Preparation
Two weeks had passed, leaving only one week to Midsummer. For two straight weeks, Fiondra had fretted and wracked her brain for a plan. "Never before have I been so worried," she complained to Arien.
Arien patted Fiondra's shoulder absently. She was concentrating on the dress in her lap. It was customary for each unmarried elleth to wear white gowns at the Midsummer ball. Fiondra no longer had a white dress and Arien's was worn and frayed, so each was making a new one. Arien's new gown had a square neckline edged with silver piping. The tight sleeves also had the same trim, along with the square waist and hemline.
Fiondra's was made of the same silky, white fabric, but her skirt parted to show an underskirt of silver. Her neckline arched down, revealing just a hint of cleavage. The sleeves draped nicely and all Fiondra had to finish was some embroidery along the edges.
At that moment however, the gown lay forgotten. Fiondra dropped her needle in disgust. "How can I sew, knowing that I only have one week left of Legolas' love, and I haven't hardly seen him in two months!" The elleth burst out with this statement and in sudden realization of her predicament broke into loud, hysterical sobs.
Startled, Arien quickly put down her sewing and went to comfort Fiondra. As she rubbed the distraught elleth's back, heavy pounding started on the front door. Arien raised her blue eyes to the ceiling. "Eru, why me?" she muttered. She hurried to the door and opened it. She stared in shock at Aglarsîr, the one elf she did not expect to find on her friend's doorstep.
The mahogany-haired elf across from her apparently did not expect to see her there either. Aglarsîr let a couple minutes pass as he just blinked his green eyes at her. Coming to his senses, he asked, "Have we met?"
Arien blushed and looked down. "No milord. We've never been introduced."
Aglarsîr looked at her curiously. "I'm sure I've seen you somewhere before..."
Arien's face grew even more flushed. "I work as a maid at the palace, milord."
Aglarsîr shook his head. "Well, perhaps that's it. No matter. I am Aglarsîr, milady." He bowed low and kissed Arien's hand.
"And I am Arien, milord," she replied, dropping a curtsy.
Aglarsîr laughed. "It's Aglarsîr, Lady Arien. Please call me Aglarsîr."
"Very well," the elleth replied with a small smile. "But you must call me Arien."
Aglarsîr murmured, "Sweet, beautiful Arien."
Surprisingly enough, Arien did not blush, but instead a strange glow came into her eyes. Fiondra had calmed down and came upon the strange pair. She saw both of them and could only define it as love at first sight, even for Arien, who had before only fancied him.
Before anything could happen, Fiondra cleared her throat loudly. "Mae govannen, Lord Aglarsîr," she said, and Arien moved to stand by her side. "What can I do to help you?"
Aglarsîr shifted his weight from one foot to the other nervously. "I came to apologize to you, Lady Fiondra," he began. "I fear we did not meet on good terms. I came to you on request of Lady Alqua, who wanted me to...distract you, so to speak, from Legolas. I have come to realize that she is pure evil, and I know longer will have anything to do with her. I apologize for misleading you into thinking that I had perhaps fallen in love with you."
Fiondra smiled wryly. "There never was a chance of that. My heart belongs to Legolas and him alone. Was there something else?"
He nodded. "I also came to apologize for my past actions. You only know Legolas' side of the story of that mishap many years ago. I never..." He stopped and Fiondra noticed his stolen glance at Arien.
"You never – "she prompted him.
Aglarsîr looked down. "I never knew Alqua as a groom knows his bride. She made that up, just to show off or boast. Legolas never gave me the chance to explain. He's like his father in that regard. Legolas judged me, the same way the king judged your father, Relart."
Fiondra recognized the truth behind Aglarsîr's desperately spoken comment, but it hurt her nonetheless. She had never felt that Legolas was unforgiving before, but it was true that he still held a grudge against his onetime friend. Fiondra sighed. Of course Legolas isn't perfect. No one is. "Please continue," she said aloud to Aglarsîr.
