A r w e n e l l a
Hello there! Oh my goodness, I am taking much longer constructing and uploading my chapters, and I know you readers are getting very anxious about the whole story. Please save all your questions about when the characters will come in- each character will come in on their own special time. And this story will only have about eleven or twelve chapters, so it's quite soon (alright, yes, Aragorn is in this story)!
As usual please help me out and read and review. Please make your reviews beneficial, so if you're gonna criticize please explain why (for example, don't put "you stink", put "you stink because you have really bad grammar"...I don't have bad grammar, do I? Lol!). Thank you! And enjoy! .::Meggin::.
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Chapter Six- Betrayal
"What?" Lorain blinked in confusion. "She's actually letting you go?"
"Yes," Arwen said, breathless, rushing around in the room and gathering cleaning materials: a broom, a rag, and so on. Lorain stood there, looking thoughtful. "Can you believe it?"
"That's strange. She let you go, just like that? Wow. That's...weird. That's so unlike Lady Uggalflaed."
"I don't care!" Arwen jumped in glee. "I get to go, don't you get it? I get to wear a dress, not these measly servant rags. I get to attend the ball, and...oh, it will be so much fun!" She stepped out of the supply room, waiting for Lorain. "But there is a catch. Tell the others they get a day off-"
Lorain smiled in excitement.
"-and that I will take all the chores and do them myself. If I finish all of them today, I'll get to go!"
Lorain gasped, anger rising to her cheeks. "But that's not fair! You can't finish everything in one day!"
"Yes I can," Arwen replied confidently. "If I work fast and put my heart to it." She looked at Lorain. "Well go on, tell the others, quick!"
Lorain snorted. "And where are you going to get your 'fancy dress', eh, Arwen? You remember that day when Delia stripped your closet of everything that was worth anything, don't you?"
Arwen's heart sank. "I'll figure out something. Just tell the others to drop what they're doing." She clutched her broom. "I'll get to work on the floors."
Lorain left with a skeptical look on her face.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
Arwen slaved away with every bit of strength that was left in her tired body. She was determined to attend the ball, and she would do almost anything to get to go. She was hoping to have at least a bit of spare time to look for a decent attire, but Delia and Lady Uggalflaed piled more and more chores upon her throughout the day: the laundry, the dishes, more tending to the garden.
"Oi! Cinder girl!"
Arwen stopped in her tracks. Cinder girl? That was the first time she was ever called that before. She looked down at herself and realized she was dirtier and more pathetic than she had ever looked in days. She whisked around, and saw Delia in a fat poofy dress.
"Don't just stand there, help me thread up the back of this dress!" Delia called out impatiently. Arwen sighed exasperatedly.
"Delia, I can't right now. I've got loads of work ahead of me-"
"JUST GET HERE NOW!"
Arwen hated that voice. But with that voice she knew she had to obey, or things would just get worse. She dropped her broom and rushed over to where Delia was standing in front of the mirror. Taking the strings, she laced up the back of her stepsister's dress.
"Tighter," Delia commanded.
Arwen pulled with all her might.
"Tighter," Delia repeated.
"That's as far as it will go," Arwen choked, her hands red and raw from pulling.
"Tighter," Delia repeated, pulling down the front of her dress, revealing part of her bosom in a very immodest way. Arwen pulled.
"Can't you breathe?" Arwen asked incredulously.
"Don't ask stupid questions, Cinder girl. Finish up the work, so you can start on my laundry."
Arwen rolled her eyes and tied up the remnants of the strings. Delia stepped back from the mirror, admiring her squished up body. She sighed happily and fluffed her curls.
"Don't I look beautiful, Arwen? Don't I look simply dashing? Don't you want to look as I do, beautiful in every way, and not wearing such filthy rags?"
Arwen stared at her dirty face, and then at Delia's upturned nose, clean, and perfect. "I'd rather die in the hands of the Uruk-Hai than look a single thing like your selfish, bratty, inconsiderate, filthy self," Arwen stated proudly. She gasped at her words. She was in serious trouble now.
