The Forgotten

by Faerlas

"Daughter of Exiles needs returned. Thy Lord & Lady bid thee fetch her." After a series of dreams, Jennifer saw the person in her dreams outside her school window. She fell out of the window and landed in Middle-earth with Legolas. The next morning she awoke and her ears were pointed. But why? ***Very canon compliant***Story re-written b/c long overdue. RATING JUST TO BE SAFE.

49. Clothing, Swords, and Kisses

THE FORGOTTEN

Hammad, Megil, a Mib

Clothing, Swords, and Kisses

Author's note: The chapter in which – Legolas gets floured, Lothril gets frocked, and Thranduil gets floored. …I decided to name the royal tailor Filegon. It's properly pronounced: Fill-eh-gone. Even though text to speech insists it is "file-gone". Also, I'm not gonna lie, I started doing the chapter titles in elvish on a whim and sort of show how Lothril's focus was going to be on being an elf and not sword fighting and whatever. But geez Louise is it making my life interesting when coming up with chapter titles! I enjoy the challenge, but at the same time, what I might have called it otherwise is often castrated by not wanting a VERY long chapter title or the vocab simply not being there. Also of note: This chapter onward there is going to be more occurrences of...let's call it spicy fluff. Nothing outrageous or explicit, but it is going to be there. As the ratings system on here is a bit... open to interpretation, I will try to let you know the chapters that have more concentrated doses of it. This chapter is one of them and it's basically smack middle.

It was the day of the planned sparring match with Thranduil, but at breakfast he had informed her it wouldn't be until later in the afternoon but he would likely be calling on her mid-morning. Legolas had intended on taking her out to one of the gardens that morning that was designed to be in full bloom that time of year, but no sooner had they reached the end of the hallway that led outside that a servant found him and called him away to the loading docks.

"Do you want me to come with you? We could head out after you're done," Lothril suggested.

"Unfortunately, this is likely to take long enough that we shall not be able to reach the gardens before Ada calls on you," Legolas said.

"Oh, well, then I will head back to my room and read or something. What do you have to do anyway?"

"Checking inventory to make sure everything I sent up from Gondor arrived," he answered.

"Would you like me to help?"

Legolas grinned and gave her a quick little kiss. "Thank you, but no, because I also sent up things you have not seen yet and they are surprises for later."

"Legolas! Really!" she chided.

He grinned wider. "Yes, really! I will meet up with you when I am done." He gave her a kiss on the cheek and hurried off.

"That elf," she muttered to herself with a smile.

She returned to her room and decided to explore it a little. The last two days had largely been spent exploring the halls with Thranduil. Now that she had a few minutes, she decided it was high time she figure out what all those other doors are in her room. Come to find out, that wardrobe she used last time usually acted like a coat closet and that there was an actual closet, and a darn large one. Complete with vanity, the mirror of which was borrowed for the writing desk with the idea being it would be more convenient for her to have everything she needed out in the open where it was easy to find rather than hiding in a huge closet. Now though, the closet was functioning as her proper closet and all her dresses that had been brought up with their company were now hanging in it and she vaguely wondered if all the dresses Legolas sent up from Gondor would be joining them by midday. She left the closet and tried the other mystery door to discover she had a little library study thing. There were plenty of books and a big desk along with an assortment of comfortable chairs and a very cozy fireplace.

She was perusing the books and seeing if there were any titles she recognized from Elrond's study when Estelneth knocked and stepped into the room.

"Lady Lothril, you are being summoned," she said.

"Oh, um, thank you, I'll be right there," Lothril said as she put the book back on the shelf and headed towards Estelneth who ushered her towards the anteroom where a servant she had seen at breakfast that morning awaited her.

"Milady, the king wishes me to bring you to him right away," the servant said with a bow.

"Thank you – my apologies, what is your name again?" Lothril asked.

"No need to apologize, milady. My name is Merion," he replied.

"Thank you, Merion," Lothril said.

Merion led Lothril and Estelneth to a new part of the palace she had not been to before, though she had been past it a few times, and into a room with a set of double doors with shining brass handles and hinges. He opened the doors for her and let her enter first.

The room inside was clearly a studio. There were lights everywhere and there was a huge window to the right that revealed this room was facing the river and all kinds of natural light was flooding in. The stone walls were polished to a high shine and there were lots of mirrors off to the left in slender silver frames so one could see oneself from any angle but also to throw the light around the room. It was also obvious this studio belonged to the tailor because there were sewing mannequins dotting the place, several of them looking rather reminiscent to the build of the king and the prince, all of them with outfits in progress or pieces of outfits in progress. There was a screen off in the corner to change behind, a sewing table off on the other side of the room, several very comfortable looking chairs dotted about, and of course, the tailor himself looking very sharp while fussing with the robe the king was trying on in front of the mirrors.

"Ah, Lothril, thank you for coming so quickly," the king said with a small but warm smile. "Are you done, Filegon?"

"If you are satisfied with the fit my king, then I am done," Filegon replied.

Thranduil shrugged out of a mottled silver robe and came over to Lothril and took her hands and gave her a deliberate kiss on the lips. He wanted her to know he was not only happy to see her, but excited, relaxed, and a little serious also and was that mischief? Something impish... in any event he kissed her and said, "I am glad you are here for we have business to attend to."

"Business, sir?" she asked, tacking on the sir because she wasn't sure how familiar she was allowed to be with him in a situation like this, kiss notwithstanding.

"Thranduil will suffice," he corrected quietly, though he was pleased with the way she worded things when she wasn't certain what was expected. "And yes. The dinner where you shall be introduced to the court is coming up in a few weeks and I want you properly attired. There are more than a couple lords who have thrown their daughters across Legolas' path and they may not be particularly pleased that their daughters were not chosen and especially that they lost out to you. I will be frank with you my dear, though Lord Elrond has adopted you and thinks of you as his own, and though I and Legolas both readily acknowledge that you are unquestionably Lord Elrond's daughter and lady of Imladris, there are some amongst the lords that shall not be as willing to view you as such. It is one of the reasons I was so happy to see he has given you symbols and tokens of his house that shall act as proofs that you are his daughter and that this is not some strange contrivance nor is this some meaningless honorary title."

"I believe I am following you so far, but dare I ask what you mean by 'properly attired'? I want to make sure my thinking is the same as yours," she asked.

"Nine yards of brocaded fabric," Thranduil teased, "And I think you are probably thinking rightly – I want to show them all immediately and in absolutely no uncertain terms that I am taking you, your position, your title, and your claims on my son's heart very seriously and I will suffer no challenges to it. You may hate me for this, but I want you the center of attention and I have given Filegon here my permission and blessing to be as ostentatious with you as he can contrive. However, this is also your introduction to court and it will not do if your mark is not made also."

She nodded, "Very well, Thranduil. Where do we start?"

"As the dinner shall take place at peak color, I was thinking the three of us in autumnal colors," he said.

"I can wear autumnal colors rather well," she said.

"Indeed, with your dark hair and eyes, I think they will look most becoming. Filegon, bring out some fabrics that will compliment Lady Lothril's dark hair."

The words had barely left his mouth when a number of attendants appeared in front of her each holding bolts of fabric and draping it out for her to look at. She hadn't been expecting that and stared wide eyed for a moment in surprise before gathering herself and seriously inspecting the colors and fabrics. If she showed any sort of negative reaction to a presented fabric, it disappeared in a blink. "I think one of these three maybe, but I am not sure."

Just then the doors opened again and in strode Legolas looking casual as you please.

"You are late," Thranduil said, deadpan. "And your hair is wet."

"It was unavoidable, I am sorry to say," Legolas replied.

"And why, pray, was that?" Thranduil asked, threatening to look amused.

"You know those very large sacks of flour we purchase? I was summoned to the loading docks to check and see if everything I sent up from Gondor had arrived, and on the same barge was also several sack of flour. I had just closed the trunk, thank goodness, when they started loading the flour onto a cart and one of the sacks loaded first had a weak seam and when they tossed more sacks on top of it flour went spraying everywhere. It looked like a fresh snow and a heavy fog down there for a long while. Everyone was coughing and flour was everywhere and poor Galion who was down there also slipped and fell into the river. He is fine, but then as he got out we realized everything he was dripping on was turning to dough. As we were all coated in it, we all decided we would work on getting it at least managed somewhat before any of us dared trying to leave and start tracking flour all over the palace. Once it was managed I ordered everyone take turns borrowing the outdoor showers the soldiers use in summer and ordered clothes be fetched for everyone so once they were clean they could go home and change and then go back to work without spreading flour around even more," Legolas explained. "And I knew this appointment was coming and that Filegon would not appreciate me coming in dusted in flour. It took two showers and a bath to finally get it all out of my hair. Anyway, that is why I am late and why my hair is wet."

Lothril laughed and said, "Oh that's just awful! Hilarious, but awful!"

Thranduil chuckled too and said, "It is rather amusing at that. Well, in that case you are quite forgiven. And thank you for seeing to it that my halls are not floured."

