Alright, time for the next chapter!
Disclaimer: Me no own, you no sue!
Arriah laid quietly on the a bench in one of Rivendell's many gazebo's, this one in particular in the Loth Garden. She listened to the peaceful sounds around her. The birds, the bees, the waterfall. This was one of her favorite spots in Rivendell.
So peaceful. I should move out here. Turn this gazebo into a house and move in...Oh, I'm a genius.
"Arriah, are you here?"
That voice...no way..
"Elrohir? Is that you?"
The red-head sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bench.
"Elladan too?"
"Yes. We're both here."
The huntress beamed. "It's been so long."
Light footsteps and the bench creaked slightly. Elladan had sat on he right, and Elrohir on her left.
"What are you two doing here, though? Elrond said that you two were on a hunting trip and that you probably wouldn't be back before I left again."
"Ahh, yes well, truthfully we had caught wind of you and your companies arrival and we just had to come and see you."
"Aww. You guys wanted to see me?"
A slight laugh from her left. "We did."
"It's been two years! Of course we wanted to see you!"
Arriah smiled. "Aw, I missed you guys too."
...
"Father said that you'd been up to your old tricks again."
"Oh?"
"Yes. Something about dumping a bag of flour and a bucket of syrup on a dwarf."
"Hey, he's my dwarf, so it's totally okay for me to torment him."
"Oh?"
She could feel the twins matching grins.
"Like we're your elves?"
"Or your like Arwen is Estel's?
"How did you two know about that?"
"We didn't."
"But now we do!"
Arriah huffed and crossed her arms. "Bullies."
"Aw, Arriah, were not bullies."
"Yeah, we were just playing around."
...
...
...
"And might I tell you your hair is so nice looking today."
"And the sun just compliments your features."
"No, nuh-uh, nope. Compliments and niceties will not sway me."
"Then what will?"
Arriah and Elrohir both let out a giggle as they crept into one of the dwarves rooms. Thorin's room.
"All clear?"
Elladan's reply was whispered. "All clear."
Arriah nodded. "Good."
She turned in Elrohir's direction. "You're sure that this will only last for a few days, right?"
"Yeah. It'll start fading on the second day, and be completely gone by the fourth."
Arriah grinned. "Let's hurry, lunch is starting soon."
"Trust you to be thinking about your stomach at a time like this."
"You saying I'm fat?"
"...No."
"Good."
There was a rustling and a 'pop', followed by a click and a squirting sound.
"All done. Now lets get out of here."
Arriah turned and quickly exited the dwarf's bedroom, followed closely by Elrohir. They began to walk away, as non suspicious looking as they could manage.
"Now we just have to get him to use it."
Arriah grinned. "I'll take care of that."
They reached the dining hall.
"We'll leave you to take care of it then."
Arriah gave a nod and walked into the dining hall, making it up the steps with no problem this time. Immediately she began searching for Kili.
"Arriah."
But he found her first.
"Kili. I need a favor."
"...What?"
"I need you to spill something into Thorin's hair."
"What? Are you crazy, he'll kill me!"
"I'll give you thirty coins if you do it."
...
...
...
"Fine."
Arriah grinned. "And soon, preferably."
And she left the archer to his thoughts.
"Lady Arriah, would you like a seat?"
"Ah, please, Bilbo."
And the hobbit gently guided her to a seat at the bigger of the tables.
"Uh, on your right is myself, on your left is Fili. Across from him is where Kili was sitting...the on his right are Balin and Ori."
Arriah nodded. "Great. Now, what's for lunch?"
"Soofwihes."
"Excuse you?"
"I believe the lad was trying to say sandwiches. And really lad, with your mouth full? Weren't you taught any manners?"
Arriah giggled at the blond dwarfs expense. "Schooled."
"Whatever..."
And the dwarf on her left continued to grumble. Suddenly there was a bang and a loud shout.
"Oh! Uncle, I'm so sorry!"
Way to go Kili. Maybe we should give you a medal too. But it will be silver...only Fili deserves gold.
