Dawnstar and Friend

Eleanor’s POV
We didn’t stay all that long in Mirkwood, apart from anything else it was rather awkward being there, for fairly obvious reasons.
We had managed to come at the time of the year in which Thanduil went to Laketown to negotiate with the men of Rhûn and so went with him to the recently rebuilt city.
These humans were very different from the ones in the south, because they at least partially used elves, though I don’t think they had ever seen female ones. Female ones don’t tend to go on business trips.
Except Miriel’s mum, who married the guy she was trying to sell something to. I guess that’s one way of sealing a deal.
Because the city has recently been rebuilt (partially by Thanduil’s elves), it was much cleaner and nicer than a lot of human cities we had been to in both worlds.
Because the city was built on stilts in the water, it was very much like entering Venice, but in a time warp. It is not sinking and is medieval rather than renaissance or whatever later style Venice was built in.
Ginny and I spend a rather long time comparing the two cities and both Miriel and Thanduil lap it up. The latter is more interested than the former because, unlike Miriel, he hasn’t actually ever heard stories of our world; it wasn’t like on the previous visit we were willing to spend any more time in his company than necessary.
When we go to the market, though Elrond gave us gold in Rivendell, Thanduil gives us more to spend. I think he takes pleasure in our joy.
At the market they lower their prices, I am sure, to get us to buy more. The food, particularly, looks wonderful and we have to restrain ourselves from over-eating as we remember the size of the meals we are served at the inn, Laketown’s version of a 5-star hotel.
In the afternoon, we sit a listen to a storyteller in the market square and he tells the story of Smaug the dragon; that having happened about 15 years previously now and the children wouldn’t remember it any more.
Ginny and I are interested as the version we know was Tolkien’s version and Miriel is interested as she hasn’t actually heard the story at all.
It is weird hearing the story from the humans’ point of view rather than from Bilbo’s in the Hobbit.
What is even more fun is that, when we get back that evening, Thanduil asks what we did and then tells us his version of the story. That is truly fascinating and he promises us to take us to see the site of the Battle of the Five Armies before going home.
We then ask if he would mind us visiting Erebor and his face is classic! He most definitely does not like the dwarves of the Lonely Mountain.
We then explain that we made friends with the thirteen dwarves when they went through Rivendell. His expression at this is highly amusing. He eventually realises that the request was more out of politeness rather than asking for his approval and so he gives in gracefully, he really does get better with age!
We leave most of our stuff in Laketown, us girls taking rather more than Thanduil for obvious reasons, when we go to the battlefield.
He takes us on a tourist tour of the battlefield, pointing out where each army fought. The most amusing part was the way he referred to the dwarves by a number of derogatory terms. Then, at our prodding, he gave us a blow-by-blow account of the fighting, to the best of his ability anyway. It was not like he could describe what was happening with the humans or dwarves.
After our little tour of the battlefield, Thanduil returns to Laketown and we go onto Erebor.
Shortly before we reach the mountain, our dilemma of what to do once we’re there, like how to get in and stuff, is solved.
Walking near the mountain are two red haired dwarves, one of which we recognise. The elder of the two is Gloin, though I don’t recognise the other dwarf.
We, of course, ride over and as soon as Gloin sees us, he greats us cheerfully. He obviously remembers who we are and is happy to see us. Then he introduces the other dwarf.
Ginny and I suppress a fan-girl like squeal.
It is Gimli, Gloin’s son.
I think Miriel might have noticed our reactions, making her more suspicious. Oh well.
When Gimli learns that we are ‘good elves’ he happily makes friends with us. We return with the two dwarves to the Lonely Mountain and, since we know all the important people there, we are welcomed and rooms are immediately prepared for us.
While we are there, we are given tours of the caves and shown the treasure hoard. I am pretty sure Miriel is uncomfortable below ground in caves that, though they are well lit etc, are still noticeably caves and underground. I remember that Legolas was, or more precisely will be, uncomfortable in Moria.
There is one uncomfortable moment, though. Gloin notices that the dresses we are wearing are not like those we wore in Rivendell, that is, these dresses are rather more conservative.
Ginny comments that we got them when we went through Mirkwood and, at that, the eyes of the dwarves darken so I add wryly that we also got fireworks. Technically the fireworks happened in Rivendell, but I sort of forget that detail.
The dwarves obviously ask for elaboration on this comment so I tell them that the elves of Mirkwood, particularly the king, were not very happy with the way we left the last time.
Once again we are asked to elaborate.
Miriel takes great joy in relating the tale of Adindel tied to a tree, carefully not mentioning little unimportant details like the fact Adindel is her uncle and Thanduil her father, as well as the political situation that made all this necessary.
We have the dwarves rolling in the isles with the vivid description of the King’s brother, who they apparently found arrogant and annoying as well, tied to a tree starkers with crude pictures painted all over him.
