The hall was darkened, with candles sitting in strategically set places, and goblets of wine filled to almost overflowing. A fine feast was laid out on the tables and the sent of roses seemed to flow throughout the room. Beautiful white water lilies floated gracefully in bowls of clear water set upon the tables. Soft music drifted about and lent mystery to the air.
Lord Elrond stood at the head of the room reading what looked to be a wax tablet. He looked very uncomfortable and slightly ill at ease. Glancing constantly at the empty doorway, he cleared his throat and spoke.
"Dear Ladies. It is with my most humble apologies that I beg your forgiveness for this ploy we have subjected you to. In our behalf, I will state that it was meant only with the deepest belief it would bring you pleasure and not distress." The room was silent and all eyes remained on Elrond.
Shaking his head slightly, Lord Elrond thought for a moment. "Oh, yes! I also take full responsibility for not allowing any of you to leave and hope you will enjoy this feast and play as consolation to that end."
With this settled in his mind, he wandered over to where the table he was to sit at was set for the banquet and picked up a large glass and filled it with wine. He then hastened it down to his stomach in preparation for the coming ordeal.
Forest could hardly believe her luck. It was either all the miruvor she had had the previous night, or the Lord of Rivendell was actually apologizing to them. Looking around, she saw that the rest of the ladies appeared equally stunned.
When Lord Elrond finally finished speaking he motioned for everyone to take seats in the hall. Forest and the ladies were seated on the far left table. Unfortunately, Forest was seated opposite from Erestor. There was nothing normally wrong with that, except that Erestor adored chicken, there was a large plate of chicken separating them, and he hadn't quite forgiven her for hitting him upon the head early that morning.
Again, there was a simple explanation for this. To cut a long story short, having someone poke you in the small hours does things to a person. Namely, they immediately think someone is attacking them, thus launching a furious defensive on the usually innocent other.
The latter had happened to Forest in the VERY small hours when Erestor decided to see if she had seen his hair clip. As a result of a hard prod in her left side, she had all but leapt out of bed and hit poor Erestor around the head with "The Geographical Aspects of Caradhras and Celebdil". Hours later, Forest wondered how on earth that tiny leather bound excuse for a book had actually been used as a useful weapon.
Slowly, as the glorious memories came floating across her mind, she lifted her head and grinned at him, receiving only a scowl in return. However, Forest could hardly contain her mirth when Glorfindel turned to the Elf next to him and said in a very audible whisper, "Lovers tiff!"
Thankfully, Erestor had really bad aim. Glorfindel still had to duck quickly as a fork flew over his head, landing with a clatter on the floor behind him.
Dinner had progressed rather quietly after Erestor threw a fork at Glorfindel, until Orophin started whispering something to Rúmil, who nearly choked on his mouthful of food. Rúmil turned to look at Legolas sitting next to him and smirked. Kristin and Emmi sitting across from them gave Rúmil a strange look. Rúmil snickered and went back to eating.
Orophin then turned and whispered something to Terlin on the other side of him, and Terlin nearly choked as well, grabbing a glass of wine to wash down his food. Looking down at Legolas he stared in disbelief, then looked at the pair of Lórien brothers. The two of them tried hard not to smile. Everyone went back to eating and Legolas gave Orophin a nasty look.
Kristin caught Orophin's eye and realized what was going on. Emmi looked at her in confusion. Kristin leaned over and whispered softly, "I believe Orophin is informing everyone of our little prank on the prince."
Emmi's eyes widened. "How did he know?"
Kristin stifled a giggle. "Let's just say Orophin and Dorindil had a run-in with a rather naked Legolas."
Emmi clapped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Legolas just glared at the two of them.
Terlin couldn't resist anymore and finally leaned over to whisper to Glorfindel on the other side of him. Glorfindel, having just taken a drink, nearly spit his wine everywhere, resulting in a coughing fit, while Terlin and the brothers snickered.
And so it went on down the line, from Elf to Elf to Elf, resulting in many coughing fits and near choking incidents. Legolas just groaned and looked at the two ladies across from him. "I will get the two of you for this! I don't know when or where, but I will!"
Every Elf at the table began to laugh helplessly.
Celeborn finally made his entrance into the hall well after the banquet had started. He frowned when he saw that the players of the company were not wearing their costumes, but realized immediately that the effect would not be as great if they had. He was in fact wearing his attire for the performance, but it was of little consequence, for he was meant to blend into the scenery.
As he approached the table where his grandsons and the two lovely Elleths sat, they began to rise. He effectively stayed this action, motioning for them to sit once again. "Stop that nonsense. Standing and sitting in the middle of dinner will give you indigestion," he said, taking up the empty seat. As the server came around, he passed on the wine and asked for a pitcher of water instead.
Passing the small tray of heart-shaped stuffed mushrooms to Celeborn, Zhie craned her neck to look at the hands of the Lórien lord. "Did you have an accident of some sort?" she queried as he took the tray.
"What? Oh, this." Celeborn twisted the wrist of his free hand, looking at the stains of blue and red upon it. "I had to repaint the sign once more. Glorfindel thought it would look best with his name in rather large letters. Above the title."
"Why do I get the feeling sometimes that he was the sort of elfling that would have taken to writing on walls?" wondered Elladan.
"Twice," Elrohir reminded his twin, and they all grinned.
The conversation turned to the varied lives of Glorfindel, and Zhie munched on a carrot thoughtfully as she pondered why Celeborn's hands would be stained with ink if he had indeed been painting.
"Is everyone ready?" Celeborn wrung his hands as he watched Elladan and Elrohir move the last of the props around the stage. The Elleths nodded and Celeborn took a step back to his place on stage, nearly tripping over the large wooden chest. "I thought I said you should get rid of this," Celeborn scolded the twins.
"We forgot," admitted Elladan sheepishly.
"Well, go do it now," said Celeborn.
Elrohir crossed his arms. "What would you like us to do, dump it into the forest and hope it disappears?"
"What's still in it?" Celeborn lifted the lid up with his toe, and promptly let the lid fall back. "Oh, for the love of the Valar, burn the whole thing if you must."
"Just a moment."
"We'll be right back."
The twins each took up one of the handles of the trunk and made their way out the back of the stage to the house. "Should we go back to the stage after this, or to our spots to start?"
"You go to your place, Elladan, I'll let Grandfather know we're ready, I have to pass the stage on my way to my mark."
Elladan nodded as the pair walked a little further into the house, winding into a little used corridor. "Here?"
"Here," agreed Elrohir, and they let the trunk drop to the ground. "Good riddance-"
"-to bad rubbish," nodded Elladan.
The pair hurried outside so that the play could begin.
"As requested: Food, wine, and two comfortable chairs." The server bowed, and could not help but add, "Will the Lord Celeborn be returning this evening, then?"
Lady Galadriel shook her head. "The second chair is for a guest. When he arrives, lead him here." The server bowed once more, unaware that any guests had been expected, but he knew not to question the words of Lady Galadriel. If she said a guest would arrive, then a guest would indeed be arriving.
In the garden, Galadriel repositioned the bowls of fruits and cheese to her liking, leaving the wine yet to be poured. The basin that served as a window to the present and the past was filled with water already, and she did not have long to wait before a guard came down the steps and formally greeted her.
"From the South, my lady, a traveler has come to speak with you. He is one of your kin."
Galadriel nodded. "Have him enter the garden; I was expecting him."
The guard saluted smartly and disappeared up the stairs. Not long after, a dark haired Noldo, still carrying his traveling sack and a large flat case bounded down the stairs. "My Lady Galadriel," he bowed low as he reached the bottom of the stairs.
"Master Lólindal Ciryatirion, it is a pleasure to see you once again."
Lólindal gave a nod. "It is a pleasure to once more bask in the Light of Lórien. My destination is Imaldris, though if it is not against your wish, I would stay here but a few days first."
"You are welcome here as long as you like. Will you join me for the evening meal? Surely you have traveled long and would enjoy the rest."
"And the company, as well," Lólindal answered, setting his packs down and taking a seat. He lifted the bottle and poured two glasses. "Will your husband not be joining us?"
"He is in Imaldris, or else I am sure he would," replied Galadriel, taking one of the wine goblets as she sat. "I was just checking up on him, as it were," she added, waving a hand toward her mirror. Her expression gave away more than her words, and Lólindal frowned.
