Dawnstar and Friend

Eleanor’s POV
I could not believe my friend, after her method of leaving and her long absence.
I knew she could be stupidly brave but, Suilaid Ada! Thank heavens years with the rangers had taught me immense control.
The two blondes are the Brothers Grimm; thankfully Legolas isn’t there because that could be awkward. I think he would probably appreciate the dress though.
At this point I am also rather glad for our cats, who form a rather solid wall between Thanduil and us.
He returns the greeting icily.
Everyone goes still and the tension in the air could be cut with a knife. They are both silent for a while before Miriel speaks again,
“Man anírach cerin an le?” {Can I help you?} Is she trying to get her father to kill her? You can see the anger in every inch of his body.
“Alae! Sel nîn. Only by coming home, where you belong, could you do that.” {Behold! My daughter} He says this in a rather sardonic tone of voice.
“Sorry, no can do.” She says, dismounts and tries to brush past her father. He has not mounted yet and easily catches her waist. There is a low growl and he suddenly notices Falathiel, her giant cat. He does not back down however.
“Tolo hi! We are leaving.” {Come now} He moves to lift her onto his horse and discovers that, for all her apparent delicateness and the floaty, revealing dress, she is armed and very dangerous. She has a knife, which had been hidden in her dress, and it is pressed to his underarm. He has a more than good enough knowledge of anatomy to know there is a vein there and, should it be cut, he would be dead very quickly.
“Bertho! Just dare it!” {Dare it!} She hisses at him. He looks at her in complete shock.
“You are my daughter, how dare you!” She sneers at him before nimbly extracting herself from his hold and moving closer to Glorfindel, Erestor, and Elrond.
“While you weren’t looking, this thing called my majority happened. It means you can no longer command me.” He stares at her in absolute amazement.
“Sa farn palan, Miriel, you are Princess of Mirkwood, you will return with me now!” {This is far enough} He almost yells. She just looks at him sardonically.
“Baw, Ti tállbe Orch!” {No, go kiss an Orc!} I am back to my speculations on whether the girl is suicidal. Thanduil seems totally shocked by the fact his daughter would say such a thing.
“What has being around these Noldor done to you? Where is your honour? Your family loyalty?” She looks at him and raises an eyebrow.
“Hû nîn mant han.” {My dog ate it} Ginny and I snort, that comment being something she picked up from us (unsurprisingly). She waltzes off down the corridor, into the last homely house, cat in tow.
“Ya línna ambanna tulinuva nan” {What goes up, must come down} I sigh. That comment and the giggle that follows brings Thanduil’s enraged attention down on us.
“You two are responsible for my daughter becoming so undutiful!” He is about to go on, but we walk off, following our friend.
“Gelir na Thaed” {happy to help}.
“Glassen” {you’re welcome}.
I think our parting shots make him want to kill us. My sensitive elfin ears detect some interesting conversation going on in the courtyard as Ginny and I follow our friend to warn her that running is probably a good idea right now.
The next morning we discover that Thanduil elected to stay longer, but sent the rest of his party on back to Mirkwood. I think he wanted to prevent his people seeing any more familial fireworks.
During breakfast, we are dressed in riding dresses because we have to go retrieve our stuff from near that spring. These dresses are rather more covering and practical than the gowns we rode in wearing.
Thanduil does not say anything throughout the private breakfast. We do notice that he is not wearing formal robes; he is in leggings and tunic. We pointedly ignore him, since he doesn’t seem to be in a sociable mood.
After breakfast we retrieve our horses and ride out to the spring.
While we are there we sense someone watching us. Miriel draws her bow at the speed of lightning and somehow knows immediately where the watcher is.
Ginny and I each arm up as well and prepare for battle. Then we tell the person to come out of the trees or they will be shot.
Much to our amazement, it is a rather surprised Thanduil. I don’t think he realized just how good we have got.
Once again our cats form an extra layer of protection between us and him.
He holds his hands up to show he is not armed. Then he requests that he be able to talk to his daughter alone. Well it is an improvement on yesterday, when they were just arguing.
We agree and go just far enough to be in shouting distance and able to help her if necessary.
It is nearly lunch time when they call to us and we ride back to Rivendell proper.
Throughout the ride they are both very quiet. I notice that both have rather red eyes and there is a defeated hunch to the king’s shoulder.
That evening I find him on one of the outer lawns, near the one in which I first met Galadriel, Celeborn and Arwen.
He is curled up in the middle of a lawn, away from the trees (I suspect this is because he knows the trees could read his emotions and would pass them onto his daughter), curled up in a ball sobbing brokenly.
