Staring at the pad of paper, and reading the appendices, she could at least see a way to assigning some sound values to the stems and bows that all seemed to look too much alike. "My Lord, please tell me the names of each of these letters?"
He pointed and slowly spoke each name in turn. "Tinco, parma, calma..."
When he had filled her list, she looked at the words he had written. "Which one is your name?"
When he indicated this, Earlene saw right away (after laboriously matching the letters of his name to the chart) that it was not as in English; there was no letter for each sound. There were letters that combined sounds, or other indicators of the values within the word. At least, though, the letters ran left to right.
"It will not please you to hear that there are two, actually three, ways in which these letters are used, meluieg. There are two methods for writing the language as we speak it; in the mode of Beleriand, there are individual letters to make the vowels, much like English. The tehta mode uses a system of extra marks to indicate vowel sounds. We will not even discuss Quenya, though at some point you will need to be aware of it and how it influenced Sindarin. You could easily use the Tengwar to write your own language, meluieg. The script allows for many kinds of sounds."
Earlene decided to ignore that last part, for the time being. "So you are telling me that there is more than one language of elves, that uses this lettering system?"
She frowned, as she saw his nod, and wondered something. "Excuse me, for a moment." Returning to the computer, she entered 'Sindarin' into the search engine. Her jaw slackened, at the number of returns.
"You have got to be kidding me," she muttered. There were grammars and online courses and hundreds of websites devoted to everything about this language of his. Even calligraphy instructions, she noted with incredulity. For a language that allegedly did not exist?
It was, if possible, even more bizarre than her own bond to the King, in her eyes. She sat back, thinking, and decided she was obviously missing important information. "My Lord, would you be willing to make us some tea? Please?" Her eyes looked at him hopefully, through her bafflement.
He did not mind the request, as he saw that it was made very politely, and she in no way expected it. She was following some string of discovery and did not wish to break her train of thought, though she wanted tea. It would be much in his interest, not to mention courtesy, to do something so simple for her. "Yes, meluieg, I would."
With a look of thanks, she immediately turned back to the search engine. This time, she searched "The Lord of the Rings." Quickly she found that elaborate films had been made of the books, all of them, that were well regarded and appeared to have a considerable popular following. Perhaps she actually did recall that...seeing billboards, or whatnot, but she'd had little time to follow entertainment culture. Forget the books, for now, she thought. In a day of watching, I can learn far more, faster.
And just before the laptop closed, she saw one last email come through..."My things will arrive here the day after tomorrow, my Lord. Faster than I expected", she said, happily.
Walking to the television, she sat in the chair and turned it on, looking at her options. The simplest thing would be to simply pay to stream these. She decided to watch them in the order of their release. In under three minutes, she has the first one cued up, extended versions, with subtitles. If she was going to spend the time on this, it would be done properly.
The tea was ready, and he offered it to her, looking up at the screen that now glowed with an image, to his astonishment. Obviously, this was new for him. Explaining the television and the concept of films for storytelling, she outlined her discoveries, and that she felt determined to educate herself in this manner.
"There are many hours of this. Almost an entire day. If it does not interest you, I understand. Though, you could tell me much, I think, if you would watch with me. I can stop the film at any time, to ask you questions or for you to tell me something. I believe this will help considerably, to teach me about the world from which you came in a shorter amount of time."
"I will watch with you, Earlene, if only because I have never seen the like."
With that consent, after they were seated next to each other with her held in his embrace, she started the movie.
In the first few seconds, a female spoke in whispered tones: "I amar prestar aen, han mathon ne nen..."
"That is Sindarin," she heard him whisper. "How is this possible?" Not five minutes later, a great battle scene was shown, and she felt him tremble beneath her. Looking up to see his stricken face, she paused it.
"Thranduil, what is wrong?" she asked carefully, kindly. He did not answer for some moments, and appeared to be seeking to master himself. She waited, until finally he spoke.
"Though you have explained that this is a portrayal, I was not prepared for how convincing this feels, to look upon. Earlene, my father died, fighting in this battle at Dagorlad, which lasted for months. I was there as well. When he fell, it was left to me to lead the remnant of our people to safety, and assume my father's rule. Two thirds of our warriors lost their lives there, on the accursed plains near to Mordor. It was so long ago, and yet..." he trailed off.
