AN: Hi everyone! I'm sorry I didn't update a second time last week. I would
up having to set up things for no less than three Girl Scout trips. We took
about eighty kids and parents to a Mets game last Sunday and, this coming
Saturday; we're taking about the same number of kids and parents to Build-A-
Bear. The following week, we're taking them to the circus. I got
volunteered to sort out names for party lists and give tickets to parents.
Now that's over with, I hope to update again this week! Anyway, thanks for
all your reviews! I appreciate every last one of them! Please keep them
coming because you're helping me more than you know.
A Monkey's Harp: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Niphredil is being rushed from place to place by people she's not really getting to know so her head is, basically, spinning. Even Emma, who was supposed to be something like a normal face to her, has confused her. You'll see how her parents react to her soon. If the offer still stands, I'd be happy to read your paper for you. I'm not sure how great or helpful my feedback will be but I'll look at it.
hobbitgirl11: First things first, congrats on a good recital! I'm glad you had fun. I have a boat load of rehearsals in preparation for my recital at the end of June because two of the dances still aren't done. Anyway, you'll see what Niphredil and Emma are going to do. Remember, Emma's under assignment from the king to make friends with his daughter and they both have things in common.
LalaithoftheBruinen: Sorry about the cliffhanger. It's a bad habit I have. Sorry to hear about school. I kind of miss being in school already. It gives me something to do during the day and it stops me from reading nonstop. Here's the latest update!
LJP: She's still trying to digest what happened to her and her first reactions will be revealed in time. I needed to get her to meet Emma first since they're may wind up being friends who have a lot in common. That includes first impressions of their new homes. I had to get it in there that Emma is still very much a little girl. She just hasn't had an opportunity to act like one because there's no one who is actually "her age." I hope you like this chapter better!
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.
Niphredil stood in the doorway, staring around the room with wide eyes. It was a far smaller room than the one she and Emma had passed through. Where the large room frightened her, turning her blood as cold as the marble it appeared to be made out of, this room put her more at ease. She felt she could approach her parents in this smaller room, where everything seemed more comfortable and lived in.
Sitting in the room, on two carven chairs, was a man and a woman. Their bearing, the richness of their clothing and the crowns on their heads, made her think of royalty. She could only assume that they were a king and queen for Emma said she was a princess. They were in conversation with a young, tall male-at least she thought it was a male-who appeared to be some kind of close relative of Emma's.
Emma had darted off, leaving Niphredil standing. She crossed the length of the room, stopping in front of the seated pair. She dropped into a low curtsey before continuing on to stand next to the tall male. Though she made no sound as she moved, the male seemed to know the instant she came to stand at his side.
"My sister and I will take our leave," he said, giving a slight bow to the seated figures, "This is a private matter."
She tapped his sister on the shoulder and motioned for her to walk next to him.
"Please, Prince Legolas," the female sitting at the front of the room interjected, "my husband and I would like you and Emma to stay."
"There may be questions asked that only a certain person will be able to answer. This is about providing answers to long asked questions, is it not?" the male added.
"Are my lord and lady sure?" the tall man-Legolas, the other male called him-questioned.
He did not want to intrude on something he knew to be a private affair. He, himself, had some measure of experience in this type of situation and knew, full well, the feelings it would provoke in all parties involved. Legolas could only assume his friend knew what he was doing and trusted that decision. History had shown that to be the wise thing to do.
To Legolas, it made a strange sort of sense to allow Emma to stay for she knew more keenly than any other how Niphredil was feeling. Like the dark haired girl, Emma had been taken from her world and introduced to her knew home. Any questions about the change could be answered by the smallish silvery-white haired child standing next to him.
"We are very sure, Prince Legolas," the female said, giving him a small smile.
Legolas only nodded his understanding and took his sister's hand. He led her off to the far side of the room, instructing her to keep quiet and just watch.
"Something very important is about to take place," he whispered to his sister.
"I know," came her reply.
Niphredil watched the exchange with wide eyes. She was badly confused, having come from a world where rulers were chosen by the people. Kings and queens, princes and princesses existed only in fairy tales and, of course, those were made up. Those were just stories to help children sleep and to give their imaginations something to play with. That
Of course, that appeared to be a wrong way of thinking about it. She stood in a room with a king and queen, and, adding to the strangeness, an elven prince and princess.
