Dawnstar and Friend

Eleanor’s POV
I fling my arms around my human friend as she reaches me.
I really do not think I have ever been so glad to see her in my life.
After I have finished greeting Ginny, I greet everyone else, who I think understand why I seem so glad to see her.
It is noticed that I seem to be babbling a bit when we go inside though.
The look on particularly Silva’s face when we are walking suggests she knows how I feel.
Suddenly I feel this most peculiar feeling of calm spread over me and look to my side to see the expression I have come to associate with magic usage on Ginny’s face.
I never realised that her affecting a person’s emotions could be so noticeable, I will have to tell her and get her to practice doing it a little more subtly.
Not that I am ungrateful for her intervention, I really needed something to calm me down, I am almost at breaking point with nervousness.
That evening after supper, Ginny joins me in my sitting room, Miriel having gone off to snog Elrohir or something.
“You’re terrified, aren’t you?” I nod.
“I do love him, but this is such a big step and I am almost scared to make it. I am exited too, but I need someone here who understands where and how I grew up to stop me from being so nervous. It is so unlike what I expected my wedding to be like. The only tradition I carried across will not be the same as Legolas does not understand why it is important to me. He tries, but it won’t work quite the same...” I trail off, it is hard to explain the jumble of emotions I am feeling, but I am sure Ginny knows how I feel and feels the same, partly because she is at a slightly earlier stage of preparing for the same situation.
She just hugs me and I burst into tears on her shoulder, the emotions finally getting the better of me.
When I have exhausted myself she helps me get ready for bed and calms me enough for me to sleep, I am eternally glad that I don’t dream that night for I am not sure what I would have dreamed.
The next few days are a flurry of preparation, with the decision, that due to lack of women-folk, we would have to substitute others in, making life oh so much more complicated.
Galadriel got to replace my mother as the only female in Middle Earth who had any chance of being older than me, not to mention vaguely related by marriage.
Miriel made everyone go up in flames when she insisted on Ginny doing that job for her. The idea of a human replacing their princess’ mother at the feast was shocking to say the least.
Silva was the only other attendant we had and I was glad there would not be a gaggle of giggling young females round me when they escorted Miriel and I to our new quarters with our soon-to-be husbands. I think Miriel agreed with me there.
The night before the wedding, all the aforementioned females gathered in the comfortable library and we had a little celebration/party-like thing.
It was nothing like the hen nights back home, it was quieter for a start, but there was something charming about it. I am sure it involved much less alcohol than whatever the guys were doing did.
Galadriel and Silva then decided to embarrass Miriel and I beyond belief. They decided we were overdue the T-A-L-K.
The first bits about romance and whatever were a bit useful, but then they decided to get on to explaining the mechanics.
At this point I decided to tell them that what was actually required was something we already knew about and that I had actually had this conversation with my mother in the other world.
It doesn’t stop them though and I get this impression they enjoy embarrassing us.
This view is confirmed when we are really trying to stop them because our faces are so hot you could cook with them and Silva asks in her worst innocent voice whether we would like her to get told off when she got to Valinor by our mothers for not preparing us suitably for our wedding nights.
I want to kill them.
Ginny seems to find this amusing though.
I can’t help it; I have to let off steam somehow,
“I don’t see what you find so funny, Ginny; you still have all this to come.”
Ginny’s smile drops immediately as she goes pink. She then straightens up and that tell-tale expression comes over her face again – uh oh.
The feeling of calm begins to leave me, but then Ginny’s face suddenly clears and her eyes dart over to Galadriel before coming back to me. She smiles,
“Indeed.”
The next day dawns bright and early, which also describes my wakeup call that day.
Today both Aniya and Rodwen are helping me prepare and I have to admit that, for the first time, the extended bathing process does not calm me nearly as much as I had hoped.
The special scented oil they rub into my skin is the delicate smell of spices, they had asked me before hand I preferred the scent of flowers or spices and I had been very much in favour of spices.
The scent reminds me of the apple and plum pies I used to make before I came to Middle Earth. I keep having these nostalgic moments, with the upcoming change to my life.
I have to admit I did not eat at all before the feast, being rather scared I would throw up.
Yes I am very nervous, if I hadn’t already made that very clear.
They slip the simple satin gown over my head and the weight of it is almost nothing.
The only thing I can feel of it is the gentle whisper of it as it brushes my skin and I feel really underdressed.
This unnerves me even more, though I think just about anything would unnerve me right now.
In the fairly early afternoon Galadriel comes and gets me.
We go to an ante-chamber near the entrance of the underground palace where there is also Ginny, Miriel, and Silva waiting for us.
Did I mention that the feast would be taking place in a large clearing outside, where it is now safe?