Earlene said nothing, but turned to embrace him tightly. She did not need to confirm with him, whether these things had actually happened. They obviously had been real, in some other place and time. If all this was the case, he had indeed lived through unimaginable spans of years. Though she wondered, she doubted she could comprehend the sorrows he had likely known in his life. As she held him, she fervently hoped that there had been joys as well. It felt a little like trying to understand the universe...it was so much bigger than anything she was accustomed to considering.
He perceived the sorrow in her mind, that he had suffered this loss and had seen a painful reminder, and was deeply touched. He kissed her brow, in gratitude, smiling. "I am well, Earlene. Please, continue."
A little later on, she heard, "Bilbo Baggins!? The halfling had this thing?" She listened diligently to both Thranduil and the film, as she tried to follow all that was said and done. Sometimes he would make a clucking sound of disapproval, when something was not right, accompanied by outbursts like "Glorfindel saved the halfling, not Arwen."
Not much further on, she learned that her King had a son, long ago, who had eventually departed for Valinor, as well...and that there had indeed been love and marriage between humans and elves.
He became very excited when the characters were to enter a place called Moria, and made her stop in order to pay attention to a doorway that was shown in the film. For five minutes he narrated about the elf who made the silver lettering that glowed by moonlight (whereby he would not continue until she could say "ithil" [moon] and "ithilden" [the very precious and rare material that allowed the lettering to shine by moonlight, made from the same metal as her mithril necklace] correctly). And that this same elf, Celebrimbor, had also made the elven rings of power shown at the beginning of the film. Then he proceeded to slowly read the words of the gate,"Ennyn Durin Aran Moria...What does 'aran' mean, Earlene?"
Whereas her eyes had been about to glaze over, trying to keep up with his torrent of information, she now felt his intense scrutiny. How was she supposed to know? Yet logic quickly took over as she looked down, trying to reason. He would not ask me, if I could not know; the only thing I could know is what little he taught me today. Frowning, she struggled to remember what he'd made her memorize to say her vows. Wasn't 'aran' one of the words? But he had never broken the sentence down for her...yet the choice which seemed the most likely was 'king'.
"Very good," he said, smiling, and electing to take pity on her by resuming his seat. As the film continued, she felt awkward, to hear again about mithril. As her fingers ran over the necklace, the wizard character told of the staggering value of this metal. Thranduil had not been exaggerating, when he called his gift priceless.
She did not like the orcs, nor the cave troll. They were foul, awful looking things that reminded her more of cockroaches than anything else. The balrog earned a pause of the film. "Please tell me, my Lord, that there were not such things as these."
He stroked her hair. "I cannot do that, for they were real. There were once armies of them. The world into which I was born was one of great strife, against evils such as this...and worse."
Looking at him, she considered. "You were a warrior, once, and fought in this manner?"
He nodded, smiling. She already had dozens of questions, and suspected it would only get worse. Rising for a moment, she mixed the bread for dinner and added it to the oven, checking the liquid in the coddle while she was at it...and set the timer on her computer. While she did so, she asked more. "You were like your son, skilled with a bow?"
"No, meluieg, and yes. All of us had some skill at all weapons. Legolas was a great archer. My preferred weapon was the sword."
Determined to complete the film without further interruption, she resolved not to pause it again unless the request came from Thranduil. Which was fortunate, because the sight of yet another elven realm had her wondering why their modes of living were so different...Rivendell, Lorien...they were so unlike his Halls and yet still felt distinctly elvish, if these representations were accurate. And given how much he liked to mention that which was inaccurate, she felt they must be generally correct. The elves were an elegant race that apparently brought a refined beauty, in harmony with nature, to whatever they touched. She nestled against him.
When the film was done at last, she did not know what to think. So much in this story was unexpected, wonderful, tragic, exquisite, and horrifying. Then again, was that so different from the world that was familiar to her? She rolled her eyes. There were only five more films of similar length remaining. Leaning back into him, she did not wish to move, but the alarm would go off at any moment. Taking just a little more time to enjoy his embrace, she turned to look on him. "You are hungry, my Lord?"
With his eyes sparkling with good humor, he nodded, before kissing her brow. "I feel I owe you something of an apology, meluieg. I have learned something, from seeing this, though not what you might think." He continued, through the frown of puzzlement that knitted her brows together. "When I first met you, I felt disdainful, of your inability to easily embrace that which lay outside your experience. And yet in the face of the technology you use so readily, I find myself struggling in the same way. That your kind possess the ability to craft and transmit images such as what you have shown me...even as I watched, I found it very hard to accept. I am forced to see that I apparently share the same limitations. I ask your pardon, for thinking less of you, when I had no right to do so."
