*A/N*: I do not own Lord of the Rings or any of the names or characters
used in Tolkien's wonderful stories, but Calathi and all other characters
are copyright 2002 Meghan.
* * * * *
1 Chapter Ten
The castle was filled with the bustling of servants. King Thranduil greeted Calathi and Nora. "How are you feeling this morning, my dear?" he asked.
"I am much better, your highness," she replied. "I have only a slight headache." Of course, she neglected to mention that the cause of her headache was the painful remembrance she had earlier. The King placed his kind hand on her shoulder, and immediately she felt a warmth pass through her body and ease her ache. "Thank you," she said gratefully.
"I am always pleased to help," he returned. Calathi and her companion headed toward the opposite end of the hall and took a seat at an empty table at the corner of the room. The elven maiden did not feel very social at the moment, which was understandable. Nora left her friend to retrieve their meal from the kitchen.
Legolas noticed Calathi across the space and smiled, remembering the words they had spoken to each other the previous night. 'I care a lot about you too,' she had said. Was it true? Legolas was surprised to feel himself wishing for it to be so. The Prince approached Calathi and stood beside a seat across from her. "May I join you?" he inquired politely.
"Of course, your highness. This is, after all, your palace; or your father's palace, at least."
"Yes, however I shall not sit here if I am not wanted." He smiled again.
"You are welcome here, my lord. I would enjoy your company." She smiled back as he took his seat, waving a servant over.
"Please bring breakfast for the lady and I," he requested.
Calathi hastily interrupted him. "Forgive me, your highness, but my breakfast has already been ordered."
He gave her a puzzled look. "But I have seen no servants come to your table," he commmented, "and I arrived just after you did, I am sure."
"My personal servant has taken care of my breakfast."
"Very well. Just breakfast for me, then," he told the servant. Then, to Calathi, he added, "I was unaware that you had brought a servant. Though I have not met your friend, um, Nora, was it?"
"Yes, my friend's name is Nora, but she is also my servant," she answered. Legolas had a look of plain shock on his face.
"You are friends with your servant?" he asked.
"Yes," she said simply. "Is there a problem with that?"
"No, no, of course not! It's just rather surprising, for most nobles here, well, they look down upon the servants." The Prince bent his head ashamedly. "I have tried to change that, but to no avail. I cannot alter tradition by myself."
"Well, Nora is very nice, and she is a good friend. If the other servants are even close to as kind as she is, how can that be?"
"It – it just is," he said lamely. "The rest of the nobles seem to think that, because they work for us, they are below us. I know it is wrong."
"I know too, Legolas." He had to hide the smile that appeared on his face when she used his informal name for the first time that morning. "However, I also know that it is almost impossible to change the beliefs of the members of this court. I do not hold you against that."
"You truly are remarkable, Calathi. You show more wisdom at your age than some of the older nobles." At that moment, Nora, the subject of their conversation, appeared, carrying two platters of food. When she saw Legolas seated at their table, she gasped and hurriedly set the trays down.
"Your highness," she said, curtsying, "Shall I retrieve breakfast for you as well?"
"No, that is unnecessary, thank you." He stood again and bowed. "On behalf of my father, welcome to Mirkwood." Calathi's companion blushed at the attention and curtsied once again.
"I am honored, your highness." The group waited until Legolas had received his food before they ate. Calathi found herself watching the prince constantly. Quite often she found him watching her as well, and whenever their eyes met, she looked down at her food quickly. Soon, however, breakfast was over, and with it their odd show of admiration for each other. He kissed her hand lightly before bowing a farewell and disappearing in the direction of the Council assembly room.
Calathi felt a pang of yearning for his company after he left, and mentally scolded herself for feeling so. His duty as Prince of Mirkwood in the Council came before sharing time with a lesser Lady of the Court, and she should know better than to feel possessive of someone she had hardly spent any time with. Besides, though she had heard him say the night before that he cared a lot about her, she did not know his true emotions for sure. It would be foolish of her to raise her hopes so high, only to learn later that he did not share her feelings.
Calathi sighed, for she knew that she would not see the Prince for the entire day; there were meetings taking place within the palace. Rumors that goblins were massing in the north consumed the realm, and the entire elven kingdom was bracing itself for a full-blown attack.
Such a thing had not occurred in Mirkwood for a very long while. Goblins were rarely seen outside their own boundaries, and in fact seldom bothered to conquer other areas of Middle Earth. They were not the strongest of foes, but their numbers were great. If the necessary precautions were not taken, and an attack indeed took place in the future, the battle would be a hard, long one, and the outcome would be uncertain. It was always best to be prepared.
The elven maiden left the hall and spent the day walking through the gardens with Nora. Try as she might, she could not get Legolas off of her mind. Then again, every time she envisioned the Prince, her thoughts strayed to Meron.
Why was she regarding Meron *again *? Frustration seized her. How was it that she could not help thinking of her long-time friend? She knew in her heart that she greatly admired Legolas, with his handsome looks and kind nature, but Meron also shared a special place within her.
Though all of the other training elves discouraged and insulted her when she first began training, he did not. It was a very hard time for her, though no one could see it. She hid all of her remorseful tears from the world, and tried to act indifferently when she was taunted. Meron showed from the start that he was different; he did not seem to mind that she was female. Instead, he befriended her and helped her when none would. For that they would always share a unique bond. Calathi did not yet know if she felt of him as more than a friend, but she was sure that she did feel strongly for the Prince. She could only pray that she would not be torn in the end, for she did not know what she would do if that time came.
