Disclaimer: I own nothing except for Luin, Leuthilalren and Leithwen.
Chapter 04: Morning Light
"Turn off the light," Legolas grumbled from his own niche of the palace caves, hiding underneath the thin blankets of his bed. Like it was of any use really against the morning light? Legolas' room was one of the best and largest in the maze of caves, facing east towards the rising sun. Legolas could remember, however vaguely, how he loved waking up with the sun shining its rays from the sky and into his room but things changed and now he wanted to shoot the sun down from its rise. And, either way, he distinctly remembered turning the drapes so that he wouldn't be bothered with it in the morning.
"I'm sorry, heru en amin, but the king has requested you awaken," a female voice said. A shadow danced between the light and Legolas and stopped over him. "Your highness?" A hand went to his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Highness, amin hiraetha but you must awaken. The king has ordered it."
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," Legolas muttered burrowing farther into the silk sheets. The elleth laughed.
"Highness, you must wake," she said again, this time resorting to poking Legolas in his side resulting only in a grunt from the sleeper. Legolas heard a sigh and felt the bed shift as the elleth sat down on it, facing the windows. "Come, Hir nin. 'Tis a beautiful day. Must you really waste it in bed?"
Legolas sneaked a peek over the blankets and saw the elleth that served him the night before. Luin-gil, he remembered her name was. "Damn, you morning elf," he grumbled seeing her smile at him, wide awake.
"Actually," she started, smiling just a fraction wider in amusement. "I abhor waking up in the mornings. Probably, if I had your room, I would be curled under the covers, the drapes drawn so deep in my dreams I would be dead to reality. My master, known to you as your father, IS a morning ellon and so I have to be as well."
"Yes..." Legolas said sympathetically. He remembered the early mornings he has suffered when he was a child. He could definitely feel for Luin-gil.
"Well, either way... I AM sorry for waking you but your father wishes to know you are out and about," she said standing up.
"It's all right," he sighed. In the clear light, he could see what it was about Luin-gil that caused such a stir. Legolas did not want to sound like a snob or superficial but the elleth before him truly did not hold the universal grace bestowed upon the elven kind. She was quite plain in the eyes of the elves and definitely darker than any elf he'd seen. Not that she wasn't pretty... She just wasn't beautiful.
Luin-gil, feeling the common scrutiny she fell under, just waited patiently for the prince to finish. She stood there her hands held together in front of her, barely shifting her weight. Calmly and silently, she waited until Legolas realized that he was staring at her. Legolas was about to apologize for the rudeness when she cut him off with the raise of her hand.
"It's all right," she smiled, sadly, repeating his own words towards her. "I'm quite used to it." She took a step back, bowing her head to hide the frown and looked up again, her cheerful mask securely fastened before her. "Is there anything you might like me to do?"
"I thought you were my father's servant," Legolas stated, slipping out of his bed and revealing that he only had leggings on.
Luin-gil blushed, seeing the perfection blessed upon the prince. Her own natural inclination towards ellyn were usually suppressed, but physically Legolas was the complete opposite of how she was held in comparison to the elven standard of beauty. Slim, lithe, smooth skin covering muscles made for a very wonderful analogy that Luin-gil couldn't help but smirk at as it passed her thoughts. Her eyes traveled down the smooth white chest of her prince only thinking of the phrase velvet on steel.
"N.... No," she stammered. "I mean, I was but I've been reassigned to you."
"What happened to Elda?" Legolas asked of his previous servant.
"She's sailed to the west," she answered. Legolas paused for a second. "About a month after you went to to Imladris, your highness."
"Oh..." Legolas scratched his head, at a loss to why this bit of news was striking a chord in him again. It was like the night before when he witnessed Leuthilalren, Leithwen and Thranduil fighting over something he knew so little of when he used to know everything that went on in his palace home.
