Once we reached the bottom, we turned right again on the main road. Cele took my arm and we walked down the road together. We passed a lot of houses and workshops until I saw a large house next to the wall.

"That is Lord Rog's main house. He used to live in the house that Maeglin has now. He gave it up when Turgon asked him to. In return Rog got the largest house made as well as new training grounds and shops."

As we approached I could see the house was almost too big for the space. The house butted up right next to the road and there was no courtyard. It was long and stretched to the wall which was about five houses wide. The house also had four levels and it was reaching the height of the wall. We passed large double doors which were propped open and I could hear laughter and music as we passed. We kept walking and we came upon a large open clearing with a beautiful garden on one side.

There were tall trees and grass with raised flower beds. There are benches and ponds scattered around the garden and I could see many elves relaxing. This one made the gardens by the fountain look tiny in comparison. Cele stopped and let me admire the area but moved me along quickly. "This is the square of the folkwell and it is the main garden area inside the city. It is quite large and I would give you a tour but I want to catch Maeglin before dinner time. I'm free tomorrow evening if you would like to see it."

"Yes please."

We walk on and I take in all the gardens that I can see. As we approach the other side I see two large mansions on the edge of the gardens. Cele points to the first one. "That is Maeglin's house and his workshops are across the main road next to the wall."

When we got closer, I was surprised at the number of flowers and trees in his courtyard. I didn't expect him to have so much greenery around his house. Cele leads us through the courtyard and to the front door. One of the doors is wide open and we go inside.

It is darker inside and I see the walls are covered with plain black tapestries. We stand in a large entryway and I see an open dining hall to my right. A few elves are setting the table and one stops her work to approach us.

"May I help you?" she asks.

"We are here to see Prince Maeglin if he is in. We are unannounced but I would like to speak with him if he is available," replied Cele.

The elf nods "He is in his study, but I will ask if he is available to speak. Please wait here."

She leaves us and we stand in the entry hall for a few minutes. I took a good look around his house, but it's pretty plain. The dining hall is mostly empty except for three long tables and one head table. The walls are covered with black tapestries and the large windows are partially covered only letting in a small amount of light. Candles are burning around the room along with a large fireplace. On the opposite side of the dining hall is a large open hall. Not much is in there except a few tables and chairs.

I'm still looking around when the elf returns. She startled me by saying "Prince Maeglin will see you now. If you will follow me please."

We followed her down the long hall and up a flight of stairs. She leads us down another hallway to the last door at the end. "Please go in, he is waiting for you." She curtsies at Cele and smiles at me as she leaves.

Cele doesn't bother knocking and pushes open the door. Maeglin's study is a large room with a high bookcase lining one wall. In the middle of the room is a desk that is piled with papers and books and random objects. There is a large chair behind the desk which is empty. In the far corner of the room is a fireplace with chairs and a couch. A small fire is going and Maeglin is seated in one of the large chairs with a glass of wine in his hand.

He looks up as we enter and says "didn't your family ever teach you any manners. You are supposed to knock before entering."

He grins as we walk over to the chairs. "No, they were too busy making oaths and slaughtering elves. They are savages as you say, just like your father."

He glares back at him but says "please join me and take a seat. I admit I was surprised to hear that Lady Kiera had walked willingly into my house. I can only guess why you are here."

We both take seats in chairs around the fire and Maeglin offers us some wine. I decline but Cele takes a glass and Maeglin pours him some. "I'm here to help a friend find out why there is a rumor being spread about the two of you," replies Cele.

Maeglin sits back in his chair and snorts. He downs a large gulp of wine and says "believe me, I was surprised to hear it as well today. I spent most of the day tracking down who started the rumors."

Cele raises his eyebrow at him, "so it wasn't you? I'll be honest, I found it difficult to believe you would start the rumor now. It doesn't sound like something you would do without reason and we spent the afternoon discussing it."

Maeglin looks at me and asks "I thought this morning that you had started it. My spies tell me you and Voronwë shared a few kisses the other night. His actions at the dinner and the dance told me something changed between you two. I seized the opportunity to offer you a night in my bed but I figured you wouldn't take it."

