Title: Middle Earth Academy
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/Romance
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit
characters, nor do I own any of the locations. They belong to Tolkien. I
do, however, own several characters who are not in the
books/movies/franchise, and who play major and/or minor roles in this
fanfic.
Summary: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy never happened. The Hobbit happened,
and Bilbo did go to live with the elves (the Ring doesn't exist - let's say
Bilbo destroyed it, but don't ask me how), and he left Frodo in the care of
a boarding school. Bag End is being leased out until Frodo leaves school
and decides what to do with it. All the main characters are in this story,
though they may not come into it until later. Mirkwood, Gondor, Mordor, and
Rohan are separate countries, with the rest being part of the Rivendell
Empire.
*****
Middle Earth Academy. A fancy name for a fancy place. Well, sort of. It was a school set up by the rulers of the neighbouring countries - Gondor, Rivendell, Mirkwood, Hobbiton, Rohan, and Lorien - for students particularly advanced in their studies. It was a fine school, with students who excelled in everything they put their minds to. Unfortunately for the teachers, the things they put their minds to weren't always school- orientated.
The school was, of course, a boarding school. The one thing different about this boarding school as compared to the others in the country, was the fact that the dorm was mixed. Not mixed completely, as girls only were in a room, and guys only were in a room, but there was only one dormitory. Some parents complained when they found out about the state of sleeping arrangements, but their protests fell on deaf ears. Others didn't even know.
Arwen was always the centre of attention. Her father was one of the most important men in Middle Earth, she always managed to wrangle high grades, though she did very little work, and she was drop dead gorgeous. She was also very friendly, and she was almost always surrounded by friends.
She stood outside her locker in the hallway, waiting for the bell to ring before her first class. Chemistry - her least favourite class. On one side of her stood Eowyn, a student from Rohan, who looked up to the elf, yet was strong-willed enough to make her own way. On the other stood Nienna, another elf, though from Lorien, and Arwen's cousin. They'd grown up together, and were best friends, but Nienna was the reckless one of the two. The three, Arwen, Eowyn, and Nienna, were rarely apart, and other students were in the habit of calling them the 'three musketeers' behind their backs.
"I can't believe what Gandalf told my Uncle," Eowyn complained. Nienna laughed, "What did you expect? You were out of your room hours after the lights were turned out!" Eowyn shot a friendly glare towards her friend, "You two were as well, and I bet you guys weren't dragged through the mud like I was. Gandalf has never liked me - he treats me as though I'm a kid, because I'm a thousand or so years younger than you guys! It's not fair!" Arwen rolled her eyes, "You're right; Gandalf's scared of my father, and he knows how much Dad and Galadriel talk, so he wouldn't have ragged about us too much. Your Uncle though... even you have to admit that Rohan is a small community - big country, little population."
Eowyn opened her mouth to reply when the bell rang, silencing her. "Whatever - I'll see you guys in Maths," she said, and turned to walk to her class. Nienna glanced at the fire alarm, and Arwen caught her cousin's eye. "Aw, c'mon Arwen - it'll get you out of Chemistry!" she complained, and Arwen laughed, "Not today, Ni, Saruman was in a bad mood at breakfast, and I'd hate to press him even more." Nienna sighed theatrically, "I'll never understand why you take subjects that you don't like - if you dropped Chem., you could switch drama classes, and we'd be in the same one...."
Arwen shook her head, "I have to take this class - else Dad's gonna hit the roof. I can change at the end of the semester, and if you can't wait that long, then you can go fly to the moon for all I care!" Nienna clapped a hand to her heart - "You've wounded me fatally! Go, away to your Chemistry class, and leave me to die! I'll see you at first break - give Saru hell for me, ok?" Arwen pointed down the hallway, "Save it for drama! see ya later," she finished, ducking into her classroom as the second bell rang. Nienna was going to be late, but she wouldn't be kept in - she never was!
*****
Chemistry was almost over when the door opened, causing Saruman to drop his chalk, and the entire class to look up. Saruman's classes were never interrupted! Gandalf stood at the door, and Arwen wondered what was going on - it was a rare thing for Gandalf to leave his office during the day when he wasn't teaching. He and Saruman exchanged words, Saruman nodded, and Gandalf stepped back to let a new student through.
He was an elf; taller than most of the other students, with long blonde hair that was braided in the customary way of the Mirkwood elves. Saruman cleared his throat, and the quiet chatter that had been circulating the room silenced. "We have a new student joining our class. Legolas, meet your class. Class - Legolas." Nods of greeting passed through the room, and Saruman indicated an empty desk near Aragorn, one of the two human students in the class. Legolas took his seat, and Saruman went back to his mindless droning about atoms and compounds.
Arwen glanced at Legolas, who was talking quietly with Aragorn, and wondered why he'd waited almost three weeks before starting school. She made a mental note to ask around at lunch, when the news of his arrival would have circulated.
*****
"There is *no* way in *hell* I am going to be seen wearing *that*!" Nienna's voice rose dangerously high. "But... but..." faltered Pippin, holding up an outrageously pink hat, topped with a shocking blue tulip. "No," came Nienna's determined answer. "I don't care *who* made it, or why it's so goddamn important, I'm *not* wearing it!"
"Very good," interrupted Alatariel, the Drama teacher. "You're getting better at your parts, both of you, but you must remember, Nienna, you are a model, not a well-brought-up young lady. You must not state you don't want to do something; you must make it known in all of the countries of Middle Earth! This play is about a model being brought back down to earth by the one she thought beneath her, for her falling in love with him, to love him so much she gives up her one true calling in life to be with him."
Nienna nodded, listening carefully. Pippin stepped back, letting Nienna take centre stage as she read her monologue for the teacher. She was one of the best actors in the entire school, including those who were in the highest grade (two levels above them). It was always a fun class when Nienna was in it, but drama seemed even more so.
