AUTHOR'S NOTE: Yet another chapter, and it took me forever to think of a
title for this chapter, but if you read this one and the next one together,
it may make some sense. Enjoy!
The Calm Before the Storm:
I awoke with a start the next morning, and after taking a moment to get my bearings, I saw Legolas belly down at the foot of my bed, using his book as a pillow. I smiled and quickly got dressed in an adjoining room. When I returned, he was awake, flipping to the last page of the book.
"Still reading that book?" I asked, amused. He glanced up at me.
"Yes, which is more than you can say. You were out before page five last night! What happened to not even being sleepy?" I shrugged.
"A book like that could put me to sleep any time. How far did you get before you fell asleep?"
"A couple pages from the end," He said as he snapped the book shut. "Ready for breakfast?" I nodded. "I will go get dressed," he said as he exited. I sat on the bed and flipped through the book he had left there, wondering how he could read through the entire thing in one night. I had been sitting there for a little while when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was Legolas, I quickly stood and opened the door.
"Well, it took you long enough." I trailed off as the door opened wide enough for me to see that it was not Legolas who had knocked.
"Apologies, ma'am," said a tall maiden dressed in servant girl's garb.
"Oh no!" I said quickly. "I thought you were someone else." I opened the door wider to let her in. She was holding something that I could not quite make out. "Umm. Can I help you?" I said uneasily, not quite knowing what she was doing here. She laughed at that, a tinkling, musical laugh.
"Actually I was hoping to help you. The prince told me last night that you were in need of some more. appropriate clothing after losing yours at the stream, so I found this to bring to you." She held out what she had been holding, which I could now recognize as a plain, yet elegant, white dress.
"Thank you," I said, "But I do not think I will need it; I was planning on returning home today." The maiden raised an eyebrow.
"If I know the prince, he will not let you get out of here that quickly, but even if he does, I would recommend wearing this instead of his trousers if only to breakfast." I saw the sense in this and accepted the dress as graciously as possible, then changed after she left. I had just finished when there was another knock at the door. Having learned my lesson the hard way, I made sure I saw who it was before I began speaking.
"When exactly did you find the time to request.this?" I said, gesturing down to the dress. He only wiggled his eyebrows mysteriously.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he said as he extended his arm. I scowled at him but accepted. "And it looks nice on you, by the way," he added as we left.
"Nice enough to make Marilla insanely jealous?" I asked with an evil grin.
"Yes," he laughed, "but then again, I could have an orc on my arm and she would turn green with jealousy." I slapped him playfully on the arm.
"Are you saying I look like an orc?" I said haughtily.
"Of course not, milady!" he said as he opened the doors to the dining room with a flourish. I laughed as he led me in, only to stop abruptly at the sight of other people.
"You could have warned me that there would be other people here!" I whispered angrily.
"Well, yes, I could have, but this is just another example of how I find scaring you so much fun." After he said that, I pinched him under the arm he was leading me with, laughing as he tried to keep his face from betraying his pain. He led me to a seat where I sat nervously, trying to avoid any conversation. Legolas was not helping this effort, as he was introducing me to everyone at the table. I tried to act politely with these upper-class people, but I really felt out of place. Everyone had just been seated when King Thranduil entered and sat at the head of the table, smiling and talking to some people, including Legolas. The only other time I could remember seeing him was when he had returned with the army, and he was so different now, I could hardly believe he was the same person. Now that he had had time to recover from the war and the loss of his father a bit, he seemed completely different. From where I was seated, I could see him without difficulty. He smiled easily as he talked, and did not seem to treat others as if they were below him, despite that they tried to humble themselves. He was handsome with blonde hair underneath his crown of leaves, and Legolas's resemblance to him was uncanny. Despite his obvious benevolence, I was still nervous as Legolas introduced me.
"Father, this is Maranwe, my friend from the village." Thranduil smiled warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Maranwe. Legolas has told me about you," He said.
"He has?" I said, too surprised to think of anything else to say. I suddenly realized what I had said. "I mean, nice to meet you too, Your Majesty." He laughed, a sound that I found evoked vivid memories of my own father.
"Any friend of Legolas's is also a friend of mine. I doubt you call Legolas by anything but his name, and it shall be the same with me; you may call me Thranduil." I smiled and nodded, a little less intimidated, and he continued more seriously. "I am sorry about your father; I knew him, he was a wonderful soldier and an even better elf. I know that losing a father is not easy."
"Thank you," was all I could say to his sudden candor. "I am sorry for the loss of your father, too," I added.
"I wish you could have met him," Legolas said. "I think you would have liked him."
"I actually did meet him once, a long time ago; before I even met you," I said, looking at Legolas at the last part.
"Really? I did not know that," he said. I felt a blush creeping onto my cheeks, and began regretting mentioning it at all.