He sighs and I'm gobsmacked at how relaxed and honest he is being. He sees my expression and says "Don't look so surprised. I can have a nice conversation when I want to. I'm tired today and have had enough of the silky words and lies people have told me all day. Last night was exhausting for me and today was no better."

He shrugged and told me "I'm sure you figured out the plan by now. The king suggested that I try to get closer to you by offering to spend time with you and to win your affections." He chortled and grimaced. "Like that plan was ever going to work after I spent the past few conversations we had insulting you. I told the king it was useless to try and that my spies informed me of the relationship between you and Voronwë. However, when I saw he left the dinner early, I took the chance."

He takes another swig of wine and keeps talking. "I was a bit more forward than I normally would like but I gambled that there might be a small chance. If it was only to get back at Voronwë for leaving you with me. I had no idea if you would be that type of person but I saw him leave the hall during our first dance. I figured you might be upset enough to do something foolish but I was wrong."

"When I got up this morning, I was told about the rumors and my supposed bragging. As if I need to brag to people for their approval. I had wondered if you had started the rumor to hurt Voronwë but when I showed up at the palace I got an earful. Idril jumped me the moment I arrived and she was quite upset with me. Turns out she believed the rumors and she was distraught when I told her they were false."

"She left crying and I left the palace to track you down. One of my spies told me they saw you leaving earlier at a run. They saw you crying but they lost track of you. I guessed then that you were upset to hear the rumors and you didn't start them. I moved on to find out who started the rumors."

A few moments pass as I'm processing all the information he just shared. I'm still staring at Maeglin in shock and he smirks at me "are you surprised? Is that why you are staring at me or is it because you enjoy looking at me?"

I shake out of my shock and ask "I'm surprised. Why are you sharing all this with me? Don't you hate me?"

He gives me a grin and says "You didn't answer my question but no I don't hate you. I find humans to be dull and not worth my time. Your lives are fleeting and are over in a mere blink compared to ours. It is too much effort to try and befriend humans and I don't see the point. I admit that your story was strange in the beginning and it is hard to believe. For what it is worth I think you are telling the truth. It is hard to keep up a lie and when you talk about your world you are quick to respond and you don't falter. I'm still not sure what use you have to this city but my vote has been overruled. I will tolerate your presence in the city because soon your life will be over and you will be nothing more than a memory."

I swallow a gulp at his words and I'm surprised at how honest he is. "Thank you for answering me. Thank you for being honest and it's nice to hear you don't hate me. No, I don't like staring at you. I admit I am quite shocked that we are having a pleasant conversation at all. You gave me a lot of information and I needed time to process it all."

He gives me a seductive look and says "it doesn't bother me. I know I am attractive but I am surprised to see you opening stare at me. I assumed you couldn't stand to be in my presence but my offer from last night still stands."

Cele chokes on air and I gape at Maeglin. "What?" I gasp.

"If you wish to join me in my bed I would not deny your advances. You are a beautiful woman and I have always longed to try a mortal woman. Perhaps there is no difference but I would like to know and experience it for myself. I would prefer you to be younger and without gray hair and wrinkles. I would like to sustain my curiosity so a night together would be long and pleasurable for us both but only if you could keep up with me." he says to me with a wink.

I cough awkwardly and I have nothing to say at the present moment so he continues. "Perhaps, in time you will long for a night of pleasure. I would be happy to help as we would both benefit from a night of mutual satisfaction. My offer will stand until you are old and gray. No one in this city will know and I would expect the same courtesy back."

Cele is looking between us now and I see the surprise on his face. I am at a loss for words so I reply, "noted. Moving on, did you find out who started the rumors?"

He gives me a long look and I meet his challenging stare. He smirks and drops his gaze. "Oh yes, I tracked down the rumors this afternoon. Amara has started the rumors with the help of Lord Salgant's daughters. Amara was quite upset to see you dancing with Ecthelion. Gilwen, Lord Salagnt's eldest daughter, and I have a history. It seems she is still upset and heard my offer to you during the dance. I admit that I didn't even see her around us but I'm not surprised she was keeping a close eye on me. Amara and Gilwen are good friends so by the end of the night they had come up with a plan to spread the rumors."

