Unfading Grass
.:MegChes:.
Masquerade through Eldarion's eyes
I woke up and noticed that it was already dusk. Suddenly I remembered what had woken me up in the first place. "Rhach ha!" I muttered.Minyaré's birthday party, I was pretty sure, was taking place right at this moment. Quickly I grabbed the piece of paper with the poem I had painstakingly written on it. On the mirror, I saw a lanky man staring back at me, with hair tousled, and clothing crumpled. Not to mention eyes underlined with shadows. I ran downstairs, and, on the way to the dining room, I ran my hand under the running water from the fountain and combed the droplets through my hair.
Although I knew what beauty to expect once I stepped through the arched, richly-carved wooden entrance, my breath was still painfully taken. Perhaps it was because this outdoor dining room was rarely used, except for exceedingly special occasions (such as birthdays). Once inside, I looked about at the elegant but natural surroundings with awe. I never can close my mouth whenever I enter this awesome place. The grass-covered ground was brilliant and glowing with night flowers, blooming for all they were worth, and giving out a calming fragrant smell. The whole place was enclosed with carved tall, white poles, with night flowers winding around them. There was a long table on either side of the enclosure practically covered with various foods of the best quality, with a huge space in between them for dancing and celebration. But what caught my attention most strongly was the wooden, carved ceiling, lined with dangling ropes of blossoms, and a candle-filled chandelier. In between the bars that made up the ceiling I could see the dark blue of the night sky, with barely a star speckling it, and the moon glowing brightly.
After what seemed like long minutes, I felt someone tapping my shoulder. I shook my head of the daydreams which were slowly filling it, and discreetly wiped the drool creeping out of my mouth. I turned around quickly, and finally faced Minyaré, to whom I was nervously waiting to read my poem to, and I stood there hoping she wouldn't ask me to read it in front of everyone else. After all, it was meant for her ears alone.
"Hey, El, glad you could make it out of your room," she said, but all in good fun. "Why don't you dance with one of the girls over there? There absolutely dying to get to know you." She laughed and gestured to a huddle of girls giggling and whispering. It seemed like I was the object of their attention, but I glanced behind me, just in case. Sure enough, there was Legolas, looking regal in his grand white tunic, but uncomfortable nonetheless. I sighed dejectedly and shook my head. "What are you wearing?" She finally noticed that I had not changed from the clothes I had worn in the morning and slept in.
"Never mind, that," I said, "I just wanted to read you the poem before you wander off. You are the birthday girl, after all, and everyone will be wanting your attention." I said good-naturedly.
She brightened enormously. "Why don't you go read it out loud, so everyone will hear it? Hold on, I'll ask Father to stop the band from playing for a minute. I'm sure everyone'll love your poem!"
Before I could insert a word of protest, she was pulling me to the center of the room. Father, after a whispered word in his ear, announced, "Everyone, I'm delighted you could all make it to this exceptional event celebrating my daughter's birthday," he said in a booming voice, and, squeezing Min's shoulders, added, "Tonight, I would like to announce, proudly, I might add, that my son, Prince Eldarion, has something special to say to her. Son?" He gestured to me, and I, red in the face, swallowed my embarrassment deeply, took center stage, and began:
Uireb sui al pelin thar
(Everlasting like unfading grass)
Párt Ethraid calen godref anor a loss
(Always green through sun and snow)
Laug sui arnediad gail
(Warm as neverending light)
Ha toltha godref i núr nuin
(That reaches through to the depths below.)
Thar limp ah lend a pathro midh
(Grass soaked with sweet and refreshing dew)
Ha nestad ha anno faer idh
(That heals and lets soul, weary, rest)
Gail síla i gern nif
(Light that illumines the weary face)
A tírad I menel annun
(And shows to it the heav'nly west.)
Uireb sidh ennas
(Infinite peace and tranquility, there,)
O iell bain nif síla
(From her beautiful face does ever show)
Uireb sui al pelin thar
(Everlasting like unfading grass)
Párt ethraid calen godref anor a loss
(Always green through sun and snow.)
