Chapter Twelve: On Disney Princesses, More Shakespeare, and Utter Frivolity
DISCLAIMER: This chapter was written under the influence of small children and sugar. This is a highly toxic and oftentimes lethal combination. In case of an overdose, do not try writing fanfiction.
Big Author's Note: Hello all! Let me just start with saying that initially this chapter was going to be just an Author's Note, but then I decided to post a very short snippet of the next chapter with it just for fun. It's all from Adonnenniel's POV, so it's...aaah...interesting to say the least.
Anyways, what I was going to say in my just Author Note's chapter is that due to a variety of reasons, I will be unable to write more and update until sometime after May 20th. One of the reasons is that I need some time to consolidate all the ideas I have floating around for where to go with this story. I have literally written six entire pages of possible plot twists and endings. Lol.
But to hold people over until I can update an actual chapter again, I'm going to do something I've never done before but have always wanted to: I'm hosting a question and answer talk show!
You may ask me, Estela, or Adonnenniel any type of question, and I/they will answer it. Questions can be related to the actual story, or can just be anything random. Funny questions as well as ligit questions are naturually appreciated, and multiple questions per person are highly encouraged ^.^
I'll compile all the questions/answers, and post them as a chapter sometime between now and May 15th :)
And, as the disclaimer indirectly implies, I was babysitting while writing what you're about to read. Babysitting=a legalized form of slavery. The midgets were watching a movie, and I kept pausing in my writing to watch certain parts. I found myself actually getting caught up in the movie and thinking about it way too deeply. Philosophically contemplating children's movies can be fun on some level, but I claim no responsibly for the affect this has had on this chapter. You'll see what I mean. Blame the midgets.
Random Quote: "Today, I thought I'd look up weird laws for Minnesota. I have discovered that it is illegal to cross state lines with a duck atop your head. They've foiled my plans again. MLIA." ~mylifeisaverage dot com
Dinner consisted of bread, fruit, and cheeses. Again. Okay, thought Adonnenniel, Not like I'm craving meat or anything, but this is getting ridiculous. Don't they have pasta or something?
They also ate in silence, another thing that bugged Adonnenniel to no end. She believed that people should always be talking, and silences should be nonexistent. She was trying to restrain herself from letting out a long stream of one-sided conversation. But the Elves ate slowly. Freakishly slow. And after half an hour of this, Adonnenniel lost it.
"Okay, really. What is up with the whole not talking thing? Is it some weird Elvish rule? Or did you guys all come down with a sore throat at the same time?" Everyone was staring at her. Some of the Elves dining with them looked up, their features freezing in varying degrees of shock. But Adonnenniel was on a roll now.
"And no offense, but don't you guys eat anything besides bread, fruit, and cheese? I mean, I don't eat meat myself, but I still have some variation in my diet. Like, do you guys have dessert here? Ever heard of ice cream or cake? No? Crème brulee? Rice cakes? Come on, work with me here." She paused for a moment. The Elves were staring at her as if he had never seen anything quite so strange before.
"You know, in all the movies and stuff with Elves I've ever seen, they're like, really happy and joyful all the time. Don't you guys at least sing or something? I know! You should all have a karaoke night or something. Seriously, ya'll need to loosen up." She opened her mouth to speak once more, but Estela bumped in.
"Adonnenniel." Her sister's voice sounded slightly annoyed. Just slightly. "You…"
"It is fine," said Haldir suddenly. "She is correct, in part. I apologize. We have not had strangers in Lothlorien for a long while, especially those from another world. We served you common foods because we did not know what it was that you were accustomed to eating. And we did not know if it was customary for your people in dine in silence. It is actually most unlike our kind to assume silence during meals."
"Well, can we agree to unassume it right about now?" Adonnenniel suggested. "It was seriously weirding me out." She fingered her bread, happily oblivious to the strange looks she was getting.
"You speak oddly," commented a petite female Elf sitting a few chairs down the table.
"Nice to meet you too," Adonnenniel said gruffly.
"I meant no offense," said the Elf lady, smiling at her tentatively.
Adonnenniel made a dismissive noise and cheerfully smiled back. "Don't worry about it, none taken. So what's your name?"
"I am Aaeriel."
"Coolios. You know, your name sounds like a Disney Princess." The words were out before Adonnenniel realized it. "Umm….I guess you guys don't know what those are…" She looked at Estela helplessly.
Estela was sorely tempted to start laughing, but she instead composed herself and answered factually. "What she means is that in our world, there are certain stories that are very well known everywhere. They are called fairytales, and they often involve things like princesses, dragons, and knights. They're told to children to teach morals and lessons. Like, what goes around comes back around and treat others how you want to be treated. The story of Ariel is the title of one of those famous stories, and she is the protagonist. It's actually quite a unique story, different from all the other really cliché ones."
An Elf who Estela did not recognize then spoke from the other end of the table. "Would you be interested in reciting this tale?"
"Yes," said Sam between a mouthful of bread, "Why don't you?" Frodo and the other hobbits nodded.
Estela blushed. "No, but I'm sure Adonnenniel will. She'll probably even act it out for you if you want. She was in the musical version of it last year."