After what seems like an eternity, though is probably only a few minutes, we are taken outside and led to a lawn in the forest where there are huge numbers of elves sitting down on the grass round the food laid out on blankets.
I am escorted over to Legolas, who is sitting next to his father; he looks up as I approach.
When we have been seen, everything goes quiet and we are the centre of attention.
I have to admit I remember very little for a while after that.
I remember curling up in Legolas’ arms and snuggling up to his neck. I also recall eating something, though I am not sure what, and talking to people, but that is about all.
The next point at which my memory is at all clear is as twilight is falling. Those that are officially my family rise and escort the two happy, if nervous, couples back inside.
Just outside our door they stop to talk to us a bit before we go in and I feel Ginny use her powers to calm me again, not to mention adding a little bit of another feeling which I am most definitely not putting down on paper.
As the conversation finishes, Legolas swings me up into his arms and I squeal, not having had any warning when he did it.
Elrohir takes one look at us and does the same.
If you are wondering, their quarters are opposite ours, across the corridor.
I hope the walls are thick and good sound blockers.
Then Ginny and Thanduil open our front doors and we get carried across the doorways. Just before Leggy kicks shut the door I wave at Miriel cheerfully, though I am sure she is as nervous as I am.
Once we are in the middle of the room he puts me down and kisses me deeply.
“I never thought I would get to this point, my Aranel.” I look up at him, biting my lip nervously. “You know I fell for you the first time I saw you, my heart knew its faer-mate instantly.” {Soul}.
“You hid it well. I didn’t realise you thought anything more of me than a useful object until you started kissing me that night.” He pulls back from me, where he has been kissing my neck softly, and looks at me slightly shocked.
“I never thought of you as an object. I will admit that desire came before true love, but I always thought of you as very much of a person. No objects behave quite like that.” He then gives me an amused look, “Do you realise that, though I was enjoying the view of you asleep when we first saw you, my uncle Adindel was enjoying the view of Ginny?” I stare at him, Adindel look at Ginny? “He never loved her, I don’t think, but I know he has always desired her from the moment he first saw her topless.”
Ginny will absolutely die of embarrassment when she finds out that, far from not noticing her lack of top, Adindel ogled her while she was asleep.
Oh, telling her that will be fun!
It explains why he is so pissy around her though, guess it is his way of hiding the fact he fancies her!
Shortly after that we give up on conversation and get on to more interesting things that couples generally get up to on their wedding nights.
At some point, we migrate to the bedroom and decide that even the light clothing we are wearing is too much and dispose of that.
We do not sleep very much that night and I am glad for the lack of windows in the palace of Mirkwood as I would not be able to sleep when we finally stop for long enough to get some proper sleep, though that is only after we are exhausted.
I am glad that Galadriel told me how to make sure I don’t get pregnant by elfin magic beforehand as I would like to wait until after we have finished setting up our new home in Ithilien.
***
I have to admit that we probably spend longer than Silva and Erestor in that room before we come out to meet the world.
Who cares, we were enjoying ourselves and it is not like we would get a honeymoon.
That was our honeymoon and it was very sweet.
Ginny’s POV
Riding through Mirkwood, I can see how much it really has changed. Before it was dark and forbidding, now it is green and full of light and life. Maybe Thanduil really was being sincere when he sent out an escort with Ada and I when we first went riding together.
The Greenwood may have changed, Adindel certainly hasn’t. He gives me the barest hint of a nod when we catch each other’s eye. Of course it probably didn’t help that Ellie by-passed all formality and almost knocked him over in her bid to hug me first.
I’m initially very surprised at such a reaction from Ellie; we haven’t been parted that long. It’s only when I look into her eyes and see (as well as sense) how nervous she is that I understand.
Oh dear, this does not bode well for my wedding.
After so many years in each other’s company, it’s not surprising that Ellie has picked up my rather annoying habit of babbling and general incoherence when major nerves have kicked in.
No one can get a simple, straight answer out of her.
I relax, by now I don’t need much concentration to use my powers, although, apparently, I still need to work on the subtleness of their usage.
I make Ellie feel as calm and as light on her feet as I can.
Hopefully, I shall now be able to get some sense out of her.
Of course with so much preparations and plans occupying everyone’s minds, I can’t concentrate on making Ellie feel calm all the time – she looks absolutely terrified at dinner and hardly touches her food.
Maybe pre-wedding nerves are something which even an Empath is unable to conquer.
After dinner Miriel goes off hand-in-hand with Elrohir – I think they were heading in the direction of the music room. I go in search of Ellie.
I find her in her sitting room, reading a book. I don’t mention the fact that it’s upside down.
I sit beside Ellie and gently prize the book out of her grasp. I lay it on the table before taking her hands in mine.
