The bell rang out to sound for dinner. Shortly after the other lords arrived and took their seats. Salgant had moved to his normal seat and Dulin took his seat next to Glorfindel. I was happy that I no longer had to sit next to Maeglin, although his earlier words confused me. Once we were all seated the king rose up to make a toast.

"Welcome everyone to the night's dinner. I am happy to see everyone this evening and I am happy to have this festival in honor of our new guests. Lord Ulmo has blessed us and this great city by bringing Lord Tuor and Lady Kiera to our fair city. He also spared Voronwë and brought him back to us. While I am saddened to hear his warning, I know we will remain strong and resilient in these troubled times. However, tonight is about celebration and new beginnings," said Turgon. He raised his glass and said, "To Lord Tuor and Lady Kiera."

The rest followed suit and Turgon ushered the staff to bring the dinner. There was more food than the previous dinner and with a larger selection of food. While the meat was scarce, the fruits and vegetables made up for it. There were only a few chickens that got passed around as well as one large boar. They must have some livestock in the city and hunt the rest. As we began to eat, conversations started between the dinner guests. Glorfindel started a lively conversation with Dulin so I looked to Ecthelion again for some conversation. Both him and Maeglin were eating and not discussing anything.

I cleared my throat to get his attention and when he looked at me I asked "so do your guards hunt the food for the table or is there a farm somewhere in the city?"

He chuckled, "a few of the guards like to hunt while they are on rotation at the gates. We have many wild animals surrounding the city in the outer plains as well as in the mountains. The house of the swallow are the best hunters and often bring meat into the city. We do have a large farm located outside the city by the northern gate. The house of the tree and the swallow maintain it along with the animals. We also have a smaller stable near the main gate for my house to use."

I nod and ask "do you have a lot of horses in the city or do you all share?"

He takes a drink of his wine and I can see Maeglin is listening to our conversation as well. "We have a good amount. All the lords have their own horses as well as the hunters who leave the city often. The rest of them just share. Hardly anyone is riding the horses very far. Mostly it is to the gates and back or a quick ride out into the plains. Do you know how to ride a horse?"

I nod and say "Yes, my grandmother loved to ride. She taught me when I was younger but we never had horses of our own. We often just rode the neighbor's horses as he owned a farm."

Ecthelion looks at me oddly "how did humans travel in your world? Did you all ride horses or did you walk everywhere?"

"Oh, well we have these things called cars. They are sort of like an enclosed cart with wheels. They move on their own with fuel and go really fast. We have had cars for the last 100 years or so. Before we used horses and wagons."

"How does it work?" Maeglin asked curiously.

I shrug, "I don't really know. They are powered by an engine that burns oil and makes the wheels move. There are many moving parts and pieces and I never learned more. I'm not sure it could ever be invented here. We progressed so fast in the last 100 years it's almost too much to think about. Plenty of people smarter than me invented great things that revolutionized our world but also destroyed it."

Maeglin sneers at me and says something in elvish to which Ecthelion glares at him. I'm sure it wasn't anything nice, but I brushed it off.

Ecthelion says "your world sounds complicated but also very interesting. I would like to hear more about it at a later date. Dinner is almost over and I must leave to collect my house."

I nod and finish up the last of my dinner. Some of the other lords had already left as we were talking. Soon Glorfindel and Ecthelion left to collect their houses. Maeglin was still here and we were all waiting for the king to finish eating. He and Tuor are having a conversation about his new lordship and duties. Maeglin was drinking his wine and glaring at Tuor. I didn't realize I was watching him but he turned and caught me staring at him.

"Like what you see?" he says to me in a silky voice.

I blush at being caught staring but clear my throat. "No, I was just wondering why you are glaring at Tuor."

He swishes his glass and smirks into it. "You are imagining things. I wasn't even looking at Tuor but you were certainly staring at me. Got tired of Voronwë already? Or perhaps you desire a prince."

What a strange turn of events but I reply "No, I am very fond of Voronwë. I didn't mean to stare as I was lost in thought. I have no desire for a prince, titles mean nothing to me."