"I have discussed it with Lord Salgant and he is handling it in his house. Tomorrow the city will be told that the rumors were false and that I was a perfect gentleman to Lady Keira and that she was a gracious guest. She honored me with the first few dances and the rumors were nothing more than two scorned women looking to cause problems. They all belong to Lord Salgant's house and have been disciplined. They will be confined to their house for the next two years and will not be allowed to go anywhere without an escort. They are forbidden from attending any festivals during that time. I also charged Lord Salgant with helping pay for the furnishing of Tuor's household. He will offset the costs of my house as payment for his daughter's slander towards me and you.

I spluttered, "you're making him pay so you don't have to? Are you even paying anything anymore or is everything coming from Lord Salgant?

He is looking at his fingers now and has a small smirk on his face. "The money is still coming from my house but I'm using what he is paying instead of my own gold. Feel free to spend his money and I encourage you to buy whatever you want. I spent a good amount of my own money already but I like to think that my actions and words today have made up for my harsh words in the beginning. I have given you two years here without those women watching your every move and breathing down your neck."

I take a moment to myself and I wonder if this was all orchestrated by him in the first place so he wouldn't have to pay anymore. Yet, I think he is being sincere and he just used this situation to his advantage. "I don't care where the money comes from. You were part of the rumor same as I. I think it was smart of you to use it to your advantage and your actions do make up for your harsh words. I think we both got off on the wrong foot. I know we will probably never be friends, but I would prefer not to fight with you every time I see you. I want to enjoy my time here in the city and I will treat you with respect if you agree to give me the same."

He looks at me with a hard expression but nods. "Yes, I can agree to that. Seeing as making a fresh start, would you both like to stay for dinner?"

I look to Cele who just shrugs, "I could eat if you don't mind staying."

I nod and tell him, "well stay for dinner then. Thank you for the kind offer."

Maeglin sets down his wine and gets up out of his chair. "I will be back shortly, as I have to inform my house to set two more places for dinner." He waits for our acknowledgment and then leaves the room. I look over to Cele who is looking at me now with a questioning gaze.

"I see you didn't outright deny his offer. Care to tell me why?"

I shrug now and respond honestly. "I hope I'm not going to be celibate the rest of my life in this city. My relationship with Voronwë is just going to be as friends from now on. I don't know how I will feel in a few years and I might want to have a night with no attachments."

"It is common in my world and while I haven't in a while, I might want to in the future. I'm not going to deny his offer, at least not yet. Who knows what the future may hold. Maybe I never will because I will meet someone in the city. Or perhaps, elves will stay away from me because I'm human. I have no idea what will happen, but I declined his offer last night out of respect for Voronwë. I don't think our relationship will progress and I don't want to lead him on."

He looks at me with disgust, "my cousin. If all you desire is a night of release and pleasure without attachments, I could give you that. Plenty of men in the city would including Voronwë."

"Yes, but then feelings would be involved. I don't want to make a friendship awkward by adding sex. I'm not going to worry about it for a while, but I know in the future I will want to. Maeglin offered me a discrete opportunity with no emotions or attachments and we are not friends. If I ever decide to take his offer I wouldn't tell anyone, including you. Please don't say anything to anyone about his offer and our conversation. I don't need people judging me for something I haven't done."

He sighs and says, "Alright. I might not understand why you wouldn't pick a friend but I will let it go. For the record, you can do better than my cousin."

I laugh at him and he responds with a laugh of his own. The day's events were too much again and I was doubled over laughing when Maeglin returned.

He glares at the scene but says "I don't want to know. Dinner is ready and you are both seated at my main table. Come, follow me."

We both get up and follow him out of the room and down the hall. He tells us as we walk, "my house has been told the rumors are false. I told them you are joining me for dinner as a sign of good faith between us. I also said you accepted my apology for my harsh words and that we are starting anew. Celembrimbor is joining us as your escort and friend. People in my house might speak to you and I hope going forward that you treat them with kindness and respect."

"I will, thank you."

We reached the dining hall and I got my first few looks around the room. The long tables were filled with elves all dressed in dark colors. They were a cheerful bunch and many of them were laughing and talking loudly. The room quieted down a little as we entered but Maeglin just turned and walked toward the high table.

