A/N: Fiction will not follow the canon. Some dates will be accurate, some will not be. Inconsistent. Oh...and does anyone want to be my beta reader? plus: do you want to see how i picture the characters of my stories? their pictures can be found in the link i posted in my author's page. :)
Aielenamin
Chapter 2 - A Wedding to Attend
Rivendell, 1005 years later (five years after the War of the Ring)...
The first rays of the morning sun haven't shown itself yet behind the hills that towered the castle, only the marbling purple, orange and pinkish glow had appeared to greet the new day. Soft, cool breeze wove itself through the lands from the light rain that came the night before. On a small balcony overlooking the lands of the Last Homely House, dew drops clung lovingly on the leaves of the vines that entwined itself on the marble pillars. Tiny rose buds studded the vines, the dews becoming shimmery, choosing to stay on the soft and smooth surface of the flowers. On the balcony was a small bench where pots of lilies grew freely, a small bird bath that was slowly becoming occupied by bluebirds, doves and blue jays.
Yet even though dawn hasn't completely come, the occupant of the room was already busying herself with last minute packing of her clothes. The truth was, she hadn't slept a wink all throughout the night. The day had finally come that she would go back to Eryn Lagaslen, her home that she hadn't seen in over a millennia. Her elder sister was getting married and had insisted that she came home to help with the preparations.
Her large bed was still neatly made with the exception of some articles of clothing strewn about. Only one of her plump feather pillows was out of place. Out of nervousness, she had been clutching the pillow in distress, releasing her stressed feelings. Finally, seeing the last clothing that needed to be packed, she stuffed a pair of silk stockings into her trunk and sighed loudly, running a hand through her messy hair.
Gathering her heavy silk white nightgown, she walked tiredly to the double doors leading to the balcony and pulled aside the heavy purple drapes to welcome the new morning. It looked like any other day that she had had in Rivendell, the air was cool and the sun was rising to finally bring heat. Watching the birds frisk themselves into the shallow birdbath, she was pushed back into an old memory...
"Happy birthday, aielenamin!" the tall, blond prince greeted her when he saw her bound down the steps that led to the palace gardens. He received her with a bear hug and a kiss on the tip of her nose.
"Thank you," Arienne replied happily. There was nothing better for her than to first see the prince first thing in the morning before officially starting her special day. "Where's my present?" she demanded.
"Tsk tsk, still impatient, I see," he said disapprovingly before pulling out a wooden carving of a two doves taking a drink in a birdbath.
Her eyes widened and her mouth formed an O upon seeing the exquisitely carved gift. She reached for it with wonder, touching the wings of the doves that were still suspended in the air as it landed on the birdbath. "It's so pretty. Thank you Legolas," she said happily, clutching the gift to her chest.
He nodded, "You're very much welcome o'-elle. I knew how much you love birds." He was glad that she liked the gift; he knew how fascinated the child was with birds and had wanted to fly like the creatures for the longest time.
"'Tis is the prettiest gift I've had! Did you carve this yourself?"
"Aye," he replied. "The prettiest gift you've received? What about the doll I gave you last year, you said it was the prettiest too as well as the flute, which I may add you never really learned how to play," he added.
"It was too hard to learn," she answered huffily. "Besides, this is the prettiest of the prettiest gifts you've given me!" He laughed at her response. "I'm ten whole years old now!" she declared excitedly as she and the prince walked in the garden, still holding the precious gift lovingly.
"My, that's old," Legolas commented with a frown. "You should be using a walking stick by now!"
The elfling rolled her eyes at him and scoffed. "If I'm old, what do we call you then? A relic?"
Legolas let out a crack of laughter at her impertinent answers before mussing her hair. "You really should be more ladylike, Arienne," he said, mock angrily. "You shouldn't tell everyone how old I am!"
Arienne yawned, flipped her hair and reasoned out, "You are nearing your second millennia, you really are ancient. Besides, what is the fun of being proper and all fussy? If I become a prissy lady, which I assure you I will never be, then I won't be able to torment you and bug you all day long. "
"Oh the horror!" Legolas said wryly.
Arienne sighed at the old memory. It had taken her a long time to forget the words that he uttered that day, and even much longer for the sting to disappear from her heart. She may have been a mere child those days but she had adored the prince to the point that she would have followed him even to the quest that he had been in a few years ago. Her youth had been the curse, for the hurt to have affected her so much since her tender heart was simply unable to answer her questions why he said those words.
