The twilight sky bathed the Golden Wood in ethereal light, only extenuating its fantastical and enchanting aura. A beautiful haven, a place of dream like qualities, were time stood still and one could be revived simply by breathing in its clean, fresh air.
It was here on the rocks, which surrounded the Nimrodel falls, that a lonely figure of an elleth sat. She was fair and feminine, with grey eyes, which shone like white flame in the fading light of day. Dressed in a light, chiffon dress, deep green in colour, made only for the purpose of modesty to bathe in open water - the elleth gently wrung excess water from her sleek blond locks.
She hummed quietly to herself, enjoying the peacefulness of her favourite time of the day, for she was a grey-elf and they loved to watch the stars awaken in the twilight hours. On closer inspection one could tell this was no ordinary elleth, no, this was one of noble birth, for her features were regal and her aura was both commanding and captivating. However she was not of the Galadhrim, this was evident in her reclusive behaviour, her less elaborate garb, and the fact that at twilight she had no fear to wander alone in the forest. At her side sat a deadly sword, which she could wield like a graceful extension of her arm and with terrifying skill. This elleth was none other than the Princess Ellenya of the Woodland Realm of northern Mirkwood.
On this evening, Ellenya, feeling a sense of uneasiness - like a gentle tugging at her heart that something was amiss - decided to take a swim to dispel her anxieties or make sense of them, whichever came first.
The fresh water and comforting tones of the forest calmed her and helped her think sensibly. So the elleth splayed out on the rock and relaxed. A few thousand years had passed from her first coming to Lothlorien as an elfling and she still marvelled at how quickly it's beauty and life revived her.
Ellenya had stayed as an elfling in Lothlorien, under the care of the Lady Galadriel for some centuries, before returning home. Though she still frequented the Golden Wood and its people, for she had built many friendships and enjoyed keeping the political channels open between her home and here. Unfortunately her current reasons for visiting her second home - as she affectionately thought of it - was not by her own choice! Less than two decades earlier her Adar was disturbed by the growing darkness in their lands, fearing for Ellenya's safety he had pleaded for her to go to the sanctuary of Lothlorien, and remain there until such times as it was safe to return.
Of course she had no real intention of sticking to that timeframe; she would find a reason to return home soon enough. She had obliged her Adar, knowing he worried himself sick over her health, though she considered herself almost completely recovered from the traumatic events of her childhood.
Ellenya kept in regular contact with Legolas, her brother, through letter. She relied heavily on him to tell her the honest truth, as often correspondence from her Ada was heavily censored...another one of his bright ideas to keep her from worrying.
Reading between the lines of her Adar's sketchy details and Legolas' more frank letters, Ellenya gathered things were only getting worse, and she put her recent anxieties down to this. She was alarmingly homesick and fretted for her people on a daily basis, the guard was already stretched to maximum capacity, and Legolas was run ragged trying to maintain the mountain road, and keeping the pathways to and from the Woodland Realm open and safe.
In recent years her Adar had eased on his isolation policy, extending more help to the race of men that dwelt in Dale, in the form of aid and creating trading points. Since the battle of the five armies, the woodland elves had reawakened their slumbering hearts, and knew that they would have to engage with the world if they were going to survive this coming evil. With the emergence of the evil one in Dol Guldur, they were not safe and would never be safe until they were freed from it. They could no longer ignore their part in the destiny of Arda.
Ellenya had to be honest with herself, she disliked the race of men and vehemently despised the race of dwarves, in fact she rarely liked anyone. From what she had learned from the numerous meetings she had been present at - for she was undoubtedly her Adar's ambassador for all things political - she had found men weak and vulnerable. Their lives so short, so easily destroyed, that any wisdom they gained was never truly of value for they never lived long enough to use it. In truth she pitied them.
Dwarves were greedy, senseless creatures, untrustworthy and brutish, she would rather leap from a cliff face than converse with one! Regardless of what had happened at Erebor, tensions with dwarves were not over, and Ellenya, being Thranduil's daughter, was especially distrustful of the stunted people, and would probably continue to be so for the foreseeable future.