Tilting her head slightly, she deconstructed his words. "You have my pardon, though it is not an exact parallel, Thranduil. As a human I am a lesser being than you, with fewer capabilities and greater limitations. But I appreciate it, to hear you say this. If I may speak freely, my Lord, you are unusual in my experience, though I recognize that I can only view your actions through the lens of encounters with others of my own kind. You have beguiled me, and yet even as you were doing this you showed, and continue to show, an honest humility that I have never seen in someone of great authority. Most seek to maintain their power, by never admitting to any flaws. Yet by openly declaring your consideration of those beneath you, you gain greater allegiance. I count myself fortunate, to belong to such as you." Kissing his hand in reverence, she only now noticed that he had left his ring behind, in his own rooms.
Before he had time to digest what she had just said, a jangling noise emitted from the computer.
"Dinner." Rising, she stopped the noise and served him in a flurry of activity. When all was in order, she retrieved a bottle of red wine, opening it. Looking at the label was pointless, as she knew nothing of the vintages available here; she only felt encouraged to see that the bottle had a cork and not a screw-cap; the latter rarely signaled anything good.
A search of the cabinet yielded something that could pass for a wine glass. A cursory sniff of the bottle revealed that there might be hope, as did pouring out the rich, dark red liquid into the glass. A further sniff, and taste, caused her eyebrows to raise in surprise. "Solidly above average," she said, "which I would not have guessed. May I offer you wine, Thranduil?"
Though she only noticed as she was sampling the vintage, his eyes had followed her activities with rapt attention. "Please," he intoned hopefully.
Searching for another glass, she spotted one that was even more suitable, on a shelf just out of her reach. "Bother," she muttered, looking for a means by which to not have to climb on the countertop. An arm over her shoulder gently restrained her, as he easily reached the item she wanted.
"You are to ask me for help, Earlene. I do not expect, or desire, to only be served by you."
While she washed the glass he had handed her, she explained. "It is not only a question of serving you, Thranduil. My kind have customs of hospitality. You are a guest in my home, though, come to think of it, questions of ownership have become fuzzy indeed...but the point is, no matter who you were, I would feel obligated to provide for your comfort as best I can. That being said, I will do as you ask." She smiled as she filled his glass, and hers.
He accepted her words, and the wine. His generous sampling of the glass and ensuing pleased expression amused her. Clearly, he liked wine. Idly, she wondered how many bottles were here...and that was not the only pantry item that needed addressing. They ate once again in silence; she noted that he seemed to prefer this, at least until the greater portion of his hunger was satisfied. Waiting, she watched for an appropriate time to speak to him.
"You may converse with me if you wish, Earlene. This is my habit, because of endless years of eating alone."
"I did not realize," she said, "obviously. I need to understand some practical matters, my Lord. It would be wise, for me to go shopping in the village tomorrow, for food. You said that you will not keep me a prisoner in these woods. Does that mean I may come and go as I please?"
"Largely, yes. In the village, you are still under my protection. While I do not mean to keep you caged, your welfare is now my duty. If you were to need to travel further, other arrangements would need to be made to ensure your safety...and hopefully you will consent to give me at least another week, to make those arrangements possible."
She pressed on. "Based on Ian's reaction to you, I am wondering what I may encounter from the others here. What am I to say, to questions about...me, you, and all of this? These people seem to know perfectly well who you are, or he would not have kneeled to you."
"You will not reveal anything concerning my Halls. Their existence is secret and it will remain thus; this is my greatest command to you. They believe elves haunt the woods, and they have awareness of a tall elf King with blue eyes and fair hair. You are not the first to ever see me, and the tales have passed along. There are carven stones, near the edge of the woods, bearing the same design as on your necklace. They will not ask you; that you wear it will signify in their eyes that I have taken you for my own. You are clever, and quick witted. You may answer questions about me as you see fit, though I think you already see the wisdom of saying less, if you wish for them to not flee the room.
You are free to come and go, in part, to slowly establish my willingness to no longer remain hidden from the villagers, and that I mean them no harm. You may befriend them if you choose to. They do not enter my woods, and we have not left our woods in long years. I would like to explore establishing discreet relations with them, over time. I showed myself to Ian for a reason; I wished to make a test of the encounter. I am still considering these, and many other matters."