And then, without further prompting, Adonnenniel stood up and shamelessly began telling the story of Ariel to a group of Elves. Estela was very much aware of how strange this was. Dining with Elves while simultaneously watching her sister act out The Little Mermaid as a one man show was definitely not up there on her list of normal things to do.
And yet, either the Elves were as good at acting as Adonnenniel, or they were truly and utterly enraptured by her. The food lay forgotten on the table, every head turned to watch Adonnenniel. She slipped into all the characters easily, and told the story with enthusiasm and passion. Estela almost expected her to burst out into song, but thankfully, she did not.
After her performance, Adonnenniel sat down, grinning widely.
"Well, that was fun," she said happily. "It's been, like, way too long since I've been able to act in front of people." She looked at her audience, and laughed. "You guys are staring at me like I've grown another head or something. It wasn't that amazing."
"I thought it was," Merry said. "It was very strange, but also fascinating. You should do this every night for us." Adonnenniel began giggling. All around the table, the Elves and the rest of the Fellowship were nodding.
"You know, by the time I leave here, my ego will be so ridiculously inflated it won't even be funny anymore," she said. Again, she was oblivious to the questioning looks she was receiving. The Elves seemed to view her as an eccentric and bizarre creature, but also as lively and fascinating.
"You mentioned that these types of tales contained morals," Frodo said. "What exactly was the moral of that story?"
Adonnenniel thought for a moment. "I don't know if there is one," she admitted. "What do you think?" she asked Estela.
"Well," she said, "I guess you could say that it's about how love, specifically selfless love, can overcome all obstacles." Estela nearly laughed, realizing how cheesy she sounded. God, what is wrong with me? she thought. She glanced around the table, and saw that Legolas was staring at her. Flustered, she looked away and mentally shook herself.
"Another theme is self sacrifice," Aragorn said. Estela looked at him in surprise. Out of all the people here to have an opinion on a silly children's story, he was one of the least she would have expected.
"The woman sacrifices everything for her lover simply because she wants to be with him," he continued. "She disobeys her own father and rebels against the traditional ways of her people. She also becomes vulnerable in doing so, and willingly allows herself to become another race altogether. Even though they are two very different people, their love prevails in the end."
"You sure we're still talking about Ariel?" Estela whispered sympathetically to him.
"You are quite perceptive," Aragorn whispered back. He sounded sad, but also faintly hopeful.
"I think it is also about innocence," a pretty female Elf sitting beside Boromir said softly.
"Yes," Estela nodded, surprised. Geez, this was weird. "You could say one of the themes is standing by your friends when they're in distress and enjoying life the way it should be."
Sam chirped in. "Like how sometimes it's best to view things simply like children do."
"It also reminds me of Romeo and Juliet," said Adonnenniel, looking at the members of the Fellowship. "Like how they were star-crossed lovers and all. Except the lovers don't end up dead in a children's story," she noted wisely.
"What is Romeo and Juliet?" asked a pretty blonde female Elf seated beside Haldir.
"It's a play," Adonnenniel said. A moment of silence ensued, which she promptly filled. "So what's your name?" she asked the Elf who had asked her about Romeo and Juliet.
"I am Lalaith, wife of Haldir and sister of Aaeriel," she said politely.
"Congrats," Adonnenniel smiled. She looked contemplatively at Haldir for a moment. "Does every Elf have blonde hair? I mean, first Galadriel, then Bellethiel. And of course Legolas." She looked around the table. "Geez, all of you have blonde hair! The heck is up with that? No wonder everyone keeps staring at me here." She fingered her own dark hair. "Ha! I must look like an alien to you guys."
"Your hair is quite exquisite, actually," Lalaith said warmly.
"Thanks," she smiled.
"Would you care to tell us more about this play you mentioned earlier?" Lalaith asked.
"Estela would probably be able to tell ya'll about that better than me. She's got Shakespeare down." Adonnenniel was still oblivious to the strange looks she was the object of.
Estela sighed, then once more launched into explaining Shakespeare. The Elves stared at her with deep interest and slight amusement. Estela dimly wondered if that was just some sort of default look they gave every outsider. After she explained Romeo and Juliet, Merry and Pippin asked Adonnenniel to once more recite her monologue. She did, and the Elves were absolutely enthralled by her again. They spent the remainder of dinner lavishing her with praise, asking more questions about the play, and occasionally coming back to the topic of Ariel. The conversation seemed inexhaustible.
When the night was over, Estela and Adonnenniel walked back to their rooms together to retire. They were both glad to have become acquainted with the Lothlorien Elves, though Estela was still unsure of what to make of the whole episode. Well, she thought before falling asleep, that was certainly a strange ice breaker.
Coming Up Next!
-A question and answer talk show featuring Estela, Adonnenniel, myself, and anyone who asks questions!
Another Author's Note: I just realized that I spent a Friday night drawing parallels between a Disney Princess movie and Lord of the Rings. Lovely. Anyways, don't forget to ask questions! I'm gonna have so much fun with the next 'chapter'.