"Come forward," the woman beckoned, snapping Niphredil out of her reverie, "please do not be scared."
Taking baby steps, small and tentative, Niphredil crossed the length of the room. Her eyes were on her slipper clad feet watching them move across the tiled floor. She was unsure how to approach royalty, having never met anyone greater than the scientist Godfather of her friend Hope.
She was unsure of she should curtsey or not, like Emma had done before her.
"Do I even know how to curtsey," she wondered, curiously.
Niphredil contented herself with giving the pair a bow similar to the one she had been required to give at the beginning and end of every Tae Kwan Do lesson as well as before and after every spar. She stood up, arms rigid at her sides, and bowed from the waist. It was a comfortable motion, reassuring in the very uncomfortable situation she had found herself in.
As she stood, she took note of the features of both the male and female. They were both of undetermined age-the female more so than the male. The female was dark of hair and eyes, striking Niphredil as odd since she possessed the same hair and eye coloring. There was something vaguely familiar about the female. The elven part of her mind was telling her that she had once known this woman that she had appeared in her dreams. The male had dark hair on his head and face and his eyes were of a lighter shade. His face, unlike the woman's, was unfamiliar to Niphredil. Both looked kindly at Niphredil, catching her off guard. Most stories involved one of the rulers, be it the king or queen, being cruel or cold.
An oddity about the pair struck Niphredil, as she tried not to fidget under their communal gaze. Their features, if combined, could have produced the features she was familiar with. Ones she knew very well and saw on a daily basis. Her own features...her dark hair and eyes, the fact she was quite pale.
"I am not scared," she, finally, responded, "Maybe nervous is the better word for how I am feeling right now."
In truth, she was scared but she was loath to admit that fact. Fear was something she was not keen on showing for she knew there were things out there that looked as if they should be feared but were not frightening in the least.
"Why are you nervous?" the male asked, taking her statement and turning it around to get her to speak further.
"For many reasons, I believe. One of the main ones would be the fact I am not sure what to expect from my parents and I do not know what they expect of me," she answered, trying to keep her tone as formal as possible.
"Why do you have this sense of nervousness?" the woman inquired with some concern in her voice.
Their questions, the tones they used in this strange interview, were throwing Niphredil. She could not see how the relationship, or lack thereof, with her parents was of any importance to the couple before her.
"The feeling related to my parents? I mean, they are not in my life for many years and, now, out of the clear blue sky, they are. I just want to know why. Actually, I would like to know the 'whys' of many things where my parents are concerned. There are questions I have that I would like to have answered one day," Niphredil explained.
"Are you angry with them?" the woman asked, her voice anxious.
To Niphredil, it seemed this interview had been at both the woman's request and for her benefit. Her, basically, taking over the questioning had lead Niphredil to think in that way.
"I do not think I am. I mean, I do not want to be angry with them. That, of course, depends on them and how they feel about me and the reasons they gave for sending me away," Niphredil explained.
"But, despite what you do now know about your parents, you still wish to meet them," the man brought up, "Why is that?"
Niphredil shuffled her feet, unsure of how to best answer that question. The reasons were personal and private, her own and she liked it that way. Then again, perhaps, they were common and ran along the lines of why her parents were looking for her. She could not say because, much to her chagrin, she was stuck in this strange interview with a king and queen instead of meeting with her parents.
"I just want to know them in the same way, I hope, they would like to know me. I could be wrong about them wanting to know me but that is my fondest hope," Niphredil admitted, being slightly vaguer on purpose.
A strong silence lapsed in the room. There was nothing to say or, at least, it felt that way. Niphredil was allowed to entertain whatever thoughts, whatever feelings she had at that moment in time.
In the silence of the room, the elven part of her mind was strong and loud forcing Niphredil to pay heed to it. The information it gave explained the interview, gave understanding to the half-elven maiden standing at the center of the room. She suddenly and clearly knew why the woman had taken control of the interview, knew why her face had seemed familiar and where she knew it from.
