The next morning I wake on my own. The sun is shining brightly into my room and I feel refreshed from my sleep. As I sit up in bed I notice a wrapped package on my vanity. I climbed out of bed and with the first few steps, I could tell that my feet were sore. I reach for the package and carry it back onto the bed. I unwrap the paper and I see a few charcoal sticks wrapped in paper next to two bound books and some loose paper on top.

The bound books are loosely held together with a ribbon with a brown wooden cover on each. The larger one will be for my lesson and the smaller one for writing down what I remember. I get up again and set them on the vanity. I reach for my phone and unplug it from the charger.

The battery shows at 100% and also that it was 9:37 am. It was pretty late in the morning and I wondered why Narriel didn't wake me up yet. I want to get up but I don't know how to find her from some hot water in the palace. I decided to just take a bath without the hot water.

I went to the bathroom and turned to the lever to fill the tub. I test the water that comes out and to my surprise it is lukewarm. That probably explains why only one hot bucket is enough for the bath. Once it fills I take a quick bath and brush my teeth.

I picked the blue dress from my closet and shimmy into it. Without Narriel to help me I have to pull the bunches out as I slip it on. I towel my hair and brush it out to dry leaving it down. I slip on a sturdier pair of slippers and grab my book and a charcoal stick.

When I reached the table, no one was there. Perhaps they all slept in so I headed to the kitchen. There are only a few cooks inside but one of them makes me a breakfast of oats and fresh fruit. I eat again at the prep table and head to the library once I am finished.

As I walked in I noticed that even this place was empty of elves. I saw Cadweth at her desk and I took my seat across from her. She looked up at me in surprise. "I assumed you would have slept in later after the festival."

I smile happily at her, "I did, but I'm ready to learn if we still have a lesson today. Thank you for picking up my books and charcoal."

He nods and cleans off the desk of her papers. "You are welcome. We shall have a short lesson today. I will teach you a few phrases in case you get lost around the city."

I nod and she begins with only a few phrases. I learned I need help, which way to the palace, and I'm lost.

Those three phrases take the rest of the morning and Cadweth helps me write them all down in elvish to practice later along with the English translation next to it. I have a feeling I will be filling this book up easily. My lesson ends and it is probably close to the midday meal.

I walk back to the table and I see Idril reading a book at the table. I sit down next to her and set my things on the table. She sets her book down and says "Narriel said you were already awake when she went to your room. She said it looked like you had a bath and dressed yourself. She took your dirty clothes to wash and will bring them back later."

"Yes, I took a bath without the hot water. I awoke earlier and I didn't know where to find her. Cadweth gave a short lesson anyway."

Idril is looking intently at me now and bites her lip."What happened between you and my cousin last night."

I look at her confused and ask, "Nothing, why? He danced the opening dance with me and I didn't see him after. I'm thankful he didn't dance with me again honestly."

She looks at me skeptically and asks "are you sure that is all that happened. Some rumors are going around the city."

"What rumors?' I ask her.

She looks at me nervously and says "there are rumors that Voronwë has rejected your affections. He left the dance early last night with his uncle and people say he seemed upset at seeing you with Maeglin. The main rumor is that you spent the night with my cousin as a way to get back at Voronwë."

"What?" I was completely shocked. I sat staring at Idril but gave me a long look. "I watched you and my cousin during dinner. You were staring at him quite a bit and I saw how close together you were before the opening dance. A few people said that during your dance he offered his bed to you. People claim they heard you accept his offer as you were going to use it to get back at Voronwë. A lot of people saw you leaving his house early this morning. Even some high women in the court. So are they lying or are you? Did you really spend the night with my cousin to get back at Voronwë?

"Excuse me," I yell at her. I can't believe she is even asking me that and she is accusing me of lying.

She sinks in her chair at my tone but says indignantly "plenty of people in the city saw you leave his house this morning. He has been bragging about the night you too spent together and giving out details. I don't want to believe it but too many people saw and heard things. I know my cousin well and he takes plenty of women to his bed. A few ladies of the court have also told me the rumors and they are trustworthy individuals."

I could not believe she was even asking me this. I don't want to be seated next to her any longer and I don't want to be here. I don't even answer her as I get up and leave the table quickly. She is calling out to me but my mind is so focused on holding it all together I don't even register her words. I didn't want to be anywhere near her and I fled the palace at a run.