As the princess mulled over her thoughts she became aware of movement in the forest...not natural, not elven!
Sitting up abruptly, she frowned and stared into the twilight, using her keen senses to decipher the sounds. The footfall of the intruder was heavier, it breathed harder with effort.
Pushing herself into a crouch, Ellenya, gripped her blade and stealthily crawled forward, drifting towards the alien sound. Once she was certain of the intruder's position she launched into the trees and instinctively stalked her prey. Years of unrest in her home had made her an expert at this game, and she enjoyed the thrill of it.
As she hovered in the high branches she spied the source of the noise, a human boy, no more than twenty years she guessed. She silently appraised him from above. He was tall and lanky, completely disproportioned, as he drifted from boy to man. He was dark haired, and although his features were flawed by mortality he was fair, maybe even noble looking, and he had very pretty eyes, so young and endearing, no malice or cruelty in them.
Ellenya toyed with the idea of letting him wander on uninterrupted, but she was bored and her curiosity was piqued. He was dressed in elven garb, and she could not help but notice he looked a little lost.
With that thought she hopped down from the tree, landing on a high root she thrust her blade forward, until it was just shy of the boy's chest;
"DARO! Man cerig si hen?"/Halt! What are you doing child?
The startled youth leapt back, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture;
"Im mellon!" /I am friend! The boy yelped.
Ellenya cocked her head to the side observing the human child before her, he had spoken Sindarin, primitive albeit, but she was impressed;
"Pedig edhellen?"/ do you speak elvish? She asked, playfully crouching on the root and tilting her blade to suggest she was talking to him directly.
The young man nodded, he was nervous, evident in the way his wide grey eyes darted around his surroundings looking for an escape.
The elleth before him was utterly terrifying, her unreadable silvery blue eyes examined him intently, as she crouched like a lioness ready to pounce. The dress she wore, if one could call it a dress, clung to her damp skin showing off her impressive physique. The boy considered that in a fight he would lose. Still she continued to stare, head tilted, completely expressionless, regarding him like he was nothing but a strange object that had momentarily distracted her. Everything about her was unnerving and intimidating; he was too scared to speak.
The boy gasped as the elleth prodded him gently with her sword.
"Have you lost the power over your tongue child? If you are friend what purpose do you have in Lothlorien, for it is long since men have set foot in the sacred wood?"
She watched in delight as the boy shrunk away from her, he was clearly terrified, she was enjoying herself. Like most elves Ellenya had developed quite the ego, it did not help she was pre-disposed to the personality trait, like her Adar she lapped up attention and enjoyed flaunting her power to what she considered lesser beings.
The princess was just about to continue her new game when a voice dripping with sarcasm broke through the weighted tension;
"Easy she dragon, stop your teasing!"
Ellenya's lips pulled up into a smirk and slowly she turned her head to the side to regard the familiar face that went along with the sarcastic voice. The dark haired ellon stood with his arms folded, staring her down with one eyebrow arched, daring her to continue. Sighing Ellenya straightened from her crouch and threw the elf a playful pout;
"Oh Elladan, why must you be a spoil-sport?" she whined at her friend, who happened to be one of Elrond's sons, the other Elrohir, his twin, was probably nearby.
"Because, Lady Ellenya, you are about to reduce the poor boy to a dribbling mess," he added and stepped forward to the human, "Pay her no heed Estel she is harmless, her bark is worse than her bite," Elladan turned to smirk at his friend, whilst he placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Speak for yourself brother, I would not enter into a feud with her, I value my life too much," Elrohir added, as he skipped into view and then dramatically covered his eyes with his palm, and in mock horror exclaimed, "Ellenya, what happened to your clothes?"