The woman was the exact same woman from her dreams, the dreams that kept reminding her of who she really was. If that was, truly, the case this woman had to be her mother.
As the idea came to Niphredil, the woman confirmed it with a simple, "It is true."
"You two are my parents, then," Niphredil blurted, through her shocked haze.
Her dreams had, somehow, been telling her of her reality. There was truth in the perceived fiction of her dreams. She just wondered how much fiction there was in that truth.
"And you are our princess," the man added with a smile
"Hold on," Niphredil stated, trying to get her thoughts organized and to find her center, "If I am a princess, then I was right in assuming you two are the king and queen."
The woman nodded, confirming Niphredil's assessment.
"That we are. I am Arwen and, this is your father, Aragorn," the woman said as a form of introduction.
"My name is Niphredil but, I guess, you knew that already. It's very nice to meet you after all these years. I think I remember you," she said her eyes coming to rest on her mother.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Niphredil sized up her parents and they did the same. No one knew what to say or what to do as the situation changed from a sort of interrogation to a reunion of family.
It was Aragorn who broke the silence, suggesting, "Let us go eat. We can speak further over diner. I trust you must be hungry after your journey here."
Unsure if she was hungry or not, Niphredil followed her parents, Emma, and her brother into another room. In the center of the room was a long, large table.
"Please, sit," Arwen said to her daughter.
Though she had grown up, much of the little girl she recalled lived in the person standing next to her. She knew it would take time but that other person-the elven child she recalled- could be made to come back, to return to the foreground of the jaded frame of mind Niphredil was employing.
Unsure of the protocol, Niphredil, sheepishly, asked, "Where?"
"Near the head of the table. You are a member of the royal family, after all," Arwen replied, gently steering her daughter towards the head of the table.
After taking stock of the situation, Niphredil opted to sit on her father's left hand side. Across from her sat her mother. Next to her sat Emma.
Food was served on large platters and, after everyone had eaten their fill, silenced reigned again. The same silence that had existed in the other room and had hung in the air during the meal, refused to dissipate.
No one, really, knew what to say.
"So...um...what was your family like?" Emma broached, making a brave attempt at starting a conversation.
"I really do not want to talk about them. It would spoil the day," Niphredil, plainly, answered.
The room fell dangerously quiet again.
"I do believe I own everyone, especially Niphredil, an explanation," Arwen stated, making her attempt at breaking the heavy silence that had taken up residence in the room.
"An explanation of what?" Niphredil wanted to know.
"Of how you came to be and why I sent you away," Arwen answered.
Niphredil's expression brightened considerable. The truth-the most precious and valuable commodity she could think of-was about to be given to her. Given freely, no less. She had, secretly, been expecting to have to, somehow, trick the truth out of someone here.
Before she could begin her story, though, Legolas interjected, "Please, my friend, do not go into too much detail. There are very young ears present."
He had been referring to his own sister but, he realized, it also encompassed Niphredil. To the others in the room, Niphredil, like Emma, was still a very young child.
Laughter rang out in the room, shattering the tension like glass, and Arwen began her story.
As the story wrapped up, Niphredil felt her mind spinning. She had a million and one questions she wanted to ask. The truth had given her more questions than answers, it seemed.
Though she had questions to ask, she could not force any of them to come out. Her mouth and her mind were not working in sync with each other. Instead, she began to feel profoundly tired. There was no way for her to know what time it really was but her internal clock was telling her it was quite late and she needed the scant few hours of light sleep she was accustomed to getting.
"I do not want to be the barer of bad new but I must get Emma back to her parents. They are probably worried about her, wondering what has happened to her," Legolas informed the king and queen.
"I am sure it has been a long day for Niphredil as well. Might I suggest we retired for the evening. A new day will dawn soon and more can be said then," Aragorn brought up.
"She can come back with up, if you would like her to," Legolas offered.
"I am sure she would like that very much," Arwen concurred.
"Thank you. I guess this is good night," Niphredil said, around a wide yawn.
She walked back to her room, talking with Emma and making a brave attempt at saying awake.
"If there is anything you wish, Emma and her parents are in the next room," Legolas told the half-elven maiden.