I could feel all the eyes on me so Cele took my arm and we followed Maeglin to the table. There were three chairs seated at the table and by the time we sat down the hall resumed its previous noise level. Maeglin was seated between us and when I looked around the room, I saw most of the elves had gone back to their food and conversations for which I was grateful for.

The elves brought out the dinner and we all loaded our plate. It was a bit awkward at first but I focused on eating my dinner as I missed lunch today. The food was delicious and I took a variety of foods and large helpings. Maeglin cocked his eyebrow at my plate but I replied "I missed the mid-day meal as I was crying. I'm quite hungry and the food is delicious."

He laughed at me and I almost spit out my food in shock at his laugh. It was a warm laugh and I thought I might have imagined it. He smiled at me and I was gobsmacked by the sight. His face was quite beautiful when he smiled and I only saw it for a second before it went back to his usual scowl. I was staring at him dumbly and Cele cleared his throat and gave me a pointed look from down the table. I focused back on my plate and finished eating quickly. Cele started up a conversation about the jewelry he had made for me. I finish my meal and just sit and watch the people in his house for a while. Once Maeglin and Cele finish their money talks, Maeglin looks at me again with a smile.

He has a gleam in his eye and he knows what he is doing. I stare but give him a smile in return and ask "I would like to go to the fountains this evening, but I'm not sure how to get there from here."

Maeglin glances at an elf near the table and waves his hand. The elf runs away and I see he is approaching the same elf from earlier. She walks up to the table and Maeglin says, "Sírhel, would you please escort Lady Kiera to the fountains. Celebrimbor and I need to finish our discussions."

"Certainly, my lord." She waits for me as I get up from the table. Maeglin is giving me another large smile so before I leave I say "You should smile more as it lights up your whole face. Thank you for having us for dinner."

His eyes gleam at my words and I scamper away from the table before he can respond. I offer Cele a glance as I pass but he just waves goodbye.

Sírhel led me out of the hall and passed the entry hall into the courtyard. She is walking fast so I'm jogging to keep up with her. We end up on the main road and she turns left down the path. We come to the main crossroad and I see the main gate on one side. We cross and keep going and I see the wall on one side and rows of houses on the other. After a long stretch of houses, a garden opens up ahead and I see the main bridge.

I gasp out, "I know my way from here. Thank you for helping me." I stop on the road to give myself a break. She curtsies to me and says "you are welcome my lady. Enjoy your evening."

She disappears from my sight quickly and I start to walk towards the bridge. I hope that Ecthelion is here in the fountains or at least at his home. I don't want to go back to the palace right now and see Idril.

I walk through the garden looking for him, but there are only a few elves. I keep walking to the fountains and pause to look around. The place is pretty deserted and only a few elves are singing or playing. I turn to the other bridge leading to his house. As I cross over I see a beautiful fountain in his courtyard with a few elves sitting on it. They are playing on their instruments so I don't want to interrupt them. I see his doors to his house are wide open and I hurry to them.

When I walked in I saw a dining hall to my left that was filled with people. His house was much larger than Maeglin's house and this room was packed. I looked towards the high table at the end but it was empty. A woman approached me and asked, "Good evening lady Kiera. Are you looking for Lord Ecthelion or someone in his house?"

"Lord Ecthelion if he is here and not busy."

She laughed a tinkling laugh. "He is in his study with Glorfindel. He is here most evenings so he should not be busy. Shall I see if he is available to see you? If you will excuse me, I will be back shortly." She curtsied and left up the main staircase.

I moved further into the entry hall as I didn't want to be stared at anymore. As I waited, I looked around the hall. The house was huge and it was much more inviting than Maeglin's house. Silver banners hung from the wall and there were many tall windows let in the moonlight. The opposite hall held a large empty room which was probably for dancing. The grand staircase led up to a second story and a long hallway ran next to the stairs. I was admiring the carving on the staircase when the elf returned.

"He is waiting for you if you would follow me please," she said.

She turned back up the stairs and I followed. There was a small landing and we turned right and went up another flight to a hallway. It was a short hallway to my right, but we turned left down the long passage. We passed many doors on both sides until we almost reached the end. There were a few doors left and she stopped in front of one. "He is waiting for you. Please go in."

I thank her and she leaves. I open the door and I am surprised at the sight. The room is large with a wooden desk and chairs in the middle. Behind the desk are large windows. I look to my left and see Ecthelion and Glorfindel sitting on large plush chairs next to a roaring fire.

