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. :)
evil duckie of the black lagoon - thanks for the reviews...you're actually reviewing every chapter! ;)
iwishchan - in this chapter. :)
dark elvish angel of shadow - not that i know of. i guess it's not since time doesn't matter to them at all. :)
remixer - i hope you get to read this, thanks for the review. i'll keep that suggestion in mind. i like it. ;)
jenn - 1000 years...not just 10 years. :P thanks. :)
Aielenamin
Chapter 4 - To Meet a Prince
Arienne barely had the strength to appreciate the preserved beauty of her old room for her spirit was completely drained from the journey. She bid her sister and father before going inside her room. Stripping off her dirty traveling clothes that she had on for the past two days, she did not bother with taking a bath anymore. Sleep was a more pressing matter for the exhausted elleth at hand. Her body welcomed the vaguely familiar satin sheets before falling into the deep chasm of sleep.
She was happily exploring the vast grounds of the nearby woods, hopping from one branch to another with only one real direction in mind. The young one rather liked the solace of being alone in the woods with her favorite doll that was given to her by Legolas a couple of years ago. While her sister was busy with gossiping and studying, whichever amused them more, she favored playing by herself. Kethaera didn't have much interest with the outdoors and preferred embroidery and singing.
Of course, Arienne found out that at that hour, Legolas would be near the woods so she decided to spy on her object of childish affections to pass time. The tree she chose gave her a good view of the grounds near the woods and enough foliage to hide her from him. Situating her doll and folding her dress around her, she waited for him to come, hoping that Nyeath was still busy in the kitchens since they were short of able hands for the day and would not come looking for her.
Fifteen minutes later, the unmistakable head of flowing blond hair came into view, whistling a soft melody as he walked to the west end of the woods where the keeper of the stables lived. The young one couldn't keep a wide smile from her face, she wanted so much to climb down from the tree so that she could walk with him but knew he was doing an important errand for the king. So Arienne strained her ears to hear what they were talking about instead.
All she heard was that there would be five thoroughbreds coming from Rohan later that was sent by King Thedeon and had to be received by the prince accompanied by the keeper. She stretched her body facedown to have a clearer view of the two as they waited for the horses to arrive.
"I hear that it was no easy bargain for the king to get new horses," the keeper commented to the prince.
"That is true," he said, shaking his head as he remembered the way the two kings bargained with each other. "Thedeon wanted two dozen quality bows in exchange for five white thoroughbreds. Of course father was not pleased with the suggestion since it takes fine wood and a skilled weapons master to carve such bows. But in the end, he agreed since there is no match for Rohan horses."
Finally their elven hearing detected the unmistakable powerful pounding of hooves. Only horses that were bred in Rohan could be that spirited, Legolas thought to himself with excitement at having the chance to tame those horses. A young female human dismounted from the mean-looking black horse and bowed in front of the prince. From where Arienne was, she saw that she had stared at the prince far longer than she had which made her frown.
"Do you think she likes Legolas, Thuniel?" she whispered to her doll, disliking the human already as she talked amiably with the prince. Her prince.
"I think she does too," she answered her doll after 'hearing' its affirmative reply. A frown was growing on her pixie face.
Deciding that she didn't like the human at all, she silently climbed down the tall mallorn tree and snuck up behind the horses. But before she could make her presence known, the clumsy elf managed to trip and bump the hind leg of one of the thoroughbreds. The powerful horse suddenly bucked up and neighed loudly much to the horror of the three adults, especially Legolas who immediately spied the splash of red cloth lying on the grass. He would know that face anywhere which was now disoriented but quickly being frightened by the bucking horse.
"Oh Valar! Arienne! Stay down!" Legolas shouted, terror lacing his voice as the horse continued to buck up and down already missing the young elf's face twice. He sprinted to where Arienne was, scooping the terrified elleth in his arms, dumping both of their bodies far from danger. The mortal woman quickly harnessed the horse to calm it down but it seemed like it was the prince who needed it more.