"Good night!" Emma called, as her brother took her to her room.
Searching through the drawers, Niphredil found, what appeared to her to be, pajamas. She changed and turned down her bed. Suddenly there was a knock at her door.
A Monkey's Harp: I'm glad you liked the chapter. Niphredil is being rushed from place to place by people she's not really getting to know so her head is, basically, spinning. Even Emma, who was supposed to be something like a normal face to her, has confused her. You'll see how her parents react to her soon. If the offer still stands, I'd be happy to read your paper for you. I'm not sure how great or helpful my feedback will be but I'll look at it.
hobbitgirl11: First things first, congrats on a good recital! I'm glad you had fun. I have a boat load of rehearsals in preparation for my recital at the end of June because two of the dances still aren't done. Anyway, you'll see what Niphredil and Emma are going to do. Remember, Emma's under assignment from the king to make friends with his daughter and they both have things in common.
LalaithoftheBruinen: Sorry about the cliffhanger. It's a bad habit I have. Sorry to hear about school. I kind of miss being in school already. It gives me something to do during the day and it stops me from reading nonstop. Here's the latest update!
LJP: She's still trying to digest what happened to her and her first reactions will be revealed in time. I needed to get her to meet Emma first since they're may wind up being friends who have a lot in common. That includes first impressions of their new homes. I had to get it in there that Emma is still very much a little girl. She just hasn't had an opportunity to act like one because there's no one who is actually "her age." I hope you like this chapter better!
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.
Niphredil stood in the doorway, staring around the room with wide eyes. It was a far smaller room than the one she and Emma had passed through. Where the large room frightened her, turning her blood as cold as the marble it appeared to be made out of, this room put her more at ease. She felt she could approach her parents in this smaller room, where everything seemed more comfortable and lived in.
Sitting in the room, on two carven chairs, was a man and a woman. Their bearing, the richness of their clothing and the crowns on their heads, made her think of royalty. She could only assume that they were a king and queen for Emma said she was a princess. They were in conversation with a young, tall male-at least she thought it was a male-who appeared to be some kind of close relative of Emma's.
Emma had darted off, leaving Niphredil standing. She crossed the length of the room, stopping in front of the seated pair. She dropped into a low curtsey before continuing on to stand next to the tall male. Though she made no sound as she moved, the male seemed to know the instant she came to stand at his side.
"My sister and I will take our leave," he said, giving a slight bow to the seated figures, "This is a private matter."
She tapped his sister on the shoulder and motioned for her to walk next to him.
"Please, Prince Legolas," the female sitting at the front of the room interjected, "my husband and I would like you and Emma to stay."
"There may be questions asked that only a certain person will be able to answer. This is about providing answers to long asked questions, is it not?" the male added.
"Are my lord and lady sure?" the tall man-Legolas, the other male called him-questioned.
He did not want to intrude on something he knew to be a private affair. He, himself, had some measure of experience in this type of situation and knew, full well, the feelings it would provoke in all parties involved. Legolas could only assume his friend knew what he was doing and trusted that decision. History had shown that to be the wise thing to do.
To Legolas, it made a strange sort of sense to allow Emma to stay for she knew more keenly than any other how Niphredil was feeling. Like the dark haired girl, Emma had been taken from her world and introduced to her knew home. Any questions about the change could be answered by the smallish silvery-white haired child standing next to him.
"We are very sure, Prince Legolas," the female said, giving him a small smile.
Legolas only nodded his understanding and took his sister's hand. He led her off to the far side of the room, instructing her to keep quiet and just watch.
"Something very important is about to take place," he whispered to his sister.
"I know," came her reply.
Niphredil watched the exchange with wide eyes. She was badly confused, having come from a world where rulers were chosen by the people. Kings and queens, princes and princesses existed only in fairy tales and, of course, those were made up. Those were just stories to help children sleep and to give their imaginations something to play with. That
Of course, that appeared to be a wrong way of thinking about it. She stood in a room with a king and queen, and, adding to the strangeness, an elven prince and princess.
"Come forward," the woman beckoned, snapping Niphredil out of her reverie, "please do not be scared."