He turns to look at me now and arches his eyebrow. "Just fond of Voronwë. I feel sorry for him already if that is how you describe your relationship. Don't be embarrassed by the staring as I know I am a handsome elf. Speaking of Voronwë, I see he has left with the other lords. If he is not back in time to escort you to the dance, I would be honored to."

I look over to where Voronwë was sitting but his seat is empty. He must have left but I have no idea why. I look back to Maeglin and now I'm at a loss. I have no idea why he is acting his way. It's not a pleasant conversation but he's not being insulting or degrading. I hope Voronwë comes back, but I have no idea why he left in the first place.

"There you go again staring at me. I'm truly flattered that you wish to stare at me."

His words shake me out of my thoughts and I turn away from him as he chuckles. The king is almost finished and I finally catch Idril's eye. She is looking at me with confusion and points at Voronwë's chair. I shrug at her and she gives me a frown. I see the king get up in the corner of my eye and I really start to panic now.

The rest of us get up and Idril makes her way over to me. "Where is Voronwë? I thought he was escorting you to the dance," she whispers at me.

"I don't know, he left but I have no idea why," I whisper back. She frowns again and Maeglin interrupts us. "I would be happy to escort the lady Kiera to the dance. It is my duty as the prince to make our guests feel comfortable."

He doesn't give me a chance to respond before he takes my waist and brings me closer to him. He rests his hand on my lower back and smiles at Idril. "Do not worry about lady Kiera, I shall escort her in and have the first few dances with her."

Idril glances back at me but then just nods and leaves to go stand by the king and Tuor. I'm not sure what we are waiting for but I don't like Maeglin's hand on my back or how close he is standing to me. I try to take a step foward to put some distance between us, but he moves his hand to the side of my waist and curls it tightly. He leans down and whispers into my ear, "come now don't be shy. You were staring heavily just a little bit ago. I know this is what you desire even if you don't want to admit it to yourself. Besides, I enjoy the close contact between us as you are very beautiful tonight. I see my money has been well spent on clothes that hug your body in all the right places."

He leans in closer and I try to pull away but now his mouth is brushing the tip of my ear. "I have to admit that you look ravishing in this dress. Part of me desires to know what lies beneath as I have always been curious about what humans are like in bed. Perhaps, by the end of the night, you will end up in mine."

I push him away from me hard and he lets go of my waist. "No thank you. I'm not interested," I say forcefully. I look around the room but Tuor and Idril's backs are to me, although the king saw me push him but didn't acknowledge us. I start to move toward them again until Maeglin grabs my arm and pulls me back.

Maeglin has a tight hold on my arm now and I'm glaring up at him. "It is almost time for us to leave. We will follow after the king but not yet. You are my date for this evening and you have to stay close to me for the first part of the dance and entrance. You wouldn't want to upset the king by not following our customs."

I try to pull away again but when I look back to the group they are already leaving the dining hall. Maeglin relaxes the hold on my arm and moves it to link it in his. He pulls me forward now as we follow the group at a distance. He seems to keep a good distance between us and them as we walk through the palace. I don't say anything but he has a feral grin on his face as we walk. The closer we got the more voices and sounds I could hear from the hall.

We stopped outside one of the main doors and Maeglin told me "The king will introduce us and then we shall have a dance in the hall together. It is customary for the guests to open the dance. We shall dance together for a few songs and then others could offer to dance with you. I hope before the night is out that you will honor me with a few more dances."

I don't look at him but say "well see."

I am pissed now as we stand there waiting for the dance to begin. Seems that Tuor and Idril aren't even acknowledging us as they are too focused on each other. The king saw me push Maeglin and didn't even bat an eye. I have no idea why Voronwë left me and I'm angry at him for leaving me with Maeglin. This whole evening is starting off horrible and I'm not sure it is going to get better. I want nothing more than to run away and hide in my room, but I'm stuck. I have a sinking suspicion that the king ordered Maeglin to act this way or to at least try to get me to his bed. I have a feeling it is a way to win my trust but he can't be that stupid to believe I would fall for it. I'm on edge now and I just want this night to be over.

