Chapter 17 - Two Half Elves and Their Mother
"Anna's Problem"
In the morning, Anna was troubled. She sought out her daughter to speak to, knocking loudly on Leyna and Tyron's door. After a moment, Tyron opened the door, toweling off his hair in his robe.
"Ah, Anna. Come in." He smiled and stepped aside for her to enter.
"Good morning, Tyron." She said as she entered. "Where is Leyna?"
"Just in the washroom. She won't be much longer."
Anna sat in the chair by the wall. She looked like she was pondering something serious.
"What is it, Anna?" Tyron asked, and she looked at him for a moment, before staring at the floor. She could not wait for Leyna to ask her question.
"Tyron, Leyna will be staying in Mirkwood with you, won't she?" Anna asked with apprehension. The question seemed strange to him. He thought it was a given.
"Of course she will. I have a house in the village I suppose we should move out of the palace and into soon." Anna sighed and set her face in her hands. She hadn't thought she'd have to leave her daughter behind when she went back home with Calenmir. And Calenmir probably would've spoken to her about it, only he figured she realized the fact and didn't want to remind her of it and upset her.
When she sent Jocelyn back to Middle Earth, she never thought she'd see either of her daughters again. Then she came back to live, and she'd at least have gotten to see one of them every day. But now, she'd have neither.
A rebel tear streaked down her face and she wiped it quickly away. Tyron kneeled in front of her with his hands on her arms.
"Naneth, what is wrong?" He asked, sincerely concerned.
"Oh Tyron." Anna whispered. "You'll take good care of her, I know you will. I'll just miss them both so much." Anna sobbed, and Tyron pulled her to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and let her tears fall onto his shoulder.
They both heard the washroom door open, and Leyna gasp, but neither moved. Leyna rushed to them.
"Nana? Nana what's happened?" Leyna asked frantically. Anna lifted her head.
"Oh it's nothing, honey. I'll be fine." Anna stood and placed a hand on her daughter's face. "But like Jocelyn said, you have to promise to visit and write as often as you can." Anna said with a wavering voice.
"Of course. Of course I will!" Leyna said, still a bit confused as to why her mother was so sad. She, too, had thought it was a given for her to be living in Mirkwood. Anna breathed deeply and walked to the door.
"I'll see you lovebirds later." She said cheerfully, trying to lighten the mood she'd put the room in. After she'd left, Leyna looked confusedly at Tyron, who mirrored her expression.
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Anna was acting strange the next morning. She was sitting by herself on the balcony, smiling at old memories. But that wasn't what was strange. Every now and then, her smile would fade, and she'd start to cry. Mere moments later, she'd be smiling and laughing again.
Calenmir observed for a while. He went about the room getting dressed, glancing at her every now and then. Then he stood a few steps back from the balcony doors and watched. For a good half hour, he pondered her behavior. Finally, he decided to intervened.
"Anna." He said, walking out onto the balcony. She didn't jump, she didn't look at him, she didn't do anything. "Anna." He said again, and she slowly looked up at him, still smiling as a memory lingered in her mind.
"Yes?"
"What are you doing?"
"Just thinking." She replied sweetly, and returned to staring off into the distance.
"Anna, I know you are sad that you think you lost both your daughters when you've only just returned here to be part of a family again. But you haven't lost them. They'll never be that far away. And you'll have me." He said sweetly, batting his eyelashes at her. She chuckled.
"I know, Calenmir. Everything just happened so fast. Both of them up and got married within days of each other. I'm just feeling a little left out. My girls have their own lives now. Will they leave me behind? Will they build their lives without me?" Anna's brow creased with worry, but Calenmir smoothed it away with his fingertips, now kneeling in front of her.
"Sh, my love. Of course our girls will never leave you behind. How could they possibly forget someone so important to them?" He cooed, and made her smile. "Anna, you are so engrained in their lives, into their very selves, that they will never be far away from you." He caressed her face and ran his fingers through her short sandy brown hair. "But if you like, we can tie Leyna up and take her back with us." He said cheerfully, and Anna burst into giggles.
"That won't be necessary." She chuckled, and leaned her head against his chest. "Thank you, Calenmir." He just smiled.
They sent for lunch, and Calenmir ducked out of the room silently. He hurried to Leyna's door, and knocked gently. His daughter opened, and he quickly pushed his way inside. Leyna, quite startled, objected.
"Ada what are you doing?" She said crossly.
