More Than Meets the Eye

Chapter One

Although she absolutely loved her brother to death, there were those days when Arielle Farran would cheerfully strangle him and this was one of them. She stared in horror at his hand, encased now in plaster. "You did what?"

She looked up to see his fair cheeks go scarlet. "It was an accident, Ari. Karl didn't know my hand was there when he set the barrel down and Mr. Scott said it's broken." He looked up, his eyes wide with panic. "And I'm supposed to start tomorrow!"

"Elen! Are you—you broke your hand the day before you were finally going back to work? What were you thinking and why were you down at the dock anyway?"

"I was helping Karl. He didn't—"

"Know your hand was there, yes, you've said that." A hand to her forehead, Arielle crossed the small kitchen to the windows overlooking Dale's town square. "The rent's due at the end of the week and if we don't pay it, Alfryd will throw us into the streets."

"I thought about that. I've got at least six weeks before this will heal and even then, Mr. Scott said I might not have full use of it again."

She lowered her hand, leaning forward to thunk her head against a windowpane. "Wonderful."

"No, wait... you can fill in for me."

She spun around, staring at him. "Have you gone completely barmy, El? How do I stroll into Erebor and tell them, 'I know you've hired my brother, but now you've got me for at least the next six weeks. Perhaps longer...?"

"No." He shook his head. "You be me."

"Oh, now I know you've lost it. How the deuce am I supposed to be you?"

"Ari, we're twins. We look almost identical. The woman who hired me won't even notice. Besides, you're better at hair and dressing someone than I'll ever be. It's just that you're a girl and—"

"And he's the bloody king of Erebor. You've got to be joking, El. I cannot possibly pull this off. Not for six minutes, never mind at least six weeks. And what if I'm caught? You know how dwarves are about Men, and how they are about Elves. Do we really want to know how they feel about man-elf blends? Because I don't think we do."

"Ari, we have no choice. I don't want to go back out on the streets again and I don't want to leave here. I like it here. No one bothers us here."

She groaned softly, turning to stare back out the window again. It was late afternoon and the sun had begun its descent into the horizon. In only a few hours, she would have to dress in her brother's clothes, present herself to the guards at Erebor's gates as Elen Farran, and hope like mad the king himself didn't notice. Everyone knew of Thorin II Oakenshield's temper, and she did not want to face it herself.

"Think what you're asking me to do, El," she replied without turning back to him. "What if he finds out?"

"He won't. I cannot grow a beard, so you needn't worry about having to explain why you have no whiskers. Everyone knows elves all look fairly girly, so even if I was going instead, the odds are people would wonder if I was a man or a woman anyway. All you need do is not draw attention to yourself."

Now she turned to him. "Oh, is that all? Well, that should be fairly easy, as I'd only be alone with the King Under the Mountain. All. The. Time."

"He won't know. You'll be a servant, Ari. Not worthy of his time or notice."

"El, I will have to dress him. Do you really want me seeing him naked?"

Elen blushed—turned a shade of scarlet she'd never seen before. "Well... no... but at the same time, we are desperate. And if getting out of being desperate means you look at a naked dwarf now and again, it's a small price to pay."