I stare at the doors to the hall, ignoring everyone as we wait for the dance to begin. Soon the king has the main doors opened and says a few words to the crowd. I don't even give myself a moment to comprehend what he is saying as my body is moving on autopilot now. Maeglin pulls me along as we follow Idril and Tuor into the hall. I allow myself a glance around and I can see the place is packed with people.

We make our way into the open dance floor and Maeglin swings me into him and grabs my waist with his other hand. The musicians start to play and he guides me around the floor with a simple dance. I try not to look at him too much but I can feel him pulling me closer as we dance.

He tells me "you need to smile and enjoy this dance. We are throwing it in your honor and I would hate for the elves to think you are ungrateful for all we have done for you."

I force myself to smile and push away all the feelings from earlier. I'm not sure if this was also part of his plan but I won't give him the satisfaction of knowing he got to me. I will fake happiness the rest of the evening if I have to.

"I wouldn't want anyone here to think I am ungrateful. I have been blessed to have been brought to this city and given a place to stay," I say with a smile.

"Yes, we wouldn't want that. I enjoy your smiling face but you seem to be tense in my presence. I would like us to be friends and comfortable with each other. Perhaps there is something I can do to ease your tension. I have been told I am very skilled with my hands," he says with a smirk.

I feel my face get hot and I look around the room. Idril and Tuor are at the other end of the hall and everyone is still watching us dance. I can't believe that he is suggesting this to me now. "No thank you," I whisper.

He sees me looking around the hall and says "they can't hear us. I spot softly enough that only you could hear. I am surprised that you seem embarrassed by my suggestion. I had assumed you weren't a blushing maiden but perhaps I was wrong."

I don't say anything back to him and just smile. I want this dance to be over so I can either dance with someone else or go sit down. However, the song finishes and Maeglin pulls me closer again. I see people joining the hall and I know I have a few more dances with him before he releases me.

He leans in as we dance and whispers "it is fine if you are a maiden. I enjoy teaching and watching maidens come undone for the first time. However, I would much rather enjoy being with an experienced woman. Tell me which are you?"

I don't answer and just smile back at him. His eyes gleam at my smile and he smiles to match. "You are not blushing at my suggestion so that tells me you are not an inexperienced maiden. I would very much like to have you in my bed tonight," he says seductively.

"No thank you," I say firmly.

"Are you sure? Don't you want to know what it is like to be with an elf? I hear many mortals desire the chance, yet you freely turn down my offer," he says.

"I'm sure. I'm not interested."

He shrugs and says "I'm patient, I can wait. You will come around eventually. The desire to spend the night with an elf will come. My offer stands for the future and you may come to my private chambers when you change your mind."

Doubtful, I think but I don't say anything back and focus again on the room and the dance. The song finishes up and I'm hoping that someone cuts in but nobody does. Thankfully for me, Maeglin wants to stop dancing and he leads me over to the edge of the hall. Before he lets go he quickly leans in and kisses me on the cheek and then kisses my hand before he leaves.

I want to puke but I force a smile on my face as I stand on the edge of the dancefloor. I scan the crowd looking for Voronwë or a familiar face but find none. The dance hall is too packed for me to see. I see a few lords but not the ones I am comfortable enough to approach.

I really want to go sit, but Idril told me I need to be at the edge of the dancefloor in case someone wants to dance with me. After a few more songs, a man approaches me and asks me to dance.

I pick a simple one and just smile as we dance. He doesn't say anything and after the song ends another one steps up to ask.

He hardly speaks either, and I find myself getting tired of the silent dances. After the song, he leaves me at the edge and I say "Garo aduial" to him. I stand at the edge of the dance floor for a few more songs but no one else approaches. Just as I was about to leave to find a table a woman walked up to my side.

