Chapter Five
They walked arm in arm, back through the halls to retrace her steps to the gardens, Legolas speaking to her the entire time.
"I have been speaking with my father all morning, Daralis, and we have come to a possible solution for your dilemma."
"I have a dilemma?"
"Yes, yende, you do. You do not speak the language of the subjects in your realm, you do not know their customs."
"But this isn't my realm. And who were those women?"
"Ah, but it is," he said, ignoring her question. "My father will not rule these Elves for much longer. He will depart for Valinor in a matter of years. And then, though I shall be in control, I also have Ithilien, near Gondor, to govern, and so I cannot always be here. In my absence, you shall act as sovereign." Legolas replied matter-of-factly.
"What?!" Daralis had frozen in place, staring at Legolas with a horrified look on her face. "Sovereign?"
"Yes, Miire-nin, and you would be in a great deal of distress if an emergency were to arise now, some skirmish with Orcs, for example, in which case both Father and I would need to leave, placing you in charge."
"Orcs? What in the Hell are Or-"
"And so what Father and I have devised is a schooling plan for you. You will learn Sindarin, Quenya, the political structure of Mirkwood, and common manners and courtesies as well as those for extremely important, extremely formal dinners. What is your opinion?"
"Sindarin? Quenya? Sovereign?! What the fu-"
"Daralis, I asked you a question. What do you think of the lessons?"
"Fine, fine, fine, I'll take them, when do I start?! Shit! I'll be the destruction of Mirkwood!"
" I would not be so raucous in my doubt if I were you Dara," Legolas said to her, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Remember the Elven hearing."
"Eh," she replied with a look of disgust and annoyance on her face.
They continued their walk into the gardens, Legolas silencing Daralis' mutters of distress.
"You will be fine, Daralis. But you will have to be focused. And you should remember always that this is very, very important." Daralis nodded, and he continued.
"Listen to me, Dara. The journey I left on the eve of your arrival was to end in Imladris. There, I would spend a year, to strengthen the bonds of the Elven cities. Instead now, of staying one year, I will stay half of one year, and you, daughter, shall be with me. Roughly four and a half months will be spent on your training, and you will then leave Mirkwood with me to visit Imladris.
"The trip is important to leave a positive, lasting impression on Elrond, Lord of Imladris, because if anything should happen to Mirkwood, then both he and Imladris will be one of your greatest allies. Is this understood?" They had arrived. They stopped, and he gestured for her to sit down on the carved stone bench they were passing. After she did so, she looked up at him and replied,
"Yes, I understand."
"Good. You will begin your lessons in three days."
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Daralis had awoken late on the morning of her first Sindarin lesson, and only then by Imsiriel's incessant pounding on the door.
"Princess! Princess, you shall be late! PRINCESS DARALIS!!"
The door opened just as Imsiriel turned to get someone who could open the door by force. Daralis stuck her head out, resembling Medusa with her hair slovenly, a trail of spittle tacking a scaly path from her mouth to her chin, and eyes and lashes covered in a dried, sleepy, crust. Imsiriel took one look and let out a short yelp.
"Princess, what are you doing? Your first lesson is in two hours, and you have not dressed or eaten breakfast yet!"
"Whaa?" Daralis replied groggily.
"Sweet Eru!" Imsiriel rushed in, yanking Daralis in behind her. She quickly began filling the bath, while selecting a delicate silk lavender dress with a deep purple velvet cloak for her to wear, then setting out her brush and slippers to prepare her. She went to the door quickly to call for someone to bring a light breakfast up, and then finished the bath. Daralis sat in a daze at her table, watching all this occur. Fruit, bread, cheese and juice were brought up to her, but before she could begin eating, Imsiriel had her in the bathing chamber, preparing for her bath.
"Come now, Princess, out of your clothes and into the bath. You can eat your breakfast in there."
And so, sure enough, there was Daralis in the bath, hair being soaped and a piece of melon in her mouth, preparing a bite of bread and cheese for herself. She ate what she could for what part of her body was being washed, and it seemed to be working-until just as she raised the golden goblet of fruit juice to her lips, Imsiriel poured another basin of water over her head to rinse out the soap.
