POV ~*~
I had to restrain myself from laughing, even though the sight was absolutely hilarious. Legolas spitting out the sip of wine he just took and choking on the bit he was just swallowing was just too funny. Then of course there was also Arwen, raising an eyebrow at Eldarion's words. Ah, the joys of Elven hearing-abilities... Eldarion walked back to Arwen, probably not realizing that she had heard what he said. Just then Aragorn announced that dinner was ready.
'Legolas, would you be ever so kind and guide Elena to her seat?' Arwen asked sweetly, a faint twinkle in her eyes. I saw the sour look on his face, even when it was only there less than a second. After that he nodded and held out his arm to me. Suppressing a grin I placed my hand on it and we started walking towards the head of the table. I knew he hated walking with me, so I walked extra slow just to annoy him. We stepped onto the dais.
Aragorn already sat there on the middle chair, with Arwen to his left and Eldarion next to her. Legolas offered me the seat on Aragorn's other side and I sat down in it, thanking Legolas for his "kindness". Legolas sat down next to me so that all seats on the dais were taken. I realized that I sat here as one of the most honored guests. It must be a stab right through Elf- boy's immortal heart that I'm sitting right next to the king...
When everybody had found the proper seat at the table, some guy stood up and toasted to the king, followed by several other toasts. A plan started to take shape in my head. After a while I found a chance to bring out a toast as well. As soon as I stood up, all heads turned to me.
'I uhm... I'd like to toast to a very special person, because without him I would never have gotten here, amongst such great people' I started. As the crowd cheered in agreement, I saw a smug smile finding its way up to Legolas's face from the corner of my eye. I went on. 'I'd like to show him just how grateful I am for bringing me here, and I want to show him just how much I admire him. Therefore, I toast to Prince Legolas Greenleaf' I finished my speech and raised my glass.
'To Prince Legolas Greenleaf!' The crowd cheered in unison as they raised their glasses of wine. I lowered my glass a bit, but in stead of taking a sip just like everybody else, I turned to Legolas, fully aware that I still had full attention of the crowd. By now the word "arrogant" was practically written on his forehead. It was obvious that he thought he'd won.
'This is exactly how much I admire you' I whispered. I raised my glass again, then slowly turned it upside down, letting the wine fall freely onto his hair, face and clothes. The crowd started laughing. Legolas snapped out of his "victorious" moment and jumped up angrily, realizing what I'd just done.
'What did you do that for?!' he yelled demandingly. I grinned.
'I'm a peasant, I don't have table manners' I stated dryly. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I'm returning to my room. I hope you'll have a swell time tonight, and I most sincerely do hope that you enjoy the wine' I added as I put my glass back down on the table. I bowed my head to the crowd, then I bowed to Aragorn, Arwen and Eldarion. I turned back to Legolas, trying not to grin. There he was, wine dripping from his hair onto his clothes and face, an infuriated look on his face. 'I hope you liked my surprise. I once heard wood-elves are fond of wine' I bowed to him, then turned and left the dining hall, enjoying the sweet taste of vengeance.
~*~ Legolas's POV ~*~
"This is exactly how much I admire you" The words echoed through my mind as I watched her leave the hall, while the wine continued dripping from my hair. I turned to Aragorn and Arwen, just in time to see them hide the smirks on their faces.
'It's not funny!' I hissed.
'I'm truly sorry Legolas, but you deserved that one' Aragorn replied. So now she's even got my friends on her side... I can't wait to get to Rivendell and be rid of her. Elrond will know what to do. Even if he doesn't I can always leave her there and go home. I'm sure Elrond will take good care of her. I heard he was still looking for a new maid. Or maybe one of his sons will be stupid enough to fall for her and release me from her reign of terror. I already feel sorry for the inhabitants of Rivendell... Ah well, not my problem.