"So you are the female mortal. You are prettier than I expected but still ugly. I see no one wishes to dance with you anymore. Tis a shame really as I heard mortal females are easier to woo into a male's bed than elves."

I get a look at her and I don't recognize her at all. Her black hair is in a high braid and falling down her back. Her blue dress is pretty and is the same shade as her eyes. While she is beautiful, the sneer on her face makes her ugly.

"I'm sorry, have we met before?"

"Of course not mortal. You have been hidden away in the palace from everyone. Few have seen you around the city. I have heard all about you though. Tell me did you spend a few dinners talking to Lord Ecthelion?"

Confused, I answered, "yes, is that a problem for you?"

She laughs a high-pitched laugh and replies "Of course not. You are no competition for me. I came to warn you to stay away from him. We were betrothed and we will be together again soon. He will be my husband and consorting with humans is beneath him."

This must be the woman Idril told me about. She is horrid and the day's events have tried my patience. "Funny he never mentioned you. One would think if he were to marry you that he would have talked about you. Yet, I don't even know your name."

She is fuming now and glares at me. "You better watch yourself human. No one speaks to me that way and especially not a lowly mortal. Stay away from Lord Ecthelion unless you want your already short life to be cut shorter."

She gives me one last glare and turns to leave. The crowd parts in her wake and during the break I see Celebrimbor sitting at a table. He glances up at the parting elves and sees me. He smiles and waves me to him. I'm so relieved to see a friendly face that I leave the edge of the dance area and head to the table.

I take the empty seat next to him, but there are two other elves at the table besides Cele. The rest of the tables are empty and the area is in a secluded corner. I pour myself a large glass of wine and down it. I'm about to pour my second when Cele asks "that bad huh."

I glance at the remaining two who are watching me with amused expressions. Cele notices and says "these are my friends. You can trust them as we came from Nagathrond together. They won't betray your secrets."

I relax and say "I'm Kiera, it's nice to meet you."

They both have straight brown hair and brown eyes and they look very similar. The larger one speaks and says "I'm Echadron and this is my brother Harmon. We are fellow craftsmen and have no ties to this city. Any friend to Cele is a friend to us, we will not betray your secrets."

I nod and take another gulp of wine. I want to get drunk now but Cele takes my glass and gives me a glass of water instead.

"Elvish wine is potent to humans. That one glass will be enough to get you drunk. Drink some water and tell us what happened. I saw you dancing with my cousin at the first dance but I admit I didn't see any after. I just saw that women leave you and she looked angry. What has happened," he asks.

I look over to him and the events of the evening come out like word vomit. "Well first Voronwë was supposed to escort me to the dance hall but he left me during dinner. There's more to that but I don't want to get into it right now."

I take a deep breath and continue "then Maeglin was nice to me during dinner or he wasn't cruel to me. Then he started complimenting me and pulling me closer to him. I ended up pushing him away at one point and the king saw. I think he told Maeglin to come onto me or is hoping I fall for his tricks. As we danced, he wanted me to come back to his bed with him tonight which I refused. He told me the offer would stand if I ever changed my mind."

"Then, I waited by the edge of the dancefloor like Idril told me, but only a few people approached me. Just as I was going to find a table to sit down, that woman came up to me. She used to be betrothed to Ecthelion and thinks they will be together again. She didn't like that I was talking to him and threatened my life if I didn't leave him alone. Honestly, I'm barely holding it all together this evening."

Cele shares a glance with the other two. He tells me "I'm sorry that that happened to you. I'll admit that the king is very smart and he probably approached Maeglin with that plan. He wrongly assumes that you would fall into the prince's bed with his advances. I'm sure it is a way for him to gain your trust to find out whether you are a spy or not."

He shrugs "I can't be sure about my cousin's feelings but I doubt he would ever pursue you himself. He has his eyes set on another that he can't have. Sometimes I wonder if it is just lust or for power, but I'm not sure. I wouldn't worry too much about him or the king. The best thing is to avoid them as much as possible. I hear you are moving into Tuor's household so that is good."

