Old Habits Die Hard

"You looked so elegant last night and the way you carried yourself around the other nobles," Sirawen sighed, "I wish some handsome elf would ask me next time."

Le'ariel smiled. "You never know. There is always the next century."

"I suppose. But I mean, really, how many nobles do we get in a century who visits Mirkwood that actually speaks to us servants?"

"Think positivity."

Sirawen took her elbows off the counter, crossed her arms, and stared at her friend. "You seem happy this morning."

"What do you mean?" Le'ariel gave her strange look.

"I have never seen you take this long to fold napkins and in such perfect order, plus your highly positive attitude this morning tells me something happened last night!"

The chambermaid started laughing. "I have already told you, nothing happened."

"Oh, hogwash! Le'ariel, please. Do not make me force it out of you," Sirawen begged.

Her friend laughed again. "As I said, nothing happened. We merely took a nice walk by the river and..."

"And what? And what!" Sirawen was hanging on her next words.

"And...we talked," Le'ariel smirked back.

Sirawen pouted her lips and sat back down, defeated. "You are like a steel cage. How can that body of yours hold so many secrets?"

"It is easy when you do not have many secrets to hold."

"A-ha! So you do have a secret!" Sirawen poked her on the side.

"Stop it," the chambermaid smiled as she slapped her hand away.

Dalorien walked into the kitchen. "What are you two still doing here? Do you not have other chores to accomplish?"

"Yes, mother, we were just leaving," Le'ariel smiled politely.

The two female elves look at each other as if they were mischievously hiding something and left the kitchen quietly. Dalorien heard them giggling in the hallway. "What has gotten into those two?"

"Fine, if you do not want to tell me, I will just have to get my information elsewhere," Sirawen gave her a know-it-all look with a wink as they departed separately down the hallway.

"And what does that mean?" Le'ariel dropped her mouth in protest.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"Sirawen..." she folded her arms. The chambermaid didn't like what her friend was possibly plotting.

"Do not worry. I am not going snoop around in your affairs if that is your concern."

"Oh, really?" Le'ariel looked unconvinced.

Sirawen walked up to her and placed her fingers on her friend's face to make her mouth grin widely to exaggerate a huge smile. "There you go. Keep that positive attitude of yours!"

"Sirawen!" Le'ariel rubbed her face as she called after her.

"Good day, Le'ariel!" she ran laughing down the hallway.

I I I

What is Sirawen up to? She better not start spying on me. Oh, if she does or says anything that she should not be doing...she will definitely hear from me!

The chambermaid was so wrapped in her thoughts that she didn't bother knocking on the prince's door like she normally did to make sure he wasn't disturbed if he hadn't left for the day. However, Legolas was usually gone by the time she arrived to take his laundry, so she figured there was no harm in not knocking this time.

Le'ariel undid the knot on the laundry sack and walked inside. As soon as she looked into the room, her body froze in shock. The room was dark. The heavy drapes still covered the windows but the light from the hallway gave her the visibility she needed stop in her tracks.

"Lady...Reylien?" she whispered.

"Le'ariel!"

The elf-maiden, in her embarrassment, stumbled as she tried to pick up her gown from the pile of clothes on the floor. The only thing she was able to put on was her undergarments before Le'ariel walked in. Reylien wanted to sneak away quietly before the prince awoke or before anyone saw her in his chambers but it was too late.

"I am so sorry!" Le'ariel grabbed the doorknob and almost slammed the door shut behind her. She leaned against it with her heart pounding like drums in her chest. She faintly heard Reylien call her name before the door closed, and as soon as she heard the prince stir in his sleep, Le'ariel dashed back to the servant quarters leaving the laundry sack where she dropped it.

Her face was tomato red by the time she got to a secluded corner. The female elf felt more embarrassed than the maiden for walking in on her—on them—like that! Her thoughts began to race through her mind as everything happened so quickly. Le'ariel wanted to scream at the top of her lungs, but most of all, she wanted to punch Legolas in the face. An idea that could get her beheaded if it was to come true.

"How dare he bring Reylien to his chambers? I cannot believe he has made her a victim to his ways just like the others! I…I…could kill him!" The chambermaid angrily mumbled to herself down the hallway.

"Le'ariel?" Velhar happened to pass by and saw her talking to herself. "What are you doing here? Are you already finished turning down the beds and taking the laundry down to the cleaners?"

"Yes, I am!" She huffed away.

Velhar shrugged, wondering what was wrong with her. Nonetheless, continued about his business.

Author's Note: Sorry this chapter was a little bit shorter!