"I never thought about it. and besides, the encounter is not something I necessarily like to brag about." I paused, only to see Legolas and his father looking at me expectantly. "I was really young, maybe eleven or twelve, and was walking through the woods when I saw the king with a hunting party. He was just about to kill a rabbit he had snared, but when I saw what he was about to do I got angry and ran up to him, pulled on his tunic, and demanded that he let the rabbit go. I suppose the reason I was so insistent was because I had just gotten a pet bunny. in any case, I obviously did not know who he was at the time, or I may have been a little less. adamant. He was quite good-natured about it though, and agreed to let it go. I only wish our only meeting could have been under more. pleasant conditions." Thranduil was laughing out loud, and was actually teary-eyed before he was able to speak.
"I was in that hunting party; I remember that! He told me later that you were so cute that he did not think he would have refused you Mirkwood itself were you to pout like you did to bargain for that rabbit's life."
Legolas managed to stop his laughter long enough to say, "So you were already ordering royalty around before you were even fifteen? Why doesn't that surprise me?" I turned to him in mock disdain.
"Already? What is that supposed to mean?" Legolas put his hands in the air, palms up, as in a sign of surrender. Before I knew it, the meal was over and the room was clearing.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, my dear," said the king as he took my hand. "If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. I know that your father's loss must have dealt a huge blow to your family." I smiled.
"Thank you," I replied as he exited.
"Well?" said Legolas once we were out in the hall.
"Well what?" I said. Legolas scowled.
"You know very well what I mean. What did you think of my father?"
"He was very kind. Surprisingly so, actually. I hate to admit it now that I have met him, but I expected him to be more. menacing. He was every bit as easygoing as you, though." Legolas smiled.
"I am glad you liked him. I could tell he liked you, too." We walked in silence for w few minutes before I began to wonder where exactly Legolas was leading me.
"I probably need to get home, now that the rain has stopped," I said. "Aldeon will be fit to be tied if I linger any longer." Legolas threw me a look of disbelief.
"Nonsense. You know as well as I do that he will not mind you being away a little longer."
"Well, even if he does not mind, that does not change the fact that I do need to get back soon." Legolas rolled his eyes.
"I know. But it was fun having you here and I had to at least try to extend your stay. But," he continued seriously. "I must inform you that I can only allow you to leave on one condition." I raised my eyebrows.
"Really? And what might that be?"
"That you promise that you will not work yourself too hard. and that you will take at least one day off every two or three weeks. By that I mean you coming here," headed. I pretended to contemplate his demands while he heaved an exasperated sigh.
"Well, if I have no choice." Legolas cocked an eyebrow. I smiled. "You have a deal," I said as I shook his hand, sealing the deal.
A/N: I know this one was a bit short, but the next one is much longer. Just remember, reviews are the only source of energy my muses have, so please review!
The Calm Before the Storm:
I awoke with a start the next morning, and after taking a moment to get my bearings, I saw Legolas belly down at the foot of my bed, using his book as a pillow. I smiled and quickly got dressed in an adjoining room. When I returned, he was awake, flipping to the last page of the book.
"Still reading that book?" I asked, amused. He glanced up at me.
"Yes, which is more than you can say. You were out before page five last night! What happened to not even being sleepy?" I shrugged.
"A book like that could put me to sleep any time. How far did you get before you fell asleep?"
"A couple pages from the end," He said as he snapped the book shut. "Ready for breakfast?" I nodded. "I will go get dressed," he said as he exited. I sat on the bed and flipped through the book he had left there, wondering how he could read through the entire thing in one night. I had been sitting there for a little while when there was a knock at the door. Thinking it was Legolas, I quickly stood and opened the door.
"Well, it took you long enough." I trailed off as the door opened wide enough for me to see that it was not Legolas who had knocked.
"Apologies, ma'am," said a tall maiden dressed in servant girl's garb.
"Oh no!" I said quickly. "I thought you were someone else." I opened the door wider to let her in. She was holding something that I could not quite make out. "Umm. Can I help you?" I said uneasily, not quite knowing what she was doing here. She laughed at that, a tinkling, musical laugh.
"Actually I was hoping to help you. The prince told me last night that you were in need of some more. appropriate clothing after losing yours at the stream, so I found this to bring to you." She held out what she had been holding, which I could now recognize as a plain, yet elegant, white dress.
"Thank you," I said, "But I do not think I will need it; I was planning on returning home today." The maiden raised an eyebrow.
"If I know the prince, he will not let you get out of here that quickly, but even if he does, I would recommend wearing this instead of his trousers if only to breakfast." I saw the sense in this and accepted the dress as graciously as possible, then changed after she left. I had just finished when there was another knock at the door. Having learned my lesson the hard way, I made sure I saw who it was before I began speaking.
"When exactly did you find the time to request.this?" I said, gesturing down to the dress. He only wiggled his eyebrows mysteriously.
"Wouldn't you like to know," he said as he extended his arm. I scowled at him but accepted. "And it looks nice on you, by the way," he added as we left.
"Nice enough to make Marilla insanely jealous?" I asked with an evil grin.
"Yes," he laughed, "but then again, I could have an orc on my arm and she would turn green with jealousy." I slapped him playfully on the arm.
"Are you saying I look like an orc?" I said haughtily.
