Sunlight danced through Lórien in beams of golden light as I my eyes cleared enough to see Aragorn grinning down at me. I groaned and rolled back onto my side.
"Do not forget that I, too, was raised by Elrond, Rielásse. I know how to get a stubborn person out of bed."
"Go way.', I mumbled, pulling the blankets over my head.
"Do you always have such rotten luck with women, laddie?', Gimli guffawed.
Quiet, Fuzz Face.
The laughter of four hobbits causes me to open one of the eyes I had closed so tightly to glare at them.
"I didn't know you became so insulting when you were tired, Riley!', Merry chortled.
Rolling my eyes, I had begun to close them again when Pippin gave a whoop. The little imp ran full throttle towards me and jumped onto my stomach.
"Oof." I sat up violently and tossed the troublemaker to the ground. "What was that for!?"
He beamed innocently in my direction, which I returned with a scowl as heavy as the one Gimli was sending my way for insulting his beard.
"Legolas is dead, and we didn't want you to miss it.', Merry said as he skipped around the mallorn roots.
If it were anyone but Merry prancing around I would say that they were drunk... not to say that that's not a possibility.I thought as I stared at the overjoyed hobbit.
"Merry! You scared her!', Sam pat my hand gently. "They don't mean no harm, miss. The elf's not dead, he's just sleeping."
My curiosity was awoken even if I were not, and I stumbled across the glade to where Legolas laid. His eyes were wide open and glazed over in a dreamy state. I stared at him for a minute before turning to the rest of the fellowship.
Wait. I'm an elf, too. Does that mean...
"Tell me I don't sleep like that."
Boromir shrugged while his lips were giving suspicious twitches every few seconds. Aragorn seemed to be having the same issue.
"Do you want me to answer you with want you want to hear? Or would you rather have the truth?', the ranger asked.
Gimli was shaking his head and trying to get Strider's attention.
"She's a woman, Aragorn. What do you think she wants to hear?', growled the dwarf.
"The truth.', I retorted.
"Very well. You do not sleep like that." I sighed with relief before I realized that he wasn't done speaking. "You do not sleep like that because your eyes bug out more." I hurled one of my leather boots in his direction— which he efficiently dodged.
Legolas' eyes cleared from their sleepy state and he blinked twice at the group surrounding him before he cracked a grin.
"I am well aware of my surroundings even in the dream world, my friends. The conversations you hold amongst yourself when you believe I am asleep are most amusing." The silvan elf stretched his muscles and winked mischievously at me.
My other boot found itself hurling at the Prince of Mirkwood and I watched in satisfaction as it whopped him in the head before bouncing off to hit Pippin.
Ha! Poetic justice has been done upon thee!
"I think I liked it better when you were napping like a fish, Sleeping Beauty.', I remarked as he rubbed his forehead and scowled at me. Boromir and Aragorn's resolve to not laugh finally broke and Legolas sent them both a withering glare as they bellowed with glee.
"All elves sleep the same,tinwë. Therefore, if I am a fish, you are also a fish.', he remarked calmly. Almost too calmly, I thought as I began to slowly back up. He had a strange light in his eyes, almost like the twins whenever they have an idea— normally a bad idea at that.
"I'm not a fish!" Legolas grew closer to me as I whined. He was almost prowling, which really creeped me out.
"No, but you will soon wish you were." His voice lowered to a teasing (yet menacing) growl.
"What! Why?"
My question was answered as he suddenly barreled into my stomach, momentarily stunning me as he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder.
"Because we're going swimming."
"NOOOO! ARAGORN! BOROMIR! SAVE ME!"
"I'm afraid you started this one,penneth.', the ranger replied before walking away. The Steward's son quickly followed suit, shaking his head.
"CHIVALRY IS DEAD!" I wailed dramatically as I was hauled to a nearby stream.
End of Riley's POV
xXx
Third Person POV...
"No. No. No. No."She thought to herself.
Bile clawed its way up her throat as she suddenly connected the emotions she felt now with what she had felt when her parents died on Lake Michigan. That feeling of utter helplessness coupled with her fear of water made it hard not to shake with terror.
At certain times, such as when she would bathe in the shallow areas, water did not bother her. She had only jumped into the Celebrant out of necessity when she had realized that no one else would have gotten to Frodo in time. This was something entirely different.
"Legolas!', Riley squeaked. "Put me down!"
"Nay, little one!', he called over his shoulder merrily. "One cannot insult the Prince of Mirkwood and come out of it unscathed!"
Her breath hitched and a tear slipped down her face as they arrived at their destination. Legolas froze as he heard the droplet of water land on a leaf behind him.
He concentrated his hearing on Riley and winced when he noticed the rapid tempo her heart was beating in her chest. Gently setting her down at the trunk of a tree, Legolas was alarmed at the pale hue her skin had turned.
"Penneth? Are you alright?"
She closed her tear-filled eyes and shook her head.
xXx
Riley's Point of View...
Am I alright? Nope. Nuh-uh. Not at all.
You just tried to chunk me into a large body of water and you expect me to be alright?
Legolas suddenly gave a loud yell and I opened my eyes just in time to see him go sailing through the air to land with a large splash in the brook.
My eyes opened even more when I turned to see who had thrown the silvan elf. Legolas was heard spluttering a few moments later as he came to the surface of the water.
"Aragorn! By all that is green on Middle Earth why did you—" He stopped short and stared in the same direction as I. For beside me stood Celeborn and Galadriel— my grandparents.
