Hi so hope all of you will enjoy this new chapter
because we will soon get into more of the story I am going to put in the years for every chapter/section
If anyone is interested, timeline wise, this is around whereThrain, Thorin Oakensheilds father goes to investigate the lonely mountain - pre-HobbitT.A.
T.A. 2840
The next day had come with a quiet stillness to the air. She was used to being underground, so when night and morning came she enjoyed the subtle changes they made, the smell of roots and leaves seemed to permeate more through her room as morning descended into the halls. When it was night, she notices many of the lights grow dimmer and some went out completely, as morning came about there were streams of light that filtered in from above and many of the lights began to light seemingly by themselves, returning with renewed brightness. Was it some kind of magic? She wanted to watch one of those lights as it went out and back on, it perplexed her, they didn't give off heat so they weren't fire, so then what were they. She watched all of this from a large window in her room that overlooked crossing pathways and other buildings going deeper into the ground. She had truly attempted to sleep, the bed was comfortable and it was a wonderful change of pace from the ground. Yet, again, restful sleep would not come. After trying for what felt like a sufficient amount of time she simply got up and watched the movement of the elves at night.
There was actually quite more movement than she had expected. There were the guards moving in what she assumed were their nightly patterns, and she supposed there were a few more she didn't see watching her. As elves did not need much sleep themselves there was more bustle than she had anticipated. She still had a hard time telling apart the men from the women especially from a distance, both often had long flowing hair and impeccable features, but she was doing her best to get used to their beauty; it was no wonder these were the favorite creatures of the Valar. She rested her head on the window ledge, thinking how nice it must be to know exactly where one's' place is in middle earth, and what they tasted like.
Her stomach grumbled with the thought as she began pondering whether they would taste more like pig or something even lighter definitely not as tough as dwarf or orc, she heard Doronien come in she stood to greet her, feeling all the joints in her body unlock from being in the same position for hours. And after going through a few pleasantries, inquiring to sleep and other meaningless things, she had water brought in to clean her face. "I assume again that no aid is required?" Sunal let out a chuckle and declined washing her face as Doronien moved to the door opening it as another elith brought in a small tray of food, "then as you eat I shall retrieve your clothes for the day." Sunal rinsed her face in the waters again rubbing fine smelling oils and soaps on her skin and hair enjoying the soothing sents, looking down at the food it was mostly comprised of greenery and berries. She remembered at dinner that there was not much meat there either, and after picking at it chewing of a few leaves and wondering when she would be able to get a real meal when Doronien came back in, a green dress hanging over her arm. Happy to stop eating leaves Sunal began disrobing, "So you were able to get the dress altered with no problems?"
"It is quite easy to get little things like this done. We have many experienced tailors, and most know enough about sewing to fix a shirt or two." Doronien told her as she separated a few of the layers. Pulling on a soft brown linen dress underneath, Sunal then adjusted for Doronien to pull over her a dark forest green dress that hugged her body perfectly. There were comfortable slits on either side that went up to her mid-thigh that would have been quite revealing except for the brown underdress. As Sunal smoothed down the dress she sat down at a near table and began brushing her hair back and down forgoing her usual braid and letting it dry loose tumbling curls. Doronien joined her at the table in her hands a fine wooden box the size of a small loaf of bread, "I hope this will do", and placing it in front of Sunal. Enjoying the simple yet beautiful handy work of the box she smiled pulling the pouch from her bag, she looked back up at the elith eyebrow raised, "Would you like to see what it is?". Doronien looked around sheepishly and nodded, and Sunal opened the bag as a white light glowed from within began to stream from its contents. Sunal thoroughly enjoyed the shock on the elliths face as she carefully poured the diamonds into the small box. Sunal could easily see Doronien was mesmerized by the white gems of starlight, and Sunal recognized a brief look of lust after them right before she closed the box.
Breaking her from her trance Doronien's head shot up, "Where did you get those?" Sunal could feel pride swell in her stomach this was indeed the right gift, "The river that divides your kingdom from the great ruins of Dale. It may not be the noblest of jobs, but there is many a sunken boat from when the Great and Powerful Dragon Smaug came to the mountain, dwarves, humans, and even elves sunk. One can find many precious things... if they only know where to look." she said picking up the box carefully watching Doronin's baffled expressions it looked like she wanted to say something, but could not find the right words. Standing Sunal mad her way to the door, looking back at Doronien "I believe it is time to greet you King is it not?"
