AN: Welcome to another week and another update! First off I'd like to give
a big congrats to Lance Armstrong for winning his sixth consecutive Tour de
France. My sister's a big cycling fan (she's basically obsessed with Lance
Armstrong) and she had me watching the race with her. I may not be obsessed
with cycling like her but, watching someone ride a bicycle in the
mountains, you definitely have to respect the guy. Anywho, I'm digressing.
Thanks for all your reviews. As always, I really and truly appreciate them.
Keep them coming!
et-spiritus-sancti: Sorry about the cliffhanger. I'm quite fond of them and I have a nasty habit of always writing them. I'm the Daisy Girl Scout leader for my local troop. We've never gone camping, though, but use to have "camp-ins." They were among the worst things we had in the troop....getting to bed at some inhuman hour and then waking up way to early. I got the added benefit of having to get to ballet at 8AM after the "camp- in." I'm glad you liked the title!
Midnight-Insomniac1532: Yup! She's finally going to go one on one with Elrond. Here's the next part!
elentir girl: Fun with cliffhangers, I guess. I'm sorry for them, though. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter and I hope you like this one just as much.
sunni07: I'm a morning person myself, too. It's a great way to annoy the people I dance with at 8AM. Coming into the studio with a wide awake look apparently is very annoying. Wow! The Highland Festival sounds like a lot of fun! I'm sure you danced well! Your guess is very much right!
KapOfDaPipers: The sequel follows this one but is partly based on things from my first story and things from this one. Kind of a cross-sequel thing in a way. Anywho, I'm glad the silence is a good thing and I hope you like this chapter too.
Elainor: You shall soon see what he says and does. Very soon actually!
LJP: LOL! I'm sure she'd have no qualms hitting him either way. You'll see how she reacts to Elrond and how Elrond reacts to her in turn rather 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.
The few steps she took forward were cancelled out by the few stutter-steps she took back. As much as she wanted to confidently move toward this figure, an equal amount of her wanted to stay put. Not to move anywhere save back to her room.
She knew there was no logical reason to be afraid of this figure- She hadn't a clue who he was to begin with. - but she was nonetheless. The confidence she was trying to draw on seemed to be failing as a well fails in a drought. There was just an empty, seemingly bottomless pit that had once been brimming with her usual confidence. Dip a preverbal bucket in, draw off the needed strength. Now, though, the same bucket was coming up empty. The well had gone dry just when she needed it.
Elrond took a good long look at the figure standing just a few meters away from him. She looked, for all the world, like an elf. The way she stood and moved, the way she looked and the handful of mannerisms he had seen her display all spoke of elven blood moving in her veins. He knew, from Arwen, that at the same time, in the same instance, this child was human. She had the blood of the race of men in her as well.
It had fallen on him to explain this and the subsequent choices she faced to her.
All in due time, of course.
They had to get past introductions first.
Slowly she made her way over with small tentative steps. Steps, he noted, that made no sound against the cobbled ground.
Seeing as the others had bowed when they departed, Niphredil assumed that was protocol for the given situation. Then again, she recalled seeing people within the confines of the citadel bow or curtsey in front of her parents. She, herself, hadn't had the chance to experience such a show of respect. More often than not, she was just watched with side-long glances.
She gave the unknown figure a stiff karate bow. With her arms straight at her sides and her back ramrod straight, she bent at the waist.
The show of respect seemed to catch the other figure off guard. His reaction was slightly slower than the one he had for Emma and Legolas. It was as if he hadn't been expecting a bow that looked like that or, maybe, a show of respect at all.
"I know I'm new here but I know what's going on....mostly," Niphredil mused, as she stood up in response to a motion made by the other figure.
True, the bow had caught Elrond off guard. He had half been expecting a curtsey not unlike the one given to him by the Mirkwood Princess, if she knew to give him one at all. It seemed, though, that she had an inkling of an idea of what to do in certain situations.
"I am sorry if I kept you waiting, sir," Niphredil began, unsure of what to say and assuming a show of respect was probably best, "I am still relatively new here and I got a bit lost."
The other figure stood and, much to Niphredil's surprise gave her a slight bow. She hadn't expected a show of respect in response to her own.
"I understand. I was told to expect you a bit later than the given time. You are here now, though. Please have a seat," he commented, in kind.
Niphredil hesitated, not entirely sure she wanted to sit. Especially with someone she didn't know.
"If he was a threat, they wouldn't have told me to come down here and meet him. Alone especially," Niphredil mused.
The few times she had gone wandering on her own throughout the city she had discovered something was tailing her. She came to later learn that it was not a something that was following her. More like a someone was following her. Several someones, as a matter of fact. That was how she came to meet Ice, Fire, and the rest of their merry band.
It was they who told her that her parents had ordered their silent observation. Silent in that they were elven-kind and were naturally so. This natural silence, they had said, was augmented with training received as they became Rangers...whatever that word meant, for it held no meaning to Niphredil.