The class flew by, and the bell rang in the middle of a scene, determined to interrupt the actors. No one paid any notice until they'd finished what they'd started, and Alatariel clapped her hands loudly. "Very good work! Now, the school board has decided that this semester the school will be putting on a production, this play as a matter of fact - every student is encouraged to audition, for as many parts as they wish to (though they will only be selected for one), so audition for the part you want most early. Auditions will start Friday lunchtime, and run after school also. I hope to see you all there."
Nienna glanced back at the class as she headed down to the front lawn to where she, Arwen, and Eowyn usually sat - she knew most of the class was going to try for the part of Idril, the model, or Mablung, the publicist who she fell in love with, but she also knew that Alatariel would take only the best for her leading roles, and wondered how high she was raising the levels.
She found her two friends in their usual meeting place, though Eowyn was talking to her brother about something. Arwen shushed Nienna as she sat down, and proceeded to listen. Eowyn walked back to her friends, and Nienna raised an eyebrow. "What is going on?" she asked, and Arwen laughed. "There's a new student in our grade, started today. In the middle of Chemistry, mind! He's an elf, Mirkwood by the look of him, but no one seems to know anything about him." Eowyn nodded, "Eomer said that he'd heard a new student was coming, and since he's school captain, I figured he'd know a bit about him. All he knows is that his name is Legolas, and he's an archery champion, and he's apparently spent some time with Aragorn over the summer, but neither knew they'd be going to the same school."
Nienna nodded, "Oh," she said theatrically; "Perhaps I'd best go find him then?" Arwen glanced at Eowyn, "You know, maybe that's not such a bad idea - if anyone can get info out of someone, it's Nienna." Eowyn nodded, "Yeah! Why didn't I think of that?" Nienna shook her head, "No, c'mon guys! I was only joking!" Eowyn shook her head, "I don't think so, Nienna - come lunchtime, you'll be giving the performance of your life!"
*****
Aragorn hadn't had an easy time getting into the Academy - his marks were only just passable, and he knew his knack for finding trouble was something that worked against him - but now he was in, it was pretty much plain sailing. He excelled in athletics, usually taking out the open competitions (beating elves in the process). But something had happened over the summer that had made him wonder if he was in the right place.
He was used to being shipped off to live amongst the elves each summer by his mother, and so when it was announced that he'd be staying in Mirkwood, he wasn't shocked. It'd be a change to Rivendell, and he'd be away from Miss-I'm-The-Daughter-Of-The-Most-Important-Man-In-The-Country Arwen, so that was a plus in itself. Over that summer he'd learned a few things about most of his classmates, and he started thinking about how out of place he was.
A shout from Borromir, a friend from home, brought his attention back to the fact that they were in the middle of a football game. By football - half the guys on one team, half on the other, no rules, first to hit the score line got a try. The ball seemed to come out of nowhere, hit the ground in front of him, and bounce into his hands. "Run!" came the almost synchronised shout from the rest in the team, and run he did. Through two running towards him, past Faramir, Borromir younger brother (who was a better runner than his elder), and towards the score line. Steps away from it, though, and he noticed that Eowyn, Arwen, and Nienna were casually strolling onto the field, and he was about to collide with them.
Such a collision hadn't been seen on Academy soil. Aragron tripped in the process of trying to slow down, rammed straight into Arwen, who took her two friends down with her. There was confusion as the three girls righted themselves, and stood looking down at Aragorn, who tried to salvage as much of his dignity as he could. No one spoke, until Legolas ran up. "Can't you girls see we're in the middle of a game here? Why didn't you walk around?" he yelled, and Nienna bristled. "It's a free country - when we started walking you guys were right up the other end! How were we meant to know that one of you was going to run straight into us?"
Aragorn climbed to his feet, and stepped between the two. "Can it, the pair of you. Unless you guys want Gandalf out here giving us all detention, I'd shut up, and move on," he finished, glancing at Nienna. Nienna stiffened, ready to argue, but Arwen pulled her friend away, "I agree - Ni, let's go before you do something you'd regret... like getting a lunchtime/after- school detention on Friday?" Nienna said nothing, but stalked away angrily, Arwen following. Eowyn, who'd always gotten along with Aragorn, and Borromir (because Borromir was the same age as her brother, and Aragorn had stayed with them at Rohan several times), smiled, "Sorry for ruining your game guys - you know, you can still score a goal, Aragorn. You didn't drop the ball!"
Suddenly realizing she was right, the others on Aragorn's team cheered, leaving Eowyn to walk away unnoticed. Eomer watched her leave, and wondered what it was between his sister and Aragorn that made him feel so defensive.
*****
"You can't be serious! You saw how much of a pompous jerk he is - how can you ask me to go and find out stuff about him? The only thing I want to know is when he's planning on leaving!" finished Nienna. Arwen and Eowyn laughed. "So, ask him when you go talk to him!" said Eowyn; Nienna glared at her friend. "Yeah, sure. How, may I ask, do you expect me to hold my temper when he comes out with stupid remarks?" Arwen rolled her eyes, "You're an actress - humour us. Now, look, they've finished their game - go!"
Nienna glared at the retreating pack of guys, and sighed. "Fine. But if he says anything, and I mean *anything*, against me, I'll not be held responsible for my actions!" Arwen laughed, "Whatever, just make sure you don't get detention!"
Eowyn and Arwen left for the library, leaving Nienna to gather her nerves and walk up to the new guy. "Oh boy," she muttered to herself, before taking a deep breath and jumping down from her seat on the branch of a low tree.
It wasn't hard to find Legolas - she just had to look for the crowd. It did appear that he liked being the centre of attention, because he was enjoying himself, talking loudly about... her! "...How do chicks get off being able to go wherever they want? I mean, if any of us'd walked through their groups, we'd end up in detention or something!" Nienna fumed, and pushed through the crowd. For an elf, she was fairly short, but she was still able to see eye to eye with Legolas (if she stood on tiptoe). "Really? To tell the truth, *mate*, we wouldn't give a shit if you walked through one of our groups, but we wouldn't start talkin' 'bout ya behind your back!"
