Thranduil was furious. The guards had returned from the sacred river bearing bad news. News that outraged him. Thranduil rushed to his private chambers, their doors slamming shut behind him. Dwarves! How dare they? Thranduil walked to his balcony and looked over the forest. Why now? Why can't they just exist without anyone noticing? Why can't they just stay inside their mountain and rot? Thranduil's head hurt, like every time he was tense.
In the northern part of Mirkwood there was a fast flowing river with icy cold waters. A sacred river to all elves in Middle-Earth which even themselves rarely touched. Nothing had ever soiled its purity. Even in the times of darkness when the forest had become severely corrupted and sickened due to the presence of orcs, trolls, spiders and other vile creatures, the river had remained pure. It had always supplied the elves of the Woodland Realm with fresh drinking water. Its springs lay in the northern part of Mirkwood, beneath a small hill. Some said that its spiritual origin was, in fact, in Valinor. That the Valar had blessed the elves thus and provided them with aid.
On certain days when the starlight was very strong and the moon shone bright, the light of the stars and moon was captured by the twirling waves of its waters, twisted and molded until it turned into beautiful gems of pure starlight. Smaller and larger gems, forever embedded on the depths of the everflowing river. There was just one place in the long river where this occured.
While still an elfling, Thranduil had heard of the tale and had once traveled there without his father's consent. There, in the pure icy cold waters, he had found one of those gems and had brought it home. Oropher had been furious. His father had demanded that Thranduil returned the gem to the river at once and ask the Valar for their forgiveness by staying there for days without drink and food, meditating in hope to achieve their forgiveness.
Thranduil had gone back, had fasted and meditated on the banks of the river. But he had failed to part with the gem. Its unearthly beauty had captured his heart. He had kept it well hidden within his chambers. Oropher had known nothing of his son's deed. But ever since Thranduil had brought the gem home, he had been claiming that his son's curiosity and greed would bring ill fortune upon them and their realm in the future. Back then, Thranduil had doubted his father's words. Today, looking back into the past and the struggle of the elves in the Woodland realm, he was not so sure anymore. Perhaps his desire had truly brought ill fortune upon them. After a long period of darkness which had made the forest virtually uninhabitable, light had come to it again, and Thranduil was sure that the worst was over and that the Valar had finally forgiven him for his deed.
When Thranduil became king, he set up a watchtower on the river banks. Two guards would always watch over that very spot where the gems were molded. For hundreds of years no one had dared to go there. Until now...
Ari arrived in the room which had been offered to them the day before. Her companions were in there engaged in a conversation. No one knew about the reason that made the entire company return to the King's halls. Upon leaving the stables, Ari had noticed guards clad in armor and bearing weapons, riding hurriedly on their horses through the large gate. But the purpose of their mission was a mystery to her.
She quickly left the room again. Ari feared the anger of the king if she returned to the stables and so she wandered through the palace. There were guards nearly everywhere, but they did not stop her. Still, their eyes followed her wherever she went. Ari walked through the beautiful halls and marveled at their size and beauty. Elves were highly skilled at the arts of sculpting and carving. Being a woodcarver herself, Ari started to pay close attention to the carvings on the pillars, running her fingers gently over them, while studying their structure and the craftsmanship of the elven people.
Thranduil stood in his balcony, looking over the forest. He could see Erebor in the distance. The guards had told him that they had seen dwarves at the river, wading in the water, obviously looking for precious gems. Tales of the river and its incomparable treasure in the form of rare gemstones had spread throughout the lands over the centuries. He had expected that one day somebody might turn up to claim them. But why had it been the dwarves? Thranduil closed his eyes and beheld the human girl.
He snapped out of his thoughts and opened his eyes quickly. What was that? She had occupied his thoughts a number of times today. As a matter of fact, she intrigued him. She was different. So gentle and kind. Thranduil had seen the light emanating from her body. A red light, and she seemed to have struggled beneath it. Was it a nightmare? Or some dark force? Whatever it may have been, why was there a light? Then he had watched her in the forest when she freed the deer. The other man, her traveling companion, had raised his weapon to kill it. But she had saved it. She had gratefully accepted the food she was given upon departure. But the other men did not appreciate it as she did. It was food offered by nature without having to harm any living creature. Humans ate meat. They smelled of it. Thranduil shuddered. He despised the smell.