"As for that woman, her name is Amara. She was betrothed to Ecthelion at one point." He snorts and shakes his head. "Honestly I think she is pretty stupid. Her entire plan was to court Ecthelion while trying to win Glorfindel's affections. He found out shortly into their courtship and ended it. I'm not sure what she thought would happen. That Glorfindel would steal his best friend's betrothed, dump his friend, and return her affections. Or perhaps that Ecthelion would be ok with it and give his blessing. Either way, her plan was doomed from the start."

Echadron adds "from what I hear she doesn't really want Ecthelion back. She just wants him to be alone for discovering her plan and ending their courtship. Her plan was never going to work as Ecthelion and Glorfindel have been friends since they were children."

I looked at them all as they finished talking. "How do you guys know all that. Didn't you all just arrive in the city?"

Cele laughs and says "we had to find out information about this city when we arrived. All three of us are from Valinor so we remember a lot of the people here. This city is isolated so most of the entertainment comes from gossip and the happenings of this city." He spreads his arm wide pointing to the empty tables. "As you can see we are not popular in this city so your secrets are safe with us."

I snort at that and before I know it I'm laughing at them. The tension from before has lessened and I'm happy to at least have made some more friends.

Cele joined in my laughter but the brothers just looked on amused. I let myself relax and Cele gives me a moment to myself. After he says "I believe you also owe me a dance. Would you please join me for a dance, my lady?"

I nod and say "I would love to." The brothers wave goodbye to us as Cele takes my arm and leads me to the dance floor. I'm a little wobbly from the wine but I manage alright. As we reach the floor it's packed now and as we start to dance I see people move away and give us space.

I laughed at the sight as Cele just sighs. I offer him a small smile and say "I'm sorry the city treats you that way. We can be outcasts together."

He smiles at me now and says "I would like that. I'm sorry to have to tell you this but Voronwë and his uncle left shortly after your opening dance. I'm not sure what is going on between you too but maybe you can tell me more tomorrow. I have some of the jewelry pieces. If you want to come by the workshop, you can see them and we could talk privately. I know you have lessons in the morning but maybe in the afternoon if you are free. Voronwë and his uncle will be out all day tomorrow. They are going outside the city to spend some time at the gates and to see his friends."

I get sad at his words and he gently squeezes my waist. I look back at him and tell me "I will come by tomorrow. I want to see some of the pieces and talk. For now, I just want to focus on this dance."

Cele obliges and he dances with me happily for a few more songs. During one of our songs, I see Ecthelion and Glorfindel standing at the edge of the floor. Cele glances in their direction and I ask him "how pissed would that Amara woman be if I asked Ecthelion to dance?"

His eyes light up with mirth. "Fuming, like the flames over an open fire. You should ask him, as I have heard that hardly anyone asks him to dance now."

I nod and Cele dances us closer to them as the song ends. He bids me goodbye and I tell him I will see him tomorrow. I walk up to Ecthelion and Glorfindel and before either can speak, I look at Ecthelion and ask "would you like to dance?"

He smiles a big smile at me and his eyes light up. "I would love to dance." Glorfindel is smiling at us both as Ecthelion leads me to the dance floor. As we started one of the simple dances he said "I hope you have had a good evening. I saw you dancing with Maeglin earlier and you looked a little tense. Did he treat you well or did he say anything horrible to you?"

I pause a moment and look at him but I don't want to tell him what happened. "It was fine. I don't want to talk about it right now as I just want to enjoy this dance with you."

He gives me a searching look but I smile at him. "Please don't worry about it. I talked about it with Celebrimbor and his friends. I just want to enjoy the rest of the evening and hope I don't have to dance with Maeglin again. Have you had a good evening?"

He gives me another look but lets it go. "It has been alright. I haven't danced much as no one approaches me anymore. I was overjoyed that you asked as I love to dance and I enjoy your company."

I smile back at him and say "we can dance together for a while if you want. I thought more people would ask me to dance but that doesn't seem to be the case."