"You are welcome. Now, I believe melethril¸ you were saying something when I came in?" Legolas said, changing the subject.

She did her best to pull her attention back to the rich red fabrics and said, "I was saying I was not sure which of these to pick."

"Milady, if I may," Filegon interjected, "That is going to depend somewhat on what you wish to do with them. If you like we can keep these three in mind and start thinking of the kind of dress you want and then picking one of them from there."

"Good thinking, Filegon," she said. "The terms 'ostentatious' and 'center of attention' were tossed around earlier, but at the same time I do not wish to get lost in huge amounts of fabric or overly busy designs. I forget shall the dinner be indoors or outdoors?" she asked, turning to Thranduil.

"Outdoors and in the evening," he answered.

"And it is definitely chill in the evenings up here, so I shall want long sleeves…hmm…" she trailed off in thought as she stared at the fabrics. The silence in the room stretched on for a while as she was clearly contemplating this dress quite seriously. In her head she was mentally flipping through outfits she had seen here and trying to figure out what elements of things she could put together to make something that was ostentatious enough and worthy of being center of attention but still her. "Here is what I am thinking: a narrow sleeved dress with a skirt that hangs straight, but when I move it reveals panels a different color than the rest of the dress. For example, we make the dress out of say, the red, but then the hidden panels could be that bright orange or something. I am not saying those two in particular, in fact, I don't think I like that pairing at all, but something like that. Does that make sense?"

Filegon smiled. "It does, milady. And I think that is just the thing for you. Do you know which fabrics you would like?"

"To be perfectly honest, I have no idea. I just know I cannot wear yellow and I have to be careful which shades of orange I wear, but everything else is fair game. I just want it to be autumnal and the hidden panels to be flashier than the dress," she answered.

"If you will, I will work up some drawings and come up with some fabric and color combinations and then we can go over them together and decide what you want," Filegon said.

"That would be very helpful, thank you," Lothril replied.

"Before I begin though, I have another question for you – are you looking to only wear the dress or are you looking to wear a cloak or robe over it?" Filegon asked.

"A robe, and I do have a little more of an idea of how I want that to look," Lothril answered. "Actually, Thranduil, would you mind putting on again that robe you were trying on earlier for me please?"

The request was odd and unexpected, but he acquiesced and Filegon helped him back into it.

"Now you see how when this is closed it is closed up tight all the way up to just an inch or two below the collarbone? I want the same lines as this robe, but I want the neck opened up more like this," she said as she undid a few of the clasps and folded it back to look more like a lapel.

"Do you want it folded over like a lapel?" Filegon asked.

"Hmm, I think more like a wide bit of embroidery or trim that goes around the neck and all the way down the front," Lothril replied.

Filegon nodded and glanced over at an assistant who was busily scribbling down notes then he turned his gaze to another assistant and said, "Start working on a drawing of this but cut for Lady Lothril."

The assistant nodded and went and fetched his sketchbook and pencil and began drawing. While all this was going on, Thranduil was feeling rather amused at the situation. It wasn't every day he, the King of the Woodland Realm was used as a sewing mannequin for women's clothing. In fact, this was a first, which was rather impressive at his age.

"Thranduil, would you mind turning around?"

"Not at all," he replied and he turned to face the mirror, and watched them in it.

"Now let us take the skirt of this and make it just a little wider, but leave the train length about the same." She knelt down in front of him and began playing with the front hem by tucking it under. "What do you think if we shorten the front by about six inches so we can see whatever dress we put under it a little better?"

"If your heart is set on it, we can but I think it might be best if we leave it brushing the tops of your feet. Let us have it split apart naturally when you move so we get to see peeks of the dress when you walk, but cover it more when you are still," Filegon said. "That will continue the idea you have started with your dress on having there be more to discover than first meets the eye."

She nodded. "Yes, yes. I think you're right about that."

"Now milady, what of the sleeves? The sleeves on this are only separated by a seam, but, your majesty, would you mind holding your arm out for me please?"

Thranduil acquiesced, still terribly amused at all this.

"Thank you, aran nin, (my king)" Filegon said. "You see how this looks like this is all one piece, but the sleeve is in fact separated from the bodice. Do you want the sleeve like this?"

"I think such a sleeve would eat me alive, Filegon," she replied.

He laughed and said, "You might be right. What if we did something like this?" he asked as he folded back a bit of the bottom of the sleeve near Thranduil's feet so it came in at an angle.

"Yes! That is perfect! That is just the thing!" she said excitedly. "Well, I think that does it for me for the outer layer. Unless Filegon wants you for something else, you can take that off, Thranduil. And thank you for humoring us."

"You are quite welcome. It is not every day I get to play model," Thranduil replied with a grin. Lothril and Filegon kept discussing details of the coat as Thranduil sat down and said to Legolas, "That betrothed of yours has a way of making one do things."

"So I have noticed," Legolas smiled. "And she makes you believe it is the most natural and obvious thing in the world to do at the time."

Thranduil nodded. "It is like her conversations. They always seem to end up in a very different place from whence they started."

By the time they looked back up, Filegon and Lothril were having a very animated conversation about the dress again and Estelneth was being used as the sewing mannequin while they were discussing necklines. They seemed to be at odds about the neckline of the dress.

Just then a servant entered in from a side door carrying a large bolt of fabric. "Filegon, I think you shall be very pleased with how this turned out," the servant said as he brought over the bolt.

Filegon unrolled a yard or so and started examining it and seeing how it looked in the light. Thranduil and Legolas casually turned to see what the fabric was and as soon as Legolas saw it he said, "Lothril, you should wear that fabric."

Filegon heard him and looked and said, "Your highness, this was woven for the king."

"She can use it if she wishes," Thranduil said casually.

Filegon held it out for Lothril who went over and gave it a look. It was a beautiful maple red brocade with golden leaves that only were revealed when the fabric caught the light.

"Oh, I like that," she said and then fell silent as she unrolled perhaps another yard of it and began playing around with draping it.

"It suits you well," Filegon said. "We could use this for your dress and have the panels be silver, gold, yellow, or orange."

She frowned a little as she thought then slowly shook her head. "No, if were to use this in the dress, I would be more tempted to put it as the panel and have the dress be a velvet or something with this peeking out. I do really like this fabric, Filegon, it is lovely, but I am not necessarily married to it. If it works, it works. If it does not, it does not."

Filegon nodded. "Understood. Unless you have other ideas you wish to explore milady, I think we have taken this as far as we can for the moment until I have had time to work on things."

"No, I have no more ideas to explore right now," she replied.

Filegon nodded then turned his attention to Legolas. "Now for you Prince Legolas, if our purpose is to leave the court in no doubt of how seriously the king and yourself are taking her position and your deep and mutual attachment, then I wish to create something for you that compliments my designs for her outfit, by your leave," Filegon said.

"What do you have in mind?" Legolas asked.

"I think I wish to give you matching robes, at least so far as style is concerned. For you, let us go with the autumnal orange fabric we had looked at before and underneath, we shall use green as your outer tunic and then a clear autumn sky blue as the under tunic that will show but in the most subtle hints and peaks, paired with a brown pants," Filegon said.

"We looked at so many fabrics yesterday, remind me again which orange one you are referring to," Legolas said.

Filegon called for the assistant to bring it and moments later it appeared. Lothril gasped and was tempted to tell Filegon to use that for her too except she wasn't sure if she could wear that shade of orange or not. It was an attractive pumpkin orange textured velvet with leafy gold vines in it and hints of green.

"Oh my! That is lovely!" Lothril said as she drew near the assistant and ran her fingers over it. "If these colors only looked better on me, I'd wear this."

"Lady Lothril, I can certainly incorporate this into your ideas," Filegon said.

"Would you? Oh, but I mustn't be selfish and try to steal everyone else's fabrics," she said.

"Not at all, milady. I have many yards of this stuff. I can easily make the robe for Prince Legolas and have plenty enough left over to use it for you also," Filegon assured.

"If it can be done, then do so," Legolas said.

"It shall be done," Filegon said then turned to Thranduil and said, "My king, are you desirous to match your son and his betrothed, or would you prefer to stand apart from them?"

"In this instance Filegon, I wish to match. I also like that copper fabric we looked at earlier this morning. I think that I should also like a green outer tunic, but with the more open collar that I like, and hints of that orange if you can manage it," Thranduil said in a casual tone.

Filegon nodded thoughtfully then said, "Indeed, aran nin, I think I have a notion of how I shall design everything. I will work up a series of sketches by the end of the week for your approval. You said the dinner shall be in three weeks time?"

Thranduil nodded.

"Then I shall have it sooner. Now, if I may borrow Lady Lothril for a new set of measurements, I will take them now and then set to work immediately," Filegon said.

He took a new set of measurements for Lothril, as she was clearly much taller than before, and then she, Legolas, and Thranduil left, accompanying servants following at a distance.

