A/N: Thank you to the new guest readers, Violet, Silk Leaf, and Anain, for leaving me a comment. I am unable to send you PM as you are guests. Thank you. I will try to post as often as I can. But the summer time is more hectic for me than the academic year due to travel. But I will always put up a chapter a week, at least, and will give notice when I can't. Thank you so much for reading!

King's Library. April 14, Second Age 144

THRANDUIL regarded the floor to ceiling double doors at the end of a long hall. The room was at a corner of King's Tower in a quiet part of the palace. He stepped into the large room with tall and narrow windows. Despite the many windows, maybe due to tall bookcases covering all the walls in between the windows, the room felt dark except for the middle of the room where a massive table carved in wood stood.

There was a balcony built on three sides of the walls forming an upper floor where more bookcases can be seen against the walls.

"Excuse me please." Thranduil walked fully into the room when no one answered after a knock.

The room was silent.

Sunlight poured in from high above. Thranduil looked up to see a domed ceiling. It had a large circular opening in the middle which allowed a stream of light to fall onto the table. Unlike the tall and narrow windows, the light from the ceiling illuminated the table as if it was a gigantic table lamp. There was no sign of anyone. A tranquility surrounded the space and it was as if he stepped into a different place where all time stood still.

"Master Pengolodh?"

Thranduil called out, careful to keep his voice down a notch. This was a library after all. He remembered being scolded for laughing too loud in the library of Menegroth which was like a vast vault filled with scrolls, codices, and old Elves.

Today was the first rest day for the cadets. It was a short week as they started the training in the middle of the week. But it didn't matter to Thranduil. As the Meduion, he was not allowed to leave the King's Tower.

Since he couldn't go anywhere, he did his mandatory morning run before dawn hoping to work on the patterns for the entire day. Only seven more days go before the test and he was already behind schedule. There just weren't enough time between the training and the chores. And now this.

As part of his punishment, Thranduil was commanded to help the loremaster with whatever task at hand until his wrist heals. His real punishment is scheduled for the end of the spring, to muck out the officer's stable for the period of one moon cycle just prior to Midsummer Festival.

Lieutenant Gwendir made an announcement that the culprit came forward and the matter has been resolved, as well as reassuring the cadets that Cellon was innocent. Both Cellon and Elrond were commanded not to speak of the incident to anyone.

Thranduil supposed they were trying to protect him from any retaliation by the cadets, but the Sinda would rather confess in front of everyone and receive punishment accordingly and openly instead of being hidden behind their so-called 'mercy'. He didn't want any favors from Noldor no matter how well meaning it was.

But this was punishment. The option did not rest with him.

Thranduil let out a heavy sigh. And if he was honest, what he did was reprehensible even to him. Thranduil wasn't sure why he did it. To make so many people suffer to get back at few…Thranduil winced and shook his head. He was just glad his father, or worse, his mother, wasn't here to hear about it.

"Loremaster?"

Silence.

Thranduil sighed again and walked to the table in the center of the room. Someone had been in the middle of copying a codex. There were jars of ink and feathers sharpened and fitted with silver nibs along with several prepared scrolls, half filled with elegant Tengwar.

When it seemed as if there was no one in the library, Thranduil approached a bookcase, wondering what kind of books the King of Noldor kept in his library. He picked up a codex bound in silk threads when he felt a movement above him. With an instinct of a warrior, Thranduil caught several falling scrolls with one hand.

Thranduil looked up.

There was a ladder leaning against one of the many bookcases lining up the second floor. A young maiden stood on the last rung of one of the ladders that were all around the room. There were several scrolls on her arms and one tucked under her chin. On her mouth, she held a piece of paper. She dropped the paper from her mouth onto the top of the scrolls on her arm.

"Forgive me," the maiden called down to Thranduil as she stepped off the ladder and straightened. Then she disappeared behind the railing, beyond Thranduil's sight.

Thranduil frowned up at the now empty railing when the door to the library opened. A thin Noldo of slight build with an armload of scrolls entered.

"Oh, you must be the new cadet," the Elf said.

His frizzled dark hair was pulled back in a low ponytail with blue silk cord, marking him as someone who studies lore. He had a smudge of ink on his earlobe and a full smile on his face. He looked rather young for a loremaster, looking no more than seven, eight centuries old at the most. Of what Thranduil remembered of loremasters at Doriath, all of them had been two or three millennia old, at least.

