A/N: Well, I AM BACK! Shame on me for taking so damn long!! I have nothing to say but that I have been busy, and my Beta seemed to have forgotten my chapter for about a month... glares at Shivvers.
Disclaimer: I own Alíana, Liliana, Lauralin, Gildor, and a bunch of stuff... I also happen to own Elladan... I made him tell it to meh last night... smirk. Have a problem with that? You'll have to untie him from my bed, first!
Chapter 7: Adjusting
"Elrohir, what are you doing?" Liliana murmured inquisitively into her lover's hair. He sneakily didn't answer, as he quickly closed the door and wrapped his arms around his beautiful wife.
"Giving you that wonderful night I promised you," Elrohir answered. He kissed her vigorously, and started unbuttoning her dress...
-----
Lauralin strolled through the gardens, barely noticing everything around her, just wishing that she had her CD player here to blast out the damned nature-music-crap that enchanted the night. Her sister was away with Legolas somewhere... again, and her mom and dad were in their bedroom doing whatever it was that parents do after years of separation… she didn't want to think what…
She was alone... again. As if she'd ever had company. Her mother had always been in her room or cooking, Legolas and Alí had always been sitting in trees, and she had always been positioned in front of the TV, with a CD player, or a book... maybe all of those at once.
Now that she only had books left, she decided that she would go outside and attempt to be an elf for once. At least attempt… She would have to get used to it after a while…
It wasn't happening.
"Suilad." Greetings A voice of a young-looking elleth spoke up from a bush.
"Hey..." Lauralin replied in a bored tone, stopping and staring up at the stars as if something interesting would happen up there...nothing was happening, though, so she brought her eyes down upon the young elf, who was looking straight back at her.
"Who are you? I have not seen you before here... are you from Lothlórien or Mirkwood?" The elf asked, getting up from her kneeling position.
"Neither. I've been living in another dimension... and I have no idea where in hell those places are." Lauralin answered, shifting her weight from one leg to the other. Who in their right mind would make up names such as 'Lothieyen'… or... 'Mirkywood…'
"My name is Selerelen." The girl stood up. She looked no older than Lauralin and was about the same height. She had light brown hair that was slightly wavy and she had soft brown eyes. "What is yours?" she asked politely.
"Lauralin Halfelven." Lauralin answered. The girls' eyes widened and an 'o' shape formed at her mouth.
"Halfelven? Are you a royal?" She asked, astounded.
"Sure, if that's what you want to say... My dad's Elrohir." She shrugged, looking down at her slippers.
"Another dimension?" It was just then Selerelen seemed to just realize where Lauralin had said she was from... she was fawning over Lauralin, and Lauralin actually liked it. This was the first time that she had had any attention in a long while. "Oooh! You have to meet my friends!" Selerelen said excitedly, grabbing Lauralin's wrist and dragging her back into the palace.
"My friends are Tindomë, Celima, and Enelya." Selerelen informed Lauralin as they both tore through the corridors of the palace, Lauralin almost dashing halfheartedly.
Selerelen led her to a rather large room, where girls were gathered in little groups; all braiding each other's hair and chattering away. "This is the room where all of the young ellith congregate in the evenings." Selerelen told Lauralin. "After we turn 50 we are recognized as adults and can assemble wherever we like."
"Cool," Shrugged Lauralin. Selerelen led her to three girls all sitting on cushions and clutching goblets of what looked like water.
"Hello, Selerelen" Chirped the girl on the left, smiling sweetly at the newcomer also.
"Suliad!" Selerelen replied. "This is Lauralin Halfelven." She introduced her, gesturing to a large pillow in front of them. "Sit, please!" She prompted.
"Sure..." Lauralin answered, plopping herself down on a cushion and made herself as comfortable as she could in the godforsaken dress that she wore.
"Halfelven? As in...Royalty?" asked a blonde-haired elleth, after welcomes were exchanged.
"If you want to say that." Lauralin answered... she felt that she was answering that question too often...
"My name is Tindomë," the first blonde elf introduced herself. "I'm 47 years old." She told her, as if this was a piece of important information. "My father is one of the healers here." She nodded her head curtly.
"I am Enelya. I have lived for nearly 43 summers," Enelya introduced herself, repeating the nodding gesture.
"And my name is Celima. Tomorrow is the beginning of my 38th year of life." Again, she nodded like the others.
