Jewel In The Palace(Lord Of The Rings Fanfiction)

The Unavoidable Question

~~O~~

Stronger than any power is the power of a child with a question that no one wanted to answer. However, with a few well-thought out strategies, a parent can work around it...temporarily.

After four years, Mirien grew up as a sweet and spirited little girl. Her parents, Legolas, and their closest friends had very little trouble with her. She was completely harmless...until one night at dinner, when she decided to ask the question.

"Where do elflings come from?"

Legolas nearly choked on his salad. Mirialia and Lenneth just stared blankly.

"Could you excuse us for just a moment, Mirien?"  Mirialia sputtered.

She darted into the kitchen, followed closely by Legolas, Lenneth and Nauriel. At first, they only looked at each other. Finally, the Queen spoke up.

"What are we going to tell her?"

"I don't know. And I have no idea why she even asked that." Nauriel whined.

"Well, someone's going to answer her question." Legolas shrugged.

Their eyes were instantly fixed on Lenneth.

"Hey! Don't look at me!" she said frantically. "It's, um, not my destiny to tell her. Yes, that's it. I have to go!"

Lenneth sprinted out of the kitchen, past the table where Mirien sat staring with wide-eyed innocence, and out the door in less than five seconds.

The little girl was confused. What was taking her Nana and her brother so long? She had asked a simple question. Could it be that they didn't know the answer?

~~O~~

Plan A: Changing the Subject

"What are we going to do?"

Mirialia was panicking.

"I guess the only thing we can do is answer her question." Legolas sighed.

"Or we could change the subject and hope she forgets." Nauriel suggested.

"Nauriel!"

The Queen was shocked.

"What? We needed a plan, so I came up with a plan. Do you have a better one?"

"No, I guess not."

The three casually walked back to the table.

"So, where do they come from?"

"Hold on a second, Mirien. Did you eat all your dinner?" Mirialia asked, thinking quickly.

"Yes, Nana." her daughter said sweetly.

"Did you drink all your milk?" Nauriel tried.

"Um, no."

"Well, go on and finish it!"

To Legolas and Mirialia's horror, Mirien finished her entire glass of milk in one gulp.

"How did you do that? You don't like milk that much!" Legolas blurted out.

"I know, but I really want to know. So, where do elflings come from?"

Oh no! Mirialia thought.

~~O~~

Plan B: Distraction

"Um, come on Mirien. Time to do the dishes."

"But-"

Nauriel grabbed the child's hand and ran into the kitchen before Mirien could say another word. She said her thoughts aloud to keep the little girl from being able to say anything.