Delia just laughed. "Oh really? How wise, Cinder girl. You're just earned yourself extra chores for today." She picked up a humongous pile of clothes from her bed and dumped them into Arwen's arms. "I want these washed, dried, and folded by tonight. Make haste."
Arwen lost her balance and dropped some of the clothes. Clumsily she stooped down to pick them up.
"Clumsy, clumsy. What a total shock you will be at the Ball." Delia turned around and admired herself in the mirror.
Arwen clenched her teeth and exited the room, wobbling as she made her way to the laundry area. How she longed for nose plugs, as Delia's clothes stank of a combination of expired milk and garlic.
"Hey! Arwen!" Primrose called. She hadn't called her Cinder girl. She never had. "You need some help?"
"Oh, no, please don't. I have to do everything myself, or else I won't get to go."
Primrose walked over to her in her purple dress, quite poofy at the bottom, but more modest than Delia's revealing gown. She was frowning.
"What's wrong?" Arwen laughed. "Aren't you excited to go?"
"No," she replied. "I can't believe this. I hate Balls. I hate anything social. And I hate Prince Legolas, I don't even know why Delia likes him so much. He's just a stupid blond elf on a stupid poster." She sighed. "But mom said I absolutely must go. This sucks big time."
"All I have to worry about is finishing the chores on time and finding something decent to wear. It's getting quite hard with Stepmother and that brat sister of yours giving me new chores every minute." She wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I feel like plopping on a soft feather mattress and sleeping for an eternity."
Primrose smiled.
"I'm glad mother actually let you go. Delia can get a bit unfair sometimes. I mean, you're our stepsister. You have every right to go." She waved her hand and went back inside her room. "Good luck, Arwen. Hurry up so you'll finish everything."
"Thanks," Arwen replied, grateful to have someone nice from her new family. She wobbled into the washroom and dumped Delia's smelly clothes into the washer. She sank to the floor and closed her eyes, breathing in the clean air. "This has got to be the longest day of my life."
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
It was 11:00pm. They were to depart for Mirkwood at 12:00pm, Midnight, merely an hour later.
Lorain was reading a book down in the servant's headquarters when Arwen unexpectedly collapsed in her arms, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.
"Arwen!" she exclaimed, lifting her friend up to her feet. "What on Earth has happened to you?"
"I'm finished," she replied weakly. "I'm finished with all the chores. I've already showered. I get to go." She stopped, swallowing. "I don't have a dress yet," she sobbed pathetically.
"Shush, Arwen. Let me get you a drink of water." Lorain hastily filled up a glass and shoved it into Arwen's hands, who drank everything up in a matter of seconds. "And you told me you were going to 'figure this whole dress issue out'? And here you are, without a decent thing to wear." She raised her hands up. "Heaven help us."
"Delia, Primrose, and Lady Uggalflaed are out in the living room talking," Arwen remembered, her voice less hoarse now. "We can rummage through Delia's closet and find something suitable." She shrugged. "Half the clothes are mine anyway, it won't be like stealing."
Lorain snapped her fingers. "Right. Come on, we've got no time to waste. Hurry!"
The two scrambled stealthily up the stairs. After checking that the coast was clear (in case Delia came back up to fetch her purse or something), they quietly slipped in unnoticed into their victim's room.
"Here we are," Lorain breathed. "Goodness, it stinks in here."
"Tell me about it," Arwen agreed, flinging open Delia's closet. She searched through the dresses, and found the dark blue one with floral embroidery, the one she had worn back on the day her Father and Lady Uggalflaed had married. And I thought she hated this dress, she thought bitterly to herself. What a hypocrite. She rummaged some more.
"Hurry, Arwen," Lorain snapped, tapping her foot and staring down at her wristwatch. "It's 11:30, they're leaving in half an hour."
"I'm trying," she replied, searching through a stack of folded gowns. Amidst a pile of plain gowns, a white, lacy dress stuck out. Just because of curiosity, she pulled out the white dress and unfolded it, standing up and holding it against her body. She faced the mirror and gasped. "It's my mother Celebrian's dress. This is what she wore on her wedding day, the day she married Father." Anger filled her voice. "I've been looking for this. Out of all the dresses, Delia had to steal this too, didn't she?" She held up the sleeve to her cheek, and sighed. "The only memory of the mother I once had."
