"Minaimîr! Anórmír! Stop!"

I knew that voice. I knew who owned it. I knew that I could not disobey, no matter how much I wanted to. My feet refused to move any further, and thought I kept my gaze down, I knew that Rhiannon hadn't moved those last few steps to flee what we could both sense was coming.

I glanced up, but upon seeing Gil-galad's icy glare look of cold fury, I looked down again quickly. It hurt to see him like that and know that for some reason or another, it was our fault that he looked upon us in that way. I'd never seen him angry like this, not this frosty manner in which he marched us back to the main pavilion. I realised that as we followed him I'd become withdrawn from it all, but that is how I react when I've disappointed someone I love and admire. I don't like to be on their bad side and I feel extremely guilty; even when I'm not sure what for. I don't speak unless I have a good argument to counter what trouble they believe I created. I noted vaguely that Rhiannon stuck close and to others her face might have been expressionless, to me it spoke of vast anger that would soon come forth if they weren't careful.

Rhiannon has the temperament of a Jack Russell and the hackles of one too. If she gets angry, EVERY person in the nearest league will know about it. She can be really nasty when she wants to. Thankfully, that's a side I've never been on the wrong end off. Oh, we have our arguments, but nothing like THIS. Upon entering the tent, I dared once again to look and meet Gil-galad's gaze, hoping to find some of the gentle understanding or mischievous sparkle in his eyes that I had become accustomed to. It was all gone.

"Why did you molest my Herald?" he demanded flatly. I stood in shock as Rhiannon stepped forward, putting herself between me and the Elf of my affection.

"Molest? Don't be a dumbass." I listened as she let loose a tirade upon the High King that released her anger and her thoughts of him in no uncertain terms. I know I have often complained about Rhiannon's babblings and how she never shuts up...but this time, I was proud of her, and grateful. I'd never had a friend so loyal, to have ever stuck up for me when I'm in trouble.

Alright, it sounds sappy and gross, but hey! It's a feeling that can't be described. One day, you might even feel it, and no matter how wrong your friend is, you're still glad that they stuck with you and told those buggers where to get off.

The next thing I heard was "Come on, Fe. Let's get the hell out of here." Naturally, I followed my Elf-sister. I did not envy Gil-galad, Glorfindel or Elrond who had been at the wrong end of Rhiannon's loud outburst, and I most certainly didn't want to keep them company. When you're in trouble, you get the hell out of there as quickly as possible! Besides, I knew that once the adrenaline started to wear off on Rhiannon, she'd suddenly regret some of the things she said- or rather, just the way she said them. She and I have an overactive imagination sometimes, so I knew exactly what she was thinking. The walk to the tent was a quiet one.

We didn't go to Glorfy's tent, nor Gil-galad's, but back to the one we shared as sisters. Both of us were consumed with our own thoughts until at last I broke the silence.

"Thank you." Rhiannon turned to me, somewhat startled.

"Pardon?"

"Thank you," I repeated softly. "For standing up for me." Rhiannon had already gotten into hysterics.

"Are you nuts?! I just bought us a ticket into the next Life!" I knew the source of her concern and guilt, and as she had done well for me, I was glad to be able to comfort her.

"He's not going to execute us," I replied gently.

"How do you know?" I could see she was still rather panicked about it and working up to the crescendo point of her self-criticism. I opened my mouth to answer 'I just do' but remembering Ereinion's fury, I closed my mouth again and said nothing.

The truth was, I wasn't sure, but somehow it seemed beyond Ereinion's morals to kill us just for being rude. No matter how much he might despise us at any given time, we were not evil and he would deem that death was not right and proper.

"I shoved his rule up his nose!" she wailed.   "I'd do it again in a second, but-"

"Shush!" I remarked firmly. "He's not going to do it. And if he even attempts to do it, I'm going with you."

"To the next life?" she sniffled, tears in her eyes.

"I came with you here, didn't I?" Rhiannon couldn't get rid of me if she tried, and somehow I don't think she'd ever want to. Rhiannon sniffled once more and leapt to wrap her arms around me. Startled, I stood there for a moment before returning the biggest hug I could without hurting her back. I looked at her face to see she was crying, and realised that I was too. There was a kind of embarrassed silence (anybody back home would've believed we were lesbians, not the best of friends/adopted sisters that we were).

