Disclaimer: I do not own Middle-earth or any characters conjured up from the brilliant mind of J.R.R. Tolkien.

Author's Note: Hope you enjoy this story. It's something a little different.

With that said, I want you wonderful readers to be aware that some of the behavior of the elves will be different from tradition. Don't freak out. Please just humor me.

Lastly, I always try to catch grammatical errors for a better reading experience so I apologize in advance if you see some flaws along the way!

Here we go!

A Change in Routine

The lavender sleeve of the dress lay on top of her arm with the beaded work at its tips catching the morning's light across the way. Gently she caressed the material, closing her eyes wondering if the dress was worth trying on. She reopened her eyes, seeing her reflection in the mirror staring back at her with a grin, the entire dress now draped against her form.

She held it out and examined it for the hundredth time. As exquisite as the fabric was there were plenty there, far more beautiful with more intricate designs, each one especially woven for its wearer.

On to the next dress.

The image in the mirror caught her eye again. She stopped to take a look at herself once more before placing the dress back into the closet.

"This will not do," she said aloud to herself. The female elf turned her head to the left then to the right, her gaze still fixated on the mirror. She tried blowing a strand of her dark locks away from her face but was unsuccessful. The stubborn thing decided to remain out of place.

Looking around the room, she finally found a hairpin on the dresser and managed to tame the hair that never liked to cooperate when restrained with objects.

Once the task was done, she returned to the first task she originally set out to accomplish: place the dress back where it belonged. She opened the closet's double doors without realizing how many new dresses there were inside. One for each day of the year, it seemed, arranged in multiple colors from lightest to darkest.

"Amazing what one can find in another's closet," she laughed to herself.

"Yes, it is. And, I am sure that the owner of these materials will appreciate you leaving their belongings alone," a voice came from behind.

"Mother! I did not hear you enter," she blushed, embarrassed.

"That is because instead of doing what you are supposed to be doing this morning, you are playing dress up again with materials that do not belong to you," scolded her mother.

"I am sorry, mother. I just seem to find a new dress every morning that has been carelessly laid out on the chair as if it is some sort of dirty rag."

"My dear, when there are far greater concerns to worry about, for example, ruling a vast kingdom such as ours, some elves do not have the luxury of concerning themselves when a mere wrinkle found on their attire."

"Understood."

"And that is also why we have servants and chambermaids to fuss over the insignificant details while the king and queen concentrate on the safety of our people," her mother adds.

"Like us," she stated with a sigh.

"Yes, my dear. Like us. Go now, Le'ariel, and finish your chores. Their Majesties do not provide us with food and shelter to sit and daydream about their luxuries. I must go now for there is still much to be done in the kitchens."

And out the door her mother goes.

Le'ariel quietly sighed again after her mother disappeared around the corner and sat herself in a chair with the dress still in hand. Every morning it was the same routine; her mother checked on her before heading for the kitchens, only to find her marveling over the queen's new acquired clothing instead of doing chores as one of the palace's chambermaids.

The queen usually made her own side of the bed while the king and prince left theirs a mess. Blankets and pillows were found more often than not lying at the end of the mattress or on the floor next to their garments.

At least the queen was kind enough to keep her things off the floor. Le'ariel almost tripped over the king's robe once as she lost herself in a dance, pretending she was at one of the many balls held in the Great Wood.

"Well, then, let us get started shall we?" Le'ariel said to herself again after glossing over the four corners of the room.

The female elf stood and firstly opened the window to get more lighting into the chamber. The air felt refreshing in the stuffy environment. She fixed the other half of the bed then gathered everything off the floor and either placed them back where they belong or held onto them for washing.

Double checking to make sure the room looked fit for a king and queen once again, Le'ariel nodded her head with a smile. Feeling satisfied with her work, she wiped the imaginary dust from her hands then placed the two sacks of clothing by the door.

The red sack she carried belonged to the king and other, purple, belonged to the queen. Each royal member had a different colored sack so the servants who do the washing knew whose laundry belonged to which royal member.

Closing the door behind her, Le'ariel lugged the sacks of clothing over her shoulder and walked down the corridor to the prince's chamber. She dropped them by the side of the hallway and stared at his door. The same thing wasn't going to happen to her again.

Should I knock first this time? Le'ariel pondered before attempting to touch the door.

Remembering the last time she thought the prince left for the archery range, she found him walking out of his washroom. Half-naked. Luckily, her eyes didn't wander far. Le'ariel did, however, leave his parent's clothing in his room that she dropped from the shock of seeing him looking the way he did. She apologized then immediately walked out, eyes covered.

