Chapter Five
"My Lady." A young man's voice came from directly behind her and she felt no other choice but to turn and face him. Candria came face to face, not with the elf she had seen on the terrace, but a vassal of King Thranduil.
"The King wishes to see you. This way please." He motioned for her to follow. After a long walk through the various passes and halls of the palace the vassal motioned towards a tall set of wooden doors, which opened into the court of the King. Candria suddenly remembered that she hadn't brought the leaf of Galadriel with her and turned to the youth.
"I shall be along presently, there is something I must bring to the King but it is in my room." She turned to go, but the servant offered to retrieve whatever she wished to have from her quarters.
"Thank you. It is a golden leaf with a seal upon its center, wrapped in material inside my quiver." He bowed and quickly set off to retrieve the leaf. Meanwhile, Candria walked up to the mighty doors and stared at the woodwork, admiring the complexity of the delicate carvings. In the wood of each door the mighty trees of Greenwood were carved to the finest detail. Something compelled her to touch the doors with her hands, to run her fingers along the fine crevices of the delicate crafting. She pulled the lace glove off her right hand and pressed her fingertips against the door. For a moment she thought she felt a tremor pass through the wood and into her skin, but the moment passed as quickly as it came.
"My Lady." The vassal had been quick about his work.
"Thank you I…" She turned to find herself facing the elf that she had left on the terrace. A hot wave of embarrassment rushed through her skin and pounded the blood in her temples so loudly she thought they would burst. His manner was aloof as he seemingly disregarded her for a moment and wandered over towards the bookshelves that lined the walls of the room. As he was lightly brushing his fingertips across their bindings, he flippantly remarked:
"Is it the custom of the Lorien elf-maidens to abruptly leave when one tries to engage them in conversation?" His eyes did not leave the shelves, or he would have seen a flash pass over Candria's countenance before she recovered and coolly replied:
"Is it your custom to spy upon ladies when they are without the company of any protection?" At this he turned to face her, the smooth lines of his jaw setting in a hard and indignant manner. He walked the length of the room across from Candria, never bothering to remove his eyes from Candria as any gentleman would have. Instead, he regarded her with the same appraising look that one used to select a horse. She felt her body quake with an anger that was building up inside of her and bursting at her tongue to escape.
"Spying?" His face broke into a condescending smile that Candria found more loathsome than his high airs. "You flatter yourself my Lady, for it was you that wandered onto the terrace, and thus into my view. I did not pursue you, intent upon taking advantage of your loneliness in the darkness of the eaves."
"And yet you have followed me here." Candria dared not say more, intent upon keeping her tongue chained until the vassal would return and rescue her from the presence of the elf.
"Again, your vanity is proving to be the weaver of your rather elaborate fantasies. I did not follow you here, I was summoned by my father and commanded to wait here. Although it is of little consequence to me, I do feel inclined to ask what you are doing here, so far away from the merrymaking." Just as Candria opened her mouth to reply, the servant came in, carrying the leaf before him, still wrapped in the cloth. When he caught sight of the elf-Lord he started and them quickly bowed.
"Welcome home, my Lord." The elf smiled at the servant and looked back up again at Candria. The vassal approached her and held out the leaf for her taking. She suddenly realized that her right hand was still ungloved and she felt a quick stab of fear as she fumbled to put the glove back on. Candria took the leaf when she had covered her hand and she faced the servant, unsure of what to do next when the elf spoke to the young vassal.
"May I see my father now, for I know he is anxious to hear the tidings of the south-wood." His haughty smile was caught in Candria's throat, causing her to suddenly feel unwelcome and unwanted. She suddenly realized that this elf's father was King Thranduil. Just as she was about to comment upon her discovery, she heard the heaven doors behind her sliding slowly open.
Candria turned from the elf and the servant and faced the doors from whence a white light mixed with gray shadows was pouring forth. She blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted to the brilliance of the light and then determined to remain calm, she stepped forward boldly into the chamber of Thranduil.
"Welcome Candria, Lady of Lorien. Come forward child." There was something great and terrible about Thranduil as he was perched atop a throne woven of the supple boughs of trees. Every bit of his earthly approachability had been replaced with the glory of authority and the presence of power. Candria felt herself walk forward, unafraid of the mighty visage of King Thranduil. She was drawn to him as a child caught in the romance of a story, lost on a sea that was taking her she knew not where.