Half the guys, who knew Nienna's temper, backed away and ended up creating a circle around the two. Legolas looked... amused. "Really? I thought that was *all* that girls talked about! Besides make up and kissing techniques, of course!" he answered back. Nienna narrowed her eyes, "At least we don't complain about what *you* guys can get away with that we can't. Guys have it so much better here than us girls, you can't dispute that."
Legolas pretended to think hard, then laughed, "You know, you're right. I can't dispute it. I haven't been here for a full day yet, so I don't know what guys can get away with. Hopefully we can get away with the right of speech law, you know? The one that the father of your friend passed centuries ago?" Nienna laughed, "Really? Then you'll also know about the slander law that was passed the same day - it is illegal to speak about someone in a derogatory way, and it seems to me that that is exactly what you were doing. If you'll excuse me," she finished, and walked away, leaving Legolas to stare after her. "She's a real hellcat, huh," he laughed, and Aragorn nodded. "That's Nienna for you - she's not just Arwen's friend, by the way - they're cousins, so I'd watch what you say around her. Besides, everyone knows she's got a quick temper. She's one hell of an actress though!" he finished, and the crowd nodded in agreement. Legolas mentally filed that information away, knowing it would come in handy in the near future.
*****
"I can't believe you guys made me do that!" complained Nienna in undertones. She'd gone straight to the library, and knew how strict the librarian was, so she kept her voice to the lowest tone she could. Arwen laughed, "Okay, I'm sorry - but what did you find out?" Nienna glared at her friend, but couldn't hold her anger. "Fine - he's definitely from Mirkwood, and he's not just a regular guy - he's got some breeding to him!" Eowyn laughed at Nienna comparing the elf to a pet, causing all three to dissolve into giggles, and the librarian to glare at them. Calming herself down, Nienna continued, "He's got a temper, but he hides it behind sarcasm, and he liked to be the centre of attention. And, by the look of him, he's good at sports - maybe he'll give Aragorn a run for his money?"
The bell rang just as the girls stood to leave, and Nienna grabbed Arwen's sleeve. "You two do realise what class we've got now, don't you?" she asked, and Arwen shook her head. "No, I usually check my timetable when we get back to the locker - but since you're about to burst, tell us." Nienna grinned, "Sport! The Interschool Carnival's coming up, so they've only given our grade a full afternoon of sport - everyone's in together! This is our chance to really find out some more about our new classmate – the locker girls usually have some good theories!" she finished with an evil chuckle. Eowyn sighed, "Oh dear, we've created a monster!" Arwen nodded in agreement, "No more sending her to find out information for us, agreed?"
*****
The changing rooms were always places full of gossip. The girl's rooms were orderly, hardly ever messy, unlike the guys, who seemed to spread everything everywhere. The school only had a uniform for sport, giving the students more of a chance to be themselves. Sports-wise, though, the school needed a uniform for out-of-school carnivals, and so it was decided that they'd wear the uniform during class time to be used to it when it came to the actual carnivals.
"Apparently he's related to royalty!" "I heard he's not actually from Mirkwood, that he's from Lorien, and that they've kept him locked up all of his life!" "No way! I've got it on good authority that he's come down from Mordor!" "Oh yeah? Well *my* brother knows all about him – he's from the slums near the Rivendell border, and he's really Arwen's half-brother that Elrond won't claim."
Nienna listened to the rumours already spreading about Legolas in the change room, and smiled to herself. The more the rumours spread, the happier she'd be. He deserved it. She grabbed her hat from her bag, and hurried outside to where Arwen and Eowyn were waiting. "No one knows anything," she reported, and Arwen nodded, "Of course they don't – they never do, and yet they think they're all so good. What did Merenwen say about him?" Nienna fought back a laugh, "That he's really your brother! I don't know where that girl comes up with her stories!"
The whistle blew, and the rest of the girls filed out of the change rooms. When everyone was assembled on the front oval, Alassë, the sports teacher, allotted them into mixed teams. Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir, and Eowyn ended up in one team, Nienna, Legolas, Merenwen, and Mablung (a human, and a good friend of Aragorn's), in another, and the rest of the grade was separated. As luck would have it, the two teams were set at opposite ends of the field. Alassë blew her whistle, and everyone automatically looked in her direction.
"Mixed relay – you all know how to pair off, it's a basic race. I'm not looking for speed; I'm looking for neat transitions. Pair off, and the second and last runners go to the other end and wait for the whistle," she called, and the teams huddled at once. Nienna looked towards Arwen and Eowyn, and saw that Arwen and Aragorn were already heading down to the opposite end. "Nienna, you're a fast runner – how 'bout you be second?" Merenwen asked, and Nienna nodded. "Fine." Merenwen glanced at Legolas, and started, "Well, Mablung's probably the fastest one here, so if you go down to be fourth...?" but Legolas cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I'll go down and be forth. I'm not too good with this event, and the less I have to pass the baton, the better I'll be. Besides, I'm a pretty good runner – Aragorn and I spent the whole summer racing, and I kept up the entire way."
Merenwen looked as though she'd been slapped. She opened her mouth, but no words came out – taking this for an okay, Legolas started towards the other end. Nienna fumed, "Why does he always have to end up near me? Merenwen obviously wanted to be at an end with him... is he so daft he couldn't tell?" Glancing up to see Legolas waiting for her to switch ends, she sighed and started walking.
"You know, you could always be a little happier during sports. I know you're an actor, so why don't you pretend, at least?" he asked once Nienna was close enough. "I do like sports, the only problem about them is the fact that you're here, and you didn't take Merenwen up on her offer to remain at the other end with her." Legolas laughed, "I knew what she was trying to do – why else do you think I go out of there? I wouldn't stay at the cooler end of hell if she was there!" Nienna smiled sarcastically. "Oh really? That explains it then." He raised an eyebrow, "Explains what?" Nienna laughed, "You'll be in hell if you stay near me long enough." They stopped when they reached the line at the end, and it was then that Legolas took his place behind Nienna, and whispered, "What makes you think I haven't come prepared for hell? It only takes one drop of water to calm the devil himself – what would a bucket do to you?"