"... Is there anything you needed?" Luin-gil repeated again. It wasn't like she really wanted to leave. By all means, let her stare at Legolas all day and she would have been satisfies, but Thalinar, the elleth closest to the position of Lady of the house since Thranduil's wife had sailed was strict and stern at those who skived off their chores even when under the authority of the prince.
"No..." Legolas waved her off as he walked to a chair where a tunic hung. She nodded silently and began to walk out of the room when she turned suddenly remembering a message Thranduil had given her earlier.
"Oh! Before I forget!" Luin-gil called Legolas out of his trance as he stared at the palace grounds for the first time in too long. He turned away and to Luin-gil. "There is to be a ball tonight held in honour of your return. Your father asked me to inform you of it."
"Of course," Legolas nodded. Luin-gil smiled and made a little wave as she began to walk backwards towards the door. She was about to turn towards the exit when it opened quickly, the wood lightly knocking her on the nose and stumbling backwards.
"Did I hit something?" Gimli asked as he strode into the room. His eyes caught Luin-gil rubbing her nose lightly and he realized what he must have done. "Luin-gil! Did I just... I'm sorry. Are you hurt!?" Luin-gil made a face, something of a cross between a smile and a grimace, and shook her head.
"It's okay... No permanent damage," she answered, her amusement tickling her voice. Her eyes looked up and saw Legolas, grinning widely. "I'll just be... uh.. I'm leaving now," she laughed, finally exiting the room, her hand still clutching her nose.
Legolas finally let out the laugh he was holding for the sake of etiquette. Gimli shot him a glare before beginning to rant and rave about his accomadations the night before. Legolas' laughter died down and his sight went to the outsides now. A somber thought occurred to him as he looked at the elves scrambling from one place to another. Most he recognized but other he couldn't name. He saw some old friends passing along with new ones and he realized his thoughts were quite sobering.
"You look like someone orc just bit your arse, Legolas. What is it?" Gimli asked, reading the seriousness in his friend's face.
"I just realized..." Legolas murmured, sadly. "Life went on without me."
Chapter 04: Morning Light
"Turn off the light," Legolas grumbled from his own niche of the palace caves, hiding underneath the thin blankets of his bed. Like it was of any use really against the morning light? Legolas' room was one of the best and largest in the maze of caves, facing east towards the rising sun. Legolas could remember, however vaguely, how he loved waking up with the sun shining its rays from the sky and into his room but things changed and now he wanted to shoot the sun down from its rise. And, either way, he distinctly remembered turning the drapes so that he wouldn't be bothered with it in the morning.
"I'm sorry, heru en amin, but the king has requested you awaken," a female voice said. A shadow danced between the light and Legolas and stopped over him. "Your highness?" A hand went to his shoulder, shaking him slightly. "Highness, amin hiraetha but you must awaken. The king has ordered it."
"Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," Legolas muttered burrowing farther into the silk sheets. The elleth laughed.
"Highness, you must wake," she said again, this time resorting to poking Legolas in his side resulting only in a grunt from the sleeper. Legolas heard a sigh and felt the bed shift as the elleth sat down on it, facing the windows. "Come, Hir nin. 'Tis a beautiful day. Must you really waste it in bed?"
Legolas sneaked a peek over the blankets and saw the elleth that served him the night before. Luin-gil, he remembered her name was. "Damn, you morning elf," he grumbled seeing her smile at him, wide awake.
"Actually," she started, smiling just a fraction wider in amusement. "I abhor waking up in the mornings. Probably, if I had your room, I would be curled under the covers, the drapes drawn so deep in my dreams I would be dead to reality. My master, known to you as your father, IS a morning ellon and so I have to be as well."
"Yes..." Legolas said sympathetically. He remembered the early mornings he has suffered when he was a child. He could definitely feel for Luin-gil.
"Well, either way... I AM sorry for waking you but your father wishes to know you are out and about," she said standing up.