* * * * *
1 Chapter Ten
The castle was filled with the bustling of servants. King Thranduil greeted Calathi and Nora. "How are you feeling this morning, my dear?" he asked.
"I am much better, your highness," she replied. "I have only a slight headache." Of course, she neglected to mention that the cause of her headache was the painful remembrance she had earlier. The King placed his kind hand on her shoulder, and immediately she felt a warmth pass through her body and ease her ache. "Thank you," she said gratefully.
"I am always pleased to help," he returned. Calathi and her companion headed toward the opposite end of the hall and took a seat at an empty table at the corner of the room. The elven maiden did not feel very social at the moment, which was understandable. Nora left her friend to retrieve their meal from the kitchen.
Legolas noticed Calathi across the space and smiled, remembering the words they had spoken to each other the previous night. 'I care a lot about you too,' she had said. Was it true? Legolas was surprised to feel himself wishing for it to be so. The Prince approached Calathi and stood beside a seat across from her. "May I join you?" he inquired politely.
"Of course, your highness. This is, after all, your palace; or your father's palace, at least."
"Yes, however I shall not sit here if I am not wanted." He smiled again.
"You are welcome here, my lord. I would enjoy your company." She smiled back as he took his seat, waving a servant over.
"Please bring breakfast for the lady and I," he requested.
Calathi hastily interrupted him. "Forgive me, your highness, but my breakfast has already been ordered."
He gave her a puzzled look. "But I have seen no servants come to your table," he commmented, "and I arrived just after you did, I am sure."
"My personal servant has taken care of my breakfast."
"Very well. Just breakfast for me, then," he told the servant. Then, to Calathi, he added, "I was unaware that you had brought a servant. Though I have not met your friend, um, Nora, was it?"
"Yes, my friend's name is Nora, but she is also my servant," she answered. Legolas had a look of plain shock on his face.
"You are friends with your servant?" he asked.
"Yes," she said simply. "Is there a problem with that?"
"No, no, of course not! It's just rather surprising, for most nobles here, well, they look down upon the servants." The Prince bent his head ashamedly. "I have tried to change that, but to no avail. I cannot alter tradition by myself."
"Well, Nora is very nice, and she is a good friend. If the other servants are even close to as kind as she is, how can that be?"
"It – it just is," he said lamely. "The rest of the nobles seem to think that, because they work for us, they are below us. I know it is wrong."
"I know too, Legolas." He had to hide the smile that appeared on his face when she used his informal name for the first time that morning. "However, I also know that it is almost impossible to change the beliefs of the members of this court. I do not hold you against that."
"You truly are remarkable, Calathi. You show more wisdom at your age than some of the older nobles." At that moment, Nora, the subject of their conversation, appeared, carrying two platters of food. When she saw Legolas seated at their table, she gasped and hurriedly set the trays down.
"Your highness," she said, curtsying, "Shall I retrieve breakfast for you as well?"
"No, that is unnecessary, thank you." He stood again and bowed. "On behalf of my father, welcome to Mirkwood." Calathi's companion blushed at the attention and curtsied once again.
"I am honored, your highness." The group waited until Legolas had received his food before they ate. Calathi found herself watching the prince constantly. Quite often she found him watching her as well, and whenever their eyes met, she looked down at her food quickly. Soon, however, breakfast was over, and with it their odd show of admiration for each other. He kissed her hand lightly before bowing a farewell and disappearing in the direction of the Council assembly room.
Calathi felt a pang of yearning for his company after he left, and mentally scolded herself for feeling so. His duty as Prince of Mirkwood in the Council came before sharing time with a lesser Lady of the Court, and she should know better than to feel possessive of someone she had hardly spent any time with. Besides, though she had heard him say the night before that he cared a lot about her, she did not know his true emotions for sure. It would be foolish of her to raise her hopes so high, only to learn later that he did not share her feelings.
Calathi sighed, for she knew that she would not see the Prince for the entire day; there were meetings taking place within the palace. Rumors that goblins were massing in the north consumed the realm, and the entire elven kingdom was bracing itself for a full-blown attack.
Such a thing had not occurred in Mirkwood for a very long while. Goblins were rarely seen outside their own boundaries, and in fact seldom bothered to conquer other areas of Middle Earth. They were not the strongest of foes, but their numbers were great. If the necessary precautions were not taken, and an attack indeed took place in the future, the battle would be a hard, long one, and the outcome would be uncertain. It was always best to be prepared.
The elven maiden left the hall and spent the day walking through the gardens with Nora. Try as she might, she could not get Legolas off of her mind. Then again, every time she envisioned the Prince, her thoughts strayed to Meron.
Why was she regarding Meron *again *? Frustration seized her. How was it that she could not help thinking of her long-time friend? She knew in her heart that she greatly admired Legolas, with his handsome looks and kind nature, but Meron also shared a special place within her.
Though all of the other training elves discouraged and insulted her when she first began training, he did not. It was a very hard time for her, though no one could see it. She hid all of her remorseful tears from the world, and tried to act indifferently when she was taunted. Meron showed from the start that he was different; he did not seem to mind that she was female. Instead, he befriended her and helped her when none would. For that they would always share a unique bond. Calathi did not yet know if she felt of him as more than a friend, but she was sure that she did feel strongly for the Prince. She could only pray that she would not be torn in the end, for she did not know what she would do if that time came.