Wanderlust (Legolas LOTR)

Deleted Scene #2

In which Thaliniel and Narylfiel return home to the vineyard briefly before the wedding. I originally wrote this scene, because I really get a kick out of writing Barathion. More importantly, I wanted to tie up this loose end of the story...but I ended up cutting it ultimately because I felt like it bogged down the flow of the ending.
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Faendol Vineyard was still fresh, still brightly green as ever as Belchuil rode up through the front gate with his two daughters. Narylfiel was off her mount and sprinting toward her aunt's waiting arms as soon as the front porch came into view, but Thaliniel lingered, committing her favorite sights to memory, like her favorite climbing tree and the way her father's fields dipped and curved across the valley, rows and rows of grapes, dusky red in the early light.

One sight that the young maiden did not particularly cherish was that of long time friend and would-be suitor, Barathion, waiting for her on the porch with her aunt. His arms were crossed, and his face, rather pinched looking. Thaliniel sighed and slid off her horse.

She rather hoped that her sister would hold her tongue, so she might gently break the news of her engagement to her old friend.

Narylfiel unfortunately had other plans. The first words out of her mouth to their aunt were: "Thaliniel and Legolas are getting married!"

Of course, then Aunt Maeben swept both the girls into a bone-crushing, teary-eyed hug, with all sorts of exclamations of disbelief to congratulations to weak reprimands. During all this uproar, Barathion stared at Thaliniel from across the porch. She piteously met his gaze, and still he stared wordlessly, his mouth hung open, his eyes a little blank.

Only after her father joined them on the porch and bade Aunt Maeben and Narylfiel to go inside the house with him did Barathion finally speak.

"You...you and the Prince?" he asked quietly at last.

Thaliniel crossed the distance between them and nodded softly in confirmation. "I am sorry you had to learn of our engagement this way, Barathion," she told him.

His face flushed as he pursed his lips, and his eyes darkened. "Could Prince Legolas not find some other more beautiful maiden at the palace?"

"I hoped that you would be happy for me," began Thaliniel, and then she narrowed her eyes. "Wait- what do you mean 'more beautiful maiden' at the palace?"

"We were supposed to be together," huffed Barathion. "The prince could have anybody; you think he would have the courtesy to leave you for me!" Then he reached for her hands and attempted to pull her closer, but Thaliniel was stronger than she looked. She resisted his gentle, and then more forceful, tug with the expertise and strength learned from years of trying to coerce her little sister to come to dinner.

Right in the middle of this rather awkward scene, Narylfiel poked her head out the front door. "Thaliniel, Aunt Maeben wants you-oh." Her eyes darted from her sister's stricken expression to the unpleasant splotches painted across Barathion's cheeks.

"Oh," she repeated, this time more gravely as she slid through the doorway and came to stand between the two of them, calmly detaching Barathion's grip from her sister's wrists and giving him a disappointed look.

"You knew this was never going to work out, Barathion. I told you that in Dale," Narylfiel reminded him matter-of-factly. "Besides, Thaliniel has already bonded with Prince Legolas, so it's too late."

"Narylfiel!" her sister exclaimed, two bright spots blooming on her cheeks.

"What?" Narylfiel pretended innocence. "I was just assuming after I overheard the king tell his chief of staff that you spent all night in the prince's room."

Thaliniel shoved her little sister behind her. "That's enough!" she hissed in her ear and then steered her toward the door.

"I am sorry about all this, Barathion," Thaliniel said, mortified. "I just don't know what comes over her sometimes."

Giving her little sister an extremely dirty look, Thaliniel pushed her toward the door, but Narylfiel was not quite finished with what she had to say. She had never really liked the way Barathion looked at her sister!

Narylfiel dug in her feet at the threshold before her sister could shove her through the entrance. "Oh, and Barathion?" she added, her voice pure sweetness. "There are giant owls in Mirkwood Forest. I saw them swooping through the trees with my own eyes."

"But, but King Thranduil told me himself!" Barathion protested, his eyes widening. "There are no giant owls!"

Narylfiel tsked at him. "They say that to ALL the villagers," she replied witheringly. "Can't have the common folk panicking, now can they?"

Thaliniel watched Barathion's face drain white. Then she forced Narylfiel through the open door and slammed it behind them.

Leaning up against the door, Thaliniel pushed her hand through her hair and cut her eyes over to her sister beside her. "I ought to..." she started to say in her best threatening voice, but then remembering the last look on Barathion's face, an unbidden giggle escaped instead.

Thaliniel sank to the floor laughing with her sister. "Perfect timing! Thank you, Narylfiel!" she gasped in between laughs. "I really do owe you!"

Narylfiel stopped mid-chuckle. "I know," she answered in all seriousness.

And that is precisely how Narylfiel came to live at the palace as the special guest of the royal family after the much-celebrated wedding of Prince Legolas and Thaliniel.
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Author's note: Oh, poor Barathion...except I just can't feel very sorry for him, for some reason.

Well, this is the final chapter for this story! Keep your eyes posted for a possible sequel, and...

Please comment! I would love to hear from you one last time!