After a few birthday regards and a, "Nice to meet you all," Lauralin decided against bowing... she wasn't about to bow to these regular people... "My name is, as you know, Lauralin Halfelven... and I'm 10." She told them in an almost uncomfortable tone of voice. One by one, each of the four girls' mouths dropped open.
"You're only 10?" Asked Tindomë, frowning.
"Only ten." Lauralin answered, nodding in the same fashion as everyone else had done before her.
"But, you look as if you have reached at least 40!" Argued Enelya.
"Nope. 10. Maybe being in the other world sped the growing process up or whatever..." Lauralin muttered, feeling quite uncomfortable.
"I've never heard of that word being used in such a way..." said a curious Celima.
"What word?"
"'Whatever'. Nobody says it here in that manner." She answered, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
"Yeah, sure..." Lauralin answered offhandedly.
Lauralin settled down onto her pillow, answering questions and letting the four ellith fawn over her all they wanted.
'Oh, life here was sure to be sweet.' She thought.
-----
Knock, knock.
"Come in!" Alí called through the closed door. She was lying on her stomach, propped up on her elbows on the bench outside on her balcony. There was a thick book in front of her and she was still trying to digest the last couple lines of the sentence by lamplight as Legolas entered and crossed the room. She closed the enormous volume and he sat down beside her. He looked down at the worn cover of the book and read tarnished gold leaf letters:
"Tales of Arda". He leant forward and tried to absorb the length of the book.
"I wanted to read something, and Aunt Arwen suggested this one." She patted the cover lightly. "I'm not that far, I only started reading after dinner...then Ada and Ata came to say 'Hello and Goodnight'. They can't seem to find Lauralin, though." She added, running her first finger over the edge of the book. It was a small habit that greatly annoyed her darling sister. "Why have you come?" she asked after a silent minute or two.
"I was lonely and not tired at all, so I decided I would come here to stay with you." He asked rather than stated, almost knowing the answer.
"Of course!. I've discovered that it is extremely peaceful here.... I almost miss the sound of the highway." She grinned. "It's now replaced with the sound of that fountain over there." She pointed to where a fountain of a winged horse rearing upward and spouting water out of its mouth. It was in the middle of one of the many courtyards around the palace, surrounded by lilies and different flowers.
"I don't know, all the cars speeding past...if you wanted to play in the street, you were surely going to be run over at some point... yeah. I really miss it..." Legolas replied sarcastically. "It'll take a while to get used to this world, though. I'm still baffled by everything here; my father's a king! I'm a prince! You're a princess..." he drifted off, fiddling thoughtfully with a leaf that had just fallen into his lap.
"There's so much here, I honestly didn't expect any of this." Alí whispered. Her eyes had been directed at the sky, the dark black abyss filled with variations of bright to dim stars. "It looks the same..." she muttered to herself.
"What does? Oh..." Legolas eyes followed Alí's to the heavens. "It is the same sky, although you can see more stars here, than back-" he paused, about to say 'home'. But the only thing was, it wasn't home. It never was. Home was here, in Middle Earth.
Home was with Alí.
Legolas and Alí sat at the balcony watching the stars circle in the heavens all night, as they always did. Alí finally rested her head resting on Legolas' shoulder, and Legolas was very still. This was how Elrohir found his daughter and the King's son, looking up at the stars.
He stepped out onto the balcony of his own room, his wife trailing behind him holding a bed sheet around herself.
"Elrohir, man na raeg?" what is wrong? She asked, running her fingers lightly up his bare chest. Elrohir said nothing, but nodded his head towards Alí and Legolas. "'Tis nothing, meleth nîn, they do that every night." She whispered.
"Every night? You do not suspect anything? That their feelings are... more?" he murmured softly, his eyes flickering over to Ali and Legolas and then back to his wife.
"Every night." She replied. "And I cannot promise you about how they feel. It is none of our concern." She assured him. He still seemed to be unsure of how to be a father, because he had been deprived of the responsibility for a long time. Liliana kissed his neck and stood with him watching the sun rise over the valley.
-----
Legolas nudged Alí and whispered. "Look at Ata." Alí moved around him to see what he was so amused about and saw her mother and father; both were wearing the minimal amount of clothing, if it was clothing at all. Her mother was holding up a bed sheet to her chest, pressed lovingly against her father, who was wearing what looked like another sheet, which was tied low on his front. He was behind Lily, and his arms were wrapped around her middle. Even now he was planting loving kisses on her mother's neck.