They made their way to the throne room, or hall as Sunal realized in relative silence Doronien still perplexed and not as talkative. It stood in the center of the whole of the kingdom high above held up by large root culminating into a giant throne of them gnarled almost like giant horns from an elk. Doronien stopped before the platform ushering Sunal forward as she began to step back. As she got closer she saw Fanion and a small group of elves on the edges of the main platform below the throne. She looked to him and he nodded to her as she made her way to the center, holding the small box to her core with both hands. She could see the King was resting facing his back to her, his crown adorned with bright red berries that begin springing up around the beginning of fall from the forest. She could feel a growing numbness in her feet as she waited in silence wondering how long he was going to make her wait before addressing her.
"So.." he hummed, his voice sounding like the deep purr of a bear, yet it was still clear even with his back to her, "I hear you were able to kill a small group of orcs that had defeated my own guards."
" It was simply luck" , humph, no it wasn't, "I am sure that your guards fought bravely, your highness," Sunal responded clearly, keeping her voice level.
"Bravery has no place when it can avail nothing," Thranduil said turning towards her, his eyes coldly analyzing her, and Sunal was struck by their clarity, and his stunning regal features, "You have done a great deed and for that I thank you," he briefly tilted his head in gratitude and a few long strands of hair gliding down, "My dear friend Fanion has informed me that as a reward you wish to stay in this kingdom to learn…" he angled his head and brows raised in scepticism, "but we are not generally of the kind to... play host, especially to the children of men."
Pausing for a moment Sunal took in a stable breath, this was entirely different from any noble she had met before, Thradrial was a king, she now understood that, and more importantly, he knew it. He commanded the space he was in, his voice taking up its expanse, his clothes richly hung off of him as though they were an addition to his majesty. He looked down on her, she could see it in his eyes. If she were younger she might have tried to attack him, but she was not her father. She knew how to get what she wanted with both a clenched fist and pretty words.
"Only those who risk going far will find how rich life can become." she began, "My father was already old when he had me. And for most of my youth, I did not venture far from him. I had so many beautiful ideas in my mind of what the rest of the land would be and I was determined to find the best of it. But after going on my own I realized, the best things are usually hard to obtain. Which is what led me to travel places normal men would not go, searching for the rare and beautiful. But there are things that I can not obtain no matter how hard or far I travel," Sunal kept her voice even watching Thranduil's face trying to read what he was thinking as she continued he proceeded down the stairs to the level she was on with the other elves. " I had already heard tales of elves and their histories. There are hints of your people all over Middle Earth, whittled into almost every story and fable, but I also know that men are born ignorant to some of the finer details of history that Elves pass down. My interest lies in the details of most things, the little fine details." she said slowly raising the box, all eyes now honed in on the small thing, "like how a handful of jewels can make it from a mountain engulfed in flames only to be sunken to the bottom of a river." brought her hand up and opened the box the white light spilling from the box Thranduil's eyes grew large in shock, face highlighted in the white light from the gems. His mouth hung slightly agape before he began muttering in some Elvish.
Fanion rushed forward to her side taking the box from her hands. "Nato?" Thranduil asked
"Ala, Bedheren, ala." Fanion's eyes betrayed his still face, they swirled with confusion and a longing sadness, Thranduil, on the other hand, had his shock turn to anger. He raises his arm and the other elves left the area. It was just her Fanion and the king now. Fanion closed the box, "How did you come by these."
"As I told you, there were many who fled the dragon some grabbed what they could before they left only to perish outside the mountain."
"How were you able to get these from the deep recesses of the lake." Fanion continued the king's face slowly returning to indifference, but she knew what lay underneath, it felt like she was poking at some beautiful cat. "Tie a rope and dive, though I never found any more of these diamonds," the lies flowed seamlessly off of her tongue, "Dwarves are greedy it was not difficult to find many treasures forgotten in that area."
"You stole from the dead?" Thranduil measured his words carefully
"The dead have no use for treasure."
"They deserve respect." Fanion said in a confused ruffle.
"I did not disrespect the dead, I never harmed any remains, most of which had been taken by the currents long before I had gotten there." Sunal explained calmly, "I think you may have confused my intentions."
"How so?" Thranduil began walking slowly in a circle around her.
"I never meant any disrespect, I simply find things along my adventures. If a man is traveling and finds treasure in a cave, is he robbing the man who had abandoned it? A bird who creates a nest from fallen twigs disgracing the tree? No, it is simply making use of what it has found."
"A bird making his nest is as different to robbing graves as a river is to the great expanse of the ocean," Thranduil said moving to Fanion to take the box
"Is the river salty?" as soon as the words came from her mouth she regretted them, a blank look crossed both of their faces, before a smile grew over Fanions and he began to chuckle, "You certainly are an interesting girl." he looked back at Thranduil whose face was still, looking down at her with judging eyes, "Come now, Thranduil, it is a fine gift."