“You’re terrified, aren’t you?”
Ellie nods.
“I do love him, but this is such a big step and I am almost scared to make it. I am exited too, but I need someone here who understands where and how I grew up to stop me from being so nervous. It is so unlike what I expected my wedding to be like. The only tradition I carried across will not be the same as Legolas does not understand why it is important to me. He tries, but it won’t work quite the same...”
As she trails off, I begin to think about my own wedding. The Gondorian ceremony is very beautiful, but it’s nothing to what I dreamed of when I was little. I also never dreamed that I would get to live to an age five times more than what my husband would.
If the way I feel right now is anything to go by, I will be spending the last 300 years of my life without a husband.
I reach over and hug Ellie, trying not to cry as she breaks down on my shoulder.
We stay clasped in each others’ arms until Aniya comes to help Ellie get ready for bed. I catch her eye and silently shake my head; this is a night that Ellie does not need maids fussing about her.
I myself help Ellie get ready.
Before I leave her, I use my powers to calm her again. I don’t tell her, but I also slip a simple sleeping draught into the glass of water I give her.
Despite all my best efforts, poor Ellie, not to mention Miriel, gets more and more nervous over the next few days.
Due to the lack of suitable females, I get drafted in to act as Miriel’s mother. In actual fact, Miriel puts her foot down and absolutely refuses to accept any other candidate.
I must say I am rather surprised myself at getting picked; either Galadriel or Naneth would have done just as well; at the very least, they are actually older than Miriel. Thanduil, however, was having none of it; even the occasion of his children’s bindings doesn’t alter his over-zealous pride.
I am also surprised when I find out that elves also have hen parties on the night before their weddings (the males are probably doing something similar).
It was a small and select affair with only the females actually attending Ellie and Miriel present. This made it a grand total of five, unless of course you count the three extra furry bodies currently curled up asleep together in a large purring ball upon one of the rugs.
I’m very glad I’m only representing Miriel’s mother when Galadriel and Naneth decide to talk romance and then everything else involved – this means I’m able to take a back seat and try to look sympathetic whilst all the time trying not to smirk.
This is made even harder when Naneth tries her absolute best to look dazzlingly innocent (I really must try to teach her better) and explains that she doesn’t want to get into trouble with either Miriel or Ellie’s mothers.
It is almost too much for me and I bite my lip, trying desperately to keep my face straight.
It doesn’t work – Ellie knows me far too well,
“I don’t see what you find so funny, Ginny; you still have all this to come.”
I feel my face begin to colour – very well then.
I look Ellie straight in the eye and begin to ebb away all the calm feelings so recently given to her.
“Ginny.”
It’s Galadriel; she’s looking at me, her bright blue eyes full of a fire I’d rarely seen before.
Smiling warmly, I say,
“Indeed.”
The next day – the day of the wedding – I don’t accompany Ellie and Miriel when they go for their special bathe and massage. Instead, I stay with Naneth and Galadriel as they bathe in the more public bathrooms.
After our bathe, we change into our gowns. As I’m technically part of Miriel’s house for the binding, my gown is made of emerald-green velvet with a thick band of silver embroidery and diamonds around the neck and sleeves.
Aeyana does my hair in that way she did all those years ago when we first met Elrond: a delicate bun, finished with a lock of hair hanging over my shoulder, and secured with emerald pins.
In the early afternoon, I go to collect Miriel. The poor elf doesn’t even try to hide her nerves so I give her a reassuring hug before we enter the ante-chamber that leads out to the front of the palace.
Naneth is waiting for us and we only have to wait a few minutes before Galadriel enters with Ellie.
A little while later, we escorts lead the now extremely blushing brides out to where the feast is to be held.
I take Miriel’s hand and place it inside Elrohir’s before sitting down next to her. It’s only now that I realise who is on my other side – Adindel.
Brilliant – on one side I have someone who will be either too loved-up or too nervous to pay me any attention, and on the other there is the one elf who never strives to hide his dislike of me.
I sigh; this is going to be a very long and awkward meal...
Twilight eventually begins to fall and we (the families that is) all rise to escort the two couples to their new chambers.
Like we did with Ada and Naneth, we talk for a while before we let them enter. Unlike Ada and Naneth’s binding, however, there is only one elf that makes the odd lewd joke, much to his brother’s embarrassment.
I also calm both couples down as well as adding a little, shall we say, spice...
The conversation finishes rather abruptly after that and Legolas sweeps Ellie up into his arms. Elrohir soon follows suit.
As both doors close behind the happy couples, I stand outside with the other elves – everything suddenly feels very awkward.
“Well goodnight,” I say with slight embarrassment and I make my way back to my own rooms...