Curious Conversations
"Will you go away?"
"But, Le'ariel, when?"
"When I feel like it is when!" she snapped back.
Velhar began to be quite the pest the last couple of weeks. He kept hounding her every chance he got regarding the letter and if she had told Legolas. The more he bugged Le'ariel, the less she felt inclined to bring it up to the prince. She stomped around in the laundering area with Velhar following her like a lost puppy.
"You know you have to tell him sooner or later..."
She turned around quickly to meet his eyes. "Or what? You will tell Legolas?" Her tone sounded as if she was challenging him. Her friend looked away when the small rush of panic set in his muscles. He was never really one to start an argument with Le'ariel nor force anything upon her for he knew he would lose. Velhar took a step back, getting nervous.
"No...I did not mean that. Tis your business, not mine I—"
"Exactly! So leave it be!" Le'ariel hissed a little quieter this time as the other elves began to glance in their direction. The female elf closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Look, Velhar, Legolas is a complicated elf. I need to approach him with this carefully and make sure I give him the assurance he needs that this was only a friendly request, nothing more."
"But why wait so long? He might end up angrier for not telling him sooner."
"Let me deal with that. And another thing, why do you care so much if I tell Legolas or not? Do you by chance have something to gain from it?" Le'ariel looked at him suspiciously.
"What? Of course not?" He scoffed. "What could I possible gain from that letter? I do not care for the prince or Adanion, for that matter." Velhar folded his arms with the most convincing pout he could create.
"Then what is it, Velhar?" Le'ariel wasn't buying it for a second.
He had to think quickly of another excuse. "I do not care for either elf, Le'ariel. You are my friend and I do not want to see you get hurt or have this looming over your head, putting you a fouler mood than Minar whenever she see looks at herself in the mirror."
She had to laugh at his remark. "No one can out due Minar in that department, not even the king himself."
"But you understand what it is I am telling you, yes?"
"Yes, I do Velhar. Thank you for your concern but it is not necessary." Le'ariel picked up the basket of clothing she was carrying earlier and added, "I can take care of myself. You should know that."
Velhar watched her walk away to complete her morning chores. This was harder than what he originally anticipated, but he knew from the beginning it was going to be a difficult task, especially with the extra work Minar had them doing. The servant couldn't follow up with Le'ariel as much as he wanted to, although bugging her every chance he got was more than enough.
This was a task he didn't ask to receive or was willing to accept—if he had a choice—but he had to do it. He wasn't just supposed to be the elf-prince's babysitter, but he also needed to keep an eye on Le'ariel to make sure she goes through with telling him. Velhar had to make sure a certain elf giving him orders was pleased. The or else part he didn't want to know.
It was times like these he hated being a servant.
"Velhar! Do not just stand there daydreaming! Help me unload these!"
"Oh, right! Yes, ma'am!" One of the older servants named Nuna rolled her eyes at him as he scrambled to help her.
I I I
"There you are," he smiled.
"Yes, just as I said I would be," she smiled back. She dangled her legs over a broken tree trunk.
Legolas put his bow and quiver aside and sat down next to her. He smiled once more at Le'ariel and gave her a sweet kiss. He then cupped her cheek in his hand. "I have missed you. Whenever I ask about your whereabouts, everyone always tells me something different. What have you been doing, my love?"
The chambermaid took his hand and held it in her lap. "Running around the castle, my darling. Minar gave us extra chores to do for one whole year," she smiled sarcastically.
Legolas chuckled. "Let me guess...it was you, Sirawen, and Velhar she gave extra duties to?"
She nodded with a childish smile on her face. "Correct!"
"And what was it this time?" He lightly tapped his forehead against hers.
Le'ariel's eyes divert away for a quick second and laughed. "Daydreaming...of all things."
"About what? Me, I hope." He winked at her.
"Well, I cannot speak for Sirawen or Velhar, but yes." Le'ariel gave him a small kiss and then placed her head on his shoulder. There was some truth to what she said even though she left out the major details of why she was thinking about him, which of course had everything to do with the letter from Adanion.
