Naliah and her friends Thalassa and Pegellia walked through the White City, ascending its narrow paths to reach the very top. They enjoyed going to the top of the city because it provided the most sun, as well as being the breeziest and having a wonderful view. Other parts of the city, especially the lower ones, were dank and gray, and very shady.

When they reached the top, they paused beside the statue of Aragorn that had been erected not three weeks before. Just two days after his son had been sworn in as king, the true king had died in his chambers with his wife and son at his side. Thalassa touched the smooth stone of the statue. "I shall miss our king," she said solemnly.

The othet two nodded. "He was wonderful," Naliah agreed.

"And the stories about him!" Pegallia rejoiced. "Why, do you know all that he had done?"

Naliah had heard a few. "He was involved in the War of the Ring, was he not?" She tried to remember what her father Diathor, who served on the council of Gondor, had told her when she was smaller. "He was a companion to that hobbit who found the ring. Frodo was his name."

"Yes," Thalassa said. "And he was a leader in many great battles, include the battle of Pellenor Fields. Right down there!" She pointed in the general direction of the field that seemed miles below them.

"Was he? I heard about that battle… my grandfather was in it," Naliah commented. "He told me there were unimaginable creatures involved… Orcs, Oliphants… great terrible giants destroying everything in their paths!"

"Aragorn was so brave."

The three girls retired to their favourite spot, benches beneath the white tree of Gondor. It stood tall, if rather ugly, in the centre of the king's courtyard. Ordinary citizens were not always free to enter the king's chambers, but were allowed to gather outside whenever they wished.

"He is rather cute, I think," Thalassa was saying.

"Who?"

She laughed. "Mithrennon, of course! If he is not a better king that Aragorn, he will at least be a more handsome one."

Naliah giggled. "Thalassa, you are terrible. We know nothing of what Aragorn looked like in his younger days."

"Well, Arwen is beautiful," Pegallia said, "and Mithrennon is gorgeous. So, there could not have been much ugly in Aragorn to create such a prince."

"And he is only seventeen," Thalassa said dreamily. She kicked her foot up so that her long red dress swished at her heels. "He could be with any one of us."

"We must be too high up," Naliah commented, nudging Pegallia, "for I think Thalassa's head is in the clouds!" The three of them broke into laughter once again, and Naliah added, "Kings do not marry common people." Her dark blonde curls blew against her face when the wind howled. Though the three girls were all of the same class and people, they looked quite different.

Naliah was blonde, of average height for her age with big brown eyes. Thalassa was dark haired, tanned-looking beauty, and always suspected that her father used to be one of the men from the South. Pegallia was short and stout, with freckles and deep red hair that glinted like copper in the sunlight.

"Well who else would he marry?" Thalassa challenged. "You know, Naliah, I heard my father talking to your father the other day about marriage. Your marriage."

"Mine?" Naliah repeated. "But I'm not getting married."

"You may soon be," her friend warned her. She lowered her voice, noticing other citizens behind them. "Your father came into the shop yesterday. I was helping my own father stock shelves because his assistant had fallen ill, and Diathor said he was looking to arrange a marriage for you!"
"What?! Thalassa, why haven't you spoken of this before?" Naliah stood up, eyes ablaze. The wind whipped her pale pink dress in all directions, but she scarcely noticed. "I cannot be promised to a man! I am but sixteen!"

"You should do better than to eavesdrop in your father's shop," Pegallia scolded her.

"It's exciting though," Thalassa said, ignoring Pegallia's comment. "Think about it… you'll be a wife! I'm sure your father will not just allow a man to marry you… he will probably ask permission to court you first." She winked. "That will be exciting."

"No, it will not," Naliah groaned. "I remember the last boy who courted me. Leonar." She rolled her eyes at the memory of the cocky, snotty boy who had tried to kiss her in the fields.

"Oh, that was just a petty crush," Pegallia said. "You would get real kisses from a man who was to be your husband." She sighed dreamily. "I wish I was going to be married."

Naliah shook her head. "I have no interest in men as anything more than companions right now. I really hope my father was not serious."

Thalassa, who had already been courted many times by many boys, smacked Naliah playfully on the arm. "Naliah, you will like it. Besides, I'm sure your father will set you up with someone nice."

Naliah sighed once again. She could see her carefree future falling apart faster than a badly woven dress. "Girls, I don't want it to be arranged! If I meet a man myself, I want it to happen like it does in the stories." She remembered a few of the bedtime stories her mother had told her. "Girl and boy meet, fall in love, live happily ever after."

"Well the good part about it," Pegallia spoke up, "is that you won't have to wait to meet him!"

***

Legolas and Gimli sat in the king's main hall with Arwen and Diathor, one of Aragorn's most noble councilmen. Mithrennon sat with them also, leaning forward on his throne.

"Of all, you, my lady, will remember Aragorn's request that Mithrennon be matched with a suitable wife from his kingdom?" Diathor queried. He looked at Arwen, who nodded.

"I wasn't informed of this," Mithrennon grinned.

Arwen laughed. "You were quite young, dear."

Diathord smiled. "Yes, you were, my king. Your father and I discussed it for a long time. Now you see, I have a daughter almost the same age as you are. Aragorn felt that she would be a most noble and lovely wife for you, if you were to approve."

Mithrennon cupped his chin in his hands. "I would not object to marrying a lovely woman," he said slowly. "What is her name?"

"Naliah," Diathor said proudly. "She is beautiful and very smart, and also quite cunning. I'm sure she would serve you well as a wife, my king."

"Remember that we are not pressuring you," Arwen prodded him gently.

"Yes," Diathor echoed. "It is merely a suggestion brought forward by your father long ago. If you would like, I can arrange for the two of you to meet sometime and get to know each other. We know this is a big decision, and we do not expect you to ask her for her hand right away. Or even at all, if it is not what you wish," he finished respectfully.

Mithrennon nodded. "I would very much like to meet her. She sounds lovely." He smiled at Diathor. He knew his father had trusted this man many times, and that his family was honourable. "Bring her by tomorrow, at noon, and I will take her for picnic."

"Splendid!" Diathor cried, shaking the king's hand. "My king, thank you very much. I am sure Naliah will be very pleased with this." He bowed to Mithrennon, and then to Arwen and the king's advisors. "Until tomorrow then!" He walked out of the long hall, his boots echoing on the marble floor.

Arwen gave her son a kiss on the cheek. "Mithrennon, you did not have to agree."

"I wanted to, mother," Mithrennon replied, and he meant it. "I think it would be lovely to have a companion. You are all wonderful to me, but to have a wife would make me very happy. I know I am just young, but it seems right."

"As you wish, my son." Arwen left him alone with the elf and the dwarf.

"A lass, eh laddie?" Gimli chuckled. "Yeh've been on the throne but a month and already yer makin' demands!"

"Aye, Gimli, you're just jealous because you haven't a woman of your own," Mithrennon said cheekily. Legolas laughed at this, and eventually, so did Gimli.

"What're you laughin' at, eh?" Gimli asked Legolas. He nudged Mithrennon. "Why, this lad's been alive for nearly three thousand years and hasn't managed to find himself a lass!"

Legolas shrugged. "I am patient, that is all, Gimli."

But secretly, Gimli's comment had stung. Legolas wished he could find a girl to call his own. Seeing his friends in love, friends like Faramir and Aragorn, it had made him ache to love someone like they did. He had had many opportunities to bind himself to a female, but none of them enchanted him in the way that he wished. He wanted to find that spark, the flame that would burn through him, make him ache with desire.

"Aye, well… we'll all get there someday," Gimli responded. Legolas held his head.