AN: Hi everyone! I hope everyone's having a good vacation but there are
some of us who aren't on vacation. I have one meager day off this week
(that's my Easter Break...a three day weekend). Anywho, Thanks a million for
all the reviews I greatly appreciate them. All of you are the best!
hobbitgirl11: What about Arwen and Gandalf? LOL! I happen to like chocolate pudding best of all! Thanks for your review!
A Monkey's Harp: The council members are just a little bit set in their ways and traditions. Interesting new choice of pen name and the whole parenthesis within parenthesis actually happens sometimes in chemistry too. That gets annoying after a while because, once you use too many parenthesis, you have to move on to square brackets and then to curly brackets.
kurleyhawk2: I'm sorry about the cliffhangers, I'm quite fond of them. Here's my update, as earliest as I can muster. I hope you like it.
PixiePea000: The cliffhangers aren't my fault! Blame The X-Files and The Matrix Reloaded for them. We could but then it might get a little odd considering the whole "Free your Mind" thing. Don't know how they would take a man in a dress, for all intents and purposes, flying about. Anyway, GOLLUM and watch out for Agent Elrond Smith. VIVA LA REVOLUTION!
sunni07: Let's just say a certain person is going to show up and really turn the council members on their ears. A few traditions will be broken in that process. I read about the elf-markings in this book my mom bought me for Christmas. It was a guide book for Harry Potter but I figured it fit in here.
Midnight-Insomniac1532: My instructor use to tell us we were learning something called Blue Wave Tae Kwan Do. I'd love to get back into it but I don't have time. I'm glad you liked the chapter!
LalaithoftheBruinen: You shall soon see who came in. Here's the next chapter, fresh off the hard drive!
LadyJadePerendhil: I'm glad you liked the chapter! Reverse psychology is always fun, though, whenever I try to use it, it never works. The two who arrived in the throne room will be revealed relatively soon. Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a handful of made up characters. Tolkien thought up the concept and, as such, it belongs to him. I'm just playing in his world. I'm broke and in college. All I own are Pointe Shoes.
Aragorn looked over the two figures that had just entered the council chamber. He knew both well, though one he had only met recently.
Both figures bowed, the female holding out her skirts as she dropped into a well practiced curtsey. Aragorn watched, pleasantly amused by the entire show. He had known the older of these two long enough for forgo any type of positional formality. He knew these two were doing this for the benefit of the gathered council.
"We have come from our father's realm on your behest, my lord," said the elder of the two figures, "What is it you would have my sister and I do?"
"My good men, please take your leave. As you can see, my guests and I have very important matters to attend to. They have traveled a great distance in a short time in order to aid me and I would appreciate a meeting alone with them," Aragorn requested of the gathered council.
It seemed that the two figures had startled the council members enough. They had not been expecting guests of their magnitude to arrive during their meeting and barge in unannounced.
"As my lord wishes," sputtered a councilman as they ducked out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
No sooner had the door closed, when all constraints of formality were dropped. Aragorn stepped around his wide desk, clasping the male on the shoulder and pulling the female into a tight embrace.
"That was a very good show, Legolas, very good indeed," he commented, with a knowing smile.
Legolas, crowned prince of Mirkwood, simply nodded his agreement. The elven prince was clad in browns and greens, atypical traveling attire of his woodland kin. He had been asked to come to aid in the rescue because of his knowledge of this other world. He was one of the only elves in Middle Earth who could boast some knowledge of its nature.
He'd gone there several times before to check on, and, eventually, bring home the smaller figure standing next to him.
"I can not bring myself to comprehend how you naturally fall into a curtsey, Emma. Be it elven grace or dancer's skill," Aragorn stated, speaking to the female figure.
Emma blushed a bright red, a striking contrast to her silvery-white hair, and stared down at her traveling boots.
The elven child, half-sister to the prince and an embarrassment to Mirkwood's king, was dressed in a manner quite similar to her older brother. She wore a nearly blue tunic and gray breeches. A brown vest, belt and boots completed her choice of outfit.
"We have received your summons and I was only too glad to bring my sister and her foster parents with me. What aid do you require?" Legolas asked, taking a seat across from the king's and an apple from one of the trays.
"Emma," Aragorn noted, as he took his own seat, "you are allowed to sit. You are no longer in your father's kingdom and are free to do as you please, within reason."
"Thank you, sir," she replied, in her best formal voice.
