Chapter Twenty One

As the sun broke over the hills, Imladris Elves lined the city walls the same way they did when Elladan came back from combat. This time, it was to welcome Daralis back to her temporary home. She smiled gracefully as the horse bearing she and Elladan rode into the gates, but inside her chest was pounding. She was amazed at the support given by the civilians. She also worried what she riding on the back of Elladan's horse would look like to the population of Imladris. Lord Elrond himself gave her a meaningful look as they passed him on Elladan's horse on their way to the stables.

Daralis was taken directly to the Healing Houses, where an Elf named Astalion gently tended to her wounds. She sat on the end of a hospital bed with her feet touching the floor, and Astalion stood in front of her. He rubbed a stinging solution of a gash on her forehead, and she winced.

"My greatest apologies, Princess. I should have warned you." Daralis already felt better.

"That's alright, I feel fine. Thank you, Astalion, for cleaning me up."

"It is my pleasure, Princess. It is also my job." She laughed with him as Elladan walked in, still holding his armor.

"Will she be alright, Astalion?"

"She will be fine, Lord Elladan."

"Thank you. Might we have some privacy?"

"Of course. I have others to tend to." With that, Astalion left the bed to cross to the other side of the chamber, leaving the two alone.

Elladan gave Daralis a quick kiss.

"Will you be coming to dinner tonight?" He asked. Daralis looked the floor, her hair sweeping over her eyes as she did so.
"I'm not sure, Elladan. I don't know if I can face everyone so soon." She looked up at him, pleading silently for him to understand. He swept her hair away from her face and responded.

"It is fine if you do not wish to attend. I will stay with you."
Daralis smiled lightly at him. "That sounds good."

"Fantastic. I have to go and meet with my father, but I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm alright, Elladan. Thank you." They kissed again, longer this time, and Elladan turned and left for Lord Elrond's study.

Daralis sank into the bath in her chambers. Her hair clouded at her shoulders in the bath. Her chambermaid, Reidwen, had put in oils given by Astalion to relax muscles and relieve pain, and the bath smelled of chamomile and mint. Daralis leaned her head back and closed her eyes, reveling in the hot water on her skin and the invigorating smell around her. She was by herself, as she had sent Reidwen away for the night. She could bathe and dress herself for once.

Her thoughts wandered to her father. He would most likely arrive in Mirkwood tonight or tomorrow, and then it would be almost two weeks before he would be back - Ontare had to be fairly prosecuted, a process that she knew her grandfather insisted upon. Legolas would surely resent it this time.

She smirked as she imagined her furious father watching Ontare be ceremoniously imprisoned. Daralis herself had watched it happen once, and it took upwards of five hours when done properly. She had seen the look on her father's face when they were still together when leaving the caves. He wanted to kill Ontare himself, and he wanted to do it immediately.

She didn't blame him, of course. She wanted to kill Ontare, and she wanted to do it immediately.

She ran a finger over her ear, and her eyes opened at the feeling it sent through her veins. Her ears had always been slightly more pointed than the other ears she had seen, but if she looked into a mirror, she knew she would see a much more drastic point. All of her senses were heightened. She could feel things she wasn't touching, she knew they were there. She heard a symphony in nature, not just the animals or elements nearest to her. She understood why the Elves had such a deep respect for nature- it was formidable, and it deserved respect.

Her eyes felt.. wider. It was as if she saw everything around her in a bigger scale, she could see more, and everything she saw was riddled with details that she had never even thought to consider before. Everything about seemed wider, bigger, better. She loved experiencing these new sensations, and was sad to realize that over time, they would no longer be new- she would get used to them, and stop appreciating them. Before that time, though, she wanted to taste, and smell, and hear and touch and see everything she could.

She shivered when she remembered that Elladan was coming to eat dinner with her.

Elladan went down to the kitchens after speaking with his father to inform them that he and Princess Daralis would be dining in her room that night, and to send up food. When he entered, however, he happened upon Elrohir and one of the chambermaids, Reidwen, locked in an amorous embrace.