"I will keep your command, as I have promised to," she replied, "and thank you for the clarification." She paused. "One of the things I must care for is establishing myself with the health care system here, and a physician..."
Thranduil held up his hand, smiling. "You may do as you wish with regard to the formalities, but you will have no need of a physician. You are under my care. The day will come when your body can no longer renew itself; I cannot overcome your mortality. But I can likely provide you many extra years, by keeping you free of sickness and injury."
"I thought something like that might be the case, but needed to be certain. One more question, my Lord, concerning me. It was my intention, coming here, to grow fruits and vegetables, perhaps even keep food animals. I find myself in the odd position of having purchased land that apparently does not belong to me, though I must still pay taxes on it," she frowned, "the point being, do you object to what I wish to do? "
He laughed at her attempts to tackle this awkward and convoluted subject in a respectful manner, and reached out to touch her affectionately. "You may do these things, Earlene. And if you would wait but a short time, perhaps two weeks, before executing your plans, we will help you. I have no objection to raising food. We will in fact need to do this; soon there will be many requiring food...but I have seen how your kind go about these things...ugly fences and strange constructs that are not pleasing to the eye. I believe you will find that we can teach you many things, and perhaps the other way around as well."
This sounded completely intriguing, indeed. "And now, I have a questions about you. You seem interested in our technology. Do you wish to learn to use a computer, and other such devices? If you truly want to understand the modern world, the need to do this on your part will be as unavoidable as your requirement for me to learn the language of your realm. Except," she smiled, "that I cannot compel you to do anything."
He did not hesitate. "I will learn, if you will teach me. I will not ask you or the others to acquire new knowledge, and be unwilling to lead by example.
"Then I will purchase a computer for you, my Lord; you will need one of your own. One other thing, and then I am done for now. Do you wish me to procure clothing for you, that belongs to the modern world? I did not know if it was your intention to remain hidden or to interact with other humans. Your appearance is striking regardless of your clothing, but in elven garments you will be far more conspicuous. Though, some of what I have seen you wear could be suitable."
"You will show me examples of what is required. Those among us who make clothing are very skilled, and should be able to imitate anything worn here using our own fabrics. I have not mentioned this previously, but there are vast stores within my Halls of many things, Earlene. At one time we numbered in the tens of thousands, and were provisioned accordingly. Within a short span of time long ago, many departed for Aman, leaving those few of us that remained with a great plenty. In the time before we faded, we used little enough of our reserves, and then had no further need of it. Our material goods remain preserved; they are unaffected by the passage of time. So whether it be food or fabric, there is much that we already have...though fresh vegetables are not among them."
"Then it will be as you wish." She felt considerable amusement, and stifled a smile.
His eyes narrowed, as her thoughts were muddied enough that he could not easily piece out what she found so humorous. "What entertains you so, Earlene?" he asked.
"You, my Lord. When you wanted me to vow loyalty to you, I asked you what was in it for me. There are a number of things that I have learned from this discussion that would have been strong incentives for me to do as you wished, and yet you did not mention them. It is a strange manner in which to bargain."
He stood up and came close to her, drew her to her feet, and held her gaze. His face became grave, and sincere. He spoke softly, with a diction so carefully crafted that she could not miss the emphasis he placed on his words: "Perhaps I needed to see that your choice came largely from your heart, and not because of what inducements I could offer you."
She studied him for a long time, without looking away. "You are full of surprises, Thranduil. How strange, and how wonderful, to have met you."
"I feel much the same about you, Earlene. And now I will wash these dishes, while you enjoy the remainder of your wine."
Pulling her laptop toward her, she was happy to comply. And she'd even put the time to his use, out of appreciation. In between sips, she began a flurry of internet searches, and created lists of bookmarks. One folder for Sindarin, and another for Tengwar. Her eyebrows raised at the eighty-seven page online PDF file, that was a self-contained grammar book...and it was not the only one. Downloading the files, she kept searching. By the time the wine glass was empty, she had corralled a formidable array of references. With this information, and access to a native speaker, she felt confident that she could succeed...in time. Her printer would arrive the day after tomorrow. Closing the screen, she sighed. It was a quarter before nine...just early enough that bed was not fully justifiable, and just late enough that another film just shy of four hours seemed imposing. Though, there was this thing called the Pause button.
