Lúthien and Arwen walked through the streets of Rivendel, heading towards Lúthien's sleeping quarters. They were a fair distance away from Lord Elrond's home before Arwen looked over to see the glare Lúthien was giving her.
"Why do you give me such an angry glower, Lúthien?" Arwen asked innocently.
"You know very well, Arwen. I thought you said you would stop playing matchmaker between myself and every available gentleman in Rivendel!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Arwen said, a playful twinkle in her eye.
Lúthien balked. "You know very well what I'm talking about!" Lúthien insisted. "I am talking about those looks you were giving me when I was introduced to your two brothers."
"I do not know what you are going on about. I was merely looking at you."
Lúthien sighed in frustration. She was getting nowhere in this argument, so she let it drop. They continued walking on for a while, eventually finding themselves in the section of Rivendel that housed the guests' quarters. Lúthien remembered the way from there and led Arwen to her personal quarters. Upon entering, they saw what looked like an explosion of clothing. All the dresses from Lúthien's wardrobe had been laid out over every free surface in the house. Needles, thread, and cloth took up the table top and two of the three chairs. In the midst of everything was a beautiful elf with dark brown hair and pale blue eyes. At the sight of Lúthien and Arwen's entry, she bowed her head in greeting.
"Good morning, Arwen and Lady Lúthien Arwen." Lady Tinueth spoke. Upon looking at Lúthien, she smiled charmingly. "Well I can plainly see, now, why these clothes need tailoring." She said with a laugh.
Lúthien started at her, grasping in vain for any understanding of what was just said. Luckily, Arwen came to her aid.
"Tinueth, you must speak in Westron. Lúthien does not speak Elvish."
"Does not speak Elvish? What elf does not speak Elvish?" Tinueth asked, seemingly baffled by Lúthien's inability to speak Elvish.
"One who is not an elf." Lúthien responded with a playful smile.
The implications of Lúthien's words dawned on Tinueth and she quickly made to cover her mistake. "My apologies. I had thought you to be elf kind."
Lúthien shrugged it off with a gesturing wave of her hand. "Trust me, you are not the first. It seems everyone thinks me to be elf kind these days." Lúthien said with a laugh.
"It would be a simple mistake, Lady Lúthien Arwen. Your features seem too fine to be human."
It was true. Lúthien's features were with out a single harsh element. The bone structure of her face was delicate and rounded, giving her face a fine quality. Her pale skin was flawless, unlike almost all humans who had some sort of imperfection; discoloration, freckles, acne, or scars. Any human to have such fair skin besides a young child was rare indeed. Lúthien smiled through a faint blush.
"Please, call me Lúthien."
Tinueth smiled charmingly. "Lúthien it is, then. Come, now. I must get your measurements if I'm ever to tailor your dresses properly." She said, grasping a ribbon-like strip in her hands.
Lúthien stepped inside, Arwen following close behind, closing the door behind her. Once they were both in, Tinueth ushered Lúthien into the middle of the room.
"The first thing we must do is remove your dress. You must be nude if I am to get proper measurements."
"Oh." Lúthien said, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. It was true they were all females, but the inkling that they might find something wrong with her body bothered her. What if elves' bodies were different than humans' and they found her body to be repulsive? With silent apprehension, she stripped off her mother's dress. To her relief, the other two women didn't seen bothered at all by her nudity. Tinueth began to take Lúthien's measurements, wrapping the strip around her waist, shoulders, chest, hips, and upper arms while Arwen looked through the dresses that were laid out on every surface. While Tinueth was measuring Lúthien's height, Arwen lifted a dress with a beaming smile.
"Tailor this one first, Tinueth. It will look absolutely wonderful on you, Lúthien." Arwen spoke, addressing both girls in turn.
"I agree completely Arwen. That dress's color will be perfect against Lúthien's hair and eyes."
Arwen and Tinueth had known each other for many years. Tinueth had always been the one to tailor Arwen's clothes. Over the years, they had gotten to know each other well, and even become friends. Lúthien looked to the dress Arwen was holding. It was a lilac purple and white dress. The inner part and sleeves were a creamy white while the outer layer was a light lilac color . The sleeves were long and flowing, sweeping outward at the ends. The neckline was broad, meant to rest on her arms so as to expose her shoulders. The whole dress shimmered as Arwen moved it around, as if thousands of tiny stars had been woven into the fabric. Lúthien gasped.
"It's so beautiful." She said, unable to remember seeing such a wonderful dress before in her life. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed the beautiful dresses in her wardrobe before. Then again, she had been quite tired and preoccupied with finding nightwear rather than stunning dresses. Having finished taking Lúthien's measurements, Tinueth walked over and took the dress from Arwen's hands.
"I will tailor this right away. Why don't the two of you find a few more dresses for me to tailor after I am through with this one?" Tinueth said, taking the dress to the only clear spot on the table and setting to work on it.
