AN: Sorry, again for the lateness of this update. I'm really trying to update on time but things seem to not want to settle down for me. This week, I got stuck helping my mom making flowers, certificates, chocolates, and other stuff for this Girl Scout Party my troop had on Friday. I haven't a clue why the other leaders didn't do anything to help out but I guess that's what happens when you're mom's in change of the troop. My sister and I get delegated most of the work and then we don't get thanked for it during the party! Anywho, I'm ranting. Back to the real point, you reviewers rock like a box of socks. Please keep them coming and know that I appreciate each and every one of them. It always makes me feel bad that you guys are reviewing and I'm not updating on time. I'll try to get the next chapter up faster.
Lindiel Eryn: The prying eyes on the situation will come into play soon. All I can say is that the eyes don't belong to anyone particularly friendly, though their owner doesn't want to physically harm anyone either, nor do they belong to good old Gandalf. Alas, he's not around to make his usual mischief. If it can be called mischief really…
Ms. Unknown: Sorry, again, about the chapter length. I'll work on getting up some longer chapters soon. Hope you like this one coming up, though.
LalaithoftheBruinen: I'm happy that most of them are done too. I just have letters of recommendation to collect and transcripts to get from school. Then it's just a matter of sending the suckers out. I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you like this one too.
Shay: Well, Shannon's a mom and she's just doing what all moms do. Even if Legolas is far older than she is, no matter how you look at it. Thranduil won't be super mean or super evil or anything like that. He's just going to be a bit…crafty about certain things when it comes to Emma. Fire and Ice, actually, have their own little story I'm working on. The sisters' have their own little tale to tell. As for Elrond's sons, they may come up, eventually but I'm not sure when or where.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except for a handful of made up characters. Tolkien thought up the concept and, as such, it belongs to him. I'm just playing in his world. I'm broke and in college. All I own are Pointe Shoes.
It took a few days for elder brother and much younger sister to establish a regular routine. Their little "adventure" to Lothlorien and Minas Tirith helped a great deal in doing that. After all, riding through Middle Earth on a small quest to discover the truth about Emma's identity, was not something that disjointed a family. It made them closer, as a matter of reference.
Legolas, though, found himself thanking the heavens that Emma was a relatively good elfling. She followed his directions to the letter, never uttering a word of complaint about following them. She'd go to her lessons, come back to his quarters- as ordered by both him and her mother, Shannon- and work on what she called her "homework."
The older elf made a mental note to thank Shannon and Mitchell for raising such a worry free child. She never spoke a word of complaint about things she had to do or was told to do by anyone else.
In Legolas' mind, she was as good of a child as any he could ask for. At least she wasn't a trouble maker, causing chaos at every turn.
Of course, there was one who saw Emma as an annoyance and a troublemaker. The only trouble Emma ever caused, if it could even be properly caused trouble, was when something concerned their father, Thranduil. In the elven lord's eyes, she could do no right and he made a habit of criticizing every move.
About all Legolas to do to counteract his father's words and annoyances was to keep Emma out of Thranduil's line of sight. A feat that was becoming more and more difficult to accomplish as the elven lord made it a point to keep his eyes on his daughter. There was something about his glare, and the fact he was constantly speaking to a high ranking elf he recalled was named Narmotur, made Legolas a bit…wary…of his father. He got the strongest feeling that Thranduil was "up to something," to borrow a phrase from Emma's mother Shannon.
The problem was the fact he hadn't a clue what that something was. It was just going to take time and effort and a good bit of luck to figure out what that was.
The day started like any other. It was several days into Emma's parent's vacation- Maybe the third or fourth day- and it was a day that started like every other day prior to it.
"Come on, Emma," Legolas called to the blanketed figure curled up in a ball in his bed, "Time to rise. Do you not wish to get to your lessons today?"
A strange twist, a result really of her time living among a normal, mortal population, the little elfling had developed certain habits that were considered strange by elven standards. One of them, one he knew quite well, was the fact she required a handful of hours of light sleep every night.
