A/N: Fiction will not follow the canon. Some dates will be accurate, some will not be. Inconsistent.
Aielenamin
Chapter 1: A Marriage Proposal
"Prince Legolas! Prince Legolas! Wait for me!" little Arienne screamed madly, running across the far end of the archery field to where the prince was readying his horse, her tangled mousy dark brown hair flying around her grime-streaked face. She grinned wider when she saw him wave at her with a smile. "Ommphhhh!" she cried, tumbling down on the soft brown earth, as she tripped on her gown.
She was half-mad, half-saddened that he planned to leave without telling her about it. And upon knowing that the prince was to leave an hour after dawn, she snuck out of her room in the palace, leaving behind a still snoring nurse. Arienne had ran about the woods until she reached the archery range where he knew he would be, getting caught along the way by branches and leaves as well being dirtied by the moist earth that had already clung to her dress.
"Arienne!" Legolas jogged to where the child fell down but saw her quickly stand up, not bothering to brush off the dirt from her once clean blue dress. "Are you alright child?" he asked worriedly when he reached her, steading the small elfling in front of him, brushing the dirt from her face.
"It was nothing," she smiled widely at the prince, her letter S making her produce an adorable lisp.
"What are yoo doing here? You should still be tucked in bed," he admonished disapprovingly at her.
Arienne then remembered why she was there and began to frown at the Prince, returning the look that he was giving her at the moment. "Renus told me that you were leaving for the east and won't be back till a year from now, you didn't even bother saying goodbye," she accusingly, her pink lips forming a pouting look of neglect.
Legolas chuckled at the adorable picture the elf child before him made, still proud and queenly even with her dress and hair in disarray. He crouched down to her level and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her small, pointy ears. "I am sorry aielenamin but I didn't think you would be awake at this hour, it is but an hour past sun up," he explained to her as she looked back at him. "And besides, I don't think Nyeath would approve of me waking you up at this hour, she would have me roasted alive," he added with a wink.
Arienne hated the way the prince talked to her as if she didn't have any feelings. She was already approaching her 14th year and yet, everyone still treated her as if she just came out of her diapers! "None of you treat me like an adult," she said angrily at him.
"That is because you still are a child," he said tenderly. "Oh do stop pouting, ai-elen," he said producing a white lily from his back, waving it in front of her face.
Arienne gasped. "How did you do that?" she demanded at him, her hands at her sides.
"Would you rather have it or would rather know how I came to have it?" he asked with a teasing grin. He laughed as she snatched the flower from his hand. "Now where is that smile that I've been wanting to see?"
The little elf smiled at him brightly before launching herself at the prince, her arms clasped around his neck. "I shall miss you, do you promise to tell me about all of your adventures when you come back?" she said, her arms tightening around him. Oh she did not want him to leave!
"Telellah, please loosen your grip, I cannot breathe," he gasped out laughingly, the wind knocked out of him after launching herself at him. For a child that barely reached up to arm, she sure could choke him! He felt her grip loosen and he slight chuckle. "I promise I will do all that," he said sincerely at the child whom he came to grow fond off like a sister, albeit her attentions were always directed at him.
No doubt that the child had a crush on him. But then again, she had no real male acquaintances except her father, who was one of the kings advisers, the king and Legolas! "Now, I really must leave for I do not want to be late for my audience with the Lady of the Woods," he said gently, untangling her thin arms from his neck.
The morose look returned to her face without her noticing it. Legolas sighed and so he held her hand that had the flower he gave her, "I promise you, I shall return with stories and gifts. And as long as I haven't returned and have seen you, that lily will not wilt."
Arienne's eyes crinkled with contentment before breaking into a mischievouse smile, "Can we get married when you get back?" She started to flutter her eyes at him like a charlatan making the prince dissolve into deep laughter before being kicked at his side by the indignant elf in front of him. "We will get married, you know," she informed him primly, her nose up in the air.
