As he sat down next to me, I stiffened. Ecthelion must have noticed as he said "Prince Maegelin, how kind of you to join us for dinner. We didn't see you earlier and thought perhaps you and lord Salgant were having dinner together," he smirked. Thank god I was next to Ecthelion who seemed to be on my side or at least he disliked Maeglin.
"I would not wish to miss an opportunity to get to know our new mortal companions. They have such little time on this earth as it is. Tell me lady Kiera, how do you cope with knowing your life is but a fleeting moment in this world? That anything you do will be insignificant."
I took a moment to form my reply. "I am honored to meet you, prince Maeglin. I know we both said some harsh words earlier, but I would like to start fresh. As for my shorter lifespan, I never really considered it. There are no elves in my world, so I never paid attention to my short fleeting lifespan as you say. I prefer to focus on enjoying my life and appreciating everything that I have been given. I realize now that there are worse fates. I can't imagine living forever as a miserable, bitter, lonely elf," I said as I smiled sweetly at him.
I could hear Glorfindel choking two seats down, but I was transfixed on Maeglin. He smiled at me with a predatory gleam and I realized then that I might be out of my depths with this one. It seems he gets off on this war of words.
"Of course not my lady. That would be a sad fate indeed. Tell me, how does it feel knowing you will be a sad lonely maiden for the rest of your life. To never marry or have children of your own. Seeing as this is a city full of elves, you understand that by coming here and staying, you will die an old spinster. No respectable elf would bind themselves to a mortal and it has only happened once in all of our long history. It's a shame really, as you are quite beautiful for a mortal. And sadder yet that you are away from your family and will never have any family of your own."
His words hit me like a slap. He didn't give me any moment of release when he spoke again.
"Unless of course, you are a lady of the night. I hear many tales of mortal women taking many men to their bed for a short time. Never being worth more than a quick release of pleasure and a few coins lighter in their purse strings for the men. I have to tell you that we elves don't condone such carnal pleasures as when we marry, we marry for life. There will be no elves here for you to bewitch and entrap into your bed. Of course, that is assuming you are a lady of the night, but I find it strange that you are a young, beautiful woman who is unwed at your age. I also find it difficult to believe that no mortal man would marry you by now, even if you are from a different world."
"Unless of course, you are a lowly peasant in your world and once you arrived here, you sought to rise above your station. Again, I would hate for you to be misinformed but no elf here will marry you. You will remain as you are; a common mortal woman with no substantial wealth or power."
I sat in my chair in shock and I took a quick glance around the room and saw some of the other lords were listening to our conversation eagerly waiting for my response. The king was still focused on a conversation with Tuor and Idril and was ignoring our conversation. I realized I was left alone to be fed to the sharks.
I cleared my throat, "I am sorry to disappoint you prince Maeglin, but I am not a lady of the night nor am I a peasant. I'm from a middle-class family if that matters. To be honest, kings and queens went out of fashion in my world centuries ago. We elect our leaders and anybody can pursue that as a career; a woman or a man. I had no desire to find a man to marry at my age because it is not needed. Men and women are created equal, we are offered the same education, same jobs, and the same opportunities. I pursued my career as a builder because I had a passion for it and it supported me comfortably. I have no desire for riches or wealth. I understood from an early age that the most important parts of life are friendships, family, and love. No amount of money or power can buy you those. If I was the richest person alive today I would give it all up just to see my family again."
I took a breath and continued "as for your other questions, I admit that it is sad to know that I probably will never marry and have children while living here. However, I would rather focus my time on doing what I love and making true friends. I will cherish every moment that I get with my friends here and any new friends I make. As for your constant questions about my love life and marriage, I was courting someone in my world. We were only together a short time before I discovered he was unfaithful. I left him and decided for the time being to focus on myself and my career."
The room was silent as they all took in my words. The king had finally stopped talking to Tuor and spoke to me "wise words you speak. I am saddened to hear about your courtship but that man had no honor and you were wise to leave him. Let us now eat and enjoy this fine feast that has been prepared." He clapped his hands and servants started to bring food in.
I could feel Meaglin's glare on me but I ignored him. I answered enough questions and put up with enough of his barbed insults. The food was bought around the table. There were many different kinds of meats and vegetables. I started with a salad and figured I would try a little of everything.
As I loaded my plate, the rest of the lords went back to their small discussions. Maeglin turned and spoke to the king in elvish ignoring me. I wasn't complaining. As I ate my food I got to watch some of the other lords around the room. Voronwë and Tuor were both talking and enjoying themselves so I figured I would try to talk to Ecthelion.
Ecthelion was glancing around the room as Glorfindel was talking to Lord Dulin. I decided to ask him "do all the lords eat together every night or is this a special occasion?"
He brightened and seemed happy to have some conversation. He replied "sometimes, but this is a special occasion. We have many meetings and some of them go for long enough periods that the king orders us dinner and we eat while we work. Most elves have meals with their houses. It is easier to prepare large meals together."
I nod and keep asking "how did you all become lords here? Were you all high lords in Valinor and moved here?"
He laughed, "no actually. I was not a high lord in Valinor or a lord at all. Some of the lords were and took roles when this city was built, but not I. I was just a young child when we left Valinor."