My voice sounded rough at the beginning, but I started to improvise and made up a tune to go with the poem, and at the end the final note held high and clear. When I finished the poem (or song), I felt refreshed and renewed, like I had just released something that I had hidden until now. I looked around, and saw tears in my sister's eyes, which was strange; I don't think anything I'd ever done had brought her to tears (of joy, that is). I felt glad that it was over, and, giving her a quick hug, walked to the refreshments table to grab a sip of punch. After I finished the whole cup, I finally looked up and saw that most everyone else was already dancing and the lights were dimmed. That is, all elves but one. I noticed a forlorn figure of a maiden standing in the corner by the other end of the refreshment table. As I drew nearer, I noticed she was wearing a white, sequined mask, which I thought odd; I didn't know the ball's theme was masquerade. She was wearing an elegant white gown to match, although it was probably a thousand-years old-fashioned—compared to my sister's clothes, that is.
I couldn't help it; curiosity was getting the better of me. Since nobody else seemed to want to dance with me, I figured, why not? I walked over as casually as I could towards her, and, before I could ask her to a dance, she saw me and remarked, "That was pretty well done, my lord."
Her voice sounded like she had a cold or something, and I thought she was coming up with something. Mayhap that was why she wasn't eager to head towards the dance floor. I decided then that I would just have a good old chat with her.
"Thanks. Wrote it myself, you know. It was funny, how I came up with a tune for it just at that moment." I smiled, reliving it in my head for an instant. "Say," I asked, attention diverted, "Why are you wearing a mask? Did I miss something?"
She suddenly had a coughing fit, and I instinctively patted her on the back, albeit awkwardly. Afterwards, she said, "Well, I thought I might come up with something creative to match the outfit, milord. Er... why are you wearing such a disheveled outfit?" She retorted, then covered her mouth quickly. I didn't mind though.
"Well, as you know, I was working hard on the poem for my sis, to make sure it was just perfect, and of course, after all my creativity was so focused on one thing, I had to rest for a while; when I woke up, it was too late to change. It was a pretty good poem, though, wasn't it?" I was pretty full of myself. "I especially liked that last note at the end; heck, I didn't think I would be able to pull that off. I didn't know my voice could hold that long. What do you think?" I looked at her again, because she seemed to be irked by something; I couldn't tell very well, though, because of the mask. "Is something wrong, milady?"
"Nothing, your grace," she replied with her coarse voice, and she coughed again. It might have been just me, but it sounded as if they were forced. "I agree, I didn't know you could hold such a long note, either." Now I was sure she was aggravated, because her voice gave it away. I wondered what I did wrong. "What did I do?" I asked, graciously, I thought.
"What did you do?" She asked derisively, and I was surprised to hear that her voice wasn't coarse anymore. In fact, it was loud and clear. "Can't you talk about anybody but yourself, for a change?" The voice sounded awfully familiar. "How about asking me to dance? I should have known!" She was practically face to face with me now, and I got a full view of her eyes. They were green.
Out of the blue (or green, I should say), something clicked. "Nurithil?" I gasped, awed. "What are you doing here?" She lowered her gaze quickly. "I mean, aren't you supposed to be cleaning my sister's room, or something?" I said, and not courteously, either. She looked up fiercely, held my gaze for a moment (a long moment, so that my eyes felt like they were being burned out of my skull), and she turned swiftly and fled from the room.
Suspicions Arise through Min's eyes
I almost sniggered as I saw the maiden dash away to some unknown place, after conversing with my brother Eldarion. He looked disappointed, for he shook his head and sighed. You always blow it, Eldarion, I thought to myself. I felt a little sorry for him. Who was the maiden anyway? A likely candidate for a girlfriend, but he probably pissed her off with his excessive blurting of the word 'dude'. Good luck next time. I eyed the small bevy of giggling girls in the other corner, clad elegantly and whispering amongst themselves.
