Chapter 8 Getting ready for the Celebration

A/N: ok I know it really sucks and the writing is really bad, but you'll just have to bear with me. I just needed to write something to fill the gaps in between occurrences. So I'm sorry if you don't like it, but hopefully the next will be better. I know it's not that long either.

By the time they had started to make their way back to the Hall, Dia had weaved four crowns of flowers. Arwen finished her one and was satisfied with that. All were filled with wild flowers of all sorts and giving off the beautifully soft scent of passion flower. As they headed off, Dia placed three of the crowns on her head, and the other on Legolas's.

Upon entering the Hall, all three went their separate ways: Legolas to his room, Arwen to her, and Dia to the King's chambers.

Upon entering the King's chambers, she saw him talking to a member of his court. The moment they saw her, their speaking ceased and the elf left.

She frowned at him and furrowed her brows. "What was that about?"

Smiling warmly, he said, "You needn't worry about that."

She shrugged and changed her frown to a smile. As she approached him, she gently removed one of the weaved crowns from her head.

"I made this for you. I thought you may like the change." He took his own crown of weaved leaves off his head and looked at it. "May I," she asked.

"Of course"

She stepped closer and placed he crown upon his head. Clapping her hands together she smiled, "Wonderful!" she exclaimed. "Now, if you will excuse me, I must be off to prepare for tonight." Before another word was spoken, she was off back to her room (Vendë Tári).

Veb was waiting in Dia's room for her.

"Oh Veb, you are do faithful to me. I do not know what u would do without you."

She laughed. "You would be where you are, but with sufficiently worse hair. "She paused. "Now your dress, it was made twenty year back; with your old measurements. Legolas had it made thinking you wouldn't be gone much longer; and your body wouldn't be much changed. But as you can see, it has; by far. There wasn't enough time to make you a new dress; so you'll have to bear with me."

The dress Veb pulled out was beautifully adorned with jewels along the seam-lines. The see-through sleeves were large and flowy. The skirt part of the dress had a long tail that flowed behind it. The bodice was the one part of the dress she didn't like the look of. It was a very tight, thick sliver material to match the deep green of the rest of the dress. But she would make do.

"Veb, it's absolutely beautiful; I just don't know if I can fit into it."

"That very thought crossed through my mind, so I had this made for you."

She pulled out a rectangular piece of cloth with lips and strings attached.

"What is it?"

"It's called a corset. It sucks you stomach in giving you a slimmer effect."

"it doesn't look the least bit comfortable."

"Well, no; so that why we are getting you all ready first."

"Okay...." Dia responded, very unsure of the strap of cloth called a corset.

Veb sat Dia down in her chair and removed from her hair the crown of flowers. "Do you want to wear this tonight?"

"Of course," Dia laughed.

It took Veb a while to do Dia's hair, but it was done magnificently. A basket weave of braids was running over the top of her head; the bottom half was down and straight.

"Now," Veb took a deep breath, "it's time for the corset." Dia groaned but stood up and walked over to her bed. "Suck in as much as you can..."

Dia inhaled deeply and sucked her stomach in as Veb started pulling at strings from the top and bottom, making it tighter and all around. "I can't breathe," she whispered out.

"Yes, I know. But that's something that becomes easier."

After she tied it off, she turned Dia around to face her. "See look and it is a very flattering thing," she said motioning to Dia's chest.

"Yes, but, I'd rather look like I've nothing there at al then have to wear this uncomfortable thing."

"I'm all too aware of that, but this is how it must go. And there is a benefit to this corset. You cannot do too much jumping around, or you'll faint. So maybe for just one night you'll act like a proper elf is supposed to instead of some urchin daughter of a man." Veb gave her a semi-reproving look.

"Oh Veb, don't even give me that. I do believe it was you that used to be encouraging me to run around as much as I could and cause trouble for Legolas without getting caught, now wasn't it?" She looked back at Veb deviously. "Besides, men aren't as bad as you make them out to be. And their children are exactly the same as I used to be. "

Veb just shook her head. "Now I'm going to put this dress on you, and if you ruin your hair, I'll just have to skin you alive Vardadiawen."