I followed the same path that Voronwë led me on a few days ago. I can see some of the elves are pointing and whispering at me and I start to feel even worse. I hope to god that Cele is in the workshop as I'm going to break down crying at any moment.

I reach his street and I run even faster as the tears start to flow freely. I get to the workshop and don't even bother knocking. I try the door but it's locked. I sob uncontrollably now and I don't know where to go. I don't want to walk back into the city so I turn towards the wall. The alley is deserted and I walk down to Rhuidhen's house but I remember they are out of the city for the day. The tears are still coming and I just want to find a quiet place away from everyone to cry.

As I approached the wall I saw a staircase near the end of the alley that led up. I don't know if I am allowed on top of the wall but I go up anyway. When I reach the top I see a half wall all around the outside edge with a large walkway on top. I see an elf walking away from me to my right so I go left.

The wall is deserted and I was happy about it. I saw a small tower coming up on one part of the wall and I hoped it would be empty. As I got closer I saw a wooden door to go into the tower and a small staircase. I tried the door but it was locked so I took the stairs up.

The stairs wrapped around and up to a small platform. It was a small stone circle with a few breaks in the wall but the rest of the area was empty. I sat down near one of the breaks in the wall so I could lookout. I hugged my legs to my chest and began to really cry.

Everything that happened had finally caught up to me. I cried for my missing family. I cried for my friends I would never see again. I cried for the life and future that I had lost. I cried for everything that happened on my journey and with Voronwë. I cried for the stupid rumors and the fact that I Idril believed them. I cried hard at the fact that I am alone here and I don't have very many people to turn to.

I cried so hard and long that most of the afternoon had faded away. I looked out onto the plains and watched the flowers in the meadow as I thought. My mind drifted to my grandma and all the times she helped me through tough situations. I desperately wished she was here but I thought about what she might say to me. I know if she were here she would tell me that these people aren't worth my tears. I'm reminiscing in the memories of us together when I see someone coming up the stairs.

I wait as I have no desire to move unless they tell me. I'm shocked to see that it is Celebrimbor. He must have seen my shocked face as he sits down across from me and stretches out his legs. "I have been looking for you all afternoon. I heard the rumors and you didn't show up to look at the jewelry. I saw Idril who was also looking for you and was upset. I was searching for you in the fountains of the south when Ecthelion found me. One of his guards saw you come up here earlier. The guard was concerned when he heard you crying and you hadn't come down for a while. He doesn't speak the common tongue so went to get Ecthelion. He was on his way to talk to you but I told him I would come up instead. You probably need someone to talk to and I know a little bit more than Ecthelion does. He is concerned about you and wants to talk to you later when you have time."

I stare at him with a blank look "I came by earlier but the workshop was locked. I wanted to find a quiet place to cry and be alone. I'm not sure if I'm allowed up here but I came anyway. It has been a rough day but the crying helped. I'll go see Ecthelion later but you're right that I could use someone to talk to and I don't want to see Idril right now.

"I went with my friends for a mid-day meal and I'm sorry I missed you. I'm here now, so why don't you tell me everything that has happened. I can tell you have a lot on your mind and you need someone to listen. Tell me everything and don't leave anything out."

I take a deep breath and begin to tell me everything that has happened. Between Voronwë and me and the way, he has been acting. Exactly what happened between Maeglin and me, as well as everything that he said to me. All the way to the conversations between Amara and myself as well as the conversation with Glorfindel. I also gave him a rundown of my conversation this morning with Idril.

After I was finished, I immediately felt better. Even just to spill it all out with someone helped a lot. Cele gave me a moment to relax and I gave him time to digest everything. I stared out into the meadow as I waited for him to speak.

He cleared his throat and I looked back at him, "You have had a very rough couple of days. I'll admit it was quite a lot to take in and I'm surprised you managed to hold it all together well. Fortunately for you, I can shed some light on some of these situations and help you with others. I think I shall begin with Voronwë as it's the easiest."

I looked at him curiously and he laughed at my look. "It is the easiest. Tell me what did you feel when you kissed him?"

Not sure where he was going with this but I responded "it was nice and sweet. I enjoyed our kisses and they gave me butterflies. Why?"