"It's all right," he sighed. In the clear light, he could see what it was about Luin-gil that caused such a stir. Legolas did not want to sound like a snob or superficial but the elleth before him truly did not hold the universal grace bestowed upon the elven kind. She was quite plain in the eyes of the elves and definitely darker than any elf he'd seen. Not that she wasn't pretty... She just wasn't beautiful.
Luin-gil, feeling the common scrutiny she fell under, just waited patiently for the prince to finish. She stood there her hands held together in front of her, barely shifting her weight. Calmly and silently, she waited until Legolas realized that he was staring at her. Legolas was about to apologize for the rudeness when she cut him off with the raise of her hand.
"It's all right," she smiled, sadly, repeating his own words towards her. "I'm quite used to it." She took a step back, bowing her head to hide the frown and looked up again, her cheerful mask securely fastened before her. "Is there anything you might like me to do?"
"I thought you were my father's servant," Legolas stated, slipping out of his bed and revealing that he only had leggings on.
Luin-gil blushed, seeing the perfection blessed upon the prince. Her own natural inclination towards ellyn were usually suppressed, but physically Legolas was the complete opposite of how she was held in comparison to the elven standard of beauty. Slim, lithe, smooth skin covering muscles made for a very wonderful analogy that Luin-gil couldn't help but smirk at as it passed her thoughts. Her eyes traveled down the smooth white chest of her prince only thinking of the phrase velvet on steel.
"N.... No," she stammered. "I mean, I was but I've been reassigned to you."
"What happened to Elda?" Legolas asked of his previous servant.
"She's sailed to the west," she answered. Legolas paused for a second. "About a month after you went to to Imladris, your highness."
"Oh..." Legolas scratched his head, at a loss to why this bit of news was striking a chord in him again. It was like the night before when he witnessed Leuthilalren, Leithwen and Thranduil fighting over something he knew so little of when he used to know everything that went on in his palace home.
"... Is there anything you needed?" Luin-gil repeated again. It wasn't like she really wanted to leave. By all means, let her stare at Legolas all day and she would have been satisfies, but Thalinar, the elleth closest to the position of Lady of the house since Thranduil's wife had sailed was strict and stern at those who skived off their chores even when under the authority of the prince.
"No..." Legolas waved her off as he walked to a chair where a tunic hung. She nodded silently and began to walk out of the room when she turned suddenly remembering a message Thranduil had given her earlier.
"Oh! Before I forget!" Luin-gil called Legolas out of his trance as he stared at the palace grounds for the first time in too long. He turned away and to Luin-gil. "There is to be a ball tonight held in honour of your return. Your father asked me to inform you of it."
"Of course," Legolas nodded. Luin-gil smiled and made a little wave as she began to walk backwards towards the door. She was about to turn towards the exit when it opened quickly, the wood lightly knocking her on the nose and stumbling backwards.
"Did I hit something?" Gimli asked as he strode into the room. His eyes caught Luin-gil rubbing her nose lightly and he realized what he must have done. "Luin-gil! Did I just... I'm sorry. Are you hurt!?" Luin-gil made a face, something of a cross between a smile and a grimace, and shook her head.
"It's okay... No permanent damage," she answered, her amusement tickling her voice. Her eyes looked up and saw Legolas, grinning widely. "I'll just be... uh.. I'm leaving now," she laughed, finally exiting the room, her hand still clutching her nose.
Legolas finally let out the laugh he was holding for the sake of etiquette. Gimli shot him a glare before beginning to rant and rave about his accomadations the night before. Legolas' laughter died down and his sight went to the outsides now. A somber thought occurred to him as he looked at the elves scrambling from one place to another. Most he recognized but other he couldn't name. He saw some old friends passing along with new ones and he realized his thoughts were quite sobering.
"You look like someone orc just bit your arse, Legolas. What is it?" Gimli asked, reading the seriousness in his friend's face.
"I just realized..." Legolas murmured, sadly. "Life went on without me."