"Ile amada! What were you thinking hiding behind that horse?! You could have died, you foolish child! It could have smashed you into pieces and killed you! Your father will have hunted me down if something happened to you! Why did you think up such a foolish deed?!" he asked the already terrified child, shaking her by the shoulders.
Arienne still hadn't registered in her mind why Legolas was screaming at her until seconds later. Her eyes started to brim with tears. She let out a loud wail as the trauma finally sank in. First, the wild horse then Legolas shaking her violently. Her cries pierced the young prince's heart until he realized what he had done to the already very frightened child.
He gathered the tiny elf into his arms and rocked her gently, letting her cry in his arms. His heart constricted as he felt her shake with fright and her continued sobs. "Shhhhh, it's alright aielenamin. It's going to be alright, you're safe now," he whispered, trying to calm his racing heart. He could not shake off the terror he felt when he saw the horse nearly miss her head. He continued to say soothing words to the child who was slowly calming down, alternating his apologies with the assurances. "I'm sorry, so sorry tellelah. It's going to be fine now."
Minutes later, Nyeath came tearing down the grounds screaming for her charge. She found her in the arms of the prince, already deep in sleep. The horses had been taken away by the mortal and the keeper leaving the prince to fend off for the child. Apparently, the news reached the nurse quickly who was now scared out of her wits. Legolas stood up, carrying Arienne in his arms. "She almost died Nyeath, and I shouted at her for her folly," he confessed, his face full of remorse.
Nyeath laid a hand on his shoulder to console him. "Know that you saved her life my lord, and that is what's important."
Ten solid hours later, Arienne was being shaken awake by Nyeath. The sun had already set an hour ago and the girl hadn't shown itself to anyone since she fell asleep that morning. Nyeath knew that if she didn't wake up that moment, the girl will not be ready for the feast. Thankfully, Arienne blinked open her eyes to adjust to the darkness. "Nyeath?" she called out sleepily.
"It's about time you woke up," the older woman answered, lighting several candles in the room. The music from the gathering hall could be heard already. From the balcony, they could see the grounds lit up by thousands of candles and decorated with white flowers. "Kethaera had been asking for you all afternoon but I told her you were still weary. You only have time to have a quick bath," she informed the girl as she sat up her bed, still quite disoriented.
"Only a quick bath? Nan amin ikotane waara, Nyeath," she whined at her, standing up and watching her open the golden pipes which let steaming water from the brook to flow into the bathtub. Arienne quickly pulled off her dressing gown and sighed deeply.
"Well it serves you right for not getting enough rest when we stopped at night in the journey," she said disapprovingly, pouring in some rose scented oils into the water. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get into the tub child, your sister wants to spend time with you."
Her words were only met with a deep sigh, laced with confusion. Nyeath waited to ask the young elleth until she was in the tub. "What seems to be in your mind?"
Arienne yawned and rubbed her eyes, picking up a sponge to scrub herself. "It's nothing, I just had a weird dream. But I knew it happened to me long ago. Do you remember when I was almost killed by a horse delivered from Rohan?"
Nyeath gasped from behind as she furiously scrubbed Arienne's back as she remembered the memory. "Do I remember? Child, I am still terrified for you even after all these years!" she exclaimed, shaking her head. "If not for the prince who ran to you before you got crushed, you would not be here right now."
"I know that all too well. It's just that I dreamt about it," she whispered. Nyeath on the other hand, was intent on cleaning her up as quick as she could.
"You rinse yourself while I get your clothes," she ordered her after finishing lathering Arienne's thick hair. "What would you rather prefer, the muted blue taffeta or the cream muslin?"
"The cream muslin would be fine," she answered, getting out of the tub after rinsing her hair. She felt so much better than when she had arrived, especially now that she had had her sleep and bath. If someone directed her to the food, she would be fine and dandy as a cat with a bowlful of cream. Nyeath dried her off before helping her put on the lovely evening gown, its silhouette complimenting the maiden's lean figure perfectly. They both decided that since it was a cool evening, they would leave the hair down with the exception of a small braid running the length of her hair which was entwined by tiny roses.
