A/N: This chapter may end up being quite long since there are quite a few
things I'm going to do. Well, it might not, but it then again it might. I
know you don't mind either way, but I just thought I would forewarn you
anyway. Well, I have and now I'll let you get on and read. Don't forget to
click the pretty purple button at the bottom of the screen. You know the
one I mean. Yeah, that one.
Luvs Elfie xXxXx PS. Most people will know this already from some of my other fics or you'll be able to work it out for yourself, but just in case, all Elvish translations are in () at the end of the sentence unless I state otherwise.
PPS. The way this chapter is set out on the page at the moment may not work on ff.net But then again it might. It wont let me preview it, so I don't know. If it turns out crappy, I'll the chapter off and try something else.
Chapter 12
"What have I got myself into?" Legolas asked himself. "Why in the name of Eru did I agree? This'll be worse than the archery!" It took some persuading, but he had eventually agreed to teach her Elvish. What a bundle of laughs this was going to be. "May Eru bless my soul."
But, when the lessons did finally begin and the months passed, he was pleasantly surprised. She was quite enthusiastic, appeared to take everything on board that he was telling her and understood almost everything. There had been no disasters of any kind. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, though he still thought it was too good to b true. They weren't really on good terms and still fell out on a regular basis, but they were both now becoming accustomed to one another's company. He wasn't thoroughly convinced that she used the lessons completely to use, but he decided that she should be praised for the effort she was putting into it that he could see.
"I should congratulate you, Silvawen," he said upon their next meeting. "I am impressed with your progress. You have picked up a fair bit in a short space of time. I have to say I had my doubts when we began, but you are beginning prove yourself. Well done."
"Wow," she said. "I think that might just pass for actual praise. I'm surprised you know what it is. But that makes me accept it with even more gratitude. Diola lle, Taren Legolas Thranduilion." (Thank you, Prince Legolas, son of Thranduil.)
"Lle nia," he said. "Nan'lle n'anta naa ikotane helka." (You're welcome. But you needn't be so formal.)
"I like to put as many words together as I can," she said, "The more I say, the more it appears that I know."
"That makes sense, I suppose," he said.
"Would you rather I called you Greenleaf Greenleaf, since that is what you name is completely in Common Tongue," she said. "Or I could just call you Greeny. Or Leafy. Oh no, this tops the lot: Leaf Boy. I like it, I'm going to stick with it."
"Don't ever call me Leaf Boy," said Legolas.
"Why? Don't you like it?" she said, teasingly.
"No, I don't," he said.
"Or I could say it in Elvish, lasse hin," she said. She started to laugh. Just then an Elf named Helkalambe (meaning Icy Tongue) walked passed. She and Silva had had a rather heated debate the other day and hadn't left one another's company on good grounds.
"Aaye Helkalambe," called Silva, coldly. (Hello)
"I am keeping well out of this," said Legolas. "Good evening, Silvawen, I shall-"
"Oh no, you're staying for this one, sit down," she ordered.
"What do you want, kuruni?" said Helkalambe. (Witch)
"Uma lle caela coiasiraelle? Nyara ilúvë lle sinta," said Silva. (Do you have a minute? Tell me everything you know) Storm clouds began to swirl behind Helka's eyes. Most people were sensible enough to know that you shouldn't antagonise her, especially after one encounter, but Silva was in the mood for an argument and who better to argue with than the second biggest bitch in the world (the first being Rath).
"Mani uma lle quena?" hissed Helka. (What did you say?)
"Lle tena amin," said Silva. "Lle amada." (You heard me. You fool.)
"Keep your scorns behind your teeth!" warned Helka.
"Saesa vora quenien. Amin anta i'kaima," said Silva. (Please keep talking. I need the sleep)
"You'll regret talking to me like this!" shouted Helka. "I'll get you when no one is around!"
"Hiraetha manka amin maa laike... amin ilnaa." (Sorry if I look interested... I'm not) Legolas looked on in shock. 'Now, I know I didn't teach her any insults,' he thought. 'Where in the name of wonder has all this come from?'
"Serindë," said Helka. (Prostitute) Silva came at a loss for insults and had no idea what to say. One thing stuck out in her mind, but to call it an insult just put the world of insults to shame. 'Oh well, I've got to try.'
"Huan anta!" said Silva. Helka gasped, went to say something but couldn't think of anything so she walked away. Silva looked shocked. "Ok then, not the effect I expected. She's more easily offended than I thought." She looked at Legolas, who was shaking with silent laughter. "What? What did I do?"
"I don't think you meant to say what you did," he said in between laughing.
