Your Hands Are Cold

What Liquor Can Do

Since the heated argument I had with the king in the morning, I couldn’t stop thinking of his words as I walked through the palace halls. I was on my way to the palace storage rooms to get supplies. As I was walking I noticed that few elves turned their heads to look at me. It seemed that news of my argument with Thranduil had spread throughout the palace, and I was the current topic of numerous whispers and conversations. I wanted to see Arandur after the argument, but he was nowhere to be found. When I asked the other guards, they wouldn’t give me a single hint of his location. I began to worry of Arandur, and I began to feel lonely as well.

I had almost reached the storage rooms, when a drunken elven guard appeared before me. Locks of deep brown hair curtained his face as he tried to let the words out off his mouth. A bottle of Elven liquor was in his grasp. I tried to get out of his way, when I noticed that the drunken elf had been none other than Arandur.

 His eyes were clouded with pure haze, and he tried to grab my shoulder. His feet were unable to maintain his posture, so I helped him stand up. I then cancelled my plans of going to the storage rooms by dragging drunken Arandur back to my chambers. He slowly became sober and realized there was a female elf that had dragged him through the wide, empty halls and threw away his bottle of alcohol.

 “Maeneth? Is that you?” he asked, in a sluggish tone. I looked into his eyes and realized they were now half-closed, so I’d have to get him back to my chambers quickly or he’ll fall asleep on the ground.

 “Yes, it’s me,” I said. “Why did you drink? You have an early shift tomorrow morning,”

 “Oh, who cares?” he groaned.

 “I care,” I cried out. “You shouldn’t be lazying around like this, especially not when you’re Thranduil’s personal guard,”

“Says the elf who had a particularly fiery argument with the king this morning,” 

 “That wasn’t my fault,” I replied.

“Wasn’t your fault?” Arandur fixed his posture, and stood on his two feet by himself. He was now only half-sober, because the sluggishness still remained in his tone. “It was your fault. I have avoided you all morning! What will the other guards think when I associate myself with you? What will Thranduil think? He’ll probably take me to dungeons or possibly exile me! Are you too blind, or too stupid, to see that your actions bring consequences to others, and not just yourself?”

 At that very moment, I was as still as ever. I didn’t move at all, as I stood like a statue. My mind went completely blank as Arandur spoke those words to me, those cruel words. But I do admit that his words were true.

 I am a selfish, and foolish elf, and both Arandur, and Thranduil has made me believe that I am one now.

 Arandur quickly approached me, and grabbed my face. He pressed his lips against mine, which tasted of disgusting hard liquor. I had longed to kiss Arandur again after the first time, but now I regret such a desire. He grew more aggressive by the minute, and his hands grasped and caressed various parts of my body. I wanted to let go of him, and run somewhere. It was a long way back to my chambers, and even if I did run, Arandur would quickly catch up due to strength that was much bigger in comparison to mine.

 For the second time today, I began crying. “No, Arandur, stop,” I stammered. “Leithio nin,” I said again and again.

 “Av-‘osto,” Arandur replied.

I wanted to scream, yet nothing came out of my mouth. Arandur kept on kissing me again and again, until he pushed me up against the wall. Alas, there was no escape. I couldn’t run, and I couldn’t get myself off him, because he placed both my arms above me and against the wall.

It was hours past midnight, and all servants had slept soundly and even palace guards were dozing off in their stations, while I was here, begging for a man I thought I knew so well, to stop.

 I heard a door creak open, and expected it to be one of servants who have just finished a lengthy chore.

 But it wasn’t.

 There, under the dimly lit torches that lit the great hallways, stood Thranduil in his night robes.

A/N: Leithio nin means release me and Av-'osto means don't be afraid.