"It is nearly lunch time; shall we go to it early and discuss plans for the dinner?" Thranduil asked.

"I would be very grateful if we did," Lothril replied.

Thranduil half turned his head to the accompanying servants and said, "Merion, please inform the kitchen to bring lunch to my rooms and see to it the fire is stirred up in there. The rest of you are dismissed." With that the servants immediately hurried off and disappeared.

"I wonder what Filegon is going to come up with," Lothril mused.

"Something that shall make you look as fair as starlight, I am certain," Legolas replied.

"Besides that. Oh! I forgot to tell him – well, I suppose it does not matter much," Lothril said dismissively.

"What did you forget to tell him?" Legolas asked.

"That I want to have stars incorporated into it somehow, but I suppose it does not matter too much as I intend to wear my ring and circlet from Elrond anyway," Lothril answered.

"No, that is very important and I ought to have thought it myself," Thranduil said. "Legolas escort her back and discuss this with Filegon and then meet me for lunch."

"Come Lothril," Legolas said as he took her arm. They were only perhaps fifteen feet down the hall so it only took a second to return, and Filegon had barely moved from where they left him and was giving directions for a number of fabrics to be brought out even as one or two sat at tables drawing.

As soon as he heard the door open his head snapped up and he said, "Your highness, milady," with a quick bow, "what brings you back so quickly?"

"It is on my account," Lothril said. "I forgot to tell you I wish to have stars incorporated into the outfit somehow. I intend to wear symbols of Lord Elrond's house and I thought it would be nice to have some presence of it in the clothes too."

"I am very glad you told me this, milady. I shall certainly see to it the symbols of your father's house are brought into this outfit. Is there any particular way you wish to incorporate them?" Filegon replied.

"No, nothing in particular," Lothril answered. "As I am now living in the Woodland Realm, I wish to make it clear I am both a daughter of Elrond and fully embracing my position here."

Filegon nodded thoughtfully. "I believe I can manage both. Is there anything else, Lady Lothril? Prince Legolas?" Filegon replied.

"No, that is it," Lothril said. "Thank you, Filegon."

And with that they left.

-0-0-0-0-

Lunch was a delightfully thick potato and ham soup and crusty bread paired with an early season mulled cider and lots of conversation about what the introductory dinner will look like and some discussion of menu and when they should meet up with Galor. As soon as they were finished eating Thranduil reminded her that their match would begin in two hours and in the practice fields. He excused himself from the room with the words, "Prepare yourself accordingly."

"Come, melethril, we need to get you ready," Legolas said as he stood.

She quickly gulped down the rest of her tea and followed him outside. He led her to the same outdoor armory that they had used for her archery lessons over a year ago. Once inside he guided her towards a staircase towards the back and up and into a room where her light armor was awaiting her along with her sword, her bow and quiver, and a variety of wooden practice swords.

"So, is this like my official warrior princess armory room?" Lothril asked.

Legolas chuckled and replied, "More or less, yes. At least until you are more settled. Once you are set and comfortable here things can be rearranged as you like. And by the way, I know you are eager to throw yourself into this life, but I confess I am going to miss your very Michigander way of putting things when it fades." He gave her a kiss then added, "Let us get you changed and then we will see about getting you warmed up and a little bit of practice in."

She nodded. "Then I'll try to hold onto my Michigander ways a little while longer. And yes, I am definitely a bit out of practice." She ducked behind the changing screen and saw her leggings and tunic neatly hanging on a wooden rack. She went to take off her dress and remembered it was one of those dresses that was oh so pretty and fit oh so well but was a bear to put on and off by herself. "Legolas, would you mind summoning someone to help me get this dress off, please?"

"I do not mind, but it would be much quicker if I helped you. I assume your struggles revolve around your outer dress?" he replied.

"It would at that and I need every minute of practice I can get," she answered.

He came behind the screen to find her standing with her back facing him and hair pulled off to one side. He immediately began undoing the tiny little buttons.

"What are the odds of us getting caught like this?" Lothril asked as he slowly was working on the buttons between her shoulder blades.

"Next to none unless you summon a servant in here. The room is already set up for you so there is no need for anyone to enter unsummoned or unbidden until well after the match," he answered.

"Is that per special orders of the prince or just in general?" she asked.

"That is the general rule," Legolas said, "unless you instruct your personal servants differently."

She nodded as she felt Legolas finally making it lower than her shoulder blades. "This dress is a pain, isn't it? It took Estelneth forever to get me buttoned up this morning and it's just tight enough that you pretty much have to undo them all."

"I will definitely be having words with Filegon about your dress closures," Legolas replied

Lothril laughed but quickly calmed herself down and said, "Alright, I need to focus. Is there anything I should know about your father before I fight him?"

"Do not hesitate and do not let your guard down until the match is called no matter how soundly you think you have him defeated. Oh, and do try not to injure or kill him, especially in the second round," Legolas answered.

"Legolas, really! It's not like I haven't sparred before."

"You have, but you have not fought against Thranduil. He makes it very easy to forget you are fighting a friend and not an enemy. I am not quite so worried about it in the first round when you shall be using only your skill at swordplay, but when you both start bringing spells into it in the second round is where I would caution you most," he replied.

"I will keep that in mind," she replied.

Silence fell between them for a minute as she started focusing and putting herself in fight mode, only being mildly interrupted when Legolas said he was done a minute later. She quickly pulled off the dress and her under dress and changed into her leggings and tunic and came out in front of the screen where Legolas helped her don her armor and braid her hair with very little conversation between them. Once dressed, she went over to the weapons and picked up her sword and swung it around a little before replacing it and then she began going through the practice swords and finding one that she felt was closest in weight, length, and balance to hers. Once satisfied in her selection she went down to the practice field, Legolas following after he ditched his long robe and outer tunic.

She warmed up and stretched out and practiced a little with Legolas. Nothing intense, but enough to get her reflexes going and put her in fight mode. Legolas meanwhile very, very fastidiously kept himself in a commander and trainer mindset because he was absolutely certain if he didn't keep his thoughts rigid and disciplined he would sweep her off the practice field to the nearest quiet and isolated corner he could find (which his mind had already plotted out where it was and how he would manage this without being followed), and take both their adair up on their word and only stop just shy of marrying her.

Hmm… he might anyway afterwards…

In an effort to keep her loose and warm but not tire her out at all, they were doing some slow basic drills when Thranduil arrived, himself only donning light armor of a gambeson, chainmail, bracers, greaves, hair in a long braid, and a helm under one arm.

"Are you ready to begin?" Thranduil asked casually as he approached her on the field.

"Whenever you are," she said, quickly putting on a helm she was borrowing.

Thranduil put on his helm and Legolas quickly jumped over the roped off edge of the field.

"Do you both remember the agreed upon rules?" Legolas asked, acting as referee.

They both indicated they did, and so Legolas gave the signal and they began.

For a few seconds neither one moved as if trying to determine what the other was going to do before they even twitched. Then in a blink Lothril went on the offensive, but a careful and calculated offense; fairly basic, but enough to make him start acting defensively. It didn't take long for her to determine he was not the sort to waist energy. All of his blocks were precise and lacked any flourish. Alright, not a flamboyant fighter, she could work with that.

Blows were exchanged and Lothril began to realize Thranduil wasn't trying to change things. Not really. Whether he was being nice or whether this was a Mohammad Ali ploy she wasn't sure, so she decided to force his hand. He was going to fight her properly and she was going to make him work. Like a light switch being thrown, she immediately shifted herself from friendly fight to full on battle mode. These swords were dull and both were armored. The worst she could do was bruise him badly or break something. Nothing she couldn't heal.

Thranduil knew she was supposed to be formidable in battle, but the sudden and complete shift in her attacks actually caught him off guard. He watched her eyes go from calculated to blazing in an instant and suddenly he had to get serious. The blows came fast furious and the practice swords clacked so fast it almost sounded more like a skirmish with multiple opponents verses a one on one fight. Legolas followed the action very carefully and felt a growing sense of pride in his beloved. She was putting his father through his paces and mercy sakes, if it didn't fan his desires for her to blazing. He was so absorbed in the fight that he didn't hear Gladhrion come up or even start making comments on the match.

Eventually Gladhrion gave up trying to ask Legolas how long they had been fighting and asked one of the soldiers who was standing nearby watching.

The fight took an unexpected turn when Lothril's sword snapped in half and instead of shifting to knife fighting, she instead launched herself square at Thranduil's chest, knocking the sword out of his hand in the process as she sent him sprawling on the grass. The shock only lasted a split second though and Thranduil quickly recovered himself and the next thing anyone knew, the pair of them were grappling and rolling in the grass and things looking they weren't going to end until one of them gave the other a bloody nose. But then Thranduil did something Lothril didn't have time to comprehend. All she knew was that one minute, she was on top and desperately trying to pin someone significantly bigger than herself and the next thing she knew, she was on her back, she couldn't move her arms at all, and Thranduil had her whole torso pinned down under his shin and she couldn't throw him off.