Ellenya rolled her eyes and sighed, "I was swimming you disturbed me," she explained, before turning her attention back to boy whom they had called Estel with renewed interest. Folding her arms, she began to circle the boy, appraising from every angle - he stiffened under her gaze;
"So this is Estel, the human child Lord Elrond has adopted?" She questioned, as she ran a finger along the boys shoulder, and laughed when he visibly leapt from her touch.
"I am not a child My Lady, at least not by my own races reckoning," Estel corrected, though he instantly regretted his crassness. The elleth stopped mid-stride and her perfect eyebrows shot up before she snorted out a haughty laugh. She rolled her eyes and continued to circle until she stood directly in front of him, her intimidating gaze softening slightly and she smiled easily;
"I mean you no harm Estel," Ellenya promised, "Please forgive me for earlier, I was just having some fun, I am Princess Ellenya of the Woodland Realm, my Father is King Thranduil, you may have heard of him?"
The young man's eyes widened in recognition of the name, he had just passed through Mirkwood and King Thranduil's halls, and met with his son, Prince Legolas, whom he had grown very fond of. He could not marry the thought that Legolas and Ellenya were siblings. Ellenya was terrifying, though he guessed those were traits earned from her Father.
"Yes, I know of the King, it is an honour to finally meet you my lady," Estel bowed respectively, which clearly delighted the elleth, as her eyes lit and she turned to Elladan with a bright smile;
"What a delightful boy, Lord Elrond has taught him well...so courteous," she turned back to the uncomfortable human and inclined her head. "The honour is mine Estel, I have heard a great many whispers about you, I look forward to discovering if they are true or not?"
The three elves laughed gently, and the young Estel managed to chuckle cautiously. He was not certain how he felt about the Princess, he was not sure if he could count her as friend or foe, she played her cards close to her chest, but if Legolas was her brother she could not be that bad.
"What is going on here, Lady Ellenya?"
A gruff and unhappy looking elf, pushed into the middle of the small gathering, eyeing Elrond's sons and Estel with a knowing look, before glaring in disbelief at the elleth who simply rolled her eyes at the fair haired, guard;
"Good evening to you also Haldir," she sighed airily.
"Do not good eve me, look at you; you are dressed most improperly in the company of ellyn!" The guard spat, eyeing Ellenya with evident disgust, "The lady has been looking for you!"
Ellenya, turned to face the marchwarden and curled a lock of her hair around her finger playfully, placing a hand suggestively on her hip, making the ellon turn a shade of pink as he redirected his gaze to the trees;
"If your Adar saw you now!" Haldir growled, "Do all your kind act so... feral?"
The twins and Estel sucked in a sharp breath in unison and turned their gaze to Ellenya, who now had both hands on her hips, as she strode up to the hassled elf, piercing him with those familiar intimidating eyes;
"Feral? Why yes Haldir, we often wear these garments, and sometimes, when we are feeling particularly feral, we walk around naked and paint ourselves with clay...Does this make you uncomfortable?"
The two elves engaged in an awkward stare off, before Haldir snorted angrily;
"You are vile, Ellenya, there is no shame in you!"
To which Ellenya only laughed carelessly, the twins stifled their giggles and the young Estel watched with wide eyes, at the elleth's boldness. She really was a handful. Haldir shot the three a disapproving glare, which silenced them immediately;
"I will escort you three the rest of the way, Ellenya do wish to join us, or do you intend to camp in the trees and live like a wild beast for the duration of the night?" The marchwarden asked icily.
"Haldir, that was rude!" Elladan interjected and shot his bold friend an apologetic look, truly he had seen her look at lot worse, but Haldir had always been a little stuffy in his views of ellith.
"It is alright Elladan, I am used to Haldir's unfortunate lack of charm. I shall make my own way back thank you," Ellenya added sarcastically and turned to the boy and inclined her head;
"It has been a pleasure to meet you Estel, again I am sorry for causing you any uneasiness earlier, it is...how would you say...just my way!"
With that Ellenya leapt into the trees and out of sight of the small band, leaving a very startled human, who stared after the strange elleth shaking his head;
"She is very strange," the young man mused.