Within the boundaries of her father's kingdom, the elven child had been met with fierce resistance. Her father had no need to acknowledge her as his daughter, treating her as just another member of his kingdom. That included having to ask to do anything in his presence. It seemed, to her, that with her brother and his friends the story was different.
She took the chair that stood next to her much older brother and, with a questioning glance, her own apple.
"It is not so much aid that I require, than advice," Aragorn answered, "Arwen informed me that you know about my daughter and her situation."
"I would have told you but I was told in confidence. A confidence I felt was not my place to break," Legolas informed his friend.
"You have a daughter?" questioned Emma, not remembering meeting a daughter on her previous visit to the White City.
"Aye, I do, little elf. She is just a bit older than you are, or so Arwen tells me," Aragorn replied.
Emma looked perplexed, her gaze shifting from Aragorn to Legolas and back again. She knew she was missing a large part of this story. She could not recall hearing anything about someone around her age living in the citadel at the time of her visit or meeting this person.
"That is a story for another day, Emma," Legolas said to his sister, trying not to be bothered by the look of disappointment that crossed her face, "I am sure Arwen would like to tell you it sometime."
Emma nodded, accepting his answer.
"Do I have to be here, then?" she questioned, hoping to get back out to her parents.
Well, the two people she considered to be her parents. They were mortal, though her "mother" had spiritual roots in Middle Earth, and had adopted Emma when she was just a child.
"Actually, you do. You have a very important role to play in the events that are to take place," Aragorn informed the very young elf.
"You have not said what you are planning. If it has anything to do with those council men my sister and I scared out of here, then it must be something grim indeed," Legolas joked, bring the conversation around and back to its starting point.
"You are aware that my daughter, like your sister, was taken out of Middle Earth by the portal-traveler Patrick. I intend to bring her back home," Aragorn stated.
Four elven eyes went wide with shock. Neither elf in the room could believe what he or she had just heard. It was a good enough explanation as any for the expressions of the councilors who had beaten a hasty retreat. This was a city deeply rooted in tradition and what Aragorn was proposing went against many of those traditions.
Suddenly, Legolas had a very good idea of what was being asked of him and of why he and his sister had been asked to the White City.
"What would have us do?" he asked, offering his help in a roundabout way.
Aragorn smiled, half knowing that his friend was going to be willing to aid him.
"You know this Muggle World better than I, having been their to rescue Emma. I was hoping that you would be willing to take part in her rescue. I have already informed Gandalf of my intentions and he has promised to have the gates, as he calls them, set up for our use," Aragorn proposed.
"It would be an honor, my friend," Legolas replied.
"What about me?" Emma questioned, speaking up from her seat.
The king gave a short laugh, knowing that Emma was part of the reason Arwen had opened up to him about Niphredil.
"You are to play a very important role as well. Once my daughter gets here, she will not understand this world as you did when you first came here. I would like you to try and be her friend, teach her about this world as best you can. You have been through a very similar situation and will understand better than anyone else," Aragorn stated.
Emma grew quiet for a moment, toying with the leave she wore around her neck. It had been a gift from her brother; a reminder of who she was and where she belonged during her final stay in the other world.
"I will help you under one condition," Emma retorted.
"That is no way to talk to a king, Little Elf," Legolas warned, not truly believing that his usually mild mannered little sister was challenging the high king.
"Let the little one speak her mind," Aragorn countered, "Name your condition, my lady."
Emma gave the king a smile. She knew exactly what her condition was going to be, having considered it as her brother spoke.
"You have to promise to be nice to her and not to treat her as my real father treats me. He is not all that nice to me," Emma spoke.
Aragorn had heard of Thranduil's, Lord of the Mirkwood elves, attitude towards his youngest child. He knew, from Legolas, that his acceptance of his role as her sire was a minimum. There was something like barley restrained hostility between Thranduil and Shannon, the woman Emma called "mother."
"That is a fair condition, my lady. You have my word, as king, Ranger, and friend, that I will not treat my daughter as your real father treats you," he promised, "Do you accept my pledge?"
Emma nodded and stated, "Then I would be more then glad to help you."
"You did not have to do that. I am sure she was aware of the fact you would treat your own better than our father does," Legolas hissed to Aragorn.
"I know, my friend, but I think the Little Elf needed to hear it aloud," the king retorted.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to a certain elven maiden living so far away from her home, her every motion was being followed, waiting for the right moment to bring her home.
