Chapter One: A Foolish Little Girl
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind;
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
William Shakespeare
They had always played together as children, she one of the fewwho did not begrudge him friendship because of his position in the city. They were inseparable, always finding peace within one another. Members of the household and the court believed they would one day be wed; believed that love on the basis of friendship had evolved into love of a romantic inclination. They were wrong of course. Morwen and Elladan both loved thosewhoseemed out of their reach; who showed no signs of ever returning their attraction. Elladan had harbored a deep love for the Lady Aerlinn ever since he was young. Old enough to understand such attraction and young enough to know he could not act on such things.
Morwen's childhood crush on Lord Glorfindel had never diminished, no matter how much she had wished it to. The ailments of the heart had drawn the two friends ever closer together. Elladan, when not training or annoying his brother, tended to spend his free time following Morwen as she worked. Most times Lord Erestor asked her to leave her work early just to get Elladan out of the study.
Today was one of those days, with dear Erestor at his wits end thanks to the Green Wood and LothLorien representatives trying to kill each other, no matter theywere all the same kin. Needless to say, Lord Elrond was quite ready to spit nails and had since disappeared for a moment of calm and peace and left the infuriating elves to the Chief of his household. This being so, Erestor was in no mood to deal with the son of Elrondwho still acted like a mischievous child and more or less bellowed for the twin to leave his presence before he found a letter opener stuck through his right eyeball. Knowing that Erestor never made idle threats, Elladan had quickly made haste to the gardens, dragging his dear friend along.
The early evening had found the two friends enjoying the warm spring out on one of the open fields. Morwen sat on a soft spot of grass as she viewed the piles of letters stacked next to her, wanting to check the validity of their statements before they were sent out. Elladan, ever the child, went about climbing trees and being carefree. His voice yelled down from the branches to his friend,
"Elrohir seeks your company for this weekend's banquet. I think he is trying to make someone jealous."
Morwen, the aptly named dark lady, though not as tragic as her namesake had been, turned towards the source of the voice with a smile on her face,
"Ah, so I am the pawn in his game. Lovely. At least I do not have to accompany you to yet another banquet. I am growing weary of the death glares a certain group of female elves gift upon me every time I am within your presence. They are truly enamored of you."
"Not me, no. They are enamored of my title and my image. I desire none of them."
"Yes, we all know only one maiden holds your heart; although I think she is abusing it."
She grew quiet as booted feet barely made a sound as they impacted with ground. She did not have to turn to know Elladan had landed perfectly. The silent elf lord, trained to be so, broke custom as he plopped down beside her with an audible thump. A hand brushed hair away from her face.
"Do you truly think so?"
She glanced at him, noting the worry in his eyebecause his closest friend did not approve of the one he held so dear,
"Abuse is not the proper word. She knows of your attraction and yet she does nothing but turn a cold shoulder towards you. She declines your invitations every time you ask. She has also made clear on more than one occasion her attraction towards you. I understand the pointless feminine need of playing hard to get, but this is just ridiculous."
Elladan smiled, "You do not understand because you are not one of them. You grew up in the studies of Imladris not in the social circles of my mother's maidens."
"Yes and whose fault was that?"
"I simply asked my father for you to be included in my lessons. You were left to be fostered in our house, no need to separate you from the education my brother and I received."
"Asked. ASKED, he says! More like threw a tantrum, demanded it, and begged your mother to be your champion in your argument, knowing your father can deny nothing she asks of him."
Elladan tugged one of her braids, "You would not have enjoyed learning how to be a lady of the court. You are much too stubborn and far too bold."
She shook her head, "I am not so sure I would have disliked it. Part of me would have enjoyed it; another part of me knows I would have been bored beyond all measure. However, I do know that if I had been raised among the young ladies of the court, I doubt I would have developed my pointless and childish fascination with Glorfindel."
Elladan snorted, "I hardlybelieve that statement. Countless numbers of maidens, wed and unwed, blush and bat their eyelashes whenever he is near. You would have felt the same."
"No, I would have not. It is not his lookswhich attract me, though they are not lacking in any sense. Truly, he is far too fair for my tastes. It is the qualities of his personality, the passion in which he performs the simplest of tasks. It is his unwavering loyalty, his kindness, his wit." Morwen stopped suddenly and shook her head, "I am just a silly little girl."
Elladan smiled sadly, giving her free hand a comforting squeeze, "One day you will find someone."
"As will you."
A/N: Would love some feedback, good or ill. If you must flame, do as you must, if you have to take such a thing out on someone, then I guess it can be me.