"It's beautiful," Lorain commented, eyeing the gown with a smile on her face. "Try it on, Arwen. You deserve it. Delia has no right to take this lovely piece from you."
Arwen smiled, undressed, and slipped on the gown. It was nearly a perfect fit. She stepped in front of the mirror, and gasped. It was Arwen Undomiel. She saw no trace of the Cinder girl, but saw herself. Arwen. Simply Arwen. Beautiful Arwen.
Lorain stepped behind her and gasped as well, a smile spreading on her face.
"Lady, you look beautiful." She took out a tiara from behind her back and placed it atop Arwen's head, a fine touch to the white gown. "There, you're all set."
Arwen turned around, and gave Lorain a hug.
"Thanks."
Lorain hugged her back for a moment, and then quickly pulled away, checking her wristwatch. "11:55! They're leaving in five minutes! Hurry, Arwen!"
Arwen picked up her skirts and dashed down the stairs, being careful not to dirty her skirt. She walked into the living room, greeting two shocked faces, and the kind face of Primrose.
"What-the-" Delia stammered. Her eyes grew beady with hatred and jealousy. She jumped to her feet and pointed to Arwen's dress. "Theif! Theif! Mother, she took that from my closet! That's my dress! Mine!"
"No it's not, Delia. This is mine. It was handed down to me by my mother Celebrian. You have no right to own this." She paused. "Any of my clothes, in fact."
Lady Uggalflaed stood up, alarmed.
"And I finished all my chores today!" Arwen yelled. "Every single one!" She touched her sleeve. "And I've chosen a perfect attire! I can go, right? You told me I could!"
She looked at Primrose, looking at her questioningly. She simply shook her head and sighed sadly, staring into her lap.
To Arwen's despair, the cold, booming laugh of Lady Uggalflaed filled her ears.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Delia, realizing what was going on, laughed along with her mother. Together they were the ugliest sound ever. Primrose simply stared at her lap, shaking her head in fury.
"What is going on?" Arwen asked, frightened. She took a step back. "Aren't we supposed to leave now?" It was 11:58.
"Did you seriously-" Lady Uggalflaed took a step forward, approaching Arwen. "-think that I meant that? Did you seriously think a pathetic servant like yourself would be allowed the in the Royal Palace of Mirkwood? Heaven forbid!" She stopped to laugh. "What a foolish joke! What folly! Of course you aren't coming!"
"But...but- I finished all the chores-I did the floors-"
Lady Uggalflaed picked up a bag and ripped it open, letting small kernels of corn spill out on the floor. The kernels scattered around Arwen's feet.
"No you did not," she answered, pure malice in her voice. Tears came to Arwen's eyes.
"But-"
"COME ALONG, LADIES!" She yelled to Delia and Primrose. Delia was gloating, and Primrose was still shaking her head, casting a sorry look at Arwen. "Off we go to the Ball. We've no time to waste." She sniffed at Arwen. "And leave this pitiful Cinder girl behind."
The three exited, slamming the large double doors behind them, leaving poor Arwen standing there, her face smeared with salty tears.
Lorain, who was watching from the staircase, rushed down to Arwen at once. The other servants peered shyly around the corners, feeling Arwen's sadness.
"Oh, Arwen, I'm so sorry! How could they do this to you?"
Arwen stood there, staring into nothingness, her tears flowing forth. She licked her lips and tried to speak, but no words came out. She was completely spent. She was completely betrayed.
Stifling a sob, she pushed away Lorain's consoling hand and ran outside, into the rain. She watched the carriage containing her stepfamily ride away, slowly fading.
Arwen didn't think. All she remembered was that she ran. She ran and ran for all she was worth, flinging away branches and obstacles. She ran into the comfort of the woods, the only friend she had that would appreciate her mournful cry.
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All I can say is- read and review. Review, please, please, please. Review, and you'll get the chapters. Thanks! .::Meggin::.
