Unfading Grass

MegChes

The Lessons Through Min's eyes

I stoo leaning against a tree, tapping my foot impatiently and staring up at the clear sky. I scanned the horizon to see my brother, Eldarion, flying through the lush trees, riding on a big black stallion. The other horses were taken today, by my siblings- when that happened, by brother and I would usually share Kaiga, a distant relative of one of the greatest horses from the Rohirrim, Brego.

"Oh, hurry up Eldarion!" I yelled. I sighed, and blew a strand of hair that had escaped from its neat braid. I shifted my gaze to look at the entrance of our palace, to the porch, where Legolas and my parents were cheerfully conversing. I found myself gawking, and maybe even with my mouth open, at the strange elf. It had been some time since I'd seen him. Had he grown older, more mature somehow? I nearly squinted. No. He looked exactly the same. Odd.

"Yo dude! Stop staring into space, dude," Eldarion yelled, halting Kaiga a few feet away from where I was standing. I tore my gaze from the distance and glared at my brother. "Min, you can ride up with me- Kaiga is a strong lass, she is." He patted the space behind where he sat. "Hop on." Eager for something to distract myself from my boredom, I hitched myself up and clung to my brother's waist. "Dude like, loose the grip, dude," Eldarion choked, prying my fingers slightly. "It's not like we're bungee jumping here, dude."

"You use 'dude' too much," I lectured. "I bet you're the only person around here who uses that word. Seriously, Eldarion, get a life." Kaiga trotted around the tree, and a few moments later she galloped freely like she did once before. It was an exhilarating feeling.

Suddenly, a white stallion appeared beside us. Eldarion and I quickly whisked our head sideways.

"Yo dudes." The blond elf smiled in greeting.

Eldarion broke into laughter. "Dude, like, DUDE WASSUP DUDE, WASSUP!!!!" Legolas and Eldarion did that weird thing they always did, holding their hands up with just the pointer and pinky sticking in the air, and waving it around wildly like random rappers.

"Stop embarrassing yourselves," I muttered, shielding my eyes in disgust.

"Why, Lady Minyaré." Legolas stopped the weird hand movement and tugged at his horse's reins, causing his steed to cease the pace. Kaiga immediately followed suit. "I must talk to you. In private."

I gulped, and stared down at my hands, which were clutching the reins. Was I in trouble? Did Legolas still remember that time, before he departed for his errand, when I accidentally used his bow and broke it in half, while I was hitting it on a table top in frustration? Did he....I gasped. Did he tell on me????

Eldarion, seeing the importance of the matter, halted Kaiga and leapt off gracefully. "I'll be inside," he muttered hastily, and he turned and ran, leaving me alone with the blond elf.

"I-I-d-d-d-d-didn't-m-m" I stammered furiously. My hands trembled.

Legolas drew his horse closer to mine, and reached out and steadied my hands. "Stop. I forgive you already," he said sternly. I looked up at him in disbelief. "I already got a new bow- a Galadrim Bow 2000. It's even better."

It felt as if a great burden had been lifted off my shoulders. "T-thanks," I whispered. "Dude," I added, hoping to please him. Then I did that little weird hand thing. If Eldarion saw me now he would laugh. Like, crazy.

Legolas chuckled at this, then quickly lowered his eyes, as if thinking deeply. "Min...your parents...they have allowed me to give you archery lessons."

My eyes bulged out, and my mouth dropped open. I probably looked really weird then- I always look weird when I'm surprised- according to Eldarion. "Shut up!'' I broke into a wide grin. "After I just broke your bow? Seriously?"

"I trust you. And I know how much this would mean to you, because I can see you want to learn so much...it would be a good way to kill time too. Just...use a better method of anger management, okay?" He fingered his new bow, which was slung over his shoulder.

"I thought of a bargain," I exclaimed. I pulled out my drawing pad from my pocket. Legolas smiled at the sight of it. "Teach me how to shoot, and I shall teach you how to draw. Deal?"

He grinned at this, but said, "Deal. Any new pictures?"

I hesitated. "Yes, actually." I flipped to a recent page. "It's a picture of my mom. I caught her standing in the balcony one night, staring out at the sea. I could see her, but she couldn't see me- so I drew her. Here." I showed it to him.

I was quite proud of my picture- it was my best so far, actually. My mother, Arwen Undomiel, was that night clad in a beautiful evening gown, and there was a slight chill breeze that had been playfully blowing her tresses. I had woken up from a strange dream, and because I found it difficult to fall back asleep, I snuck out and hid behind the wall near our balcony, clutching my precious drawing pad and my pack of pencils. The lithe image of my mother inspired me, and soon I found my hand itching to draw her beautiful outline, her intricate details. Only half of her ivory face was showing, and almost everything else was carefully shaded with the round, smooth stub of my ebony pencil.

Legolas' expression became nearly unreadable, as something- pain? surprise? clouded his eyes for a quick second. He tore his gaze away from it.

