Part 3! Enjoy!
Thranduil tugged at his tunic collar as he looked in the mirror.
"You are making me nervous, Thranduil. Knock it off," Balamaethor said, straightening his own tunic. "You look fine."
"Sorry," the prince said, glancing around at his friend. Thranduil was dressed in a silvery blue tunic and dark blue leggings with black boots. He wore a simple silver circlet on his head to indicate his station. Balamaethor was wearing a forest green tunic with yellow embroidery and brown leggings and boots. He was dressed to match his love Raina, who was to be wearing a dress of pale yellows and greens.
"Are Novathin and Lithiavas coming here?" Thranduil asked, needing something to distract him from constantly fidgeting.
"Yeah, they will be here shortly. You do realize that by dressing like that you are going to have to fight off a hoard of ladies if you intend to search for Ellissiel, right?"
"So what else is new?" Thranduil said sarcastically. "I can manage."
"I hope so, for your sake," Balamaethor said, glancing around at his friend. "Then you can stop all this nervous twitching. I am tempted to go find her myself just to have some peace."
"How do you think we felt when you first met Raina?" Thranduil countered testily. "You wouldn't shut up about her."
"Alight, alright, I get the point," Balamaethor said, walking towards the door as they heard a knock.
"You both ready?" Novathin asked, dressed in a blue and white tunic, while Lithiavas's was green, a couple shades darker than Balamaethor's, with a light brown trim.
"As we will ever be," Balamaethor replied. "Even if we weren't, I'd throw Thranduil out of the room. This lady of his better be there tonight."
"Keep it up, Balamaethor, and I won't be so lenient next time we spar."
"Just give me a century or two. I will be better than you ever were," Balamaethor countered cheerily as the group left for the festival grounds.
As predicted, Thranduil was mobbed by ladies as soon as he stepped foot on the festival grounds. There was music playing as elves either danced or talked and laughed over plates full of succulent foods. It was the dancing that most of the young ladies were after, and a few tried to lead him onto the dance floor immediately. Figuring he might have better luck looking for Ellissiel while navigating the dance floor than sitting at a table, Thranduil accepted the request of the closest elleth. Unfortunately, it was Brilnariel, who seemed to think she was the prince's favorite since she had now gotten his personal attention twice in the last month.
"You look so handsome tonight, my lord," she said, battering her eyelashes as she looked up at him. She was wearing a rather hideous purple dress, but manners dictated that he compliment her as well.
"And you look lovely this evening, Lady Brilnariel." He had paused when he reached her name, taking a moment to remember what it was. She appeared not to notice, however, and beamed up at him.
"Thank you, my lord! I am so grateful you agreed to dance with me this evening."
It was about this point that Thranduil stopped listening. Like last time they had spent time together, he was trying to act interested while looking around for evidence of Ellissiel instead. Even after he switched partners and danced with another elleth, whose name he forgot as soon as she finished say it, he continued scanning the crowd, looking for the one elleth who could have his undivided attention.
Celeborn sat on a raised platform not far away, and kept looking back at the young prince as he talked with various elves. It appeared that Ellissiel was not there, as the prince went through a series of dance partners which he took absolutely no notice of. Finally, he waved over Lithiavas, who happened to be walking by.
"My lord?" Lithiavas asked, curious as to why the Lord Celeborn wanted him, considering they had rarely exchanged words.
"I understand that Prince Thranduil is looking for a certain lady tonight," Celeborn said softly, leaning towards the other elf. "Have you seen her? The prince seems to be having no luck."
"I have not, my lord, though I do not exactly know what she looks like. I have never met her." Celeborn sighed, sitting back in his chair.
"That is unfortunate. I do hope she arrives soon. I'm not sure how much more waiting Thranduil can take."
As it turned out, Thranduil could handle very little waiting. It was long before midnight when he gave up and excused himself from whatever lady he was currently dancing with, and headed towards Novathin. He would have sought out Balamaethor, but he was currently dancing with Raina and would not be very sympathetic if pulled away from her.
"No luck?" Novathin said as Thranduil approached him and Lithiavas sitting at a table at the edge of a clearing.
"No," Thranduil said, sitting down heavily. "I can't keep pretending to pay attention to the ladies I dance with either."
"I don't know what to tell you," Novathin said, grabbing a goblet of wine from a passing attendant and pushing it towards Thranduil. "You are the only one who knows what she looks like."
Thranduil sat in silence, tapping his fingers against the table as he brooded. Novathin and Lithiavas excused themselves and started dancing, since the prince was not being conversational. Looking at them dancing happily, Thranduil decided he didn't want to be a part of the merriment anymore. Standing quickly, he slipped quietly away from the festival.
Entering the stables, Thranduil thought about taking Arandil out for a ride. Smiling humorlessly, Thranduil thought that maybe the stallion would be able to find Ellissiel again for him. If nothing else, it would calm his nerves to get out and ride into the trees.