"You have said he is in Rivendell?" he asked as he strummed his fingers along the stem of the goblet. When Galadriel nodded, he sighed. "Formal business?" He received a negative response and a sympathetic look of sorts. After a few minutes passed, Lólindal put his wine down and laced his hands together in front of him. "I shall be blunt, my Lady, my reasons for traveling to Imladris are quite personal, and I do believe you may know what they are, for my final destination truly is not Imladris, but the Havens and beyond."
"Yes, I know this, and we should discuss that," suggested Galadriel, placing her wineglass onto the bench where the food was set.
The stage was set for the first act and looked very much like the grounds on which it was to be performed. Celeborn moved silently onto the stage and positioned himself off to the side. After a polite round of applause, mostly from those Elves from his realm who found the idea of their lord writing and acting in a play quite amusing, Celeborn began the narration as Idhrenwen came onto the stage and sat down on the ground.
"One day, in the midst of springtime, a lovely maiden sitting near the falls of the river was approached by a handsome rider." Elrohir, who made his entrance from the stables across the lawn, rode his horse at a moderate pace to the stage, and without word to the horse, the audience watched as he climbed the steps and stood still as Elrohir dismounted. "The rider was weary and appeared to have been riding for many days. The maiden beckoned him to stop and rest."
"My lord," said Idhrenwen, "if you would like, the grass is cool and the breeze here is refreshing. Stay here a while, and lay your head upon my lap to rest."
Elrohir knelt down and bowed his head to her. "You are kind, and I thank you and accept your offer." He did as he was bid and his horse stepped back without command.
In the audience, one Elf was nudging another. "Glorfindel," hissed Erestor, "I do not believe that is Elrohir's horse."
"No, it is not Elrohir's horse," grinned Glorfindel. "That would be my horse."
"Hush, you two," scolded Emmi.
"Yes, please do!" agreed Forest. "We want to hear the play!"
"And so the pair talked into the evening about many things, until the sun was to set. The rider, so it happened, was a prince, traveling back to his kingdom. As reward for the maiden's generosity, he offered to take her back with him to the palace where he lived, but did not tell her of his noble birth. Instead he told her he was the caretaker of the horses." Celeborn waited as the pair on stage mounted the horse and rode back down the stairs and around to the back of the stage. Once they were gone, Zhie entered the stage from the opposite side and began to peruse the flowers that were part of the scenery.
"Not far away, near a grove of pines, a maiden gathered flowers to take to the palace. She was on her way to the kingdom, a bard from lands faraway, and hoped the palace would have need for her there and ask for her to stay. Along came a brave knight, who was enchanted by the songs sung by the maiden." After these words from Celeborn, Elladan came forth from the very field everyone was sitting in, surprising many that had not noticed him there before. He approached the stage and leaned against it as Zhie sang.
"The river flows and the water falls
The gulls fly low and the sea calls
Some will answer the call of the sea
But the west is not for me."
"Your song is enchanting," remarked Elladan as he climbed the steps of the stage. "I am from the kingdom yonder; would you come to sing for the court?"
"The maiden accepted, and was escorted to the kingdom, without knowledge that she was in the presence of the prince. Once inside the palace, the brave knight took his leave, letting the Elleth wander the halls of the palace. She soon found herself lost in the maze of halls and rooms, and met another maiden admiring a tapestry."
Zhie wandered around the crowd, pretending the way they were assembled was the maze of halls in Imladris. This caused much laughter as she climbed over Rúmil, sprawled on the ground, and mentioned something about the amount of dirty laundry cluttering the floor of the palace, and pushed Dorindil aside with a shout of "What's this, another Door?" Finally, she flopped down on the ground in front of the stage with a sigh. "Dear me, I seem to be lost."
Out from under the bottom of the stage, which had been covered by a curtain of sorts, crawled Idhrenwen, with an amused look on her face after startling Zhie. "The palace is quite large. You must be new here."
"That I am," admitted Zhie, helping Idhrenwen to stand up. "How did you know?"
With a shrug and a grin, Idhrenwen replied, "Because I'm new, and I'm lost, too."
"Then let us be lost together!" suggested Zhie, and the two began walking once more through the maze of people on the lawn, greeting those they met and trying out a very comfortable chair they found, which happened only to be Orophin sitting cross-legged on the ground.
Celeborn was hard pressed not to laugh as he narrated. "The maids walked and talked their way through the palace, learning the rooms and their way. When conversation turned to how they had arrived at the palace, a mischievous smile crossed the face of each of them."
Arriving back on stage, Idhrenwen sat down on the edge, letting her legs dangle over the side. "I met an Elf in the forest, and he invited me here."
"I met an Elf as well! Gorgeous grey eyes, of liquid silver," sighed Zhie dreamily.
"What a coincidence! Though mine had hair dark as night," recalled Idhrenwen.
Zhie raised a brow and said, "As did the Elf I met! Surely, he did not ride upon a horse of white?"
"With banner of blue and gold?"
"And tunic of midnight blue?"
Sitting for a few moments, they stared out across the audience, obviously pretending to think very hard. Suddenly, they both turned to one another and said, "Well, it does not matter that they are similar, for the Elf I met said to call him 'El'." Simultaneously, they both clapped their hands over their mouths and gave each other a wide-eyed look as the audience roared with laughter.
"Surely not!" exclaimed Idhrenwen. "It cannot be!"
"It would seem so," said Zhie. Both of them slumped their shoulders and sat in silence, until Zhie added, "He is divine."
"Simply stunning," agreed Idhrenwen.
"Elegant."
"Refined."
"And I have a feeling he's as well hung as his horse."
Celeborn nearly choked as he heard the substitution for the original line, but most of the crowd was doubled over in laughter, and he himself smirked in spite of it all. Zhie and Idhrenwen were looking at each other and grinning. Zhie offered her hand. "May the best lady win!"
"I accept your challenge," agreed Idhrenwen. They shook hands and headed around and offstage as Celeborn pulled the chord to close the curtains. Once behind the stage, a collective sigh of relief came from all of the actors. "We did it. We got through the first act."
"Only two more to go," Zhie said quietly, listening to the applause from the audience. "Scene change!" she called to the backstage area.
"We're still working on the costume change!" shouted Elrohir.
"Better hurry up!" Idhrenwen warned. "We don't want a restless audience."
"The option for us to perform in the nude is still available!" responded Elladan.
"Take all the time you need!" Celeborn called back. "We don't need to find out whether the assumptions of fair maiden number two were correct or not."
On the stage, Idhrenwen sighed, holding a flower in one hand and looking listlessly at the ground. "Good day," she said as Zhie approached, pouting as she walked.
"Good day?" Zhie turned around and frowned deeper. "It is a terrible day! He has pretended to receive none of the gifts I brought to him."
Idhrenwen stood up and patted Zhie on the back. "Not only are my gifts ignored, but he looks at me sometimes as if he knows me not!"
"I have the same problem!" Dropping her voice and taking hold of one of Idhrenwen's hands, Zhie added in a very serious tone, "I fear he may be mad!"
"Perhaps he is confused."
"Perhaps he has no commonsense."
"Perhaps he is overwhelmed."
"Perhaps you are both wrong," said the Elf dressed in the garb of the Handsome Rider, stepping onto the left side of the stage. Next to him stood the Brave Knight, who added, "Perhaps `he' is really `they'."
The maidens exchanged looks of disbelief, and then looked over to the pair of identical Elves, save for the cut and style of their clothing. "El?" they asked collectively.
"Yes!" replied both of the Elves, stepping forward to claim their Elleth in a kiss.
Celeborn smiled, trying not to look at whichever of his grandsons was kissing the messenger. "And so, the Elves and their maidens lived happily ever after. The end," he said, giving a little bow to the already applauding audience.
Idhrenwen pulled back as the last line was recited and looked into the eyes of the Elf holding her. "El?" she asked tentatively.
"Yes?" chuckled the dark haired Elf.
"No, I mean…Elladan?" she asked. Though she knew this was supposed to be Elrohir, had been Elrohir through all of the practices, and should be Elrohir now, this didn't seem like Elrohir to her.
Grey eyes twinkled. "Yes!" Elladan confirmed, deciding now was an excellent opportunity to make up for all of the kisses he had missed during their practices. When he finally released Idhrenwen, she was grinning from ear to ear.