I decided not to take the public humiliation any longer and left the hall as well, planning to give that mortal a piece of my mind. It wasn't hard to find her, simply because she had no idea how to get back to her room and was thus standing helplessly in the middle of the hallway.
'The dungeons are that way' I said, pointing in their direction.
'How come you do know where the dungeons are, but don't know where to get a bath?' she replied. How dare she mock me?! By the light of Eärendil, I'm a bloody prince!
'I do know where the baths are!'
'You might want to take one, you can smell the wine by miles'
'Well I would be doing that right now if *someone* wouldn't be standing in my way wasting my precious time!'
'Well then I guess *someone's* ego is a bit too big to fit in this hallway, if he can't pass by me. I'm just glad that I don't faint from the wine-like stench that is all about him' she stated dryly, obviously suppressing a grin. Why that little...
'You really enjoy this, don't you?'
'Every single second. But you know what they say Elf-boy; what goes around comes around' Elf-boy?! How dare she call me that?! Before I could respond, she had disappeared. I'll get her for this, wait and see...
...after I take my shower, that is.
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Phew, I think I just wrote that at super-speed, it came right out of my hand... well, I hope you enjoyed it, I sure enjoyed writing it. As usual, feedback very much appreciated, constructive critisism is welcome, flames will be sent to Denethor. Thanks for reading.
-xxx- Elvea
PS: Eva u r briljant, I am so gonna use your idea!
?: *blushes* I'm happy you liked my first chappie, I hope you also like this one.
Me: *blushes again* Gee, never thought people were gonna be this enthusiastic. I just hoped people wouldn't think of it as "another Sue Mary" cuz it's not. I hope that you like it so far, because Legolas is nowhere near Rivendell yet.
adelaide e: Glad you liked the slash fic suggestion. I wasn't sure if people would swallow the mention of it, or flame me. Don't worry, Legolas and Elena will not fall in love unless (yes the Diabolical PlotBunnies of Doom (tm) are still here) my dear pets decide to ruin my master plan. I pray they don't. I suspect that Eldarion is a PlotBunny in disguise, although last time I spoke with Legolas he made it clear that he hates Elena's guts. Ah well, like I said, don't worry.
Erica aka (frodo_lover): Well, I hope this made you happy, I continued. Your review sure made the message clear to me anyways.
PiscesAngel: Way too funny? Hmhmhm... does that mean I should make it less funny, of should I make it worse? I dunno. Anyway, I'm gonna continue anyway, so you'd better enjoy it. Well people are supposed to, anyway.
Yavanna: Do I sense a *hint hint* in your message? If so, I hope I got it right.
Melandune: I told you so! Well, I'm very happy that I was right, it would suck if you hated it. Well, hope this is soon enough for you, if not, hey don't blame me, blame my school. (Blowing up the darn place might also work to make me update sooner *hint hint*).
Black Pearl: What can I say that I haven't already said? Thank you so much for reading this, hope you still like it.
?: Okay, okay. I get the point by now. I kept writing. Happy? Hope you are |:o)
Godforsaken: |:o) Running out of things to say so I thought you might like a special smiley in stead. Or do you prefer a bat? ^^+_+^^
E/N: OMG I'm so happy! I got 10 reviews! A whole 10 reviews! Woohoo! I never expected it would reach that amount right away! Thnx everybody so much for reviewing! I'm so happy! Well anyway, now that that's dealt with, I'll get back to writing, and don't worry, I do not plan on making any changes in the plot, unless *glares at Diabolical PlotBunnies of Doom(tm)* my "beloved" pets decide to interfere. Feel free to help me kill them if they do. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this new chappie,
Love, peace and a paperclip,
-xxx- Elvea
PS: Legolas's character is based more on the character in the books than in the movies. If you have read the books, you may have noticed that he's pretty proud.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything that New Line Cinema or Tolkien Enterprises already owns *sobs* and I am not gaining any other profit out of writing this than (positive) reviews and a good laugh when I think of a new cruel way to annoy Legolas. So there.