When she got to her room the day the letter arrived, she hid it inside her pillow case. There wasn't a lot of hiding areas in the servant quarters since servants were only given the bare essentials—a bed, a desk, and a dresser. Le'ariel could have probably hid it better, but the pillow case was the first place she thought of when she fell asleep that night.
The chambermaid knew she had to tell Legolas but she didn't know how to begin. Every time they were together, it always seemed like the wrong time for that sort of conversation. She just wanted to them to enjoy each other's company without any arguments.
"What are you thinking about now, my love? It seems you have slipped away from me..." Legolas was still smiling at her when she lifted her head.
"What?" She looked at him with a puzzled look on her features.
"I asked you if you wanted to have dinner with me tonight in my chambers? And then perhaps, spend the night."
"Oh," the female elf let out a soft laugh. "Yes, of course."
"I promise I will not keep you up too late," the elf-prince smiled mischievously.
Le'ariel playfully pushed him. "Yes, you better not! You also have to wake up early tomorrow, Prince Legolas!"
"Oh, right. Tis that time again," Legolas frowned.
"Legolas, the elven-children love seeing you." She wrapped her arms around his waist, bringing him closer to her.
"No, I did not mean it like that. I enjoy teaching them archery, but I would rather spend more quality time with you. Plus Keldir will be there to help them with the targets. He should be fully capable of taking care of a few elflings."
"My dear...the Captain of the Guard may be able to control and command his soldiers, however, elven-children are in a league of their own. How many times have you seen archery lessons go well with only one teacher?"
He started laughing. "Yes, I suppose you are right. I can already see chaos brewing if I were to leave Keldir by himself."
"Chaos you say?" The sound of hooves approached them from the rear. Keldir rode around the forest looking for Thranduil's son. When he finally heard the two, he slowed down the pace of his horse.
"Speaking of Melkor!" Legolas joked.
"You do not trust me to fully guide and polish the skills of the elven-children?" The captain looked hurt. "To turn them into sharp, attentive arrow shooters and mold them into strong soldiers?"
"Keldir...they have not even reached thirty winters yet," Le'ariel softly laughed at his words.
"Hmm... true." He nodded in agreement. "And after that last incident with the...in the... never mind," Keldir shook the memories out of his head. "Very well, tis settled then. I will see you bright and early tomorrow, Prince Legolas, however, in the meantime...your father would like to see you."
From the look in the captain's eyes, Legolas knew it wasn't of good news. The king normally sent Keldir to summon him only for important matters pertaining to their territory. If it were of lighter matters, any available servant would be told to find him.
"Very well." Legolas stood and picked up his bow and quiver. "I will see you tonight." He gave Le'ariel a quick kiss on the forehead. She nodded with an understanding smile. The prince jumped on the back of Keldir's horse, giving Le'ariel one last look.
"Milady," Keldir bowed his head and off they rode back to the Underground Kingdom. The chambermaid sat there watching them until they disappeared.
I have to tell Legolas soon before this becomes even more complicated than it already is. But when? And how? He will probably throw a fit if he knew about the other letters...
Le'ariel's subconscious screamed at the top of their lungs, but until she could fully release it out loud, it did her no good. The frustration in her head and stressed muscles didn't want to go away either and it made her feel uneasy and moody all the time.
The extra work Minar gave them was punishment at first but now she saw it as a blessing. The only times Le'ariel could escape the letter was when she was busy working, which helped occupy most of her thoughts.
I need to do something to relax myself...but what? After a few moments of thinking her eyes lit up. I know exactly that will do the trick! I just hope they are both available. She jumped up from her sitting place and ran back to the castle.
I I I
"Enter."
The double doors opened, revealing the prince and the captain. King Thranduil was hunched over his desk with a map of Middle-earth and their territory circled in red. His advisors stood to the side and bowed at Legolas. He and the captain stopped a few feet from where the king was.
"Father, you called for me?" Legolas said in his proper, princely tone.
"Yes...yes I did," the elven-king sighed. "There is much we need to discuss..."
He motioned for the guards by the double doors to close them. As soon as they did, King Thranduil spoke of things that gave Legolas a heavy heart. Keldir remained silent and only spoke when he was asked to or gave suggestions that would make certain strategies easier.