"What happened? You're supposed to be over there," nodded Idhrenwen as the pair stepped forward and took a bow.
"Oh, yes, I know, and everyone thinks that is the case right now. Everyone except me and you. Well, Elrohir is aware of it, and I think he's told Zhie by now." Idhrenwen glanced over at Zhie, who gave her a little wink. "I told you there were too many costume changes. So, Elrohir and I took it upon ourselves to cut the last one out of the play."
"Encore!" called out a voice, and Celeborn yelled back, "You get up here and do the encore yourself if you want one, Orophin!" The audience laughed and continued to applaud as the actors bowed one final time.
As the play ended, the whole audience burst into applause that could be heard all the way to Lórien. The actors took their bows and curtseys and on the far left, Elladan was grinning like he'd just seen his father in a elleth's garb.
"Where are you two going?" asked Forest as she spied Erestor and Glorfindel getting up from their seats.
"A walk," replied Erestor. "I need to stretch my legs".
Forest nodded and resumed her clapping. Putting her fingers in her mouth, she whistled loudly, causing several Elves nearby to turn 'round in surprise.
Zu and Haldir had spent the past few hours together and it was getting late in the evening. They could hear the sounds of people cheering and shouting in the distance, so they decided to find out what was the source of all the noise.
"I wonder what's going on over there?" Zu asked as she walked arm in arm with the Lórien Elf.
"We'll find out soon enough, arwenamin."
They located the group of excited Elves and Men, who were all cheering over the finale of some play that had recently ended.
"Aw, Haldir we missed a play..." Zu looked at the stage to see the 'actors' line up and take their final bow.
"Amin hiraetha, melamin," replied Haldir sympathetically.
"It's alright Haldir. I wonder what it was about, though..."
"You could always ask Lord Celeborn. It appears that he was the narrator for the play." Haldir motioned towards where Celeborn was at the edge of the stage.
Zu blinked several times. "When did he arrive?" she asked.
"Several days ago, I believe."
"Well, anyway, I do not think I should disturb him. I am certain he has many important tasks awaiting him still."
"Perhaps," replied Haldir, carefully tucking some of his silky blonde hair behind his ear. "What would you care to do next, my lady?"
Zu took a moment to think. What could they do next? They had missed the banquet, they missed the play...what else was left to do? It was nearing sunset and she was hungry, and quite thirsty. "You wouldn't happen to be as hungry as I am, would you?" she asked innocently.
"Depends on what you mean by that," he purred.
"Oh stop that. You truly are insatiable..."
Haldir stood with his head held higher, puffing out his chest. "I know."
Zu poked him in the gut and laughed. "What I meant was that I was hungry for real food."
"As am I," he responded. He held out his arm for her again, which she linked hers around, and Haldir led the way to the kitchen. "I should like to find some wine for us to share as well, if you don't mind."
"Of course I don't mind!" she grinned. "I have the feeling that we will not be the only ones desiring a drink this night."
Zhie walked down the steps of the stage and into the crowd, quite tired, and thankfully, out of costume. She had decided to change in the backstage area once the curtain was closed, despite the objections from the twins and Idhrenwen that she should leave the dress on. Celeborn had said nothing, opting to leave quietly shortly after the play had ended.
The audience was disbanding, everyone looking for cozy places to hide away from prying eyes. Passing by Melpomaen, she waved to him, but he was preoccupied with business of his own. A nod she gave to Haldir, for the Elf was ever watchful of every situation, but his nod back was short, for he had other matters to attend to.
Completely unaware of the fact she had ventured into the path of another Elf, Zhie was quite surprised when she stumbled backward after hearing a loud "Ooof!", and noticed Lord Celeborn hadn't paid quite so much attention to where he was going either.
"My lord," apologized Zhie, bowing her head. A folded sheet of paper that tumbled to the ground from his hand caught her attention, and she bent to pick it up. It had fallen at the lord's feet, and she stood up now and held it out to him. "I think you may have dropped this."
Celeborn hesitated, panicking. It was the first poem he had written, when he arrived in Imladris, and he had carried it with him since that time. For the strangest and unknown reason, something had compelled him to take it out of the pocket it was in just before he walked into Zhie. He just looked at the librarian dumbly as his cheeks began to color themselves red, and Zhie gave him an odd sort of a look before glancing at the paper.
Now, as if seeing it for the first time, she noticed the texture of it, that it was very similar, if not the same, as all of the other poems she had been finding. Without asking permission, she unfolded and read the words on the sheet. It was in the same hand as the other poems had been.
Kristin and Legolas had left the play and walked off to the gardens in each other's arms. Quietly, they strolled through the gardens enjoying the moon and star light and the lovely smell of the evening air. Stopping in front of the fountain, Legolas let go of Kristin. "I'll be right back." Legolas darted off around a corner and then returned with two red roses in his hand.
Legolas smiled. "Red roses represent love and passion. Both of which I feel for you."
Kristin smiled as she accepted the two roses and Legolas scooped her up in his arms, twirling her around. When he finally stopped and put her down, the prince pulled Kristin close and gently kissed her lips. Kristin allowed herself to be lost in his embrace.
Rúmil grabbed Emmi's hand after the play had ended and quickly lead her away from the stage and into the glistening gardens. Emmi smothered her laughter when he whirled her around the fountain. "I believe I was just here earlier today!" she exclaimed.
Rúmil just grinned and shook his head. "This time you are here only with me! I intend not to let you out of my sight for the rest of the evening." he proclaimed with a wicked grin.
"Oh, really?" Emmi asked innocently.
"Yes!" he declared, sitting down on a bench and pulling Emmi down next to him.
Neither one of them spoke for some time, and somehow they found themselves walking the well-worn paths of the gardens. "I suppose you might wonder about my actions," Celeborn finally said.
"Your lady is going West, and you do not wish to be lonely on cold nights," guessed Zhie, pausing by a large oak tree. There was a low branch that begged to be sat upon, and so she sat, Celeborn joining her.
"That was not quite the reason," Celeborn said to her. "Aye, my lady is going West, and I shall not depart with her. Lonely and cold the nights will be without her, but I would not have thought to seek out someone to share my bed and breakfast table with had they not been similarly interested."
Zhie leaned against the tree, tracing the patterns of the bark. "How did you know?"
"I rode out the morning you left Lothlórien to see if I might catch up to you so that the scrolls and book could be returned to Master Erestor. I did indeed catch up to you, `twas by the river, and you were singing."
"Oh…" Zhie smiled. "The silver tree."
"Yes. I also heard what you said after you sang, and I decided to follow you to Imladris instead. I do not recall at what point intrigue replaced curiosity, nor when spying turned to courting." Celeborn blushed again at his admission. "I seek not a lover, but someone to love."
"A distraction until you sail to the West," said Zhie, and when Celeborn made to protest the words, she held up her hand. "What would your lady say to all this?" wondered Zhie.
Celeborn looked out into the star-filled sky in the direction of the Golden Woods. "I do believe she gave her consent before I left."
Zhie nodded, but said no more. They continued along the path once more that led them back to the house. Once inside the halls of the Last Homely House, Celeborn pulled from his pocket another folded piece of parchment. "I wrote down the words of your song." He said, unfolding the sheet. "I thought I would find it in one of the books of lore, but is was not to be found. Tell me, of what did you sing?"
"I sang of the silver tree," Zhie said softly. It was only now that Celeborn realized what she meant.
"It isn't always the mellyrn which are the silver trees of that tune."
"Mellyrn are beautiful, that I will admit," said Zhie, "but they can not compare to the Silver Tree of the Golden Woods." Zhie stopped, finding they had come to the doors of her chambers. She turned to face him with her back against the door. "Would you like to come inside, my lord?"
"I do not know if that is appropriate."
"It's better than coming in the hallway," answered Zhie with such speed that Celeborn blushed slightly. "Although, it would be amusing to engage in such inappropriate behavior in the public walkways of Imladris."
"But…my wife…" Celeborn said, grasping for reasons not to take the invitation that was offered. He took hold of Zhie's hands in his and brought them up to his chest. "It is not my wish to dishonor her, even with the blessing she gave."