Legolas called it and Thranduil immediately got off of her and helped her up.

"You have to teach me how you did that," Lothril said with a grin.

"Gladly," Thranduil replied. "Are you unhurt?"

Lothril took a deep breath and replied, "Nothing feels bruised or broken, so I think I am fine."

"Are you ready for the next round?" Thranduil asked.

"Are you ready to lose?" Lothril replied with an unnervingly confident smile.

"You are formidable, but I think perhaps over sure of yourself," Thranduil answered, shifting back towards being more serious.

"I know my skills," she replied simply.

Legolas brought her another practice sword as Thranduil retrieved his and on his signal they began. This time Lothril waited for Thranduil to attack as she softly sang to herself. Thranduil did the same but only for a few seconds before he attacked. The attack was aggressive, but to his utter shock, she did not flinch. She barely moved. His sword hitting hers felt like he was banging it against a rock wall, not a wooden sword. He fell back, sang more and attacked again, her easily deflecting as she sang ever so softly to herself. Then she swung and her dull wooden practice sword sliced his in half easily and for the first time in a very long time he was actually scared of losing a fight. But to be fair, she looked terrifying. Her eyes blazed with starlight from the topaz depths, her whole countenance seemed to shine with a fierce light and she seemed almost to overwhelm him with her very presence… hadn't he thought her mind impressive when they used ósanwe? This was why – there was a mountain of power behind it, and one she had control of and was willing to use. No wonder she could spar with Glorfindel! No wonder the soldiers swore her sword was fire and she summoned lightening. Suddenly he believed it.

As soon as his sword was cut in half and he realized he was hopelessly outmatched, he dropped the hilt of the broken practice sword and held out his hands and said, "I yield!"

Legolas immediately called the match and Lothril stopped singing and seemed to shrink back down into the elleth that was quiet, reclusive, humorous, and generally very congenial and laid back.

"I did not doubt Celeborn's account of you, but I did not realize the extent of the truth of it," Thranduil said.

She grinned like he just told her that her dress was pretty and her hair looked nice. "Yeah, I think I scared him a little a couple times before I mastered my skills."

"Would you mind showing me the extent of them?" Thranduil asked.

"Depends… how many practice dummies are you willing to lose?" Lothril replied.

"A few."

"Legolas please fetch my sword," she said. "And I will try to keep the damage to a minimum."

Legolas gladly ran up to the room and came back moments later with her proper sword as they approached a line of wooden practice dummies. He handed it to her and she thanked him and proceeded to resume her singing for a few minutes before approaching one of the dummies and slicing it clean in half vertically before moving onto the next one and altering her song a little. She made a gesture that looked like she was throwing out her hand to tell someone to stop and immediately the second dummy burst into pieces.

Everyone stared at her wide eyed, for not even Legolas knew she could do that, and Thranduil said, "I think I thoroughly believe the tales I was told about your sword being fire and you summoning lightening."

She laughed a very casual and amused laugh that was in wild contrast to the display of power she had just shown. "I promise you, they were exaggerated. I did not use that last song at all in battle because I never would have made it through the day if I had. Oh, but this will not do, I am afraid I have frightened you all."

"Not frightened, but certainly surprised. Though clearly we have all forgotten our history if we expected anything less from one who is half elven and half maiar," Thranduil replied.

Lothril finally noticed the small crowd that had gathered and reached out to Thranduil with ósanwe and asked, "Is it a problem that I have defeated the king in a fight?"

"No, pen mell (dear one). My pride is not that fragile nor my throne dependent on me being the best swordsman in the kingdom. Besides, as I recall we each won a match," he answered in kind then said aloud, "Good match. We shall have to do this again. Shall I see you both at dinner?"

Lothril nodded. "I believe you shall."

"Maybe," Legolas added.

The look of surprise that crossed Lothril's face wasn't missed by Thranduil. Nor was the ever so subtle pleased and excited expression that quickly replaced it only to be smoothed out into something generically pleasant.

"Regardless, I shall see you both sooner or later," Thranduil said with a neutral but congenial face and with that headed off.

"Come Lothril, let us get you out of your gear," Legolas said, practically dragging her back towards the outdoor armory.

The moment the door to her dressing room was shut behind them he was pulling off her helm and peppering her with kisses. "Do you have… any idea… how utterly… madly… intoxicatingly… attractive you are… to me… when you show… such confidence… in your skills?" he asked between kisses that felt so eager, aroused, and needy Lothril would have felt sorry for him if he wasn't also in the process of lighting her world on fire. "Do you know… how much… I want to show you?... Give to you?... Desire you? …Permit me to remove your armor."

She would have replied verbally, but his mouth was occupying hers at the moment and she was suddenly very eager to be rid of her chainmail and gambeson, so she brought his hand up to one of the ties which he immediately and deftly began undoing without breaking their kiss. Within seconds he had her untied and then there was a loud metallic thud and cha-chink as her chainmail fell to the floor in a heap. With even less effort he got her gambeson untied and then removed but it only landed with a soft thwump. Now she was down to a thin tunic and a pair of leggings and Legolas nearly groaned as his hands settled on her waist and he could feel the heat of her skin through the shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and could feel the curves of her back and her figure as he drew her closer to him. There was no way he could ever tire of feeling her body, was there? No way in Arda or Aman!

"Goodness Legolas, you're acting like a starving man at a feast," Lothril managed to half mutter when his mouth finally left hers and he began kissing her neck.

"I am starving and you are a feast," he whispered in her ear.

"We were alone four hours yesterday," Lothril moaned, attempting a protest but have mercy! That ellon and his mouth… the things he could do to her neck and ears alone…

"Not enough. Not nearly enough. I have been spoiled by having days and days alone with you and I have not had that since we left Lothlórien," he answered quickly before tangling his fingers in her braided hair near the roots and gently tilting her head so he could get to her neck better.

"And whose fault is that?" she asked, desperately trying to sound stern but who was she kidding? She was about to start melting and both of them knew it.

"Irrelevant. I have you now and I need you now," he muttered against her neck as he gently pulled over the neckline of her tunic to get to where her neck curved into her shoulder. "My word, I want you!"

"How far are you planning on taking this here?" Lothril asked, barely managing the sentence.

"As far as you are willing," he answered before gently tilting her head the other way and beginning again on the other side. "Truly… you have no idea… how utterly attractive… I find you… especially when you fight… Mmm… you are delicious!"

"I am also sweaty and dirty still from fighting,"she answered, stuffing down a moan.

"I do not care,"he muttered before descending on her lips again. He began undoing her braid. "It makes you more desirable."

"I think the word you want is 'sexy'," Lothril blurted out.

"Yes, you are. Very sexy. And if there is one word I will borrow from your old world, it is that one," he replied, letting his hands finish undoing her braid before trailing slowly down her back to her waist.

"How would that render into Sindarin? Irui? Ireb?" she mused.

"We shall parse it out later," he replied before kissing her mouth again and letting his hands slide up her rib cage a few inches. He loved feeling her body move beneath his hands… he loved feeling and hearing her breath hitch when he deepened his kisses to her. He loved everything about her! He could barely wait to claim every last inch of her and give every last inch of himself. Next year… a few weeks after this next year…

It wasn't unusual for her to take several minutes to relax into their kisses, and when it did, he always knew she was ready to move forward when her hands would finally come up and touch his body. Her hands settled on his chest and he moaned. Then they drifted down his torso and came to rest on his sides at the waist and he groaned.

There was a knock at the door and she froze and he sighed in frustrated. Before he could even react though, she was out of his grasp and calling out, "One moment!" as she was gathering up her dress and underdress and grabbing a brush off the changing table before grabbing Legolas by the shoulders and pushing him behind the door which she then opened with a polite smile on her face.

"Milady is there anything I may get for you?" the servant at the door asked.

"As a matter of fact, yes. Please take my things back to my room," she said, handing her the dresses and then proceeding to brush her hair as if the servant had caught her in the middle of it.

"It shall be done. Would you like me to send someone to attend you?" the servant inquired.

"No, thank you. Just the dress," Lothril replied with an easy smile.

"Very well, Lady Lothril," the servant replied and then with a bow, turned and left.

Lothril shut the door, dropped the brush, and grabbed Legolas and said, "Now where were we?" as she began retracing the path her hands had taken earlier of trailing down from his chest.

"Hold a moment – if we stay here, servants will return to see to your armor," Legolas said even as he shuddered slightly under her touch. "I know more than a few quiet corners where we shall not be disturbed, if you are interested."

"Very."

He quickly combed his fingers through her hair, put on his outer tunic and robe and then led her very casually out of the armory and off into the trees.

"Where are we going?" Lothril asked with ósanwe.

"Towards the river," Legolas replied.

"Just so I can get my bearings, towards or away from Lake Long?"

"Away," he answered.