It was almost a requirement for Emma since she'd never been able to adapt to resting her mind in the atypical way of the elves. Her body, from living among the humans, had become more accustomed to their way of sleeping. That was, with eyes closed and laying down in some location, preferably a bed.
Emma, already half awake to begin with, wormed out of the warm bed and rubbed at her eyes. Her long hair was sleep mused and her clothing- what she referred to as her "pajamas"- was rumpled beyond compare. Still, she wore a small smile on her face as life returned to her once sleeping limbs.
"Good morning, Legolas," she, brightly, commented, as she walked over to where he stood.
Nearly a lifetime of having ballet lessons in the other world at early hours had turned Emma into a consummate morning person. She found that tactic annoyed people who did not enjoy the wee hours of the morning. Thankfully, her brother was not among that group. He was rather tolerant of her high morning spirits.
"The same to you, Little Elf," he answered, "Go on and get dressed. You still have time to eat before your lessons start today."
Faster then he ever thought possible for any female elf, Emma had washed up, donned her green and brown outfit she wore for her lessons- The same outfit worn by peasant and royalty alike during lessons.- and returned to her brother to sit and eat.
"What lessons are you being subjected to today?" Legolas inquired, watching Emma eat before starting to eat himself.
He knew of Emma's dislike of taking her meals alone. Something the elfling explained had to do with her "parents" and their treatment of her in the other world. They never let her eat alone and he did not want to discomfort her by making her eat alone. Plus, he had to admit, he was a bit hungry himself, having been awake far longer than his younger counterpart.
"History and genealogy lessons as well as a few hours with the language instructor Thranduil has working with me," she answered in a bit of a glum voice.
Her expression totally changed after a few moments when she added, "We're going out to the practice fields today, too. I like those lessons a lot better than any of the other ones I have today. It's really easy to see why Niphredil finds that kind of stuff so much fun."
"Whatever you do out there, I beg to, make sure you stay safe. I am very sure Shannon wants you back in once piece and I do not want to be the one to have to tell her that you were harmed during your lessons," Legolas warned his sister.
Emma gave him a smile, thinking of the same kinds of warnings her mother use to give her before acrobatics classes. She'd always told her to remember to be careful and to watch out when she fell. Emma recalled her mother's worry about her snapping her neck when falling out of headstands or handstands. Handsprings made her mother cringe every time she tried to land one.
"I promise I'll be very careful. I want to stay in one piece because Niphredil promised that if I did well in my lessons, she'd show me some of the stuff she knows from the Muggle World," Emma announced, still smiling.
"Ah yes….Niphredil and her- what do you call it- martial arts. I am very sure your mother would appreciate that type of training. As it is, she has no love for your training here and it's a necessary evil given the fact the woods still are not completely safe," Legolas commented, laughing slightly.
There was a pause in the conversation, a space to take a few breaths and eat a bit more of the food laid out between the two of them.
"What are your plants today?" Emma inquired of her brother, her voice curious in tone.
"Father is going out hunting, I believe, so I am not so sure what he requires of me to do. No matter what I wind up doing, Little Elf, I will be back in time to eat an evening meal with you. Just come back here and make sure all of your work is completed before then," Legolas answered, giving her some subtle orders at the end.
"I'll make sure to get my homework done before we eat and, please, make sure not to work so hard," Emma commented, as she finished her meal.
"I will make every effort not to work too hard today, Emma. Now, you best be going before you are late for your lessons," the elder elf stated.
"No…I wouldn't want to be late at all. I was never late for dance classes back in the other world. I'll see you later then," Emma retorted, sliding out of her chair and walking over to where her brother was stated.
A brief hug later and she was racing for the door, determine to get to her lessons well before anyone else. She always felt it looked better when she arrived earlier. Showed she wanted to learn something. Plus, it was the fastest way of avoiding the rest of the people in her class who took their time getting to their lessons.
Outside of the palace of Mirkwood, well beyond the dark borders of the surrounding trees, a meeting was taking place. A meeting that should not have been taking place in any reality.