She really is something else. A proposal from a lady, a lady of 14 years, no less! he thought in amusement. "You'll change your mind soon enough, ai-elen. Before you know it, boys will be lining up to ask your atar for your hand in marriage," he said affectionately, pinching her pert nose lightly.
"Why can't I marry you?" she asked insistently, crossing her arms.
"Hmmmm, let me think. Maybe because the boys in the village will be shooting their arrows my way wherever I go when they find out that we got married," he answered teasingly. All he got was a loud 'hrumph' from the elfling. Legolas kissed the elf child's forehead and smiled before he signaled for a guard that was near the archery range to come.
"Erulien, kindly escort the Lady Arienne back to her quarters before her guardian finds out that she's missing and sound the alarm bells?" he asked the guard whom he knew knows something about the child's attachment to the prince and therefore knew it wouldn't be an easy task to escort her back to the palace.
"As you wish, your highness," he said, walking towards the child who was looking pleadingly at the older man. "Come on, my lady. Nyeath will surely be not pleased when she finds out that you've been traipsing around the grounds at this hour," he said taking her small hand.
Arienne sighed loudly and waved at Legolas before following the guard. "Be good while I'm gone Arienne!" Legolas called out loudly as she retreated. The elfling turned around and gave him a devlish grin before sticking out her tongue at him. He laughed as he went back to his traveling party.
"She sure is very devoted to you, Legolas," Sirefel said chuckling, remembering the scene he had witnessed a brief moment ago. He along with ten others started to ride out of Mirkwood after settling the small incident.
"That she is, that she is," he said merrily, remembering her audacious marriage proposal to him a while ago. "She has actually taken this parting quite well compared to the others where she threw monstrous tantrums when I leave," the prince laughingly recalled. "She will grow up to be a fine lady," he added with a smile.
The last time that he had to leave Mirkwood was a year ago and she had to be locked up in her room to stop her from clinging onto the prince. It pained him so much to hear her scream out his name while he left. Truth be told, he had come to love the elfling like a sister, even as his own child for her father was only six hundred centuries older than he is.
"Aye, that she will be. And yet, I sense an adoring note towards you from the little lady," Sirefel noted, remembering how the child possesively hugged the prince.
"I suspect it is one of those small crushes that children have, although she did propose marriage to me before she left," he added, unable to resist the small amusement he got from it. She was bolder than the most experience courtesan in the courts! "But I'm sure that she'll grow out of it when she finally gets to meet other male elves," he said, convinced that sooner or later it was bound to happen. "Though of late, she has been more than clingy than usual," he added thoughtfully, remembering how she makes sure she is at his side wherever he is at the moment.
"So you do think that this trip may actually do good for the young elleth in controlling herself when she's with you?" his companion asked him curiously.
"Well, let's put it this way, I'm glad that she'd be out of my hair for a while," Legolas answered with a serene smile. "I honestly cannot do most of my business when she's around, she can be quite a nusiance sometimes. But she's a child and can be excused for it. The elleth needed her own space to explore and she will no be able to do that is she clings to my side all day."
I'm glad that she'd be out of my hair for a while....she can be quite a nusiance sometimes...a child!...she clings to my side all day...
Arienne gasped at the words that she heard that came right from Legolas' lips. Fat droplets of tears raced down her dirty face as the words continued to echo in her head. He adored her just as she adored him and never had she felt that way towards him about being such a nuisance!
She had slipped away from Eralith who was escorting her back so she could see Legolas as he left, she wanted to see him one more time before he left for an extended amount of time. Finding a suitable tree to climb, she watched the party as they left, moving under her tree. She didn't expect to hear those cruel words from his lips. Not from the prince's lips!
Arienne climbed quickly down the tree still sobbing, running back to the castle, leaving behind the lily Legolas gave her.
14 elven years old will be converted physically into a 7 year old human in this story. legolas would be 1931 years old at this time.
aielenamin - my little star
ai-elen - little star
tellelah - young one
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