"Lord Gilmagor said you will be coming by," the Elf said as he pulled at his ear, then looking behind Thranduil, he smiled warmly. "Oh, good. You found them?"

Thranduil turned around just as a maiden with glossy waves walked down a twisty stairway hidden behind a column just right of where Thranduil stood.

"You met Lady Lalaithwen, I presume?" The Elf looked at Thranduil again.

"I just got here," Thranduil said, turning back to face the Elf. "You are Master Pengolodh, the loremaster? What exactly am I to do here?" Thranduil asked.

The Elf put down the scrolls on the table and straightened. "Oh, please call me Pengo. That is what everyone calls me. What did Lord Gilmagor tell you?"

"I am to do whatever it is that you required of me."

"Ah, I see. Well, I am supposed to teach history but I am so overwhelmed with work. My master sailed leaving me in charge of so much…" the Elf smiled again, then his eyes filled with excitement. "I am in the middle of compiling my annals. It is a lot of work, but so exciting." He rubbed his hands together. "It will help me greatly if you can assist Lady Lalaithwen here. She will be teaching the young ones our history while their teacher is on a temporary leave. This will give me time…"

"You want me to help her teach Noldorin history?" Thranduil glanced at the young elleth then frowned at the loremaster. "I am sorry to inform you, Master Pengolodh, but I know nothing of Noldorin history."

"By the lights of the Trees! You did not receive any instructions in histories? You seem like a noble born." Pengolodh looked Thranduil up and down, his eyes wide.

"I did not say I do not know history," Thranduil said, trying his best not to roll his eyes. "I said I do not know Noldorin history."

"You are not one of us?" the loremaster's eyebrows went up to his hairline as he looked Thranduil once over then rested his eyes on Thranduil's hair. "You cannot be a Vanya." Then his eyes grew even larger if that was possible. "You are a Sinda?"

Thranduil felt his body heat up and he frowned down at the skinny Elf in front of him.

The young elleth who looked several decades over a century old stepped forward unbidden.

"What Master Pengo means is that you are quite tall and big for a Sinda. Most Sindar are smaller," she said, pulling up a corner of her lips. She was rather tall, even for a Noldorin maiden, coming almost to Thranduil's chin while most ellyth just barely reached his shoulders.

"Not all Sindar are smaller than Noldor. Where I am from, my height and size are a norm," Thranduil said, bit forcefully than he intended. And although it may not apply to all of the people in Doriath, it certainly was true when it came to his family and immediate kin.

"You are from Menegroth?" The loremaster's wide open eyes filled with thousands of light as if he held many stars in them.

"I am."

"Oh my! How wonderful!" The loremaster clapped his hands together like a child, his face glowing like a moon. "It is so hard to find people from Menegroth. I managed to gather some information from other Sindar from Doriath, but those from Menegroth are rare and difficult to approach…Oh, yes. Yes! You must tell me everything you know about Doriath."

"Certainly not! I am not telling you anything about Doriath, Menegroth or anything that is to do with the fallen kingdom," Thranduil hissed.

The loremaster who had been almost jumping with excitement shrank back.

"I will do whatever other things you may want of me, but do not talk or ask me about my former home. Do not expect it, loremaster," Thranduil's voice rang through the empty library, more a command than a statement.

Pengo looked completely taken back, his eyes wide like a child who was just scolded for no reason.

"You need not shout," the young maiden said. "Master Pengo was not trying to force you to do anything you do not wish to do. He was just excited at the prospect of learning more about your people. He is a scholar which you obviously is not." The elleth looked up at Thranduil's glare and met it, her chin held high.

Thranduil's blue-green eyes clashed with her dark gray ones. People rarely looked at him with such boldness when he frowned but the young woman stood firm, meeting Thranduil's glare without a falter. Thranduil took in a breath, then took a step back to incline his head. It wouldn't do to be rude to a lady. And a lady she certainly was.

"I apologize for raising my voice," Thranduil nodded toward the loremaster. "But, as I said, do not expect me to talk of Doriath," Thranduil repeated, this time easing his tone, but brooking no argument.

"As someone supposed to be getting punished for his action, you are in no position to demand anything, Thranduil Oropherion," Gilmagor said as he stepped over to the center of the room to stand next to the loremaster.

Thranduil straightened and stood at attention, biting his tongue, knowing that if he did not do so, he didn't know what other trouble his troublesome tongue could get him into.

"Oropherion?" The lore master's eyes widened again. "Lord Oropher's son?"

