runando ~ A Thranduil Story

Friendship

Laineth cackled, her quill falling from her hand in her fit of giggles, "I still cannot believe you and Norgon are married! You two seem like complete opposites. I cannot see him as the romantic type." Issel had just indulged Laineth in a great rant about her husband, how he was constantly chattering about his work at home. Issel sighed, a look of adoration in her eyes, "Oh, trust me Laineth, he can be especially romantic around the one he is courting, you should have seen him back in those days."

While they were supposed to be writing, the two ellith had descended into a round of gossiping. Unfortunately, Laineth never really had anyone to gossip with or about, so she was quite happy to find that the Kingdom was full of scandals, scandals that a well connected woman like Issel knew all about. They had been howling with laughter all afternoon, getting not much further with their record. Supposedly, they had been heads down for days, writing like there is no tomorrow, at least that's what the King thought. In reality, they spent all the time they had together in the library, falling out of their seats or taking quick breaks in the gardens, where Issel occasionally took the liberty of entertaining Laineth by attempting to impersonate the King, or even worse, her husband.

Happy to have found a friend, Laineth reveled in the time she had at the palace. For the first time in a long while, she felt free, able to do as she pleased. While there was definitely the threat of punishment and there was a large weight hanging over her head as a result of the bickering counselors, Laineth couldn't complain. Not only did she have a friend in Issel, but she had also found an ally. Issel was a beautiful sindar elleth, her family being one of a few in the houses of the realm. Her house frequently married into the others, meaning that she had ties and connections to a few notable counselors, an example being the thorn in Laineth's side - Lord Ortheron. Issel's aunt had married Ortheron centuries ago and the marriage was rocky, but stable all the same. Although, Issel herself had caused controversy within her family when she married Norgon, a silvan elf, someone viewed as below Issel's mighty house. As a result, she was more distant from her family than the rest of her siblings, but still, she was a part of that house and it could not be argued.

"I say that we deserve a break now, I mean," Issel gestured toward the slightly less empty pages, "Look how much we've done! Perhaps we should go have afternoon tea in the gardens, don't you agree?"

With a snort, Laineth nodded, "Of course, after all, we wrote a grand total of about ten words since lunch and look, the sun is bound to set within the hour! I am sure a stroll in the gardens accompanied by some grapes and wine is well earned!"

So, the two women rose from their seats in the King's private section of the library, leaving their work open seeming as no one else would be wandering through on their short break. Issel wasn't dressed as formally as she had been on her first day, when she met Laineth. Instead, she followed in Laineth's footsteps, dressing a lot more casually. Both of the ellith wore some sort of tunic with either leggings or trousers underneath. Issel, being more ladylike of the two, opted for the leggings, finishing off her outfit with a pair of flats. Laineth had decided to wear a pair of trousers, they were very loose and a lot airier than leggings.

Thus they began the short walk to the gardens, Issel asking a passing squire to bring along some grapes and wine. Laineth barged into the short conversation, alerting the squire that if he was already preoccupied then to not worry, they would find someone else to bother. Flustered, the squire brushed it off, reminding the Lady Issel that he was to do as she wished, and gave thanks to Laineth for the worry, but he wasn't busy at all. He then turned in the other direction, rushing off to fetch the afternoon tea.

"I still cannot understand how you find it so simple to boss people around here," Laineth commented to her new friend as they passed by the windows that looked out into the gardens, "I am terrified that I will offend someone, or that I will distract them from their duty. But you, you just wave someone over and start barking at them!"