Hello there! Oh my goodness, I am taking much longer constructing and uploading my chapters, and I know you readers are getting very anxious about the whole story. Please save all your questions about when the characters will come in- each character will come in on their own special time. And this story will only have about eleven or twelve chapters, so it's quite soon (alright, yes, Aragorn is in this story)!
As usual please help me out and read and review. Please make your reviews beneficial, so if you're gonna criticize please explain why (for example, don't put "you stink", put "you stink because you have really bad grammar"...I don't have bad grammar, do I? Lol!). Thank you! And enjoy! .::Meggin::.
-------------------------------------------
Chapter Six- Betrayal
"What?" Lorain blinked in confusion. "She's actually letting you go?"
"Yes," Arwen said, breathless, rushing around in the room and gathering cleaning materials: a broom, a rag, and so on. Lorain stood there, looking thoughtful. "Can you believe it?"
"That's strange. She let you go, just like that? Wow. That's...weird. That's so unlike Lady Uggalflaed."
"I don't care!" Arwen jumped in glee. "I get to go, don't you get it? I get to wear a dress, not these measly servant rags. I get to attend the ball, and...oh, it will be so much fun!" She stepped out of the supply room, waiting for Lorain. "But there is a catch. Tell the others they get a day off-"
Lorain smiled in excitement.
"-and that I will take all the chores and do them myself. If I finish all of them today, I'll get to go!"
Lorain gasped, anger rising to her cheeks. "But that's not fair! You can't finish everything in one day!"
"Yes I can," Arwen replied confidently. "If I work fast and put my heart to it." She looked at Lorain. "Well go on, tell the others, quick!"
Lorain snorted. "And where are you going to get your 'fancy dress', eh, Arwen? You remember that day when Delia stripped your closet of everything that was worth anything, don't you?"
Arwen's heart sank. "I'll figure out something. Just tell the others to drop what they're doing." She clutched her broom. "I'll get to work on the floors."
Lorain left with a skeptical look on her face.
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
Arwen slaved away with every bit of strength that was left in her tired body. She was determined to attend the ball, and she would do almost anything to get to go. She was hoping to have at least a bit of spare time to look for a decent attire, but Delia and Lady Uggalflaed piled more and more chores upon her throughout the day: the laundry, the dishes, more tending to the garden.
"Oi! Cinder girl!"
Arwen stopped in her tracks. Cinder girl? That was the first time she was ever called that before. She looked down at herself and realized she was dirtier and more pathetic than she had ever looked in days. She whisked around, and saw Delia in a fat poofy dress.
"Don't just stand there, help me thread up the back of this dress!" Delia called out impatiently. Arwen sighed exasperatedly.
"Delia, I can't right now. I've got loads of work ahead of me-"
"JUST GET HERE NOW!"
Arwen hated that voice. But with that voice she knew she had to obey, or things would just get worse. She dropped her broom and rushed over to where Delia was standing in front of the mirror. Taking the strings, she laced up the back of her stepsister's dress.
"Tighter," Delia commanded.
Arwen pulled with all her might.
"Tighter," Delia repeated.
"That's as far as it will go," Arwen choked, her hands red and raw from pulling.
"Tighter," Delia repeated, pulling down the front of her dress, revealing part of her bosom in a very immodest way. Arwen pulled.
"Can't you breathe?" Arwen asked incredulously.
"Don't ask stupid questions, Cinder girl. Finish up the work, so you can start on my laundry."
Arwen rolled her eyes and tied up the remnants of the strings. Delia stepped back from the mirror, admiring her squished up body. She sighed happily and fluffed her curls.
"Don't I look beautiful, Arwen? Don't I look simply dashing? Don't you want to look as I do, beautiful in every way, and not wearing such filthy rags?"
Arwen stared at her dirty face, and then at Delia's upturned nose, clean, and perfect. "I'd rather die in the hands of the Uruk-Hai than look a single thing like your selfish, bratty, inconsiderate, filthy self," Arwen stated proudly. She gasped at her words. She was in serious trouble now.