They walked very casually until they reached what seemed like the edge of the lived in stretch of forest. Barracks, outbuildings, and houses seemed to end a bit abruptly and Legolas informed her this was the end of what could be considered palace grounds and the beginning edge of protected forest that they would use for hunting. At that point he began going along at a jog and pulling her along. It didn't take long for the forest to grow wild and thick. He led her towards a particularly thick swath of trees, which they had to push through. On the other side of it the trees were thinner and there was a great bend in the river and where they came out was the bottom of the horseshoe shaped bend. So unless someone was boating up the river or on the other side (which Legolas informed her was extremely unlikely as any inhabitants on that side of the river lived towards Lake Long, not away from it), they wouldn't be seen or heard. Especially as that bend was home to a very noisy and splashy set of small rapids.

"What do you think?" Legolas asked as he let her explore the quiet little bend.

"Is this one of the places you said you day dreamed of bringing me to?" she asked with a teasing little grin.

Legolas nodded. "One of them."

"And we shall not be disturbed?" she asked.

"No. No hunting parties will be arranged until after midyear and no one can hunt this stretch of forest without permission from the king," Legolas answered.

"We shall have to start over, you know," she said as she returned over to him with a coquettish little smile.

"I do not mind," he replied as he took her in his arms. He kissed her then added, "Especially when you are being a flirt."

"What do you prefer?" She asked before she kissed him. "Me being confident or me being a flirt? Or perhaps me being a confident flirt? Oooh! Oooh! What if I was a seductive confident flirt?"

"If you ever manage to be a seductive confident flirt, I will take you on the spot," Legolas replied in what sounded like a stern promise. Then he grinned and added, "However right now you are being a silly confident tease and I find it equal parts adorable and desirable." With that he began to kiss her slowly and she could certainly feel his amusement at her adorableness and his desire, but underscoring it was a deep and burning passion and he was barely keeping it checked lest it consume them both.

Sometimes she really liked weird little gift… a lot. He could restrain his actions, he could check his words, but if he kissed her he could not hide his feelings. She was feeling mischievous. She was feeling experimental. She was feeling perhaps a little naughty. She decided to poke a little at his self-restraint.

Without any warning or preamble, she began undoing his robe as she kissed him. His feelings shifted to include pleased and anticipation. She broke the kiss and began undoing the top closures on his tunic with an impish grin. He raised a brow but let her do it.

"And now what shall you do?" he asked, sounding more like he was challenging her than making an inquiry.

With a confident grin that by itself could drive him to distraction, she slid his robe off his shoulders then gave him a kiss. He seemed to really like her being bold and impish, so she obliged by undoing his long outer tunic down to the last closure and then started trying to remove it. Was that growl? Before she could decide if it was and if it scared her or aroused her, his outer tunic was off and he was kissing her and burying her in compliments and promises between kisses.

"You are a merciless tease! …Do you understand how much I desire you?...Need you?...What I want to do with you? ….even now?"

"What do you want to do with me?" she asked as his lips worked their way behind her ear.

"Lay you down upon the grass… and show you my desires… slowly," he answered between kisses.

"Show me," Lothril purred.

Legolas pulled her down onto the grass and brought his hand up to the top closure on her tunic. "May I?"

"Whatever you want unless I say no," Lothril answered.

He felt both thrilled and honored she just handed him that much trust. This was huge for her, but he could not focus long on the magnitude of the gesture because there was his betrothed lying on the grass looking like a goddess of the hunt that was madly in love with him. There were eight decorative little buttons that went from her collar to the bottom of her sternum. He undid four of them and began kissing her starting at just behind her ear, then slowly trailing down the curve of her neck, then onto the thin sliver of her chest that was revealed. She shuddered and her chest heaved a little as he began making his way down from her collarbone. He lifted his mouth to return it to hers and he felt her hands moving between their chests. He paused to see what she was doing and realized she was undoing the fifth button and opening up her tunic to give him more skin to reach.

So far, one of their hard and fast rules was he would not shift her clothing at all except around the neck and not touch or kiss anything that wasn't exposed (unless it was somewhere he could polite touch her in public like her back or waist). That was it. This was a clear and open invitation for him to enjoy more of her while keeping that rule intact. And he would, but not until he had her all but begging.

"Ci sui 'lî erin lam nîn (You are like honey on my tongue)," he muttered against her lips. "I desire to taste you again… and again… and again…" he added, underscoring it with deep, slow kisses which she returned with equal desire. He felt her reach up and snake her hands around his shoulders but then hesitate. "What do you desire, melethril?"

"I know we have not permitted – and I understand why-"

"Ask! There is no need for explanation."

"I want to see how it feels with you on top of me."

He paused a moment, mild confusion crossing his features. "I have lain on top of you before while we have done this."

She shook her head dismissively with that thoughtful crease between her brows. "You always hold yourself up and I cannot feel you."

"I do not understand."

"Lay on top of me like before," she instructed.

He repositioned himself so he was lying over her as he usually did and the next thing he knew her hands were on his hips and pulling him down until his hips were resting on hers. By the stars this felt amazing! She felt so good and he was just stock still and resting against her, her hands on his hips! His eyes fell shut of their own volition as he savored what could only be a fleeting pleasure before he opened his eyes to see what she was feeling. Her face almost looked pained as her chest heaved beneath him.

"Lothril?" he ventured. Was she fine? Was this triggering some bad memory? He couldn't tell from the look on her face.

Her response was to let out a long, low, broken, breathy moan that sounded like a cross between pain and pleasure. "This shouldn't feel this good. I shouldn't feel this good!"

He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Yes it should. It truly should. This is supposed to feel good. You are supposed to feel good." He rolled off her and pulled her against his chest and gave a few comforting kisses on her forehead.

She nuzzled into his shoulder. "Why did I do that to myself?"

"You were curious."

"I should have known better!"

"Known to not be curious? Melethril, this is exactly what these days are for; exploring and learning each other together and figuring out how we fit and work together and what we like and do not like and what we are comfortable with," he reminded patiently.

She gave a frustrated sigh. "What would this look like if you were with some other elleth?"

His brows knit together. "I do not understand."

"What would this moment look like if you were with someone else?"

"There is no one else. You are the only elleth I have ever considered or loved. You and none other. If you were not, this moment would never happen," he answered.

"But it has to be frustrating dealing with me and all my- my- stupid and frustrating problems!" she burst.

He held her tighter and replied, "And what supposedly frustrating problem are you referring to right now? Not being quite ready to deal with that level of physical intimacy? Or maybe not being ready to handle the feelings that came with us being so close? Or is it something else? We are still just over a year out from our wedding, Lothril. You need not be ready for this yet. Now if you are struggling still this time next year, then we shall need to have a different conversation, but today in this moment, it is perfectly fine and natural for you to not be ready to be that intimate with me. I promise. And you had no way of knowing if you were or not without doing something. Now you know."

"Are you ready for these things?" she asked in reply, her face still buried in his chest.

"That was very close to the edge of what I am comfortable dealing with right now. We are still a year out, after all," he answered.

"That is some comfort. And I'm sorry if I went too far," she replied.

"I said it was very close to the edge, not over it, so there is no need to apologize."

"Would you think I am weird if I told you I just really, really love being close to you like this?" she asked, sounding a good deal more calm than a minute ago.

"No, for I really, really love this too," he answered with a smile she could hear. "I love being close to you. Whether it is as innocent as this or whether we are all over each other and kissing passionately I simply love being close to you."

She gave a contented hum and snuggled into him closer. Sometimes she couldn't get over how safe she felt in his arms, like even her own past and inner turmoil couldn't reach her there. She took a deep breath and breathed in his scent and smiled because it was so familiar and comforting. It was warm and sweet and something else she couldn't quite name, but she loved it. She started to sit up and Legolas loosened his hold on her to be given a very sweet kiss.

"Are you feeling better?"

She smiled and kissed him again, gently pushing him down to lie on his back. "Yes, quite a bit better. You always make me feel better."

He smiled wide. "Good! I always want to make you feel better," he said and then gently pulled her down to give her a sweet little kiss. Of course, his intention was for it to be sweet, innocent, and comforting but that didn't stop Lothril from feeling the underlying arousal and passion that was still beneath the surface, even if he was admirably trying to bury it for her sake.

Well, as he was being so sweet, she could be too. As soon as her lips left his they went straight to his neck and kissed their way up to behind his ear while her hand lazily meandered its way across his chest, up his neck, and into his hair to gently run her fingers through it.

With every last inch of self-discipline he had he managed to say, "Lothril, you do not have to-" before she kissed him again and made it clear – she did and she wanted to. He wasn't about to argue the point too hard and she felt it when he dropped his guard and simply started enjoying the kiss. If she wanted to take charge like this, he would let her and gladly; especially when she was playing with his hair, kissing his neck, and was pressed up against his side. He loved her pressed against his side! It made him feel whole. After all, did they not belong beside each other?