"Do you remember it? I'm told it is beautiful beyond words. Voronwë told me a little about the history of this world so I know why you left." And my cheater ex told me stories about this world, but I keep that to myself.
"I do, elves have good memories even when we are young. I was on the brink of adulthood when we left so I remember everything. There is nothing in this world that compares, but I am hopeful that someday I will see my home again."
"What about your family? Are they still there or did you all come together if you were young when you left. Do you have any siblings?"
His face darkens a bit and says "my family left together, but my father perished in the first kinslaying. My mother faded quickly from grief as death was not common in the blessed realms. I wanted to turn back, but I didn't want to leave my friend Glorfindel. His parents had perished in the kinslaying as well, but he was continuing on with the rest of his kin. I have one older brother but he turned back to Valinor after our parents' death."
"I am very sorry about your parents. I hope you also get to see your brother again someday. I didn't mean to bring it up if it was sad for you. I'm glad you and Glorfindel had each other. I can see why you are best friends. I miss my friends as much as I miss my family but I am happy I made such good friends with Tuor and Voronwë."
He smiled at me and said, "thank you for your kind words. I hope one day that we will be allowed to return and I may see my parents and brother again. Glorfindel is one of my greatest friends as we have been friends since we were small children. I am glad you have found some friends. I hope that we may be friends in the future as I enjoy our conversations."
"Of course," I responded brightly. "You can never have too many friends."
He laughs "may I ask you some questions about your home? If it is too painful, I understand but I am very curious."
"Not painful at all. I'd be happy to talk about my home. What do you want to know?"
It seemed Ecthelion had made a mental list as he asked me in rapid succession "what is this schooling that you speak of? You have spoken about it multiple times but I have no idea what that could be. Does it mean being educated or reading? Do you know how to read and write? If so, what do you like to read? I am very fond of poetry and reading but I have read everything here and heard most of the tales."
I laughed and said "boy you're curious. That's alright because I am just as curious about this world. Well, school is a place where children go daily to learn how to read and write. From the age of five until we are eighteen we are all educated in reading, math, writing, history, and science. There are other things as well but those are the main ones. When we turn of age at 18, we can choose to enter the workforce and learn on the job or we can go to a specialized school where we learn a certain trade. We will go there for another four years before we leave and enter our specific area."
"To answer your question I am well educated and can read and write. Although I only know this language I am also proficient in French, but I doubt anyone speaks that here. As for books, we have many. I enjoy reading in my free time and have read my fair share of classic literature to fantasy books. I have read poetry but not for a long while. I will be glad to share some stories and tales from my home."
He seemed surprised, "everyone is educated in your world, even the poor? The elves try to educate everyone but some give up learning our history or written words and spend time on their chosen craft. We have enough time to learn many things, but I am surprised that everyone is given the chance in your world. Here the only mortals that are educated are the royal or powerful families. It makes me glad that you are well educated as many of us like to discuss poetry and our crafts."
"I would be eager to hear about any books or tales you remember as I enjoy a good story. Is French a similar language to the common tongue? Are there many languages in your world?" he asked.
"I promise I will tell you about my favorite story one day as I think you would like it. It is quite long though, but very entertaining. And yes French is another language. My grandmother was from the county and moved to my home country when she was young. She taught me when I was little. We have many languages in my world and many different countries."
"May I hear some of this language?"
"Je suis heureux de vous avoir rencontré et j'espère que nous pourrons continuer à parler car j'aimerais être votre ami.
His eyes shined in amazement, "how beautiful. Thank you for sharing some with me. What did you say, may I ask?"
From my right a snide voice said "she probably insulted you or professed her love for you," said Maeglin.
I glared at him and said with a sweet smile "Vous êtes une personne très laide à l'intérieur. Je suis désolé pour vous."
He glared back at me and spoke some words in elvish. Ecthelion roared "apologize to the lady. You will not continue to speak of her in this manner."
They glared at each other over the top of me and I tried to sink down in my chair. Maeglin responded with a snarl "not even a full evening has passed and you are enamored with her as well. She is nothing but a human whore. Just because you're upset about your failed love life doesn't mean you should stoop to wooing a mortal. Have you no shame?"
"That's enough," I yell. "Having an enjoyable conversation with someone does not make me a whore. I have sat here all evening and had a pleasant conversation with Ecthelion. Nothing either of us has said has gone beyond interest in learning more about each other's world. I am tired of you picking a fight every chance you can. I will be living here now and you will just have to get over it."
"What I said to Ecthelion in French was that I was glad to have met him and I hope we will be able to spend more time together as I want to be his friend. What I said to you was that I feel sorry for you, as you are an ugly person inside."
Maeglin's eyes narrowed and his nostrils were flaring "how dare you speak to me in that manner. I am a prince of this city, I could have you thrown into jail for your words."
I shrug my shoulders "you have called me far worse. Besides, I meant what I said, I do feel sorry for you. You seem very unhappy and are taking it out on those around you. People will realize how you treat them and they won't stick around or want to be your friend. Eventually, you will realize that you are all alone."
Maeglin snarled and reached out and knocked his glass over and tipped his plate up. All the food went sprawling to the floor and the glass rolled off the table and shattered. He fled the table and left the room in a rage slamming the door behind him.