"Lady Kiera, it is nice to see you. Please come join us," says Ecthelion.

I take one of the two remaining chairs. Glorfindel is sitting next to me and a small table is in between Ectheton and me. He offers me a glass of wine and I take it as I could use a drink.

Ecthelion begins "I was hoping I would see you today. I wanted to speak to you about some things. I'm sure you had a very exhausting day and I hope Celebrimbor found you earlier and helped you."

"He did, thank you for sending him to me. I really needed a friend today and Celebrimbor told me you were going to come yourself. That means a lot to me and I just wanted you to know. Today has been difficult but I came from Maeglin's house. He has tracked down the rumors and there will be a statement issued tomorrow that they were false. I'm not sure how much you know but he said it was Amara and Gilwen who started everything."

He gripped his wine glass hard and said, "I heard. It was also what I wanted to talk to you about. Glorfindel told me she threatened you last night. Why didn't you say anything to me? His face had a concerned look as he waited for me to speak.

"The beginning of the dance was horrible for me. By the time we got to dancing, I was finally enjoying myself. I could see you were happy and I wanted us to have a good evening. I'm sorry if I upset you. I was going to tell you when I saw you again but Glorfindel asked me during our dance."

He looks at me sadly and says "I'm sure you know the tale by now, but she and I used to be engaged. She is a noblewoman of Lord Salgant's house and we had become friendly during our time here. We met at a festival and she often visited the fountains in the evenings to watch me play."

His face drops, "Or so I thought. Looking back now I can see that she only came to the fountains when I was with Glorfindel. Over time, I began to develop a friendship and then more feelings came. I proposed to her and I thought her feelings were genuine. She had me fooled for quite a while and I am sad to say that I turned a blind eye to her worse habits out of love. She treated my staff and the people in my house poorly but they were too scared to come to me about it. I made many mistakes during our courtship but the worst was believing her lies."

"Our courtship ended when I found out her feelings for Glorfindel. As you know, she did not take it very well. She did many terrible things right after I ended our courtship. To me and the people of my house. Her true colors came out and I thank the Valar every day that I didn't marry her. Which is why I was upset that you didn't say anything."

"I know you didn't know the whole story before but please don't keep things about her from me. She is very vindictive and cruel. I couldn't bear the thought of something happening to you because of me. She has already proven that she is willing to do unspeakable things to get her way. Promise me that if she speaks to you again or does anything to you, you will tell me immediately."

He is staring at me intently and I can see a few stray tears in his eyes. "I promise, I will. I think I should be ok for a while as she is confined to her house as punishment. Maeglin said for the next two years she won't be able to leave without an escort and she can't attend any festivals."

He sighed in relief but Glorfindel snorted. "While that is good to hear, we can't assume that will stop her. She is very cunning and she might still be able to cause problems. Two years is nothing for us but merely a day compared to you. She will spend her time planning and plotting but I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Ecthelion nods as well and I reply, "thank you. I will keep you informed and I will stay away from her. I would still like to get to know you both as well as the people in your houses. She's not going to scare me away."

Glorfindel smiles, "Certainly. My house is all very excited to meet our new guests. Both of our houses have many who speak the common tongue but I'm sure you will be speaking elvish soon. I was also wondering if you had seen Idril yet today."

I glare and reply with a short "no."

He gives me a small smile and says, "I understand your anger. I don't excuse Idril's words today but she was very upset to learn that the rumors were false. He came to my house crying after she looked for you in the city. She was very upset that you wouldn't forgive her and that she lost her new friend."

He sighs, "I love my niece, but when things like this happen it reminds me that even though she is quite old, she is very naive. I'm not trying to find excuses for her words, but she doesn't have many friends. The women of the court treat her differently because she is the princess of this city. While she is loved throughout the city, not many will befriend her. They think if they say the wrong thing or make her upset, she might make their lives here difficult."

I'm mad now and yell, "that doesn't excuse her words. I know I haven't been in the city long and we are still getting to know one another but she jumped down my throat during lunch. She didn't even give me a chance to respond before she kept accusing me. She claimed that she saw the interactions between Maeglin and me and saw me staring. As if I would jump into Maeglin's bed because he asked. I confided in her about Voronwë and then she thinks I'm some kind of whore who would have sex with her cousin as revenge."

