Practice! With Wellard

[findsthesun]

A young Elf*, dressed in sturdy green and brown cloth and soft leather shoes, walks into the bar.

It can, perhaps, be forgive if his first reaction is wariness and his hand flicks towards the white handled knife at his belt.

Then he laughs.

"A tavern of Men, in the middle of the forest? I have not heard tell of this."

*see (here) for description of Elves, and Legolas in particular.

Comments

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

"I have found a young princeling," A bright, cheerful, and utterly inhuman voice calls in an almost sing-song fashion.

It appears to be coming from the couch.

Glorfindel still doesn't understand why he cannot convince the woodcarvers at Imladris to make him something like a couch.

"Whatever shall I do with him?"

[findsthesun]

"A tavern of Men-but-one," Legolas amends with a startled laugh, relaxing and walking over.

"I do not know if I should be insulted, to find you have rejected the hospitality of the forest for this place," he tells Glorfindel, eyeing the couch curiously.

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

He might be as fair as any wood-elf and have eyes as blue as the mountain sky, but his clothing pronounces that he at least has Noldorian sensibilities, if nothing else.

Someone here adores things that glitter.

Someone here also can sweet-talk the elf-maids who add fancy embroidery to clothes at fifty paces.

Glorfindel waves a hand lazily, in a somewhat-encompassing gesture.
"It was more of a forced decision - besides, there are couches here, which is much more comfortable than knobbly bark." Silly elf princeling.

[findsthesun]

"A tavern kidnapped you," Legolas replies, smirking and looking sideways as he leans on the back of the couch. This way he can see all of the people who he doesn't know, and who are dressed very strangely better.

"I do not know all of the creatures here; how do they come to be within Mirkwood?"

A direct answer is not something he's too hopeful for, but a tavern with creatures that he has never seen--not of the shadow, else Glorfindel would not be relaxing, but not first- or secondborn, and not Dwarves...well, it doesn't sit very easily with him.

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

"A tavern has kidnapped you as well, elfling, so if you mock one, you mock us both." Glorfindel points out wryly. "Unless you have so little faith in your father's ability to keep an eye on his own lands."

He leaves the unfortunate presence of a certain dark lord alone.

For now.

[findsthesun]

Legolas pulls a face. "I should hardly think he would be the one found lacking, if I came back from the south with news of a previously unknown tavern full of strangers in his borders.

"I do not know how I could not be in his borders," he continues, truthfully, before laughing, "but this does explain why I find you here; I could not think what would bring you to the king’s land, unless you were suffering from a lack of good wine."

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

"You would insult my Lord's cellars? Impudent, very impudent, to so slander your elders." Glorfindel notes, the crystal beads woven into his braids glittering in the firelight as he shakes his head. "Though I cannot in good faith do likewise to your liege's own stock."

[findsthesun]

"Lord Elrond," Legolas intones, "is very wise, and his house is the store of many treasures. His wine cellar, I am afraid to say--while decent, of course--is not one of them."

You might think he was being serious, except his eyes are shining with mischief instead of just starlight.

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

"Then perhaps I took this from his majesty's own store?" Glorfindel asks in return, utterly innocent, holding up a flagon.

There is no guile in those sunny blue eyes.

Laughter, yes.

And stars, of course.

And there's that whole 'older than the current land formation' thing.

But definitely not guile.

[findsthesun]

Legolas laughs.

"He will not be pleased with you," he says, though he's a little confused.

He glances--somewhere, and notices the observation window for the first time, knuckles going white on the back of the couch.

"Ai," he says softly, "what is this place?"

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

Now, let's not believe that Glorfindel wouldn't gleefully tease the young prince right now. While he certainly doesn't hold the violent dislike some Noldorians do towards their Sindarian cousins, he does think they're delightfully easy to tease.

But he's not a cruel elf.

"Nowhere near the circles of Arda, so far as I can tell." He replies instead, calmly. "Though I will admit, I have never found a very satisfactory explanation."

[findsthesun]

Legolas looks back to him, and nods.

He lets out the breath, says "All right," and tries to smile, slightly.

Then: "Could you spare some of that?"

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

"No." Glorfindel replies, simply.


There's a rather long pause, while Glorfindel gives Legolas a blankly innocent look.


"I can order you some, however."

[findsthesun]

Legolas can't help it: he laughs.

"A tavern not in the circles of Arda with access to Dorwinion. It is good, then, that my liege has never come here--he would be never leave."

And then Legolas would have to be king.

"If you would be so kind."

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

"Not only have they Dorwinion," Glorfindel drawls, waving over one of the rats, "They have vintage from 3248, which I believe is a particular favorite of the royal court, though the last of in your father's cellars is most likely going sour, if it still exists."

The rat, taking the hint (and the coin Glorfindel has made appear from thin air), scurries off to get that particular vintage.

[findsthesun]

There's a long pause, and Legolas is looking exceptionally confused.

"That was at least 20 full years ago," he says, slowly, "I do think my father has already used them, as they would have soured before I was born."

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

"Would they have indeed?" Glorfindel replies, studiously Not Laughing at the young prince.

Even when the rat returns, carefully balancing the flagon of wine on its head.

"Then I suppose I shall take this, and save you from having to drink it?"

What? Two flagons of very nice Dorwinion is twice as nice as one.

[findsthesun]

"It would be uncommonly rude of me to allow one of my elders to take such a risk on my account," Legolas informs Glorfindel swiftly, rounding the couch, and takes the flagon with a polite murmur of thanks to the rat.

He takes a sip, slow and thoughtful, and considers it. And then takes another, larger one. "It does not taste sour," he tells Glorfindel. "It is actually better than the 2718," he says, and then with a wry glance "Third Age."

[gondolin-noble.livejournal.com]

"Well, I would hardly expect you to be talking about the First, seeing as you were not there, and neither were the grapes." Glorfindel retorts glibly. "The Second, perhaps, but even that has the obvious difficulties."

Namely war, more war, and Legolas still not being alive. Oh well."

[findsthesun]

"I was thinking that perhaps you'd found it from the future," Legolas says, after a moment. "If we are at the end of Time."