"Hey." I felt a small tap on my shoulder. I turned around, and nearly tripped on my long skirts. It was Erhothien, and as usual clutching a small book in her hands, her slender finger marking which page she was on. "A nice poem, eh?" she asked. I nodded my head, speechless as I recalled Eldarion's gift to me. I realized how I had underestimated his writing skills. Did I actually cry when he recited it? "You have to give some credit to me," Erhothien blabbered on, reaching over to the refreshments table to pick up a small plate of cookies. She nibbled a bite. "I encouraged him to use better words. It was boring at first, but I helped him embellish it, you know? I taught him how to befriend a thesaurus." She finished her cookies, and she dapped her thin mouth daintily. "I'll see you around, birthday girl."
"My name's Minyaré," I informed her. She ignored me as she strutted off, opening her book to the page she was, and almost running into a servant carrying a platter of appetizers.
I was positively bored. A lively beat was being played by the band, and I could already see the dancing area slowly flooding with pairs, all magnificently dressed and ready for celebration. I could feel my lids dropping. Slowly, like a dummy, I lumbered over to a table and sat myself down on the bench, reaching for a plate and loading it with a bunch of various foods, despite my pickiness and lack of appetite. I grabbed a glass of wine as a waiter came passing by. He nodded his head in greeting as he continued on his way. I stared at my food, staring so hard, half-expecting the chicken leg to come bouncing up and start drumming a beat on my plate.
"Mother," I called out, as I saw my mother walking by, the hands of my twin sisters Neverin and Neveriniel enclosed in hers. She stopped, and stared at me. Her face was flushed, rosy with the excitement of the party. She was garbed in a beautiful white dress, and she had a wreath of white blossoms on her head. "You look beautiful," I told her, laughing.
"So do you," she replied, catching Neveriniel's hand before she could drop a worm down someone's back. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked.
I opened my mouth. "Not really..." I answered honestly. "When are we opening presents?"
"Later," she replied. "In about half an hour." She eyed my plate. "Why don't you eat Minyaré? Tonight's all yours." She winked at me, and ushered my sisters along. I snatched the worm from Neveriniel's hand as she came whisking by.
"Hey!" she yelled, her face ferocious.
"Hey, hey," I lectured her, my eyes narrowing. "No worm-dropping tonight. Behave yourself." I dropped the worm on the ground. "Hey!!" she yelled even louder. "That's animal abuse." My little sister said more things but she was already halfway across the large area so that I couldn't hear her anymore. I watched them, and laughed loudly and Neverin and Neveriniel wriggled from my mother's grasp, and lunged on Eldarion, who was moping on the other end of the table. He screamed, and blushed in embarrassment when he realized who they were.
I attached the chicken leg on my plate with my fork (I refused to eat food with my fingers. I thought it was vulgar.) and took a small bite, just to please my mom. I gulped it down, and it tasted like cardboard. Using my spoon, I rearranged the foods that I had heaped on my plate. I can't finish this, I thought to myself miserably. Plus I'm really bored. I glanced at my huge pile of gifts, sitting in the corner of area, isolated. My heart leaped with excitement as I imagined the possible gifts they contained. A Galadrim Bow 2000?
My eyes drifted over to Legolas, who was approaching my mom, apparently asking her for a dance. I couldn't help but notice how especially noble and calm he looked tonight, and how he had that angel-like presence that would make someone's heart flutter in their chest. I watched them, oblivious that I was snooping. He bowed slightly, and my mom blushed as she accepted his hand. They conversed with each other rapidly, and in unison they weaved through the crowd, making their way to the other side of the area, where there was more dancing space. I closed my mouth, because I had just realized it had been hanging open for some time. What was wrong with me?
I sighed. Shoving the plate of food away from me, I jumped up from the table and made my way through the people, seeking for someone to talk to. Eldarion. Where the heck was he since my sisters had lunged on him?
I was stopped by a small girl, who looked prone to lachrymose. Her eyes were wide and teary, and her fingers quavered as she pointed to one of my framed drawings, hanging above one of the tables. "Can you teach me how to draw that?" She asked in a trembly voice, pointing to the picture of Kaiga's nostrils. "It's so cool. I wanna have a copy of it so I can ask my mom to fashion my bedroom windows in that shape. Are they supposed to be deformed triangles?" She stared at me, mouth agape, waiting for an answer.