"There are ways to become better acquainted without dishonoring the oaths we have taken. We may be able to do little more than keep each other company during the age to come in Middle Earth, but I shall make you a promise." Zhie stepped closer, and stretched up on her toes to briefly kiss Celeborn's lips. "I won't tell your wife if you don't tell my husband."
"You…your husband?"
"He is sailing West when your Lady departs. He was asked to speak with her before his departure. So, you might say we are in the same ship together."
For a few moments, Celeborn said and did nothing, but suddenly one of his arms encircled Zhie's waist and he pulled her close while reaching for the handle of the door with the other hand. They practically fell into the room, Celeborn kicking the door shut behind him.
From around the corner, Elrond appeared, scribbling down notes as he walked down the hall. "Love poetry is a good thing. Even bad love poetry can be a good thing," he murmured to himself, stopping at the room and looking at the closed door. "Engaging in inappropriate behavior in the public walkways of Imladris is only amusing to the parties involved."
The door flew open unexpectedly, and Elrond jumped back, dropping his book of notes and quill to the ground.
"Why don't you stop following the rest of us around and find some inappropriate behavior of your own to engage in?" suggested Celeborn, who was panting slightly and bare from his waist up.
"But I-how did you-" Elrond sputtered, retrieving his book and feather from the floor.
"I already told you, who do you think trains all of the Galadhrim?" Before Celeborn could further discuss things with the lord of the realm, he was pulled back into the room, and the door was slammed in Elrond's face.
Elrond scribbled a few final notes down, hearing footsteps behind him. As he closed the book and stashed his quill into his pocket, he turned and smiled at the familiar Elf behind him. "Gildor Inglorion." Elrond said, tilting his head. Gildor bowed slightly.
"You are up late, my lord," answered Gildor.
"It has been an exciting day," said Elrond, and Gildor nodded.
"Might you permit to having a drink with me?" asked Gildor.
Elrond contemplated this for a moment. "I suppose I have the time for a small glass of wine before bed." He paused, then asked with a sheepish smile, "No hard feelings, then?"
"About what?" asked Gildor with an air of cluelessness.
"About the incident at the fountain," Elrond said. "I am truly sorry about that."
`Not as sorry as you're going to be,' thought Gildor, but he smiled politely and said, "What, that little thing? Water under the bridge, my lord. Shall we?"
Celeborn turned around to find that during his short conversation with Elrond, Zhie had made her way to the bed and was staring at it in disbelief. "Did you do all this?" she asked, but shook her head. "Never mind, of course you did, who else would it have been."
Hastily, Celeborn walked over to her, placing his hands on her upper arms. He wasn't certain whether she was pleased or not, but when he leaned around slightly and saw her grinning face, he smiled as well. "I hope you will forgive my intrusion into your rooms," he apologized, kissing behind her ear.
"Is this what you were doing all day?"
"All week," corrected Celeborn, "although I did have to sneak in before the play to put them here. I know the holiday is not ours, but I was caught up in the spirit of it - I've had no less than eight Elves ask me to assist them in writing poetry and song for their loved ones." When Zhie did not move, he whispered hopefully, "Are you going to open them?"
"Yes, of course, but..." She held up her hands, spread apart. "I just wish I could frame this. It's quite cute and very romantic." She knew she had caused the Elflord to blush yet again, and pulled him by the hand to the bed. There was very little room to sit down, for the pillows and covers had been sprinkled with a shower of small envelopes, some red, some pink, and some white, all of them sealed with wax and all of them addressed in various ways.
" 'To the Lady of the Singing Stream'...'Fair Maiden Number Two'...'A Message for the Messenger'...'Pirate Librarian'...How do you come up with these?" asked Zhie, shuffling through the envelopes.
"I like to come up with names."
Zhie smirked and ran her hand through the cascade of envelopes. "So I've heard."
Celeborn watched as she sifted through them. "Are you going to open them?"
"How impatient you are," scolded Zhie, but she tore the flap of the next envelope she picked up, finding a folded note inside. On the paper was a sketch and a short poem, three lines and no more, for there was little space on which to write. The rest were similar - a poem, a quote about love or friendship, a more elaborate drawing with a caption or message.
It was some time before all of the envelopes had been opened and all of the notes read. When the envelopes and messages had been carefully cleared from the bed into small piles on the desk, Celeborn went to a hidden away corner of the room and pulled out a vase with flowers already skillfully arranged. "I'd like to state, for the record, that these are not representative of hatred, but of there were no roses, carnations, violets, daisies - well, there wasn't much of anything left in the gardens, in all honesty."
Zhie narrowed one eye while the opposite brow raised upwards. "You had this fairly well planned for someone who wasn't certain about coming in here."
"Helps to have someone keeping an eye on my future for me, even if I am not truly certain of it," answered Celeborn. "Or, in this case, a mirror."
"Is she...watching right now?" questioned Zhie, glancing up at the ceiling as she took the vase of orange flowers and set them on the desk next to the messages.
"I doubt it," said Celeborn, but he knew better.
"How do you feel, Lólindal?"
"I have an urge to kick him in the teeth, and an urge to hug him. Does that seem odd?" questioned the artist.
The lady shook her head and laughed. "I have on occasion thought those same things myself. Rarely, but he can have that effect."
Lólindal glanced into the mirror once more. "At least I shall go to the West knowing she will be safe for as long as she remains."
"She will sail one day," predicted Galadriel, her own eyes drifting to the waters, "as will he."
"Together?" wondered Lólindal.
"As friends," confirmed Galadriel. They blinked as the water rippled, revealing a new scene. "Oh, my word..." breathed Galadriel, covering her mouth as the scene unfolded.
Lólindal frowned. "Perhaps...it is a good thing we are diminishing and going west..." he remarked as they watched the events elsewhere in the House of Elrond.
"Ahhhhh. That's better!" sighed Erestor as the cool night breeze swept across his face.
"Indeed it is. Such a clear sky, too," remarked Glorfindel.
The pair wandered into the house and through the halls, breathing in the sweet night air, when suddenly, a yelp pierced the silence.
"What in Manwe's name was that?!" cursed Glorfindel, clutching his foot.
Erestor failed to hide his mirth. "Dear Fin!" he chuckled, "why, you must be as clumsy as a dwarf not to have seen that!"
On the floor by the wall sat a very battered looking chest. Its hinges were rusty, and the chest itself looked as though it had recently been subjected to something thoroughly undeserved.
"That was not there but a few hours ago," stated Glorfindel, matter-of-factly.
"It's not even as if it's been delivered to anyone," continued Erestor, staring curiously at the chest. "I mean, it's just lying in the hallway, nowhere near anyone's quarters."
A flicker of mischief suddenly lit up in Glorfindel's eyes. "Erestor?"
"No."
"But it's just lying here. And as you said, it can't be meant for anyone in particular."
"Be that as it may, Glorfindel, I am not invading anyone's privacy by opening it."
Glorfindel pouted. "You have no sense of fun."
"Oh, I do. Just not under these circumstances," Erestor grinned at him.
"Just a peek?"
"No." Erestor turned his back on his friend, his arms crossed in defiance across his chest. "I am going back to the dining hall, Fin. What you do from now on is your own choice. Open it, if you really want to. I am having no part in it."
And with that, Erestor walked briskly off down the hall, with Glorfindel staring dumbfounded after him. After making sure Erestor had truly gone, Glorfindel bent down to examine the chest closer.
He slid his fingers under the notched lid. It opened. In fact, it opened with such ease that Glorfindel almost dropped the lid back down in surprise. He had expected it to be stiff at least, if not locked. But completely open? Gently, Glorfindel pushed the lid back so as not to rip it off its already worn hinges, and gasped in horror at what he saw.
Inside the chest was the most vile, bright, and ludicrous garment that Glorfindel had ever laid eyes upon. It even trumped Erestor's old purple cloak which someone anonymous had sent him for his begetting day. Glorfindel grimaced at the garment and slowly pried it out of its prison.
'No wonder someone wanted to get rid of it,' he thought. 'I have never laid eyes on anything so horrible in either of my entire lives!'
The garment proved itself to be a dress, when Glorfindel managed to heave it out of the box. And not just any dress. A poisonous green excuse for a dress. Not only was it straining on the eyes, it was made of incredibly dense, thick material that dragged downwards as Glorfindel tried to hold it up.
