Sorry this took a while, my local job centre sent me on an 'employability skills' course. On the plus side, the tutor brought in chocolate on the last day.
TTSS 38
"Not that I don't agree with the sentiment but was there any particular reason for you turning the air blue?" Elrond asked. Fea looked up from her desk, stopped swearing and glared at her guardian.
"Am I allowed to kill my beloved for choosing Imladris for the muster point?" She snapped. She definitely did not like having large numbers of filthy, uncultured men running around her haven. Imladris was meant to be a haven from the world not a bleeding military base!
"'Fraid not Fea. They will be gone in a while and to be honest, I'm not really looking forward to what them leaving means." Fea laughed hollowly and stood up, slamming the papers in her hand down on the desk. "Where are you going Fea?" Elrond asked curiously.
"To get my armour, I want to beat the crap out of some men." Elrond resisted the temptation to laugh at his ward; it definitely was not the time.
He followed her as she stormed through the corridors of Imladris and saw one of the things that must have most irritated her about the human army gathering there. Many of the men they past openly admired the maia and gave her suggestive looks as she passed. Elrond strongly suspected they would do more than just give looks if it weren't for the fact her guardian was only as step behind her.
One man however, had a black eye and stepped back from Fea, who simply sneered at him. When they got to her rooms, Elrond had to ask. When he did, he got a dark look and the sneer returned to Fea's face.
"He was a little too insistent about a come on so I thumped him. Hard." Elrond was stuck between horror and humour. He was horrified that the men were apparently sexually harassing his ward and humour at the fact she could obviously deal with the problem.
It didn't take Fea long to change into her armour and the journey to the training field had far fewer suggestive looks. One didn't try to come on to a person in full plate armour, carrying a large sword, it was folly.
XXX
Meriliel was burying herself in administrative paperwork and caring for her daughter to get away from the stress. She barely saw her husband at the moment. He would roll into bed at obscene hours of the night and rise not much later to go back to work.
At lunch it was usually just her and Losmeril, though intermittently one or more of the males would turn up, usually Thranduil or Galadhion. One lunch, Losmeril, now far enough into adolescence to show signs of adulthood, looked up at her mother tearfully.
"Nana? Doesn't Ada want to see us anymore? I never see Ada anymore." She asked softly. Meriliel looked at her daughter sadly, fighting her own tears.
"No Losmeril, it is not our fault that Ada is so busy. What is going on outside Greenwood is very terrible and Ada is trying to protect us from the worst of it but also has to work very hard and so has very little time for us because he is trying to make sure no harm comes to either of us. It is the same reason that Thranduil and Galadhion have to work so hard but because they are not king, they do not have to work quite so hard as your Ada." Losmeril nodded.
"How can I help Nana? I want to do something." Meriliel looked at her daughter in surprise.
"Just keep up with your studies child, you will need them later."
"Yes, but I want to help in my spare time! All I do is sit around with no one other than Rodwen to talk to as everyone else is working and I want to be able to do something to help! Please Nana." Losmeril pleaded. Her mother bit her lip and thought for a moment.
"Maybe if you go down to the healers, they will have something for you to do. Ask Rodwen to take you there and if anyone asks, say I gave you permission to help wherever you are needed." Losmeril seemed a bit happier at that. "If they have time, they might also teach you a bit of healing as well."
Losmeril smiled sadly at her mother and nodded.
"Thank you Nana." She whispered.
XXX
When Fea got to the training fields there were large numbers of men there. She stormed over to one of the few empty practice rings.
"Alright, who wants a fight?" She snapped. A small number of the younger men exchanged arrogant looks as they looked at the red head. She drew her large blade and waved it in their direction. "You, you and you, here now."
The three men grinned and strutted over, each taking out their own swords, obviously expecting this to be an easy fight where they put the little lady back in her place. Fea crammed her helmet onto her head. She briefly saluted them with her sword, an action which was somewhat mockingly mirrored by the men. Elrond was beginning to get eager to see them beaten. He didn't like this lot. He was tempted to make sure they ended up with some of the nastiest duties given to the soldiers until they left.
The fight didn't last all that long as Fea was in a very bad mood and roundly hammered the arrogant three. One after another they staggered off the field under the onslaught of the maia's ferocious attack. Once they had all yielded, Fea removed her helmet and glared round her audience.
"Anyone else want a fight now I'm all warmed up?" She snapped. The assembled human stepped back, all careful not to catch her eyes. Suddenly the crowds parted to reveal about the last person Elrond had expected to appear. Eönwë. In full armour and armed to the teeth. Fea didn't seem surprised and just bowed to her father.
A covert look around the crowd showed that Elrond seemed to be the only one present aware of the identity of the tall stranger who had challenged the lady of the house to a duel.
XXX
Oropher had missed lunch again and Meriliel confirmed he had not had any sent to his office either, so she ordered a tray and took it to his office where, conveniently, he was alone. When she entered without knocking, Oropher raised his head wearily and gave her a confused look.
Meriliel placed the plate down in front of him and actually observed her husband for the first time in too long. He looked more worn than he ever had before, even those stressful times before they had become friends.
"You need to eat meleth nin. You do not get enough sleep as it is so you need something to keep up your strength." He managed a small smile at that. Slowly he began to work his way through the meal, almost seeming too tired to eat. As he did so Meriliel made his way round his desk and once she was behind him she massaged his shoulders and neck before summoning her magic as she had done so many centuries before and touched his skin, smiling as the tension literally drained out of his body.
Oropher smiled up at her, more energetically this time.
"I had forgotten you could do that." He held his arms up and Meriliel took the offer, sinking into his lap and sighing contentedly into his embrace. "If only I could return the favour." He whispered.
XXX
The crowd watched the two circle breathlessly, this fight promising to be much more interesting than the previous one. Eventually they attacked each other, the sword movements virtually impossible to spot, even for an elf.
Part way into the deadly appearing fight Gilgalad turned up beside Elrond with the assorted other elves.
"What is happening, who is Fea fighting?" He asked, eyes not leaving the pair.
"Her father. Somehow he is actually here and seems to be testing her." Elrond replied, also not taking his eyes off the pair. There was a murmur that went round the crowd as others heard that comment. Enough people knew who Fea was to be surprised by that turn of events.
The fight lasted some time before her father manage to disarm Fea but it didn't stop there, Fea went for her knife and carried on fighting against her father, somehow managing to disarm his as well and soon the fight went to hand to hand fighting, armoured fists and all, the two dodging and ducking as if they were not both dressed in full plate armour. The two were the personification of deadly beauty and grace. Eventually though, Eönwë somehow managed to win.
As Fea pulled herself up off the dirt, surprisingly well considering the weight of her armour, the older maia removed the helm he had worn in the War of Wrath, a spectacular work of art as much as a protective item and turned to the grouped leaders of the army.
"My Lord Manwë has told me to inform you to be ready to ride within a month for all the muster that will happen within this haven will be complete by then. The armies of Greenwood the Great and of Lothlorien will meet you once you have crossed the misty mountains." He said formally. Fea had by now recovered from her fight and was standing next to her father, who turned to look at her.
"You have done well my daughter, I am well proud of you." He embraced her for a moment before pulling back. "I must return once again to Valinor my child."
Everyone except Fea gaped as he suddenly split into little fluttering pieces which separated and disappeared. Fea grinned at the looks on people's face.
"It was a rather solid illusion, my father was hardly going to leave Valinor for just that was he?" They all stared at her and her expression turned slightly mischievous.
"Don't you have a war to get ready for?" She asked, turning to leave.