"Do not indulge her Estel, she is too wild, she gives ellith a bad name," Haldir huffed, "Come, the Lord and Lady have put on a grand feast for the arrival of their Grandsons." The guard turned on his heel and began leading the way through the forest.
Elladan slapped his hand on the boy's shoulder and regarded the tree's;
"Ellenya is a dear friend, but never take your eyes off her, not for a second!" He chuckled and the young man smirked and nodded as he followed after Haldir.
"Elladan?" Elrohir, his twin sidled up to him with an amused grin.
"Hmmm?" Elladan mumbled as he still stared up at the canopy with a cheerful grin on his face.
"Why don't you keep your eyes off her and we can get going?"
Elrohir ducked, narrowly missing a cuff on the ear, and giggled as he hurried after Haldir with an irate Elladan on his heels.
xXx
Ellenya strode into her chambers, a particularly spacious talan, high in the Mallorn trees . Discarding her swimwear carelessly and adorning a long silver robe, she settled herself in front of her dresser and began fixing her hair, that was now almost dry. She heard the familiar footsteps come up behind her and smiled easily as she turned in chair to regard the elleth that had entered her chambers.
"Arwen! Is that for me?"
Lady Arwen, Lady Galadriel's granddaughter, Elrond's daughter, and Ellenya's only female friend in Lothlorien, stood holding a silver blue gown outstretched in arms, with a warm smile on her face.
"Do you like it?" Arwen asked as she twirled it for the Princess, "I thought the colour would bring out your eyes."
Ellenya with a delighted grin, jumped to her feet, and lifted the silky material in her hand, "It is beautiful, I love it!" She replied, pulling the dress from her friend and holding it against herself.
"Grandmother suggested you should wear it tonight at the party, maybe prove to everyone you are in fact a regal princess?" Arwen chuckled, and reclined on her friends lounger.
Ellenya crossed her arms and grumbled, "Ah you have been speaking with your brothers, in my defence they disturbed me!"
"Haldir was most annoyed!" Arwen added with a playful grin
"Let me guess?" Ellenya sighed dramatically, "He told you I was completely naked, and trying to seduce your poor, misguided, brothers!"
"Something like that," Arwen stifled a giggle, as Ellenya rolled her eyes and began to change into her newly acquired dress.
"How did you respond?" Ellenya asked as she struggled with the corset strings at her back, Arwen floated to her side and began helping her do up the dress.
"I didn't!" Arwen laughed, as she pulled the ribbons a little too tightly and Ellenya scowled, "Though I did say that you are capable of being proper, what you lack is the capacity to care what they think."
"Oh my hero!" Ellenya laughed and turned to embrace her friend.
"Ellenya! Please, you will crease my dress, unlike you I do care. You never know who's eye I could catch this evening?" Arwen winked and offered her friend her arm.
"Ugh, I would rather not!" Ellenya rolled her eyes and accepted Arwen's arm. The two ellith made for the festivities, giggling and indulging in frivolous talk.
xXx
Parties in Lothlorien were always a far more elegant affair. Elves dressed in stately attire, gentle music played, extremely cultured discussions took place, and courteous behaviour was displayed at all times. Ellenya, enjoyed them, but frankly enjoyed the livelier parties of her home more.
So she reclined on her chair, in the presence of the greater elves, as they talked about art and fine cuisine, and supped at her glass of wine, trying to maintain an element of interest in her surroundings.
"I have something for you."
Elladan startled Ellenya as he collapsed in the free seat beside her and waved an envelope in front of her face. Ellenya grinned and set the drink down at her side, making to take the letter from Elladan, and frowning as he pulled the envelope out of her reach.
"Ah Ah!" He grinned playfully, "Not so fast, I braved the forests of Mirkwood to bring you back this letter, I expect a reward for such bravery!"
Ellenya arched an eyebrow, losing patience with the ellon, "such as?"