"You will be happier with yourself if you spend the time asking me your questions about what you saw, meluieg. Then perhaps you will better absorb whatever comes next." He had finished, and offered his hand to her. "Prepare for bed. I will behave myself, for a time, and explain whatever you wish."
She looked up and thought, perhaps you bargain well after all. Her reward was his brilliant smile and rich laughter.
Once they were propped up against the pillows, with her held against his warmth, she heard, "Ask, now," in his velvety baritone.
"This Sauron...what was he, exactly?
"In the beginning, Eru Iluvátar, the creator, made the Ainur. They are the spirit beings. The Valar had greater powers, and the Maiar had lesser powers, but both were of the Ainur. Sauron was one of the Maiar, and among the strongest of their kind. One from among the Valar turned to wickedness; he was called Melko, though he has several names; Morgoth being the most well known. Sauron served Morgoth. His full history is long, and filled with grief for all those who listened to him. Suffice to say that cunning, deception, despair and cruelty were his greatest weapons. He was a terrible foe, and I and my people suffered greatly on account of his deeds."
"Did you ever visit these other places where elves lived, Rivendell, Lorien? Did they look anything like what was shown? Why are your Halls and their homes all so different from each other?"
"That is a big answer," he chuckled. "Perhaps I will give a longer explanation later. But you need to understand, I never possessed one of the three rings of power given to the elves. Though I am now grateful, at the time I was not. Elrond of Rivendell and Galadriel of Lorien did have rings, and their power helped keep their lands safe and beautiful at a time when my own realm fell under shadow and darkness. We endured, in the safety of my Halls...but only just. Mithrandir, the one also called Gandalf, in time possessed the third ring. And yet, Elrond and Galadriel were neither King nor Queen. There were different kinds of elves, Earlene, and my people are a mix of grey elves and wood elves; Sindar and Silvan. Just as the countries of this world have different cultures, so it was with elves."
She nodded. "You had only one son, my Lord? Or were there other children?"
His voice lowered. "There was only Legolas. His name means, 'Greenleaf.' He led a very different life than I did, and accomplished great things. He was gentle and kind, like his mother. Yet, he had my sense of duty. I loved him, and I love him still."
There was a fierceness and intensity to his words that made his answer physically difficult to hear; she felt a crushing pressure on her chest that made it hard to breathe, for the brief seconds he spoke of his son. It was as if something poured out of him in her direction, and threatened to bury her beneath it. Perhaps this is what he meant, about love amongst most elves, and why he cannot love me. Maybe their love burns too intensely for those not of their own kind, and to be exposed to it would be like setting a delicate plant to wither under a desert sun.
Thranduil looked down at her, resting against him, astonished. "Earlene, you are insightful to a degree that I did not believe possible, for a daughter of men. You have grasped this, with great clarity."
She lifted her head to look at him, trying to absorb all of this. And then, very briefly, he saw the flicker of pain cross her eyes, once again. Lowering her head, she held onto him more tightly, and closed her eyes. She was refusing to think, refusing to feel.
"Earlene, look at me."
Please, not just now. Please.
"I will allow it. I only wished to tell you, that I have considered your words to me. I can tell you that I love you as one of your own kind would, Earlene, because that is true. And unless I am much mistaken, you are feeling pain now, because you believe you will never hear me say these words to you. Do not suffer, Earlene, on account of this. Your heart has great depth and purity, and I do love you. Be at peace." His hand began to trace slow circles around her back, as her mind whirled in circles.
She remained silent for some time. "I am trying to recall the last time someone said anything to me, to which I could not form a response. It feels very strange, to have every thought and feeling laid bare to another. You could use your mastery over me very differently, if you chose. I will work that much harder for you, not out of compulsion, but out of love. Thank you, Thranduil, for your kindness in telling me this."
"I was not always as I am now, meluieg. Once I was cold, indifferent, and bitter beyond words. I might still argue that I have certain tendencies toward those things. I have tried to learn, and do better."
"I believe you have had a good measure of success," she said, leaning up to kiss his cheek. "The next time I am seduced by a different elven king, I will let you know how you rank by comparison."
His eyes widened, as he took a moment to work out what she'd said, before chuckling with appreciative laughter. Questions about Middle Earth saw no further progress, as a long arm with flawless skin reached to switch off the lamp.
