Disclaimer: I don't own LOTR. I also don't own Caleniel, Cadunír, Rodwen, Elvellaswen, Gaenír, or Aearoniell; they belong to Tador and Aearoniell, who have given me permission to use their characters for my own twisted ideas.

Lady Caleniel

By: Mika Saito

Chapter 10- re-arranged arranged marriage

Caleniel smiled to herself as the palace came into view. The trip, having taken several days, didn't seem as long as it had been. Of course for a while it had seemed like they would never get there, mainly due to Aearoniell's almost constant suspicious glares.

The guard, who they had tried to avoid, led them through the gates, stopping momentarily to speak to another guard who immediately ran off to find the king, before heading toward the stables. It wasn't long after they had taken care of their horses that the same elf came running back to lead them to the King's study.

Caleniel confidently followed the guard, Elvellaswen close at her side and Gaenír following, Aearoniell trailed farther behind, her mind wandering over random things, though it seemed to linger over several things. There had been enough time between her battle with Legolas and the trip to Mirkwood; Legolas could possibly be back, though she hoped that he hadn't returned.

Upon stepping into the study Caleniel's smile faded. Thranduil sat behind the desk with Cadunír and Legolas seated in front of it. Legolas was silently listening to the quiet conversation that had been going on between Thranduil and Cadunír before the door opened, but unlike the two older elves, he didn't look up when Caleniel walked in.

Cadunír smiled as he stood and crossed the room to embrace Caleniel. She smiled weakly, but her attention was on Legolas. He hadn't acknowledged their presence; instead he seemed to find his father's desk intriguing and didn't take his eyes off of it.

"I'm alright father." Caleniel laughed nervously. She hadn't expected Legolas to be present while she talked to her father of allowing her to marry Gaenír. She wasn't sure why she hadn't thought he'd be there, after all the whole thing involved him as well, so it shouldn't have seemed strange for him to be there.

"And I'm glad for that." He father looked her over quickly before continuing. "You seem to have something on your mind." The sudden statement, however true, surprised Caleniel. Elvellaswen gently squeezed Caleniel's arm and Caleniel looked at her. She nodded encouragingly, motioning with her hands for Caleniel to start in on the reason they were there.

"Yes father, I do have something on my mind." She gently took her fathers hand in hers and led him back to his seat. "It involves my marriage to Legolas." Legolas looked up at this statement, his eyes narrowed in curiosity.

"Well, what is it?" Cadunír could sense that what came next wasn't going to be a good thing, but he couldn't do anything about it until he knew what it was.

"I wish to annul it, father." Caleniel said quietly, forcing herself to focus on her father and ignore the shocked look from Legolas. "As I have said many times before, I don't love Legolas and I don't want to marry him." She let her gaze drop to her hand, which still rested on her father's arm.

"And I have told you just as many times that you will grow to love him in time." Cadunir replied calmly. They had had this conversation many times after he had changed his mind about who she was going to marry. She was his only daughter after all, and she would remain his only child, the very sight of her reminding him of the mother she couldn't remember. But those were thoughts for another time; right now he needed to talk her out of her request, as he had done so many times before.

"Wasn't it you, father, who said that you will only love one person in your entire life?" Caleniel questioned, continuing only after he nodded. "Then you will understand when I say that I can't love Legolas when my heart belongs to another." Kneeling by her father she looked into his eyes, pleadingly.

"Then tell me, who does your heart belong to?" Cadunir glanced at Thranduil, who was watching them carefully.

"My heart belongs to Gaenír, it always has, and always will." Caleniel whispered, allowing herself to look near tears as she spoke, the tears weren't for what the conversation spoke of, but for the lies she spoke.

Nobody spoke as father and daughter looked into each other's eyes, his seeking to know if what she spoke was the truth, and hers seeking to know if he had bought into the lie.

"Gaenír has been outcast, and is probably dead by now." Cadunir sighed, swiftly standing he turned to leave, and only then did he notice the three other elves that stood by the door.

"I have been an outcast for a long time now, but I am hardly dead." Gaenír bowed slightly as he spoke. Caleniel stood and looked over her father's shoulder to watch her three traveling companions. Gaenír seemed right at home, as he always had. Elvellaswen was smiling happily, knowing that soon she would be free of Gaenír and Aearoniell, and Aearoniell was trying to not be noticed, her eyes darting nervously toward the prince who sat slumped in his chair.

"Father, if Gaenír had been dead I would have married Legolas, to please you, but knowing that he is alive I cannot give myself to another." Caleniel bit her lip. She hated having to lie to her father. Cadunir sighed again, this time he lightly shook his head.

"I only want you to be happy Caleniel, but I had hoped that your feelings for this elf would have faded after a while." He paused for a moment, then with a sigh he continued. "I give you my blessings to go through with this." Cadunir watched the elves that stood before him, they all smiled happily at him, but something still seemed wrong.

"Thank you father!" Caleniel threw her arms around her father happily. "I need to speak with you in private, it's important." She whispered quickly in his ear. Pulling away she paused to make sure he had heard. His eyes questioned but she shook her head in warning. Then turned to embrace Gaenír, grimacing inwardly when he kissed her, his lips pressed harshly against her own, nothing like the kiss she had shared with Legolas.

She stopped thinking there, knowing that she had to keep such thoughts down until the whole thing had passed, if it passed at all. The plan could backfire, and where would that leave her? She didn't want to know.

Legolas stood quickly and left the room. Thranduil and Cadunir watched him go, having some idea from how quiet he had been that he wasn't happy.