He had seen into her being. He had seen her memories. Dark memories and beautiful ones. He had seen many people around her and then moments of solitude. The peaceful sea. Battles. Were these her memories? Or just dreams she had had? No, they were her memories, as they were too vivid and her emotions were connected with them. He had felt them while seeing the images of her mind. He had felt her. This was her life, her experiences.
Thranduil wondered what she was looking for in Dale. Did she know those men well? No, he doubted that. Not after what she had told him on the ride along the forest road. She did not trust them. Thranduil wondered how old she was. She looked like a human in her mid-twenties. But humans, especially females, would normally get married at a younger age. Why was she alone? Where did she come from? How had it been possible for her to shut her mind off from him after she had become aware of his invasion? Thranduil walked towards his doors; they opened and closed silently. His feet carried him downwards into the lower parts of his palace.
Ari was studying the carvings on the pillars very closely. Some of them seemed oddly familiar to her. She had seen them near the sea shore in the abandoned city were nobody dared to go and sometimes in the sky above her home land. Had there been elves in the south? No, that was not possible. She would have seen them there. But she hadn't. Her fingers slid gently over the carvings, before they lingered on one particular symbol. It looked beautiful.
"Each one of them has a different meaning."
Startled, she turned quickly. In front of her stood the elf king. He looked into her eyes and a small smile graced his timeless features. Then his eyes fell on the pillar and the symbol that Ari had touched just moments before. He stepped closer to the pillar and his middle finger brushed over the symbol Ari had had admired.
"This is the elvish symbol for protection. This one here," he said, pointing at another symbol, "…means Strength. This one, Endurance."
He slowly moved his finger over different symbols, explaining their different meanings. "Here are Patience and Eternity."
Ari marveled at his words. "Why do elves carve them into pillars? Do all pillars bear the same symbols?" she asked, her voice filled with curiosity.
Thranduil fixed his eyes on her. "Yes. Those pillars in the great halls do. But some bear different symbols. These pillars," he said as he motioned to the one next to them, "…have to carry a lot of weight. These were made to endure a lot." His gaze returned to her. "They were made to protect. They will stand until the end of time. That is why you see these symbols on them. Other places bear other symbols."
Ari was surprised, as she had never heard anything like that. "You believe that by carving those symbols into wood or stone, the matter itself adopts qualities like strength and endurance?"
"Yes, it does. Everything does," Thranduil replied matter-of-factly.
"These are sacred symbols given to the elves long ago by the Valar. They are symbols of great power. But not everyone is skilled enough to carve the symbols in a way that they may develop their full qualities," he explained.
Ari's curiosity overcame her. "Who can do so?"
She did not care if he was the elf king or anyone else. She was deep in her field of interest. Ari had always been curious for new and unfamiliar things in the world but she had never heard of such a thing.
"Elves can do so but not all of us. Only those who have brought this gift with them into their life," Thranduil explained patiently.
"And these walls will never cease to be?" Ari asked in wonder.
"They would eventually fall into ruin if we left Middle-Earth. But it would take a long time. Many hundreds of years, if not thousands. The magic of the elves is powerful and not easily withdrawn. Even if we left this world, these halls would remain for an unknown period of time, because the magic would linger on until it eventually faded away. But these matters cannot be understood by others, especially not by humans," he added, smirking down at her.
Thranduil rose his eyebrows expectantly, seeing that she was about to ask another question.
But as his last words reached her ears, Ari decided to stop questioning him. 'But these matters cannot be understood by others, especially not by humans'. His words echoed in her mind. Ari blushed and stared at the floor. Something about her made Thranduil feel different. He could not figure out what it was, but he had to admit that she had brought something here. Perhaps she carried something that was precious. Very precious.
A guard approached them and bowed his head in reverence.
"My king, we are ready to depart."
Thranduil nodded to the guard and dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
"So be it," he said, but his voice lacked the usual determination.
Turning back towards Ari he said, "Your escort to Dale has been arranged. My guards will get you and your travel companions to Dale. You will reach the city in two days."
Ari bowed her head. "Thank you, your Highness. If one day I can repay you for your kindness, I most certainly will." With those words, Ari turned around and followed the guard.
Thranduil's gaze followed as she walked away from him. His brows twitched into a frown when she did not look back. Something about that aroused Thranduil's anger. She did not look back.