Thranduil turned walking past her his rich clothes flowing behind him, "You will join the guard while you are here with your 'studies'. But… if we find that you are a thief that steals from the living as well as the dead… then no matter the gift… you will be punished according to the laws of this land. My laws."
Fanion placed a hand on Sunals shoulder guiding her from the throne, "Are there any other great treasures that you have snuck into your bag? It is best you tell me now." Sunal shook her head, "Well only a few that I brought with me, but no more of those diamonds if that is what you were asking.
He took a slow breath of air, "Is the river salty? Was that truly the only retort you could think of?"
"I never said I was a wordsmith." Sunal had definitely said enough, possibly too much, but he really got under her skin. She felt itchy with the urgency to do something, fly. No, she couldn't do that no matter how irritated she was fighting instinct would make things worse and was not the answer here. She needed to calm down, but she was just so hungry. Her thoughts were bouncing around in her head so loudly that she could barely register Fanion.
"There are things that I must take care of today, but I am sure Doronien can help you find a starting place for your academic interest." and with that, he went out of sight into the rootlike hallways, and Doronien appeared from another hallway by her side.
0-8-8-8-8-8-0
Thranduil sat at the head of a great table, eyes fixated on the small box in front of him. "I can hear you. There is no point to hiding in hallways, it is a bad habit."
"Well for centuries you were the one who used to hide here, watching your father from nooks in these halls." An elith stepped out of the hall cream hair tied in intricate knots, "I warned you there was something strange about that human…"
"She is indeed strange…. There is something irregular about her." Sunals golden eyes flashed in his mind, for a moment he thought they looked like they were on fire
"Fanion will not admit it, but I clearly heard her that day… she knows the language of orcs….. What kind of human knows that language?"
"Some Easterlings did", he said running his hand over the box
"She is no Easterling Thranduil, you must see the danger in that. When she was speaking with Fanion I heard her mention Dol Guldur!"
"Simply that she had been there," Fanion said entered the room going to sit next to Thranduil, "She is obviously some sort of scavenger. Whether she is affiliated with any darker powers has yet to be discerned. You have always been a perceptive one, Lodriel, but you have become so distrustful over the years."
"Yes my friend, I am indeed distrustful of those who speak orcish and have been to Dol Guldur." the elith said plainly as she passed around the table eyes moving with each thought she had, "Thranduil, you, of all of us should remember Amon Lanc. For it was you who led the silvan elves here from that place after Sauron took it from us, polluting that place with dark magic and evil intentions for hundreds of years." she turned steadying herself by holding onto a chair, "I was young, yet I remember."
"Sauron is no more." Fanion said his voice low and warning, "We all remember the day his presence left this land."
"His magic is not, his reach is not, his power of corruption is not!" Thranduil raised his hand and Lodriel quieted. "I do not need to hear any more fear mongering from you Lodriel. You spent too much time with Lady Galadriel." he opened the box looking at the diamonds as their light filtered from them. "This is only a fraction of how many there were." he mused hypnotized by their beauty.
"I am sure they are still in the mountain." Fanion said, "that selfish king would have wanted them in the hold of the dragon if only to spite you." Fanion said gazing at the diamonds glow, "Stop this," Fanion pleaded, closing the small box, "My sister would not have wanted this." for the first time Thranduil's eyes left the box turning like daggers at Fanion.
"Do not bring her presence into this," Thranduil warned
"Bedheren, She was your wife, but she was also my sister. And she would have given this woman a chance."
"It is wretched that you would use your sister to that effect Fanion." Lodrieil said closing her eyes. "She was my dear friend as well, we all loved her very much."
"You will both halt this exchange immediately." Thranduil's eyes flashed with anger, and they all sat for a few moments of frozen silence. "I have given her a chance." Thranduil began, "I put her with the guards so that they may observe her, for the same reason you put Doronien with her. Do not think I am ignorant of your actions, she is a kind elith but she is also sharper than most."
"And she has only grown sharper with age. Doronien seems to like Sunal well enough for now." Fanion got up to leave, comfortingly placing his hand on Thranduil's shoulder, "One human will not destroy your kingdom Bedheren."
Bedheren = brother in law
Please comment below! I would really appreciate knowing how you think the story is moving along!
It is a little shorter but there was a lot more conversation in this chapter I hope I wrote it understandably.
constructive criticism is very welcome!