This chapter is dedicated to Eva, my ever so great beta... |:o)
"There stood barrels, and barrels, and barrels; for the Wood-elves, and especially their king, were very fond of wine, though no vines grew in those parts." (the Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, chapter 9; Barrels Out of Bond)
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Chapter 1 - Minas Tirith
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~*~ Elena's POV ~*~
'I am NOT putting that thing on!' I exclaimed, pointing at the gown the maid held out in front of me.
'But Lady Elena! It is not lady-like to go out in clothes like those!' the maid replied, nodding towards my clothes. I looked down at my blue blouse, jeans and sneakers, more than slightly dirty from the journey to the city.
'But I can't ride wearing THAT! How am I supposed to sit?!'
'I take it they'll give you a sidesaddle'
'I can't ride with a sidesaddle! I am not going to walk about wearing that... TENT!'
'You're gonna have to wear something other than those filthy rags!' the maid said, letting annoyance through in her voice. Just then, Aragorn walked in.
'Is there a problem, Lady Elena?' he asked, smiling politely. Oh my God, he looks good when he does that... Arwen is one lucky woman.
'I'm not going to wear that thing!' I repeated, pointing at the gown. Aragorn started laughing.
'Put it away' he commanded the maid. 'Lady Elena, I think my wife may have some riding-clothes for you to borrow. Follow me' He left the room and I followed him. At least he treated me like a guest, unlike a certain stuck- up Elf prince who shall remain nameless for the time being. Stupid Legolas. We went through numerous halls, up and down more than a few stairs, through endless seeming hallways until we finally reached Queen Arwen's quarters. Dear God this place is a maze! Aragorn knocked on one of the many, many doors. A maid opened it.
'Arlina, please make my queen aware of my presence' he said. The maid bowed and walked back into the room. Several moments later she returned, followed by the queen. The maid bowed again, then left.
'You desire, my beloved?' Arwen asked.
'My dearest Arwen' -aww that's so cute!- 'Could you please help our guest to some proper riding-clothes, she doesn't have anything but her own' Aragorn answered. Arwen smiled.
'Of course' she said, then gestured me to follow her. 'Follow me'
~*~
I laughed, for the first time since I'd ended up in Middle-earth, and thoroughly enjoyed doing so. It had been about an hour since I'd entered Arwen's quarters now, and not only had I been able to conclude that Arwen was indeed as beautiful as Tolkien had described in his books, but she was also kind, helpful and most of all extremely funny. Some girls just have it all.
'No wonder he screamed when I pulled his hair' I said, still laughing.
'When it comes to his hair Legolas is indeed very vain at times' Arwen agreed.
'And what about those pointy ears of his?'
'Don't tell me you pulled those too...'
'And what if I did?' I asked. Arwen chuckled.
'Don't worry. All you probably did was damage his pride. He'll get over it and then I'm sure he'll be nicer to you' she replied. I raised an eyebrow.
'Legolas, nice?'
'Yes of course, he's an Elf, hate is not in his nature'
'If you say so...'
'Maybe you should give him a second chance, forgive him'
'No way, he has to apologize first' I said, folding my arms over each other. Arwen sighed.
'Can't you swallow your pride for once and apologize?'
'Of course I can. And I will...'
'Good'
'...but Legolas has to do it first'
~*~ Aragorn's POV ~*~
'YOU LET HER OUT OF HER ROOM?!' Legolas shouted infuriated.
'Calm down my friend, she's with Arwen right now' I replied soothingly.
'That's even worse! She'll kill her! She'll get away! She'll-'
'I said: calm down. I don't think she's as dangerous as you seem to think, and I'm sure Arwen can handle her'
'She's crazy. Everyone in their right mind knows you can't be from another world'
'I don't think that's what's really bothering you, Legolas'
'Then what do you think is bothering me?'
'She damaged your pride' I stated dryly.
