The lord of Imladris sat silently in his throne. Like he did almost every day, he sat in deep thought, grieving the loss of his brother, and the woman who knit together his shredded tapestry, Celebrian. Both decided to leave him after promising to never stray from his side. Since his twin brother, Elros', betrayal, he refused to allow anyone close to him. The one person who he did trust, was Celebrian. The beautiful elf maiden of Lothlorien, who left him after an Orc attack. He vowed to never trust anyone again...
It was a warms serene day in Rivendell when...
As an elven woman trotted through the gates of the city, she looked around in amazement. Even though she was an elf and is used to grandeur, the city was of a kind she had never seen before...
She dismounted and found her way to the house of Elrond where she was sent to give a message from her father, Ithilien.
"What business do you have here?" said a voice from behind her.
She spun on her heel to look into the ageless face of Elrond, the most important and respected elf in Middle Earth. He stood there gazing at her thoughtfully. "I am Lamarie of the Elves of the Eastern Sea. I deliver a message from my father, Ithilien, Lord of the city, asking assistance." she bowed respectfully, as was the elvish way.
"Come." Elrond spun around and led her into a gorgeous hall. He sat her down at a long table that stretched along his entire hall. It looked like it was used for great feasts, but hadn't been used in quite a long time. He poured a glass of wine in a goblet and handed it to her. "What is this message?" he asked. When he asked it he seemed to be searching her face for something.
She started to tell him the message. While she was talking, he didn't seem to
listen. He was too deep in thought:
There was something about this girl. She looked rather young for an elf. Her
face glowed with concealed energy, yet she didn't strike him as childish. She was
beautiful. He had to admit it. Sure, all elves are, but she struck him as
something deeper. She had long black hair bound behind her head, and still it hung
down to her knees. He imagined that it would sweep the ground if it were unbound.
Unlike most women, she wore armor. She was covered head to toe in full body
armor.
"Uhm excuse me? Lord Elrond?" she asked.
Elrond seemed to be snapped back into reality. Oh uhm..." he stuttered.
"Can you send aid?" she pleaded. Normally she wouldn't have pleaded, but the
devastation of her city was great.
"Of course. I'll send elves and supplies. Would you like to remain here for a
while?" he asked focusing on her eyes.
"Oh, about that..." she said trailing off.
"Is something wrong?" he asked sincerely.
"My father had sent me with the message, when he exiled me." she muttered
quietly.
Elrond straightened in his seat. He snapped back into reality. Maybe this
woman shouldn't be trusted, he thought. "Oh?"
"Before I left he said that I had betrayed him one too many times, and that I
should bring you this message as a last order."
"If you don't mind my asking, how did you disobey him?"
"I know you're probably asking me this so you know if I'm a danger to
your people, correct?"
He didn't answer.
"I went to battle when I was specifically told not to." she said, without
emotion.
"I see." he said. "You will be welcome here. You will stay in my house, and
he will show you to your room." He said pointing to an elf standing silently in a
corner. He stood up and left the hall.
The elf showed her to her room and she sat down on the bed. She looked
around at her surroundings.
The windows in the room were tall and had a wide sill so you could sit on it
and look out at the beautiful city of Rivendell. On those windows were lace curtains
draped over the frames with care. Each strand seemed to glow with elven magic.
(as Men call it) The bed was a large one with soft cotton sheets and a light
blanket on top. There was a trunk at the end of the bed, and there was a bookshelf
on the opposite side of the room.
Without thinking, Lamarie wandered over to the bookshelf and started
running her fingers over the bindings of the books. They looked old and worn, but
they were well tended.
"I see you are fond of literature," said Elrond from behind her.
She let out a squeak of surprise and practically fell over. "Oh! You startled
me!" she gasped.
"My apologies. I brought you some clothing. They belonged to my daughter
before she got married." he said fingering the cloth.
"Daughter?" Lamarie said a bit crushed. A part of her had been hoping that
Elrond was single, but had thought it unlikely, he being thousands of years old...
"Yes. My wife left me after she was attacked by a ban of Orcs on her way
back to Lothlorien." he looked sad and distant. He surprised himself. He hadn't
talked about Celebrian years.
"Oh. I'm sorry," That same part of Lamarie was happy again. She felt guilty,
thinking about how much Elrond must be hurting. She wanted to hug him, but she
knew that would be inappropriate. So instead, she stood and
smiled up at him, for he was about a head taller than her.
Seeing Lamarie smile warmed Elrond again. He liked this girl. Her very smile
seemed to make him melt. She gingerly took the gowns from him. She wanted
nothing more than to trace her fingers over his face. It was ageless and perfect.
For a few moments they seemed to stare into each others eyes. Lamarie
smiling and Elrond smiling back, completely ensnared in the blue depths of her
eyes.
"Ahem." a voice coughed from behind Elrond. Their heads snapped
backwards to an elf standing in the doorway. "Lamarie I have stabled your
horse." he said, bowing and backing out of the room.
Lamarie blushed a deep red and Elrond smiled at her embarrassment. He told
her goodnight, (for more time passed than Lamarie knew) and excused himself...
For days Lamarie wandered the winding streets of Rivendell. She felt alone,
lost. Little did she know, that the entire time Elrond was watching her.