There was a series of grumbles and apologies before Thorin's loud footsteps told Arriah that he had left.
"What was that all about brother?"
She listened to Kili take a seat.
"Pay up."
Arriah rolled her eyes and reached for the leather bag tucked into her boot and threw it in Kili's direction.
"What's this all about?"
"Ah, nothing much Balin. Just paying Kili. He risked his life to help me, after all."
"You planed that?"
Arriah shrugged.
"Arriah."
The dwarf to her left's tone was stern.
"What did you do?"
"You'll see."
Arriah stood quietly in the training courtyard with Elladan, Elrohir, Fili and Kili.
"I can't wait."
"He might not even come out."
Arriah nodded.
"Do we know what's going on?"
"Nope. But we're rolling with it."
Arriah stayed quiet.
"You think it worked?"
"Of course it worked. We put it on our success shelf, after all."
A snort. "Yeah, right next to the squirrel potion."
...
"I thought that it was next to the powders."
"What? Elrohir- how are we supposed to know what's going to happen to him now?"
Arriah sighed.
"I fear for uncles life."
"Same."
A disaster...
"By the powders, clear liquid, on the other side was the...uhm, horse potion."
"So? Which one did you grab?"
"Don't think it had a label."
Idiots. I'm surrounded by idiots.
"Perhaps we should go over to the other dwarves."
"Associating ourselves with these trouble makers will look bad when uncle comes back."
"My thought's exactly."
And the two dwarves walked away.
"Elrohir, what if he's been turned into a woman?"
"You guys can seriously do that?"
...
"Well, yes, it's a favorite if Lindir's."
"I'm sure it is."
...
"Oh-oh no, look Elladan!"
"Brother, you're a genius!"
"What? What?"
Elladan and Elrohir replies were lost in their fit's of laughter.
"Seriously, what going on?"
Many snickered and poorly hidden laughs had erupted from the dwarfs to her left.
"The-the dwarfs hair...-"
Elrohir laughed again.
"-it's...it's pink!"
And the two once again burst into laughter, Arriah soon following suit.
I'm imagining a scowl with a fluff of pink atop it's head.
"That's perfect."
"Wait, he's looking over here."
The three quickly sobered up.
"We should go."
"Yeah."
"Let's go."
And the three made a quick retreat.
"That was perfect."
"Pink really suits him."
"Yes it compliments his scowl nicely."
Arriah smiled.
"Although, he may already suspect you, Harmoni."
Arriah nodded.
"He may kill you for what you've done."
"There's something worse though."
"There is?"
"Really? Do tell."
...
"He could give you the...grunt treatment."
"Huh?"
"Excuse you?"
"It's like the silent treatment, but worse. Much, much more worse."
The twins were silent.
"Oh."
"Alright then."
"Uhh, we'll be going now."
"Yeah, we still have some unpacking...to...do."
"So, uh, bye!"
"And Happy Birthday!"
And the two were gone.
Arriah headed for the gazebo later that night, having successfully avoided Thorin and his grunt treatment for the majority of the day she was in rather high spirits.
She slowed though, as the wind carried two familiar voices over to her.
"-brother, stop beating around the bush!"
No response.
"You're afraid, I get it, but you can't keep it all in. You won't be able to hide it for much longer. Even if she really is-"
"Fili! Kili! That you?"
Her sensitive ears picked up a few more words, whispered this time
"-don't worry...happy...soon...promise. It's...be fine."
She continued towards the gazebo.
"Yes, it's us."
Arriah put on a smile and continued forward.
"It would seem-" She stepped into the gazebo. "-that you two have found one of my favorite spots Rivendell."
"Oh?"
Arriah nodded and sat down across form the two brothers.
"Yes. I love the Loth Garden, not as much as the Moon Garden though."
...
"Saw what you did to uncle's hair."
"Hey, in my defense, I was told he was going to become blond."
"You totally owe us for a horrible day of training. My bruises have bruises!"
Arriah gave a small smile. "Well, if it's any consolation, it is temporary. It'll be out of his hair in four days."