Taking baby steps, small and tentative, Niphredil crossed the length of the room. Her eyes were on her slipper clad feet watching them move across the tiled floor. She was unsure how to approach royalty, having never met anyone greater than the scientist Godfather of her friend Hope.
She was unsure of she should curtsey or not, like Emma had done before her.
"Do I even know how to curtsey," she wondered, curiously.
Niphredil contented herself with giving the pair a bow similar to the one she had been required to give at the beginning and end of every Tae Kwan Do lesson as well as before and after every spar. She stood up, arms rigid at her sides, and bowed from the waist. It was a comfortable motion, reassuring in the very uncomfortable situation she had found herself in.
As she stood, she took note of the features of both the male and female. They were both of undetermined age-the female more so than the male. The female was dark of hair and eyes, striking Niphredil as odd since she possessed the same hair and eye coloring. There was something vaguely familiar about the female. The elven part of her mind was telling her that she had once known this woman that she had appeared in her dreams. The male had dark hair on his head and face and his eyes were of a lighter shade. His face, unlike the woman's, was unfamiliar to Niphredil. Both looked kindly at Niphredil, catching her off guard. Most stories involved one of the rulers, be it the king or queen, being cruel or cold.
An oddity about the pair struck Niphredil, as she tried not to fidget under their communal gaze. Their features, if combined, could have produced the features she was familiar with. Ones she knew very well and saw on a daily basis. Her own features...her dark hair and eyes, the fact she was quite pale.
"I am not scared," she, finally, responded, "Maybe nervous is the better word for how I am feeling right now."
In truth, she was scared but she was loath to admit that fact. Fear was something she was not keen on showing for she knew there were things out there that looked as if they should be feared but were not frightening in the least.
"Why are you nervous?" the male asked, taking her statement and turning it around to get her to speak further.
"For many reasons, I believe. One of the main ones would be the fact I am not sure what to expect from my parents and I do not know what they expect of me," she answered, trying to keep her tone as formal as possible.
"Why do you have this sense of nervousness?" the woman inquired with some concern in her voice.
Their questions, the tones they used in this strange interview, were throwing Niphredil. She could not see how the relationship, or lack thereof, with her parents was of any importance to the couple before her.
"The feeling related to my parents? I mean, they are not in my life for many years and, now, out of the clear blue sky, they are. I just want to know why. Actually, I would like to know the 'whys' of many things where my parents are concerned. There are questions I have that I would like to have answered one day," Niphredil explained.
"Are you angry with them?" the woman asked, her voice anxious.
To Niphredil, it seemed this interview had been at both the woman's request and for her benefit. Her, basically, taking over the questioning had lead Niphredil to think in that way.
"I do not think I am. I mean, I do not want to be angry with them. That, of course, depends on them and how they feel about me and the reasons they gave for sending me away," Niphredil explained.
"But, despite what you do now know about your parents, you still wish to meet them," the man brought up, "Why is that?"
Niphredil shuffled her feet, unsure of how to best answer that question. The reasons were personal and private, her own and she liked it that way. Then again, perhaps, they were common and ran along the lines of why her parents were looking for her. She could not say because, much to her chagrin, she was stuck in this strange interview with a king and queen instead of meeting with her parents.
"I just want to know them in the same way, I hope, they would like to know me. I could be wrong about them wanting to know me but that is my fondest hope," Niphredil admitted, being slightly vaguer on purpose.
A strong silence lapsed in the room. There was nothing to say or, at least, it felt that way. Niphredil was allowed to entertain whatever thoughts, whatever feelings she had at that moment in time.
In the silence of the room, the elven part of her mind was strong and loud forcing Niphredil to pay heed to it. The information it gave explained the interview, gave understanding to the half-elven maiden standing at the center of the room. She suddenly and clearly knew why the woman had taken control of the interview, knew why her face had seemed familiar and where she knew it from.
The woman was the exact same woman from her dreams, the dreams that kept reminding her of who she really was. If that was, truly, the case this woman had to be her mother.
As the idea came to Niphredil, the woman confirmed it with a simple, "It is true."
