Kingsfoil [Thranduil] LOTR

Worried

Both sisters turned and glared at the intruder, and Narylfiel chucked the misshapen tea cozy at Legolas' head.

He gracefully dodged it and then grinned at her. "Narylfiel, your sister came in here to talk to you about something serious."

Thaliniel gave him a dark look. "I was getting to it."

"What are you, Legolas? The enforcer?" quipped Narylfiel and then stilled, her eyes going to Legolas in the doorway and then her sister, sitting primly by her side. "What kind of serious? Wait," Narylfiel said, her eyes widening. "Are you-are you...having a baby?"

Legolas blanched. "What? No!"

Thaliniel gave him another look. "No, this isn't about us, Narylfiel, and we are not having a baby!" Then she smiled softly at her husband in the doorway. "Legolas, would you care to explain?"

He straightened from his slouch. "No, I was just leaving to...finish some schedules. I'll see you at dinner?" The prince quickly shut the door behind him.

"What was all that about?" Narylfiel asked curiously.

Thaliniel reached across the settee, patted her sister's hand. "Legolas is worried about you. He thinks of you as his little sister, you know, and there is no easy way to say this, so..."

Narylfiel gripped her sister's hand. "Thaliniel, whatever it is you can just tell me," she said frankly.

Thaliniel's words came out in a rush: "Legolas heard some of the younger soldiers talking about you in the barracks, and some may have mentioned trying to get you to go to the next fire circle, and my husband just may have punched one or two of them in the face."

"What?" Narylfiel squeaked, her face feeling uncomfortably hot.

"So Legolas asked if I had ever talked to you about those sorts of things," Thaliniel continued, barely looking at her sister from the corner of her eye as she played with the ruffle on her skirt. "And I know that we have not, but now you have come of age, you might have questions." She paused and made herself meet her younger sister's gaze. "Do you?"

"Do I what?" Narylfiel asked, a growing sense of horror falling upon her. Her sister, sweet and lovely Thaliniel, wanted to talk about fire circles or worse-other things?

"Narylfiel, you are a lovely grown elleth now," Thaliniel reminded her. "You might not see it as I do or Legolas does, but you have come of age-and I would not wish for you to be taken advantage of." She looked at her sister and added frankly, "Life here in the palace moves much quicker and certainly less conservatively than on our father's old vineyard."

Narylfiel sputtered a little. She was certain-could feel it even-that her ears were bright red and her neck felt disagreeably hot. She glanced at her sister and then smirked. Apparently Thaliniel was just as uncomfortable as she was, if the pink flush to her cheeks was any indication.

Narylfiel cleared her throat, sipped some tea. "Thaliniel," she said carefully, staring at her hands in her lap. Her nails looked dreadful. Archer hands, to be sure. She kept her voice matter-of-fact: "We both grew up on a vineyard, a farm with animals. I know how mating works."

Her sister made a noise that sounded like a cross between a snort and a laugh. Her eyes were merry when she reached for Narylfiel's hands. "Oh, Narylfiel! It is much, much more, I promise you." She squeezed both her hands and then had the audacity to laugh out loud. "When you find the one, the right one, your heart will know it. Your body will know it, and his will too."

Narylfiel looked down, twisted a stray lock of hair hanging over her shoulder. "Was it like that for you and Legolas?"

Her sister closed her eyes just for a moment, her lips curving up at an obviously good memory. "Yes," she said, cutting her eyes to Narylfiel. "Yes, it was. It will be for you too."