"Plus it might seem rude if I don't sit," she, mentally, added as she swept her skirt underneath her with one hand and sat down on an intricately carved stone bench.
She must have done something right, for the other figure gave her a slight smile. The smile didn't seem to fit the face for some strange reason. He didn't look like the type who smiled easily to begin with. Maybe he once had, for it seemed he had the weight of many years on his shoulders, but that time had passed. Now, it appeared, he wasn't much for smiling.
Niphredil assumed that stemmed from some event that had happened in this mystery man's past. Whether this man's past had anything to with the past of her new home she couldn't say. She didn't know enough about its history to do so.
Elrond, for his part, watched the half-elven maiden sit. He knew her name and some things about her- as much as her mother would let on about her anyway- whereas she knew nothing about him. It seemed unfair to him to keep her in such a state. Gaining knowledge was the purpose of their meeting and he was well aware of the importance of purpose. To lack a purpose would be tragic.
"I trust you are doing well here in your new home," Elrond inquired, catching the half-elven female off guard.
"That I am, sir. It is very different here as compared to where I use to live. Personally, I prefer it here than there," Niphredil answered mostly by rote.
Suddenly it hit Niphredil. How would this person know about something like that? It was true that her parents could have told him. They had gone down to meet him, after all, but somehow that made her feel uncomfortable. The idea that someone knew things about her and she knew nothing about them put her ill at ease.
A feeling like "big brother is watching" came over here. That too was a feeling she wasn't entirely comfortable with.
"Pardon me if I seem rude, sir, but who are you? I take it you know my name since you know of my situation," Niphredil broached, as delicately as she possibly could.
She had no intentions of offending this person, who ever he was, and risk doing something to the country her parents ruled. She just wanted to know the truth, to answer the questions that had been harboring for most of her life.
That and she was just plain curious.
No harm in being curious...unless you lived with the Joneses. Then being curious was distinctly frowned up. It made one different and could bring up unpleasant questions about said differences.
The figure gave a small laugh, a chuckle really. Her question seemed to be quite expected.
"I am well aware of your situation, Niphredil. Your mother told me of your rather unique situation. I assume, however, she did not tell you of me," he answered.
"Unless you are the lore master she spoke of. She had told me that she was sending for one to help explain how one can be half elven. If you are that person, then, I was told you were coming. No names were given, though," Niphredil retorted in a quiet voice.
All was silent for a handful of moments as the male gathered his thoughts. What he had to say was quite important, for both their sakes. It was a piece of knowledge she lacked and he was very willing to share.
"I am the lore master your mother told you about and I was asked to explain how one can be half elven. I am afraid, though; there is something you must know before that can happen," he told her.
"What's that?" she asked, curiously.
'My name is Elrond, my child. I am your grandfather," he informed a suddenly very silent Niphredil.
et-spiritus-sancti: Sorry about the cliffhanger. I'm quite fond of them and I have a nasty habit of always writing them. I'm the Daisy Girl Scout leader for my local troop. We've never gone camping, though, but use to have "camp-ins." They were among the worst things we had in the troop....getting to bed at some inhuman hour and then waking up way to early. I got the added benefit of having to get to ballet at 8AM after the "camp- in." I'm glad you liked the title!
Midnight-Insomniac1532: Yup! She's finally going to go one on one with Elrond. Here's the next part!
elentir girl: Fun with cliffhangers, I guess. I'm sorry for them, though. I'm glad you liked the previous chapter and I hope you like this one just as much.
sunni07: I'm a morning person myself, too. It's a great way to annoy the people I dance with at 8AM. Coming into the studio with a wide awake look apparently is very annoying. Wow! The Highland Festival sounds like a lot of fun! I'm sure you danced well! Your guess is very much right!
KapOfDaPipers: The sequel follows this one but is partly based on things from my first story and things from this one. Kind of a cross-sequel thing in a way. Anywho, I'm glad the silence is a good thing and I hope you like this chapter too.
Elainor: You shall soon see what he says and does. Very soon actually!
LJP: LOL! I'm sure she'd have no qualms hitting him either way. You'll see how she reacts to Elrond and how Elrond reacts to her in turn rather 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.
The few steps she took forward were cancelled out by the few stutter-steps she took back. As much as she wanted to confidently move toward this figure, an equal amount of her wanted to stay put. Not to move anywhere save back to her room.
She knew there was no logical reason to be afraid of this figure- She hadn't a clue who he was to begin with. - but she was nonetheless. The confidence she was trying to draw on seemed to be failing as a well fails in a drought. There was just an empty, seemingly bottomless pit that had once been brimming with her usual confidence. Dip a preverbal bucket in, draw off the needed strength. Now, though, the same bucket was coming up empty. The well had gone dry just when she needed it.
Elrond took a good long look at the figure standing just a few meters away from him. She looked, for all the world, like an elf. The way she stood and moved, the way she looked and the handful of mannerisms he had seen her display all spoke of elven blood moving in her veins. He knew, from Arwen, that at the same time, in the same instance, this child was human. She had the blood of the race of men in her as well.