Reflexively he began gently playing with her hair and letting his fingers trail softly up and down her neck. After a minute or two of this she paused her kissing and propped herself up a little to look at him and said, "Díhenog nin, ach edrannog laub nin a carnen lad. Carog seineb awarthog tass úthraed? (Forgive me, but you opened my shirt and have done nothing. Do you usually abandon work incomplete?)"

"Never, and I am happy to continue now if you are agreeable," he replied with a mischievous little half grin.

"I believe I am."

"Oh, that will never do. You are agreeable or not," he replied seriously.

"I am very agreeable," Lothril replied, looking him straight in the eye.

"Then I will oblige!" Legolas immediately sat up so he could kiss her neck and worked his way slowly down her neck. He kissed along her collar bone but then let his lips return to hers as his fingers ever so softly traced the skin between the open halves of her tunic before breaking the kiss. "I can see your tan lines from the summer," he commented.

"I wish I could say the same," she replied.

"If you brought your swimming clothes we could go swimming together soon and you could," he replied with a tempting little half smile.

She gasped. "I knew I forgot something! Ah well. Will Filegon think I'm crazy asking for a swimsuit while the leaves are turning?"

"No," Legolas answered as he resumed tracing the outline of her tan. "He knows we have a pool." He kissed her cheek and added, "You have the softest skin and I greatly look forward to exploring every inch of it." His fingers traced and up around the collar to the back of her neck and then up into her hair to pull her close for a kiss.

"Despite my earlier hesitations, I am greatly looking forward to it too… just not today. Though, today's invitation does extend to your lips," Lothril replied.

"I know," Legolas said as he began buttoning up her tunic, "but if I start that I shall want a long time to slowly enjoy it, and that is something we are beginning to run short on."

And goodness, did she know that! If ever she doubted the eldar are naturally slow and methodical, it was taken away when they started making out more.

"Are we? How long until dinner, do you suppose?" she asked.

"Oh, probably an hour, maybe a little less," he answered.

"Good, I'm starving!"

He grinned at her hyperbole then answered, "Then we best hurry back so you can clean up for dinner."

She leapt up. "I need to bathe! I don't have a shower! Estelneth could never get a bath around in time."

Legolas stood up and casually replied, "So bathe in my room. I just so happen to have a shower and Estelneth can bring you clothes in my chambers just as easily as she does in yours."

"Won't that look, oh, I don't know… utterly and horribly scandalous?"

"Certainly not. It will look rushed and practical. Scandalous would be you showering in one of the bathhouses with all the soldiers. And as we are in a bit of a rush, we best hurry back to the palace," he replied and stood up and helped her up and they hurried back together. As soon as they reached the gate, Legolas sent a servant to tell Estelneth that milady needs a shower (specifically) and to have milady's clothes for supper made ready. The servant hurried off and the two of them quickly made their way to Legolas' rooms where they entered into the anteroom, but then he led her through what Lothril suspected was a servant's passage and into his bathroom. It was definitely bigger than hers and Estelneth was already there waiting for her and looking as calm and composed as ever. Legolas very quickly ducked out and before Lothril could even get a right and proper look at the room, Estelneth had her whisked behind a screen so she could undress in privacy and then go straight into the already running shower.

"We must be swift milady if you wish to be on time to supper," Estelneth said. "Do you require any help?"

"Just be ready with a towel," Lothril replied as she grabbed the first bar of soap she saw and began scrubbing. She paid little heed to the shower, except to note that it was rather large, there was a wooden bench, and the shelf all the soaps and things were on was terribly convenient and had just the tiniest little lip to it so the soap wouldn't go sliding off onto the floor. Other than that, she was entirely focused on getting herself clean in five minutes or less.

Four minutes and fifty-seven seconds later she was stepping out of the shower to be met by Estelneth who quickly wrapped her in it and began working on blotting her hair with a smaller but very absorbent towel. As soon as Lothril's body was a close facsimile to dry, Estelneth was dressing her with all haste then she knocked on the door that led to the bedchamber to signal they were leaving, and whisked Lothril back the way she came and into her own bedroom.

"Do you suppose my hair will dry in time?" Lothril asked.

"It will not matter, so long as part of it is," Estelneth replied. "As long as I have certain layers dry, I can put up your hair to hide whatever is still damp."

"Sorry I got back here so late. I lost track of time," Lothril said apologetically.

"Think naught of it," Estelneth replied. "You have returned in plenty enough time. There were many occasions when Queen Lauríel would give me less and I always managed to get her pulled together. I shall do the same for you also."

"Oh?"

"She and the king would be very preoccupied at times and lose track of time completely, and it was my job to see the queen made ready as speedily as possible, and so I did," Estelneth answered.

"I suppose it happens, but I'll try not to be rude and keep you waiting until the last minute again."

Estelneth got a funny little grin on her face and replied, "I thank you for the consideration, but this is my job and I know my role and place. Besides, I like a challenge. I imagine over the course of the next year and beyond you shall find yourself similarly preoccupied and I will see to it you are ready on time as always."

Lothril blushed. Estelneth might be the soul of discretion, but clearly she was also straightforward. "Thank you," Lothril replied quietly.

Estelneth began gently brushing out Lothril's hair and added, "Just so you are aware, milady, whether you order it or not, I will always have things arranged for your return and when applicable, to get you ready for whatever is coming next. If you like, when you know you shall be spending time with the prince, you may tell me so and I will make sure everything is ready for a quick turnaround. Part of the reason I could be so swift and efficient with the queen is that I knew her schedule and habits and could work around them. You are, of course, free to give me however many details of your schedule as you deem pertinent and as I am not a gossip, I am fine with naught more than a vague outline of your day."

"Thank you, Estelneth. I shall remember that," Lothril replied.

In her usual swift and efficient manner, Estelneth got her ready to go with time to spare. Legolas escorted her to the small dining hall where a fair number of the family was gathering for supper. As Thranduil walked past Lothril something seemed slightly… out of place… Not wrong, but like a book was placed on the wrong shelf. He sat down and as they began eating he asked her to pass him something and as she did it dawned on him – she smelled like Legolas' bath soap. He couldn't help but smile a bit at the realization and the possible strings of circumstances that would lead to her smelling like his son. And Lothril couldn't help but wonder why her passing him the salt and pepper made him look so darn pleased.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"You, milady, have been giving me fits for the last three days," Filegon declared as he swept into the main part of the studio. "But I have conquered, I think. The question was – how do I make the elleth that cannot wear gold or yellow with dark silvery brown hair stand out next to the golden haired king and the prince? At first one thinks the answer would be orange, except that the prince will be in muted orange and the king in copper and you, milady, can wear them, but they are not your best colors. So then the next answer would be red, would it not? Ah, but then the conundrum – if we are trying to match the king and the prince and they are in muted autumn greens, vibrant orange or copper, and warm browns and you are in red, you shall not match at all – complement, but not match.. So do I then make you contrast significantly? Perhaps, but I much preferred the idea of you and Prince Legolas looking like a matched set and I could not bring myself to it. At least, well, you shall see. And then you tell me you wish to bear symbols of your father – which is admirable, but his banner is silver and his symbol a star and the king's banner is green. But at last, I think I have it! Now mind, this is all in pins still, so if you dislike something we can easily replace it and I will use it on other pieces for you as you are now in want of a wardrobe, but I do think I have the answer."

And with that the assistants with Filegon opened the garment bags to reveal a soft silver velvet robe with a thick trim around the neck and down the front as well in thinner amounts down long slits down the sides and inside the large bells of the sleeves of the orange fabric with its golden vines and hints of green that was to be used for Legolas' robe; and a dress of muted green with a forest green and silver trim studded with little stars around the neck, hem, and sleeves. The assistant holding the dress then pulled out the skirt to reveal the hidden panels they had talked about which proved to be a dark midnight blue fabric embroidered with silver stars.

"May I try it on?" Lothril asked.

"Certainly, but mind the pins," Filegon said.

She and Estelneth ducked behind the changing screen and carefully changed her into the outfit. The dress she definitely liked as whenever she moved a little, there were peaks of blue and stars peeking out and then hiding again when she was still. Yes, this dress definitely worked for her. Then she tried on the silvery velvet robe with the orange.

"Filegon, do you recommend wearing the robe open or closed?" Lothril asked.

"However you wish, milady. I made it to go either way," he answered.

Lothril carefully fiddled with it both open and shut and decided she liked it open. Autumn green dress with hints of stars surrounded by autumnal orange shot with gold and hint of green that were brought out by her dress and framed with silver that somehow made her look statuesque.

Estelneth folded the changing screen and Filegon watched Lothril's face as she beheld herself in the wall of mirrors and inspected the dress for a moment.

"What do you think, milady?" he asked after a minute or two.

"How does this look compared to the others?" she asked.

Filegon frowned, "Oh dear, you are unhappy with it. What needs to be changed?"

"No, no, It's just… it's like elven Halloween," Lothril half mused aloud, tilting her head to one side.

"Elven hollow-what?"