'Damaged my- as if! She?'
'She pulled your hair, right?'
'And my ears!'
'Why don't you just forgive her for that? I'm sure it was all just a misunderstanding...'
'ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!' Legolas shouted at me. A curse upon Elves and their stiff necks!
'Well you imprisoned her for a, what I think to be, quite weak reason. I think the least you could do is apologize for the circumstances'
'She attacked me!'
'She pulled your hair, you imprisoned her. Maybe you're overreacting a bit...' I pointed out to the Elf. Legolas fell silent for a while, thoughtful look in his bright blue eyes.
'I guess you're right, maybe I did overreact' he said after a while.
'And...?'
'Maybe I should apologize indeed' he smiled slyly.
'Finally' I let out a sigh of relief.
'But she has to apologize first'
~*~ Elena's POV ~*~
I looked into the mirror. My curls and freaky golden-brown eyes (what? I happen to think that the golden circle around my eyes is freaky, okay?) topped a deep red gown that reached to the floor. It was cut low with a low back, but had a wide skirt. All together it was a very simple gown, but somehow it had a certain elegance about it. I sighed. The only reason I was wearing the thing was because of a special feast tonight. Arwen had convinced me to be present at the feast, and to apologize. This had taken Arwen a while, because I had absolutely no intention to do such thing. It was the argument that "I'd be the wisest" that had finally convinced me. Of course it also helped that I'd taken a nice warm bath (the first in days since Mr. Prissy didn't allow me to bathe because "I might escape". Yeah right), had washed my hair and also had gotten some clothes from Arwen to keep for the journey that lay ahead of me.
Dressed in the gown Arwen had borrowed me for the evening I left my room, started walking down the hallway, and then stopped. I had absolutely no idea where the dining hall was. Helplessly I looked around for someone to give me directions.
I stood in the hallway for several minutes, lost, not knowing what to do or where to go. I didn't want to risk getting lost while searching for the bloody hall either, so I just waited for someone to show up. Finally I heard footsteps coming from around the corner, shortly after followed by a young maid entering the hallway.
'Ah, Lady Elena! There you are! They're waiting for you in the dining hall, we must hurry, follow me!' the maid said as she saw me standing in the middle of the hallway, doing nothing in particular. Is it just me, or do people just command me around all the time? I nodded and silently followed the girl, wondering how in the world this girl could wander in a place like this without getting lost.
~*~
The sweet scent of wine and many different kinds of food filled my nose and mind with delight as I approached the dining hall. Soft music, laughter and the mumbling sound of numerous voices came from behind two large doors, guarded by two men in full armor. When they saw me and the maid approach they immediately sprang up and bowed -geez how in the world can they make such swift movements wrapped in iron cans?- then they opened the large doors. The maid left without saying a word, leaving me on my own to enter the giant hall. As I entered the hall, all heads turned to me and everybody stared. Hell, even Legolas was staring. Now there's your average cliché Cinderella entrance. Please people, STOP STARING!!!
I looked around the hall. It was crowded with people, probably guests of the king, and servants walked about everywhere serving whine and other things. In the center of the hall stood a huge wooden table with an incredible amount of chairs around it. My God, did Aragorn invite all of Gondor over for dinner or something? At the head of the table stood the dais, with a smaller table on it and five chairs behind it, looking out over the long table. The seats of the royal family and their most honored guests, most likely.
I walked towards the only people in the immense hall I knew: Arwen, Aragorn and Legolas. They were standing together talking to some people I'd never seen before. Next to Arwen stood a little boy, trying to get her attention. As I walked towards the small group, Legolas continued staring at me, and frankly it was getting on my nerves.
'Continue staring at me like that' I said to him when I reached the group, 'and you'll get to study my fist up close'
'Well I'm sorry' he responded, 'but it doesn't happen every day that some *peasant* like you gets royal favor' I opened my mouth to say something mean in return, but Arwen elbowed me.