Delia just laughed. "Oh really? How wise, Cinder girl. You're just earned yourself extra chores for today." She picked up a humongous pile of clothes from her bed and dumped them into Arwen's arms. "I want these washed, dried, and folded by tonight. Make haste."
Arwen lost her balance and dropped some of the clothes. Clumsily she stooped down to pick them up.
"Clumsy, clumsy. What a total shock you will be at the Ball." Delia turned around and admired herself in the mirror.
Arwen clenched her teeth and exited the room, wobbling as she made her way to the laundry area. How she longed for nose plugs, as Delia's clothes stank of a combination of expired milk and garlic.
"Hey! Arwen!" Primrose called. She hadn't called her Cinder girl. She never had. "You need some help?"
"Oh, no, please don't. I have to do everything myself, or else I won't get to go."
Primrose walked over to her in her purple dress, quite poofy at the bottom, but more modest than Delia's revealing gown. She was frowning.
"What's wrong?" Arwen laughed. "Aren't you excited to go?"
"No," she replied. "I can't believe this. I hate Balls. I hate anything social. And I hate Prince Legolas, I don't even know why Delia likes him so much. He's just a stupid blond elf on a stupid poster." She sighed. "But mom said I absolutely must go. This sucks big time."
"All I have to worry about is finishing the chores on time and finding something decent to wear. It's getting quite hard with Stepmother and that brat sister of yours giving me new chores every minute." She wiped the sweat off her forehead. "I feel like plopping on a soft feather mattress and sleeping for an eternity."
Primrose smiled.
"I'm glad mother actually let you go. Delia can get a bit unfair sometimes. I mean, you're our stepsister. You have every right to go." She waved her hand and went back inside her room. "Good luck, Arwen. Hurry up so you'll finish everything."
"Thanks," Arwen replied, grateful to have someone nice from her new family. She wobbled into the washroom and dumped Delia's smelly clothes into the washer. She sank to the floor and closed her eyes, breathing in the clean air. "This has got to be the longest day of my life."
.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.
It was 11:00pm. They were to depart for Mirkwood at 12:00pm, Midnight, merely an hour later.
Lorain was reading a book down in the servant's headquarters when Arwen unexpectedly collapsed in her arms, breathing heavily and sweating profusely.
"Arwen!" she exclaimed, lifting her friend up to her feet. "What on Earth has happened to you?"
"I'm finished," she replied weakly. "I'm finished with all the chores. I've already showered. I get to go." She stopped, swallowing. "I don't have a dress yet," she sobbed pathetically.
"Shush, Arwen. Let me get you a drink of water." Lorain hastily filled up a glass and shoved it into Arwen's hands, who drank everything up in a matter of seconds. "And you told me you were going to 'figure this whole dress issue out'? And here you are, without a decent thing to wear." She raised her hands up. "Heaven help us."
"Delia, Primrose, and Lady Uggalflaed are out in the living room talking," Arwen remembered, her voice less hoarse now. "We can rummage through Delia's closet and find something suitable." She shrugged. "Half the clothes are mine anyway, it won't be like stealing."
Lorain snapped her fingers. "Right. Come on, we've got no time to waste. Hurry!"
The two scrambled stealthily up the stairs. After checking that the coast was clear (in case Delia came back up to fetch her purse or something), they quietly slipped in unnoticed into their victim's room.
"Here we are," Lorain breathed. "Goodness, it stinks in here."
"Tell me about it," Arwen agreed, flinging open Delia's closet. She searched through the dresses, and found the dark blue one with floral embroidery, the one she had worn back on the day her Father and Lady Uggalflaed had married. And I thought she hated this dress, she thought bitterly to herself. What a hypocrite. She rummaged some more.
"Hurry, Arwen," Lorain snapped, tapping her foot and staring down at her wristwatch. "It's 11:30, they're leaving in half an hour."
"I'm trying," she replied, searching through a stack of folded gowns. Amidst a pile of plain gowns, a white, lacy dress stuck out. Just because of curiosity, she pulled out the white dress and unfolded it, standing up and holding it against her body. She faced the mirror and gasped. "It's my mother Celebrian's dress. This is what she wore on her wedding day, the day she married Father." Anger filled her voice. "I've been looking for this. Out of all the dresses, Delia had to steal this too, didn't she?" She held up the sleeve to her cheek, and sighed. "The only memory of the mother I once had."