"Hush, Leyna." He replied as he closed the door quietly. Turning to her, he saw her furrowed brow. He paid no attention to it, and started, "Your naneth's upset. Well she was, I think I calmed her down. She thought you and Jocelyn would forget her as you build your new lives." Calenmir explained quickly.
"Oh no, Ada, we would never forget her! How could we?" She exclaimed, and Calenmir nodded.
"That's just what I said. But nonetheless, she is an emotional woman. You need to reassure her. I will go speak with Jocelyn." He said quickly, and was gone. Leyna was left standing in the middle of the room, thinking. What could she do to reassure her mother? She was sitting at her table, tapping her fingernails against the glass when Tyron entered. He immediately stopped in his tracks.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked, setting the tray of food he'd gathered from the kitchen on the table.
"A party."
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In Jocelyn's room, Calenmir explained the situation to Jocelyn. Legolas sat next to her, listening as well. Jocelyn was dumbfounded.
"My mother is the most unreasonable woman in the world!" She exclaimed in disbelief. "How could she ever think a thing like that? It's...it's...crazy!" She stuttered.
"Yes, unreasonable, crazy. She is your mother and you must do something for her. Talk to Leyna." Calenmir said hurriedly and went to the door.
"Ada!" Jocelyn exclaimed, and Calenmir turned around. "What are you going to do for her?"
"I have done all I can do for her concerning this particular worry of hers. You girls must do the rest, for you are the subject of her fear." He stated, and was gone. Quickly, he jogged along the hallways and ducked back into his room, where Anna was still sitting on the balcony. Shortly after, their lunch arrived, and Calenmir did his best to talk about other things and take her mind from its disquiet.
Meanwhile, Jocelyn was still in awe. The thought was outrageous. Her mother actually thought she could forget her.
"I must do something for her." She said to Legolas, who agreed wholeheartedly. Jocelyn backed out of her room and closed it softly. Turning around to take a step toward her sister's room, she came face to face with her.
"Oh, Leyna! Geez you scared me!" Jocelyn clapped a hand to her chest, and Leyna did the same.
"Sorry. But we must do something for mother." She stated quickly. Jocelyn blinked a few times.
"That was just what I was going to talk to you about." Leyna took her sister's arm and led her back to her room, talking all the while in low tones.
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By dinner time, it was all planned out. Tyron and Leyna were supposed to move out of the palace the next day, so most of the working was left up to Legolas, Jocelyn, and Calenmir...when he could be spared without Anna noticing.
That night, Jocelyn could barely sit still. Legolas was watching with amusement, his wife bouncing off the walls. Tyron and Leyna were beginning to pack their things from the palace room so it could be moved the next day. Calenmir and Anna had week long plans to have dinner with Jocelyn and Legolas in their room.
"Okay. Everything is fine and normal. Nothing is going on." Jocelyn said to herself as she paced the room, trying with all her might to calm her breathing and wipe the smile from her face. Legolas chuckled to himself as he pulled four chairs to the table in the center of their room. He had a feeling it would be an interesting night.
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"Calenmir, when do we leave?" Anna asked innocently, as she readied herself to have dinner in her daughter's room.
"Whenever you like." He responded from the washroom.
"Should we leave soon? Or should we stay a while?" She persisted.
"Whatever you wish." He responded in exactly the same tone.
"Calenmir, you're not helping!" She exclaimed. "Should we get out of the way of our daughters' new lives, or should we stay and plant our feet firmly in their lives? Would that be too much? Would they not appreciate that?" She asked herself. Calenmir came out of the washroom and took Anna's arm, leading her out the door.
"Do not worry so much, Anna! We are not in the way, nor do we have to exert ourselves foot planting. We are already rooted in their lives." He reassured as they came to their destination. Knocking lightly, Jocelyn immediately answered. A large smile painted on her face, she pulled her parents inside.
"Mom, Ada! Hello, come in, sit down, take a load off." She strung the sentences together quickly. Legolas shot a warning glare at her, and she swallowed hard.
"Hello to you too, Jo." Anna chuckled as she took her seat. Another knock was heard, and Jocelyn, still with the big grin, did not move from her spot. No one did. The knock was heard again, and only Jocelyn's eyes moved nervously to Legolas, who raised his brow at her.