'You're supposed to apologize, not to start another fight' she hissed. Aragorn turned away from the man he had been speaking to.
'Lady Elena, I'd like you to meet someone' he said, then rested his hand on the shoulder of the little boy. 'This is my son, Prince Eldarion' he said proudly. I smiled at the little boy.
'A pleasure to meet you' I said to Eldarion.
'Are you an Elf too?' Eldarion asked promptly. Arwen and Aragorn smiled, Legolas pulled a face as if he was about to throw up. I ignored him.
'No honey, she isn't an Elf' Arwen told her son.
'But she's pretty mommy!' the boy exclaimed. I felt my face flush.
'Yes dear, we know. But it doesn't make her an Elf' Aragorn said to him. My face took an even deeper shade of red. Hello it doesn't happen every day that the king of Gondor decides to agree with his son that you're pretty. Besides, I'm not. I have freaky eyes. Arwen turned to me.
'You have to forgive Eldarion' she said. 'He's only seven years old, he doesn't quite know the differences between Elves and Men yet' she paused shortly before she continued. 'You can forgive him, can't you?' she looked me straight in the eyes.
'Of course I can forgive him' I answered.
'I wasn't talking about Eldarion anymore' Arwen went on, still not releasing me from her gaze. I knew exactly who she was talking about, and even though I had promised her to do it I wasn't sure if I could forgive Legolas, or apologize to him for my own mistakes. I knew for sure that it would make my time in Middle-earth a whole lot more pleasant and would contain a whole lot less negative tension, but I doubted if I could really get along with Legolas even if we did make up. The only way to find out what would happen was by trying. I turned to Legolas.
'Legolas, can I talk to you in private for a moment?' I asked him. Oh please please please bear with me here!
'I don't see why I should waste more time than necessary on my prisoner' he answered. If I wouldn't have held myself back, I would've slapped him right across the face, or worse. Stupid, stuck-up, annoying, arrogant, ugly -no he's not ugly-, pathetic, low-life, lame excuse for an Elven being... I wonder if he would accept that as his new title...
'Well I'm sorry *Lord Greenleaf*, but it's important and I'm sure you'll find it interresting' I answered, swallowing my anger for the moment and hoping that he wouldn't say another stupid thing in response. Amazingly enough, he didn't.
'Follow me' he said. Oh sure, go ahead, take command again, not like you care if I mind... I think this is going to be even harder than I thought it would be, he's already annoying me again... Legolas started walking towards an empty corner of the hall, and I followed him. There was no turning back now. He stopped walking when he reached the corner, then turned to me.
'Well, what was so important?' he asked in a bored tone of voice. Can't he at least pretend to care?!
'I uhm, well...' I started. Legolas yawned. Great, make it even harder than it already is. 'I want to apologize to you' I said. An amused grin crept up his face.
'What for?' he asked, smiling slyly. What for? Is it bad if I haven't thought of that yet?
'For uhm... for pulling your hair... oh and your ears... and uhm, for kicking you and stuff... and for, uhm... for the trouble I caused you the last couple of days, oh and also for insulting you... and for any other way that I've been rude to you' I said, thinking of things to say as I spoke. Okay, I think all my pride went right down the drain there.
'Apology accepted' Legolas answered dryly, then he started walking back to Arwen and Aragorn. That's it?! Apology accepted?! Isn't this the part where he starts apologizing? I grabbed his wrist, and he turned back to me. 'Is something wrong?' he asked innocently.
'Aren't you supposed to apologize now?' I said, letting go of his wrist.
'I'm a prince, I don't have to apologize to a mere peasant like you' he said arrogantly, then he walked away, a smug grin on his face. He actually found all this amusing?! I can't believe he just said those things! Actually I can but that doesn't matter. He is so going to pay for it!
