Amariel knew that she didn't like Arwen Undomiel, even if it was the first time she had seen her.

She had been told to meet guests from Lorien and Imladris that day. A dozen of Greenwood warriors, their princess, and a very certain prince who just happened to be nearby were sprawled out in the branches of beeches, humming softly to themselves. The sky was clear, birds were singing everywhere, and the hearts of the elves were eager for spring. From time to time, the quiet breathing of the forest was interrupted by their laughter.

But Amariel didn't laugh.

"Marie, - Legolas said to his sister, tossing her a small flask that certainly didn't contain water. - Our guests haven't even set foot in the woods yet, and you're already going to freeze them with your eyes, aren't you?"

"Wrong, - she snorted, and pulled the cork out of the flask with her teeth. - I'm just thinking about what they are, Noldor of Imladris, Galadrim of Lorien... What if they are completely different? What if they will not understand us?"

"Then the main thing is that we will try to understand them, my drama Queen. Oh, give me back the wine!"

Amariel finally gave a short laugh, and before her brother could reach her, she tossed the flask to Sellian, almost the third child of the Greenwood Royal family. By some ridiculous accident, this mocking, arrogant, and annoying boy had been her older brother's best friend for as long as she could remember. Not that she complaint about it much actually, for he was also a very kind and loving creature.

To her surprise, Sellian didn't accept the game. Catching the flask, he suddenly ordered everyone to be silent and fell from the tree, at the last moment grabbing the tip of the branch with his free hand. Sharp gray eyes scanned the elven path.

"They're coming!" the boy grinned.

Indeed, Amariel soon heard the clink of horseshoes, and then a solemn procession appeared on the path. The Noldor and Galadrim were dressed in silver and snow-white, and mounted on magnificent steeds. Most of them looked wary and not too happy to be out in the woods.

Well, she couldn't blame them.

"Stop! Who's coming?" one of the guards asked, clearly just for the sake of decency.

"An old friend," said a bright female voice. Marie didn't see due the dense greenery, who said that, but immediately realized that it was the Lady of Imladris. They had seen each other several times before. But when one of the recruits lunged down from the branches, she immediately grabbed his arm:

"We were told to ask for the password!"

"Green tea," the voice said, almost laughing.

"Amazing, you really are an old friend. Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Marie was the first to fall from the branch and slide down the trunk, landing firmly on her feet, which apparently terrified both the elves and their horses. Legolas kept up with her.

"Lady Celebrian. Welcome to the Greenwood," he bowed slightly. The lady of Imladris smiled faintly in response, then put a hand on his shoulder, gently and carefully, as if afraid to frighten a wild animal, and looked at him and his sister sympathetically.

"How are you?"

There was no chance that she wouldn't notice their almost unnatural thinness and a few new scars on their faces. So they just looked at each other and laughed without emotion.

"Oh, poor children..."

"Sorry, but this phrase does not raise our strength of spirit," realizing that the situation urgently needs to be saved, Sellian leaned down from the tree.

"Of course, we could try to talk about other things... You must be Sellian, right?" Celebrian interrupted herself immediately.

Amariel didn't know what they might be talking about, so for now she preferred to watch the strange elves from the sidelines. They were all incredibly beautiful compared to Nandor, but she understood that it was all about their clean, wonderful clothes and impeccable ability to hold themselves proudly. Almost all of them were very neat rather than beautiful. With the exception of probably one elleth.

Her dark hair curled in large coils around her shoulders, contrasting with her pale skin and bright blue eyes. She wore a dress of the lightest silk, and an elaborate choker adorned her beautiful long neck. For a moment, Marie's hand went to her throat, where the high collar hid the pale scars that she wore more proudly than any jewelry.

"You must be lady Arwen," Legolas said with a bright smile. "Welcome. I am Legolas, and this is Princess Amariel."

Marie bowed her head.

The Princess of Imladris looked at them and their warriors with some tension, but then her lips, compressed in doubt, opened in a light and insanely beautiful smile:

"It's very nice to meet you. I'm glad to be here."

Amariel didn't think it was true.

Suddenly, two absolutely identical elves appeared out of nowhere on either side of Arwen's horse.

"Hello, friends from Greenwood," one of them said, smiling broadly. "I'm Elladan."

"...And I am Elrohir," the other continued quickly. It was hard to follow where the phrases started and ended.

"Am I sleeping?" Sellian asked, looking from one twin to the other with a puzzled expression.

The tension between the Noldor and Nandor eased a little, but then Amariel felt a slight flash, something like a warning, and quickly turned to her warriors and said:

"My King is calling us. We must get to the Palace as quickly as possible, ladies and gentlemen, there are many dangers in these forests."

Without another moment's delay, the United elven tribes hurried through the forest to the Palace of the ElvenKing.