Before she had a chance to answer, though, the whistle blew and the first runners raced down the field. Nienna blocked Legolas out of her mind, and waited for Merenwen to pass the baton to her. Glad to be away from the blonde-haired elf, Nienna ran as fast as she could back up to the other end, slowing only to pass the baton on to Mablung. He took it, and headed back down to the other end, where Merenwen had to be pushed out of the way so that Legolas could receive it. Looking over to Arwen's group, she saw that Aragorn had just received his baton, and with Merenwen still getting in Legolas' way, he was already coming first.
When Mablung grabbed Merenwen and pulled her from the running track, Legolas took off. Nienna had never seen anyone, except Aragorn, run so fast. As Aragorn was almost half-way home, she didn't hold out any hope that their team would catch up, but as the two drew closer to the line, she realized that not only was there a chance, there was a bloody good chance! Legolas and Aragorn were meters from the line, Aragorn just ahead, then they were neck and neck.... Aragorn stepped over the finish line just instants before Legolas; the two then proceeded to flop onto the ground, out of breath, amongst the crowd of people at that end. The other stragglers had been too busy watching the run between the champion, and the new kid, to worry about trying to beat them, and so they crossed the line unnoticed.
Alassë blew her whistle, and walked over clapping. "That was one of the best performances I've ever seen! I didn't know we were taking on another champion runner! And the rest of you – no one dropped your batons! I couldn't ask for more, from anyone! You may all go for a drink, and when you return, we will start high jump." The hobbits sighed at this, and walked wearily towards the drinking fountain. Nienna watched them go, but instead of following along, she headed towards Alassë.
Alassë was setting up for the high jump, and she heard Nienna come up behind her. "Not getting a drink, Nienna?" she asked, and Nienna sighed, "No, I'm not thirsty." Alassë straightened the mats and sat down facing her student. "That was a good run you did – I don't think I've seen you run so fast before, except away from cleaning up duties," se joked, and Nienna laughed. "I can do a lot of things when I set my mind to them," she defended herself. "And I was wondering, are we doing anything after high jump?"
Alassë shook her head. "Nope – it'll be a free for all, so long as everyone does a sport, or watches others training. That's mainly in there for the hobbits – I have to admit that not many of our sports cater for the halflings." Nienna nodded, "Thanks Alassë!" she called over her shoulder as she ran up to Eowyn, who was staring at Aragorn, and in a world of her own. "Where's Arwen?" Nienna asked her friend, startling her. "What? Oh, Arwen's... Arwen's talking to Faramir about something..." she finished, and Nienna rolled her eyes. "Eowyn, you can't lie to me. Where is she?" Eowyn dropped her gaze. "She's behind the shed."
Nienna's eyes opened wide, "Oh!" was all she said, and for good reason. When someone was behind the shed, it meant that they were behind the shed making out. "Who's she there with?" Nienna pressed when she found her voice again. Eowyn glanced back over to where Aragorn and his friends were standing. Nienna looked, and saw that Faramir was indeed missing. "She's with Faramir?!" Nienna half yelled; thankfully, no one else heard. "Oh, yeah, say it a bit louder, Ni, I'm pretty sure the people in Mordor didn't hear you," started Eowyn sarcastically. Nienna dropped her voice. "Sorry, but with... with Faramir? Is this a one-off? Tell me!"
Eowyn sighed, and whispered, "I'll tell you after high jump, if Arwen hasn't come back." Nienna sighed, "Why not now?" Eowyn laughed, "Because Alassë is watching us! She knows that Arwen and Faramir aren't here, because she gave them a note to spend the high jump session in the library, and to return at the end. You know what the librarian's like – she doesn't remember if anyone was in there unless they borrow a book!"
Nienna fretted most of the session. She was bursting to know what was going on between her cousin and the son of the Gondor Steward. And because she was so impatient, she missed jumps she could have taken easily. Alassë stopped them all, and looked at Nienna. "Concentrate! You're one of our best high jumpers! If you don't start clearing the low jumps, you can stay with me this afternoon!" That brought her mind back to business. Finally, near the end of the session, there were only three left jumping. Nienna, Aragorn, and Legolas. Alassë raised the bar to 1.7 meters, and stood back. Aragorn jumped first, and missed. He took his second and third jumps, and was pronounced out. Nienna jumped, and cleared. Legolas jumped, and cleared. Alassë was impressed. "You're both doing very well – you have a true competition now, Nienna – out of three. Shall we raise some more?"
The crowd yelled for them to continue, and Legolas shrugged, indicating that it was Nienna's choice. She nodded, "Sure. But take it up to two – the school record is 1.95, and it's been there for a few years, so we'll see if we can clear it." Alassë nodded, and raised the bar to two meters. Legolas jumped first, and missed it. Nienna took her first, and missed it as well. Legolas took his second jump, opting for a shorter run up, and harder spring from the ground. Again, he fell short. Nienna lengthened her stride slightly, and jumped closer to the bar. She reached the height, but was too close, and so struck the bar. The crowd watched with bated breath, as Legolas prepped himself for his final attempt.
Nienna watched, hardly daring to close her eyes for fear she'd miss some important thing that could help her with her own. He took his usual run up length, jumped slightly farther out than he could've, and... hit the bar. Legolas hit the mat, and jumped up in the same movement. The bar rolled... and rolled... and... fell from the holders. The crowd sighed in unison. Everyone had thought he'd get it. Nienna let out the breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding, and stepped up to try her luck. She took a step back, and started forwards more slowly than her earlier attempts. She jumped from the right place, saw the bar as she rose into the air, saw nothing but the sky as she went over backwards, felt nothing but the mat as she fell. She didn't dare to open her eyes, she couldn't hear the crowd, couldn't hear anything but the beating of her heart. Finally, the roar in her ears subsided to be replaced with the sounds of... cheers. Opening her eyes, she sat up, and looked around from her position on the mat.