~*~ Legolas's POV ~*~
I hadn't felt this good in days. Not only had Elena apologized to me and made herself look like a fool, I had also managed to rub some salt into her wounds. As I re-joined Aragorn and Arwen I noticed that she was still standing in the corner where I left her. She stood quite calmly, as if thinking about some things. Then she started walking back to us and smiled at me sweetly. I knew she'd make up her mind. I knew she'd come around and realize she's no match for me. I continued my conversation with Aragorn. From the corner of my eye I could see Eldarion tug her sleeve. I took a sip of the wine a servant just handed me. She stooped down so that their faces were at the same level.
'I want to tell you something' I heard the boy say in a conspiring tone. Inconspicuously I pricked up my ears.
'Go ahead then' I heard her reply in a warm tone of voice. I could see Eldarion lean in to whisper something in her ear. I set the glass of wine at my mouth to take another sip.
'I think Legolas might have a crush on you' the boy whispered.
~*~ Elena's POV ~*~
I had to restrain myself from laughing, even though the sight was absolutely hilarious. Legolas spitting out the sip of wine he just took and choking on the bit he was just swallowing was just too funny. Then of course there was also Arwen, raising an eyebrow at Eldarion's words. Ah, the joys of Elven hearing-abilities... Eldarion walked back to Arwen, probably not realizing that she had heard what he said. Just then Aragorn announced that dinner was ready.
'Legolas, would you be ever so kind and guide Elena to her seat?' Arwen asked sweetly, a faint twinkle in her eyes. I saw the sour look on his face, even when it was only there less than a second. After that he nodded and held out his arm to me. Suppressing a grin I placed my hand on it and we started walking towards the head of the table. I knew he hated walking with me, so I walked extra slow just to annoy him. We stepped onto the dais.
Aragorn already sat there on the middle chair, with Arwen to his left and Eldarion next to her. Legolas offered me the seat on Aragorn's other side and I sat down in it, thanking Legolas for his "kindness". Legolas sat down next to me so that all seats on the dais were taken. I realized that I sat here as one of the most honored guests. It must be a stab right through Elf- boy's immortal heart that I'm sitting right next to the king...
When everybody had found the proper seat at the table, some guy stood up and toasted to the king, followed by several other toasts. A plan started to take shape in my head. After a while I found a chance to bring out a toast as well. As soon as I stood up, all heads turned to me.
'I uhm... I'd like to toast to a very special person, because without him I would never have gotten here, amongst such great people' I started. As the crowd cheered in agreement, I saw a smug smile finding its way up to Legolas's face from the corner of my eye. I went on. 'I'd like to show him just how grateful I am for bringing me here, and I want to show him just how much I admire him. Therefore, I toast to Prince Legolas Greenleaf' I finished my speech and raised my glass.
'To Prince Legolas Greenleaf!' The crowd cheered in unison as they raised their glasses of wine. I lowered my glass a bit, but in stead of taking a sip just like everybody else, I turned to Legolas, fully aware that I still had full attention of the crowd. By now the word "arrogant" was practically written on his forehead. It was obvious that he thought he'd won.
'This is exactly how much I admire you' I whispered. I raised my glass again, then slowly turned it upside down, letting the wine fall freely onto his hair, face and clothes. The crowd started laughing. Legolas snapped out of his "victorious" moment and jumped up angrily, realizing what I'd just done.
'What did you do that for?!' he yelled demandingly. I grinned.
'I'm a peasant, I don't have table manners' I stated dryly. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I'm returning to my room. I hope you'll have a swell time tonight, and I most sincerely do hope that you enjoy the wine' I added as I put my glass back down on the table. I bowed my head to the crowd, then I bowed to Aragorn, Arwen and Eldarion. I turned back to Legolas, trying not to grin. There he was, wine dripping from his hair onto his clothes and face, an infuriated look on his face. 'I hope you liked my surprise. I once heard wood-elves are fond of wine' I bowed to him, then turned and left the dining hall, enjoying the sweet taste of vengeance.
