Chapter 37
Through moor and waste we ride in haste
And wither then we cannot tell -JRR Tolkien
In the morning, there was a bustle of activity as the elves of Mirkwood gathered to depart. Some folk from Rivendell were going with them. As Elei came out into the entryway the elves were chattering excitedly to each other. She saw Gaeleryn across the crowd, but the queen was surrounded by courtiers. Gaeleryn looked up and caught Elei's eye. She motioned to an elf and sent her over to Elei.
As the young female elf approached Elei, she saw that she had orange-gold hair and blue eyes, and wore a cloak of an autumn hue. Elei blinked as a name came into her mind. "Luinur?" she asked out loud.
"What? Do you know my brother?" asked the elf. "Pardon me... my name is Tuilinn. My Lady sent me to tell you we have news. Dol Guldur has been destroyed, and there will be a celebration there in a week's time. So, 'tis there we will go. The Lords Celeborn and Thranduil are calling for all who wish to come and celebrate."
"Thank you..." said Elei, dazed. "Yes...I met your brother in Breeland!"
"Oh! So, that is where he went." said Tuilinn. She smiled merrily at Elei. "He was very secretive about his mission. Did you meet Gormaethil?"
"Yes..." said Elei, "I believe so."
Tuilinn rolled her eyes. "She has been acting nicer now that she is Luinur's wife. Before, she was not anyone I would have wanted as a relative."
Elei smiled. "Pity we cannot always choose our relatives." Then the words sunk in. "His wife?" She had a flash of memory, Luinur's head bending close to a tall, blond female elf. "Wife!" she exclaimed, smiling. "That will keep him busy."
"Yes." said Tuilinn dryly. "But, before I forget the queen's charge: We leave soon. Is there any assistance you require to prepare?"
"None." said Elei. "Well, my pony?..."
"They have her ready."
"And the men from Breeland?"
"They await you over there." Tuilinn bowed. "Perhaps we will see each other on the journey, and you can tell me stories to tease my brother with." She smiled mischievously as she left.
Elei stood for a moment, remembering...'Luinur...' she thought, seeing his laughing face in her mind's eye, and the female elf, tall and shapely, with blond hair...'Gormaethil, or Mae' she thought. 'Maybe my memory is returning.' She took a deep breath and stepped forward. Rob and Dan stood, arms crossed, watching the elves. "Gentlemen," called Elei, after stepping up behind them, and having neither one notice her.
"Eleirien!" said Rob gladly, holding his hands out. She clasped them briefly.
"Rob." said Elei. The smith looked her over and shook her hand.
"Good morning." he rumbled politely. They both looked at her expectantly.
"I am leaving." she said. "I am sorry." Rob ducked his head, but Dan simply looked at her speculatively. "Gaeleryn is certain I will find my elf." said Elei.
"Come back, if you do not!" said Dan. "My offer stands." Rob glared at him.
"Now, I do not want either of you waiting for me! You should look around home for wives." Elei insisted. Rob looked down, his jaw set stubbornly, pouting slightly. "In any case," continued Elei, "If I do marry, word will be sent to Combe. You both have my gratitude for escorting me here. Be well and happy!" She hugged each in turn, slapping at Dan's hand when it roamed down her back toward her derriere. He winked at her.
Rob spoke at last. "Thank you, Eleirien." he said sincerely. "I am glad I have seen elves." A dreamy smile crossed his face.
"Then I am glad, too!" said Elei. "Farewell, my friends."
Several female elves walked past, and the men followed, bemused. Elei smiled and turned, to find Tathar waiting patiently, saddled and ready. The elves were mounting their horses. Elei saw Lindir at the head of the company, bowing to Gaeleryn and her companions. The horses lined up, and Elei found herself abreast of several young male elves. Their youthful good looks flashed her memory back to Combe, for an instant. She stood with Rory in The Three Trolls, looking at a table full of young elves. Rory chuckled "Pretty, eh?" "Too pretty for my taste." she replied. Luinur looked somberly at her. Elei shook her head, puzzled. 'Well,' she thought, as they rode towards the bridge, 'At least I know my mate is not Luinur! I don't remember feeling any attraction to him.'
Throughout the day, Elei remained quiet and thoughtful. It was harder to be cheerful, away from Gaeleryn's sunny optimism. When they stopped for a midday snack, Elei was near several female courtiers. Their chatter drifted to her as she stood by a tree, wrapped in her elven cloak. "The queen told her she will find her mate with us." said one. There was a high-pitched titter.
"With us? As if any elf would choose a human! Dunedain or no, 'tis ridiculous." They preened. Elei glanced over them. Perfect features, riotous, curling hair, slender figures...They did look perfect. Her spirits sank. 'How can I hold any male's interest, around them?' she thought dispiritedly. The next day's ride found her slightly closer to the queen's party. At noon, the same female elves stood near Elei again. None of them appeared to notice her existence, as again she heard them speak.
"Luinur thought he wanted a human once."
"No, really?"
"He was always rash."
"Well, he ended up with Mae."
"Yes, obviously he came to his senses."
"Humans are so weak and so... mortal." said one disdainfully.
When they camped for the night, Elei was always safe and surrounded by polite young elves, yet she was more lonely each day. She wondered if she dared seek out Gaeleryn.
The third night, she notice a merry feast going on on the edge of camp. 'Surely Gaeleryn will be there.' she thought. But the queen was nowhere to be seen. Elei was amazed at the splendor of the feast. "How do they travel with all of this?" she wondered. There were cloths laid out on the ground, and sparkling dishes. 'I guess Thranduil has them all in the habit." she thought, smiling.