"Of course not, milady!" he said as he opened the doors to the dining room with a flourish. I laughed as he led me in, only to stop abruptly at the sight of other people.
"You could have warned me that there would be other people here!" I whispered angrily.
"Well, yes, I could have, but this is just another example of how I find scaring you so much fun." After he said that, I pinched him under the arm he was leading me with, laughing as he tried to keep his face from betraying his pain. He led me to a seat where I sat nervously, trying to avoid any conversation. Legolas was not helping this effort, as he was introducing me to everyone at the table. I tried to act politely with these upper-class people, but I really felt out of place. Everyone had just been seated when King Thranduil entered and sat at the head of the table, smiling and talking to some people, including Legolas. The only other time I could remember seeing him was when he had returned with the army, and he was so different now, I could hardly believe he was the same person. Now that he had had time to recover from the war and the loss of his father a bit, he seemed completely different. From where I was seated, I could see him without difficulty. He smiled easily as he talked, and did not seem to treat others as if they were below him, despite that they tried to humble themselves. He was handsome with blonde hair underneath his crown of leaves, and Legolas's resemblance to him was uncanny. Despite his obvious benevolence, I was still nervous as Legolas introduced me.
"Father, this is Maranwe, my friend from the village." Thranduil smiled warmly.
"Nice to meet you, Maranwe. Legolas has told me about you," He said.
"He has?" I said, too surprised to think of anything else to say. I suddenly realized what I had said. "I mean, nice to meet you too, Your Majesty." He laughed, a sound that I found evoked vivid memories of my own father.
"Any friend of Legolas's is also a friend of mine. I doubt you call Legolas by anything but his name, and it shall be the same with me; you may call me Thranduil." I smiled and nodded, a little less intimidated, and he continued more seriously. "I am sorry about your father; I knew him, he was a wonderful soldier and an even better elf. I know that losing a father is not easy."
"Thank you," was all I could say to his sudden candor. "I am sorry for the loss of your father, too," I added.
"I wish you could have met him," Legolas said. "I think you would have liked him."
"I actually did meet him once, a long time ago; before I even met you," I said, looking at Legolas at the last part.
"Really? I did not know that," he said. I felt a blush creeping onto my cheeks, and began regretting mentioning it at all.
"I never thought about it. and besides, the encounter is not something I necessarily like to brag about." I paused, only to see Legolas and his father looking at me expectantly. "I was really young, maybe eleven or twelve, and was walking through the woods when I saw the king with a hunting party. He was just about to kill a rabbit he had snared, but when I saw what he was about to do I got angry and ran up to him, pulled on his tunic, and demanded that he let the rabbit go. I suppose the reason I was so insistent was because I had just gotten a pet bunny. in any case, I obviously did not know who he was at the time, or I may have been a little less. adamant. He was quite good-natured about it though, and agreed to let it go. I only wish our only meeting could have been under more. pleasant conditions." Thranduil was laughing out loud, and was actually teary-eyed before he was able to speak.
"I was in that hunting party; I remember that! He told me later that you were so cute that he did not think he would have refused you Mirkwood itself were you to pout like you did to bargain for that rabbit's life."
Legolas managed to stop his laughter long enough to say, "So you were already ordering royalty around before you were even fifteen? Why doesn't that surprise me?" I turned to him in mock disdain.
"Already? What is that supposed to mean?" Legolas put his hands in the air, palms up, as in a sign of surrender. Before I knew it, the meal was over and the room was clearing.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, my dear," said the king as he took my hand. "If you ever need anything, please do not hesitate to ask. I know that your father's loss must have dealt a huge blow to your family." I smiled.
"Thank you," I replied as he exited.
"Well?" said Legolas once we were out in the hall.
"Well what?" I said. Legolas scowled.
"You know very well what I mean. What did you think of my father?"
"He was very kind. Surprisingly so, actually. I hate to admit it now that I have met him, but I expected him to be more. menacing. He was every bit as easygoing as you, though." Legolas smiled.
"I am glad you liked him. I could tell he liked you, too." We walked in silence for w few minutes before I began to wonder where exactly Legolas was leading me.
"I probably need to get home, now that the rain has stopped," I said. "Aldeon will be fit to be tied if I linger any longer." Legolas threw me a look of disbelief.
"Nonsense. You know as well as I do that he will not mind you being away a little longer."
"Well, even if he does not mind, that does not change the fact that I do need to get back soon." Legolas rolled his eyes.
"I know. But it was fun having you here and I had to at least try to extend your stay. But," he continued seriously. "I must inform you that I can only allow you to leave on one condition." I raised my eyebrows.
"Really? And what might that be?"
"That you promise that you will not work yourself too hard. and that you will take at least one day off every two or three weeks. By that I mean you coming here," headed. I pretended to contemplate his demands while he heaved an exasperated sigh.
"Well, if I have no choice." Legolas cocked an eyebrow. I smiled. "You have a deal," I said as I shook his hand, sealing the deal.
A/N: I know this one was a bit short, but the next one is much longer. Just remember, reviews are the only source of energy my muses have, so please review!