~*~ Legolas's POV ~*~
"This is exactly how much I admire you" The words echoed through my mind as I watched her leave the hall, while the wine continued dripping from my hair. I turned to Aragorn and Arwen, just in time to see them hide the smirks on their faces.
'It's not funny!' I hissed.
'I'm truly sorry Legolas, but you deserved that one' Aragorn replied. So now she's even got my friends on her side... I can't wait to get to Rivendell and be rid of her. Elrond will know what to do. Even if he doesn't I can always leave her there and go home. I'm sure Elrond will take good care of her. I heard he was still looking for a new maid. Or maybe one of his sons will be stupid enough to fall for her and release me from her reign of terror. I already feel sorry for the inhabitants of Rivendell... Ah well, not my problem.
I decided not to take the public humiliation any longer and left the hall as well, planning to give that mortal a piece of my mind. It wasn't hard to find her, simply because she had no idea how to get back to her room and was thus standing helplessly in the middle of the hallway.
'The dungeons are that way' I said, pointing in their direction.
'How come you do know where the dungeons are, but don't know where to get a bath?' she replied. How dare she mock me?! By the light of Eärendil, I'm a bloody prince!
'I do know where the baths are!'
'You might want to take one, you can smell the wine by miles'
'Well I would be doing that right now if *someone* wouldn't be standing in my way wasting my precious time!'
'Well then I guess *someone's* ego is a bit too big to fit in this hallway, if he can't pass by me. I'm just glad that I don't faint from the wine-like stench that is all about him' she stated dryly, obviously suppressing a grin. Why that little...
'You really enjoy this, don't you?'
'Every single second. But you know what they say Elf-boy; what goes around comes around' Elf-boy?! How dare she call me that?! Before I could respond, she had disappeared. I'll get her for this, wait and see...
...after I take my shower, that is.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~
Phew, I think I just wrote that at super-speed, it came right out of my hand... well, I hope you enjoyed it, I sure enjoyed writing it. As usual, feedback very much appreciated, constructive critisism is welcome, flames will be sent to Denethor. Thanks for reading.
-xxx- Elvea
PS: Eva u r briljant, I am so gonna use your idea!
?: *blushes* I'm happy you liked my first chappie, I hope you also like this one.
Me: *blushes again* Gee, never thought people were gonna be this enthusiastic. I just hoped people wouldn't think of it as "another Sue Mary" cuz it's not. I hope that you like it so far, because Legolas is nowhere near Rivendell yet.
adelaide e: Glad you liked the slash fic suggestion. I wasn't sure if people would swallow the mention of it, or flame me. Don't worry, Legolas and Elena will not fall in love unless (yes the Diabolical PlotBunnies of Doom (tm) are still here) my dear pets decide to ruin my master plan. I pray they don't. I suspect that Eldarion is a PlotBunny in disguise, although last time I spoke with Legolas he made it clear that he hates Elena's guts. Ah well, like I said, don't worry.
Erica aka (frodo_lover): Well, I hope this made you happy, I continued. Your review sure made the message clear to me anyways.
PiscesAngel: Way too funny? Hmhmhm... does that mean I should make it less funny, of should I make it worse? I dunno. Anyway, I'm gonna continue anyway, so you'd better enjoy it. Well people are supposed to, anyway.
Yavanna: Do I sense a *hint hint* in your message? If so, I hope I got it right.
Melandune: I told you so! Well, I'm very happy that I was right, it would suck if you hated it. Well, hope this is soon enough for you, if not, hey don't blame me, blame my school. (Blowing up the darn place might also work to make me update sooner *hint hint*).
Black Pearl: What can I say that I haven't already said? Thank you so much for reading this, hope you still like it.
?: Okay, okay. I get the point by now. I kept writing. Happy? Hope you are |:o)
Godforsaken: |:o) Running out of things to say so I thought you might like a special smiley in stead. Or do you prefer a bat? ^^+_+^^