"Jocelyn, why don't you get the door? It's probably a servant with our food." Legolas said, through gritted teeth. She immediately complied. Legolas smiled nervously at his in-laws as a precarious conversation was struck up. Jocelyn returned with a servant who held two silver platters on her hands, which she set in the middle of the table and took her seat.
"Smells wonderful." Anna commented, as she removed the covers.
"It does, doesn't it?" Jocelyn replied, removing another cover and forking some delicious looking food onto a plate. Surprisingly, the dinner went off very well. Jocelyn did remarkable at acting normal, considering she always was the world's worst liar when it came to her mother. At the end of the meal, they sat and talked for a while. Legolas told Calenmir of Lord Elrond's expected visit, and he was delighted to see his old friend again.
Anna and Jocelyn talked about her marriage, and her sister's marriage. When they left, Jocelyn was sure to give her mother an extra tight hug and tell her one more time that she loved her. As Jocelyn shut the door behind them, she leaned against it and let out a long breath.
"Nice work." Legolas said with a smile.
"Thanks. You too." She winked.
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Early the next morning, Tyron woke Leyna with a kiss.
"Come, Leyna, time to move!" He exclaimed, much too cheerfully for how early it was.
"Tyron! Honestly, is the sun even up yet?" She complained into her pillow. He cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Of course it is. Now it's your turn!" He yanked the covers from her, and she curled up into a little ball.
Once he got her up and dressed, he loaded her with a few boxes (mostly light stuff) and took a few of the heavier ones himself. He led her down the path from the village into a less densely populated area not too far off. Tyron called out greetings to Elves as they woke and began their daily business. They came to a quaint little cottage with a thatched roof and stone walls. Tyron set down a box and pushed the door open with his hip. Setting his load down inside, he took the boxes from Leyna, who was standing on the stone steps craning her neck to see inside, and set them in as well.
He stopped and looked at her a moment, with excitement in his eyes and a smile on his lips, as if this was some momentous occasion. Taking her hand, he led her inside the sitting room. The sunlight streamed in through the many windows, and Leyna smiled.
It was perfect. A small couch on one wall, and a short bookcase on another. Small end tables were set in two corners, on which stood lamps and candles of many sizes. A counter separated the sitting room from the kitchen to the left, and a hallway went to the bedroom down to the right.
"Well. We're home." Tyron stated, hands on hips and a very satisfied smile on his lips. He showed her down the hallway and the bedroom at the end of it. A large bed with unmade light green sheets sat in the middle of the back wall. An end table on both sides and tall candelabras in all four corners. Tyron stood in the doorway as Leyna walked inside it.
"What do you think?" He asked, noticing she hadn't said a word since they got there. Leyna looked from the window to him and smiled. Looking around as she sauntered to him, she made a 'not impressed' face. Then, she grabbed him by his tunic and pulled him in the room with her, tightly against her body. Faces so close he could feel her warm breath on his lips, she whispered,
"There. I love it."
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All day, no one entered or left Legolas and Jocelyn's room but for servants coming to bring them meals and supplies. Jocelyn left once to go to the village for a gift, and was not gone ten minutes. Legolas expected her to be gone much longer, since she was looking for something for her mother.
"You're back soon." He stated as she rushed in. Throwing him a brilliant grin, she replied,
"I know. But when I saw it, I knew I didn't need to look any more." She tossed him the package. It was about the size of a novel, and wrapped in brown paper, tied with brown string and a bow in the middle.
"What is it?" He asked, looking it over.
"Open it." Jocelyn said as she rushed by him to some task. "I want to rewrap it anyway in something prettier." Her muffled voice came from the wardrobe. She pulled out a dark blue evening gown and held it up against her. "Is this too much?" She asked, turning to him. Without waiting for an answer, she put it back and pulled out a different one.
A light pink, floor length spaghetti strap number with a white see through glaze over the length of it. It was bound with a thick white emperor waistband underneath the breasts. Without a word, nor glance at Legolas, she laid it out on the bed and went to the washroom. She called back out to him.
"Did you open it?" And in the same breath, "What do you think of that dress on the bed?" Legolas smiled.
"No. It's beautiful." He said, and untied the bow of the package, gingerly removing the string and paper to reveal a case of stationary. A quill pen, bottle of ink, and stack of white paper, each bound inside the little box with a light blue ribbon. The paper's border was lined with vines full of leaves and flowers of all colors. He heard Jocelyn walk behind him and look over his shoulder at the gift.
"It's to write us with." She stated happily.