"Good. He's been discreetly worrying about it's permanency."
Arriah shrugged. "Hey, we could have turned him into a woman."
Kili let out a bark of laughter. "Even better!"
Arriah grinned and shook her head.
Save me from these dwarves.
"Have you eaten yet?"
Arriah nodded. "Yeah, I ate in the kitchens. Don't want to risk the wrath of Thorin's grunt treatment."
She listened to Fili's breathy laugh with a small smile.
There we go.
"His what?"
"Ah just a little joke between me and Fili."
"Aw, I wanna' know."
"I'm sorry, but you must be fluent in Grunt to be let in on it...or you have to be a plotting blind girl. Your pick."
"Uhh, you know what, I'm just going to stay out of this one."
...
"Actually, y'know what? I'm just gonna' leave."
Arriah raised an eyebrow. "Alright. Bye, I guess."
"See you later brother."
Arriah imagined Kili's we're-talking-later-even-if-I-have-to-tie-you-to-a-chair look that he was most likely giving his older brother.
Soon she was alone with Fili.
"So, was Thorin's hair really that bad?"
A grunt. An eye twitch.
"Oh, I see. Hmm, perhaps I should go find a pond or something-"
"Arriah."
"Yeah?"
"Happy Birthday."
Arriah blinked and smiled.
"Thanks."
"Welcome."
Arriah slouched back on the bench in the gazebo and looked to the sky.
"Do you miss it?"
"What?"
"Your sight."
Arriah let out a hum.
"Yeah. Every day. But I can't change the past. I am who I am now, not who I was before."
"How did it happen?"
"It's a long story. And painful to recount."
"I'm sorry."
"Why? You don't even know what happened."
"Well, I can't imagine that you were exactly happy at the time..."
"Ah."
The atmosphere became somber. Arriah jumped to her feet and held out her hand for Fili.
"Come on, I wanna' take you some where."
After a minute another hand took hers. She smiled and turned, leading the dwarf through Rivendell. Through the kingdom and towards the rock structures that surrounded it.
"There should be a cave around here somewhere..."
"Your left."
"Oh!"
And she quickly felt her way into the cave. An arm snaked around her waist a little ways in, and she was pulled to the side.
"You were about to walk into a wall."
His breath was warm on her neck and ear.
"Of course. Only me..."
And she continued to lead the dwarf on.
"Should be around here somewhere..."
The sound of a waterfall reached her ears and she smiled.
"Come on."
Her pace quickened slightly as pulled the dwarf forward. She stopped once she heard the splash of water under her foot and took a step back, allowing the arm that had moved to her waist once again to retreat.
"What do you think?"
"It's incredible."
Arriah smiled and closed her eyes, remembering the sight well. They had entered a large cavern, a waterfall coming from the top, and disappearing into a pool below. Stalagmites and stalactites glistened with purple, blue, green, and silver hues, and the pool it's self seemed to shine.
"You like it?"
"I love it."
Arriah hummed and the two stood quietly, hand in hand.
"Thank you, for showing me this."
Arriah nodded. "Twas my pleasure. Now, there should be another passage way to our right."
"I see it."
"Good, if we go through there we'll end up in another cavern. I know you'll like the next one too."
The hand holding hers pulled her towards the right. They walked in a peaceful silence, only the occasional 'drip' or 'drop' breaking the silence.
She remembered the next cavern as well as she did the previous one. Most of the cavern was taken up by a pool, turned green due to a slew of minerals. But the selling point was the large hole in the top of the cavern. Through it you could always get a clear view of the moon.
Fili had stopped and was silent.
"Wow."
Arriah smiled.
Suddenly she was pulled to the ground. Arms wrapped around her waist and a head rested on her shoulder, Fili's legs stretching out on either side of her .
"Is this okay?"
Arriah nodded. "Yeah."
She couldn't help but place her hands atop of Fili's, slightly entwining their fingers.
"Yeah, this is nice."
Woohoo! Some more Fili and Arriah action! Man, I need a ship name for these two! Any ideas? R&R!