Why were they cheering when she'd hit the bar? Had they wanted Legolas to be a better high jumper than her? Glancing down to take hold of the bar to put back up, she couldn't see it. Alassë must have already picked it up, she thought to herself, but then she looked up. The bar was still there. It was resting on the 2-meter mark; it hadn't moved. I did it... she thought... I cleared the school record....
*****
Middle Earth Academy. A fancy name for a fancy place. Well, sort of. It was a school set up by the rulers of the neighbouring countries - Gondor, Rivendell, Mirkwood, Hobbiton, Rohan, and Lorien - for students particularly advanced in their studies. It was a fine school, with students who excelled in everything they put their minds to. Unfortunately for the teachers, the things they put their minds to weren't always school- orientated.
The school was, of course, a boarding school. The one thing different about this boarding school as compared to the others in the country, was the fact that the dorm was mixed. Not mixed completely, as girls only were in a room, and guys only were in a room, but there was only one dormitory. Some parents complained when they found out about the state of sleeping arrangements, but their protests fell on deaf ears. Others didn't even know.
Arwen was always the centre of attention. Her father was one of the most important men in Middle Earth, she always managed to wrangle high grades, though she did very little work, and she was drop dead gorgeous. She was also very friendly, and she was almost always surrounded by friends.
She stood outside her locker in the hallway, waiting for the bell to ring before her first class. Chemistry - her least favourite class. On one side of her stood Eowyn, a student from Rohan, who looked up to the elf, yet was strong-willed enough to make her own way. On the other stood Nienna, another elf, though from Lorien, and Arwen's cousin. They'd grown up together, and were best friends, but Nienna was the reckless one of the two. The three, Arwen, Eowyn, and Nienna, were rarely apart, and other students were in the habit of calling them the 'three musketeers' behind their backs.
"I can't believe what Gandalf told my Uncle," Eowyn complained. Nienna laughed, "What did you expect? You were out of your room hours after the lights were turned out!" Eowyn shot a friendly glare towards her friend, "You two were as well, and I bet you guys weren't dragged through the mud like I was. Gandalf has never liked me - he treats me as though I'm a kid, because I'm a thousand or so years younger than you guys! It's not fair!" Arwen rolled her eyes, "You're right; Gandalf's scared of my father, and he knows how much Dad and Galadriel talk, so he wouldn't have ragged about us too much. Your Uncle though... even you have to admit that Rohan is a small community - big country, little population."
Eowyn opened her mouth to reply when the bell rang, silencing her. "Whatever - I'll see you guys in Maths," she said, and turned to walk to her class. Nienna glanced at the fire alarm, and Arwen caught her cousin's eye. "Aw, c'mon Arwen - it'll get you out of Chemistry!" she complained, and Arwen laughed, "Not today, Ni, Saruman was in a bad mood at breakfast, and I'd hate to press him even more." Nienna sighed theatrically, "I'll never understand why you take subjects that you don't like - if you dropped Chem., you could switch drama classes, and we'd be in the same one...."
Arwen shook her head, "I have to take this class - else Dad's gonna hit the roof. I can change at the end of the semester, and if you can't wait that long, then you can go fly to the moon for all I care!" Nienna clapped a hand to her heart - "You've wounded me fatally! Go, away to your Chemistry class, and leave me to die! I'll see you at first break - give Saru hell for me, ok?" Arwen pointed down the hallway, "Save it for drama! see ya later," she finished, ducking into her classroom as the second bell rang. Nienna was going to be late, but she wouldn't be kept in - she never was!
*****
Chemistry was almost over when the door opened, causing Saruman to drop his chalk, and the entire class to look up. Saruman's classes were never interrupted! Gandalf stood at the door, and Arwen wondered what was going on - it was a rare thing for Gandalf to leave his office during the day when he wasn't teaching. He and Saruman exchanged words, Saruman nodded, and Gandalf stepped back to let a new student through.
He was an elf; taller than most of the other students, with long blonde hair that was braided in the customary way of the Mirkwood elves. Saruman cleared his throat, and the quiet chatter that had been circulating the room silenced. "We have a new student joining our class. Legolas, meet your class. Class - Legolas." Nods of greeting passed through the room, and Saruman indicated an empty desk near Aragorn, one of the two human students in the class. Legolas took his seat, and Saruman went back to his mindless droning about atoms and compounds.
Arwen glanced at Legolas, who was talking quietly with Aragorn, and wondered why he'd waited almost three weeks before starting school. She made a mental note to ask around at lunch, when the news of his arrival would have circulated.
*****
"There is *no* way in *hell* I am going to be seen wearing *that*!" Nienna's voice rose dangerously high. "But... but..." faltered Pippin, holding up an outrageously pink hat, topped with a shocking blue tulip. "No," came Nienna's determined answer. "I don't care *who* made it, or why it's so goddamn important, I'm *not* wearing it!"
"Very good," interrupted Alatariel, the Drama teacher. "You're getting better at your parts, both of you, but you must remember, Nienna, you are a model, not a well-brought-up young lady. You must not state you don't want to do something; you must make it known in all of the countries of Middle Earth! This play is about a model being brought back down to earth by the one she thought beneath her, for her falling in love with him, to love him so much she gives up her one true calling in life to be with him."
Nienna nodded, listening carefully. Pippin stepped back, letting Nienna take centre stage as she read her monologue for the teacher. She was one of the best actors in the entire school, including those who were in the highest grade (two levels above them). It was always a fun class when Nienna was in it, but drama seemed even more so.
The class flew by, and the bell rang in the middle of a scene, determined to interrupt the actors. No one paid any notice until they'd finished what they'd started, and Alatariel clapped her hands loudly. "Very good work! Now, the school board has decided that this semester the school will be putting on a production, this play as a matter of fact - every student is encouraged to audition, for as many parts as they wish to (though they will only be selected for one), so audition for the part you want most early. Auditions will start Friday lunchtime, and run after school also. I hope to see you all there."
