Wanderlust (Legolas LOTR)

Heart Set

Thaliniel pounced on Narylfiel the moment she skipped through the door to their room. "Narylfiel," she exclaimed. "Come sit by the fire with me. Look, I ordered up a tray of pastries from the kitchen."

Narylfiel eyed her sister curiously. "Oh, Thaliniel, I don't know. I just had tea with King Thranduil and I'm pretty full."

Thaliniel sat down and patted the seat next to her. "Come visit with me then."

"Well...oh, are those little custard tarts? I love those!" Narylfiel crossed the room to her sister and popped one into her mouth before sitting down.

"How was your visit with Thranduil today?" Thaliniel asked innocently, but the charge left to her by Galadhor still weighed heavy in her mind. Somehow she had to convince the king that she was good enough for his son!

Fully occupied by the sweets now on her plate, Narylfiel glanced up with a smile. "Wonderful!" she replied enthusiastically, referring to her time with the king.

Thaliniel just had to ask, "Why do you like visiting him so much?" She, for one, could not see the allure.

Narylfiel looked thoughtful as she daintily took another bite of her pastry. "I can always tell he is glad to see me, like I am not an annoyance or a bother. King Thranduil says I make him feel young again."

"Really?" Thaliniel could not keep the surprise out of her voice. Narylfiel's comment certainly did not fit with the picture she had in her head of a stern, cold king.

"Yes, and he listens to me-not like an elfling, but like I am important. The king also tells great stories. Did you know that he fought in the Battle of the Last Alliance?

Thaliniel sipped her tea slowly, taking all of this information in, and Narylfiel chirped on blithely, enjoying her older sister's attention: "King Thranduil told me all about some of the fighting. His own father died in that battle, you know, and I could tell that he was still a little sad about that. So I told him how I wanted to be a warrior too and join the Forest Guard when I am older, and that seemed to cheer him right up. King Thranduil told me he would be honored to accept my service to the crown."

Thaliniel set her tea down and smiled at her sister. "It seems as though he has been very kind to you, Narylfiel."

Her sister looked at her accusingly. "I can hear the doubt in your voice, Thaliniel. He has been a perfect host to us, you know."

"Of course, he has, Narylfiel," Thaliniel reassured her sister, "and I am glad that you and he get along so well. It's just that he does not seem to like me very much."

Narylfiel looked at Thaliniel as if she were extremely dim-witted or slow, or perhaps a combination of both. "I would not say that, sister. He asks about you all the time!"

Thaliniel had to repress the urge for a full body shudder. "He what?" she choked on her tea.

"He just asks about you, mostly boring stuff like how you are liking the palace and what sort of interests you have." Narylfiel shrugged.

"What did you tell him?" Thaliniel asked, futilely trying to keep the anxiety out of her voice when all she wanted to do really was to curl up into a ball of despair, preferably under the covers on her bed.

Narylfiel noticed her sister's discomfort and picked up her hand and patted it. "Don't worry, Thaliniel. I know you have your heart set on Legolas. I would never say anything damaging about you to the king!"

Eyes wide, Thaliniel dropped her sister's hand and jumped up from the settee, spilling her tea in the process. "Narylfiel!" she exclaimed. "What do you mean I have my heart set on Legolas?"