Chapter 51 ended with:

"We need to talk about Glorfindel," he murmured in her hair.

"I know. I will take care of him. And of Imrahil. You take care of the others. Divide and conquer, my love."

"Yes. It has always been a good strategy."

Chapter 52 – Tea party

Prince Imrahil and his wife were in Valerie's boudoir for a private meeting without any of the other leaders. The couple had wanted some private time with the reborn ancestor of their line, away from the prying eyes of the elves.

"She is a wonderful little girl," the princess of Dol Amroth said of Mithrellas as she played on the floor with Valerie's youngest daughter. She had been immediately charmed by how comely the little elleth was and how pleasant were her manners. Mithrellas had always been a charming child, laughing and singing with her governesses, and very affectionate with everyone she knew. She had quickly adopted Imrahil's wife as a person of interest and had been charming her way into her heart since then.

"I cannot even begin to express how grateful we are that you are allowing us to see her," Imrahil said.

"It must be very strange for you, I have no doubt," Valerie replied knowingly. She had seen how they regularly stared at her daughter, as if trying to find common features between Mithrellas and the members of their family.

"It is," Imrahil admitted, "although we cannot deny she truly is at the origin of our family. We have had many ancestors who had unnaturally long lives, and certain elven features in the past. It has become less frequent with the passing centuries, and we find ourselves today with little left of her legacy."

Valerie observed the man who looked way too young for his age. Imrahil was one case of resurgence of the elven genes in his family, something that his children unfortunately didn't get. He could pass as a brother of his sons, and a son to his wife. That must be a terrible fate for a couple, with one aging faster than the other. She shivered with the thought that she could not have been granted immortality when she had arrived in Middle Earth. By then, she would have looked older than Thranduil, with some white hair and wrinkles starting to appear. Would he still have loved her if she had started to age? Did Imrahil still physically love his wife when she looked like she was his mother?

"Although you seem to have gotten some of her legacy," Valerie said pleasantly to hide her darker thoughts, pointing at his ears, which were slightly pointy, just like hers.

Imrahil laughed and they both decided not to mention his youth in front of his wife who was absorbed in a tea party with Mithrellas.

"Our family always wondered what happened to her. Why she left Imrazôr after giving him two children."

"It is something none of us will know until she retrieves her memories of her first life. In more or less 48 years."

"I will probably never know then."

"I will make sure your family will know as soon as I learn the truth."

"It is in a very long time. Will our alliance still stand?"

"There is no reason why it would not. All our realms are ready to fight whatever Sauron will throw at us. It may be next year or in a century. Greenwood will hold true to this commitment. What will you do, Prince Imrahil? How will you ensure that the next generations of Dol Amroth rulers will still be allies of Greenwood in a century from now?"

"I cannot guarantee what will happen after such a long period of time. But I can say this: I am personally committed to our alliance, and so is my son Elphir. His wife just gave birth to their first born, they called him Alphros. Alphros will be raised to commit to this treaty too. After him, quite frankly, it will be up to you to ensure that the alliance still holds. Gods, it is so strange to think that you will meet my future great-grand-children, and the generations after while I will not."

"I can promise to watch over your family, if that can make you feel better. At least, until my family sails to Valinor."

"It would please me a great deal to know that yourself and Mithrellas will be associated with them. Thank you."

"What about the Steward of Gondor, your brother-in-law?"

"He is an unpleasant man, unfortunately. Nowadays, he is tormented with the rumors that Isildur's heir is alive and will come to take the throne back. I am ashamed to say he is not a man you can trust."

"What about your nephews?"

"Boromir is a great captain, but follows all of his father's commands without much questioning. Faramir is closer in character to my sweet sister. He has spent a great deal of time in Dol Amroth, and with Gandalf when he travels to Gondor. He is a pure soul, although he is eager to please his father. It is quite sad to see him long after his father's attention, which he is never getting. I have tried to be the father figure that he misses."

"You are an example of honor and righteousness. I am truly honored to count as one of your friends. I will keep an eye on Faramir too, and Boromir if I can."

"As a friend, you will share some private information with me?"

"It depends, my friend, on how intrusive your question will be."

"Is it true that Prince Legolas wants to marry Mithrellas?"

Valerie sighed. "Is everyone talking about that?"

"Yes," Imrahil answered honestly.

"My stepson believes that they are fëa-mates. He felt it from the moment she was born. As you know, elves only have one fëa-mate. Some meet when they are adults, some meet when one of them is an infant. The Valar choose when they are united, but regardless of the timing, it is always an extreme blessing to finally meet your mate. Some elves wait ages before they finally meet their mate."

"Mithrellas was married before."

"Imrazôr was not her fëa-mate. Otherwise, she would not have left him. And fëa-mates traditionally are elves. Or half-elves, like myself. Rarely a mortal. There are too few exceptions to this rule to believe Mithrellas and Imrazôr were mates. She probably loved him, or maybe it was a marriage of convenience for her. I cannot answer that, only she will, one day, in five decades."

"Your explanation makes sense."

"It is realistic to think that Mithrellas has always been Legolas' fëa-mate. But they never met, she died before he was born. Thankfully, they get a second chance, now that she is reborn."

"This will be awkward for her. Being raised as his sister and then, turning into his lover?"

"It is a delicate matter. He does not treat her exactly as his sister. We try to make a difference. They call each other by name, rather than brother or sister. He spends more quality time with her, and is careful for her not to identify him as a brother. This is all we can do at her age. When she is older, we will have to find some explanation, that they are more than brother and sister and that their relationship is even closer than that."

"What if she does not like him that way?"

"It will be her choice. She will never be forced to bind herself to him. Yet… I am certain you have noticed how she is with him. This light in her eyes. That special bond is already there, only a blind man would not see it. We will just go with the flow, and hope for the best."

"I guess you cannot do more than this."

"No, we cannot," Valerie agreed. She then turned to Mithrellas who gave her an empty cup of tea. "Thank you so much, sweetie. Did you put some sugar in the cup? You know I love my tea very sweet."