"Lovely," he murmured. "You're quite an artist, my lady."

I stared back at him curiously, and after a while, closed my drawing pad and slipped it back in my pocket. "Can I ask you a question?"

Legolas stopped his horse under a nearby willow tree. "Anything."

"Do I look like my mom?"

He looked at my face, and inspected it closely. "You have her hair," he added finally. "But your features, I must say, are more like your father's- only more feminine, of course."

"Do you want to know what I think?"

"What?"

"I think I look like myself. Perfectly unique and original in everyway," I declared smugly.

"Well, yes, that's true, but you did inherit some things from your parents."

"Hmph." I was currently practicing how to be clever. I was also currently practicing how to say witty, clever, and sly things. I was, and have always been, a clumsy person- clumsy in everything I did except for drawing. And whenever I drew, I fell into my own dream- my own world of unlimited paradise.

"We will start lessons tomorrow." Legolas' voice interrupted my thoughts. "The lessons are especially just for you, but if your brother Eldarion wants to pipe in as well, he is most welcome to."

"But-" I objected. But Legolas had already left, swift as wind, and I saw him as a distant figure, a mere speck contrasting with the walls of our palace.

Birthday Present through Eldarion's eyes

I came back from town, canvas paper in tow. It was a gift for Minyaré, by the way, because I knew she'd been wanting a mural-sized canvas forever. Of course, she doesn't know I'd gone to town to get it for her, because she thinks I'd gone to visit...what was her name? Never mind. Not that I would have wanted to remember, anyway. Besides, my disguise (the spiffy suit) was pretty clever, if I do say so myself.

I opened the door quietly, and sneaked in. No one in sight. I supposed that Min and Legolas were still at it with the archery lessons. I smirked. Wonder how that's going, I thought. I knew for a fact that Minyaré has been smitten with Legolas ever since...well, ever since she was old enough to be smitten, practically. She would never admit it, though. I only knew because I'd catch her drawing Legolas' outline all the time, although I didn't know where she stashes the sketches afterwards.

Anyway, I walked as quietly as I possibly could in my best boots (part of the act, I might add), which was not very. I was also leaving a trail of muddy boot prints all over the floor. I yelled out loud in exasperation, clapped my hand over my mouth immediately, and then took the boots off. This was not going as I had planned. I tiptoed quietly up the stairs towards Minyaré's room. When I reached it, I saw that the doors were open. Strange. Min's always left her door closed (her drawings were off-limits). Practically the only person allowed in her room was her handmaiden...well, and I, of course.

I peeked inside through the opening. Weird, no one was around, as far as I could tell. I opened the door and walked in. Looking for a place to put the canvas, I spotted feet sticking out from under the bed. Suddenly I got an insane idea. I pulled on the feet hard, almost causing myself to fall over. I had an inkling it was one of the servants, trying to steal some of my sister's jewelry. I'll teach them, all right. Servants were always trying to steal something from us. Don't we pay them enough?

I looked down and saw that I was correct in my assumption, at least the first part of it. It was one of our servants. In fact it was Min's handmaiden. She was around my sister's age, and her black hair was covered in dust and who knows what else. She was blinking her eyes from the light and coughing, partly from the dust falling from her hair. She seemed really annoyed, and I could tell on account that she was looking at me with extreme irritation. She looked familiar, but I didn't know her name though (My parents just hired her). Nurithil? Nuridil?

"Uh – Nuridil! Stand up at once! Would you mind telling me what you were doing under my sister's bed? Answer me!" I added, just for good measure.

"No, I wouldn't mind, your highness," she hissed. "And it's Nurithil, if you don't mind, my lord. I was merely cleaning her room, your grace, and under her bed is the filthiest part of the room!" The only part she said without sarcasm was the last part. "And you, your majesty? Would you mind telling me what you are doing in Lady Minyaré's room?" Her green eyes were narrowed in annoyance. Man, her eyes were so green.

"Okay, okay, you can stop calling me your highness and the other various forms of it, now!" I yelled. I mean, your grace is one thing, but your majesty is just way over the line. "I get the picture, dude. I was just dropping off a present for my sister. It's for her birthday, you know." Of course, she probably already knew that, but somehow I felt that I had to give a reason for what I was doing in her presence. I could see why she was employed.

She grabbed the package from my hands. "Alright, your grace, I will be sure to deliver it into her hands promptly. In the meantime, I would appreciate it if you would leave me to get back to my cleaning." Her tone was still seething, but her eyes seemed a bit softened. Probably because she's finally getting back to her cleaning, I thought.

She made to crawl back under the bed, but I stopped her. "You'll tell her it's from me, won't you?" I asked, a little worriedly. "I mean, dude, she's been wanting this for a long time. I want her to know I still think about her." I regret to say that I blushed a little at the last part.

She looked at me, smiled a bit, and said, "I will, Lord Eldarion. I will." And she crawled back under the bed.