Chapter4
A/N Elise:What I meant to say as that Elenya seemed timid to Legolas cause she wasn't speaking much. She then became really angry when she thought he was talking about sleeping with her in such a lighthearted way. Sorry.
This would have been written sooner had it not been for The Two Towers game for Playstation2 that kept me occupied for the past few days. I'm at Helm's Deep now and decided to take a break.
Oh, another AU, in my story Arwen and Aragorn (Estel) are together before he's King. Much to Elrond's fury I imagine.
Finally the day of celebration arrived. It was going to be a large formal dinner followed by dancing and fireworks. Most Elves of royal status had arrived in the morning from the other Elven cities. There was not a servant in the whole city of Mirkwood that was not busy.
Servants were running all over the palace, setting up the many tables, since it was not only royalty dining, but also high ranking guards, councilors, and many personal friends. Other servants were tending to the needs of the newly arrived guests. And the lower halls were a wind of all the cooks and bakers starting the great meal.
Elenya had been called away from her duties as seamstress and was in a room with the other girls chosen to serve at the Prince's tables. They wore the same light green dresses as all the other servant maids (servant males wore green jackets and black trousers), but their dresses had been embroidered with silver leaves along the collar. Their hair and slight make-up was also being done especially.
A couple of hours before the party, Legolas was in his room trying to relax, but was too excited. He had been sitting at the windows all day watching the guests arrive and the servants running around. While he was sitting on the ledge for the countless time, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," he said.
Feryn walked in, closing the door behind him. He walked over to Legolas with a package in his hand. Legolas rose to meet him.
"Happy birthday, my friend," Feryn said and handed him the box. "I wanted to give this to you before you were opening so many presents you forgot who gave you what."
Legolas smiled and looked at the box. It was made of a dark wood and polished. There was an elvish blessing engraved on the front side. When he opened it he found a dagger with a golden hilt and his name engraved on the side of the blade which was carved in the middle with a design making it slightly hollow.
"It is beautiful, Feryn. It is just like yours," Legolas marveled. He held up the dagger and admired it in the sunlight.
"Except this one has your name on it. I just thought since you always liked mine when you were a child that you might like one of your own."
"Yes, I remember. I would steal yours and use it to peel apples. You would get furious."
Feryn laughed. "Indeed. Well, I received mine on my own 1,000th birthday so I thought it only appropriate to wait until now."
"Thank you," the friends hugged.
Feryn stayed with Legolas until an hour before the party. Both were looking very forward to seeing al their friends arriving from the other Elven cities.
The celebration began with all the guests coming into the huge dining hall specially made for large parties. They were all seated and served wine while they waited for all the guests to come in and for King Thranduil and Prince Legolas to arrive.
Finally, silence was called in the hall and the doors on the other end were opened. Legolas and his father walked in side by side and walked through the entire hall until they reached their seats at the end of it by the doors the guests had used. Thranduil was clothed in robes of dark greens and browns embroidered in silver vines. He wore a crown of woodland flowers on top of hie head since it was spring. His long blonde hair was neatly combed and hung down about the robes.
Legolas was wearing the silver outfit. He also had a small silver crown with a leaf design that was brought in from Rivendell.
Everyone stood until the two were seated.
Thranduil sat at the head of the table with Legolas on the other end. This way Legolas could sit near his own friends while his father with his. The table sat 24 people. Feryn was on Legolas' right side along with Feryn's younger brother. Feryn's mother and father were at the other end with Legolas' father. Legolas looked around and saw that Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn, Arwen, Estel, Elladan, and Elrohir were also in Mirkwood at other tables.
Dinner was brought in and that's when the servant maids of Legolas first made their appearance. There were twelve of them, one for every two guests. Elenya was serving Thranduil and Legolas. She walked in first and handed them their meals. She stood a few feet behind them waiting for any request or to refill their wineglasses.
When dinner was served all around, Thranduil gave a toast in honor of his son.
The meal went happily along with plenty of laughter and musicians playing in the background.
After dinner all the guests went into the open clearing by the palace. There, the musicians resumed playing for all those who wanted to dance or sing. The area was surrounded by a row of wooden columns with silver drapes hung around them. The flowers were in bloom and as the guests walked out they couldn't help but notice the stars.
Here Legolas quickly joined all his friends from the other Elven cities. They sat at a circular row of four benches a little bit away from the dancing. Elenya stayed behind caring for the King at Legolas' request.
Legolas sat next to Feryn. At another bench were Elladan and Elrohir, Elrond's twin sons. And at another bench sat Arwen Evenstar and Estel.
"Happy birthday, Legolas!" they all yelled together when he sat down.
"Thank you. And thank you all for coming, I know it is far."
"Well, it is your 1,000th. And we all know how special that is," said Elladan.
"Your father's not retiring is he? King Legolas?" said Elrohir.
"No, I doubt it," laughed Legolas.
"Well, now you can visit us by yourself instead of having to wait for Feryn to accompany you," said Arwen.
"I could have visited alone before"
"Yes, but you know, it's just a formality," she replied.
The group discussed all the news from their own lands. Then Arwen graced them with a song. Legolas and Feryn commented at how much Estel had grown. He was now 25 and the Mirkwood elves hadn't seen him since he was 12. Arwen also noted it. She had been in Lothlorien for the past twenty years and had only arrived at Rivendell two years prior too the party.
At one point, Elladan shifted the conversation to Legolas.
"So, Legolas, are you ready for tonight?' he asked and smirked behind his wine glass.
Feryn sat up straighter and gave Elladan an alarmed look.
"What do you mean? Aren't we in the middle of tonight?' Legolas asked.
All the company paused and gave each other secret looks. Elladan, noting Feryn's look, backed down.
"Nothing. Sorry, I may have had too much wine."
"Then why were you all looking at each other like that just now?"
"Nothing, it is the wine,' he repeated.
Legolas left it at that.
After a while Thranduil came over and asked Legolas to come with him and pay mind to the other guests.
With his father he went through the whole party of guests. They presented him with many gifts that servants had to carry away for him. By the end he had become very tired and asked if he might not retire already.
When Legolas left with the King, Feryn had excused himself from the company. First he went to the clearing where Elenya was picking up after Thranduil's many wineglasses as he was determined to try each different kind in a different glass. Feryn gave the task to another servant and took Elenya away.
They arrived at the chambermaid's room that was on the same floor as the King and Prince's since it was in these two huge rooms the chambermaid spent most of her day working. There they dressed Elenya in a white gown with no adornments. She wore a small necklace of silver with a white stone. Her hair was let down and brushed simply.
Meanwhile, Feryn sat at a table writing a note. When he finished, he rolled it up and tied it with a silver ribbon.
"Give this to Legolas when he comes into the room," he said and handed the letter to Elenya.
He soon departed and Elenya was shown into Legolas' bedroom to await him. She sat in a large wooden chair by the window with the letter on her lap as she waited.
She imagined that he would come in and be shocked to say the least at her presence. He would be appalled at the very suggestion of why she was there and quickly send her home.
Legolas said goodnight to his father and made his way through the palace to his room. He walked in, locked the door behind him and walked three feet towards the bed before he ever even noticed the servant girl sitting by his window.
A/N Cliffhanger? I suck I know. But the next update should be soon. The next chapter is what I've been looking forward to writing.