Ecthelion smiles at me and says "I will dance with you until someone else asks or you get tired. What other dances did Idril teach you?"

"A few more. The one is another simple one and the other is a spinning and twirling one. I might trip on that one or mess up so just a forewarning."

He pulls me closer and says "I won't let you fall. I'm a terrific dancer and promise to catch you if you trip."

We keep dancing until the song ends and I move into the next simple dance. We move about the room and chat happily together. After a few more songs I transition into the twirling dance and Ecthelion holds onto me gently and helps me dance. He is a terrific dancer as he says and he catches my trips a few times and pulls me easily back into him.

I'm not sure how long we danced together but it was at least for an hour. I finally relaxed and got to enjoy the night. The crowd of elves starts to thin out but there are still plenty here. At the end of a song, Glorfindel approached us and said "may I have this dance lady Kiera?"

I nod and turn to face Ecthelion one last time. "Thank you so much for dancing with me. I enjoyed all of our dances."

He smiles and leans down to give a quick kiss on the cheek. As he lets me go he says "thank you so much for dancing with me. I enjoyed my evening with you."

As he left, Glorfindel and I came together to start the dance. I can see he is moving a little slower than before so he must have had a few more drinks since dinner. We danced around the room and he told me "thank you so much for asking him to dance. He misses dancing but Amara scares many of the women away."

I nod and he continues, "I also saw her talk to you earlier. Ecthelion didn't see but I saw her get upset after your conversation. What did she say to you?"

I don't answer him and he asks again. "What did she say to you? I won't be able to help you if you don't tell me. Ecthelion is my friend and he enjoys your company. You have made him happy tonight by dancing with him. I won't let anyone ruin his happiness, especially an elf who already hurt him once before." He looks at me with a pointed look.

I sigh and say "I don't want to cause any problems. I was just planning on ignoring her and avoiding her."

He shakes his head. "Ignoring her won't work. She saw you ask Ecthelion to dance and watched you too like a hawk the entire time. I need to know what she said to you as she will be out to get you now."

I looked up at him and he gave me another look. "Fine, she warned me to stay away from Ecthelion. She believes they will get together again and I replied back to her that he never mentioned her in our talks. After, she threatened me to stay away from him or else my already short life would be cut shorter."

He gaped at me and it was my turn to give him a look. He said "I wasn't expecting a death threat but I am not surprised. I will take care of it but if she approaches you again please come tell me. I need to know what she is saying to people and how she is acting.

The dance is almost over but thank you for having this dance with me. I see Tuor is waiting for you to have the last dance."

I turned to look and I see Tuor standing next to Ecthelion. Glorfindel swings me free and Tuor slides in to dance with me. As we dance away from them I see Glorfindel lean in to whisper to Ecthelion.

I turn back to look at Tuor who is smiling at me. "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to dance with you before now. Many of the women wanted to dance with me tonight. Idril and the king retired for the evening and this will be my last dance as well."

I smile back at him and reply "that's alright. I'm happy to share this last dance with you." I glance around and see most of the elves have left. A few hundred or so remain as well as a few lords.

"I also didn't see Voronwë all evening? Did you too get a chance to dance before he left? Tuor asked me.

I shake my head and say "he left shortly after the opening dance. Celebrimbor told me he and his uncle left together. I'm not sure what is going on but I'll talk with him in a few days. I think he wants some space from me and he's my friend so I will give him some."

Tuor frowns and says "I'm sorry to hear that. I agree that it is best to give him some space and let him come to you. You both care about each other so I'm sure you will work it out."

I nod and we finish up our dance. Tuor offers me his arm and as we exit the hall I feel like someone is watching me. I stop Tuor and I turn around to look. Ecthelion is watching me with an unreadable expression and I give him a small smile and a wave goodbye. He and Glorfindel wave back and Tuor and I leave the hall.

He walks me to my room and bids me good night. It doesn't take me long to change into my nightclothes and crawl into bed. I'm so tired from all the dancing that I fall asleep quickly.