Gilmagor turned to the loremaster. "I should have given you more information about him, but I didn't get a chance, Pengo." Then the Lord Commander turned to the elleth. "Lalaithwen. I didn't know you will be here this morning. Will you excuse us, please?"

The girl curtsied to Gilmagor and left the room, throwing a brief glance at Thranduil as she left.

Once the door closed after the maiden, Gilmagor spoke again to the loremaster. "He is also the one the king talked to you about tutoring."

Pengo looked at Gilmagor, then turned to Thranduil.

"I do not need tutoring." Thranduil could not help the words that leaped off his tongue.

Gilmagor turned to regard Thranduil. The Sinda felt himself tremble at the light in the elder Elf's eyes and turned away his own gaze at first. But resolutely, Thranduil turned back and met the bright eyes of the Lord Commander.

I will not succumb. Thranduil told himself. No Noldor will crush me. Thranduil thought back to the anger he felt at that king's councilor and held onto it as a child would his mother's hand at his first step.

The Lord Commander held Thranduil's eyes. Briefly, Thranduil thought the Crooked Nose's lips twitched upwards but it was gone in a moment.

"The king promised you a thorough education. I wouldn't call it a complete education if you were to leave here without learning anything about our history. Since you cannot use your wrist, you will join the cadets in the morning for the strategy sessions, but skip the afternoon sessions on weapons training and come here before your session with Elrond on the patterns."

"I do not believe my father would mind that I knew nothing of Noldor and their history," Thranduil countered, feeling more sure of himself as the tremor he felt at meeting Gilmagor's eyes calmed.

"But if you knew nothing of Noldorin history, then, you wouldn't be able to help Lady Lalaithwen with the teaching of the children," Master Pengo said.

"Lalaithwen? What is this about teaching?" Gilmagor frowned as he turned to the loremaster.

"I didn't realize he was the same person that the king talked to me about, so I had planned for Thranduil to help Lady Lalaithwen teach the children. I had too many things on my hand and Lady Lalaithwen offered to take over the teaching of the elflings," Pengo explained.

The frown on Gilmagor's face deepened.

"Did her father approve this?"

"My lord? I didn't think he would disapprove. But, she made the offer as we were talking about it just this morning. I didn't think it was inappropriate for me to accept."

"No, of course not. But, I do not think her father would approve of having her here—." Gilmagor glanced at Thranduil.

Thranduil got a distinct impression that Gilmagor almost added, "with him" at the end of his sentence. Whoever the maiden's father was, he probably didn't want his daughter mixing up with a Sinda.

Good riddance. Thranduil scoffed to himself. He had no intention of being involved with a Noldorin elleth either.

The loremaster looked completely puzzled, but Gilmagor waved his hand.

"Never mind that. I will send you Elrond. He will probably be better, anyway, at teaching than Lalaithwen."

The loremaster smiled widely, his gray eyes lighting up.

"Oh, yes, my lord. That would be preferable, but with the cadet training, I didn't think Elrond would have the time to teach the children. He knows the history well, better than most. I would love to have Elrond."

Thranduil couldn't help rolling his eyes. It seemed Elrond was popular whether it was the infirmary or the library.

"But will not taking him off the training cost him? I do not want to make it hard for Elrond to catch up to the other cadets later."

"You do not know Elrond if you think so, Pengo. He is far advanced than most others. Missing a week of weapons training will hardly matter to him," said Gilmagor with a wave of his hand. "But after the end of next week, they will have to return to their training." Gilmagor glanced at Thranduil. There was definite amusement in Gilmagor's eyes now. "And Elrond and his warrior companion here could help you teach the children, twice a week perhaps, as a part of their chore afterward? That is, if Oropherion passes his test on the patterns," said Gilmagor and turned to Thranduil. "How are your patterns coming?"

"Coming wonderfully, sir," Thranduil said with a smile plastered on his face.

"Indeed? I look forward to seeing your entire seventy-eight patterns. Shall we start right after your morning run on Monday after next week?"

"As you wish." Thranduil wanted to smack that grin hovering on the Crooked Nose's face. Instead, Thranduil smiled back. "Sir!"

"Carry on, then," Gilmagor said, then turned to the loremaster. "Pengo, do your best."

The loremaster bowed respectfully to Gilmagor as the sword master left the library.

"Well, I suppose, we should start with your lesson. Those scrolls I brought are for you. I was going to have you and Lalaithwen gather materials to teach the children while I instructed the Sindarin prince on Noldorin history, not realizing you two are the same people." Pengo laughed but stopped when Thranduil did not.