Nienna glanced back at the class as she headed down to the front lawn to where she, Arwen, and Eowyn usually sat - she knew most of the class was going to try for the part of Idril, the model, or Mablung, the publicist who she fell in love with, but she also knew that Alatariel would take only the best for her leading roles, and wondered how high she was raising the levels.
She found her two friends in their usual meeting place, though Eowyn was talking to her brother about something. Arwen shushed Nienna as she sat down, and proceeded to listen. Eowyn walked back to her friends, and Nienna raised an eyebrow. "What is going on?" she asked, and Arwen laughed. "There's a new student in our grade, started today. In the middle of Chemistry, mind! He's an elf, Mirkwood by the look of him, but no one seems to know anything about him." Eowyn nodded, "Eomer said that he'd heard a new student was coming, and since he's school captain, I figured he'd know a bit about him. All he knows is that his name is Legolas, and he's an archery champion, and he's apparently spent some time with Aragorn over the summer, but neither knew they'd be going to the same school."
Nienna nodded, "Oh," she said theatrically; "Perhaps I'd best go find him then?" Arwen glanced at Eowyn, "You know, maybe that's not such a bad idea - if anyone can get info out of someone, it's Nienna." Eowyn nodded, "Yeah! Why didn't I think of that?" Nienna shook her head, "No, c'mon guys! I was only joking!" Eowyn shook her head, "I don't think so, Nienna - come lunchtime, you'll be giving the performance of your life!"
*****
Aragorn hadn't had an easy time getting into the Academy - his marks were only just passable, and he knew his knack for finding trouble was something that worked against him - but now he was in, it was pretty much plain sailing. He excelled in athletics, usually taking out the open competitions (beating elves in the process). But something had happened over the summer that had made him wonder if he was in the right place.
He was used to being shipped off to live amongst the elves each summer by his mother, and so when it was announced that he'd be staying in Mirkwood, he wasn't shocked. It'd be a change to Rivendell, and he'd be away from Miss-I'm-The-Daughter-Of-The-Most-Important-Man-In-The-Country Arwen, so that was a plus in itself. Over that summer he'd learned a few things about most of his classmates, and he started thinking about how out of place he was.
A shout from Borromir, a friend from home, brought his attention back to the fact that they were in the middle of a football game. By football - half the guys on one team, half on the other, no rules, first to hit the score line got a try. The ball seemed to come out of nowhere, hit the ground in front of him, and bounce into his hands. "Run!" came the almost synchronised shout from the rest in the team, and run he did. Through two running towards him, past Faramir, Borromir younger brother (who was a better runner than his elder), and towards the score line. Steps away from it, though, and he noticed that Eowyn, Arwen, and Nienna were casually strolling onto the field, and he was about to collide with them.
Such a collision hadn't been seen on Academy soil. Aragron tripped in the process of trying to slow down, rammed straight into Arwen, who took her two friends down with her. There was confusion as the three girls righted themselves, and stood looking down at Aragorn, who tried to salvage as much of his dignity as he could. No one spoke, until Legolas ran up. "Can't you girls see we're in the middle of a game here? Why didn't you walk around?" he yelled, and Nienna bristled. "It's a free country - when we started walking you guys were right up the other end! How were we meant to know that one of you was going to run straight into us?"
Aragorn climbed to his feet, and stepped between the two. "Can it, the pair of you. Unless you guys want Gandalf out here giving us all detention, I'd shut up, and move on," he finished, glancing at Nienna. Nienna stiffened, ready to argue, but Arwen pulled her friend away, "I agree - Ni, let's go before you do something you'd regret... like getting a lunchtime/after- school detention on Friday?" Nienna said nothing, but stalked away angrily, Arwen following. Eowyn, who'd always gotten along with Aragorn, and Borromir (because Borromir was the same age as her brother, and Aragorn had stayed with them at Rohan several times), smiled, "Sorry for ruining your game guys - you know, you can still score a goal, Aragorn. You didn't drop the ball!"
Suddenly realizing she was right, the others on Aragorn's team cheered, leaving Eowyn to walk away unnoticed. Eomer watched her leave, and wondered what it was between his sister and Aragorn that made him feel so defensive.
*****
"You can't be serious! You saw how much of a pompous jerk he is - how can you ask me to go and find out stuff about him? The only thing I want to know is when he's planning on leaving!" finished Nienna. Arwen and Eowyn laughed. "So, ask him when you go talk to him!" said Eowyn; Nienna glared at her friend. "Yeah, sure. How, may I ask, do you expect me to hold my temper when he comes out with stupid remarks?" Arwen rolled her eyes, "You're an actress - humour us. Now, look, they've finished their game - go!"
Nienna glared at the retreating pack of guys, and sighed. "Fine. But if he says anything, and I mean *anything*, against me, I'll not be held responsible for my actions!" Arwen laughed, "Whatever, just make sure you don't get detention!"
Eowyn and Arwen left for the library, leaving Nienna to gather her nerves and walk up to the new guy. "Oh boy," she muttered to herself, before taking a deep breath and jumping down from her seat on the branch of a low tree.
It wasn't hard to find Legolas - she just had to look for the crowd. It did appear that he liked being the centre of attention, because he was enjoying himself, talking loudly about... her! "...How do chicks get off being able to go wherever they want? I mean, if any of us'd walked through their groups, we'd end up in detention or something!" Nienna fumed, and pushed through the crowd. For an elf, she was fairly short, but she was still able to see eye to eye with Legolas (if she stood on tiptoe). "Really? To tell the truth, *mate*, we wouldn't give a shit if you walked through one of our groups, but we wouldn't start talkin' 'bout ya behind your back!"
Half the guys, who knew Nienna's temper, backed away and ended up creating a circle around the two. Legolas looked... amused. "Really? I thought that was *all* that girls talked about! Besides make up and kissing techniques, of course!" he answered back. Nienna narrowed her eyes, "At least we don't complain about what *you* guys can get away with that we can't. Guys have it so much better here than us girls, you can't dispute that."