This was something Legolas thought they would never have to deal with again, but he knew if they didn't, the responsibility would befall on his shoulders for he was the Prince of Mirkwood.
I I I
"This is exactly what I needed..." Le'ariel breathed. The sensations flowing through her body was indescribable.
"How could we have gone on for so long and not have done this sooner?" Sirawen leaned back and closed her eyes. "What were we thinking?"
In the deeper parts of the castle, there was a cavern where small ditches were made and cemented to resemble bathtubs that were used as hot baths for wounded soldiers or for those whose muscles were sore from fighting, cool baths. Because there hadn't been any major battles in the last few centuries, the baths were forgotten and rarely used. Le'ariel and Sirawen used to sneak in and bathe in the wee hours of the night while everyone was fast asleep. They worked quickly to bring hot buckets of water to fill the two ditches they were now relaxing in, facing back-to-back in their own respective pools.
Le'ariel placed a damp cloth on her forehead and sunk even deeper into the water. She begged her mother earlier to give her one of her famous massages before heading down there with Sirawen. Luckily, she caught her mother in time before she disappeared again. It wasn't a very long massage but it was enough to loosen her muscles. With her muscles unknotted and relaxed, nothing right now could disturb her peace.
"So, Le'ariel...how are things going with the letter?" Sirawen adjusted her position. She hadn't gotten the chance to ask her since they both had been busy. This is the first time she remembered to ask since the day Le'ariel received it.
"That stupid letter? Going... going nowhere..." she answered in a sleepy voice.
"What do you mean going nowhere?"
"I have not told Legolas. I do not know how to tell Legolas. I cannot open my mouth to form the words to tell Legolas. And I do not want to fight with Legolas. How is that for an answer?"
Le'ariel's voice was very mundane. She sounded tired of talking about it as if she repeated herself for the hundredth time. She still has the cloth on her forehead with her eyes closed when Sirawen turned to look at her while she was giving her answer.
"Velhar has been bugging you, am I correct?"
"Correct."
"Oh, that Velhar!" Sirawen shook her head from their friend's lack of not knowing when to mind his own business. "He can be such a nuisance sometimes. No wonder why you do not want to talk about it."
"Well, that is the thing, I have not even begun to talk about it..."
Sirawen finally sat up correctly, takes the cloth off her forehead and turned to face Le'ariel. "What do you mean now?"
Le'ariel opened her eyes and twisted her body in the same posture, mirroring her friend. She began to tell Sirawen of things that made her jaw drop open. Sirawen couldn't believe her ears and as always, was eager to know more by the second. There were times when she had to cover her mouth from the shock and from screaming out in hysterical laughter.
Not that any of it was funny, more amusing in the sense, as her friend's story unfolded. Sirawen had the giggly feeling females got when they talked about the opposite gender in their young adolescent days.
The elf hiding in the dark near the entrance couldn't hear a word they said and it frustrated him to no end. For an elf, he had pretty poor hearing, unable to understand what they are talking about. Maybe it was because Sirawen's facial expressions and the tiny little giggles coming from her distracted him? Or maybe it was merely because he didn't understand how females communicated with each other. Whatever the case was, it had to be something worthwhile for Sirawen to react the way she did.
Elves are known to be able to hear a pin drop from a mile away, but they also know how to change the frequencies in their voices so that other elves couldn't eavesdrop so easily. This worked especially well for the elven-king's army and his advisors when talks of war floated in the air.
The chambermaid did well to keep her voice down in case someone was lurking close by... and a good thing she did, for Velhar strained his ears to the point where they felt like they were ringing in his head. All he could hear were sounds like murmuring in the wind. He finally gave up and left still frustrated and disappointed with no news to report.
"Did you hear something?" Le'ariel asked.
Sirawen looked around the empty cavern and shrugged. "Must be your imagination?"
"Hmm...yes...must be..." her voice sounded unsure.
Author's Note: Okay, so I made up the part about elves being able to change the sounds and tones in their voices and all that. But wouldn't that be something?
Thank you again for your reviews!