With out any further encouragement, Arwen began to go through the dresses spread out on Lúthien's bed. Forgetting completely about her state of undress, Lúthien went over to the bed and followed suit. Only a minute or so passed before Arwen let out an elegant squeal of delight. Pulling a dress from under several others, she held it against Lúthien. It was a deep cobalt blue, seeming to fade to black where shade reached it. The sleeves faded into a brilliant blue tinted white as they extended down. A bluish white sash circled the waist of the dress, dimming back to blue as it extended down. The neckline was cut low, the sleeves meant to rest off the shoulders like the last dress.
"This will be absolutely striking on you. It makes your eyes look simply haunting and your skin seem to almost glow!"
Arwen was right. She would look almost like a goddess in that dress. It was almost as though the dress had been made for her and no one else. It played off the grey of her eyes, the dark color of her hair, and the pale color of her skin perfectly. The look on Tinueth's face showed she felt much the same way.
"Oh Lúthien, that dress was absolutely made for you!" She said, momentarily pausing in her work to voice what Arwen thought and Lúthien felt.
In typical girl fashion, they went about picking out more and more dresses, raving about how lovely they were and how perfect they'd look on their owner. Tinueth continued to tailor with practiced skill, stopping occasionally to voice her agreement with the other girls on a particularly nice dress. Before long, they had picked out about 6 dresses. Tinueth had limited their selection to those 6 dresses for the moment, reminding them that she had other people's clothes to mend and could not spend the entire day tailoring only Lúthien's dresses. However, she had promised to tailor two or three dresses a day until all Lúthien's clothes fit.
With that, Lúthien and Arwen sat beside Tinueth as she worked away, talking about anything from their favorite places and people to listening to Arwen talk about how troublesome her brothers had been in their younger days. From there, the topic had changed to Lúthien's love life, or lack thereof. Lúthien shifted in discomfort and dismay as Tinueth joined Arwen in taking it upon themselves to play matchmakers. Oh how Arwen would pay…
"I have a very nice nephew." Tinueth began, her eyes glinting with what Lúthien could only identify as pure, unadulterated evil. "I'm sure he'd be very happy to meet a lovely lady such as yourself."
"Oh Tinueth, you know as well as I do that your nephew is quite the mischief maker. He would certainly drive Lúthien to the brink of her sanity."
With a whole-hearted laugh, Tinueth shook her head in agreement. "You have a valid point, my dear. He is quite an imp, however, I'm sure he would settle down in the presence of a sweet girl like Lúthien."
Lúthien turned averted her eyes to hide her embarrassment. It seemed compliments were constant among elves, and it was sometimes embarrassing to have herself assessed almost constantly. Whether good or bad, it sometimes made her feel quite self-conscious. Speaking of self conscious, Lúthien suddenly remembered her state of undress. Then she remembered her earlier wishes for a bath. She decided now would be the best time to ask, since she was already naked.
"Arwen?" Lúthien asked, calling for her attention. She waited until Arwen looked to her in acknowledgement before continuing with her question. "Would it be possible for me to have a bath?"
Arwen looked as though she had been struck with something blunt.
"Of course! How could I have forgotten to arrange for a bath?" She spoke in apparent frustration. "I'll go arrange for one right away."
With that, Arwen got up and walked to the door. Opening it barely and swiftly so as not to give anyone who might have been outside a glance at the nude girl within, she slipped out. Turning to face Tinueth, she received a warm smile.
"I am almost finished with this dress. Would you like to try it on, now, or would you rather wait until after your bath?"
Lúthien smiled. She could tell by the way Tinueth stressed the part about trying it on immediately that she was excited to see her in the dress. "I think I should try it on right away." She said with a charming grin. "Although I trust completely in your tailoring abilities, I'd hate for you to be in the middle of something important, only to be called back here because something is wrong with the dress."
"Agreed." Tinueth said with a smile, knowing Lúthien was just as excited as she to see her in that dress.
Handing over the dress, Tinueth stepped back to give Lúthien room to dress, but staying close enough to help should Lúthien need it. Deciding the best way to put the dress on was to slip it over her shoulders, Lúthien did just that. Slipping her arms through the sleeves, the dress seemed to slip over her body on its own accord, moving perfectly into place. Tinueth's tailoring job was nothing short of perfection. The dress hugged her body in all the right places, yet with out hugging too tightly. It wasn't too loose, yet it gave her a complete range of motion. It was almost like having a silky, flowing second skin.
"It fits perfectly!" Lúthien exclaimed excitedly.
"I'm glad you like it. It really does look lovely on you."
Lúthien did a little spin in place to accentuate her extreme pleasure in the dress. Never before had she been given the opportunity and honor of wearing such a beautiful gown. She still found it hard to believe it was hers to wear. Lúthien and Tinueth smile brightly at each other a moment before a knock came at the door. Looking to the door, Lúthien called out to whomever knocked.
"Come in." She said, expecting it to be Arwen returning from wherever she had run off to.
Seconds later, the door opened to reveal a number of elves standing outside of her door. The one standing in front of the others, obviously the one who knocked, was the first to speak.
"Our Lord has requested a bath be prepared for Lady Lúthien Arwen." She says, gesturing to the group behind her.