Suddenly, footsteps came 'round the corner and Glorfindel hastily tried to shove the offending item back into the chest, but was too late.
"What in Arda is that?" cried Forest, hurrying over.
"I don't know!" replied Glorfindel, holding the dress up again. "But it seems to think it's a dress of sorts."
Emmi and Rúmil spent some time alone at the fountain, talking to one another and waving to couples who strolled along the path nearby in the moonlight. As darkness descended upon the grounds, Rúmil stood up, offering his hand to Emmi. "How would you like to nab a bottle of wine and count stars with me?" he inquired sexily as he pulled her up.
"Hmmm..." Pretending to think on it a minute, Emmi walked around the statue and ran her fingers through the water of the fountain lightly. "Would that offer include strawberries to bring out flavor in the wine?" she asked mischievously.
"Indeed, Lady it would! Shall we sneak to the wine cellars?" Rúmil grinned.
At that the two laughed like conspirators and headed to the cellars.
In the lower level just above the cellar was a room reserved for testing wines, because of the close proximity to the place where the wine was stored. Normally, the room was staffed by one of the wine tenders, but tonight, the only Elf occupying the room was Melpomaen. He sat at a table, one glass of wine poured for himself, and a second sitting at the spot by the empty seat. "Ah, I see you've brought a friend, Gildor," commented Melpomaen. "Let me retrieve another glass." He handed his own goblet to Gildor and went to the shelves that were lined with bottles of various wines to fill another glass for himself.
"I don't want to interrupt anything," said Elrond, sitting down in the empty chair.
"Nonsense, my lord," said Gildor as he pulled a third chair to the table. "The more the merrier."
Eight glasses later, Elrond was having trouble keeping from sliding off of his chair while Gildor and Melpomaen carried on an animated conversation, making sure that the glasses were kept filled. A brief knock on the doorway alerted the sober Elves of two visitors as Celeborn and Zhie strolled into the room, arm in arm, silly grins plastered upon their faces. Elrond raised his glass at their arrival and drained the contents, and everyone watched with amusement as Elrond had to make four separate attempts to set the glass back onto the top of the table.
Celeborn moved away from Zhie and pulled Gildor up out of his chair and over to the wall where the liquor was stored. "He's drunk."
"Yes, I know," grinned Gildor, watching as Elrond seemed to suddenly discover for the first time that he had the same number of fingers on each hand. "Funny, isn't it?"
"Yes, but-" Celeborn glanced over his shoulder, then back to Gildor. "How?"
"We gave him the strongest Mirkwood stock for the last few hours, and drank only water ourselves. Melpomaen and I set it up in advance, so some of the bottles have water, and some wine," whispered Gildor, snickering as Elrond suddenly found the joke Melpomaen was telling Zhie funny only three words into it.
Celeborn nodded. "I commend you, Gildor, though I do not envy you once he has sobered. What do you plan to do with him?"
"Do with him?" asked Gildor. "We already did it."
"Gildor, this is an opportunity that will not likely come again! Seize it while you can!" Celeborn looked around. "We need something embarrassing for him to wear, something no one will forget, and then we need to parade him around-"
Gildor narrowed his eyes and gave Celeborn a wicked look. "It sounds like you've been planning this for some time."
Celeborn grinned. "Ever since I caught him in bed with my little girl." Celeborn looked over his shoulder. "Zhie, come here for a moment, if you please."
The Elleth approached. "You know, he's really, really drunk. We have to do something before he sobers."
"I'm already two steps ahead. I need you to inform all of the ladies that there will indeed be an encore to the play."
"I can only imagine who is starring in it," grinned Zhie.
"Gildor, you will need to gather the Elves as well. Both of you, tell everyone to meet in the Hall of Fire in one hour. Hopefully, everything will be set then."
"One hour. Stroke of midnight. Lovely idea," winked Gildor. "As you command, Lord Celeborn." Gildor and Zhie both left the room as Forest and Glorfindel entered, carrying between them a rather heavy and extremely ugly green thing.
"What did you kill now?" asked Melpomaen, used to Glorfindel appearing with bizarre creatures of various hues and patterns, many times declaring them to be `dinner'.
"It was already dead when I found it," answered Glorfindel. "'Tis the most hideous dress in all of Arda. The one dress to kill them all." He looked over to Elrond, who was lazily drawing patterns on the tabletop with a fork he had found. "He's not drunk, is he?"
"Yes, I think that's exactly what he is," whispered Forest, dropping her half of the dress. This caused Glorfindel to stumble to the side, and eventually, just drop the dress altogether. "We should get him to bed."
"To bed!" Glorfindel shook his head. "Blasphemy! We should get him to the courtyard, and preferably naked, so he can sing us a tune for all to hear while prancing around like a chicken."
Everyone gave Glorfindel an odd look, and Melpomaen managed to say, "I'm not about to ask how you came up with that so quickly."
"I had a lot of time to think of odd things in the Halls of Waiting," countered Glorfindel.
Celeborn decided not to mention that Glorfindel didn't know Elrond until after he was released from Mandos, considering Glorfindel was likely his biggest ally at the moment. "We have to come up with something really spectacular."
"Something no one has done before," agreed Glorfindel. "Not too mean, of course, no need for us to lose our positions over this," he said, looking at Melpomaen.
"Us? I'm having no part in all this," Melpomaen said, folding his arms across his chest. "He's already sore at me as it is that I couldn't even escort Arwen to the havens without her riding off."
"Let the Arwen incident go," advised Celeborn. "And anyhow, you've already played a part, foolish Elf. You gave him the drink."
Melpomaen's shoulders slumped. "I suppose you're right." Melpomaen looked around, suddenly agitated. "Speaking of Elrond, where did he go?"
Glorfindel looked to the open door and cringed, then to the empty spot on the floor. "What happened to the dress?"
"Ta Da!" The jaws of everyone in the room dropped as Elrond reappeared in the doorway, no longer dressed in his formal attire, but wearing the dreaded dress. "Fab-u-lous!" he sang out, doing a little twirl.
"When he's sober again, he's going to kill us," remarked Celeborn.
"I'm going to have to move out of the valley and change my name to Figwit," said Melpomaen.
Glorfindel blinked, and then grinned. "My lord," he said, walking over to the door, and offering his arm to the Elf clad in the green dress, "I think I know of a cape that would look just smashing with your new frock."
When their lips finally parted, Kristin and Legolas smiled and looked deeply into each other's blue eyes. Legolas grinned. "What do you say to ending this evening with some of the finest Elvish wine and a nice warm bed?"
Kristin giggled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea!"
Legolas leaned forward and quickly kissed her lips again, and then her forehead. Releasing her from his embrace the prince offered his arm. "Shall we?"
Kristin took his arm and the two of them headed off toward the wine cellar.
Zhie came around the corner of the hall, nearly running into Gildor as he came 'round the other way. "Have you told everyone?" Gildor asked, steadying both himself and the Elleth. Both were out of breath, and Zhie nodded her head.
"As many as I could find. Although, I do not believe Emmi was anywhere to be found."
"Aye. And I did not see Rúmil anywhere." Gildor smirked and Zhie grinned as they did the math. "Yes, well, I did not tell-" he dropped his voice. "you-know-who, if he knows, he'll spoil the fun."
"Didn't tell me what?" Gildor jumped and Zhie turned swiftly around to find Erestor giving them a thoroughly dissatisfied look.
"How can you be so sure we were speaking of you, Master Erestor?" Zhie crossed her arms. "It could have been any Elf."
"If there is fun to be spoiled, I am most aware that I am the Elf to do it." Erestor looked between the two of them, as if he were reading a book. "Where is Lord Elrond and what has been done to him?"
'Nothing he didn't deserve,' thought Gildor, who swept his arm to toward the stairs, defeated. "Come. We shall show you," he grinned.
The trio entered the tasting room and Erestor immediately buried his face into one hand. "You did not get him drunk." He muttered as Elrond, who had taken to dancing on the table now, blew his chief advisor a kiss.
"No, no, it was Melpomaen who got him drunk," Glorfindel said proudly as Melpomaen slid down further in his seat. "He's the one to thank."
"Is that my cape?" asked Erestor, squinting as he saw the violet fabric swirl around as Elrond danced, green dress fluttering about as best as the heavy material could.
Glorfindel nodded. "I believe it looks- well, using Lord Elrond's word, fabulous."