"Maybe we should go apologise to Elrond," Rhiannon suggested, wiping her nose on the end of her sleeve.

"Nah," I wrinkled my nose. "He'll be alright. Besides; as much as I would have rather he'd been Ereinion, that little escapade this morning was quite a lot of fun." Rhiannon giggled.

"You mean the eating of truffles or the emotional scarring of Elrond?" I gave her a wicked grin.

"Both." Rhiannon grinned too.

"You know," she said feigning a casual conversational tone. "Elrond does have a nice set of muscles on him. You should have taken advantage when you had the chance."

Reflecting back, I don't know why I said it, but I did.

"Hell yeah. When we corner him again, I'm definitely copping a feel." The stunned look on Rhiannon's face was so funny that I burst into hysterical laughter as she gaped at me with eyes wide open. Eventually she realised I'd been joking, and joined in laughing.

We were silent a moment before she said, "Fiona."

"Yeah?"

"What if he doesn't try to execute me at all, but rather sets me to digging out privies? Would you still come along?" I hesitated on my reply, not relishing the idea of digging out privies. Death I can handle, after all I've done it once before. But I HATE cleaning out toilets and digging out privies amounts to just that but worse. Still, I doubted Ereinion, however mad at me, would make us- well, me anyway- do that. I grinned.

"Sure." Her lip trembled and tears welled up in her eyes again.

"Thank you," she sniffed, giving me another hug. I smiled, but my smile quickly faded as Gil-galad and Glorfindel entered the tent. I stood still as Rhiannon stepped forward, realising their presence.

"What do you want?" she snapped. For someone who was just upset over losing her temper, Rhiannon doesn't learn fast.

"To speak with Anórmír," Gil-galad said solemnly. "Alone," he added.

"Not bloody likely," Rhiannon replied, crossing her arms and glaring up at him.

"Lady, my patience is wearing thin," he warned, his tone hinting of his irritation with Rhiannon's defiant attitude.

I put my hand on Rhiannon's shoulder, taking my chance to get Rhiannon out of the potentially bad situation she was heading for if she kept up like that. My mouth was dry, so I just gave her a slight nod in agreement when she looked around at me. I didn't relish talking to Gil-galad alone at that time, but it was better than Rhiannon digging herself into a hole she wouldn't be able to get out of. She strode over to the tent flaps.

Just before leaving, she turned around and told him flatly, "If you hurt her, you can expect to be un-Elfed by sundown."

I stood expressionless as my sister and Glorfindel left the tent, but inside I was cringing. Rhiannon can't stand for anyone else to have the last word.

At last, we were alone. Gil-galad stood there just as silently as I, trying to find the words he wanted to say, as though he'd practised it over and over again and only now abandoned his earlier plans. I hugged my arms to my chest, suddenly anxious of the silence. I didn't know what to say.

"Anórmír," Gil-galad began, stepping forth with his hands out in an entreating gesture, but he stopped, losing the courage to speak his mind, and his hands dropped to his side. He took a deep breath. "Anórmír, I did not realize…I didn't know that you and your sister would be affected by that food – chocolate."  He started pacing up and down in front of me. "I was unaware that either yourself or Minaimîr had eaten some, and that the consequences would be no less worse than my own."

"We didn't either," I put in, not giving away any emotions in my voice or on my face but that of factual indifference. "Rhiannon – that is, Minaimîr and I had smelt the chocolate and did not realise that there was any effect on ourselves. We were unsuspecting of the results that eating it would occur. Maybe it's because we grew up eating it, or maybe it's just different for she-Elves." Gil-galad stopped his pacing and nodded, but kept his hands clasped behind his back.

"Yes." He agreed, nodding his head; but to what, I wasn't sure. "I have to admit, now that Minaimîr has revealed your, ah, dilemma, I understand now why you and she acted as you did towards Elrond." He sighed and turned away from me, so I could not read the emotions fluttering across his beautiful face. "Upon feeling the…effects…of smelling the chocolate, I knew that I would have to keep myself away from you...and clearly you both had done the best you could to combat those...feelings...also. Will you agree that Elrond was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time?" He glanced back at me. I couldn't help smiling. He put that very diplomatically. Definitely not how Rhiannon or I would put it.

