...

..

.

Rumor Has It

.

..

...

Eadil and Meldian stood firmly posted behind Christine's door. They were glad that night had invited her eyes and mouth to shut so they could do their job properly: Guard her without talking. The corridors were quiet until footsteps were heard, and those seemed heavy with anger. Eadil and Meldian were soon facing Harlette, dressed in nothing but a white chemise. Their fellow guards, Fenoril and Ismil, joined her at leisured pace, yet they had no time to heed their colleagues for Harlette voiced her demand: 'I wish to speak to Christine immediately. I care not what time it is, I must speak to her now.'

Eadil and Meldian motioned for her to knock. Harlette's eyes fluttered; that had been simple.

Harlette knocked several times, and when no one answered, she carried on, with increasing vigour until the door finally swung agape, revealing the features of an enraged witch, and she really did look like a witch with that deshevelled hair.

'Get stuffed, I'm sleeping!' Christine let out and slammed the door. Harlette knocked upon it again, and when Christine opened it to shout at her, Harlette brushed past her and into the room, Bernard, Goldie, Treasure and the four guards following.

'Ah, that's fantastic. Please, come in all of you, I'm in the mood for a massive orgy,' Christine barked sarcastically. She did not even bother to close the door, afterall, the whole kingdom was now in her room.

Harlette paced to and fro and finally stopped and opened her mouth to speak. Nevertheless, she closed it and fixed the four elven guards that were standing near the threashold. 'I wish to speak to Christine alone.'

They did not respond. They had no intention of leaving.

Christine laughed, and crossed her arms over her chest. 'No need to bat your pretty eyes; they won't go anywhere. Thranduil's command. He thinks we've got something to hide.'

Harlette's heart broke with feelings of betrayal and shame, however, she did not dwell on them and quickly went on: 'Christine. You know about Middle earth, right?'

'Yeah, I know a little bit about it, I was forced to learn some─'

'So, is Thranduil married and with child?'

Bernard, Treasure and Goldie looked at the motionless guards, at a stunned Christine, and back at an irate Harlette.

Silence.

Treasure lifted her hand to speak, 'well he─'

'Apart from the fact that Thranduil is married and with child, did you listen to anything I told you back in the woods?'

Harlette ignored her sister's question and addressed Treasure: 'Where is his wife?'

'Gustav knows more about Thranduil than I do...'

'You will do for now. Please, Treasure, I need to know.'

'Why? Just leave him alone!' Bernard voiced.

'The girl has the right to know,' Goldie intervened, 'afterall he had his way with her.'

'Not entirely!' Harlette cried indignantly. 'I am still a virgin!'

Christine rolled her eyes: 'Great, you're still worth a lot in the sex market. That's good to know in times of crisis, case you ever decide to sell your body.'

Harlette stomped her foot on the ground, 'Christine I will not have you make fun of me like this. The man was dihonest; he never mentioned a kid or a wife or concubines.'

Bernard puffed at her master's display of fragility and invited her to take the weight of her feet. Harlette did as told, and sat on Christine's bed.

Silence.

The cat jumped on Harlette's lap and spoke softly: 'It's ok to make mistakes. We all do, and you should know that I'm here for you. My shoulder may not be as comfortable as that of a human's, but it's available for you to cry on.'

Harlette stroked Bernard's back and smiled feebly.

'It was about time you showed some compassion, you big marshmallow you,' Goldie snorted, and both she and Treasure sat on the bed too. Christine yawned, wishing to regain the comfort of a good nigt sleep. The guards were motionless.

Silence.

'First of all. Yes, Thranduil has a child. However that child is no longer a child; he is the elf you saw, Prince Legolas of Mirkwood,' Treasure began, 'second of all, Mirkwood elves are not akin to the other elves of Middle Earth. Actually, their way of living is frowned upon by the other elves. They are considered less wise.'

'Why?' Harlette asked.

'Because they are fond of extensive partying and drinking; such behaviours are not considered honorable. Moreover, an elf finds one mate and that is for life. There is no such thing as having girlfriends or sex before taking the vows. Yet Mirkwood elves have different partners before finding Mr. or Mrs. Right.'

'So? Whatever is wrong with that?' Goldie let out.

'For the other elves sex and love are one and the same; they are sacred and shouldn't be given to anyone, anytime,' Treasure explained, 'But don't get me wrong; marriage is still very important to Mirkwood elves, for once they marry, it is for life. If their lifemate perishes, they will too, for the sadness attached to the loss of the loved one is lethal to an elf. The elf will fade; it is quite tragic. However in Mirkwood, they can have multiple partners before taking on the big step. That explains why Thranduil has concubines.'

Harlette was confused. 'But Thranduil has a child. There is a queen─'

'Thranduil was never married.'