"Fab-u-lous!" sang out the Lord of Imladris again.
Erestor closed the door swiftly. "Come, Glorfindel, help me get him out of this and up to his chambers."
"Up to his chambers?" Forest shook her head. "We'll have none of that. This is revenge."
"Revenge?" Erestor asked. "For what?"
"For this." Zhie pulled the notes out from the discarded robes Elrond had been wearing earlier. " 'Sometimes flowers and chocolate simply will not do. Each lady has specific desires which were eventually discovered.' " She flipped forward a little, continuing to read, " 'The gardens became a popular spot for the couples. (Must make sure to have certain benches replaced or cleaned before next walk through gardens).' " Zhie flipped all the way to the last page and read, " 'Celeborn can be quiet while sneaking around, but behind closed doors-' er, better just leave it at that. Actually, better I keep this for evidence..." she said, tucking the notes into her pocket as the other Elves except Celeborn and Elrond laughed, but the laughter caused Elrond to double over, laughing at what he knew not, and this made Celeborn and Zhie laugh, and soon, Elrond had stumbled his way off the table and was thanking everyone for the lovely party.
Reaching the bottom steps, Rúmil and Emmi overheard laughter and warnings of great doom. Curiosity so peeked, the two pushed the door to the tasters room slightly open and were flabbergasted to see Lord Elrond stumbling around in a hideously bright green dress. As Rúmil's chin dropped, Emmi couldn't contain her burst of laughter. The door was suddenly pulled open from the inside and the two eavesdroppers fell into the room in a cluster of arms and legs.
Looking up at the others, Emmi gave a sheepish grin. "I guess we weren't the only ones in the mood for a little wine?" she asked hesitantly. Seeing the chagrinned look upon Gildor's face, she got up and swiftly helped Rúmil, who was still staring at Lord Elrond, off the floor.
"Now, what magic of Sauron is going on here?" she asked of the Elves.
"Well, you see..." Melpomaen started.
"My Lady... " Glorfindel cut in.
"The truth is-" began an annoyed Erestor before he was cut off.
"You really don't want to know!" Celeborn stated.
Glancing at all, Emmi nodded her head. "Yes, I think you are correct, my lord! I really don't think I want to know!"
All of a sudden, whatever Emmi had been about to say was cut off by a loud voice singing, "Oh, yes they call him the streak...fastest thing on two feet...a prince as proud as he can be, of his anatomy, and he's gonna give us a peek."
At the door stood Legolas, his mouth hanging open and his face bright red. He had come to find out what all the commotion was about and why everyone was heading to the Hall of Fire. Backing out of the room, Legolas could be heard running up the stairs.
Astonished eyes turned to the Lord of Rivendell. Singing at the top of his lungs, he danced out of the room and up the stairs. Everyone from the room crowded in the doorway, watching the Elflord go.
"Somebody better grab him!" Gildor finally shouted, "or we are all dead come morning."
"Now we won't just be facing Lord Elrond's wrath - not that I worried, for his bark is worse than his bite - but now, King Thranduil shall wish to kill us, too! Oh, Sweet Valinor! This news shall not bode well in Mirkwood!" Melpomaen cried as they all rushed to capture the escaping Elf.
"By the Valar, I just know I'm going to have to explain this to his father before it causes an incident," sighed Erestor, walking calmly at the rear of the procession. "Remind me to write a letter to the King of Mirkwood tomorrow, Melpomaen," he called as the group ran to the Hall of Fire. He shook his head. "As if I shall forget this come morning..."
Haldir and Zu had rummaged through the kitchen and selected some food to eat once they returned to Zu's bedchamber. Haldir then lead Zu down to the wine cellar. On the way down they heard the sound of someone singing terribly off key.
"Now what's going on?" Zu tried to recognize the voice but could not place a name with it.
"Seems that we've been missing out on several things today," replied Haldir.
Within seconds, they were confronted by a giggling, dancing Elf in a hideous excuse for a green dress.
"Lord Elrond?" Haldir gasped, nearly dropping the basket of food he held.
Zu took one look at him and backed against the wall of the stairway, bursting out in uncontrollable laughter.
"Do you like my dress?" the overly drunken Elven Lord asked them both. "Well, do you?"
Haldir was too shocked to reply, and Zu just pointed and laughed like a lunatic.
"This is perfect!" she spoke up. "I can't believe this! This was just the kind of revenge I was hoping for!" She tried to calm herself down, but to no avail.
"So, you like my shiny dress?" Elrond spun around a few times, twirling the garment around, the cape swishing around.
"I LOVE IT!" Zu nearly fell down the stairs from laughing so hard.
"Yay!" Elrond cheered and pulled Zu into a quick hug. "I'm so glad someone likes it! Eveyone else wants me to take it off. But I won't let them," he growled, releasing Zu. He pulled the cloak closer around him. "It's mine. My own. My precious." he hissed. Haldir backed up as far against the wall as he could from the snarling peredhel.
Zu had the worst idea and a grin spread across her face. "Hey Elly, how about we go show everyone else your pretty new dress?"
The drunken Elf didn't have to think too hard as he shouted, "Yes! Let's show everyone!"
Haldir just stood where he was, gawking at the whole situation. As Zu and the overly giddy Elrond skipped up the stairs, he said to himself, "I never saw that..."
As he was about to continue to the cellar, now needing wine more than ever, he was confronted by a large group of Elves, Elleths, and ladies who were charging up the stairs.
"You're not Elrond," remarked Gildor when the group suddenly stopped.
"Thankfully, no," answered Haldir, his face still showing a blatent expression of shock.
"He's seen him!" shouted Emmi, "I'd know that look anywhere!" she added, pointing at Haldir's face.
"Did you see him? Where did he go?" demanded Glorfindel.
"I didn't and he went that way," pointed Haldir, backing up once more as the crowd rushed past and up the stairs. He began to make his descent once more, as Erestor came up the stairs, mumbling to himself.
"My deepest sympathies, for I did not know My Lord Elrond would begin to sing to your son regarding his recent run through the halls after his clothing had been stolen. I assure you, the behavior of Legolas was not an issue during the last few weeks, and...oh, no, that sounds as if I'm making Legolas out to be an elfling. Hmmm...I apologize for the series of unfortunate events which occured- Oh, good evening, Haldir- within the confines of the First Homely House, not the least of which..." Erestor's voice trailed off as he continued leisurely on his way.
For not the first time that evening, Haldir stood and stared. Now he understood completely why the Lady of the Golden Woods never left her realm.
"This is most amusing."
"I quite agree."
The pair of Elves sipped their wine and looked down into the shimmering waters.
"I don't remember that being in the Hall of Fire," Lólindal said. The image had changed to show the stage that had been built for the practice of the play in Imladris, and Galadriel began to fill the artist in on the various things that had happened because of Elrond's experiment.
"So you sent three of your guards to search for an Elleth you knew was safe because they regularly disobey any orders you give them regarding vacations? Incredible."
"I knew they would not go if I bade them to, so I simply used the excuse that was presented to me," explained Galadriel. "If it had not been that, it would have been to escort someone to Imladris or back from Imladris, or any other reason to get them there."
In the mirror, the three guards could be seen standing off to the side in the Hall of Fire. They weren't quite as festive as the rest of the household, but they were smiling and joking among one another, waiting for the purpose of the summons everyone had received to be revealed.
"You gave your husband consent before he left, I assume," said Lólindal abruptly.
Galadriel moved away from the mirror, nodding. "If I could stay with him here longer, I would, but my heart yearns for the sea, and I have no excuse left to stay, nor do I wish for one." She sat down in her chair once more, arms resting on the sides. "I have grown weary of this land I love, and shall miss it greatly, for I shall never return once I have gone. There are few things I love more than Lórien, and one of those things is its Lord, though I know it is only a matter of time before he, too, will sail to the West. His remaining time here will be difficult, and he will not easily give up on Lothlórien when it begins to fade. I would not begrudge him a companion for those dark days."
"What of you, My Lady?" Lólindal was still looking into the water, and Galadriel did not move. "Will you not be lonely in the West until the time that he comes to you?"