"You really wanted me to see that?" she replied with a smile. She had never seen her mother act like this. She had always just been... mother. She had never been a wife, in Alí's eyes… or a lover, for that matter.
Legolas chuckled. "I thought you might enjoy it." They both stood up and ambled their way back inside, giving the lovers their privacy.
-----
Thranduil knocked on his son's door in the early hours of the day, just as the sun was rising.
No answer.
He knocked again. This time he was louder.
Still, no answer. The Elvenking furrowed his eyebrows.
He twisted the handle of the door and he found it unlocked. He walked into his son's room, expecting it to reveal a sleeping Legolas, but it was empty. The bed didn't have a single ruffle on the cover, except for a place on the end, where it looked like Legolas had sat there for a minute or two. A door of the wardrobe was open, and his new clothing seemed to be stuffed into it rather sloppily, as if he had half-heartedly done the job, quickly, nonetheless. The balcony door was cracked open, and the morning breeze swished the curtains about. Everything else was undisturbed.
He was about to walk into the room and check the balcony, but he heard a giggle behind him, coming from the hallway.
The young Princess Alíana and Legolas were emerging out of Alíana's room, both wearing large smiles.
'I might have known...' Thranduil thought.
He saw his son's face light up further as Alíana whispered something to him. Legolas looked so content and happy, that his father hated that he had to take him away from his foster family; but it would have to be done. He would have to accustom to his new duties. A whole kingdom was expecting him back home…
Legolas couldn't stay with them forever.
-----
"This time, we go left." Legolas said, as they closed the door to Alí's room. Alí giggled. She leant forward and cupped a hand around Legolas' ear to whisper,
"This time, I won't argue... and rumor is, Ata gave the waffle recipe to the kitchens..." she grinned and started walking to the left down the hallway.
"Really?" Legolas' face lifted and he started to jog up to her side. He didn't notice his father watching their backs. When she didn't answer, he kept on asking the one word over and over again. When finally he was about to give up, she replied,
"No. But it got you to follow me like a lost puppy!" she laughed, as they turned into a new hallway.
"Hey!! That's not funny!" Legolas whined, cutely pouting a little.
"Sure it is!" she giggled as she caught sight of Legolas' face.
"Not!"
"Is."
"Not!"
"Is."
"Not infinity."
"Is infinity plus one..."
As the twosome always did, they argued childishly until they managed to find their way to the enormous dining hall, (having to double back quite often). They were silenced by Liliana with a meaningful glare. She was now wearing a beautiful dress. Liliana kissed them both on the cheek and greeted them with a cheerful, "Good morning!" Thranduil arrived and sat down with them at the High Table.
"Maer aur!" Good morning! he greeted. There was a glint of something in his eye. Alí and Legolas glanced at each other, as if to ask, 'Did you see that?'
Several maids brought out wide platters heaped with fruits and breads, and placed in front of them what looked like orange juice, but when tasted, it revealed a taste much sweeter and seemingly more full-rounded in taste than just oranges; almost having hints of lemon and something like pineapple.
Alí forked a half of a strawberry and stuffed it into her mouth. It was so much better than any strawberry she had ever eaten in Earth! She tasted a piece of the next fruit over, which happened to be a slice of apple. It was equally as exquisite.
She heard a soft cling of metal to her left, and when glancing at Legolas, it revealed him stuffing his face. Every once and a while, his teeth would hit the metal fork, (which had made the cling noise), but nobody else had noticed.
"Do you like your breakfast, Legolas?" Liliana joked, leaning over to see her foster son down the table, his cheeks stuffed with food. He almost certainly represented a hamster.
Legolas said nothing (his mouth was full) but he nodded his head vigorously. He swallowed the enormous amount of food he had in his mouth, and instead of leaning back in his chair and waiting for Alí to finish her breakfast so they could leave, he dived into Alí's plate.
"Hey, hey, hey! That's mine!" Alí snatched at her plate and shoved him lightly out of the way.
"But..." he whined. "But..."
"No 'but's! if you want more food, ask Lauralin. She's not eating anything, as usual." Alí pointed at her little sister. "Or get some more off the platter"
Lauralin had finally turned up out of nowhere. She was in the same dress as yesterday, and she looked very tired, as if she hadn't rested at all. She had her fork in her hand and was rearranging the fruit on her plate. Right now, she had arranged what looked like a smiley face with its tongue sticking out.