Once again I feel compassion for the elfin king, it is so rare for him to show any emotion and I realize he must be hurting badly. I kneel by him and wrap a comforting arm round him. After what seems like ages he talks to me.
“What did I do wrong?” I stay silent, waiting for him to elaborate. “What on earth did I do to make my daughter, my own child, feel I don’t love her? That I blame her for her mother’s death? Did I ever not love her while she was growing up? Where did I fail?” I cannot believe that she actually thinks what he is implying she thinks. I also cannot believe the elf in front of me, whatever his faults, would ever be less than loving towards her.
There is little I can say to him so I simply hold him and allow him to weep out his grief and self-loathing.
Somehow, despite an extra 25 years and an entirely different world, I still seem to be the person that has people cry on their shoulders asking me to sort out their problems.
Eventually he stilled. I held him, rarely feeling the age that the elves assigned to me. He then whispers so quietly I almost don’t hear.
“What do I do? How do I convince her that I love her and that she is not responsible for her mother’s death?” I sigh softly, that is a hard one.
“Let her have her freedom that would probably help with the first one. Ask her to come home rather than order her or assume she will be coming home. As for the other one, I don’t know about that. I think that one is one that only you can solve.” I feel him nod against my shoulder.
We stay there for a while longer before I escort him back to his room. By now it is so late that there are no elves around, thankfully, as I think that Thanduil would be embarrassed if he was seen so obviously distressed and emotional.
The next few days passed similarly to that first day, Miriel and Thanduil going off to talk to each other privately and keeping what was said between them. Each day things became less tense than the day before.
It was about a week later that Thanduil announced his intent to return to Mirkwood. He wasn’t planning to take any guards with him; after all he had sent all his guards home. Us girls looked at each other when we heard this and insisted in accompanying him.
I think he found it a little strange having three females, one of whom was his daughter and another who was a legendary Noldor warrior princess, escort him to ensure his safety.
The long reconciliation process between the father and daughter had resulted in one useful thing and that was that we could now safely go in and out of Mirkwood.
When we were crossing the mountains I am pretty sure Thanduil is surprised by how dangerous the mountains are when he doesn’t have a huge guard with him and I am absolutely certain that he is surprised by how well we deal with the danger of the mountains and the use of our cats, not to mention their danger value is something he finds just plain shocking.
It is very strange for us to come to the border of Mirkwood, considering how we left last time.
I think our return also surprises everyone there, particularly because we return wearing male clothes and armed to the teeth. We sort of collected more weapons over our years travelling so, when full armed, we look a little like hedgehogs.
Much to our amusement, our rooms are all still there, ready for us to return. Thankfully Thanduil had warned us that we wouldn’t need to bring clothes, it made it easy to travel light and without pack animals, which would have been a pain.
I’m not sure whether my lovely friends realised that I was actually glad that a certain prince was not present. He was out on border guard, thank heaven.
Ginny’s POV
Thanduil turns an ugly raspberry colour whilst everyone else stares at Miriel. I don’t think anyone, be they Sindar or Noldor, can quite believe that Miriel could give her father such an informal, offhand greeting, especially considering the manner of their last parting.
“Man anírach cerin an le?”
I can see that Thanduil dearly wants to do to his daughter what he threatened her with all those years ago and drag her back to Mirkwood by her hair. However, even at his angriest, Thanduil is not quite brave or stupid enough to try to force his way through the solid mass of cats, all of whom are angrily swishing their tails.
Therefore, Thanduil must content himself with merely gritting his teeth and giving his daughter a swift, scathing answer,
“Alae! Sel nîn. Only by coming home, where you belong, could you do that.”
“Sorry, no can do.”
Miriel, having dismounted, puts her nose in the air, and makes to haughtily sweep past Thanduil. He, however, grabs her waist, holding on tightly,
“Tolo hi! We are leaving.”
Falathiel growls and prepares to spring should her mistress require any assistance. I also dismount and tense myself, ready to whip out the two long knives which Glorfindel had given me.
Neither of us needed to have bothered as there is a sudden flash of metal and Miriel presses a knife to Thanduil’s underarm,
“Bertho! Just dare it!” she hisses in a deadly whisper.
“You are my daughter, how dare you!”
Thanduil’s shock and anger has caused him to relax his arms, meaning that Miriel is able to extricate herself from his grasp before saying, in her most contemptuous voice,
“While you weren’t looking, this thing called my majority happened. It means you can no longer command me.”
“Sa farn palan, Miriel, you are Princess of Mirkwood, you will return with me now!”
It is Miriel’s chance to turn scarlet and yell,
“Baw, Ti tállbe Orch!”