"I am not blind to what the future holds," she paused, closing her eyes, "for us. For all of us," she added softly
Lólindal walked slowly to Galadriel, lifting his hand to her cheek. He stroked the side of her face with the back of his hand, causing her to open her eyes. "So the Noldor shall sail to the West and leave the Sindar on the shores to ponder the coming age."
"Do you not wish to depart?"
"Nay, I am eager to cast off in a ship of white and silver. Besides, without your husband on board, you will need a proper escort."
"May I assume I shall need to reserve two places aboard the next ship to Valinor?" questioned Galadriel.
"I shall speak to Círdan myself about a room aboard the ship for us."
Galadriel gave a nod. "Thank you," she whispered.
"Ever your humble servant, my lady," answered Lólindal, taking up her hand and placing a gentle kiss upon her palm.
To amuse herself, and hopefully the rest of Rivendell, Zu led the overly excited Elrond through the Last Homely House. Several of the maids and guards throughout the halls stopped whatever they were doing and gasped at the sight before them. Lord Elrond was not too gracefully skipping down the hallway, his skirt flying up around him, while he sang something incomprehensible.
"Oh, Elly?" Zu called to the giddy Elf.
He turned around and smiled at her. "What is it?"
"How about we walk through the gardens for a moment? I think I should like to get some fresh air."
"That sounds lovely!" Elrond grabbed Zu by the wrist and dragged her down the hall, not knowing where he was going.
After several minutes of wandering through the halls, the drunken Elf finally asked, "Ummm...where were we going again?"
Zu tried her best to hold back her laughter, then she replied, "How about I lead us outside this time?"
Elrond looked pensive for a brief moment, then nodded his head. "Lead the way!"
"We're looking for a peredhel, about so high, and so wide, and wearing a green dress and a purple cape. Highly fashionable, if I might say so," added Glorfindel when he realized that the maid was too busy trying to control her laughter to answer him. She doubled over at his comment, and Erestor pulled Glorfindel away from the poor maid, who now slid down the wall, wiping tears from her eyes.
"Obviously, he's been here," said Erestor pointedly. The pair scurried around the corner as more laughter erupted. They came to a halt, finding a mass of three more victims, laughing and trying their best to support one another.
"We're looking for-"
"Fin, they know damn well what we're looking for!" scolded Erestor, pushing Glorfindel further down the hall. "Those aren't the peredhil we're looking for!" he added as they rounded the corner.
In their wake, they left Idhrenwen and the twins, doing what they could to regain their composure.
"That was your father!" blurted our Idhrenwen.
"No, that was his father!" Elladan laughed, pointing at Elrohir.
"Oh, no!" protested Elrohir, chuckling, "When he looks like nana, he's your ada!"
"I should think not, pen-neth!" argued Elladan, tickling Elrohir's side. "When he's in a dress...he's Arwen's father!"
The three of them landed in an unceremonious giggling heap on the floor.
The pair had walked out to the gardens where Elrond decided that he wanted to pick some of the brightly colored flowers. He insisted that Zu try to weave some of the smaller flowers into his hair. By the time they left the garden, he had a crown of flowers in his hair.
Elrond marched ahead of the Elleth. "That was fun! Can we do that again sometime?"
"Sure," responded Zu with a smirk. "We shall have to do this again quite soon..."
"I'm thirsty again...Can we go back to that place with all the drinks?" Elrond ran back around Zu and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, whimpering like a child. "Please?" he begged.
Zu stifled back another laugh, then gave in. "Alright, I'll take you back to the wine cellar."
"Yay!" shouted the Elven lord as he danced a circle around her, then gave her a tight hug. "You're so nice to me!"
A few minutes later, the two returned to the wine cellar, where everyone had returned when they could not find Elrond in the house. Even Haldir was in the cellar, pacing a little nervously after having been filled in by the rest.
"My word..." Gildor looked the Lord of Imladris up and down. "Am I ever glad I get to leave in the morning..."
Zu passed the giddy Elf on to the others and said, "Good luck with him!" Elrond began to make the rounds of the room, passing out flowers to everyone and hugging and kissing everyone as he went.
Haldir approached Zu, carrying a handful of squashed flowers Elrond has gifted him with. He gave her a pleading look and she giggled. Zu turned around and left the room, arm-in-arm with Haldir, who wanted nothing more than to get out of there as soon as possible.
"This is your lucky night, my lord!"
"Is it?" asked Elrond, grinning with a rather blank look on his face.
"Oh, yes, yes, it is!" confirmed Glorfindel as he steered Elrond to the Hall of Fire. "There is a group of very special people in the Hall of Fire tonight, and they are requesting a performance."
"A performance. How splendid! What will we be watching?" asked Elrond.
Glorfindel grinned to keep himself from laughing. "Why, we'll be watching you, my lord."
"Even better!" nodded Elrond. "That's my favorite performer!"
"Who'd have thought," mumbled Gildor, keeping the group moving at a steady pace now that they had caught the singing, dancing, drunken peredhel.
"Do I get a cast like you did?" Elrond was looking at Celeborn, but his eyes were glazed and his movements somewhat stalled, so had he not pointed a finger into Celeborn's shoulder, the elder Elf may not have known he was being addressed. "I want a beautiful Elleth. Two! Two Elleths!" he demanded, holding up two fingers for emphasis.
"Oh, well...of course, of course you do..." Celeborn motioned for the ladies in the group to step forward, but only Zhie reluctantly came closer.
Elrond squinted and stuck out his tongue. "That's not an Elleth, that's a pirate," he argued.
"Everybody's a critic," Zhie said, throwing her arms in the air as she turned around and found her original place in the procession.
"What about this one?" questioned Elrond, grabbing hold of Melpomaen, who was now cursing himself for his choice of attire that evening.
"I'm not an Elleth, I'm a priest!" squeaked the young advisor, but Elrond had not heard him, and the high pitched plea did not help his case.
"He'd be- er, She'll be happy to help!" Glorfindel said, nudging Melpomaen closer to Elrond. Melpomaen let out a soft whimper and looked helplessly around at the other Elves as they approached the hall.
"Wonderful. I know just the song to sing," Elrond said, straightening up his posture as they approached the door to the hall. Elrond reached for the handle, but Glorfindel's hand grasped it first.
"Please, allow me!" Glorfindel opened the door wide enough to slip through, then closed it, holding it shut with one hand. "Lords, ladies, friends, and guests, residents of the Elven realms and beyond, delayed, but not forgotten, I present to you as Assistant Director-"
"Assistant to the Director!" shouted Celeborn through the door.
Glorfindel kicked his foot against the bottom of the door before continuing. "-I present to you the encore of the play seen this evening, and furthermore, I present to you, the Lord of Imladris, the noble Elf Elrond Half-Elven!" Glorfindel flung the door open, revealing Elrond in the ugliest green dress ever. Melpomaen was on his arm, and his face was a shade similar to that of the dress.
Elrond walked through the stunned crowd to the stage, not hearing the comments from the members of the audience. Upon reaching the stairs, he staggered up, grasping the railing with Melpomaen in tow. By now, the audience was trying their best to contain their laughter.
"That's...that's just cruel..." remarked Orophin to the Elleth next to him. "Remind me never to get drunk here in Imladris!"
Somehow a small group of musicians had been assembled off to the side, and when they were given instructions by Lord Elrond himself, more than one had to cover their mouths in laughter. The music began, and Elrond sang and danced with Melpomaen, which was more pulling Melpomaen in the general direction he wanted him to go, and Melpomaen trying not to think how silly he looked at the moment.
"Well, I think I drank too much of the wine/But I must say I feel mighty fine/When I'm with my Elleth!" Elrond managed to pull a very unhappy Melpomaen close to him before continuing, "Well, I've got the homeliest house around/We'll spin around and we'll touch the ground/And I'm with my Elleth!" After spinning Melpomaen, the lord had let go so that he could touch the ground, leaving Melpomaen enough time to rush to the side of the stage where the small group that had led Elrond here was standing.
"Get out there!" pointed Erestor.
"No, I'm staying here!" argued Melpomaen, who quickly untied the knots of the copper lacing. In a few short seconds, he had thrown his garment into a heap off stage, and though he was now in nothing but leggings, he was not about to be mistaken for an Elleth. He crossed his arms over his chest as Elrond swiftly approached him to drag him back. Elrond blinked a few times in confusion. Melpomaen lifted his arm and pointed a finger at Erestor. "She's over there," he said in a strong, low voice, and Elrond nearly pounced the wide-eyed raven-haired advisor.