"It's absolutely perfect." He replied, and Jocelyn beamed as she walked away. Legolas sat the gift on the table for Jocelyn to rewrap later, and went back to his business.
With a dark blue silk scarf, Jocelyn bound up the stationary case and tied it in a loose knot on the top. She set it in the middle of the table and smiled. Hearing a knock at the door, her heart was sent crashing against her ribcage. Legolas poked his head out of the washroom door and furrowed a brow at her. When another knock was heard, Jocelyn hurried to the door. She cracked the it open an inch and peeked out. Thankfully, it was Leyna she saw. She swung the door open, yanked her sister and Tyron inside, and closed the door again.
"Geez Leyna you scared the life out of me! I thought it was mom and Ada!" She exclaimed.
"Sorry. We got done pretty early. We didn't have much in the palace to move back, and spent most of the day shopping for something for Naneth." With a large smile, Leyna handed Jocelyn a small blue velvet box. Jocelyn lifted the lid gingerly and gasped. A bracelet of silver inlaid with diamonds. "Isn't it stunning?" She asked proudly, and Jocelyn nodded her head vigorously.
She set the gift next to hers on the table and described to Leyna what she'd bought, too. Jocelyn, of course, was embarrassed of her gift upon seeing Leyna's. And ironically, Leyna was embarrassed of her gift upon hearing of Jocelyn's. Finally, both agreed to be embarrassed and Jocelyn set Leyna and Tyron to work, fetching things from the kitchen and helping she and Legolas tack up crepe paper.
Jocelyn wanted everything to be perfect. When she took the time to think about it, this party would be kind of funny. Both she and her sister had just gotten married, and they were throwing a party for their mother.
Well, it was about time someone did.
A/N...You guys brighten my day. You really do. I had a terrible day at school...had to say goodbye to my cheerleading teammate and come home all sad...then I read your reviews and I just perk right up! True story!
I partied way too hardy Saturday night and got about three hours of sleep, and Sunday night I only got about eight...so that adds up to eleven hours in a fifty-some hour period. That's only 22 percent for sleep time. A normal person should get at least 32-35 percent, in my opinion, anyway. And me, the laziest person EVER, nearly fell asleep in every class that day, failed an Economics test and cried my eyes out at practice! At least we didn't have to work as hard.
Anyway, it was my birthday Wednesday, the 20th. I'm 16. Sweet 16 and never been kissed. Ch yeah right (rolls eyes). I got my driver's license!!! Stay off the road, Austin's drivin!! Lol jk, im a good driver, even though I failed the test my first time. Sh...don't tell anyone...for me the pain is still too near. Even though it wasn't really my fault...well, before I go off on another subject, I should thank my reviewers and cut this off.
LittleCrazy1 - you explained the logic of the brownie saying 'make new friends but keep the old one is silver and the other gold'. and it made very good sense, too. You have a signed review log you can look at what you wrote, if you want to check. It's under Review History. And it tells you what story's been updated too. Pretty useful thing. Anyway, lol take it easy, no kids yet. Thanks for the review!
Laer145 - lol I love the ominous music you made for yourself. Haha thanks for reviewing!!!
ChildofGod-4ever - I've missed your reviews, KT! I know how school can take up most of your time, so don't feel bad. That's why this update is so late. What's this I hear about you cutting your leg shaving? Don't you hate it when that happens? I know I do. I think I can help you with that. Hey Aragorn!
Aragorn: Yes, Austin, how can I serve you? -bows-
Austin B.: -smirks- I have just one small favor to ask, Aragorn. You see I have this friend, and she's hurt pretty bad. I don't know how much longer she'll make it.
Aragorn: Oh, that's terrible!
Austin B.: Yes, I know. Anyway, the touch of a King is the touch of a healer, right? So I think it'd do her a world of good if you'd just...you know...
Aragorn: Ah, I see. -winks- Show me this friend of yours.
Austin B.: -procures KT from behind her back miraculously- Here she is.
Aragorn: -stoops to one knee, takes KT's hand, kissing it- There you are milady, Valar be with you and help heal you.
Artria - Thanks for asking, Artria. My life is fabulous at the moment. I have a new car that my parents surprised me with the night of my birthday, my boyfriend is the best person on the planet, and I got a whole bunch of cool stuff for my birthday. (such as, The One Ring my parents bought off E-bay to wear around my neck.)
Ilenya the Fair, Nessa Inwe, Norie Ape1, TPfan333
-Austin B.