Legolas pretended to think hard, then laughed, "You know, you're right. I can't dispute it. I haven't been here for a full day yet, so I don't know what guys can get away with. Hopefully we can get away with the right of speech law, you know? The one that the father of your friend passed centuries ago?" Nienna laughed, "Really? Then you'll also know about the slander law that was passed the same day - it is illegal to speak about someone in a derogatory way, and it seems to me that that is exactly what you were doing. If you'll excuse me," she finished, and walked away, leaving Legolas to stare after her. "She's a real hellcat, huh," he laughed, and Aragorn nodded. "That's Nienna for you - she's not just Arwen's friend, by the way - they're cousins, so I'd watch what you say around her. Besides, everyone knows she's got a quick temper. She's one hell of an actress though!" he finished, and the crowd nodded in agreement. Legolas mentally filed that information away, knowing it would come in handy in the near future.
*****
"I can't believe you guys made me do that!" complained Nienna in undertones. She'd gone straight to the library, and knew how strict the librarian was, so she kept her voice to the lowest tone she could. Arwen laughed, "Okay, I'm sorry - but what did you find out?" Nienna glared at her friend, but couldn't hold her anger. "Fine - he's definitely from Mirkwood, and he's not just a regular guy - he's got some breeding to him!" Eowyn laughed at Nienna comparing the elf to a pet, causing all three to dissolve into giggles, and the librarian to glare at them. Calming herself down, Nienna continued, "He's got a temper, but he hides it behind sarcasm, and he liked to be the centre of attention. And, by the look of him, he's good at sports - maybe he'll give Aragorn a run for his money?"
The bell rang just as the girls stood to leave, and Nienna grabbed Arwen's sleeve. "You two do realise what class we've got now, don't you?" she asked, and Arwen shook her head. "No, I usually check my timetable when we get back to the locker - but since you're about to burst, tell us." Nienna grinned, "Sport! The Interschool Carnival's coming up, so they've only given our grade a full afternoon of sport - everyone's in together! This is our chance to really find out some more about our new classmate – the locker girls usually have some good theories!" she finished with an evil chuckle. Eowyn sighed, "Oh dear, we've created a monster!" Arwen nodded in agreement, "No more sending her to find out information for us, agreed?"
*****
The changing rooms were always places full of gossip. The girl's rooms were orderly, hardly ever messy, unlike the guys, who seemed to spread everything everywhere. The school only had a uniform for sport, giving the students more of a chance to be themselves. Sports-wise, though, the school needed a uniform for out-of-school carnivals, and so it was decided that they'd wear the uniform during class time to be used to it when it came to the actual carnivals.
"Apparently he's related to royalty!" "I heard he's not actually from Mirkwood, that he's from Lorien, and that they've kept him locked up all of his life!" "No way! I've got it on good authority that he's come down from Mordor!" "Oh yeah? Well *my* brother knows all about him – he's from the slums near the Rivendell border, and he's really Arwen's half-brother that Elrond won't claim."
Nienna listened to the rumours already spreading about Legolas in the change room, and smiled to herself. The more the rumours spread, the happier she'd be. He deserved it. She grabbed her hat from her bag, and hurried outside to where Arwen and Eowyn were waiting. "No one knows anything," she reported, and Arwen nodded, "Of course they don't – they never do, and yet they think they're all so good. What did Merenwen say about him?" Nienna fought back a laugh, "That he's really your brother! I don't know where that girl comes up with her stories!"
The whistle blew, and the rest of the girls filed out of the change rooms. When everyone was assembled on the front oval, Alassë, the sports teacher, allotted them into mixed teams. Aragorn, Arwen, Faramir, and Eowyn ended up in one team, Nienna, Legolas, Merenwen, and Mablung (a human, and a good friend of Aragorn's), in another, and the rest of the grade was separated. As luck would have it, the two teams were set at opposite ends of the field. Alassë blew her whistle, and everyone automatically looked in her direction.
"Mixed relay – you all know how to pair off, it's a basic race. I'm not looking for speed; I'm looking for neat transitions. Pair off, and the second and last runners go to the other end and wait for the whistle," she called, and the teams huddled at once. Nienna looked towards Arwen and Eowyn, and saw that Arwen and Aragorn were already heading down to the opposite end. "Nienna, you're a fast runner – how 'bout you be second?" Merenwen asked, and Nienna nodded. "Fine." Merenwen glanced at Legolas, and started, "Well, Mablung's probably the fastest one here, so if you go down to be fourth...?" but Legolas cut her off with a wave of his hand. "I'll go down and be forth. I'm not too good with this event, and the less I have to pass the baton, the better I'll be. Besides, I'm a pretty good runner – Aragorn and I spent the whole summer racing, and I kept up the entire way."
Merenwen looked as though she'd been slapped. She opened her mouth, but no words came out – taking this for an okay, Legolas started towards the other end. Nienna fumed, "Why does he always have to end up near me? Merenwen obviously wanted to be at an end with him... is he so daft he couldn't tell?" Glancing up to see Legolas waiting for her to switch ends, she sighed and started walking.
"You know, you could always be a little happier during sports. I know you're an actor, so why don't you pretend, at least?" he asked once Nienna was close enough. "I do like sports, the only problem about them is the fact that you're here, and you didn't take Merenwen up on her offer to remain at the other end with her." Legolas laughed, "I knew what she was trying to do – why else do you think I go out of there? I wouldn't stay at the cooler end of hell if she was there!" Nienna smiled sarcastically. "Oh really? That explains it then." He raised an eyebrow, "Explains what?" Nienna laughed, "You'll be in hell if you stay near me long enough." They stopped when they reached the line at the end, and it was then that Legolas took his place behind Nienna, and whispered, "What makes you think I haven't come prepared for hell? It only takes one drop of water to calm the devil himself – what would a bucket do to you?"