"You two are my parents, then," Niphredil blurted, through her shocked haze.
Her dreams had, somehow, been telling her of her reality. There was truth in the perceived fiction of her dreams. She just wondered how much fiction there was in that truth.
"And you are our princess," the man added with a smile
"Hold on," Niphredil stated, trying to get her thoughts organized and to find her center, "If I am a princess, then I was right in assuming you two are the king and queen."
The woman nodded, confirming Niphredil's assessment.
"That we are. I am Arwen and, this is your father, Aragorn," the woman said as a form of introduction.
"My name is Niphredil but, I guess, you knew that already. It's very nice to meet you after all these years. I think I remember you," she said her eyes coming to rest on her mother.
An uncomfortable silence filled the room as Niphredil sized up her parents and they did the same. No one knew what to say or what to do as the situation changed from a sort of interrogation to a reunion of family.
It was Aragorn who broke the silence, suggesting, "Let us go eat. We can speak further over diner. I trust you must be hungry after your journey here."
Unsure if she was hungry or not, Niphredil followed her parents, Emma, and her brother into another room. In the center of the room was a long, large table.
"Please, sit," Arwen said to her daughter.
Though she had grown up, much of the little girl she recalled lived in the person standing next to her. She knew it would take time but that other person-the elven child she recalled- could be made to come back, to return to the foreground of the jaded frame of mind Niphredil was employing.
Unsure of the protocol, Niphredil, sheepishly, asked, "Where?"
"Near the head of the table. You are a member of the royal family, after all," Arwen replied, gently steering her daughter towards the head of the table.
After taking stock of the situation, Niphredil opted to sit on her father's left hand side. Across from her sat her mother. Next to her sat Emma.
Food was served on large platters and, after everyone had eaten their fill, silenced reigned again. The same silence that had existed in the other room and had hung in the air during the meal, refused to dissipate.
No one, really, knew what to say.
"So...um...what was your family like?" Emma broached, making a brave attempt at starting a conversation.
"I really do not want to talk about them. It would spoil the day," Niphredil, plainly, answered.
The room fell dangerously quiet again.
"I do believe I own everyone, especially Niphredil, an explanation," Arwen stated, making her attempt at breaking the heavy silence that had taken up residence in the room.
"An explanation of what?" Niphredil wanted to know.
"Of how you came to be and why I sent you away," Arwen answered.
Niphredil's expression brightened considerable. The truth-the most precious and valuable commodity she could think of-was about to be given to her. Given freely, no less. She had, secretly, been expecting to have to, somehow, trick the truth out of someone here.
Before she could begin her story, though, Legolas interjected, "Please, my friend, do not go into too much detail. There are very young ears present."
He had been referring to his own sister but, he realized, it also encompassed Niphredil. To the others in the room, Niphredil, like Emma, was still a very young child.
Laughter rang out in the room, shattering the tension like glass, and Arwen began her story.
As the story wrapped up, Niphredil felt her mind spinning. She had a million and one questions she wanted to ask. The truth had given her more questions than answers, it seemed.
Though she had questions to ask, she could not force any of them to come out. Her mouth and her mind were not working in sync with each other. Instead, she began to feel profoundly tired. There was no way for her to know what time it really was but her internal clock was telling her it was quite late and she needed the scant few hours of light sleep she was accustomed to getting.
"I do not want to be the barer of bad new but I must get Emma back to her parents. They are probably worried about her, wondering what has happened to her," Legolas informed the king and queen.
"I am sure it has been a long day for Niphredil as well. Might I suggest we retired for the evening. A new day will dawn soon and more can be said then," Aragorn brought up.
"She can come back with up, if you would like her to," Legolas offered.
"I am sure she would like that very much," Arwen concurred.
"Thank you. I guess this is good night," Niphredil said, around a wide yawn.
She walked back to her room, talking with Emma and making a brave attempt at saying awake.
"If there is anything you wish, Emma and her parents are in the next room," Legolas told the half-elven maiden.
"Good night!" Emma called, as her brother took her to her room.
Searching through the drawers, Niphredil found, what appeared to her to be, pajamas. She changed and turned down her bed. Suddenly there was a knock at her door.