A/N if you see italics and there is a mixed crowd of species, the italics are elvish. I used to speak it and write it out but its been a few years so I've forgotten most of it.
Chapter 13- The Slave Princess
Rivendell was more beautiful to Kai than she remembered it being. It seemed to glow in the way elves glow but she had been in a barren stone city for so long she had forgotten what it was like. How at peace it was.
For the first time in a thousand years, she breathed easily, without the weight of Man on her breast. Here she would not be hounded, here she would not be abused. How could the elves bear to see her so mistreated? Bear to see her scars? Boromir was not as harsh a master as others, but he knew not the offenses he would cause in an elvish domain treating a princess twice crowned as a slave. The elves had never known slavery, they had only ever fought against it. They had fought for lesser creatures to maintain their rights. Betimes they succeeded and betimes they failed, but nature never promised anything but change.
But elves were slow to change.
She began to fear that the elves may hate her for allowing the treatment…she wondered how many knew of her plight. They might shun her, they might ridicule her as the humans did; only she knew it would hurt so much more coming from a kinsmen. Her hood was drawn low over her face, and she kept it so low.
Even as they entered the great hall at Rivendell. Kai was almost thankful that her face was obscured for she wept at the grace in the stones, the majesty of this palace. This elvish realm she was standing in for the first time in an endless millennia of torment.
She cried, she could not help it. Just a few errant tears.
Lord Elrond spoke to Boromir but noticed the figure at his side. The Great Lord knew this was no ordinary servant, but something in him hesitated to order the servant pull back their hood. Most of the diplomats had gathered in the main hall to watch the stragglers gather. The elvish domains were already represented; they awaited Gandalf the Grey and the Dwarf Lords now.
Boromir bowed low to Elrond and saw Kai's hood drawn.
"Kai, remove your hood in the presence of royalty."
The elves quirked their heads in unison, they did not understand why Boromir used "nothing" as a name. For a moment Kai hesitated and did not draw back her hood. That moment caused great embarrassment to the son of the Steward and he tore off her hood for her.
A great intake of shock filled the room, there was a momentary hush where Lithil wanted to cut off her ears rather than bear the silence of her people.
Then the cry came, "Take your hands off of my wife!"
Through the crowd parted as Legolas Greenleaf tried to run toward Kai. Boromir stood in his way and Legolas' eyes, lit with a thousand years of longing, were in a blaze of fury.
"Get out of my way, son of Gondor." He hissed.
"Prince Legolas! Would you so defile this house of diplomacy with your rashness?" Elrond's voice pierced every inch of the hall.
Trying desperately to look past Boromir at the shell of his wife, Legolas could only bow to the great king.
"What is the meaning of this?" Boromir turned to Kai, "What is wrong, Kai?"
Around the room elves twitched when he said the name, knowing he addressed the abused elf before them.
"My Lord," She replied, "I offend them."
"Not you, my love. Him." Legolas hissed.
Elrond was the only elf to disagree with the Mirkwood prince's words; the matter of diplomacy still rested on Elrond's shoulders to mold and sustain.
"My Lord Boromir, you seem confused. Perhaps Lithil would like to address the issue presently? My lady, you may, of course, decline."
"I should like to Lord Elrond… it is still strange to me to be amongst elves again. I am not recovered from that shock."
"Why is he calling you Lithil? Kai!" Boromir hissed at her, tugging her arm.
"Don't touch her."
"Legolas!" Elrond admonished, "If I must remind you of your manners again I shall dismiss you from these proceedings and Mirkwood may be represented by one of your kinsmen. I understand your feelings, but you must be a prince to your people now. You may be a husband when talks of diplomacy have been overturned for the night."
"My Lord is wise." Legolas bowed again, blushing his embarrassment at the chastisement.
Elrond turned to Boromir, "My sincerest apologies, Son of Gondor, that you have such a welcome. I assure you my house is typically more inviting. You bring with you the strangest servant you could bring. Elves keep servants, but not slaves, and the elf you have brought with you today is nothing short of a slave by our standards."
Boromir bristled, "She is the gem of my family. A companion to the Stewards for centuries."
"Lies. Lies." Whispers broke out in the crowd, there were many who remembered the great fury of the contract that had signed Lithil to Man as a slave. Many did not hide their distaste for the Steward's son's lack of knowledge behind the veil of the elvish tongue. Boromir felt trapped, cornered, and he wanted to fight back but did not know how. Lithil could see in his eyes that his humiliation was going to lead to Gondor leaving Rivendell…and she knew that could not happen.
"Silence all!" She suddenly spoke, "Boromir, my Lord, I fear you are not entirely correct. Many Stewards have taught their sons that I am a willing companion of your line and most sons accept it because they do not like the truth. I was part of a political contract, forced to servitude to your family. You know this."
Red in the face Boromir turned to her as if they alone were arguing, "You have never left! You are an elf and more capable than most soldiers in our army and you never left! You never fought us! You obey us like some tame dog and we are supposed to think you unwilling?!"
The offended silence of the room made the Gondorian look around him, he saw the blonde elf that had first harassed him look so angry his perfect complexion mottled.
"My name is Lithil. The elf you see there is Prince Legolas of Mirkwood," She motioned behind Boromir, he didn't need to turn around to know exactly whom she spoke of, "and many years ago we were married."
"Married? You never said you were married."
"It was under pain of Legolas' death that I leave my post of servitude to the Stewards. My family, royal elves of the Grey Havens, contracted me, their only daughter, as a punishment. They felt me useless to them, a daughter they had tried to marry to a Gondorian king as a child and ran from her marriage bed in fear. Elves do not believe in forced unions, it is not our way. My parents were not like most elves. They disowned me, until they needed something to trade to the Stewards. I was a pawn. And on my wedding night they stole me from my true husband and brought me to Gondor. There I have been ever since."
Elrond spoke before Boromir could respond, "Her appearance has also offended her kinsmen. A princess appears in servant's rags. An elf has pierced ears… it is the sign of ultimate degradation for an elf to have molested ears, for they are our most sensitive part. My Lord, we mean no offense to you but you have unknowingly brought great controversy with you when you brought Princess Lithil into an elvish house again."
Boromir tried to regain his composure, "Am I to be so alienated for the sins of my fathers? I may only lead the life I was given and those parts that were in place before my time it is not my duty to move. Kai has always been a servant to me, I know not how else to behold her. You may as well have told me my horse was a prince, I am so unfamiliar with how to approach this. I know not what else to say. I did not defile her ears, and her clothes are not my duty to choose… I knew not of the turmoil I caused in bringing her…" He looked darkly at Kai, "and she had breathed not a word of it until now."
"Can you blame her wanting to see an elvish kingdom again?" Legolas spoke, his voice not so harsh now, he sounded tired almost, "It has been a long time."
Boromir looked at the supposed prince next to him, the elf was thin and pale, he did not look old enough to be Kai's husband but Kai looked very unlike the rest of these elves.
"I suppose it is a reasonable desire…As I expect you will find my desire to retire to my rooms and spend some time with my private thoughts before we speak of Mordor?"
With that the Son of Denethor spun on his heel and walked toward the exit. Lithil lingered behind, staring at Legolas, drinking the sight of him in as though she would be carted away again and not see him for another thousand years or more. Before Boromir got to the door he stopped, "Kai! Come along."
She had no choice but to obey.
That first day was long in the house of Elrond.
A/N
So its short but its been sitting here waiting to be updated for about a year, so I guess its time to update. I recommend putting me on author alert because I am not a frequent updater.
How do you like the newest addition?