An hour after they had started with the transformation, Arienne immediately felt more like herself. She loved the outdoors but did not mind the comforts of being indoors. Finally, Nyeath handed her an emerald colored cape to ward off the chill outside.
Coming down the winding staircase, she spied the many lords and ladies from Mirkwood and faraway lands reacquainting themselves with each other, glad to have the opportunity that the feast brought. In the middle of the hall was Kethaera, laughing gaily with her friends, both married and unmarried. Her father was beside the King along with Elrond, surveying their handiwork for the night.
I'm finally here and yet, I feel so scared, she thought to herself, her heart pounding inconspicuously in her chest as she pulled her cape closer to her body. She needed some time alone to pep herself up. Silently, hoping against hope that she wouldn't be noticed, she walked out of the hall and out into the brightly lit gardens. But she was stopped short by the sight that greeted her. It was also filled with well-dress ladies escorted by dashing noble elves. Even the well, south of the gardens, where she used to pass time alone as a child was occupied. There was no escape for her.
"I never would have figured you out to grow up as a lady who would not want to be noticed," a deep and particularly amused male voice said behind her.
She whirled behind her and found the last person she expected. For one shock-filled moment, her heart slammed into her ribcage painfully and yet she continued to stare at him. Her eyes only saw the blue pools of his eyes and the self-assured look on his face as if he had been expecting her. He has grown even more handsome than the last time I saw him, possibly even bluer eyes, she mused to herself. But she then remembered to finally breathe as well as her manners as she dropped into an effortless curtsy. "Your highness," she greeted him, trying her damnest to keep her eyes down and her voice from the tremors.
Legolas reached for her to stand up, amusement lacing his demeanor. "You have never insisted upon calling me that when you were a child, why start now? I would embrace and twirl you like before but I do not think that would be appropriate seeing the cirmumstances that we are in now," he said, his eyes twinkling.
Arienne stood up straight and realized that she didn't have to preen her head up to see his face. Before she could help herself, she let out a small laugh at the realization. She had grown up alright.
"You still haven't changed tellelah, you still enjoy having your own world to laugh at," he said mockingly. He offered his arm and said, "Come, let's take a little walk around the grounds like we used to."
Yet the elleth remained mute, she could not seem to produce the words that she wanted to say. So instead, simply nodded and took his arm. It was overwhelming to say the least to be near her childhood crush again. "Amin alade," she managed to blurt out.
He turned his head her way and smiled, "Amin ele tanya."
"No, no. What I meant was that I grew up. I can see your face now," she explained gaily at the thought she had moments before thanking the Valar that she finally found her speech. She saw the amused look that formed on his face. "I used to only see your face when you crouched low to talk to me when I do something that displeased you."
"Well, have you noticed anything different then?"
"Merely that your nose looks longer, your eyes smaller and fine lines are sprouting everywhere. Oh, are those white hairs that I detect as well?" she asked rapidly without thinking. "A true relic indeed!" It took her seconds to realize what she had just said, her face growing paler. She wasn't a child anymore for Eru's sake and more importantly, he was marrying her sister and yet she still had that gall to insult him freely like before! She frantically started to apologize to him, her cheeks flusing hotly, "Oh Eru! I apologize for what I said, it's just that—"
Arienne was stopped short when she heard him laugh at her. Deep, gusty sounds of mirth that she had to look at him dubiously if he had already too much to drink at that early hour.
"Oh I truly missed your sharp mouth, little one. You still haven't changed a bit," he said, laughter still dancing in his deep azure eyes. "I shall catch up with you later after all this chaos is over," he promised, not feeling the least bit hesitant to kiss her on her forehead like before.
Arienne didn't even had the chance to say anything when he turned around after a few paces. "And aielenamin?"