Back to her real family, world, and position.
hobbitgirl11: What about Arwen and Gandalf? LOL! I happen to like chocolate pudding best of all! Thanks for your review!
A Monkey's Harp: The council members are just a little bit set in their ways and traditions. Interesting new choice of pen name and the whole parenthesis within parenthesis actually happens sometimes in chemistry too. That gets annoying after a while because, once you use too many parenthesis, you have to move on to square brackets and then to curly brackets.
kurleyhawk2: I'm sorry about the cliffhangers, I'm quite fond of them. Here's my update, as earliest as I can muster. I hope you like it.
PixiePea000: The cliffhangers aren't my fault! Blame The X-Files and The Matrix Reloaded for them. We could but then it might get a little odd considering the whole "Free your Mind" thing. Don't know how they would take a man in a dress, for all intents and purposes, flying about. Anyway, GOLLUM and watch out for Agent Elrond Smith. VIVA LA REVOLUTION!
sunni07: Let's just say a certain person is going to show up and really turn the council members on their ears. A few traditions will be broken in that process. I read about the elf-markings in this book my mom bought me for Christmas. It was a guide book for Harry Potter but I figured it fit in here.
Midnight-Insomniac1532: My instructor use to tell us we were learning something called Blue Wave Tae Kwan Do. I'd love to get back into it but I don't have time. I'm glad you liked the chapter!
LalaithoftheBruinen: You shall soon see who came in. Here's the next chapter, fresh off the hard drive!
LadyJadePerendhil: I'm glad you liked the chapter! Reverse psychology is always fun, though, whenever I try to use it, it never works. The two who arrived in the throne room will be revealed relatively soon. Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a handful of made up characters. Tolkien thought up the concept and, as such, it belongs to him. I'm just playing in his world. I'm broke and in college. All I own are Pointe Shoes.
Aragorn looked over the two figures that had just entered the council chamber. He knew both well, though one he had only met recently.
Both figures bowed, the female holding out her skirts as she dropped into a well practiced curtsey. Aragorn watched, pleasantly amused by the entire show. He had known the older of these two long enough for forgo any type of positional formality. He knew these two were doing this for the benefit of the gathered council.
"We have come from our father's realm on your behest, my lord," said the elder of the two figures, "What is it you would have my sister and I do?"
"My good men, please take your leave. As you can see, my guests and I have very important matters to attend to. They have traveled a great distance in a short time in order to aid me and I would appreciate a meeting alone with them," Aragorn requested of the gathered council.
It seemed that the two figures had startled the council members enough. They had not been expecting guests of their magnitude to arrive during their meeting and barge in unannounced.
"As my lord wishes," sputtered a councilman as they ducked out of the room, shutting the door behind them.
No sooner had the door closed, when all constraints of formality were dropped. Aragorn stepped around his wide desk, clasping the male on the shoulder and pulling the female into a tight embrace.
"That was a very good show, Legolas, very good indeed," he commented, with a knowing smile.
Legolas, crowned prince of Mirkwood, simply nodded his agreement. The elven prince was clad in browns and greens, atypical traveling attire of his woodland kin. He had been asked to come to aid in the rescue because of his knowledge of this other world. He was one of the only elves in Middle Earth who could boast some knowledge of its nature.
He'd gone there several times before to check on, and, eventually, bring home the smaller figure standing next to him.
"I can not bring myself to comprehend how you naturally fall into a curtsey, Emma. Be it elven grace or dancer's skill," Aragorn stated, speaking to the female figure.
Emma blushed a bright red, a striking contrast to her silvery-white hair, and stared down at her traveling boots.
The elven child, half-sister to the prince and an embarrassment to Mirkwood's king, was dressed in a manner quite similar to her older brother. She wore a nearly blue tunic and gray breeches. A brown vest, belt and boots completed her choice of outfit.
"We have received your summons and I was only too glad to bring my sister and her foster parents with me. What aid do you require?" Legolas asked, taking a seat across from the king's and an apple from one of the trays.
"Emma," Aragorn noted, as he took his own seat, "you are allowed to sit. You are no longer in your father's kingdom and are free to do as you please, within reason."
"Thank you, sir," she replied, in her best formal voice.
