Greenwood The Great

First

"Alarya!"

She turned her head at the sound of her name, coming back to reality. Her eyes instantly found her eldest cousin's pair of equal green, staring at her strangely.

"It is the third time I call you. Did you not hear me the first two? What has gotten into your mind lately?" Her cousin, Agoron, said as he took some steps closer to her, his lips curving up in an amused smile.

The gently rays of golden sunlight splattered over the marble floor of the balcony inside her chambers. All of her belongings had already been brought to the Palace, her family finally settled in permanently. She was still not entirely used to residing in the Palace, but it definitely had its good side. Her lips twitched upward involuntarily as her thoughts flew once again to a certain elf in the Palace, an elf that so happened to be the King.

It had been a week since she had last seen the great Elvenking, a week since they had kissed....and a week since he had left the Greenwood in a haste to solve she did not know what problem in which village of men not too far away. Not that she did not understand the importance of his duties, but she could not help but thoroughly disliking the entire village –which she did not even know really- for choosing that specific day to need the King's presence for whatever reason they had. And yet, only thinking about the kiss made her feel all of fluttery inside, making unable to smile even when she tried her hardest.

"Yes I heard you, Agoron." She smiled at her cousin as he reached her side, leaning his weight over the frail railing. "I was just pretending you were not here."

Her cousin let out a musical laugh, throwing one strong arm around her small shoulders. That was just another perk she had found she liked about residing in the Palace. Her three cousins spent a lot of time here, as experienced warriors they often joined in the patrols, coming and going to the Palace with reports.

"Alarya? Are you in here?" Came the voice of her second cousin, Aerdan, form the doorway, and for a second she was tempted to pretend she was not there, but Agoron had other ideas.

"Yes, we are in here." He called to his younger brother, who, unlike him, had hair of a light golden color but the same green eyes. Not even a minute later Aerdan had joined in the balcony, leaning against the railing to her other side.

"It is nice to see you this often, little cousin" Aerdan commented as he flashed her playful smiles, making her laugh lightly in return. Oh, Valar, how she loved her cousins.

"It is good to see you too, Aerdan." She smiled as she spoke, and out of the corner of her eyes caught sight of Agoron narrowing his eyes at her, a grin on his face.

"Alright, Alarya. Who is he?" What? Her head flew in her eldest cousin's direction. She had not seen that question coming.

"Who what?"

Agoron's eyes sparkled teasingly, a look she already knew very well what it meant. Aerdan's laughter echoed from her other, a gentle breeze blowing softly from the forest outside, toying with her long golden hair.

"Oh, please, Alarya, how old do you think I am? You have been in an unusually good mood the entire week." Agoron added with a smirk. Oh, Valar. Thinking it twice, in times like this she did not love her cousins. "Now who is the ellon me and my brothers have to intimidate?"

It resulted impossible not to laugh at that. If only her cousins knew. "That is something I would like to see."

"What is his name?" Aerdan was the one to speak this time, rounding her to stand by her older brother's side. Why did her cousins enjoy teasing her this much?