"Yes?" the shocked elleth managed to croak out upon hearing him call out his old endearment for her, a millennia after hearing it last.
"Do save me a dance, alright?" he reminded her with a smile.
"Of course."
And he left to go back inside.
Upon digesting the fact that she finally saw him, talked with him, teased him like old times, she felt the familiar hollow feeling deep in her stomach come back. Damn him!
Oh she had grown up, alright, Legolas smiled inwardly to himself as he blocked out the droning sounds of one of his father's numerous friends who was currently talking to him about the new bow that he had acquired lately. The prince watched the once tiny elf that he took care of wander aimlessly into the hall with that eternally confused face that she opted to wear once she came down from her room. She's probably looking for Kethaera, he mused, knowing well that his betrothed was in one of the many rooms of the palace with her friends discussing the wedding plans.
When he saw her appear from the corner of the room, stepping down from the staircase, he immediately knew that it was her. It was stupid of him to think that she would stay the adoring elfling who used to follow him around especially after the puzzling way she greeted him a while ago. The elleth that stood before him in the gardens was cool and collected, not anymore the frivolous child who would do anything to get him to notice her. And not only did she grow up, she learned some manners...or not.
And yet as he scrutinized her from afar, he still saw traces of the tellelah in the elleth in the hall now. In the presence of familiar company, she let down her stiff decorum completely. He saw her let it down when she again teased him about being a relic. That imp, Legolas thought as he remembered the recent memory. But somehow, she knew that he wasn't the old Legolas she knew so she had to be the proper lady she has become over the years. He watched her silently as she wove her way through the crowd to where Elohir and Elledan were pouring themselves some wine, demanding to have some herself. She was nudging Elledan to pour her some until she had to resort to stamping on his foot for him to finally comply. The elf's surprised cry was muffled by the soft, tinkling laugh of the elleth and Elohir. He took a sip from his own wine glass, nodding his head at whatever the man in front of him was saying.
From the moment he found out that she was coming back to Mirkwood to help with the wedding preparations and eventually stay for good, he couldn't help but feel excited. It was not true that he hadn't seen her in a thousand years. The truth was that he came to see how his little charge was doing every century without her knowing. He was unable to really come to her for he knew that even without anyone telling him, that her sudden need to move to Rivendell was somehow related to his last departure from Mirkwood. Upon his arrival from his travels, he was upset to learn that the tellelah had not waited for him to return before leaving until he found out from her father the distress she was in before she left.
Kethaera finally appeared from where she had been with her friends, letting out a cry of joy upon seeing her sister. The two girls, so alike yet so different in many ways, talked animatedly with each other, leaving their friends and cousins to fend for themselves. But at that moment, King Thranduil decided to speak to his guests.
"Revered and esteemed guests from Mirkwood and from faraway lands, I greet you this beautiful evening the Valars had blessed for us," he said, raising his goblet to the colorful crowd. "Tonight we gather as we celebrate the forthcoming union of my son, Legolas Thranduillon and Lord Corellon Lasfaelgen's daughter, the Lady Kethaera Lasfaelgen with a feast!" As was required, even at opposite ends of the grand hall, Kethaera and Legolas looked at each other with adoring eyes. Thranduil gave them a look of approval before continuing, "Let us drink and be merry for the happiness of their union! Aaye Legolas ar' Kethaera!"
"Aaye Legolas ar' Kethaera!" the crowd cheered, raising their wine goblets to the couple.
Nobody took notice of the swift pain that crossed Arienne's eyes for even she did not know it had crossed her unnaturally serene face for a brief moment. That is, except for a certain perceptive Elven prince.
Translations:
Ile amada! - You Fool!
Nan amin ikotane waara, Nyeath. - But I am so dirty, Nyeath.
Amin alade - I grew up.
Amin ele tanya. - I see that.
Aaye Legolas ar' Kethaera! - Hail Legolas and Kethaera!
please be nice and review me! :) i have three chapters written already! so give me reason to update! :)