He sighed now and said "look, I'll tell you what my uncle's called it. They called it a fleeting fancy. When you become closer to another quickly and you are both affectionate and loving towards one another. You want it to go further and you think about the other all the time. However, as you finally get closer to the one you desire the feeling quickly dissipates. All the build-up and longing disappears in an instant. Maybe it is a kiss shared or maybe it is the first night spent together. Either way, the feeling leaves you with confusion and a lot of questions."

I stare at him confused. "That doesn't make any sense. You are saying after we shared a kiss all of his affections towards me left."

He shakes his head at me, "no, not entirely. Look for elves, love is forever. Marriage means being together until the unmaking of this world. When an elf truly loves another it is all raw passion and desire. A first kiss should be filled with passion, not nice and sweet."

"Once that first kiss happens, it usually goes one of three ways. They are madly attracted to their partner and can't get enough like a hot burning flame. Or it is a smaller flame that might build up into that roaring fire or it might fizzle out. The last is an immediately doused flame. No amount of kissing or pleasure will ever awaken the flame again no matter what the elf thinks."

I look at him now in surprise. "That is an interesting way to describe it. So you think Voronwë's flame has been doused after our first kiss."

"Yes, based on what I have seen. He doesn't seem to be handling it well and that is probably why he has been avoiding you. The first time is always the hardest. Mine was horrible and I broke many things in my father's shop until he sat me down and explained it to me. I'll admit his flame descriptions weren't the greatest but he is a craftsman after all," he says as he chuckles.

"Celegorm preferred to call them fleeting fancies. Although, all of his interactions were fleeting and I'm not sure he ever even experienced the flames. For some elves, even after the flame is doused they will use the other until they get bored. For others, they enter courtships hoping that their flame will be rekindled with time." He shakes his head sadly and says "It never happens and I have seen century-long courtships of elves in denial."

"I don't tell you this to give you hope between you and Voronwë. I'm telling you this so you know that the best thing for you both is to end it now. His uncle is spending time with him and is trying to tell him the same. He does care for you as a friend and you have traveled a long way together. The bonds between you both are strong which is why he is considering pursuing you in hopes that it might work out. If you didn't feel the burning flame during the kiss or even a small one, then you never will. The best thing for Voronwë is to deny his courtship and just be his friend."

I sat in silence and looked out into the meadow again absorbing his words. I'll admit that I didn't feel the burning flame. I felt the butterflies but no real desire beyond that. As I think about it now, our whole relationship reminds me of my first one in high school. It was new and exciting and gave me all the same feelings. My first relationship had the same feelings which didn't last long and it ended shortly after. While I'm not an elf and can't really understand what it is like, I get on some level what he is trying to tell me.

I look back at him and say "I understand now. Voronwë is my friend first and I want him to have that relationship but it won't be with me. I will give him some space and let him come to me when he is ready. Thank you for telling me as I needed to hear it."

"I am glad that you made that decision. I know it is hard, but I am proud of you for it. I want you both to be happy and I hope you both find that person. Now, let's talk about my idiot cousin," he said.

"I am sure this was orchestrated for a reason. As my cousin has spies watching you and was probably informed of the kiss between you and Voronwë. When he left the dance early my cousin jumped on the opportunity. Like I said last night and what you picked up on, maybe this was a way for him to gain your trust. However, something changed and he spread this rumor instead."

"While my cousin is petty he is also highly intelligent. I'm sure it was the king's idea to have Maeglin get closer to you by offering his bed. He knows his nephew well and confides in him a lot. Not saying you would ever join Maeglin, but to the king, you are a mortal woman who is unmarried. He thinks pretty lowly about mortal women in general and is probably convinced you would eventually fall for Maeglin."

He snorts "he's stupid like that. Turgon never came close in intelligence to any of my uncles or father. That's why he has all these houses as he can't manage the workload or the people himself. No other city in Beleriand needs a king and multiple houses to function. Turgon cannot run this city without people feeding him information."

"He also keeps to himself now and hardly gets to know anyone on a personal level. I feel that is probably due to the passing of his wife. The only people that know him well are Idril and Maeglin. The rest of the lords follow him but in reality, they run this city and just tell the king what is going on."

I sigh, "So you have no idea why Maeglin would spread this rumor?"

"Not really, no. It doesn't make sense if Tugon told Maeglin to get closer to you. My cousin is much smarter than the king and he is very good at what he does. There is no benefit for him to spend the night trying to woo you to his bed and leaving the offer on the table. Only to destroy his offer the next morning by bragging about the night you "spent" together. That would immediately destroy any trust he would be trying to build."