"How are you tonight, my friend?" Thranduil asked, scratching the horse's nose. He started getting out his gear for the horse. He was strapping on the saddle when a buckle fell off. Sighing, he bent down to sort through the straw to find it. Upon straightening up, he found himself looking at Ellissiel, who was standing just outside the stall, her hands hidden behind her back.
It is hard to say who was more surprised, the prince or Ellissiel. The latter looked down quickly, her cheeks going pink again, which made Thranduil smile, but he was also suspicious.
"Lady Ellissiel. What are you doing in here this evening? I didn't see you at the festival."
"No, my lord," she said, not looking up. "There are to be falling stars tonight, and I wanted to see them, so I did not attend the festival. The lights make it hard to see the stars."
"Well you can't see many stars from in here either," he said good-naturedly. He was relieved that she was not avoiding him, as he had feared.
"No, my lord," she repeated, still looking determinedly at the ground as her cheeks got a shade darker.
"What are you doing in here?"
"Nothing, my lord," she said, looking up finally. "Just walking around the stables."
"Yes, I heard you like horses," he said before realizing he probably shouldn't have shared this information, for she quickly looked down again, turning yet another shade darker. As it was too late to turn back, he plunged onward. "What have you got there?" He had noticed when she caught sight of him she quickly hid something behind her back, though he had been too shocked to see her to pay attention to what it was.
Slowly, Ellissiel guiltily pulled an apple out from behind her back.
"I just wanted to feed him!" she insisted. "I really wasn't trying to cause trouble."
"Well you better give it to him then," Thranduil said, amused, as Arandil stuck his neck out of the stall to get at the apple.
Ellissiel glanced up at him, before hesitantly holding out the apple for the eager stallion. Arandil quickly devoured the treat. Thranduil noticed that a small smile had appeared on Ellissiel's face as she watched the horse.
"I get the impression you've visited him before," Thranduil said, looking down to finish buckling the saddle. He glanced up at Ellissiel as she pat Arandil's nose as he searched for more treats.
"I am sorry, my lord. I will stop. He is just such a beautiful horse."
"I'm not chastising you," Thranduil said, walking towards the stable door. Arandil put his head over the prince's shoulder, forcing Thranduil to scratch his nose. "I can tell Arandil appreciates the treats. You are welcome to spoil him, though I suppose that means I will have to take him out more so he doesn't get fat." Thranduil's statement was rewarded with a smile, which he was incredibly pleased was directed at him and not the horse.
"Thank you my lord. If I had known he was your horse, I would have asked permission first."
"Quite alright," Thranduil said, leading Arandil out of the stall. "Since you are so fond of him, perhaps you would like to join me for a ride?"
Ellissiel opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted as voices drew near, calling out for Thranduil. He looked around at Novathin and Lithiavas as they rounded a corner and came towards him. Turning back to excuse them for interrupting, he found that Ellissiel had disappeared. Frowning, he made to go after her, but was stopped by Novathin.
"We've been looking for you. Lord Celeborn was wondering where you went."
"I was just talking to Lady Ellissiel, actually," Thranduil said, annoyed that they had scared her off. "What does Lord Celeborn want?"
"Well truthfully, he was worried you were upset that Lady Ellissiel had not shown up," Lithiavas replied. "I can see the point is rather moot now."
"I was having a good conversation with her until you two showed up," Thranduil said, still frowning. "Who knows when I'll see her again now."
"Don't blame us, we didn't know," Novathin said. "Sure you can't just follow her now? You should be able to catch up if you ride Arandil."
"She did say she was watching the falling stars tonight," Thranduil said, his anger evaporating. "Maybe I can find her out on one of the hills." He mounted Arandil and started off after Ellissiel.
"And what are we suppose to tell Lord Celeborn?" Novathin called after him.
"Just tell him I went out for a ride," Thranduil called back over his shoulder.
Ellissiel lay on her back, looking up at the stars. Every few minutes, she saw a falling star shoot across the heavens, making her smile.
As she lay there, she thought about her recent escape from the prince. She couldn't understand why he was so nice to her. From what he had said, she was fairly certain he had heard about her horse thieving exploits, and wondered why he was not more upset at her for feeding Arandil.
Sighing, she stared up into the night sky, failing to notice the soft sound of hooves approaching. When she did hear them, she sat up abruptly, surprised to see Prince Thranduil for the second time that night, this time riding towards her on Arandil. His blonde hair shimmered in the starlight, and she could clearly see the smile on his face as he looked down at her.
"How are the falling stars?" he asked as he dismounted. "May I join you?"
Ellissiel nodded, watching him walk towards her and lay down to her left, his own eyes directed skyward. Ellissiel remained silent, turning her eyes to the heavens. They were both silent for several minutes, watching the sky. As a star streaked across the blackness overhead, Thranduil broke the silence.
"You never answered my question."
"Which question?" Ellissiel asked, eyes still directed upward. She could feel the prince's eyes on her though, watching her intently.
"I asked if you wanted to go for a ride with me, since you are so fond of Arandil."