"What did I say?" she asked, thoroughly confused. She had meant to say 'spongeface' but evidently she had not. "Leaf Boy, what did I say?"
"You said huan anta instead of hwan'anta," he said. "Think about it. What does huan mean?" She thought for a moment and then started to laugh.
"I called her dog face!" she laughed.
"You most certainly did," said Legolas.
"Well, she went away," said Silva, looking around her. For the first time, she realised they were alone. And they were getting on well. 'Should I...?' she thought. 'No, he'll just laugh at me. But then again, look at how well we're getting along. It's about one o'clock and we haven't argued at all yet today. He doesn't hate me half as much as he used to... well, I don't think he does, anyway. Should I tell him? I don't know. I think I should. What's the worst that can happen?'
"Legolas, I need to tell you something," she said eventually.
"You're not going to insult me, are you?" he asked with a smile.
"No, this is serious," she said. "You see, the thing is, well, what I'm trying to tell you is, it's just that-"
"Silvawen, say it," he said, growing impatient.
"I think I'm in love with you and I wondered if you felt the same," she said. A deathly silence fell on the pair. 'Is she joking or is she serious?' thought Legolas. 'I can't see her face so I can't tell. It has to be a wind up. We both hate each other. We have never got along. We have always fought. How can this be true? Maybe she's just testing me. It would be very like her to do so. If I say I like her, which I do not, she will probably hit me or something. Well, if she's trying to fool me, I may as well be mean back. She'll know it's a joke but know the truth at the same time. Ok, sorted.'
"I'm sorry, Silvawen," he said, watching for her reaction to the following sentence. "But I just don't hate myself enough to go out with you." She stared at him for a second. She looked him straight in the eye and saw truth behind his statement. Not complete truth, it wasn't quite as bad as he said it to be, but still she had just been rejected, painfully. She stood up.
"Very well," she said quietly. "I now know where I stand. I'll bother you no longer." As she walked away, the first of many tears trace lines down her face.
She couldn't face seeing anybody and she needed comfort. So she slipped into her room unnoticed, retrieved her harp and then quickly and unseen, she went deep into the forest. She cried non-stop for hours. The sun waned and disappeared and she sat in a small clearing under starlight, singing sad, lonely songs to herself.
When Thranduil discovered what had happened and found out that Silva had not been seen for hours, he summoned his son to him. He was furious.
"You said WHAT?!" he cried.
"I wasn't sure whether she was joking or not," said Legolas. "I didn't know what to say."
"How could my son be so cold-hearted?" said Thranduil.
"I didn't mean to-"
"You should have thought before you spoke!" said Thranduil.
"I did think! For a long time," said Legolas, defensively.
"Legolas, I'm not sure if you realise this, but I think upon Silva as a daughter," said Thranduil. "So to lose her would be like losing a daughter. If she has gone for good, I will hold you solely responsible."
"Father, what would you have me do?" asked Legolas.
"Go and find her," said Thranduil. "If you can bring her to me, I may find it in my heart to forgive you."
'She has won him over,' thought Legolas bitterly as he walked. 'She has squirmed her way in and charmed my father. Enchanted his mind. Why should I have to find her? Of what use is she?' Legolas had done as his father asked him, but he was loath to do it. He was only out in the forest this late at night, searching for a pathetic girl because she evidently meant a lot to his father, even if it was only a façade.
"When I find her I'll-" he stopped dead. "What in the world...?" He swore he could hear singing. But who would be singing? He worked out the direction from which the sound was coming from and followed it. It was hard to do so because sometimes it sounded like it was coming from all around, but he could hear that he was gradually getting closer.
It was a beautiful voice, beyond the measure even of Elves. Whoever appeared to be lamenting, though he couldn't be sure. He was not yet close enough to the person singing. He knew he was going to stumble upon them some time soon, but he wasn't sure when.
'He hates me,' thought Silva. 'He hates me! I knew it was bad but not that bad. I just thought we argued because we both have fiery temperaments. But he actually hates me. How could I have even begun to believe that he liked me in the lightest? I am foolish. So wrapped up in my own feelings that I didn't consider the consequences of my words. Of course he doesn't love me. He'll never want me. No one will.' And she began to sing again:
"Ilúvë tanya amin merna
Naa kwar lle
Ten'ilúvë amin coia.
Ilúvë amin uma malia ten
Uma termara ar'qualma ten
Naa amin.
Coia ten ar'qualma ten ar'tela ten
Lle naa i'er amin naa
Coia ten ar'qualma ten ar'tela ten
Lle naa i'er amin menra neva ten'oio.