"It's beautiful," Lorain commented, eyeing the gown with a smile on her face. "Try it on, Arwen. You deserve it. Delia has no right to take this lovely piece from you."
Arwen smiled, undressed, and slipped on the gown. It was nearly a perfect fit. She stepped in front of the mirror, and gasped. It was Arwen Undomiel. She saw no trace of the Cinder girl, but saw herself. Arwen. Simply Arwen. Beautiful Arwen.
Lorain stepped behind her and gasped as well, a smile spreading on her face.
"Lady, you look beautiful." She took out a tiara from behind her back and placed it atop Arwen's head, a fine touch to the white gown. "There, you're all set."
Arwen turned around, and gave Lorain a hug.
"Thanks."
Lorain hugged her back for a moment, and then quickly pulled away, checking her wristwatch. "11:55! They're leaving in five minutes! Hurry, Arwen!"
Arwen picked up her skirts and dashed down the stairs, being careful not to dirty her skirt. She walked into the living room, greeting two shocked faces, and the kind face of Primrose.
"What-the-" Delia stammered. Her eyes grew beady with hatred and jealousy. She jumped to her feet and pointed to Arwen's dress. "Theif! Theif! Mother, she took that from my closet! That's my dress! Mine!"
"No it's not, Delia. This is mine. It was handed down to me by my mother Celebrian. You have no right to own this." She paused. "Any of my clothes, in fact."
Lady Uggalflaed stood up, alarmed.
"And I finished all my chores today!" Arwen yelled. "Every single one!" She touched her sleeve. "And I've chosen a perfect attire! I can go, right? You told me I could!"
She looked at Primrose, looking at her questioningly. She simply shook her head and sighed sadly, staring into her lap.
To Arwen's despair, the cold, booming laugh of Lady Uggalflaed filled her ears.
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Delia, realizing what was going on, laughed along with her mother. Together they were the ugliest sound ever. Primrose simply stared at her lap, shaking her head in fury.
"What is going on?" Arwen asked, frightened. She took a step back. "Aren't we supposed to leave now?" It was 11:58.
"Did you seriously-" Lady Uggalflaed took a step forward, approaching Arwen. "-think that I meant that? Did you seriously think a pathetic servant like yourself would be allowed the in the Royal Palace of Mirkwood? Heaven forbid!" She stopped to laugh. "What a foolish joke! What folly! Of course you aren't coming!"
"But...but- I finished all the chores-I did the floors-"
Lady Uggalflaed picked up a bag and ripped it open, letting small kernels of corn spill out on the floor. The kernels scattered around Arwen's feet.
"No you did not," she answered, pure malice in her voice. Tears came to Arwen's eyes.
"But-"
"COME ALONG, LADIES!" She yelled to Delia and Primrose. Delia was gloating, and Primrose was still shaking her head, casting a sorry look at Arwen. "Off we go to the Ball. We've no time to waste." She sniffed at Arwen. "And leave this pitiful Cinder girl behind."
The three exited, slamming the large double doors behind them, leaving poor Arwen standing there, her face smeared with salty tears.
Lorain, who was watching from the staircase, rushed down to Arwen at once. The other servants peered shyly around the corners, feeling Arwen's sadness.
"Oh, Arwen, I'm so sorry! How could they do this to you?"
Arwen stood there, staring into nothingness, her tears flowing forth. She licked her lips and tried to speak, but no words came out. She was completely spent. She was completely betrayed.
Stifling a sob, she pushed away Lorain's consoling hand and ran outside, into the rain. She watched the carriage containing her stepfamily ride away, slowly fading.
Arwen didn't think. All she remembered was that she ran. She ran and ran for all she was worth, flinging away branches and obstacles. She ran into the comfort of the woods, the only friend she had that would appreciate her mournful cry.
------------------------------------------
All I can say is- read and review. Review, please, please, please. Review, and you'll get the chapters. Thanks! .::Meggin::.