We leave eventually, knowing that, by now, Thanduil will have returned to Mirkwood (he was going to stay a couple of days in Laketown in case for whatever reason we were unable to get into the mountain), and take with us gifts from the dwarves.
We are each given a small Mithril throwing axe (which the dwarves taught us how to use while we were there) and a Mithril chainmail shirt. Being polite we say things ‘like you don’t have to’ etc, but we really are pleased with the gifts, the chainmail is so light!
We slip it on between our shirts and tunics and attach our throwing axes to our quivers, adding to our hedgehog like appearances.
We leave the dwarves cheerfully and dawdle back to Mirkwood.
When we eventually get back, having missed Legolas who has returned and gone off on another round of patrols while we were away, we show Thanduil what the dwarves gave us and are extremely amused by the green colour he goes when he sees the Mithril shirts. I think he might be jealous.
We only stay a few weeks or so, less than a month, before leaving to go to Rivendell again.
I want to go before Legolas returns; Ginny wants to go because Adindel is there and after his trip to Rivendell, he doesn’t like her very much (not that he liked her anyway, but telling the entirety of Rivendell about the tree incident really made him dislike her); and Miriel just wants to leave, I think she is worried that if she stays too long, she won’t be able to leave.
When we leave, Thanduil looks like he is trying to restrain himself from either making Miriel stay or making us take a large escort with us.
We return over the mountains to Rivendell and are happily welcomed back by everyone including the twins. Erestor seems a little distracted though.
He seems to be smiling more often and gives a particularly bright smile to an elleth that walks past.
It is not very noticeable, but there does seem to be something different about him. Maybe it is my imagination.
That evening, I talk with Ginny and Miriel, not to mention the twins, about it. Ginny and Miriel have noticed it and the twins are at first confused, but when they think about it, they realise that there is a change. From them we learn that the change has been gradual, hence the fact that none of the elves who are round him regularly have noticed it.
The twins have absolutely no idea what maybe the source of this increase in cheerfulness.
The next morning we find out. I am going past the library with my cat when I see him talking to that elleth we walked past yesterday. He is in his most charming mode talking to her, being as helpful as possible and insisting that it is no trial to help her. I bet it isn’t.
I get a mischievous idea. I kneel down so he cannot see me by the door and carefully instruct my cat in what to do.
As I finish doing so, my two best friends turn up and look at me quizzically. I put my fingers to my lips and tell them to watch.
Nyx quietly walks into the room and ‘accidently’ slips on the polished floor, sliding across it and into the elleth concerned.
She stumbles and Erestor catches her oh so romantically, helping her up like a true gentle-elf.
I rush into the room apologising for my cat and pretending to tell Nyx off for not being careful and then manage to wangle an introduction to the girl.
She is named Silivrentolwen. Who in their right mind would call their daughter that? I ask if she minds me calling her Silva. She laughs and agrees.
I apologise for my cat again before leaving, waving at the pair cheerfully.
Once Ginny, Miriel and I are out of earshot we collapse laughing. Erestor’s got a girlfriend!
Ginny’s POV
There is far less tension in Mirkwood this time around – for Ellie and Miriel anyway. I still have to endure the venom of Brothers Grimm Mark Two. This elf really doesn’t forgive easily, but then, I was probably doomed from the outset being a human and all that. Hell, if he’s as pompous and up his own end with his own kind as he is with me then I have no chance.
Aeyana seems pretty distant with me as well, can’t say I blame her seeing as I didn’t leave a note or anything. Maybe our escapades confirmed the deeply entrenched dislike of humans, but it wasn’t like I planned the whole thing... I don’t think the Sindar have quite got their estimation of the Noldor correct.
You can now see why I’m more than happy to leave with Thanduil when he makes his annual trip to Laketown.
I find it rather liberating in Laketown; obviously we are all stared at quite a bit – looking like particularly large and ferocious hedgehogs does tend to have that affect – but, I think Ellie and Miriel are stared at more. Apparently, the men of Rhûn hardly ever see female elves.
Being a great fan of history, I rather like wandering up and down the medieval-style streets, obviously in old cities like York, London, or Canterbury, you see quite a bit of medieval architecture, but never on the same scale as in Laketown.
Miriel, on the other hand, does not enjoy the experience of overhanging buildings and dark, narrow streets so we manage to find an open market and spend quite a while there doing what any self-respecting girl does... shopping!
The stall-holders are evidently well practised in their art for they immediately begin lowering their prices. Maybe they do this because of the jingle of gold in our pockets or because of the quality of our clothes. The cats may have had something to do with it as well.
Whatever the reason, we enjoy ourselves immensely.