"If you were a servant of the enemy and I wanted to know your secrets, I would want to gain your trust over time. I would want you to confide in me and to feel like you could tell me anything. He wouldn't be stupid to tell the whole city you spent the night together as that would defeat the purpose of gaining your trust. The only real reason to tell the city would be to ruin your reputation but there's no real point to that as half of the city thinks lowly of humans anyways."

"The point of his offer was to give you an opportunity in the future. Because he said it to you privately during the dance means he doesn't want anyone to know. Perhaps he thinks like the king, that eventually you will throw yourself at him or maybe he saw Voronwë leave and saw an opportunity. I'm inclined to believe the latter. I think he knows that you will never go to his bed unless you were driven by revenge or some other emotion. He was playing the long game but that is finished now.

I stare at him in amazement "Jesus christ you are smart. You figured that all out by just listening to my story."

He gives me a goofy grin, "not sure what Jesus christ means but I will accept the compliment. It's not hard to read people and I have been doing it a long time. You also forget who raised me. I know you don't know much about my family, but they are all highly intelligent and cunning. My father and Celegrom are known for having silver tongues and I picked up a few things over the years."

"Well, now what should I do about Amara?."

He shrugs this time and says "nothing."

"Nothing?" I was shocked.

He grins, "nothing you already handled it. By informing Glorfindel what she said he will take care of it. Her threat was empty and she was stupid to say it to you. We talked about her at the festival but you should know Glorfindel feels terrible for their failed courtship. Not because it ended but more because it was partly his fault even if he didn't realize it. Nobody had any idea about her feelings for Glorfindel before and she played her part very well. They did spend some time together as he is Ecthelion's best friend and he wanted to get to know her better. It all ended when she tried to kiss Glorfindel one day and when he rejected her she spilled her feelings out to him."

"I can't imagine how that must have felt but it must have been even worse to break the news to his best friend. It was good for Ecthelion, as he got to know before he developed too strong of feelings but I'm sure that still hurt. As you probably noticed, Glorfindel is the more outgoing of the two and stands out with his blonde hair and many women flock to him. Since their failed courtship Amara has scared off others from interacting with Ecthelion and I'm glad you didn't let her scare you. Since then, Glorfindel has done everything in his power to stop Amara. You made Ecthelion happy last night when you danced with him and Glorfindel will protect you because of it. Both of them are fine lords and if given the opportunity you should befriend them."

I nod and reply "They have both been kind to me and I hope I can call them friends someday. Are you friends with them?"

He grins "sort of. We were friendly in Valinor as we were around the same age. We ran in the same circles but I hadn't seen them in a long time until I came here. They have both been nice to me and they bought some of my first pieces to help me get started here. I'm technically part of Egalmoth's house so I only see them in passing or if they stop to buy something. Many of the guards and soldiers ask me to sharpen their weapons but it is low-paying work. Still, it's a nice gesture."

I smile at him and say "that is a nice gesture. I'm sorry I missed buying some of your jewelry today. I can stop by tomorrow if that is alright. I only have my lesson in the morning but then I'm free."

He looks at me greedily and claps his hands, " we will certainly spend Maeglin's money. Now, are you ready to head to his house and confront him on the rumors? It's best to face him head-on and if he didn't start the rumors he will definitely know who did."

I laugh and reply, "I think I have cried enough today. As long as you will go with me, I'll be fine to face him. I'm still not sure what to do about Idril, but I think I will talk to her tomorrow."

He gets up and helps me on my feet and says "she was upset earlier and was looking for you. I'm not sure that helps any, but let's speak to Maeglin first."

I follow him down the stairs and onto the wall. We turned right and kept walking past the tower. I see another staircase as well as a guard stationed near it. His back is to us and I see he is watching out into the meadow. Cele tells me "that is the guard who saw you. I do not know his name but he seems nice."

The guard must have heard us talking and turned to look at us. He smiled at me and I returned the smile. I wanted to thank him but he doesn't speak common so I asked Cele to translate. The guard replied that he was happy to help and that I seemed very upset and needed a friend. Cele told me his name was Langon and I hoped once I spoke decent elvish I could thank him myself. We descended the stairs and reentered the city.