Lothril waved a dismissive hand and replied distractedly, "It's a holiday back home that usually takes place in a few weeks from now. People dress up in costumes, eat candy, play games, tell scary stories – it is good fun."

The word 'costumes' caught Filegon's attention. He hadn't had a chance to make costumes since before the dragon came. Elves didn't really do parades or stage theater (or at least they didn't in the Woodland Realm), so since the theater in Dale had been destroyed he hadn't had a chance to design and make any. Suddenly he had an itch… now how to scratch it? "It sounds fun," Filegon replied aloud. "But for this dress – do you like it? Would you like anything to be altered or changed?"

"Not a thing, Filegon. I truly love it! I just cannot fathom how you have managed to make something that is so genuinely autumnal and woodsy make me look statuesque and star-like," Lothril answered.

Filegon smiled. "I am very good at my craft, milady. And I am glad you like it so. If you are content, we will start sewing it together immediately. Megorel, help Estelneth get those garments off Lady Lothril."

With that the screen was extended again and as is always the case, taking off clothing in pins is always a darn sight harder than putting it on. Even so, Megorel and Estelneth managed to get her undressed without drawing blood and Estelneth got her quickly redressed in her own clothes. As Lothril came out from behind the screen Filegon stopped her.

"Lady Lothril, that dress –"

"What about it?" Lothril asked, looking down at herself.

"The more I look at it, the more discontent I am that I do not have any warmer clothing ready for you. Would you mind if while I am working on making your cold weather wardrobe I alter some of your other dresses?" Filegon asked.

"I suppose not, but I do need something to wear. Is there something wrong with this dress though?"

"Not wrong, milady, only I think a few slight alterations would bring it from looking merely fine to looking very fair and most becoming," Filegon answered.

"Let's start with one or two dresses and go from there," Lothril answered.

Filegon nodded and ordered Megorel to accompany Lady Lothril back to her room and take that dress and to select one other to be brought in for alterations.

"Oh, before I forget, Filegon, I need some clothes for swimming," Lothril said.

"As it is nearly midyear, I assume this is for use in the royal pool?" Filegon asked.

"It is… does that make a difference?" she replied.

"Different set of questions, milady," Filegon answered.

"Ah, well I expect come next summer I may wind up in the river or even Lake Long too if that changes things," she said.

"Then you may want two."

"Very well, but why?"

"Lake and riverside are brighter than a below ground pool. I do not use fabric with gold or silver thread on swimming clothes for the pool," Filegon answered. "It would be wasted. Besides, what you may wish to wear in private verses public may be very different things."

"Gold and silver thread?" Lothril repeated.

"It is a touch over the top, I confess, but I simply adore how it catches the bright summer sun," Filegon said with a self-satisfied grin. "Megorel, clear the room, please," he ordered then offered Lothril and Estelneth to sit as he grabbed a sketch book and a pencil. He sat down in a chair that was angled so the light from the huge window fell full onto his sketchpad. "Now Lady Lothril, as this is not the set of clothes you will be wearing to be seen by subjects to the crown, are you looking for it to be sensible or are you looking to tease your soon husband a little?"

Lothril blinked. "Dowhatnow?!"

"Clearly no one told you, my apologies," Filegon said looking a little apologetic. "Milady, I am the royal tailor and I have been for four thousand years, I make all the clothes worn by the royal family. There has not been one stitch worn by the king, the queen, or the prince that has not been made by my hand. The only elves in the whole kingdom that come as close to me in terms of knowing what no one else knows about the royal family are themselves, my wife Megorel, and my daughter Gwedhedis who washes the royal clothing. That is why I dismissed the room. Your secrets go no further than us and Estelneth who shall be attending you and seeing it anyway. Now milady, be honest – are you looking for something sensible or something to tease the prince with?"

"Honestly, I did not realize teasing the prince was an option until a moment ago," Lothril answered but then a slow little smile started to tease the corners of her mouth. "Let's tease the prince."

Filegon nodded and began drawing. "Tell me, Lady Lothril, what sorts of flowers do you like?"

"Flowers? Is it going to be a flower print?"

"I beg you humor me, milady. I want to get a feel for your likes and dislikes," he answered, only looking up briefly from his drawing.

"Well, I adore lilacs."

"What do you like about them?"

"I love how they smell! I love how they come in different shades of purple and white and each shade has a slightly different scent, but favorite is the light purple because that is what I grew up with. And I like how delicate the little flowers look," she answered with a smile.

"Any other flowers?"

"Lily of the valley. I love how they smell too, so rich for being so delicate and small! And I love how they look like little drops of melted snow that turn into blossoms. I also love lavender. I love how it smells too. I love mayflowers even though they don't smell like much, and I love violets for their color. I also love how red roses look, especially when they are paired with something white and delicate," she answered.

"What of their smell?" Filegon asked as he kept drawing.

"I don't know if I have just never smelled a very fragrant rose or what, but they always smell like petals and plant to me. Once I caught a hint of actual scent from one, and it was very nice, but it was so faint!" she answered.

"Come late spring you should wander the royal gardens. There are some rose bushes there that make it seem like you are walking in a perfume," Filegon said. "What of your namesake lothil?"

"I need to go find some. It does not grow where I am from so I really have no idea about it outside of descriptions Legolas has given me. I think I'll like it though, as long as it doesn't look like a daisy or black eyed Susan or some such," Lothril answered.

"No, it does not look like a daisy or black eyed Susan. I take it you do not care for them?"

She shook her head. "Not particularly. I have nothing against them, but I don't care for them."

"I assume you had swimming clothes back home; what did they look like?" he asked.

"Well, we do have different fabrics there that don't exist here, so everything was form fitting but it stretched quite a bit to allow for movement. The bottoms were shorts with maybe a one or two inch inseam and the top had a deep cut neckline. It tied around my neck and behind my back around mid-back or just beneath my bust, if that makes sense," Lothril answered.

"Did the top reach down to your shorts?" he asked, still sketching.

"Well, no," she answered, trying very hard not to blush.

"Do you want this to be cropped short also?"

"I'm not opposed to it, but honestly, surprise me."

A smile flitted across Filegon's face and he nodded. "Would you like the shorts longer or shorter? I could make them to follow the line of where your thigh meets your hip, if you like, or can make them longer if you are more comfortable with that," Filegon asked.

"Honestly, I think a three inch inseam would be perfect because they were always just a hint too short in the back and it drove me crazy," Lothril answered.

"So you wish to tease the prince, but not at the expense of your comfort?" he asked, only glancing up at her briefly as he waited for an answer.

"If at all possible, yes," she answered.

He smiled as he resumed drawing. "I can do that, milady. Now, I wish to get an idea for your personal aesthetic and remember, this is not about how you want to show yourself to the court or the subjects of the crown or even the extended royal family, but to your betrothed. Do you like bright glittering and jewel studded, or something with a more subtle gleam and shine, or matte?"

"I think a more subtle gleam. That is one of the things I loved about the outfit you made – it catches the light so nicely with both how the fabric catches the light as it drapes and also how the bright threads in the embroidery catch the light. But I do really love those panels in the skirt!" Lothril answered.

Filegon nodded. He thought as much. "Do you like lace?"

"I like how some of it looks, but I hate how it itches," she answered.

"What if I told you elven lace does not itch?" Filegon asked.

"Oooh? Well, then yes, but I am a bit fussy about what kinds," Lothril answered.

"Estelneth, would you mind doing me a favor and going over to that door there on the left and asking Megorel to bring samples of our lace?" Filegon asked, looking at Estelneth.

"My pleasure," Estelneth replied and gracefully got up to do so.

"Most of the flowers you mentioned are either purple or white. Are those your favorite colors?" Filegon asked.

"To be perfectly honest – I don't really have a favorite color, and if I do, it's probably blue. I love the look of sapphires and clear blue skies and twilight… but I've always had a lot of purple in my wardrobe, though I haven't necessarily been the one to pick it out but I've had a lot and I've worn it a lot. I honestly like most colors," she answered.

Filegon nodded. "How do you feel about thin straps?"

"How do you mean?"

"If I were to make the shoulders on your swimming top thin straps, would you be comfortable with that?" he asked.

"I would. That is about what they were on my last swimming top," she answered.

"What if it had lacing up the sides or the back? Would you want fabric or skin visible beneath it?" he asked.

"Are you asking about my swimming clothes or my wedding night clothes?" Lothril asked, suddenly realizing she had no idea what the elves would call lingerie.

"Both, milady," Filegon answered.

For a split second Lothril wasn't sure if she was completely weirded out at the prospect this elf already knew and was going to know every last undergarment and sexy thing she wore for at least the next five years or if she was excited that she was going to have custom made lingerie that actually fit and was in whatever color, cut, length, and fabric she wanted.

"I do not sew and tell, but I will say, the odds of you shocking me are next to none, so you need not be reluctant or bashful with your requests. I promise you, I have sewn it all," Filegon said, noting the look on her face.