Nan'lle n'uma merna amin
N'uma merna kwar amin
Lle naa haetuulo'amin coia.
Amin naa ile'lle corm
Lle n'uma entúla amin tyarvien
Lle naa n'mela amin.
Nan'sal amin
Coia ten ar'qualma ten ar'tela ten
Lle naa i'er amin naa
Coia ten ar'qualma ten ar'tela ten
Lle naa i'er amin merna neva ten'oio."
Legolas entered the clearing. He had heard every word of her song. She'd written the song and composed music for it herself. It was a song of love. A love that only went one way. At first she sang of her love for him and then she sang of his hatred, his lack of love for her. ' "You're the one I would live for and die for and kill for"?' he thought. 'She truly does love me, doesn't she?'
"Silvawen?" She looked up and wiped the tears from her face.
"Have you come to jest?" she said, harshly.
"My father sent me to find you," said Legolas, fighting the stirring feelings within his heart. "He is very worried and blames me for everything. He thinks of you as a daughter and to lose you would be for him to lose a daughter."
"And why should you care?" she asked.
"I heard you singing," he said, changing the subject. She was glad of the twilight because she blushed deeply.
"Spying on me now?" she said.
"You have the most amazing voice I have ever heard," said Legolas.
"I am but fragment of the wonder of the Valar and High Maiar," said Silva. "My voice pales next to theirs."
"Well, I have not heard their voices, and would not wish to," said Legolas. "Yours alone would be enough now for me." She looked at him. There was a strange glint in his eye, one which she had never noticed before.
"Did you mean what you said to me?" she asked. Legolas watched for a moment. Suddenly he realised how truly beautiful she was. Though cloaked in darkness, she seemed to shine with wisdom and splendor. The light of Aman was in her face.
"No," he finally said. "No, I didn't. In the year I have known you, I have never seen you as you truly should be. My mind has disguised your true form from me. But now I see. Now my eyes are opened and I am filled with wonder that the epitome of beauty stands before me. The one I love stands before me." Silva was shocked. Nobody had ever said such words to her.
"Do you really mean what you say?" she asked, taking a step forward.
"I do," he said. He stood close to her and held her in a tight embrace. "I am so sorry for the hurt and heartache I have caused you."
"All has been forgiven," she whispered. "Let us not speak of it."
******************
A/N: It's too long to give the whole translation of song in this chappie but I should be uploading the English version of it on my site soon so go there if you want to read it. Luvs Elfie xXxXx
Luvs Elfie xXxXx PS. Most people will know this already from some of my other fics or you'll be able to work it out for yourself, but just in case, all Elvish translations are in () at the end of the sentence unless I state otherwise.
PPS. The way this chapter is set out on the page at the moment may not work on ff.net But then again it might. It wont let me preview it, so I don't know. If it turns out crappy, I'll the chapter off and try something else.
Chapter 12
"What have I got myself into?" Legolas asked himself. "Why in the name of Eru did I agree? This'll be worse than the archery!" It took some persuading, but he had eventually agreed to teach her Elvish. What a bundle of laughs this was going to be. "May Eru bless my soul."
But, when the lessons did finally begin and the months passed, he was pleasantly surprised. She was quite enthusiastic, appeared to take everything on board that he was telling her and understood almost everything. There had been no disasters of any kind. Everything seemed to be running smoothly, though he still thought it was too good to b true. They weren't really on good terms and still fell out on a regular basis, but they were both now becoming accustomed to one another's company. He wasn't thoroughly convinced that she used the lessons completely to use, but he decided that she should be praised for the effort she was putting into it that he could see.
"I should congratulate you, Silvawen," he said upon their next meeting. "I am impressed with your progress. You have picked up a fair bit in a short space of time. I have to say I had my doubts when we began, but you are beginning prove yourself. Well done."
"Wow," she said. "I think that might just pass for actual praise. I'm surprised you know what it is. But that makes me accept it with even more gratitude. Diola lle, Taren Legolas Thranduilion." (Thank you, Prince Legolas, son of Thranduil.)
"Lle nia," he said. "Nan'lle n'anta naa ikotane helka." (You're welcome. But you needn't be so formal.)
"I like to put as many words together as I can," she said, "The more I say, the more it appears that I know."
"That makes sense, I suppose," he said.
"Would you rather I called you Greenleaf Greenleaf, since that is what you name is completely in Common Tongue," she said. "Or I could just call you Greeny. Or Leafy. Oh no, this tops the lot: Leaf Boy. I like it, I'm going to stick with it."
"Don't ever call me Leaf Boy," said Legolas.