Caleniel quickly excused herself and Elvellaswen, claiming that she was going to go freshen up a little before the private dinner with her father, her guests, and of course the royal family. Once out of the room Elvellaswen placed her hand gently on Caleniel's arm and squeezed lightly for comfort before allowing herself to be led toward the room that had been designated as Caleniel's for the durance of her stay. Now was not the time to address the matter that seemed to be disturbing Caleniel, not while they were still fairly close to Gaenír and his little pet by the name of Aearoniell.

Caleniel opened the door to the rose colored room, smiling sadly, regretting that she hadn't been able to enjoy it more. Things obviously had not turned out as her father had hoped, well, they kind of did. Sure she had left with Gaenír and as of a few moments ago she was engaged to him, but she had fallen in love with Legolas, as her father had hope, and somehow known, she would. The thought stopped her cold. Loved? Since when did caring about Legolas turned to loving him? Shaking her head to clear the confusion Caleniel continued toward her closet, ignoring the questioning looks Elvellaswen sent her.

Her confusion having dissipated a little, Caleniel continued thinking things through again. Several things made more sense now. Legolas walking out of the room as he had and the depression that had settled into the air around him when her father had finally given his blessings, but why hadn't he looked up when she entered the room? Hadn't he been happy that she was at least safe? His actions contradicted each other. His kiss had told her that he did have feelings for her, but the way he had acted in the Kings study told her that he could care less about her.

"I'm so confused." Caleniel mumbled; speaking quietly, Elvellaswen had to strain to hear what she said.

"About what?" Caleniel turned away from the closet, which remained unopened even though she had stood in front of it staring at its dark wooden doors. Rodwen smiled at her from by the closed door.

"About almost everything right now." She chuckled as she hugged her dearest friend.

"Come on." Rodwen motioned toward the table that sat in the middle of the room, Elvellaswen followed and sat on the bed facing the two as they sat quietly at the table, a vase of pure white roses sitting between them. Caleniel watched the roses sway gently in the cool breeze coming in the open window, unsure of where to start. Rodwen would be curious about all that had happened since she had left, but where did she start? Should she start with her meeting up with Gaenír the first time?

"So who is this elf?" Rodwen asked, interrupting Caleniel's thoughts. She knew from experience that Caleniel would be unsure of where to start.

"This is Elvellaswen, she came up with the idea that will be the end of Gaenír." Elvellaswen suppressed a chuckle at the praising tone in Caleniel's voice.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Elvellaswen, I am Rodwen, Caleniel's personal servant, as well as a friend." She turned to face Elvellaswen. "So what is this idea?" Elvellaswen quickly explained how they were going to be rid of Gaenír, adding in the new developments while she spoke. When she had finished Rodwen looked at Caleniel, a question in her eyes.

"I thought you loved Gaenír, why the sudden change of heart?" Rodwen spoke more for Elvellaswen, who was sitting behind almost directly behind her and could not see the question in her eyes, than she did for Caleniel.

"Because I realized that I don't love him. I guess I never really did. To tell you the truth when my father first told me that I was to marry Gaenír, he told me during the month you were away visiting someone, I cannot remember whom, but I refused. I argued almost constantly with him. Finally, he convinced me that it was indeed what was best for me and I accepted it. I accepted it to the point that I thought I had fallen in love with him. Only recently have I realized that I'm not in love with him, that it is another elf entirely who holds my heart." Caleniel stopped and looked at Rodwen, who was smiling knowingly at her.

"So is it Legolas then?" Rodwen watched for the explosive reaction that she was sure Caleniel would show, but Caleniel only nodded. "Then you should be happy. It isn't often that one actually loves the one they are arranged to marry, at least not truly love anyway."

"How happy can I be when it is Gaenír who I am to marry?" Rodwen looked at her curiously. "The plan has already been set into motion. Father gave me his blessings not to long ago, it was actually the first thing we did after we arrived." Caleniel explained as she stood. "We should start preparing for dinner." She said quietly, leaving them where they were sitting she went into the bathroom and started to get ready.

Legolas walked, he wasn't sure where he was going, or why, he let his feet guide him. Anger welled up inside. He loved her, and before he had been given a chance to tell her she had gone off and talked her father into letting her marry someone else. He had to admit though, had he been in Cadunir's shoes he would have done the same thing. She was just too beautiful to him to ever tell her no when she had been pleading like she had been.

The tears, he thought, the tears were what had gotten to her father, he was sure of it. Women, of any and every race, had a way with using tears to soften even the coldest hearts and bending it to their will. He should be glad that Caleniel wasn't going to marry him, but he wasn't.

"Legolas!" The sound of a familiar soft feminine voice brought him out of his thoughts. When he looked up he found himself standing in the hallway outside of Caleniel's room, and the elf of his thoughts was standing in the open doorway, Rodwen and another she-elf stood slightly behind her.

"What are you doing here Prince?" Caleniel sent him a challenging look, only to receive a blank look back.

"Elvellaswen, why don't you and I go for a walk before dinner?" Rodwen grabbed Elvellaswen's arm as she spoke, and, pushing Caleniel aside, dragged her down the hallway. Once they were out of site Caleniel spoke.

"What do you want Legolas?" She took a cautious step back when she realized how close they were. Legolas turned to leave, without saying a word, an angry look coming into his eyes. "Legolas wait." Caleniel grabbed his arm. "I need to talk to you." She cringed when he yanked his arm out of her grasp.

"What is there to talk about Lady Caleniel?" He didn't look at her.

"Please, come inside where we can talk in private."

"Why?" His voice became louder, she cringed again.

"Because I need to explain something to you." Caleniel matched her voice to his. Legolas relented. It was no use dragging anyone else into their argument.