"Fin! Fin, help me!" hissed Erestor as he was pulled on stage, but Glorfindel was doubled over in laughter, as were the rest standing off to the side, and most of those in the audience.
"Well, that's when we're gonna kiss and kiss and kiss and kiss,/And we're gonna kiss some more," Elrond made an attempt to smooch Erestor on the cheek, but Erestor kept his free hand planted firmly on Elrond's head so that Elrond could not reach him. "Who cares how many times we kiss,/'Cause at a time like this, who keeps score?" Off stage, Glorfindel held up seven fingers, one for each of the attempts made by Elrond. Erestor shot him a contemptuous look, giving Elrond a chance to wriggle out of his spot and plant a sloppy kiss on Erestor's right cheek. Erestor pouted and wiped his cheek with his sleeve, the other arm still held by Elrond.
"Well, I am hers now and she is mine/I must say, this dress is divine," Elrond looked down, admiring the green dress as if it was the first time he had ever seen it. "And I'm with my Elleth!" He drew Erestor close, only to be shoved away best the advisor could with control of only one hand.
"And it don't matter if it's rain or snow,/The Hall of Fire is the place to go/And I'm with my--whoooaa!" Having become too close to the edge of the stage, Elrond fell off the front, taking poor Erestor down with him. Luckily for Erestor, his fall was broken by Elrond.
"Lord Elrond, are you alright?" Erestor helped the Elflord up with a concerned look on his face. He couldn't say he was unhappy at the abrupt end to the performance, but at the same time, a drunken Lord of Imladris was enough to deal with without worrying about a drunken injured Lord of Imladris.
"That last step is quite a drop," remarked Elrond, shaking his head. He stopped suddenly, his hand holding his stomach. "I am not feeling all too well. Perhaps we should wait until the morning to finish the song, fair maiden?"
"Splendid idea," said Erestor, carefully rolling his eyes only when Elrond was not looking. He motioned for Gildor to help him, and the pair led Elrond from the room to thunderous applause from the crowd.
Orophin leaned over and poked Legolas, who was standing next to him. "Hey, Legolas, I don't think you need to worry about that streaking incident too much any more! I believe the Lord of Imladris has out done you for embarrassing acts!"
Kristin, standing in the prince's arms, covered her mouth as she laughed. Orophin chuckled as well, and even Legolas started to laugh. The three of them continued to do so even after Elrond had left the room.
"I think I've stayed here long enough," Zu whispered to Haldir as they went inside her chambers.
"What ever do you mean?"
Zu went to pack her belongings so she could leave Rivendell. Just as she was placing the last item of clothing in her traveling bag, Haldir reached his hands out to clasp hers. Zu looked up into his pale silvery blue eyes.
"Why do you want to leave now?" he asked.
"Once Elrond realizes what happened, he will certainly be after me. I have no intention on staying here and making it easy for him to hunt me down. I wish to return to Lórien for a time."
"And what shall you do there?"
Zu turned around and reached her arms around Haldir's neck, gently running her hands through his long blonde hair. "Well, I was thinking of moving there and living with a certain March Warden for the remainder of my life," she grinned up at him.
Haldir held her close to his chest. "Amin mela lle," he whispered so softly that even she could barely hear him.
"I love you, too, Haldir." The two parted so they could finish packing so that they could leave the land of Imladris.
"Encore!" shouted Orophin, and Glorfindel walked out onto the stage, shaking his head, as well as his shoulders, as he laughed.
"You've already had your encore!" he shouted back.
"We've had one, yes. But what about second encore?" Orophin asked, deadpan. There was quite a bit of smirking and snorting, especially among those who knew of the Shirefolk.
"I have none to give you," Glorfindel said, holding out his hands.
Celeborn couldn't help but yell, "Some Assistant Director you are!"
"Assistant to the Director!" corrected Glorfindel, adding, "Your fans await you, Lord Celeborn!"
"What would you have me do, read them poetry?" Celeborn continued the banter between himself and Glorfindel as though it were a private conversation, although all in the room could hear them.
"If you wish to put them to sleep..." answered Glorfindel.
"Singing, then? A ballad, perhaps?"
"If you wish to put them to sleep..." answered Glorfindel.
"I could do the Elvish Dance of Love."
"If you wish to- whoa, hold on, who said that?" Glorfindel looked over the group that was onstage and off to the side. Of them, Melpomaen was the only one blushing. "The Elvish Dance of Love?"
"I was kidding," answered the Elf meekly, but soon found himself being hauled out onto the center of the stage by Glorfindel.
"Does it entail seeing more of you than we saw of the young prince of Mirkwood?" questioned Dorindil from the audience. Corri, from where she stood next to him, was surprised that the guard had spoken up so boldly, but was unable to suppress a laugh. Neither could most of the rest of the audience.
"Looks like I spoke too soon about everyone forgetting your adventure," whispered Orophin to a pouting Legolas.
From the stage, Melpomaen was looking as if he wished the door were more accessible for the second time in as many minutes. "I don't know, I've never done it before!" This caused more laughter from the audience.
Glorfindel instructed the band to play a very bawdy Dwarvish tune, and Melpomaen nearly ran off. He would have, had it not been for the Elves blocking his path on either side of the stage. So he did the only thing a respectable Elf could do.
He danced.
"I think, even with his clothing on, it was more...erotic than seeing Legolas run down the hallway naked," voiced Emmi.
Kristin, one hand on her glass of wine, raised the other to object. "I think I may have to disagree with you on that."
Corri shook her head, unable to think of anything proper for the occasion, until she finally managed, "I think this is safely the most bizarre day of my life."
"It's already tomorrow, dear, yesterday had to have been the most bizarre day, if that is the case," Idhrenwen said with practicality, sipping her wine.
Unable to sleep after the events that had occurred, Zhie had invited those who had either knowingly or unknowingly been part of the experiment to read the notes made by Elrond. They had just finished, and day was breaking, signaling the time when many of them would leave to return to their own realms.
"It was certainly enjoyable, was it not?" Zhie put her empty glass down on the top of the table. "Truly, we must do this again."
"Get together? I should think so. We have some sort of...bond...having gone through this ordeal together." Zu was slightly impatient, already having packed to leave.
"Excellent. Perhaps we should have another Valentine's Day in Lothlorien, in a few months or so."
The ladies at the table all looked up and stared at Zhie. Zhie, looking confused, glanced at Idhrenwen, who shrugged.
"Elves," Forest finally said, snapping her fingers. She leaned more toward where the ladies were sitting around the table and said, "We should really explain why this happened as it did, I don't think anyone ever really told the two of them about Valentine's Day."
Zhie looked a little hurt. "No Valentine's Day in Lothlorien, then?"
"Not next month, at least," Forest said.
"Oh. Fine, then." Zhie refilled her glass and everyone remained quiet for some time.
"We only celebrate it once a year," Kristin spoke up. "Which is probably a good thing, there wouldn't be time for flowers to grow back if we did it every month!" Light laughter filled the room, and Idhrenwen sighed.
"Do you not have other holidays? Not that I don't like our holidays, but ours aren't as much fun as this," explained Idhrenwen.
Corri tilted her head with interest. "What do you celebrate?"
"The death of Gil-galad...the fall of Gondolin...the anniversary of the Kinslaying...any time we screw up, we pretty much keep reminding ourselves about it..." Zhie took a long drink. "We have flowers, and music, but that's about where the similarities stop."
"Well..." Zu thought for a few moments. "What would you say to a holiday with brightly colored eggs?"
"Eggs?" Idhrenwen and Zhie looked at one another and shrugged.
"And beautiful pastel dresses and hats," added Emmi, catching on.
"Can I just wear the hat?" asked Zhie slyly.
Forest grinned. "There's candy and chocolate as well."
"So, it's Valentine's day, with eggs instead of flowers?" asked Idhrenwen.
Corri shook her head. "Not exactly."
"There's bunnies, too!" blurted out Zu.
"Bunnies?" Zhie's ears perked up. "I love bunnies!"
"Great!" Emmi motioned for everyone to scoot closer to the table and lowered her voice conspiratorially. "Then I call this meeting of the Last Alliance of Women and Elleths to order! Ladies, let us plot."
And they did.