At the force of her shout and, no doubt, the fact that his daughter actually said something like that to him, Thanduil steps back.
He soon composes himself and bellows (gesticulating this time),
“What has being around these Noldor done to you? Where is your honour? Your family loyalty?”
Miriel crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow,
“Hû nîn mant han.” This is said through clenched teeth.
For me, it’s like the tension has just vanished. Without realising it, I have standing, almost stock-still, whilst watching the drama unfold. I snigger and Ellie sighs,
“Ya línna ambanna tulinuva nan.”
Again, we both snigger. This brings the full force of Thanduil’s rage down on us,
“You two are responsible for my daughter becoming so undutiful!” Spittle flies from his mouth and he bends himself forward slightly, clearly trying to intimidate me.
Ellie and I look at each other before turning back to Thanduil, smiling identical, innocently sweet smiles,
“Gelir na Thaed.”
“Glassen.”
We and our cats then follow Miriel down the corridor to our rooms. However, before leaving the courtyard, I catch Adindel’s eye. He just raises an eyebrow at me, like it is a challenge - which one of us can hate the other the most it seems
***
It seems that Thanduil has decided to stay on a little while longer for he is sitting at the table when we three enter for breakfast.
Even though he rises when we enter, we all ignore him and sit down at the other end of the table. Miriel immediately engages in cheerful conversation with Elladan and Elrohir. She might have done this to spite her father. If she has, it certainly works for Thanduil looks daggers at her.
I’m rather glad Adindel has elected to ride back with the royal entourage because, judging by his look last night, he is evidently still seething at having discovered the extent to which the story about our departure from Mirkwood has spread.
After breakfast, we ride back out to the spring we bathed in yesterday and collect all our ranger gear.
We had intended to ride straight back, but are majorly distracted when we sense and almost kill Thanduil.
Apart from being ultra-surprised at this turn of events (well, what did he expect? He’s not exactly in our good books at the moment), Thanduil also seems a bit subdued as he quietly asks for a private word with his daughter.
All three of us are a bit nonplussed at this, but agree when we see that Thanduil is being genuine.
Whilst we wait, Ellie and I pass the time by chatting and singing snatches of old songs, all the while being prepared to leap to our friend’s defence.
Eventually, Miriel and Thanduil rejoin us and we all ride back to the palace together.
I try to engage Miriel in conversation, but she only answers in monosyllables. Her eyes, although dry, seem rather red. Thanduil is just as quiet and stares ahead, lost in thought.
In the afternoon and the twins and Ellie whisk Miriel off in order to cheer her up. I would have gone too, but Elrond called me into the comfortable library.
I’m currently sitting next to Ada, Thanduil is next to us, and Elrond and Glorfindel are sitting opposite.
It’s rather awkward actually as everyone is sitting in complete silence, clearly at a loss as to what to say.
Well, I’m sure there are plenty of things the elves want to say to each other, but can’t because of my presence in the room.
Glorfindel eventually breaks the deadlock by commenting on the loveliness of Miriel’s dress and how Thanduil must be very proud of his daughter.
Ooooo dear... I look at Thanduil, waiting for the fireworks.
Thanduil, however (with a quick look at me), replies suitably calmly,
“Mmmm... I have no idea where she came up with the design, though. We Mirkwood elves never dress in such a fashion.”
There’s a short pause, during which I get a rather evil idea. I turn to Thanduil,
“Oh, but Miriel didn’t design her dress, Your Majesty. The Lords Elrond and Glorfindel came up with the design for her dress...ses and she’s not the only one to benefit from their... artistic talents.”
I smile sweetly at him and then at Elrond and Glorfindel. The two lords look at each other and then at me. I lean forward and say one word,
“Payback!”
Upon straightening up, I notice that something about Ada’s posture has changed. I can’t tell what it is, but it seems to radiate paternal protectiveness. I somehow doubt that Elrond and Glorfindel will try to kill me.
***
Over the next week, the days become noticeably more relaxed as Thanduil and Miriel continue to go off for private chats. Thanduil even begins to be far nicer to me – I think Miriel must have had a quiet word in his ear.
All in all, I find myself beginning to like Thanduil. It’s certainly easier to do so in Rivendell when I’m actually free to come and go as I please rather than have the nagging fact of being a political prisoner putting a great big hole in any chance of reparation.
My feelings towards Thanduil seem to have changed so much that I’m surprised to find myself feeling slightly concerned at his intention to ride back to Mirkwood alone and immediately agree with Miriel and Ellie that we should accompany him.
We find it rather strange to return to the border of Mirkwood, considering how we left last time. Despite myself, I can’t help looking out for a certain clump of trees – shame I can’t find them though...