The lanterns brought her a flash of memory, as they reminded her of those she had seen in the cave. The drinking vessels winked in the lantern light, from crystals set into the intricate surfaces. The elves looked as if they were dressed for a court ball in a palace. 'How do they wear those outdoors, without ruining them?' she thought, marvelling at elven ladies in gauzy, trailing sleeves and veils. They walked gracefully, trailing skirts with trains, and never snagging them. Spotting the gossipy ladies, Elei ducked behind a bush. They were chatting again. "How naive can this human be?" said one snidely. There was a high-pitched titter.
"To think he will come for her after the war? We all know of elves who have played with girls in Dale, or Breeland." One snorted in a most unladylike fashion.
"Yes, 'tis farming country." another snickered.
"Oh, yes, but they never marry them." They all giggled.
Elei stood silently, gathering her elven cloak close around her. After they were gone, she slipped back to her bedroll, doubts creeping into her mind.
The fourth day's travel brought them over the old ford of the Anduin River, and on to the edge of Mirkwood. That evening they camped in a meadow adjacent to a village of the Woodmen. Elei noted that the air smelled burnt, but still looked clear and was breathable. There was a gathering to feast, and Woodmen and Beornings attended. Elei was nervous when some of them looked her over intently. They elbowed each other, muttering. An elf who had ridden by her side sped off swiftly into the crowd. A bearded woodsman was leering at her, when Elei found herself surrounded by four elves in courtly attire. They were all dressed alike. One stepped in front of her and bowed over her hand. "Erydrhis Gaeleryn requests your company for the feasting." he said in a lilting voice.
"'Twill be an honor." said Elei, beaming. She glanced down at her riding clothes.
"Our Rhis says you can come as you are, no need to change your attire."
"Very well," said Elei, "let us go." She was glad to leave the Woodmen's leers behind. 'At least I have on a skirt.' she thought. Her new, full riding skirt from Pansy was made of a plush material that seemed to shed travel dust. 'Perhaps Pansy got this fabric from the elves, too.' thought Elei.
The glittering group of courtiers parted as they approached. Elei swallowed nervously, thinking she was about to walk past all of them. She could imagine the disdainful looks and/or remarks they would make about her; then Gaeleryn walked between the rows of courtiers, and they all bowed or curtsied as she passed.
"Eleirien!" she enthused, "Let us go where we can talk." She beamed at Elei and swept her away from the courtiers, trailing her shimmering sleeves and veils as she moved. She sat down at the end of a makeshift, low table the feast was laid out on. "Sit here next to me." she urged. Elei obeyed, admiring the sparkling array of dishes before them. "'Tis none too fancy, but I prefer this to my lord husband's feasts." said Gaeleryn.
"This is not fancy?" asked Elei.
"Not like the king's feasts at home." said Gaeleryn.
"They must be splendid indeed to behold." said Elei "This looks fancy to me!"
Gaeleryn smiled her mischievous smile. "Perhaps you will see, at the celebration. They are not necessarily fancier, but of a different style." She smiled. " I brought you here to cheer me up. My courtiers grow tedious."
Elei's escort sat surrounding her and Gaeleryn. A couple more overawed youngsters sat next to them, providing a buffer between the queen and the courtiers who came following along. Gaeleryn remarked "My pages prove useful sometimes." Elei saw that the gossipy sycophants were removed far enough, now, to not overhear the queen; this did not stop them from craning their necks to watch her and Elei. "What do you know of elven wedding customs?" asked Gaeleryn.
Elei's eyes were wide as she replied, "A little...my cousin told me of one he attended."
"Well...When you find your lifemate again, I would dearly like to hold a proper wedding ceremony for you. With luck, we will find him during the celebration. Thranduil frets over our sons, and it would be a good distraction."
"From your sons?" asked Elei, "Why?"
"Oh, with our own son, 'tis simply that he has not found a lifemate, and his father wants grandchildren. With my stepson, 'tis presently that he has gone far away, in the war."
"I see." said Elei. "Your lord sounds like my parents, especially my stepmother."
"My son was holding out for the milinant, convinced he would find it," said Gaeleryn, "before he was called away to war."
"My father hoped for the same for me. He helped to calm down Brethil, my stepmother, when I turned down suitors." said Elei.
"So, may I arrange your wedding, for when we find him?" asked the queen. Elei nodded. Gaeleryn clapped her hands in delight. "I love planning weddings!" she said. She turned to study Elei for a few moments, looking her up and down. She smiled, then turned thoughtfully to the feast, and ate and drank. Elei followed suit.
Gaeleryn spoke pleasantries throughout the feasting. At the close of the evening she turned to Elei, wearing her slightly lopsided, mischievous smile. "Eleirien, will you come back to my camp for a few minutes before you retire?" Elei nodded. Gaeleryn clapped her hands once, and rose, murmuring to a page. He sped away.
They promenaded to the queen's camp, courtiers following like a gaggle of geese. She shooed them away as she arrived, then presented Elei to an elf in an intricate, elegant gown. They all walked inside a pavilion. Gaeleryn murmured rapidly to her in Elvish. Elei could not discern what was said, but she led Elei to a flat, knee-high stone, and bade her stand on it. Elei did so, and the elf measured her. 'Tailoring!' thought Elei, feeling a bit dazed. The elf bowed to her and ushered her back to the queen.
"Thank you, my dear," she said. "Oh! 'Tis like having a daughter of my own!" She smiled, and embraced Elei briefly. "Sleep well, my dear, and remember your dreams!" she ordered.