"Oh." Was the only response Lúthien could muster as the group of elves began to file into her quarters. A lovely porcelain tub was carried in by several male elves. Following the tub were more elf gentlemen carrying numerous buckets of water. Behind the elves with the buckets here a couple of elfin ladies. They carried soaps, towels, and things of that nature. Lúthien was given more than one curious glance as the tub was set in the center of the room and the buckets of water were emptied into it. Lúthien couldn't help but notice how handsome all of the elfin gentlemen and beautiful the elfin ladies were. It was about that moment that she realized she had yet to see an elf that wasn't handsome or beautiful. Even Lord Elrond had been handsome in his own right. She found herself wondering if there was such a thing as an ugly elf. Just as swiftly and silently as they entered, the elves began to leave, though not before most had a quick look or two at Lúthien. She was really feeling self conscious at all the strange looks she had been receiving ever since arriving at Rivendel, though she supposed it was nothing she shouldn't be used to. She had been receiving strange looks all her life due to her appearance. Why would anything have changed?
Lúthien watched as the last of the elf gentlemen left, closing the door behind them. Turning towards the tub, she saw that the elfin ladies were still standing beside the now full and steaming tub. The bathing supplies they had carried in were neatly arranged next to the tub. As if reading the question Lúthien was about to ask, one spoke up.
"We are here to help you bathe, my lady."
Normally, Lúthien would have insisted she could bathe on her own, but she wasn't about to argue her point. The sight of the steaming hot bath and scent of soaps were calling to her. Shrugging off whatever qualms she had, she began to strip out of her dress. Elves had seen her naked once already and didn't seem to mind. She was fairly certain they wouldn't care a second time. Once nude, she slipped into the wonderfully hot bath water with a contented sigh.
"It's been so long since I've had a hot bath." Lúthien said, lifting her arm out of the water and watching as it ran over her skin. "It feels wonderful." She spoke again, watching as the elf maidens set to work. They tore about in a near frenzy, soaping and scrubbing her at a dizzying speed. It was obvious to anyone with some intelligence that they had done this many, many times. Lúthien's sense of smell was almost overwhelmed by the various scents of lotions, soaps, and bath oils. They would ask her to sit or stand at odd intervals depending on what body part they were trying to reach. Towards the end of her bath, they both set to work washing her lengthy hair. Once her hair was filled with suds, a large pitcher of water was emptied over her head. Before Lúthien could even think to wipe the water from her eyes, she was wrapped head to toe in soft, absorbent cloth, one of the elf maidens gently blotting her face dry. The taller of the two asked her to step out of the tub as the other ran to fetch the lilac dress Tinueth held out. One slipped the dress on over Lúthien's head swiftly before the other returned to the large task of drying her hair.
Minutes later all three elves stood looking at a fully clothed Lúthien, whose hair was only slightly moist and already intricately plaited. Lúthien looked herself over in amazement. That had to have been the quickest, yet most fulfilling bath she'd ever had. She felt clean enough to reflect the light from the sun and smelled like a field of wildflowers. Not to mention she had no idea how they had managed to dry her hair to the extent they had within such a small amount of time. Not knowing just what to say, Lúthien simply beamed at the elves before her. It was that moment that Arwen chose to return from her wild goose chase. The smile on her face showed she was positively exuberant about something, despite just having run a fool's errand. Lúthien couldn't help but feel herself smile as well as she met Arwen's joyful grin.
"And just what has you smiling from ear to ear, my dear friend?" Tinueth asked, a slight hint of teasing in her questioning voice. "The last time I saw a smile upon your face of that caliber was when you were last with your beloved Aragorn."
Arwen's only response was a slight color that stained her cheeks as her smile broadened further. Tinueth smiled brightly as well as understanding passed through her.
"He is here? In Rivendel?" Tinueth asked, excitement for her friend tinting her voice.
Arwen nodded. "When I went to see my father about having a bath drawn for Lúthien, he told me he had already arranged to have it taken care of. My father then told me Aragorn arrived here shortly after we left breakfast, and that he is most likely still at Frodo's bedside. I came back as quickly as I could to share the wonderful news and invite Lúthien along with me so I might introduce them properly." Arwen finished, looking to Lúthien.
"That's wonderful news!" Lúthien said, walking swiftly to Arwen's side. "I'd love to meet the man so deserving of your love!" She said, sharing a merry smile with Arwen. "Let us go immediately!" She said, taking Arwen's arm and leading her to the door.
It didn't take any further encouragement on Arwen's part as she began a swift trot out the door, Lúthien fast on her heals.
Cerulean Sage
"I realize this chapter has been long in coming, and I must apologize. I lost my muse, my inspiration, and my drive to write due to a writer's block. Then I became so busy with other matters that completing this seemed ridiculously impossible. Thankfully, however, I defeated the evil writer's block monster and have found myself with sufficient time to complete this chapter, and hopefully many more. I realize that as the chapters have gone on, they seem to become a bit more… poorly written. That is due to the writer's block monster I've been battling. However, I have centered myself and set myself to writing more and better chapters to follow. Thank you to everyone who has read and continued to check up on this story for updates. I truly do appreciate you all.
Excitement reigns in the next chapter as Lúthien meets Aragorn, Elladan and Elrohir meet their match, and Lúthien meets her first hobbits aside from the comatose Frodo."