The ellon said, "Although I never slept with Alqua, she still was not pure or chaste at that point. I tried to be decent, and offered to marry her, but she refused my proposal. Not long after that, Legolas left for Imladris. I wish that there were some way to show him that I never betrayed him; some way to show him that I want our old friendship back."
Arien's face lit up, and she blurted, "Oh, but there is!" Then realizing what she had just said, she covered her mouth with a thin hand and looked helplessly to Fiondra.
Fiondra stared at her, and then slowly smiled. "That's it!" she cried happily. "Arien, I could kiss you!" She hugged her friend tightly and then turned to Aglarsîr. The ellon was staring at her in confusion. "I'll help you if you help me," she informed him. At his cautious nod, she proceeded to tell him of her problem with Alqua, and her entire plan to get rid of her.
X X X X X
"What am I going to do with you?" an exasperated Thranduil asked his son. Legolas was acting distracted and restless. Thranduil knew that his son was not concentrating on what to do if there was a civil dispute among a group of elves, which was the day's lesson. No...Legolas was probably thinking on only one elf, a certain elleth with long, brown hair and sea-colored eyes. Breaking out of his guess on his son's thoughts, Thranduil asked, "Well?"
Legolas did not answer. He continued to stare out at the creek below them.
Thranduil sighed, but inwardly smiled. It's good to see that Legolas is finally in love. And true love too, not like that silly infatuation he had with Lady Alqua. To throw his son off, he interrogated him. "Have you asked her to marry you yet?"
The younger elf's face snapped toward his father's. "What?"
Thranduil repeated his question: "Have you asked her to marry you yet?"
Legolas heard the merriment in his father's voice. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said stubbornly.
Thranduil chuckled. "I think you do. I'm not exactly blind. What are you waiting for?"
The blond ellon sighed. "Midsummer."
The older elf nodded wisely. "Of course. Then I suppose it is time to give you this." He crossed over to a small cupboard and pulled out a small wooden box. Thranduil handed it to Legolas and quietly said, "It was your mother's. She would have wanted you to use it well."
Legolas carefully opened the box. Inside was a silver necklace with a single emerald gem in the shape of a leaf. He looked up his father, so overcome with emotion that he was unable to speak.
In a voice thick with tears, Thranduil said, "I gave it to her when she told me that she was carrying you. I half suspect that it was the reason she named you Legolas. Fitting, isn't it? That she would name you after a green leaf..." Thranduil brushed at his eyes and cleared his throat.
Legolas touched the jewel lovingly and gently closed the box. "Thank you Ada," he said huskily. "I can only hope that Fiondra will consent to be my wife." He stood up and embraced his father.
"Well, she had better," Thranduil said, sapphire-covered arms encircling his son. "After all I went through to get you two together."
Legolas' mouth dropped and Thranduil started laughing. "You old scoundrel! You mean to say that..."
Thranduil gave him an innocent look. "I couldn't have my only son marrying just anyone, now could I? And it worked...You two are helplessly in love with each other, as any fool could see. Go off now; I have things to arrange for the festival."
Legolas turned to leave, but then stopped. "Do I still have to wait for Midsummer?"
Thranduil shook his head at Legolas' eager expression. "You know the ellith, son; they like their romance. Better to wait and propose to her when the very wind whispers love."
Legolas sighed and nodded. Then he asked, "Do I have to pretend I'm still looking for a bride and dance with the other ellith?"
Thranduil exclaimed, "Yes, until she agrees to take you off my hands! Now go, and leave me in peace!"
Legolas gave him a quick grin and slight bow. Then he dashed for the door, clutching the wooden box.
Thranduil rolled his eyes. It's a wonder Fiondra can put up with him.
X X X X X
Mae govannen – Welcome
Ellon – male elf
Elleth – singular female elf
Ellith – plural female elves
Imladris – a.k.a. Rivendell
Well, that's it! Don't worry, Midsummer will be the next chapter. Thank you to all those who gave me the wonderful suggestions for the plan. It will all work out in the end! (And by the way, the story will still continue after Midsummer.) Thanks! Please review, as always.