"Forgive me, my Lord and my Lady.', he said, bowing as he finally made it to shore. It was a rather comical sight considering that he was sopping wet.
"I believe it is my granddaughter you should be apologizing to, Legolas. And I shall ask you to refrain from throwing Rielásse into the water again.', Celeborn stated coldly before he wrapped an arm around my shoulders and led me to his and Galadriel's flet, his wife not far behind.
"Thanks.', I whispered.
"For what,niel?"
"For throwing Legolas into the water." I grinned up at the elf beneath the platinum hair.
He laughed loudly and Galadriel sent him a warning look.
"Honestly,meleth. It was not that funny.', the Lady of the Golden Wood remarked.
"On the contrary, my dear! And stop looking like you just drank dwarf ale!" Even I had to grin at that comment. Celeborn then turned to me. "It was not I who tossed the son of that pompous elf king into the water, little one." He gave a pointed glance at his wife.
"You?', I asked incredulously.
A twinkle entered her eyes and I suddenly knew which side of the family my siblings got their mischievous sides from.
"Is that so hard to believe?', my grandmother asked.
"Well..."
Celeborn began to laugh harder and Galadriel gave him a mock glare.
"I believe we shall get along quiet well, little one." He gave my shoulder a pat. "Very well, indeed. Now, let's see to dinner."
"Hobbit.', I teased in reply. His grin only widened.
I wonder how many people see this side of their rulers...
xXx
Later that night...
I didn't know that this Celeborn's version of getting along!
I had quickly recovered from my fear earlier in the day thanks to the efforts of Galadriel and Celeborn, but I had not been expecting what happened next. I was on my way back to the fellowship when Celeborn had grabbed my hand and hauled me to a flet nearby to whisper his genius plan for revenge.
Who knew my grandparents aren't as lordly and serious as they look? I mean, I expected them to be used to shenanigans as they are the grandparents of Arwen and the twins, but I never expected them to be the cause of such things!
"Stop thinking! She can sense your thoughts and if yourmavwenfinds out about this...', he left his sentence hanging, but it basically translated to "we're toast".
"Why are we doing this again?', I whispered back. My partner in crime snorts.
"Because they're males, and from everything I've been told they need to humbled before their pride rivals Thranduil's.', Celeborn answered. I can almost hear the smile in his voice.
"You and the King of Mirkwood don't get along very well, do you?"
"At first we did not. But once you look past his haughty demeanor, he can be a loyal friend." He positioned himself in the tree branch he had climbed upon.
"Here they come.', Celeborn softly stated.
I watched as Boromir, Legolas, and Aragorn entered into the men's bathing glade, snickering as the Lord of the Galadhrim covered my eyes.
The sound of splashing alerted us that they were in the water, and we dove into action. Carrying out our plan quickly, we returned up the tree and waited for the fireworks.
We didn't have to wait long.
"Oh sweet Elbereth!"
"What's wrong, Legolas?" I quickly identified the voice as Boromir's.
"Someone has taken my clothes!"
More exclamations proved that the others had also discovered their missing clothes.
"Did either of you incite the anger of anyone today?', Aragorn questioned.
"I did not. Elves make me nervous, so I tried to distance myself. I mean no offense, Legolas."
The last part of Boromir's sentence was directed towards a very silent elf.
"Legolas? What's wrong?"
"I believe I may have made Rielásse a little upset earlier."
A little?
"While that could be the reason behind this, I highly doubt it."
"And why would that be, Aragorn?', the elf in the company asked.
"She would be too embarrassed to come here." He replied in a holier-than-thou tone.
"Oh you are SO wrong.', I grumbled, my cheeks rendering as I ttried to contain my
My grandfather noticed my flushed face and chuckled. I couldn't see anything as he had once more covered my eyes.
"Well, what do we do now?"
"Only one thing to do, Boromir.', Aragorn calmly replied.
"Are you crazy!?"
"Most people seem to think so.', Legolas answered for the ranger.
"It is the only way, my friend."
"It is also humiliating."
"Would you rather wait until the morning when everyone can see more clearly?"
A string of obscenities poured from Boromir's mouth and Celeborn moved to cover my ears instead of my eyes.
The three looked like wet rats, their towels swathed tightly around their waists.
And so, with hair still wet from the water, the group before us marched solemnly out of the glade. As soon as they were gone I burst into hysterical peals of giggles and almost fell from the tree we were watching the scene from. Celeborn laughed with me, and our sides soon felt like they were going to burst.
We climbed down from the tree and quickly took a shortcut to another flet so we could watch the show. Galadriel had just shown Frodo the mirror, and she was slowly leading him back to his resting place when three half-naked males sprinted past her.
Her eyebrows rose into an incredulous expression as she watched their towels flap wildly. Poor Frodo looked scarred for life, and he walked dazedly down the path after them.
The wind was on our side, and the hobbit's mumbled words were carried back to us.
"That was by far the scariest thing I have encountered on this journey."
Celeborn and I shrunk back into the shadows of the flet as Galadriel looked up at us. No matter how well we were hidden, she still saw us and gave an exasperated shake of her head. We returned the gesture with sheepish smiles as she walked to her own flet.
"I would have never thought that you could be so fun,daedra.', I murmured as Celeborn helped me slide down the tree's large bole.
"Neither did I,penneth. Neither did I."
xXx
Guide...
penneth- little one
mavwen- grandmother
daedra- grandfather
niel- granddaughter
tinwë- sparky