We'd probably have said 'Elrond stuck his Elven nose where it wasn't bloody wanted'. Instead I replied with some humour to my voice, "I would, my Lord. He did it in good cause though – he sought an answer to your and Glorfindel's predicament, and rightly he surmised that we would know. But unfortunately, we could not give him a straight answer of words." I hesitantly stepped forward, reaching out a hand to Gil-galad's shoulder, I smiled timidly. "I do not know what Elrond has told you, but regardless of our actions, we only wished for him to leave before something serious really did happen. To be fair, we did try to warn him before our chocolate-fuddled minds kind of took over. If I'd been in the right frame of mind, I would not have acted in such a manner; but then, if I'd been thinking correctly, I probably could've answered him and sent him on his merry way."

Gil-galad couldn't help breaking out into a smile. "I have to admit, after the trouble of keeping myself away from you, I was really disappointed to hear that you'd taken the effects of the chocolate out on Elrond." I furrowed my brow but kept my dreamy smile.

"What exactly did your Herald tell you?"

"Elrond barged into my tent, appearing somewhat dishevelled, hysterical and outraged, to inform me that you and Minaimîr had molested him." Gil- galad recalled thoughtfully. I burst into giggles.

"I undid his braid! That was it!" I covered my mouth with my hands, unsuccessfully trying to stop my outburst of mirth. "My Lord, I promise you-" Ereinion was grinning now too as he took me face in his hands and kissed me soundly on the lips.

"I believe you," he replied earnestly.

"If there should ever be another occasion, I promise to 'take the effects of the chocolate out on' you." I said, trying to be solemn, failing miserably behind the grin I couldn't hide. Ereinion smiled and put his forehead to mine, looking down into my eyes as I tilted my head upwards.

"I should have trusted you, that you would not act in such a manner of your own free will. Especially not after what you did to me last night." I grinned.

"However did you manage to escape?"

"Well, I had the whole night to work on the knots. I have to commend you on your handiwork. It was dawn by the time I got my hands free. Barely in time before Elrond and Círdan came into my tent. Elrond was slightly suspicious as to why I hadn't finished the responding report; he mentioned it as well wondering aloud if you had anything to do with it. Obviously my calm answer wasn't convincing enough. I was quite annoyed when he interrupted us at midday."

"They might not have sighted you for the rest of the afternoon if he hadn't insisted on making sure you went with him," I replied mockingly.

"You think that?" Ereinion feigned innocence. "I didn't know what to expect." Ereinion pulled me closer and patted my bottom familiarly. "As much as I would like to take advantage of this moment, I suppose we better get back. I'm sure my presence is already missed, and I most certainly want you getting back to your story. I'm intrigued to read the next part." I blushed. I'm quite protective of my writing around people I know. I felt a bit embarrassed that Ereinion had been given such an insight as to my personality through my writing.

As we stepped outside the tent, I realised that Rhiannon was nowhere in sight. It was unlike her to be far from where there was potential trouble. With a sinking feeling, I realised that Glorfindel wasn't nearby either.

"Where's Rhiannon?" I asked the High King of the Elves, hoping he would know. Ereinion shook his head.

"I do not know. Glorfindel had intended to wait outside with her. I do not know of his intentions other wise."

"Is it likely that they'd be in his tent?"

"It's possible," Ereinion conceded. "You may look in on your sister, though be careful. We do not know what state the two may be in." He kissed my forehead. "I shall meet you in the main pavilion once you are sure she is alright." He strode off, his step much lighter and merrier than before.

I grinned triumphantly as I set off towards Glorfindel's tent; Ereinion Gil-galad's confessed jealously had proven to me how much he loved me. Admittedly there's a downside to such over-protectiveness, in which something innocent might be taken the wrong way, but I would never repeat 'the accidents' and I certainly wouldn't do anything to give cause for him to be jealous again. I understood why he had been so angry though; I feel much the same way about Ereinion as he does me. If you love someone, you should be utterly devoted to them. I revelled in this discovery.

Ereinion would do anything to make sure that I would be his, and his alone.