He was enchanted by this mysterious girl. She was energetic and quick, but
she was never pushy and took her time. She never spoke out of turn and she didn't
take advantage of his hospitality. She also didn't try to worm her way into his trust
like others did on a daily basis. She just studied him from a distance and he often
wondered what was going on inside her head.
Then, one day about a fortnight after arriving in Rivendell, Lamarie walked into
the study where Elrond was reading...
"I hate to disturb you Master Elrond, but I could use some reading material."
She shuffled nervously back and forth on each leg.
Elrond gestured to the bookcases in the study. Lamarie dipped her head and
began searching for books to read. The entire time she was doing this, she was
aware of Elrond staring at her. She gathered some books and began to leave the
room, but Elrond stopped her. "Lamarie, may I speak to you for a moment?" she
thought that this would be the time that he was going to ask her to leave Rivendell.
"Yes of course." she said. She sat down in a chair near Elrond. For a moment,
they just stared at each other. She looking at his fine features, and he staring into
her bright blue eyes. "Lord Elrond?" she whispered.
Elrond sat up straight again. "You have no need to call me 'Lord Elrond'
anymore." he said with a slight smile.
"Alright... Elrond." she said slowly. She felt like she was being disrespectful,
but she liked saying just his name. It made her feel special.
He liked to hear her say his name. The way her voice caressed the sounds
and how they slowly escaped her perfect lips. Lamarie took his silence for a
dismissal, so she stood up to leave, but Elrond lightly reached out for her. She
shivered at his touch.
She looked back at him. He was filled with sadness and betrayal. Lamarie
stepped back over to him and knelt by his side. "What is wrong?" she asked
innocently.
He turned his gaze to her perfect hands resting on the arm of his chair. He
slowly stroked her perfect, slender, fingers. She looked at him. She saw sadness
and need. She wanted to help him, but she knew he didn't trust anyone.
She leaned forward and lightly kissed Elrond. Barely brushing her
lips against his. He looked deep into her eyes and they seemed to communicate
silently. She stood up and slowly started to leave the room.
Elrond could do nothing but watch her leave the study. Her gown dragged on
the floor behind her as she exited, slowly and lightly, as if reluctantly.
He realized then that, even though he just met her, he felt that he loved this
woman. She loved him too. He could see it in her eyes. He rested his eyes on his
hands, and slipped deep into thought once more...
A few days after the encounter in the study, Elrond knocked lightly on Lamaries'
door. "Come in" she whispered. He strode in and shut the door behind him. He
saw her sitting on the bed, her arms wrapped around her legs with her chin
resting on her knees. Her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying for
a while.
"What is wrong Lamarie?" he asked striding over to where she sat. He sat
down beside her slowly. He lightly wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She
slumped against him as if for support.
"I miss my people," she whimpered. "I probably sound like a child but, I do.
And now that I have been exiled, I cannot go back." she whispered.
He kissed her lightly on the top of her head. "It's alright." was all he said.
They sat for a few minutes in silence. The sun slowly sank behind the horizon, and
room became dark. It was a warm summer night. "Take a walk with me."
Elrond said standing up slowly. He took her hand and led her outside. They began
walking down a path under the rising moon.
They walked on in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence, but one filled with
thought and emotion.
Eventually, they reached Elrond's house once more. Lamarie
was just about to part from Elrond to go back to her room, but he held on to her
hand and led her to his room. They both crawled onto the bed and Lamarie fell
asleep with her head on Elrond's chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held
her tightly. Sleep didn't take him for a long time, and when it did, it was short-lived.
He woke a few hours from dawn. He laid
Lamarie down and got up from the bed. He went out on to the balcony and stood
there gazing out at the city of Rivendell...
A little while later, Lamarie woke alone in bed. For a moment she thought that
the night before had been another one of her dreams. Then, she saw Elrond's
silhouette against the night sky. She got up and padded out to the balcony.
"Oh, did I wake you?" he whispered.
"No, is something wrong?" she asked. She sat on the balcony rail looking out
over the valley.
Elrond didn't say anything.
"It's about your wife isn't it?"
"No, no. She doesn't care for me anymore." he said. The words hurt him a
little but it didn't matter. He had Lamarie. "I'm sorry," he whispered.
"What for?"
"I-I..."
"Don't want to trust again?" she finished for him.
Elrond slowly nodded. He avoided her gaze.
"To tell the truth, I have trust issues too." she said quietly and thoughtfully.
Elrond looked up at her and looked into her eyes. They seemed to shine
with a new light. Under the stars she seemed to glow with a different kind of
radiance. What he saw was love. He was caught between his past, and trusting the
woman in front of him.
"If you're afraid, that's all right." Lamarie whispered. "I'll wait a thousand
lifetimes for you." she laid a light hand on Elrond's face. She offered a small smile,
and stepped down from the rail. The were some of the most precious words anyone
had ever said to him.
She started to reluctantly leave his room, but before she could, a strong arm
wrapped around her waist and stopped her. She squeaked in surprise, but was glad
he had decided to stop her. He pulled her against his chest, and buried his face in
her dark hair. Lamarie pressed her face against him and wrapped her arms around
his neck...