"It is true," Estelneth added as she sat back down. "I saw most everything the queen owned."

"You must forgive me. I'm still getting used to the idea of having a completely custom made wardrobe," Lothril said.

Filegon gave her a smile and said, "It is luxury few enjoy unless they make everything themselves. Megorel and I make all our own clothes and I am sure I would be equally as off put as you feel right now if tomorrow I was ordered to let someone else make all my garments for me. It is one of the reasons certain things are made exclusively by me from the first line drawn to the last stitch. Your dress for the upcoming feast has half a dozen elves working on it doing various things. This will be no one but me."

"What about Megorel?" Lothril asked.

"Her specialties are weaving, lace making, and embroidery. She may embroider something for you in the future but I am not in the habit of making embroidered swimming garb. But back to my question – would you prefer to have skin or fabric visible beneath any lacing?"

"Skin, unless it's going to look tacky."

He raised an eyebrow at her over his sketchpad but let it slide. It was clear this was new and a little uncomfortable for her. He might have been doing it four thousand years, but that didn't mean he wasn't understanding. That and he did remember the weird circumstances surrounding her very existence here. She might be a full grown elleth, but for living experience in Middle-earth, particularly the Woodland realm, she was as good as an elfling.

Just then Megorel came in carrying what looked like a dark grey flannel carefully folded in on itself. She came up to Lothril and carefully unrolled it to reveal it was covered in thick strips of lace pinned into place.

"Which ones do you like, Lady Lothril?" Filegon asked.

"Oooh! Chantilly lace! I love this one," Lothril said pointing to the top one. "And I like these," she said pointing at the third, fourth, and sixth ones.

"Any others?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not really. They're too… too… if I say big, is that going to make to sense?"

Filegon paused his drawing and stared at the lace himself for a moment before saying, "Given what you said you like, I think I see what you mean." He turned to his wife and said, "Thank you, Meg."

"You are welcome, Filegon," she replied with a smile and once she was behind Lothril, she gave her husband a wink, which he saw, but only let on with the smallest little half smile. He returned his attention to his drawing and added a few finishing touches. "Lady, would you like to see what I am thinking?"

"Oh yes!" she said as she stood up.

He stood also and led her over to a small drafting table and set the sketchpad down and said, "What do you think?"

She stared down at the drawings and her eyes grew wide. "You can do that?"

"Of course."

"And I can wear that?"

"You can wear whatever you like."

"And you really think that will look good on me?"

"Of course, milady. You have a very easy build to dress."

"Then why have I have had such struggle finding clothes that fit my whole life?"

"Because you did not have me dressing you."

"Well, that's probably truer than not," Lothril said thoughtfully. "Alright, let's do it."

"Are you certain? We can change anything at this point or start over completely. This is only a drawing, after all," Filegon reminded her.

"No, I really like this. It is actually rather similar to the last set I had," she answered.

"Oh? And what color was it?" he asked.

"Brown," she frowned. "Please do not make this in brown. It was the only color available."

"I was thinking perhaps a lovely amethyst material I have that I have been saving for a while now. It will look stunning against the rock walls and the vibrant colors of the pool," he answered. "Now, are you sure you are comfortable with this design? The thin ties, the lacing on the sides, the low neck line?"

She nodded. "The halter top is completely fine with me, especially with how high waisted the bottoms are. And I sort of love having the shorts lace up the sides like that and split at the leg. It's cheeky without going too far."

"My intent is for you to be able to adjust how tight or loose those laces are so you can play around with how teasing you wish to be any given day," Filegon said.

"Do you think Legolas will like it?" Lothril asked, staring down at the picture and trying to imagine it in an amethyst purple.

"Most assuredly," Filegon answered. "I would not make it if I did not think the prince would like it. This is just as much for him as it is for you. Which reminds me, while you are here, are there any particular things you like on him or would like to see on him? Garments, colors, different cut of something, or so forth?"

She thought a moment and remembered seeing him in a t-shirt and jeans back in Michigan… but did she really want to try fabricating that look here? "I will get back to you on that Filegon. But I must say, every elvish thing I have seen him in thus far, I have liked."

Filegon looked pleased at that comment. "Very good. Do let me know if you think of anything. And do start thinking of things you would like made for your haib irui."

Her brows immediately knit together as she tried to sort out what he meant by haib irui. Desirable clothes*? Lovely clothes? What was that supposed to mean? "I am sorry, Filegon, I am afraid I have no idea what you mean by that. My elvish still has a few holes in it, I'm afraid."

"My apologies! You would not have occasion to know that phrase, would you? I was wondering why earlier you referred to them as wedding night clothes. Is it customary where you are from for couples to only wear such things on their wedding night?" Filegon replied.

"No, but the word we use for them I knew you wouldn't recognize so I got a little creative with my wording," she answered with a shy grin.

"Aaah, well done then, because it conveyed the point well enough. In any event, do start thinking about things you would like for your haib irui as well as anything for the prince," Filegon said.

The way he said, 'as well as anything for the prince' struck Lothril weirdly and she said, "Wait a moment, do ellyn wear haib irui too?"

"They do. I take it though that was not a practice where you are from?"

"Not that I know of."

Filegon nodded slowly. "I will make a few sketches for you to give you an idea."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I have learned quite a bit in the last year, but I am afraid when it comes to our culture I am still rather new," Lothril said, almost apologetically.

"I know, I recall the day you arrived in Middle-earth. Think nothing of it, Lady Lothril. Besides, our customs here in the Woodland Realm tend to be a little different from the rest of our kin. Now, if there is nothing else, I shall bid you good day and let you know as I finish things so you may come in for fittings and so forth," Filegon said, closing his sketch pad.

"Thank you Filegon," Lothril said.

With that, Lothril left with Estelneth and Megorel in tow. As soon as they entered the room, Estelneth showed Megorel to the closet. To Lothril's pride and relief, her betrothal dress was approved of. As most of the dresses in the needs-to-be-altered category were ones from Rivendell and honestly ones she didn't have a particular opinion on outside of they were nice and also warm, she changed into an 'approved' dress and let Megorel leave with three, which seemed to make her happy.

As soon as she was gone Lothril excused herself to her library and shut the door. She had that anxious, high strung, nervous and almost jittery feeling she would get sometimes after finishing a very hard test in school. It was almost like stage fright but after the fact. That conversation with Filegon was… was… She shuddered and shook her head. It was just a fact. He was the royal tailor, he made all the clothes, and if it wasn't him making her underclothes and lingerie, no, haib irui, it was going to be someone else; and probably someone who hadn't spent the last four thousand years making things for the king and seemed to have his implicit trust to be discreet. Then there was her proposed swimsuit… Seriously? What had possessed her?! She should have said she wanted something perfectly sensible, not some bikini love child of vintage pin-up and sexy elvenness. Now there was a concept she was having trouble wrapping her head around – sexy elvenness. Sex was one thing, elven love poetry was one thing, but elven lingerie was somehow a bridge too far in her mind. And that was even with Arwen making her that slinky gossamer and mist nightgown. For some reason, it hadn't clicked in her head that this was a thing in elvendom and not just her adopted sister making a nice gesture. Though to be fair, she had had a lot of other things on her mind just then… like a pending betrothal, the fact her parents weren't there, that she was about to wear a dress she had designed in public…

There was knock on the library door and Estelneth called through it to inform her it was time to ready for dinner. Lothril came out and went to her vanity and sat down then looked at Estelneth and asked, "What do you suppose Filegon will do to those dresses?"

Estelneth thought a moment as she began brushing out her hair then answered, "He considers it a personal challenge to capture personalities and moods in clothing. You have seen how the king and prince are dressed – the king always in attire that draws attention without being overtly ostentatious and yet is full of subtle details you cannot see unless you draw close to him, which is difficult to do without very cause or reason. The prince on the other hand is always wearing something that is quieter, though often lighter in color, and there are always layers to be seen but partially hidden. There is subtlety also, but it is buried under something plainer. The queen was always dressed in colors reminiscent of blossoms and wildflowers. Never ostentatious yet she always drew attention and no matter how polished the clothing looked, there was always some air of nature to her and she always looked like a compliment to the king even though they often did not coordinate outfits. What Filegon sees in you, I cannot say for I am not he, but it shall be a reflection of you and a compliment to the prince. Henceforth, everything he makes for you shall bear an element of Prince Legolas in it, and everything he makes for the prince will bear an element of you."

Suddenly Lothril was curious to see what he was going to do with her dresses, the swimsuit, and everything else. And after all, he did want her input with the haib irui… perhaps having a tailor make everything was worth the trade of anonymity from buying from a store… Especially after seeing the outfit for their betrothal announcement to the court.

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Author's note: I've been loving all the guest reviews I have been getting, and I would LOVE to reply to you all, but as you're guests... I honestly have no idea if I have one very enthusiastic guest reviewing or a couple. Haha! Either way, I have been reading your reviews and loving them! Thank you for your kind words, from the bottom of my heart!