"ACK! Imsi! You promised!" Daralis was spluttering, the juice spreading through the water, tinting it cerise.
"I am sorry, Princess. I am just in such a hurry you only have one hour now! Get out, get out, before you get all sticky with the juice, hurry, come now!"
"Gee, I wonder who's to blame for THAT?" Daralis muttered to herself sarcastically.
"No time, Princess!"
Daralis sat at her vanity in her dress, and Imsiriel began the ritual of brushing Daralis' hair for one hundred strokes.
"Imsiriel, can I please just have my hair down today? Or at least not all pinned up? We don't have a lot of time here." She looked at Imsiriel pleadingly.
"Yes, I suppose, but only for today," Imsiriel replied, pulling strands from the sides of her hair and twisting them to hold back the rest of her hair. She pinned them in the back with an intricate hairpin, encrusted with purple jewels of various shades. She lightly powdered her face, rubbed shaded balm on her lips, and helped her into her slippers until she was deemed properly prepared. Then it was off, in a rush, to the Royal Wing Study, in which she would have the lesson.
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Daralis stepped into the chamber, a man was already there, flaxen hair swept behind his pointed ears, and head bent down into a book.
"I'm really, really sorry, am I late?" His head snapped up, and his face took on a luminous smile. Looking into his eyes, Daralis could tell that the were a bold hazel. He was very attractive, she decided.
"No, Princess Daralis. You are not late. Two seconds later and you would have been, but you are not now."
Daralis smiled in relief.
"Good."
"Please," he gestured to an large, round, ornate table with two four plush chairs arranged around it. "Sit."
She did so, smiling sheepishly at him as he sat next to her. He laid out a long scroll, with Elven script on it.
"Currien ess nîn, lle quetil . Naa ess lîn?"
She stared at him with a blank, dreamy sort of stare, which apparently, he found funny, because he laughed."
" It means, 'Currien is my name, I will be your teacher. What is your name?' "
"Oh. Well, um" Professor Currien stopped her from speaking, vicariously preventing her from butchering the language, and making a fool of herself.
She liked him already.
Now, Princess, I realize that you cannot read these words, or even the symbols yet, but you will in time. I promise. Now, repeat after me. 'Quel re." He pointed to the page.
"'Quel re."
"Very good. That is 'Good day'. 'Quel amrun."
"'Quel amrun." Pointed again, to a different symbol.
"That is 'good morning'. 'Quel andune."
"'Quel andune."
"'Good afternoon.' 'Quel undome."
"'Quel undome."
"And that is' Good evening.' Very good, Princess, your pronunciation is near excellence already."
"Thank you very much, Professor Currien."
"Now, what you have just learned are greetings. A formal greeting is Mae govannen."
"Mae govannen."
"Very good. It means 'well met'. That will work when addressing your people, and other diplomats.
"Now try this : Vanya sulie,"
" Vanya sulie. What does that mean?"
"It means, 'fair winds'. That will also work with diplomats and your people." Daralis nodded. "Try to repeat them back to me now."
"Umm, okay. Let's see 'Quel re. 'Quel amrun. 'Quel andune. Quel undome. Mae govannen. Vanya sulie."
"Fantastic! Very good, highness." Daralis rolled her eyes at the title, and continued.
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After the day of lessons was done, Daralis returned to her room, reciting the terms she had learned in her head. When she got to the hall where the family slept, she noticed some of the girls from the day she was lost standing there. They all watched her closely, and so she decided to try some of the words she'd learned today.
"Mae govannen," she said unsteadily, trying to test their reactions. They raised their eyebrows and what looked like the main one replied testily to her,
"Aaye."
Immensely confused, and not sure what had been said to her, she smiled again and said,
"Vanya sulie!" turned down the corridor, and quickly went into her room, leaving them tittering jealously behind her.
Elvish Translation:
Aaye. - Hail.
A/N: Okay, you might not have gotten that last part, I'm not sure, but the point is that they are upset with her. You'll find out why laaaaterrrrr. :)