"Uh..." The girl's expression was heart-wrenching. "Maybe later..."
"O-okay," she muttered. "Happy b-birthday." She took a tissue from her pocket, blew her nose, and walked past me, brushing my shoulder.
I spotted Eldarion almost instantly, who was literally melting into a pole, and surrounded by an even larger multitude of girls. They were very loud.
"Excuse me," I murmured, trying to ease myself through the tight pack. "Excuse me." I came to Eldarion, fear beaming from his eyes. "Eldarion!" I yanked him up to his feet. "You okay?"
"They're like monsters, Min," he whispered lowly to me. "Stalking me. Everywhere I go..." he rubbed his temples, obviously stressed out. I grasped his sleeve and tugged him through the multitude of girls. "Follow me." Together we ran through the crowd, bumping and slamming into loud, sweaty people. Finally we were through, and we were panting like people who had just run a mile nonstop.
"I can't wait for this party to end," I complained. "I can't wait to open my gifts. Look at them. It's like, it's like a pile of temptations, lying there in the corner. I just wanna rip the wrappings to pieces and see what lies beneath." I eyed my ruggedy brother curiously. "I wonder what you got me...that package..."
"You'll see, dude," he murmured slyly, a grin playing on his face. I punched him in the shoulder. "Geez, Min, what did I ever do to you?" he moaned.
"Nothing. You're just annoying." I laughed, as I saw the same group of girls slowly inching towards him. "Two words, Eldarion: "Run fast." Eldarion gasped, and took my advice, practically pushing chairs over. Grown-ups stared at his shrinking figure, shaking their heads afterwards and muttering about how naughty he was. Ehehehe.
I sighed again. The sigh was thick with boredom and self-pity. I stared at my wristwatch- only ten minutes till the opening of gifts. My fingers twitched.
Suddenly, I felt a hand on my arm. I turned around, and found myself face to face with Legolas. He was actually smiling, and he seemed to be in an especially cheery mood. He bowed politely, and extended his hand. "May I have a dance, o Lady Minyaré, soon to be famous artist?" My heart really did flutter in my chest.
"Of course," I laughed. As our hands met, he pressed a folded piece of paper into my palm. "What's this?" I took it, and unfolded it. It was a picture of Eldarion, lightly sketched, with no shading filled in. I gaped at it. It was surprisingly good. The ears needed some work, but other than that, it was very good. "Where's the shading?" I asked, looking up to meet his gaze. He shrugged.
"I need some extra help," he explained. I laughed, and gave the paper back to him.
"I'll write you another set of more specific instructions then. After our next class."
We didn't talk for a while, just danced. My parents had hired a new quartet of singers. They were new, but they were growing to be very big. The lively song stopped, and it was replaced by the youthful, mournful voice of the elven singer. I sniffed. Don't cry, I thought to myself. Don't be so emotional.
I closed my eyes, melting in to the beat of the music. Slowly, the loud voices around us faded, and I was in a world of darkness, and silence. It was so serene, and so peaceful, and I wished the moment could last forever.
After what seemed like an eternity, I opened my eyes. I was fully leaning on Legolas now, but he didn't seem to mind. I pulled back a little, beginning to get uncomfortable. Quickly, I scanned the area. Where was my mother? She was gone. Where'd she go?
"Did you see my mother?" I asked Legolas quickly. I grabbed a glass of water from the table and took a quick swig. Before he could answer, I gasped softly. "Eldarion's missing too. What the heck is going on?"
Legolas pulled away, alert. Something flashed in his eyes, and quickly I turned around and followed his gaze. I sharp jolt shook my body as I saw a dark hooded figure disappearing into the woods, carrying the lithe body of my mother. She appeared to be sleeping. Closely following the creature's heels was my brother Eldarion, his sword brandished. I stood there, open-mouthed, as I saw him abruptly drop his sword. His eyes dashed wildly about, and he opened his mouth, appearing to be screaming, but no sound came out. Like an animal, he groped at his face, confusion filling his expression.
At that moment, some unseen force took over my body. My hand trembled, and I dropped the glass I was carrying. With a crash it came tumbling to the floor.