"Why? Don't you like it?" she said, teasingly.
"No, I don't," he said.
"Or I could say it in Elvish, lasse hin," she said. She started to laugh. Just then an Elf named Helkalambe (meaning Icy Tongue) walked passed. She and Silva had had a rather heated debate the other day and hadn't left one another's company on good grounds.
"Aaye Helkalambe," called Silva, coldly. (Hello)
"I am keeping well out of this," said Legolas. "Good evening, Silvawen, I shall-"
"Oh no, you're staying for this one, sit down," she ordered.
"What do you want, kuruni?" said Helkalambe. (Witch)
"Uma lle caela coiasiraelle? Nyara ilúvë lle sinta," said Silva. (Do you have a minute? Tell me everything you know) Storm clouds began to swirl behind Helka's eyes. Most people were sensible enough to know that you shouldn't antagonise her, especially after one encounter, but Silva was in the mood for an argument and who better to argue with than the second biggest bitch in the world (the first being Rath).
"Mani uma lle quena?" hissed Helka. (What did you say?)
"Lle tena amin," said Silva. "Lle amada." (You heard me. You fool.)
"Keep your scorns behind your teeth!" warned Helka.
"Saesa vora quenien. Amin anta i'kaima," said Silva. (Please keep talking. I need the sleep)
"You'll regret talking to me like this!" shouted Helka. "I'll get you when no one is around!"
"Hiraetha manka amin maa laike... amin ilnaa." (Sorry if I look interested... I'm not) Legolas looked on in shock. 'Now, I know I didn't teach her any insults,' he thought. 'Where in the name of wonder has all this come from?'
"Serindë," said Helka. (Prostitute) Silva came at a loss for insults and had no idea what to say. One thing stuck out in her mind, but to call it an insult just put the world of insults to shame. 'Oh well, I've got to try.'
"Huan anta!" said Silva. Helka gasped, went to say something but couldn't think of anything so she walked away. Silva looked shocked. "Ok then, not the effect I expected. She's more easily offended than I thought." She looked at Legolas, who was shaking with silent laughter. "What? What did I do?"
"I don't think you meant to say what you did," he said in between laughing.
"What did I say?" she asked, thoroughly confused. She had meant to say 'spongeface' but evidently she had not. "Leaf Boy, what did I say?"
"You said huan anta instead of hwan'anta," he said. "Think about it. What does huan mean?" She thought for a moment and then started to laugh.
"I called her dog face!" she laughed.
"You most certainly did," said Legolas.
"Well, she went away," said Silva, looking around her. For the first time, she realised they were alone. And they were getting on well. 'Should I...?' she thought. 'No, he'll just laugh at me. But then again, look at how well we're getting along. It's about one o'clock and we haven't argued at all yet today. He doesn't hate me half as much as he used to... well, I don't think he does, anyway. Should I tell him? I don't know. I think I should. What's the worst that can happen?'
"Legolas, I need to tell you something," she said eventually.
"You're not going to insult me, are you?" he asked with a smile.
"No, this is serious," she said. "You see, the thing is, well, what I'm trying to tell you is, it's just that-"
"Silvawen, say it," he said, growing impatient.
"I think I'm in love with you and I wondered if you felt the same," she said. A deathly silence fell on the pair. 'Is she joking or is she serious?' thought Legolas. 'I can't see her face so I can't tell. It has to be a wind up. We both hate each other. We have never got along. We have always fought. How can this be true? Maybe she's just testing me. It would be very like her to do so. If I say I like her, which I do not, she will probably hit me or something. Well, if she's trying to fool me, I may as well be mean back. She'll know it's a joke but know the truth at the same time. Ok, sorted.'
"I'm sorry, Silvawen," he said, watching for her reaction to the following sentence. "But I just don't hate myself enough to go out with you." She stared at him for a second. She looked him straight in the eye and saw truth behind his statement. Not complete truth, it wasn't quite as bad as he said it to be, but still she had just been rejected, painfully. She stood up.
"Very well," she said quietly. "I now know where I stand. I'll bother you no longer." As she walked away, the first of many tears trace lines down her face.
She couldn't face seeing anybody and she needed comfort. So she slipped into her room unnoticed, retrieved her harp and then quickly and unseen, she went deep into the forest. She cried non-stop for hours. The sun waned and disappeared and she sat in a small clearing under starlight, singing sad, lonely songs to herself.
When Thranduil discovered what had happened and found out that Silva had not been seen for hours, he summoned his son to him. He was furious.
"You said WHAT?!" he cried.
"I wasn't sure whether she was joking or not," said Legolas. "I didn't know what to say."