Once Le'ariel was at a safe distance she hid herself in a corner, adorning a very flushed face. Never before had she been so embarrassed. In front of the prince, no less!

The chambermaid kept imagining the elf-prince laughing at her for her frantic performance. Legolas was amused by her actions, but only because she was the first maiden to run away from him in such a hasty fashion.

Le'ariel couldn't bring herself to return to his chamber for the rest of that day, so she asked another servant to get the laundry sacks for her. When she came back empty handed, the servant informed her that the prince decided to bring them down to the washers himself.

She got a good earful from her mother of how foolish her behavior was and how embarrassing it was to have the prince do her chores. Le'ariel tried explaining the situation but her mother refused to hear her excuses. Since that day, Le'ariel took precautions when entering Legolas's sleeping quarters.

The chambermaid let out a breath before knocking, which was also the same routine before she entered the prince's chambers. Le'ariel waited, but no one answered. She knocked a second time and even leaned her ear against the door to make certain the room was empty. After a few moments, Le'ariel slowly opened the door and peered inside. The velvet curtains were still shut giving little visibility into the vast space. Carefully, she walked in.

Walking over and around the items under her feet, Le'ariel made her way to the balcony window. The prince seemingly had more scattered outfits covering his bedroom floor than he usually did. The female elf reached for the part that separates the heavy curtains and opened them, letting the morning greet the room with a burst of light.

Le'ariel took a step forward, but abruptly stopped in her tracks. Was that a maiden's dress she saw lying on the floor? Slowly raising her head toward the bed, the chambermaid saw a pair of eyes watching her with a grin on the owner's lips.

"Good morning," the maiden in the bed greeted. "Look who we have here, my prince."

Legolas uncovered his head with his pillow and gradually sat himself up. "What? Who is it?" he rubbed his eyes. His head was still throbbing from the previous evening and his vision was still blurry.

Le'ariel stood in shock for the second time in his room.

"It is one of your servants," the maiden replied with a smug look on her face.

"Le'ariel?" Legolas blinked, trying to get a better look at her.

"Your Highness, forgive me! I did not know you were still in bed…and with company. If I had known, I would not have disturbed you at such an early hour. Please, accept my apology. I will take my leave and return your privacy." Le'ariel quietly exited the room without trying to look as anxious as she was to depart.

"Wait..." Legolas slowly responded.

"No, let her go, Prince Legolas. She is only a servant. Serves her right for not knocking first…such poor manners." The maiden rolled her eyes and cuddled closer to the elf-prince.

Le'ariel clearly wasn't deaf. Trying to rein in her temper, she picked up the laundry sacks leaning against the wall and briskly left for the washers. The chambermaid grew used to being treated like she wasn't someone with feelings or emotions from those who thought they were better than her because of the power and title they held.

Especially from her. Lady Varien Redbirch—the snootiest of all the maidens in their sovereign's court.

The female elf remembered the whispers in the palace kitchens how Lady Varien had an unwavering hope of becoming Legolas's future bride and the next Queen of Eryn Lasgalen. She speculated this to be true for even in the shadows of the room that the sun didn't reach, the dark determined glare in Varien's eyes shone brightly that morning from the light peeking into the underground kingdom.

By the time Le'ariel reached the washers she was now angrier and upset. If she had it her way, the childish maiden would have worn a black eye to match her hair color. Varien woke the prince on purpose to embarrass her more than she already was for walking in on them. And she did knock before walking in!

Knowing the elf-prince's activities well enough, Le'ariel mentally kicked herself. He mostly slept the day away after the ruckus he and his friends made the night before. Le'ariel was often disturbed from her waking dream when the moon was still high in the evening sky from to their late night merrymaking.

Elves talking late into the night Le'ariel had no problem with. But mix miruvor into the equation…it was sure to be a memorable gathering. Everything magnified when the elven liquor was present. Legolas was known to have a high tolerance for the substance, especially when a pretty face was by his side. Once a maiden agreed to be alone with him, he offered to remedy her problems then usually failed to remember her the following day.

The chambermaid disliked the way he took advantage of his birthright for things that shouldn't be given to or taken from lightly. By no means was she naive when it came to male elves or love, but unlike some of the maidens who were nothing but hollow shells inside, Le'ariel didn't give in to empty promises that meant nothing when the morning's glow replaced the night.

She had more self-respect than that.

Legolas Greenleaf...you are insufferable!