She walked to her ornate dresser and picked up her silver-backed brush and started to absentmindedly slide it down her hair. She stared at her reflection in the mirror and sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that morning. Lord Elrond Half-Elven would be awake by now and would soon call her down for breakfast before starting their journey to Mirkwood. She couldn't pinpoint the exact feeling that she felt at that moment. It was a mixture of anxiety, nervousness and elation.
She was finally going home after a millennia.
Of course she had moved past that childish crush, he was after all royalty and was so much older than she was. And boys did chase her as he predicted, though not until she reached her 500th year. Because until that time, after that traumatic incident, she moved back into her shell becoming a shy and insecure child. She didn't have her thick mahogany locks nor did her eyes have the olive color that she had now. It used to be tangled mousy brown hair and light faded green eyes. It embarrassed her now when she realized how much of a pest she was in those days, nagging and badgering the prince all day. A small smile touched her lips as she remembered his unwavering patience.
After being crushed by his words, she cried for the next three days. She neither told her nurse, who was scared out of her wits due to her charge's behavior, nor her father who cajoled her to tell him what's wrong. Ever since her mother died after giving birth to her, she and her elder sister were completely doted upon and cared for by Corellon Lasfaelgen, trusted adviser of the King of Eryn Lagaslen. Corellon was grief-stricken at her daughter's apparent pain and her unwillingness to tell him what was wrong. It came to the point that they wanted to call in a healer to exorcise her of her ills.
But Arienne stopped crying on the eve of the fourth day, her eyes swollen and dark. No more tears would fall from the young elleth's eyes, it had been drained from the past days pains. She told her father that she had decided to start her education as soon as possible, in Rivendell, not in Eryn Lagaslen as they originally planned. When Corellon pointed this out, Arienne started to throw a tantrum at her father's non-compliance to her childish wants which led to the poor advisor to allow his daughter to go. Much to his relief, his daughter embraced him tightly before running back to her room and packing all her clothes.
Her sister, Kethaera, helped her pack. Older than Arienne by over five hundred years, she was wise enough to know that it had something to do with the Prince of Mirkwood's actions. She did not underestimate her sister's affection for the prince for she believed that her sister was capable of caring for people even at her own expense. Already she knew that no force in middle earth would make Arienne stay in Eryn Lagaslen. Arienne had last seen Kethaera fifty years ago when she visited Rivendell.
As for Legolas, it would be the first time she would see him since that day. Not even when he was in the Council with Lord Elrond five years ago did she see him. It was not because she didn't want to see him, but at that time, she was in Lothlorien since the sister of her mother had extended an invitation for her to visit her for a fortnight. Legolas didn't go looking for her either so she assumed that he wasn't interested in seeing her.
But even after finishing her studies with her tutor, she did not feel the need to return to Mirkwood. She felt comfortable in her new home and had made many friends that she did not want to leave. Thus her father and her sister were the ones who had to journey to Rivendell to see her once in a while. She did not regret moving to Rivendell as well. She even considered that incident fortuitous for if it didn't happen, she would not be able to find such beautiful place.
Her hair had to be bound so she plaited it and twisted it into a bun so as not to hinder her as she rode her mare. Her mind wandered so much that is she hadn't heard her maid knock on the door, she would continue on daydreaming. The sun was already in the horizon giving off light to the lands. "It's open Nyeath," she called out, standing up from the seat of her dresser.
"Good morning Ari," the elderly woman cheerfully greeted her charge. But she took a longer look at the elleth and frowned accusingly, "You haven't slept at all, have you? There are dark circles under your eyes!"
Arienne smiled guiltily at the woman. There was no use lying to her since she'd eventually know from all her incessant interrogations. "I couldn't sleep. And no, I didn't ask for your sleeping potions for if I had took them last night, I would not wake up in time for our departure today," she explained, gathering her traveling clothes that she laid down on her bed a few hours before and started to change with the help of her maid.
"Ay, child, you should have rested. You're going to tire easily in our journey," she said exasperatedly, buzzing around the room like a worker bee, trying to find something that has yet to be done. After declaring that everything was packed, she said, "I will have the guards carry these trunks of yours. You will have to eat breakfast as you ride Melithel. Lord Elrond did not wait for you anymore to come down for breakfast. He already took his fare a couple of hours ago. Be at the stables in fifteen minutes, child." With that, Nyeath patted Arienne's cheek and walked out of the door. After surveying herself in front of a mirror for the last time, dressed in a green tunic and leggings and her boots, she knew it was time to leave. Arienne looked around the place and closed the door to the room that she had called hers for the past millennia.
It was time to go back to Eryn Lagaslen to attend the engagement party of her sister to the Prince of Mirkwood.
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