"Oh," Ellissiel said, before falling silent. She was unsure whether this was a trap, to see if she had ridden him before. Since she hadn't, and really wanted to, she felt that she should accept the offer. Besides, he was a prince, and it would be rude to decline.
"Not tonight, but maybe some other time?" she asked, still not looking at him.
"How about a week from today? Are you busy?"
"I don't believe so," she said, hugging her knees to her chest as she gazed at another falling star.
"Excellent. Let's say, an hour after noon at the stables?"
"Alright," Ellissiel said before falling silent again. After a moment, the prince asked her another question.
"If there are falling stars all night, why didn't you at least go to the festival for a few hours?"
"I like music and dancing, but there are a lot of people at the festivals," she replied. "I like being out here by myself."
"Well you should go to the next one," Thranduil said, shifting slightly in the grass beside her. "I think you would like it if you went."
"Maybe," Ellissiel said, watching three stars fall one after the other. Beside her, Thranduil was also watching the stars, and silently decided to make a wish for each of them. The first was that he wished Ellissiel to join him the following week for riding. He wasn't sure she would, considering how she kept disappearing on him. Second, he wished she would go to the next festival, so he could dance with her all night. Third, he wished that someday, however long it took, he would get a kiss from the lady sitting beside him.
"So how were the stars?" Quessiel asked the next day as she had tea as usual with Ellissiel and her mother.
"They were beautiful," Ellissiel said, sitting down beside her sister. They had decided to have tea outside, as it was a particularly warm and beautiful summer day.
"You should have come to the festival," Quessiel said accusingly. "Prince Thranduil looked very put out all evening, and disappeared early on."
"How is that my fault?" Ellissiel said, scowling. "Besides, he looked perfectly happy when I saw him in the stables."
"When was this?" Minuial asked, looking at her youngest daughter. "You didn't say that you saw him."
"I may have gone to give Arandil an apple and found him there," Ellissiel said, looking guilty. "But the prince said it was okay, so no harm done."
"What did you two talk about?" Quessiel asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"Arandil mostly. He did ask why I wasn't at the festival. I suppose that's how he found me on the hill, too."
"He followed you to the hill?" Quessiel asked, excited. "Then what?"
"We just watched the stars," Ellissiel said. "And he offered to let me ride Arandil next week."
"Is that so?" Quessiel said, grinning widely. "So you have a date with the prince next week."
"No!" Ellissiel said defensively. "I am sure he just wants to keep an eye on me so I don't take Arandil out without his permission."
"Ha, if you say so," Quessiel said, unconvinced. "Anything else you want to share?"
"There's nothing else to share," Ellissiel said, frowning at her sister.
"When exactly were you going to ride Arandil next week?" Minuial asked.
"Next Saturday, an hour after noon," Ellissiel replied, taking a bite of her biscuit.
"Weren't you supposed to go to the beach with Althirn that afternoon?"
"Oh my, I completely forgot!" Ellissiel said in shock. "I will have to go talk to him and move the date or time."
"You better do it now," Minuial advised. "Don't leave it until the last minute."
"Alright, I'll go," Ellissiel said, standing up quickly and dashing away to find her friend.
She knocked on Althirn's door a few minutes later, shifting her weight nervously from one foot to the other, chewing on her lip.
"Good afternoon, Lissi," Althirn said cheerfully upon seeing her, his green eyes shining merrily. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise? Please, come in."
"I have to apologize, Althirn," she said, looking up at him as she came inside and sat down. "But I made plans for Saturday afternoon. Could we push our trip to the beach back a few hours, or perhaps change the day. I'm sorry, I completely forgot."
"Sure, we can go later. What came up, if I may ask?"
"Well you know that beautiful white horse I was telling you about?"
"Yes," Althirn said, watching her carefully. "You didn't steal it did you?"
"No, I didn't," Ellissiel said, feeling that it was unfair how everyone assumed this about her. "But it turns out he is Prince Thranduil's horse, and last night he offered to let me ride Arandil Saturday afternoon."
"You met the prince and didn't tell me?" Althirn said in surprise. "When did this happen?"
"A few weeks ago," Ellissiel said with a shrug. "It wasn't a big deal at the time. But I went to give Arandil an apple last night and Prince Thranduil was in his stall, and we started talking, then he found me on the hill watching stars and asked if I wanted to ride Arandil. You understand, don't you? I really want to ride this horse. He is beautiful."
"Sure, I understand," Althirn said, smiling. But as Ellissiel looked away to grab a biscuit that Althirn offered to her, he frowned. "Are you sure you are only doing this because of the horse?"
"Of course I'm sure," she said, taking a bite. "Why else would I ditch you?"
"Well it's not exactly a secret that Prince Thranduil is a highly sought after elf," Althirn said, watching her closely.
"You sound like Quessiel," she replied, shaking her head. "The prince is probably just trying to keep an eye on me after I snuck in to feed his horse last night."
"Alright," he replied, still watching her, not at all convinced. "Just promise not to ditch me again."
"I promise," Ellissiel said with a laugh, hugging him before standing to leave. "I'll come find you Saturday afternoon when I'm done riding."