"Elbereth, Onooro, this is rich!" Elladan said, laughter in his voice. The two broke away instantly, and Reidwen blushed from head to toe- even her ears went pink.

"Elladan, you cannot tell Father. Please, you must not tell Father!" Elrohir pleaded to Elladan.

"Of course I shan't tell Father, Elrohir. But really, in the kitchens? You have a room, and so does she. It is as if you wish to be caught!"

"I could not go to the servants' wing, it would be far too suspicious, and we could not enter my room, as there were three maidens already cleaning it!"

"Then wait an hour! You have never been able to control your desires, Elrohir." He turned to Reidwen. "I am sorry, my lady, I have been rude. I am Elladan, and what is your name?"

"Reidwen, Lord Elladan." Elladan put on a mock-appalled face.

"Oh please, call me Elladan. You have traded bodily fluids with my twin, after all. We are practically family!" Reidwen blushed again and quickly mumbled a reason to depart.

When they were alone, Elrohir reacted.

"Elladan, why must you do these things to me?"

"Which things, brother?" Elladan feigned surprise, infuriating Elrohir.

"I am happy with her! I love her! You cannot understand, I realize that, but that does not mean that you have to taint what I have!"
"You know nothing of what I understand, Elrohir."

"I know everything of what you understand!" Elrohir exclaimed with fury. "I feel every emotion you do! You love Daralis, yes, but she has never returned that love to you. You do not understand what it is like to receive her love in return, and you have yet to tell her that you love her!"

Elladan was silent.

"It seems as if I got it right, Onooro, " Elrohir retorted lowly.

Elladan turned from his brother and went in search of those he had come to talk to.

Reidwen had burst back into Daralis' room in distress. Daralis screamed when she came in, but instantly sobered up when she saw her face.

"Reidwen? What's wrong?"
"Lord Elladan, Princess, he-" Daralis sat up, splashing water all over the floor.

"Is he alright? Is he hurt?"

"He is fine, Princess."

"Did he do something? What happened?"

"Princess, it is a long story, but I have come back to your room because that is where I told he and his brother I was going, and I cannot lie to my sovereigns."
"Well, tell me what happened."

"I cannot, Princess." Daralis hated to do this, but she absolutely needed to know what was going on.

"Reidwen, I am ordering you to tell me what has happened this instant." Reidwen looked taken aback at first, but then complied.

"Well, Lord Elrohir and I we.. well, we have we are" Daralis gasped.

"Are you in love with Elrohir?!" she began to beam when Reidwen nodded softly.

"Oh, Reidwen, I'd hug you if I wasn't naked and wet. Okay, I'm sorry, please continue."

"Erm, earlier, circumstances led us to the kitchens, where we began to to.. well, we were"

"Were you makin' out with Elrohir in the kitchens?!" Reidwen fixed her with a strange look. "Oh, I mean, were you kissing Elrohir in the kitchens?"

"Princess, I was. And then Lord Elladan walked in, and he made some comments, and I was terribly embarrassed, and then I came here because I need to get away."

"Well, what did he say?"

"He said that Elrohir and I had traded bodily fluids, and that he and I were practically family." Daralis' mouth went into an O. "He said that?!"

"He did, Princess."

"I'll take care of him for you, Reidwen. Though Elrohir's probably already beaten him." Reidwen gave a small smile as she helped Daralis out of the bath.

Daralis was shivering in anticipation of Elladan's arrival for an entirely different reason now.

Elvish Translation:

Onooro - brother

I'm REALLY REALLY sorry I haven't been updating I have a terrible case of writer's block, if you can believe it! Ugh. If you wanna give me ideas/ suggestions as to how the story should end, I will read them with relish.

Also, I'm posting a companion story to this chapter about Elrohir and Reidwen, so yeah. It's called Predestined.

Okay, that's a pretty long one, guys! At least, for me it is. But I think you all deserve it. Especially if you REVIEW! :) (insert shameless pleas of reviewing here) Thanks guys!