I huff and glare at Glorfindel. He is smiling sheepishly at me and there is a tinge of pink on his cheeks. Ecthelion clears his throat and says, "I agree with you. I think Glorfindel was trying to explain that Idril is very naive and didn't give you a chance to tell your side of the story. I was also there when she came earlier and she was very upset that you wouldn't forgive her."

"Being a lord in this city has taught me that there are many versions of the same story. Without knowing all the sides, it is wrong to assume anything or jump to conclusions. I told Idril today that a real friend would have listened and not been accused outright. She heard the rumors from some of the more truthful women of the court, but lies are easily spread. I told her that your night at the dance had been difficult and you had probably wanted a friend to listen to you. She is still learning what it means to have and to be a good friend."

He smiles at me now and says, "I told her I believed you would forgive her. You are a kind person and you don't let things bother you for long. I said that you needed some space today to figure things out and a friend. I told her she needs to apologize to you at least if she wants to grow your friendship more. You and Tuor have treated her like a person first and not a princess. She already cherishes these new friendships and she would do anything to keep them."

I huff at him and sit back in the chair. I cross my arms and sigh into the chair. I knew earlier today I was going to forgive her as long as she apologized. Ecthelion is smiling a knowing smile at me and I burst out laughing. Glorfindel is looking between us like he missed something.

"You're right, I knew I was going to forgive her if she apologized. It was just one of those days where too much happened at once and it became overwhelming. It's hard starting over in a new city with not many friends and no family. I wasn't even sure I was allowed on the city walls but I was so upset I didn't care. In time it will get better as I made amends with Maeglin today and I will talk to Idril tomorrow."

Ecthelion is smiling a large smile and Glorfindel is still looking confused. "You may go on the wall. Not many people in the city do, but I enjoy the peace and quiet. It is a good place to exercise as well. If you decide to train, you will have to begin running to build up your stamina. While I might not have time to train you, I would be available for morning runs on the wall."

I perk up at the thought of training but not so much the running. "I was thinking of starting next spring. I want to spend the rest of the fall and winter months exploring the city, getting my room ready, and learning elvish. By next spring, I should only have my morning lessons."

Glorfindel looks excited now. "Excellent, I enjoy training new recruits. Spring will be fine as it will give me enough time to get prepared and work out a schedule. Ecthelion is right though that you will have to begin running. I suggest you run with him in the mornings before your lessons. We can have our lessons in the afternoon or evenings."

I'm excited now and they both laugh at my happiness. Ecthelion chuckles, "you won't be too excited when it first starts. I will look forward to our morning runs as no one likes to run with me. It is getting late though and I'm sure you could use a good night's rest."

He coughed and looked a little sheepish, "Glorfindel and I will be gone from the city for the next fortnight. We are sealing up the gates and attending to guard duties. I was wondering though, upon my return if you would share that story with me. I admit I am curious to hear more about your world and I am very interested in new stories. I shall play you a few songs on flute as I promised."

"Of course," I exclaimed. "I would love to share my favorite story with you. It is very long so we won't finish it in one sitting. I think probably seven nights as there are seven books. I don't mind reading the books to anyone if they are interested but I'm not sure if they are. Perhaps, I should read it to you first and then you can be the judge of it." I look over to Glorfindel and say "you're more than welcome to join if you want."

Ecthelion's eyes sparkled but Glorfindel just shrugged. "Ecthelion likes the tales and legends more than I. If he enjoys it and thinks it is good to share, I will join in with the others."

I smile at them both. Ecthelion says "I will escort you out."

We both get up to leave as Glorfindel is pouring himself more wine. As we walk down the hall I ask, "after you are back, could you stop by the palace. I have no plans at the moment and my evenings should be free but I might have something come up on the day you return."

He smiles at me and says he would. He leaves me at his main entryway and I leave his house. The sky is dark and the air is cold outside. I walk quickly to the palace as I am only wearing a thin dress.

I make it to the palace and once I'm inside I look around corners for people. I don't see anyone and I finally make it to my room. I get changed and snuggle into my warm bed to fall asleep.