Chapter Ten

"The Prince wants to depart in one week's time." Nuada spoke loudly so that his voice would carry from his bedroom to the receiving room of the talan where Nuala was sitting, already prepared for the evening.

"In one week's time?" Nuala cried. "So soon?"

"Yes." Nuada adjusted the silver and black dress tunic Lady Galadriel had sent for him to wear, and picked up the comb he had found in the dresser; Nuala was wearing a similar silver and black gown. He had seen very few elves dressed in black here, but he supposed it was not unlikely Nuala had requested such clothing, but he could not be bothered to ask her. He would have felt poorly for accepting the clothes without any means of payment, but Nuala had since taken up a position as seamstress and had assured Nuada she would work off whatever debt they owed; though it seemed in Lothlorien money was a near offensive concept. That set him at ease somewhat, which was fortunate given that Nuada had doubts about Nuala's position and how she would fair as a seamstress… He didn't vocalize his doubts to his sister.

When he had finished his quick brushing, he dropped the comb on the bed and then strode out to meet Nuala. She was frowning, but her face livened, distracted by his appearance. "You look dashing," she said, reaching out and straightening the sash that tied around his hips. Other than bathing and adding embellishments to his clothing, Nuada hardly saw the difference.

"May I braid your hair?" Nuala asked, stepping around him though he had not yet agreed. She ran her fingers from his temples to the back of his head, and any hair above that was braided down the back, so that his ears were exposed, similar to the hairstyles they had seen of late. When Nuala finished and moved to take another look at him, she beamed. "Brother, you should wear your hair like this more often."

"I am not one of them," he said, lifting a brow and appraising her own hair, "nor are you." She had added two thin braids at either temple that arched to the back of her head.

"I thought it matched the fabric." She held an arm out for him to inspect the silver embroidery on her sleeve- winding threads that were denser at the top and thinned at the bottom- that matched what he had on his own tunic, of course, but Nuala knew he would not have taken care to look at it. Indeed, Nuada made a face, and then stepped around her to collect his weapon off the table with no reply forthcoming.

"Don't bring that," Nuala said. Nuada sent a look of exasperation heavenward, but he withdrew his hand empty.

"Come. We are already late." She stepped toward the door, noting that the last sunlight had gone from the sky; now the only source of illumination in the woods were the lanterns hung in trees, their flickering flames coupling with the leaves aflutter to produce an unsteady rhythm of light and shadow below. The lanterns were few this side of the wood, but grew more numerous toward the hall where the feast was to be held. There was more than just feasting, singing, and dancing tonight, though; there would be performances (including a speech by the Lord and Lady of the wood), a hunt for a hidden jewel, children racing miniature boats on the Celebrant, and other games. As a seamstress, Nuala had been part of preparing any linen required, and that was how she had been made privy to the details. She had volunteered to help conduct the activities, as many others had, but the head seamstress refused her, insisting that as a newcomer to Lothlorien, she was to focus on enjoying herself. Nuala smiled fondly at the memory.

"I intend to leave early," Nuada then reminded her for the umpteenth time as they made their way through the trees, and her smile vanished.

Nuala chose to ignore his comment, instead asking, "How many ellyth do you plan on dancing with tonight?"

"None," Nuada said absentmindedly, adjusting his tunic again.

Nuala stopped and turned on him, and Nuada actually gave thought to what she was asking. "I am sure everyone will have found themselves a partner, Nuala. It isn't rude if everyone is already dancing."

"If even one elleth is sitting, you must ask her to dance. And you must participate in at least one activity. You cannot simply stand like a shadow in the corner."

"I don't see why not," Nuada drawled, but he was holding back a wrenching sigh. How many times had he been in this situation, his sister pushing him to be amiable with those he had no patience for?

"And I don't see why you will not apply your graces to the company of your own people when you freely do with goblins and trolls and any other species of the realm," Nuala returned patiently.

Nuada gave her a look, then turned and continued on his way; she did the same. They had had this conversation before, and Nuala had nothing to say that Nuada was interested in hearing, which they both knew equally well.

Nuada was appalled by their kind, and nothing was going to change that.

The court in Bethmoora was comprised of none but pacifists. Indeed, he had been raised with their cowardice beliefs imparted to him and he had even agreed with them when he was young; though, admittedly there had always been a part of him that rebelled. Nuala had been raised just the same and was still very much like that; she was forever eager to avoid conflict, which was why he was unsurprised when she refused to join him in his campaign against the humans and, conversely, why he was surprised when she had assisted the demon spawn and his band of kooks. Still, he could not hold it against her. Their experiences had been too different in their childhood for her to be like him and vice versa.

At a young 120 years, Nuada had insisted they go exploring despite the rule dictating he and his sister not leave the grounds unattended by a full guard. Nuada had not known they had enemies at the time, but later he thought he should have put two-and-two together; why else would they need a full guard detail to leave the palace?