"How could my son be so cold-hearted?" said Thranduil.
"I didn't mean to-"
"You should have thought before you spoke!" said Thranduil.
"I did think! For a long time," said Legolas, defensively.
"Legolas, I'm not sure if you realise this, but I think upon Silva as a daughter," said Thranduil. "So to lose her would be like losing a daughter. If she has gone for good, I will hold you solely responsible."
"Father, what would you have me do?" asked Legolas.
"Go and find her," said Thranduil. "If you can bring her to me, I may find it in my heart to forgive you."
'She has won him over,' thought Legolas bitterly as he walked. 'She has squirmed her way in and charmed my father. Enchanted his mind. Why should I have to find her? Of what use is she?' Legolas had done as his father asked him, but he was loath to do it. He was only out in the forest this late at night, searching for a pathetic girl because she evidently meant a lot to his father, even if it was only a façade.
"When I find her I'll-" he stopped dead. "What in the world...?" He swore he could hear singing. But who would be singing? He worked out the direction from which the sound was coming from and followed it. It was hard to do so because sometimes it sounded like it was coming from all around, but he could hear that he was gradually getting closer.
It was a beautiful voice, beyond the measure even of Elves. Whoever appeared to be lamenting, though he couldn't be sure. He was not yet close enough to the person singing. He knew he was going to stumble upon them some time soon, but he wasn't sure when.
'He hates me,' thought Silva. 'He hates me! I knew it was bad but not that bad. I just thought we argued because we both have fiery temperaments. But he actually hates me. How could I have even begun to believe that he liked me in the lightest? I am foolish. So wrapped up in my own feelings that I didn't consider the consequences of my words. Of course he doesn't love me. He'll never want me. No one will.' And she began to sing again:
"Ilúvë tanya amin merna
Naa kwar lle
Ten'ilúvë amin coia.
Ilúvë amin uma malia ten
Uma termara ar'qualma ten
Naa amin.
Coia ten ar'qualma ten ar'tela ten
Lle naa i'er amin naa
Coia ten ar'qualma ten ar'tela ten
Lle naa i'er amin menra neva ten'oio.
Nan'lle n'uma merna amin
N'uma merna kwar amin
Lle naa haetuulo'amin coia.
Amin naa ile'lle corm
Lle n'uma entúla amin tyarvien
Lle naa n'mela amin.
Nan'sal amin
Coia ten ar'qualma ten ar'tela ten
Lle naa i'er amin naa
Coia ten ar'qualma ten ar'tela ten
Lle naa i'er amin merna neva ten'oio."
Legolas entered the clearing. He had heard every word of her song. She'd written the song and composed music for it herself. It was a song of love. A love that only went one way. At first she sang of her love for him and then she sang of his hatred, his lack of love for her. ' "You're the one I would live for and die for and kill for"?' he thought. 'She truly does love me, doesn't she?'
"Silvawen?" She looked up and wiped the tears from her face.
"Have you come to jest?" she said, harshly.
"My father sent me to find you," said Legolas, fighting the stirring feelings within his heart. "He is very worried and blames me for everything. He thinks of you as a daughter and to lose you would be for him to lose a daughter."
"And why should you care?" she asked.
"I heard you singing," he said, changing the subject. She was glad of the twilight because she blushed deeply.
"Spying on me now?" she said.
"You have the most amazing voice I have ever heard," said Legolas.
"I am but fragment of the wonder of the Valar and High Maiar," said Silva. "My voice pales next to theirs."
"Well, I have not heard their voices, and would not wish to," said Legolas. "Yours alone would be enough now for me." She looked at him. There was a strange glint in his eye, one which she had never noticed before.
"Did you mean what you said to me?" she asked. Legolas watched for a moment. Suddenly he realised how truly beautiful she was. Though cloaked in darkness, she seemed to shine with wisdom and splendor. The light of Aman was in her face.
"No," he finally said. "No, I didn't. In the year I have known you, I have never seen you as you truly should be. My mind has disguised your true form from me. But now I see. Now my eyes are opened and I am filled with wonder that the epitome of beauty stands before me. The one I love stands before me." Silva was shocked. Nobody had ever said such words to her.
"Do you really mean what you say?" she asked, taking a step forward.
"I do," he said. He stood close to her and held her in a tight embrace. "I am so sorry for the hurt and heartache I have caused you."
"All has been forgiven," she whispered. "Let us not speak of it."
******************
A/N: It's too long to give the whole translation of song in this chappie but I should be uploading the English version of it on my site soon so go there if you want to read it. Luvs Elfie xXxXx