Instead, the loremaster gestured for Thranduil to sit.

"These are some of the scrolls that deal with the history of Arda, those brought by the exiles. I guess we will start with the beginning of Arda when Eru Illuvatar created the world by creating Ainur, the Valar and the Maiar, one of whom is Melkor, the one later called the Dark Lord Morgoth."

"I think I know enough of that. You forget, loremaster, that our Queen Melian was one of the Maiar. I have been taught about the creation from the great lady herself."

"I see. How about the sundering of the Elves? Let's start with the three groups of Eldar: the golden-haired and blue-eyed Vanyar, the dark-haired and gray-eyed Noldor, and the largest group…" Pengo gestured Thranduil to continue.

"Teleri were dark-haired and gray-eyed as well although there are some who are white-haired like Lord Cirdan," said Thranduil.

The loremaster looked up and eyed Thranduil. "Well, except for your noble kin who are silver-haired and blue-eyed. But, you are not exactly silver-haired, nor are you blue-eyed."

"I am here to learn, not to answer questions," Thranduil said.

"I didn't say you need to answer," Pengo said and smiled brightly. "I am merely thinking out aloud. You will see me do that often. And, by the way, I am part Sindar. My mother was a Sindarin lady…"

"Did I ask you?" Thranduil frowned.

"No, you did not," the loremaster smiled again, his gray eyes laughed. "Just thought you might want to know."

"I don't."

"Oh well," Pengo shrugged, then laughed again. "Then, let's see how much you know. I need to make sure you know enough before we can move on."

Thranduil shrugged.

"Tell me what you know of the sundering of the Elves."

"Three groups of the Elves were led by their respective leaders. But the Teleri, being many, were slow and were delayed. When they arrived at Misty Mountain and the great river, many decided to settle down at the large forest there. They are now what we call wood Elves or Silvans."

"Is that where your father led the many of his followers who did not wish to stay in Lindon?" Pengo asked when Thranduil stopped to take a breath.

"I thought I told you I wouldn't answer," Thranduil said, looking at the loremaster with steady eyes.

"I thought you said you were to do whatever I required of you," Pengo said, then pulled at his earlobe, tilting his head like a child. "Or was that Lord Gilmagor?" He grinned widely, looking up at Thranduil with innocent, wide eyes. "No matter. Go on."

Thranduil realized that the loremaster was not the bumbling fool the Sinda originally thought.

"When the Teleri arrived in Beleriand where Vanyar and Noldor were waiting, all the Vanyar and all of the Noldor who journeyed to the west into Beleriand were ferried across the ocean to Valinor. But the Teleri did not. They lost their lord, Elwe, and wanted to look for him. But many of the Teleri were impatient to go to Valinor. So they were led into the Blessed Land by Elwe's brother."

"Your great grandfather?" Pengo asked.

"Yes, by Lord Olwe," Thranduil said. Pengo's eyes glittered like gems.

"Then what happened?" the loremaster asked, his gaze intent and excited.

It was obvious to Thranduil then that the loremaster did not know the details of what happened to Teleri afterward and was eager to learn.

Before leaving Middle Earth, Lord Olwe left behind his two eldest sons, Arandur and Amglar, to look for his lost brother Elwe, most likely believing that all of them will follow soon after. Arandur and Amglar, along with Galadhon, their cousin, had separated into east, west, and north to look for Elwe while Lord Cirdan searched south near the shore.

"Well," Thranduil drawled, leaning back on his seat. The loremaster would have to do a lot better than make a simple threat to get anything new out of him. "The rest who remained to look for their lord settled down in Beleriand under Elwe and Melian who became known as King Elu Thingol and Queen Melian of Doriath and those Teleri are called Sindar."

The excitement faded from the loremaster's eyes as Thranduil wrapped up the whole story in one sentence without adding any new information that wasn't already known.

Pengolodh (Sindarin, teaching sage)—born to Noldorin lord and Sindarin lady, he is known as the greatest loremaster after Rumil and Feanor. He is also referred to as "Sage of Noldor". He was born in Nevrast at Beleriand during early First Age. He wrote Annals of Beleriand (stories of First Age) and edited Annals of Aman (stories of Noldor in Valinor).

Tengwar (Quenya, letters)-writing system invented by Feanor. It is also called Feanorian alphabet

elleth (Sindarin, female Elf, plural form is ellyth)