Within the boundaries of her father's kingdom, the elven child had been met with fierce resistance. Her father had no need to acknowledge her as his daughter, treating her as just another member of his kingdom. That included having to ask to do anything in his presence. It seemed, to her, that with her brother and his friends the story was different.
She took the chair that stood next to her much older brother and, with a questioning glance, her own apple.
"It is not so much aid that I require, than advice," Aragorn answered, "Arwen informed me that you know about my daughter and her situation."
"I would have told you but I was told in confidence. A confidence I felt was not my place to break," Legolas informed his friend.
"You have a daughter?" questioned Emma, not remembering meeting a daughter on her previous visit to the White City.
"Aye, I do, little elf. She is just a bit older than you are, or so Arwen tells me," Aragorn replied.
Emma looked perplexed, her gaze shifting from Aragorn to Legolas and back again. She knew she was missing a large part of this story. She could not recall hearing anything about someone around her age living in the citadel at the time of her visit or meeting this person.
"That is a story for another day, Emma," Legolas said to his sister, trying not to be bothered by the look of disappointment that crossed her face, "I am sure Arwen would like to tell you it sometime."
Emma nodded, accepting his answer.
"Do I have to be here, then?" she questioned, hoping to get back out to her parents.
Well, the two people she considered to be her parents. They were mortal, though her "mother" had spiritual roots in Middle Earth, and had adopted Emma when she was just a child.
"Actually, you do. You have a very important role to play in the events that are to take place," Aragorn informed the very young elf.
"You have not said what you are planning. If it has anything to do with those council men my sister and I scared out of here, then it must be something grim indeed," Legolas joked, bring the conversation around and back to its starting point.
"You are aware that my daughter, like your sister, was taken out of Middle Earth by the portal-traveler Patrick. I intend to bring her back home," Aragorn stated.
Four elven eyes went wide with shock. Neither elf in the room could believe what he or she had just heard. It was a good enough explanation as any for the expressions of the councilors who had beaten a hasty retreat. This was a city deeply rooted in tradition and what Aragorn was proposing went against many of those traditions.
Suddenly, Legolas had a very good idea of what was being asked of him and of why he and his sister had been asked to the White City.
"What would have us do?" he asked, offering his help in a roundabout way.
Aragorn smiled, half knowing that his friend was going to be willing to aid him.
"You know this Muggle World better than I, having been their to rescue Emma. I was hoping that you would be willing to take part in her rescue. I have already informed Gandalf of my intentions and he has promised to have the gates, as he calls them, set up for our use," Aragorn proposed.
"It would be an honor, my friend," Legolas replied.
"What about me?" Emma questioned, speaking up from her seat.
The king gave a short laugh, knowing that Emma was part of the reason Arwen had opened up to him about Niphredil.
"You are to play a very important role as well. Once my daughter gets here, she will not understand this world as you did when you first came here. I would like you to try and be her friend, teach her about this world as best you can. You have been through a very similar situation and will understand better than anyone else," Aragorn stated.
Emma grew quiet for a moment, toying with the leave she wore around her neck. It had been a gift from her brother; a reminder of who she was and where she belonged during her final stay in the other world.
"I will help you under one condition," Emma retorted.
"That is no way to talk to a king, Little Elf," Legolas warned, not truly believing that his usually mild mannered little sister was challenging the high king.
"Let the little one speak her mind," Aragorn countered, "Name your condition, my lady."
Emma gave the king a smile. She knew exactly what her condition was going to be, having considered it as her brother spoke.
"You have to promise to be nice to her and not to treat her as my real father treats me. He is not all that nice to me," Emma spoke.
Aragorn had heard of Thranduil's, Lord of the Mirkwood elves, attitude towards his youngest child. He knew, from Legolas, that his acceptance of his role as her sire was a minimum. There was something like barley restrained hostility between Thranduil and Shannon, the woman Emma called "mother."
"That is a fair condition, my lady. You have my word, as king, Ranger, and friend, that I will not treat my daughter as your real father treats you," he promised, "Do you accept my pledge?"
Emma nodded and stated, "Then I would be more then glad to help you."
"You did not have to do that. I am sure she was aware of the fact you would treat your own better than our father does," Legolas hissed to Aragorn.
"I know, my friend, but I think the Little Elf needed to hear it aloud," the king retorted.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to a certain elven maiden living so far away from her home, her every motion was being followed, waiting for the right moment to bring her home.
Back to her real family, world, and position.