"A dance, maybe two, Ellenya I am bored, lets create a stir, like old times?" Elladan's eye's danced excitedly at the prospect. He, Elrohir, and Ellenya had been firm friends since she had arrived in Lothlorien as a youth, her charismatic and defiant spirit making her the perfect accomplice for all their mischievous endeavors. So Elladan knew if he let the bait sit Ellenya would cave, succumbing to the idea of having abit of fun.
She laughed softly and rolled her eyes, "I will think about it, I am already in disgrace from my antic's earlier, now give me my letter or you won't be able to dance," Ellenya extended her hand and waited for the envelope, which Elladan reluctantly surrendered. In return he stole her goblet of wine and began draining its contents.
Ellenya shook her head in mock exasperation but quickly turned her attention to the envelope, eagerly ripping it open to reveal her brother's familiar handwriting;
'My Dearest Sister;
I miss you terribly, when are you going to come home? I have no-one to train with who even comes close to challenging me! Have you any idea how boring that is?
I digress, there is a reason I am writing to you, I promised to keep you updated and I intend to, but I am going against Adar's explicit orders by doing this! You do realise I do not know who to fear most, Ada's wrath or yours?
Ellenya, do not over-react when you read this, please for my sake do not cause a scene, but Adar has been injured in an assault. He took an arrow to the shoulder, he is not badly wounded but I would not call it a minor aliment either, he refers to it as a scratch?
Adar made me swear not to tell you, he does not want you to worry. Frankly I told him that this was a ridiculous notion, that you would be well aware something was amiss, but he thinks he can hide it from you.
Ellenya I feel you should come home, things are getting worse by the day, I cannot hold this Kingdom by myself. Adar wants to return to his duties but he is not able. I am deeply concerned, I know Ada will be unhappy if you return but I feel it is necessary. I know you do not want to be in Lothlorien, I am giving you the excuse you desire.
Do not be angry at Elladan and Elrohir either, Adar made them swear to not utter a word to you, they believe the contents of this letter is just an update on the state of the trading situation between ourselves and Dale. Which I cannot bring myself to discuss, without losing my temper, needless to say we are losing more inches of our forest day by day, soon those roads will not be passable!
Come home soon Ellenya, your people need your courage, I need your courage!
All my Love, Legolas.
Ellenya stared at the letter, being careful not to illicit even the smallest reaction as she was acutely aware Elladan watched her every expression.
Her Adar was hurt, she felt her heart sink to her stomach and a wave of nausea roll over her. Dark memories threatened to bubble up in her mind, and she struggled to put a halt to the grotesque images from her childhood. The worst, a picture of her Naneth reeling from the pain of an arrow that penetrated her abdomen.
Ellenya groaned audibly and threw her hand to her head, squeezing her eyes shut, trying to forget the memory.
"Ellenya, what is is?" Ellandan's usually easy going lilt was abruptly full of concern as he leaned into his dear friend, "what is wrong?"
Ellenya kept her eyes closed, struggling to gain command over her emotions as she searched about her looking for sounds to distract her. Mercifully the tempo of the music picked up into a faster beat, and with that she snapped open her eyes and caught the remains of her win from the goblet in Elladan's hand. Draining the dregs in one quick motion she leapt to her feet, splashing a dazzling smile across her face and turning to a slightly bemused Elladan.
"Dance with me?" She asked, though she was sure it came out as more of a command.
Elladan frowned at his friend, he knew her well enough to know she was struggling with something, he also knew her well enough to know when she wanted a distraction from her thoughts, so he cautiously obliged. Straightening up he took her hand and yelped in surprise as he was forcefully dragged into the dancing crowd.
To Ellenya's delight and relief the upbeat music was something akin to the music they played in her home, and she danced freely and with enthusiasm. Elladan was a great dancing partner, he kept up with her complicated steps and secretly enjoyed the attention they were receiving.