It had fallen on him to explain this and the subsequent choices she faced to her.
All in due time, of course.
They had to get past introductions first.
Slowly she made her way over with small tentative steps. Steps, he noted, that made no sound against the cobbled ground.
Seeing as the others had bowed when they departed, Niphredil assumed that was protocol for the given situation. Then again, she recalled seeing people within the confines of the citadel bow or curtsey in front of her parents. She, herself, hadn't had the chance to experience such a show of respect. More often than not, she was just watched with side-long glances.
She gave the unknown figure a stiff karate bow. With her arms straight at her sides and her back ramrod straight, she bent at the waist.
The show of respect seemed to catch the other figure off guard. His reaction was slightly slower than the one he had for Emma and Legolas. It was as if he hadn't been expecting a bow that looked like that or, maybe, a show of respect at all.
"I know I'm new here but I know what's going on....mostly," Niphredil mused, as she stood up in response to a motion made by the other figure.
True, the bow had caught Elrond off guard. He had half been expecting a curtsey not unlike the one given to him by the Mirkwood Princess, if she knew to give him one at all. It seemed, though, that she had an inkling of an idea of what to do in certain situations.
"I am sorry if I kept you waiting, sir," Niphredil began, unsure of what to say and assuming a show of respect was probably best, "I am still relatively new here and I got a bit lost."
The other figure stood and, much to Niphredil's surprise gave her a slight bow. She hadn't expected a show of respect in response to her own.
"I understand. I was told to expect you a bit later than the given time. You are here now, though. Please have a seat," he commented, in kind.
Niphredil hesitated, not entirely sure she wanted to sit. Especially with someone she didn't know.
"If he was a threat, they wouldn't have told me to come down here and meet him. Alone especially," Niphredil mused.
The few times she had gone wandering on her own throughout the city she had discovered something was tailing her. She came to later learn that it was not a something that was following her. More like a someone was following her. Several someones, as a matter of fact. That was how she came to meet Ice, Fire, and the rest of their merry band.
It was they who told her that her parents had ordered their silent observation. Silent in that they were elven-kind and were naturally so. This natural silence, they had said, was augmented with training received as they became Rangers...whatever that word meant, for it held no meaning to Niphredil.
"Plus it might seem rude if I don't sit," she, mentally, added as she swept her skirt underneath her with one hand and sat down on an intricately carved stone bench.
She must have done something right, for the other figure gave her a slight smile. The smile didn't seem to fit the face for some strange reason. He didn't look like the type who smiled easily to begin with. Maybe he once had, for it seemed he had the weight of many years on his shoulders, but that time had passed. Now, it appeared, he wasn't much for smiling.
Niphredil assumed that stemmed from some event that had happened in this mystery man's past. Whether this man's past had anything to with the past of her new home she couldn't say. She didn't know enough about its history to do so.
Elrond, for his part, watched the half-elven maiden sit. He knew her name and some things about her- as much as her mother would let on about her anyway- whereas she knew nothing about him. It seemed unfair to him to keep her in such a state. Gaining knowledge was the purpose of their meeting and he was well aware of the importance of purpose. To lack a purpose would be tragic.
"I trust you are doing well here in your new home," Elrond inquired, catching the half-elven female off guard.
"That I am, sir. It is very different here as compared to where I use to live. Personally, I prefer it here than there," Niphredil answered mostly by rote.
Suddenly it hit Niphredil. How would this person know about something like that? It was true that her parents could have told him. They had gone down to meet him, after all, but somehow that made her feel uncomfortable. The idea that someone knew things about her and she knew nothing about them put her ill at ease.
A feeling like "big brother is watching" came over here. That too was a feeling she wasn't entirely comfortable with.
"Pardon me if I seem rude, sir, but who are you? I take it you know my name since you know of my situation," Niphredil broached, as delicately as she possibly could.
She had no intentions of offending this person, who ever he was, and risk doing something to the country her parents ruled. She just wanted to know the truth, to answer the questions that had been harboring for most of her life.
That and she was just plain curious.
No harm in being curious...unless you lived with the Joneses. Then being curious was distinctly frowned up. It made one different and could bring up unpleasant questions about said differences.
The figure gave a small laugh, a chuckle really. Her question seemed to be quite expected.
"I am well aware of your situation, Niphredil. Your mother told me of your rather unique situation. I assume, however, she did not tell you of me," he answered.
"Unless you are the lore master she spoke of. She had told me that she was sending for one to help explain how one can be half elven. If you are that person, then, I was told you were coming. No names were given, though," Niphredil retorted in a quiet voice.
All was silent for a handful of moments as the male gathered his thoughts. What he had to say was quite important, for both their sakes. It was a piece of knowledge she lacked and he was very willing to share.
"I am the lore master your mother told you about and I was asked to explain how one can be half elven. I am afraid, though; there is something you must know before that can happen," he told her.
"What's that?" she asked, curiously.
'My name is Elrond, my child. I am your grandfather," he informed a suddenly very silent Niphredil.