Before she had a chance to answer, though, the whistle blew and the first runners raced down the field. Nienna blocked Legolas out of her mind, and waited for Merenwen to pass the baton to her. Glad to be away from the blonde-haired elf, Nienna ran as fast as she could back up to the other end, slowing only to pass the baton on to Mablung. He took it, and headed back down to the other end, where Merenwen had to be pushed out of the way so that Legolas could receive it. Looking over to Arwen's group, she saw that Aragorn had just received his baton, and with Merenwen still getting in Legolas' way, he was already coming first.
When Mablung grabbed Merenwen and pulled her from the running track, Legolas took off. Nienna had never seen anyone, except Aragorn, run so fast. As Aragorn was almost half-way home, she didn't hold out any hope that their team would catch up, but as the two drew closer to the line, she realized that not only was there a chance, there was a bloody good chance! Legolas and Aragorn were meters from the line, Aragorn just ahead, then they were neck and neck.... Aragorn stepped over the finish line just instants before Legolas; the two then proceeded to flop onto the ground, out of breath, amongst the crowd of people at that end. The other stragglers had been too busy watching the run between the champion, and the new kid, to worry about trying to beat them, and so they crossed the line unnoticed.
Alassë blew her whistle, and walked over clapping. "That was one of the best performances I've ever seen! I didn't know we were taking on another champion runner! And the rest of you – no one dropped your batons! I couldn't ask for more, from anyone! You may all go for a drink, and when you return, we will start high jump." The hobbits sighed at this, and walked wearily towards the drinking fountain. Nienna watched them go, but instead of following along, she headed towards Alassë.
Alassë was setting up for the high jump, and she heard Nienna come up behind her. "Not getting a drink, Nienna?" she asked, and Nienna sighed, "No, I'm not thirsty." Alassë straightened the mats and sat down facing her student. "That was a good run you did – I don't think I've seen you run so fast before, except away from cleaning up duties," se joked, and Nienna laughed. "I can do a lot of things when I set my mind to them," she defended herself. "And I was wondering, are we doing anything after high jump?"
Alassë shook her head. "Nope – it'll be a free for all, so long as everyone does a sport, or watches others training. That's mainly in there for the hobbits – I have to admit that not many of our sports cater for the halflings." Nienna nodded, "Thanks Alassë!" she called over her shoulder as she ran up to Eowyn, who was staring at Aragorn, and in a world of her own. "Where's Arwen?" Nienna asked her friend, startling her. "What? Oh, Arwen's... Arwen's talking to Faramir about something..." she finished, and Nienna rolled her eyes. "Eowyn, you can't lie to me. Where is she?" Eowyn dropped her gaze. "She's behind the shed."
Nienna's eyes opened wide, "Oh!" was all she said, and for good reason. When someone was behind the shed, it meant that they were behind the shed making out. "Who's she there with?" Nienna pressed when she found her voice again. Eowyn glanced back over to where Aragorn and his friends were standing. Nienna looked, and saw that Faramir was indeed missing. "She's with Faramir?!" Nienna half yelled; thankfully, no one else heard. "Oh, yeah, say it a bit louder, Ni, I'm pretty sure the people in Mordor didn't hear you," started Eowyn sarcastically. Nienna dropped her voice. "Sorry, but with... with Faramir? Is this a one-off? Tell me!"
Eowyn sighed, and whispered, "I'll tell you after high jump, if Arwen hasn't come back." Nienna sighed, "Why not now?" Eowyn laughed, "Because Alassë is watching us! She knows that Arwen and Faramir aren't here, because she gave them a note to spend the high jump session in the library, and to return at the end. You know what the librarian's like – she doesn't remember if anyone was in there unless they borrow a book!"
Nienna fretted most of the session. She was bursting to know what was going on between her cousin and the son of the Gondor Steward. And because she was so impatient, she missed jumps she could have taken easily. Alassë stopped them all, and looked at Nienna. "Concentrate! You're one of our best high jumpers! If you don't start clearing the low jumps, you can stay with me this afternoon!" That brought her mind back to business. Finally, near the end of the session, there were only three left jumping. Nienna, Aragorn, and Legolas. Alassë raised the bar to 1.7 meters, and stood back. Aragorn jumped first, and missed. He took his second and third jumps, and was pronounced out. Nienna jumped, and cleared. Legolas jumped, and cleared. Alassë was impressed. "You're both doing very well – you have a true competition now, Nienna – out of three. Shall we raise some more?"
The crowd yelled for them to continue, and Legolas shrugged, indicating that it was Nienna's choice. She nodded, "Sure. But take it up to two – the school record is 1.95, and it's been there for a few years, so we'll see if we can clear it." Alassë nodded, and raised the bar to two meters. Legolas jumped first, and missed it. Nienna took her first, and missed it as well. Legolas took his second jump, opting for a shorter run up, and harder spring from the ground. Again, he fell short. Nienna lengthened her stride slightly, and jumped closer to the bar. She reached the height, but was too close, and so struck the bar. The crowd watched with bated breath, as Legolas prepped himself for his final attempt.
Nienna watched, hardly daring to close her eyes for fear she'd miss some important thing that could help her with her own. He took his usual run up length, jumped slightly farther out than he could've, and... hit the bar. Legolas hit the mat, and jumped up in the same movement. The bar rolled... and rolled... and... fell from the holders. The crowd sighed in unison. Everyone had thought he'd get it. Nienna let out the breath she hadn't even known she'd been holding, and stepped up to try her luck. She took a step back, and started forwards more slowly than her earlier attempts. She jumped from the right place, saw the bar as she rose into the air, saw nothing but the sky as she went over backwards, felt nothing but the mat as she fell. She didn't dare to open her eyes, she couldn't hear the crowd, couldn't hear anything but the beating of her heart. Finally, the roar in her ears subsided to be replaced with the sounds of... cheers. Opening her eyes, she sat up, and looked around from her position on the mat.
Why were they cheering when she'd hit the bar? Had they wanted Legolas to be a better high jumper than her? Glancing down to take hold of the bar to put back up, she couldn't see it. Alassë must have already picked it up, she thought to herself, but then she looked up. The bar was still there. It was resting on the 2-meter mark; it hadn't moved. I did it... she thought... I cleared the school record....