Later on, we are treated to two different versions of the tale of Smaug, one human and one elfin. I keep forgetting that Tolkien’s world is only one side to the story and am rather fascinated to hear other sides.
I am also extremely fascinated by what Thanduil tells us when he takes us to where the Battle of the Five Armies was fought, especially when we manage to persuade him to give us a full blow-by-blow account – blood and all.
I think I might have disconcerted Thanduil a little when I asked for only the goriest of details – ‘blood, guts, gore, and cats’ is what I say when I describe what I like!
***
We girls are now moving on to Erebor.
It appears that there is something that the Sindar hate even more than humans: dwarves.
Thanduil’s reaction when we told where we were headed was, as Ellie would say, a classic Kodak moment:
He was drinking wine at the time and he managed to spray it all over the innkeeper’s dog with the force of his splutter.
As the poor dog slunk away, Thanduil’s mouth went up and down, his face blotchy. He looked at Miriel, clearly torn between exercising his fatherly authority and the tongue-lashing he would get if he did just that.
Fortunately, Thanduil’s brain kicked in before he said anything stupid and he realised that we were only being polite (or mischievous) when we told him our destination, so he – with a rather peeved expression – acquiesced.
“Have you two any idea as to exactly how we’re going to be able to enter the Lonely Mountain?” pipes up Miriel as the said mountain rises above our heads. “I mean, I know you both have this amazing talent for being in the right place just as something exciting or important happens, but I doubt even you have it down to such a fine art that you can simply turn up somewhere and expect someone we know to be there, ready and waiting to open the door.”
I have to agree with Miriel, we do seem to be over-reaching ourselves a little this time.
Ellie simply smiles and nods in the direction of a clearing a few yards ahead, where two dwarves have just appeared – one of them is Gloin.
We’re given a hearty greeting by Gloin, who then introduces us to... Gimli!
Major bout of barely suppressed squeals.
The dwarves eye us most suspiciously.
“Sorry, we’re just so happy to meet a member of the Fe... of Gloin’s family!” I say, smiling innocently.
This causes the beetle-like eyes of the dwarves to crease up in identical warm smiles.
I must say I rather enjoy my time with the dwarves – their lifestyle is so different to what we’re used to. They’re also some of the most loyal people you could ever hope to meet (little differences concerning elves aside).
Gloin and Gimli seem particularly fond of me; massaging a male’s ego really does work wonders.
Eventually, however, it’s time for us to go back to Mirkwood.
We can’t seem to visit any place in Middle Earth without adding to our collection of weapons, well, Mithril in this case, to be precise.
I really want to test mine out, maybe in a way similar to what will happen to Frodo when the Fellowship visit Moria.
Ellie merely looks at me like I’ve lost my mind,
“Don’t be so stupid, Ginny.”
Hmmm, maybe I’ll just have to trust Mithril’s reputation.
***
We don’t stay long in Mirkwood – all of us have pretty good reasons for wanting to leave. Personally, I may have slightly inflamed Adindel’s animosity towards me when I ‘accidentally’ revealed that we also told the dwarves about his little exploit in the trees. It probably didn’t help that Murrlin and I used him as target practice.
Upon arriving in Rivendell, I notice that Ada is rather livelier with his hug and kiss than he has been on previous occasions. All day, he bounces and smiles and hums to himself. He even hums when sorting out paperwork from the border patrols – a job he usually hates as the border guards seem to take great pleasure in deliberately mucking up their forms just to annoy him.
After dinner, when I’m in Ellie’s sitting room with Ellie, Miriel, and the twins, we talk about the obvious change that has over Ada.
Well, it’s obvious to us girls. Elladan and Elrohir look most put-out when we start chattering about the possible causes behind Ada’s increased cheerfulness.
We don’t have to wait long to find out.
The next morning sees Miriel and I walking to the library to put back some books when we spot Ellie couched down by the library doors. Nyx is with her and their body language indicates that they’re plotting something.
When she hears our footsteps, Ellie turns, puts her finger to her lips, and then points to the door, indicating that we should watch what goes on inside.
Ada and a new elleth are standing by a large shelf, talking. I can’t hear what they’re saying, I don’t need to, their body language and emotions speak volumes.
We three watch as Nyx slinks into the room and begins acting as though she’s playing with something, all the while getting ever closer to Ada and the elleth. Suddenly, Nyx slips and slides straight into the elleth, who is saved from falling by Ada. He helps her up in a truly romantic fashion.
To complete her act, Ellie rushes into the library, while Miriel and I slip away from the door so Ada doesn’t notice us.
When Ellie and Nyx catch up with us, we walk sedately and ladylike for a little way before breaking into a run and making for the seclusion of Ellie’s quarters.
Once we’re safely inside, we collapse on to her sofa, giggling like naughty schoolgirls – Ada is in love!