They were soon joined by Elrohir and a new elleth friend, who was clearly delighted with her prize. Elrohir, determined to show up his brother and friend, made a show of making quite a performance with his newly acquired dance partner, who was more than happy to oblige.
Ellenya eyed them competitively and gave Elladan a knowing look. Before he could react, Ellenya launched into a more intricate pattern of steps, slightly more provocative and alluring than her previous routine. A space was made, as onlookers cheered and whistled with delight at the explosive couple, truly it was not something they witnessed often. Other's glared disapprovingly at the slightly risqué performance. Even Elrohir gave up after a few minutes, his partner sulking in defeat by his side.
The music reached its crescendo and Ellenya and Elladan made their dramatic finish to the eruption of applause and cheers. Spinning Ellenya to face her audience, she graced them with her charismatic smile and bowed, before motioning to her partner. Elladan took his bow and smirked at his friend, she really did create quite a stir. The music returned to its slow pace, and the more romantically inclined took the floor.
Elladan made to escort Ellenya back to her seat, pbut she shook her head and motioned for him to join her in a slow dance. The ellon stared in confusion, and was a little curious, first the passionate dance, now she wished to engage in a more intimate routine. This was not very like Ellenya, and he felt his heart pound a little too loudly in his chest, as she guided him to a more quiet area of the floor, even Elrohir stood open-mouthed at the strange events unfolding in front of him.
"That was quite the dance, Ellenya?" Elladan decided to be the first to speak, as Ellenya had just quietly swayed with him.
Smiling brightly she whispered, "You know I live for the applause, Elladan, you said you wanted to cause a scene!"
Her voice was a little too husky, her body a little too close to his. Ellenya liked to keep a comfortable distance between herself and those of the opposite sex, she was acting very strangely indeed;
"Alright, I give up, what is going on?" Elladan accused.
Ellenya innocently widened her eyes, and stepped a little closer to her now flustered friend. Somewhere at the back of her mind she registered that he did not step back, or pull away from her, and this concerned her slightly.
"I do not know, why don't you tell me what is going on?" She murmured and ran a hand up his arm to rest on his shoulder.
Elladan opened his mouth to say something, anything, but he was speechless, and glued to the spot. He had never noticed before how beautifully hypnotizing Ellenya's eyes were, and felt himself get dragged into her ethereal gaze.
In his stupor he did not catch Ellenya lean to the side and lift a stray goblet of wine from a nearby table. So it came as tremendous shock when she doused him with its contents, and stepped back, glaring at him with eyes like thunder.
Spluttering in shock, he gasped, "What in the name of all things good was that for?"
"You know well what that was for Elladan, Elrond's son!" she hissed angrily.
Wiping away the sticky liquid from his face with his sleeve he noted that this was one of his favourite tunics, and was now completely ruined with the red liquid - he was mildly upset about this. However he was more upset at how callously Ellenya had played on his emotions, and he re-directed his shocked expression at his so called friend;
"You are completely mad Ellenya, I do not think I did anything to deserve this!"
"Oh is that so? So you did not neglect to inform my Adar was injured, or did that just slip your mind, friend?"
This brought Elladan up short and he stared in disbelief, she was not supposed to know that, his quick mind put together the evidence and he resolved Legolas had told her in his letter. He was going to inflict severe pain on that fair-haired princeling when next they met!
"You were not supposed to know about that Ellenya, Thranduil swore us to secrecy," he warned, as he watched sadness and hurt enter his dear friend's expression.
"It is a good thing I have Legolas, because it is becoming evidently clear to me who I can call friend, and who I cannot!" Ellenya glowered, though part of her regretted her words as Elladan's shoulders sagged under her crushing words, and he looked more than a little hurt."How could you Elladan? I do not care if he made you swear under pain of death, he is my Adar, he is all I have left, surely you of all people understand that?"
Elladan froze under her angry onslaught; she was right, he should have understood, he should have told her immediately, she would have done the same for him. He mournfully stared at the ground, unable to look Ellenya in the eye, his anger at her toying with him ebbing away - maybe he had deserved it.