Silence. Harlette's mouth opened and closed. Goldie gasped. Bernard rolled her eyes. The guards were motionless.

'If he had been married, then there would have been a queen. And if she had passed away, there would have been a memory. There is nothing. There never was a queen in Mirkwood.'

Silence.

'Thranduil never fell in love, and therefore he never married. And his father was the same; he never married. Thranduil's mother never became queen and the memory of her does not exist.'

Harlette was in shock.

'See why Elves frown upon Mirkwood. Conceiving a child out of wedlock is terrible.'

Goldie leaned against a quiet Bernard. Harlette's mouth opened and closed and at last, shaky words came out: 'What about Legola's mother. Where is she now? Did she love Thranduil?'

'All this has happened a long time ago, and nothing has been recorded. But rumor has it that yes, she was desperately in love with him, and he took advantage of that; he played with her, yet never promised her anything. However, she hoped that by having his child he would fall in love with her. He did not stop her from having the child, for an heir was needed. And when she did become a mother, her heart broke when she saw that Thranduil's love for her had not ripened. And so she dissapeared; people say she faded from heartbrake, others that she chose to sacrifice herself during an ancient battle. But there is no grave, no painting, no writing, only rumors. Thranduil speaks of her to no one. There never has been a queen in Mirkwood; it is said that Thranduil and his father are incapable of love. Because if Thranduil had loved her, he would have married her, and if she had passed, he would have faded too, because such is the way of the elves.'

'Incapable of love? But why? How can this be?' Harlette asked.

'Oropher, Thranduil's father fought against ancient evils of this earth, and after him so did Thranduil. Oropher died painfully before the eyes of his young son, leaving him on his own to care for an entire kingdom. Man teaches you war, a woman teaches you love; Thranduil does not know how to love, at least that is what I have heard. And Thranduil has no time for love.'

'Why is that? How can you have no time for love?'

'Love is a feeling that slows you down. You must know, Harlette, that a long time ago, during the second age of Middle Earth, the race of elves, men and dwarves recieved rings of power.'

'Rings of power? Wait. Thranduil mentioned the One Ring...'

'Rings are magical artifacts that strenghen and protect you against the enemy. Some can render you invisible from it. Some can make wounds heal. well, the One Ring was forged by the evil Sauron, who has been defeated eigteen-years ago. He forged it in secrecy, a ring of absolute power and darkness. However, other rings were forged, and the elves received three of them; those three rings were forged by Celebrimbor and they were of an incredible purity, a purity that rendered them even more powerful. One ring was called Nenya, the Ring of Fire, given to the Noldor's Elven-King Gil-galad, and upon his death was entrusted to a maiar (a spirit) going by the name of Gandalf; a second ring, the Ring of Water was given to Galadriel, the elf-queen of Lorien; the third, the Ring of air, was given to Elrond, elf-lord of Rivendel. Those rings protected their bearers. Galadriel and Elrond managed to keep their kingdoms safe with the help of the rings, but now that Sauron has been destroyed along with his ring, the rings are losing their powers, for magic bounds them all together, and naturally all rings are bound, and if one perishes (especially one as strong as the One Ring) all of them start to fade. The light of Lorien is fading, and so is that of Rivendel. This brings much sadness to the elves. The time of the elves has come to an end and they are all sailing to the West, to Valinor, also known as the Undying Lands. All elves wish to return home...,' she trailed off, 'all except for the elves of Mirkwood. Lorien and Rivendel may be faiding, yet Mirkwood stays the same. Thranduil was never given a ring of power, and he managed with his strenght and will alone to maintain stability in this kingdom. That is why Thranduil is so respected in history books, because not only is he truly powerful, but his magic comes from him alone without any sort of artifact. It is said that because Mirkwood elves had to defend their kingdom on their own, they developed a more human way of living, and they do not wish to return to Elven Lands, for they have found their way of living, a way much different from other elves'. Mirkwood Elves are considered less wise because they kill easily, but that's only because they know that the slightest mistake could put this whole kingdom in peril. Thranduil only wants to protect his people.'

Harlette took a few minutes to reflect.

Goldie nodded slowly. 'Why was he not given a ring of power?'

'I don't think he was judged worthy, due to his past. Like I told you, Mirkwood elves have a lifestyle that is frowned upon by other elves, and their bloodthrist does not help to smooth their bad reputation. They kill and then they think; yet I believe that is not true, if they were so cruel, they would have killed us a long time ago. Thranduil is a great king, and he is wise beyond compare, for if he was not, Mirkwood would have ceased to exist a long time ago. Thranduil only wants the good of his people.'

'Do you think, truly, that Thranduil never loved the mother of his child?' Harlette asked.

'Like I said, elves usually die when their companion passes away,' Treasure said.

