I don't own LOTR or the line I used from Pirates of the Caribbean!
Secret Hurts
Chapter3
"Elbereth!" Someone screamed in shock and horror.
"Hm?" Aldalóme yawned as she opened her eyes. "What's all the screaming about?"
"Oh Elbereth! You gave me a fright, lady!" a female elf grasped her hand to her throat in hope of drawing more air into her lungs.
"Huh? How could I have given you a fright? I was sleeping," Aldalóme frowned in confusion.
"You had your eyes closed! You gave me a terrible fright, lady! No elleth or elf would ever sleep that way! Tis' unnatural!" the elleth, apparently the maid, was in hysterics.
"I like to sleep with my eyes closed, and it is not that unnatural!" Aldalóme growled irritably, definitely not enjoying the other elleth's hysterics.
"Is everything alright, Alata?" an elleth with dark hair entered the room.
"Undomiel!" Alata, the maid, curtsied respectfully and looked reproachfully at Aldalóme, when she did not do the same. "Forgive me for not noticing your honored presence, but this lady was doing something that tis' not natural!"
"And you are getting your panties in a bunch about nothing! Blimey, do you have goo inside, instead of a brain?" Aldalóme glared at the annoying elleth maid.
"Alata, I believe that you have disturbed our guest. I suggest you return to your other duties, and I will assign someone else to lady…"
"Aldalóme," Aldalóme rolled her eyes as she once again heard herself referred to as a 'lady'.
"…Lady Aldalóme. Alata, you have been of much help," the lady elf with dark hair smiled at the maid. The maid quickly took her leave. "Now, you must be the pleasant elleth that my brothers spoke of. I am their sister, Arwen Undomiel."
"So, you are all children of Lord Elrond, then?" Aldalóme frowned.
"Yes. It is so pleasant to hear that someone else is rebuking my brothers other than Adar, Lord Glorfindel, and myself!" Arwen grinned happily.
"Okaaaay," Aldalóme stared strangely at the elleth before her, not quite certain if this 'Arwen' was sane.
"Oh! You must dress quickly! We shouldn't be late for the feast!" Arwen seemed to bubble.
"Dress? As in 'wearing a dress'?" Aldalóme gave Arwen a look that clearly stated that she loathed the idea of being forced to wear something other than her jeans.
"Oh yes! Father would be most pleased!" Arwen smiled. "I think you would look lovely in…"
"Green, purple, black, dark blue, or red," Aldalóme rattled off the colors in a bored manner. "I will wear a dress, but I do not enjoy wearing dresses because they are cumbersome annoyances and I hold a great dislike for them."
Arwen stared at Aldalóme in surprise, "But surely you jest?"
"No, I'm deadly serious. Have you ever tried to run away from people in a dress? Have you ever fallen because a damn dress tripped you? Have you ever been to a funeral?"
"Funeral?" Arwen frowned.
"I will wear a dress, for now, out of respect for your father's wishes, but I will not wear one unless he requests it himself from this point forward," Aldalóme glared at Arwen, daring her to say otherwise.
"Well, I think you will be a pleasant change to life in Imladris," Arwen tried to put on a cheerful façade, but that didn't succeed in fooling Aldalóme as she put on a Kelly-green dress. The dress hugged her curvy form, the neckline coming just above where her breasts started, the skirt elegantly kept near her feet. Arwen pushed Aldalóme into a chair and quickly did the new elleth's hair in normal elvish fashion.
"You just keep telling yourself that," Aldalóme mumbled.
"There! All done!" Arwen clapped her hands happily and left the room, but not before throwing back, "One of my brother's will escort you to dinner!"
"Great, tweedle-dee or tweedle-dum," Aldalóme sighed as she began to explore the room.
"So, would you like to go someplace other than stay here and wait a few hours?" one of the twins popped their head in.
"May as well, don't know how long I'll be stuck here," Aldalóme shrugged.
"You are a very unusual elleth," the twin replied back.
"Yeah, so where's your better half?" Aldalóme's eyes began to show exactly how mischievous she could be. She began to walk towards the twin, but he jumped away quickly from her.
"HEY!" the twin yelped.
"Nice to see you too, Elladan," Aldalóme smirked.
"How?" Elladan asked confused.
"One, your brother is a bit more polite. Two, he would tell me his name. And three, he would have knocked," Aldalóme smiled.
"Great, you're going to be able to tell us apart, aren't you?" Elladan sighed.
"Most likely."
"Okay, so… would you care for a walk through the gardens?"
"Sure," Aldalóme smiled. "Then we can play the question game!"
"Question game?" Elladan stared at Aldalóme as if something was wrong with her.
"Yup, I ask you a question and you answer, if you want to, then you ask me, and so on."
"Oh, do you wish to start?"
"Don't mind if I do! Um… are you and your brother really awfully good at pranks?"
"Yes," Elladan grinned. "My turn, right?" He watched Aldalóme nod, "Do you have any kin in Rivendale?"
"No, I don't think I do. And not in any of the other elven cities, as far as I know… Is Arwen always that annoying?"
"What do you mean?" Elladan frowned.
"Well, she told me I had to wear a dress after some maid came in and screamed me awake from my nice little nap. Then Arwen began to act as if I was some doll that she was giving a make-over to," Aldalóme grimaced at the memory.
"Sadly, I must admit that she does act that way, but she is fairly sweet and kind, for a sister," Elladan chuckled at Aldalóme's description.
"Your turn," Aldalóme smiled at him.
"What do you do in your free time?"
"I write, read, sing, listen to music, play with my cat, have fun, sleep, and eat." Aldalóme smiled, this next question would determine at exactly what point in the books of J.R.R. Tolkien that she was nearest, "Has a hobbit from the Shire ever visited Rivendale with a group of dwarves?"
"Dwarves? Why would dwarves enter Rivendale? What is a Hobbit?" Elladan frowned in confusion.
"Hobbit's are Halflings. I guess that puts me in a time before…" Aldalóme turned to face Elladan and grinned, "Thank you very much, Elladan! You've answered many of my questions!"
"We were just playing a game, but thank you for answering mine, as well," Elladan smiled down at the elleth beside him. "I do believe that it is time for dinner."
"Who all will be at dinner?" Aldalóme asked concerned at all the eyes that might be drawn to her, for she was a rather short elleth.
"Well, my lord father, my twin, Arwen, Lord Glorfindel, and my foster brother, Estel," Elladan frowned as he thought of whom else might attend dinner in the great hall with them. "I believe that Mithrandir may sup with us, as well as a few nobles of my father's counsel."
"I think Areien mentioned that name… Mithrandir…" Aldalóme bit her lip to hold back her tears.
"Areien? I do not know any maiden by this name," Elladan frowned.
"That's because she's dead," Aldalóme winced as she said it with sorrow and conviction clouding her voice.
"May I ask who she was?" Elladan stared at the unusual elleth before him.
"I am disinclined to acquiesce your request," Aldalóme used one of her favorite lines from a good movie. Elladan looked confused, "It means, no."
"Then may we continue to dinner, Lady Aldalóme?" Elladan grimaced when Aldalóme stepped on his toes.
"For an immortal, you sure do have a short term memory," Aldalóme smirked mischievously.