Legolas stood up and went to his sister. "Lauralin, may I take some off of your plate... please?" he added as an afterthought.
"Take it!" Lauralin answered in a bored tone. "Just leave some of the strawberries." She called after him as he took her plate.
"Alright, darling sis!" he answered, sitting down and immediately shoveling fruit from her plate to his own.
Alíana rolled her eyes and focused on her own (nearly empty) plate. She didn't want to look too uncivilized in front of all the elves in the hall, and so she ate slowly. Soon, though much too soon for her liking, her plate was empty. Legolas left for an archery lesson with his father. Alí was just wondering what she would do, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Behind her stood her father.
"Iell nîn, my daughter , care to spend the morning with your father?" he smiled lovingly.
"Sure!" Alí agreed, ready for anything. "But don't I have to get all pretty and junk first?" she asked.
"No." Elrohir laughed. "Not today, or better said, not yet." He offered Alí his arm and both of them walked outside.
As soon as they had walked outside of the doors, Alí was met with bright sunshine, and the wonderful earthy smell of the gardens.
"Ada?"
"Yes, Alíana?" Elrohir asked, putting an arm around his daughter.
"Can you answer me something?" Alí asked. She had wanted to ask her father this question so badly. Before now, her mother had always avoided the question with a muttered 'I think I smell something burning' or 'You'll know when the time comes'. Now, she really wanted to know.
"Why were we sent to the other dimension? Why?" Alí asked with a pleading look in her eyes.
Elrohir averted his eyes from his daughter. She was still so young… she didn't need to know now… of course; she had been deprived of an answer for the longest time… But… "Alíana, I need to think about this. I can't explain it all without your mother here. I am sorry." He said. He squeezed her shoulder with his hand and gave her a kiss on her head. "I will speak with your mother now, if that helps." He offered. Alí sighed. 'So close…' she thought.
"That's alright…" she muttered, not hiding the disappointment in her voice. Elrohir kissed her forehead, and quickly left to talk with Liliana. Alí still wanted to stay outside, because it was so beautiful out here. She wandered down the paths and was about to go out onto the grounds to find Legolas, but…
"And what would a beautiful maiden be doing out of the palace all alone, may I dare ask?" A beautiful voice asked from behind her. Alí jumped and turned to see the most handsome being she had ever laid eyes on.
"I would ask you the same question. Why are you alone out here, my lord?" she asked aloud, but bursting within her was the word 'WOW!' one hundred times over.
"I enjoy these gardens." He gestured with both arms around him.
"Yeah, me too…" she said, sounding suddenly shy and uncertain. 'wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, WOW!' her mind was saying. She tried to stop thinking it, but it was almost like a broken record.
The handsome elf, slightly taller than Legolas with light brown hair and dark ocean blue eyes was so charming. He looked strong, even from a distance, and he looked about 18 years old or so. His eyes were dark, mysterious, and inviting.
He was bordering perfect. No… he was perfect.
'Wooooooow.......' her mind finally sighed, before floating up somewhere to a cloud.
"My name is Gildor," he offered his name once he had approached her.
"I'm...Alíana..." Alí replied shyly and slowly. Gildor bent onto one knee and kissed her hand, sending shivers up and down Alí's spine.
"A pleasure to meet you, Alíana." He said smoothly, "Would you like to walk with me?" offered the elf smoothly.
"Uh..." What was she supposed to say? "Sure..." she replied breathlessly. 'Stupid answer...' she thought. He was definitely 'Wow' material, (as her mind reminded her constantly), but... Oh well. He was harmless.
-----
I saw the young girl from afar and I instantly knew her name. I hadn't seen her before and so therefore she had to be the girl who arrived in this world just yesterday. She was a Peredhil; Royalty... my key in.
I turned on my charm and approached her... it must be some kind of luck that every she-elf I meet falls in love with me. She looked instantly taken with me, and furthermore, she seemed nervous and shy...
Perfect.
A/N: Enjoy? Now... please leave a pretty review for me! PLEASE!! Kudos to Shivvers for forgetting to send this chapter to me when she'd finished betaing it! Smirks again. (Just teasing you, you know! ;) )
Ivy 12/4/04