'Yeah, and Thranduil is still here, isn't he? Alive and quacking,' Christine finisjed.

'Kicking!' Bernard corrected. Christine stuck her tongue out at the feline and uttered naught.

Harlette brought a hand to her heart. 'I want to go home.'

Treasure's minuscule hand patted Harlette's arm. 'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to traumatize your with such disconcerting information.'

'Harlette, I really think Thranduil cares for you,' Goldie interjected, and that earned her all the attention, 'he saved you many times. And, the way he looks at you, man, I can clearly see there is something.'

Bernard hissed her displeasure. 'Stop nurturing her interest in him. He only looks at her with lust. Love and lust are two different things.'

Goldie shrugged. 'Either one is fine by me.'

'Look, Harlette,' Christine spoke out, 'I want to get this over with. I need to get things straight with you.'

Harlette hearkened.

'I'm a witch and so are our parents. There are many dimmensions around us, Middle Earth and Earth are two of them. We never revealed our real identity to you because in ancient times witches were burned at the stake when found, and nowadays they're associated to religious cults and none take us seriously, in fact, society rejects us completely when our identity is discovered.'

'So there are more witches like you on Earth? That is pretty cool,' Harlette let out feebly, her mind still lingering on what Treasure had revealed on Thranduil's identity, yet she could not help but feel intrigued by what Christine was telling her.

'Yeah, there are others like us. But we specialize in potions, and we're not powerful like Middle Earth wizards, and we are definitely not Maiars.'

'Maiars?' Harlette echoed, 'What's a Maiar?'

'The hell if I know!'

Harlette redirected her question at Treasure who did her best to provide a clear answer: 'A Maiar is a spirit that comes from the dimension of Valinor, the Undying lands. Valars, who are creators, sent the Maiars to Middle Earth in its beginnings to help build it, to protect it and to counsel it,'

'The Valars, yes, I've heard of them. Thranduil told me they were like gods, right?'

'Yes. They once lived in Aman. That's in the west of Middle Earth. The Valars left but some Maiar stayed behind to make sure everything is well balanced.'

'Do you know any Maiars?' Harlette asked Christine.

'Yes. Gandalf, Gandalf the White. He's a wizard, a very powerful one. I've never met him personally though. I just heard about him.' Christine replied.

'Gandalf the White,' Harlette echoed pensively, 'of course, Gandalf. I saw him on his visit to Thranduil.'

Christine's smile faded. 'You did? Is he still here? He talked to you?'

Harlette's brow arched at Christine's sudden impacience. 'Yes, he was here. Why are you asking me this?'

'No reason in particular. J-just curious.'

Harlette was suspicious, yet she did not dwell on the subject. 'Well, he talked to me and told me I had the personality of a dwarf.'

'A dwarf?'

'Yes. well, Thranduil said I had the personality of a troll.'

Treasure and Goldie laughed.

'That is not funny. He really hurt my feelings then.'

Christine rolled her eyes.

Harlette puffed. 'Well, Thranduil will soon find out that surrounding me with guards is unecessary. You were simply practicing your spells and sent me here by accident. In no time our parents will come to pick us up.' Disappointment weighed in Harlette's words. How could all this be a mere accident? With Sheliad's appearance and the Shadow roaming all around her, this Shadow that had promised to give her answers. Was Christine hiding something? Afterall, she had been lying for nineteen years, she could very well keep up with such vice a while longer.

'Yeah that's it,' Christine confirmed.

Harlette got up from the bed and walked towards the door, yet before she stepped outside, she turned to Christine and asked: 'But what is taking the parents so long? They should be here by now.'

Christine bit her lip and leaned against the wall, acting casual. 'Well, they've got some business with some socerer's guild. And they know you are safe here in Mirkwood...' Christine's stare went wicked, 'however they will be pissed when they find out you got it on with the king.'

Harlette's cheeks flamed, and she glared. 'We did not get it on.'

Christine sniggered. 'Yeah, right. Anyway, it's no big deal; you're not the first he got it on with.'

Silence.

Harlette swallowed, and her eyes sadened. Christine straightened, 'sorry. I didn't mean that.'

'No, you did. And you are right. Goodnight, Christine.' Harlette left the room, Fenoril and Ismil following behind her.

Bernard glared at the witch. 'You really had to speak in such an undelicate manner. You are insuportable Christine!' With those words, Bernard galloped after Harlette, followed by Treasure and Goldie.

Christine was left brooding on her own. 'What are you two lookin' at?' Christine barked at Eadil and Meldian who had been watching her. The two guards merely turned around and left the room. Closing the door behind them.

They exchanged glances. 'Mankoi re quen tanya?' (why did she say that) Eadil whispered, only to have his peer heave a sigh.