Nuala had gone with him despite her better judgment; that was why Nuada had needed her to remain unharmed, forcing her to run in a separate direction from him when he realized someone was tracking them. He told her she was to bring help, but in the end it made no difference. He fought his best fight, but Nuada was weak then and inexperienced, and he had been captured by a single ellon: beaten unconscious, bound and gagged, and taken to the awful dungeon he thought so often of. The one responsible- Eol was his name- had intended to use him as a bartering chip for change, but none on the council- including his father- were willing participants in the negotiation. Neither did help find Nuada, though he had hoped for a guard detail to come with every last fiber of his being, a hope that grew less and less as the days wore on, and it was this experience that was solely his own.

Nuada was kept for three long years, and in that time, despite his suffering, he listened well to the endless ranting of the mad Eol; he spoke of the travesties done to the world by humans, of a history rife with destruction that Nuada had not been taught by his tutor, and the suffering of the world even then as they spoke. That, his captor had told him, was what he wanted Nuada to know: what it felt like to be chained in a hole underground, to have everything taken from him including his freedom, and to be convinced he would die without dignity, just the same as every 'mythological' creature in Bethmoora was doomed. The difference was his subjects were helpless, and he was not; he had the ability to change their fate. Then- though, Nuada still wondered what he had done to warrant it- Eol had taken him from his dungeon and abandoned him in the wild to find his own way home three years later. Despite having been beaten and exhausted and starved, Nuada felt for the first time that his faculty was enough to see him through the hardships he would face, and he was undaunted by what lay ahead of him. He returned brazenly to court, unable to abide by or even tolerate the courtiers he had once called his family.

Indeed, there may have been a time after his return when Nuada had wanted to be taken in by deep hatred for the man who had robbed him of every peace, but Eol's words rung in his ears and drove him to learn from the creatures of the underworld all he could: Eol had been correct, and the suffering Nuada witnessed staggered him. His sister, of course, had shared his experience from a distance- his physical and emotional pain- but she hadn't learned from Eol: Eol, the man Nuada eventually began to think of as a father to him. Despite his sister's unchanged views and the discord it caused between them, when Nuada realized the bare necessity of his physical training, he had forced her to follow suit, and so they had both achieved autonomy, but with entirely different drives. Nuala was left to maintain their image within the court while Nuada concerned himself with matters beyond the court, always wondering what Eol would think of him now, of his cause, and of his determination. Would he approve of him? Would he be proud of Nuada?

"These people have not done any wrongs by you," Nuala said quietly beside him, quite sure as to the turn of his thoughts. "There is no place for your bitterness here."

"...I will dance with three ellyth, participate in one event, and speak with Legolas and Haldir briefly. Are you satisfied?" Nuada snapped.

"Yes." Nuala smiled.

XXX

Haldir entered the hall with Idril, an older (though, still beautiful) elleth on his arm. He had chosen her as his date because he knew she had little interest in active ellyn with dangerous lifestyles... ellyn such as he. It worked out wonderfully. She had not had to suffer the embarrassment of showing up alone, and, since she was mature and uninterested in Haldir, she wouldn't take offense when he left her to seek out Nuala.

He spent a good hour in his date's company before the brother and sister pair arrived. Haldir's eyes tracked Nuala across the room, and though he was certain she could feel his eyes on her, she never looked his way. Instead she touched her fast acquired glass of wine to her brother's before bringing it to her lips for a small sip; Nuada took a much longer draught, he noted. Then she dragged Nuada farther into the mingling crowd, introducing him to the ellyth she had come to know. Nuada, he could tell, was greatly unhappy with the affair, and soon he was on his second glass of wine. Haldir hadn't realized he was smirking at this until Idril touched his arm, and he turned to look down at her.

"She is... lovely." Idril turned her eyes toward Nuala so that Haldir would know she had noticed whom he had been gazing at for the better part of their time together. He didn't miss the way she hesitated on the word lovely, but neither did he think she had meant offense: Nuala was strange and different and hard to describe by their conventions. That didn't mean she wasn't beautiful.

"Yes, she is," Haldir agreed, returning the smile of the elleth at his side.

"Will you go to her?"

"Yes, if you will be quite well here," Haldir said out of courtesy, gesturing to the group they had attached themselves to.

Indril mocked a look of exasperation.

"Then I shall take my leave of you," Haldir teased, bowing slightly, then excusing himself at large. He wend his way through the crowd until he spotted her; it didn't take long: she and Nuada were the only elves wearing black tonight, though it was anything but dark or unattractive. Her gown was lower cut than anything he had seen her in yet, her pallid skin on display; it was a shocking, an eye-catching contrast to the black of her dress, and when one was fully turned in her direction it was hard not to appreciate the way it accentuated her dark eyes and lips. Her hair, too, had been brushed until it shone and had been removed from her face. Her brother also looked rather more attractive than Haldir thought was possible, but he would never admit to this. And, at almost comical odds, they stood in the company of Legolas, likely the most bright, radiant ellon to have ever walked Arda, Haldir thought wryly (he was the only elf to compare with the Lady Galadriel, which was something he never grew tired of teasing his friend about, especially in the middle of a duel).