Their awkward tension was disrupted as Elrohir and, unfortunately Haldir, who was fuming, again, joined them.
"What in the name of the Valar are you trying to do Lady Ellenya?" Haldir scowled, before he registered the brief emotion of hurt in her eyes, so instead directed his accusing glare at Elladan;
"Are you quite finished causing a scene? Your Grandfather, is not amused, he wishes you both to meet with him. I would suggest you hurry along and try not to alarm anyone else!"
Elrohir glanced at his twin and wordlessly the two left. Once out of ear shot, Haldir turned back to the Woodland Princess, not accustomed to seeing her so close to tears he was unsure what to do;
"I do not care to know what that was between yourself and Lord Elrond's son, but I suggest you refrain from doing it again in public My Lady, you alarmed most of our gues-"
"Haldir, your opinion is the last thing I want to hear right now. I promise you I will not be a hindrance to you much longer, good eve!" Ellenya interjected angrily and stormed off, heading for her chambers, passing the weighted glares of strangers, whom she had no affiliation with. Never in her long life had she just wanted to be home and away from these tree people.
She did not get too far on her way, when she heard familiar footsteps chasing after her, along the quiet archway of connecting talans.
"Ellenya, stop, I am sorry," Elladan pleaded, but she only marched more resolutely towards her chambers.
"Ellenya, will you not listen, please, I am sorry," he tried again.
Spinning on her heels, she turned to face her guilty friend, "Why should I listen, you completely betrayed me?"
Elladan slowed to a stop and regarded her with disbelief, "I did not betray you! Ellenya I was following orders, I admit not the brightest thing I have done all year, but then again you always said I was a little dense."
Ellenya was infuriated with herself when her lips twitched up at the side, a hint of a smile forming on her lips, which was all the opening Elladan needed. With the sincerest, most innocent look he could muster, he attempted to salvage his friendship;
"I am so immensely sorry! If it pleases you, Elrohir and I will leave at dawn and make for the Woodland Realm, with you of course?"
Ellenya sighed, that was probably the best apology either of the twins had ever made to her throughout their long friendship, she would need to forgive him now, and she struggled with that part.
Elladan waited patiently, and watched as Ellenya's jaw clenched and unclenched, as it did when she mulled over something, it was generally the only outward sign that she was listening at all. Eventually she sighed and nodded, Elladan smiled hopefully;
"Am I forgiven, are we friends again?"
Ellenya snorted back a laugh and turned around to continue her retreat to her chambers, but Elladan was persistent, and lopped along beside her chattering excitedly about their trip, and the possible fun they could have chasing down a few orc.
"Do not deny it Ellenya, that sounds appealing does it not?" Elladan enthused as they rounded the corner, nearing her own private talan, she had refused to utter more than one syllable answers to him. However when they rounded the corner, she was greeted with an equally expectant Elrohir.
"Well did it work brother, has the she dragon forgiven us, are we going on a trip?" Elrohir, the more hyperactive of the twins, chirped excitedly.
Sighing she crossed her arms in front of her and took turns eyeing the two, over-grown elflings with infuriated glances, to her utter dismay, her angry stares had lost their effect on her friends, who were more than accustomed to the elleth's icy expressions.
"Fine!" she groaned, "I forgive you, both of you,"
This was met by delighted hoots, as the twins went in for a double bear hug. Ellenya yelped and tried to pull away, there was nothing she despised more than physical contact, particularly the emotional kind, and more so when she had not consented to it.
Once she had managed to escape the overzealous twins, she made her way to her talan, and to pack, suddenly extremely apprehensive about what she was going to meet when she returned home. Her anxieties flared and she sought out the bond she shared with her Adar, through her spirit she felt it cloistered and she knew he was hiding his pain from her.
'It is alright Ada, I will be home soon, and then I can care for you, whether you like it or not," she thought resolutely, suddenly feeling the lift in her mood at the notion of returning home