"You are stunning tonight, my lady," he said, stepping up beside Nuala. Any reservation he might have had about making the comment in front of her brother was drowned in the bottom of his wineglass by then. Nuala turned to him, and, he was pleased to note, she couldn't seem to check her expression right away, smiling brightly up at him for a moment; he put it down to her overwhelming regard for him and not the wine she had drank.

"There is something indescribably annoying about you," Nuada spoke loudly from his other side. Haldir stiffened, turning on the Dark Elf, one brow arching in derision.

"Is that so?" he asked, voice tight.

"Yes, it is," Nuada threw back the rest of his wine, Legolas laughing merrily. "Now that we've greeted one another, why don't you tell me your intentions toward my sister."

"Pardon me?"

"Nuada!" Nuala scolded like the lash of a whip.

"My apologies, sister. Haldir, I wish to speak with you- privately," Nuada said, ushering the Marchwarden away with his half empty wineglass, so that they stood apart from the crowd.

"Now," Nuada turned on Haldir, "What is your intention toward my sister?"

Haldir likewise took in the remainder of his wine, glancing at Nuala over the rim as he lowered the glass, and then turning to meet Nuada's eyes. "I wish to court her."

"I thought as much." Nuada frowned for a moment. "Very well, but I swear to you, if you dishonor Nuala or hurt her in anyway, I will hunt you like game, and I will slaughter you just the same."

"That is fair," Haldir said, tilting his head. "But I must say I am surprised that you have given me your blessing."

"I don't give blessings, Haldir. It is up to my sister whom she courts, as you put it. It is my duty to protect her, though, which is the other matter I wish to discuss with you... I am leaving in one week's time, with Legolas. You know this. I want you to care for Nuala in my stead. She doesn't need it," Nuada amended swiftly, "but I would rest easier if I knew-"

Haldir, after blinking away his shock, held up a hand. "Say no more. I give you my word as Marchwarden that I will consider her best interests." It was an easy thing for Haldir to agree to: he would do it because it was the honorable thing to do, because he realized it was not insignificant for Nuada to leave his sister in Haldir's charge, and because he would take care of her regardless, and didn't trust that anyone else could better than he.

Nuada, feeling a keen sense of relief, realized how much he was relying on the Marchwarden to agree to this, and so, after but a moment's hesitation, he reached out and clasped Haldir's shoulder. "I asked this of you because I know, no matter how irritating you may be, you are an ellon of honor."

Haldir grinned and then lightly knocked away Nuada's arm.

"Take your hand off me," he muttered in jest, still by no means fond of the Dark Elf but finding him suddenly much more likeable, and then the pair stalked back to Nuala and Legolas who were watching the exchange closely.

"Will you tell me what that was?" Nuala immediately petitioned, glancing at her brother and then fixing her gaze on Haldir; she couldn't quite bring herself to believe that Nuada was confronting Haldir on her behalf.

"It was nothing of consequence," he assured her with a light smile. Now that he had spoken with her brother, he felt no reservation: "Would you care to stroll with me?" he asked, offering her an arm.

Nuala decided she had a better chance of getting her answers once she had isolated either Haldir or her brother, and fortuitously, it was Haldir. She placed her hand on his forearm and did not look back.

Nuada watched with a pleased expression as they disappeared into the crowd, Legolas watching him in turn. "You loathed Haldir only moments ago!" Legolas cried in good-humor when Nuada turned back to him.

Nuada arched a brow sardonically. "I still loathe him," he replied, "but my sister does not. She quite likes him, and I don't believe she would be so willing to stay if not for Haldir."

Nuada had informed her that Legolas had accepted him into his party when they had returned to their talan after the match; she had not been pleased, but much of the gusto she'd had in their previous argument had left her. He'd asked her if she was more opposed to leaving Lothlorien or leaving he himself, and she had admitted that leaving Lothlorien was not what she wanted. Nuada nodded in understanding. There were reasons for her not to come (mainly those concerning the Ring), which he kept to himself, and there were reasons for her to stay, which he repeated back to her. "You have prospects here: you have work, new acquaintances, a relationship with Haldir, and you have the peace that you've always longed for."

She'd looked up at him when he'd mentioned Haldir, but she hadn't argued. Instead, she said, "I will be very sorry to see you go, brother. After such a long time, our reunion has been short-lived."

"It has, sister, but we will be together again," he assured her. For once he matched her sincere feelings that he did not wish to be parted another time.

"...Very well," she nodded her head, and stood from her chair. "We will need to see Lady Galadriel."

They had gone directly in search of her, and the meeting had gone about as well as Nuada had expected. Initially, he'd had the distinct impression she didn't see it fit for him to leave, though she had no legitimate reason to refuse him his freedom; he felt smug and enjoyed the idea that she didn't approve. But her stern eyes had never left him, and then, just as they were to take their leave of her and Celeborn in the hall, she spoke.

"You will find all but the thing you seek on this journey, Dark Elf." She smiled wanly at him, and Nuada felt his blood boil. He turned and gripped Nuala's arm, hauling her out of the Lord and Lady's presence, and ignored the questioning look of his sister.