"King Thranduil, I bring you the leaf of the mellyrn tree as a symbol of the Lady Galadriel and the Lord Celeborn's agreement to join your alliance." She stooped at the foot of his throne and held the leaf above her head for him to take. Thranduil removed the leaf from her hands and bade her sit next to him at the right side of his throne.
He looked intently at the leaf for a while in silence, pausing every now and then to look at Candria. She perceived that the leaf had had more to do with her than with the agreement between Thranduil and the Lorien elves.
In fact, Galadriel had not sent Candria to deliver the message of her acquiesce, but to deliver herself. For Candria was more important to the survival of the elfin race in the dark times to come, than anyone save Galadriel could know. After what seemed an eternity, Thranduil laid the leaf aside and turned to face Candria. His eyes were set as though he was preparing himself for what he had to say.
"Candria, there are many questions that you have wanted answered since you were a child. I can find no way to respond to them all, save only those that will be revealed by what I am going to tell you. I know this shall be difficult to understand, but you must pay attention and believe all that I say." He turned to look across the hall and noticed his son waiting patiently outside; clearly upset that Candria had taken precedence over him. Thranduil motioned for him to come forward and take the seat at his left and hear all that was said. So Thranduil began the story of Candria, of her father and mother and all that had transpired to bring her to Greenwood.
"First and foremost you must realize that your coming to Greenwood was not for the purpose of delivering the message of Galadriel, her intentions were known to me by other means much faster than riders. I sense you already knew this when you first entered into Greenwood. There are great powers within you Candria, and few have known of your very existence, a secret closely guarded by the power of Lorien and Galadriel.
Your mother was the fairest maiden to ever walk in Middle Earth, the half-Valar Luthien Tinuviel. Before she was found in the forests of Neldoreth by Beren, son of Barahir, she had a child by the Valar Orome. Orome was a mighty lord, a lover of Arda, skilled hunter, and was loath to leave the shores of Middle Earth for Valinor. I believe from what Galadriel told me that you as well do not have the desire to travel from your home in Middle Earth for the Grey Havens. So has Orome's blood passed on to you his love for the earth.
Because the blood of the Valar flows through your veins, the power of your touch is immeasurable, even to me. Your blessing is the gift of healing, a gift passed to you by the love of your mother and the power of your father. There are many things you may be able to do that we have not foreseen as yet, but of this we are sure: you, Candria, are gifted with the touch that binds the life force of whomever or whatever you are touching to your command. It is because of this that Galadriel set the law that you should never know the direct touch of another's skin.
You have been sent to Greenwood in preparation for the war that is coming. The shadows are once again crawling into this forest, infesting the southern borders with orcs and other beasts of the darkness. The power of the elves cannot fend off the creatures that are pouring from the mountains into our land. The wisest of our race feel that one of the Nazgul who escaped from the fall of Morgoth has hidden himself in the forest, although we have been unable to find any trace of him. It is only by the healing of you hands will the battle we are about to fight be won. You have a gift, a rare and wonderful power that will deliver our race from the hands of destruction." Thranduil paused to look at Candria; her eyes were now wide and full of wonder. She pondered all that had been said in the silence of Thranduil's stare, her breathing became slower and the full knowledge of her parentage washed over her, bathing her in solemnity. The questions of her youth were answered, the truths of all fallacies discovered by Thranduil's disclosure. After what seemed an eternity, the silence of the hall was broken by Candria's voice, almost a whisper.
"Why…why is my gift the savior of the elfin race? I don't understand." She looked down at her hands, the lace of the gloves betraying small specks of her fair skin. Her hands shook uncontrollably, quivering despite her efforts to still her fingers.
"Many of our elves shall fall in the battles against the shadow, it is by your touch that they shall be spared death. I do not mean to say that you can bring the dead to life, for that power is held only by Iluvitar himself; your touch can bring the dying back into the realm of light. As long as there is the smallest bit of life left in a being, you can draw them through your power back to living." Candria suddenly remembered the stone that she wore around her neck. She reached down and pulled at the silver chain that held the red stone against her breast. The gem seemed to glow brilliantly in the presence of Thranduil as she held it up for him to see.
"This, I was told, was a gift from my mother, now I wish to know the origin of this stone, for I have never seen its equal in all the jewels of the Lorien realm." Thranduil touched the stone with the tip of his finger and suddenly the dancing flame filled the entire sphere with a crimson glow.
"You have never seen its like, because this stone was made at the hands of Aule, at the wish of Orome for Luthien to have as an heirloom for their child. In its depths are the flames of Luthien's heart, always glowing at the touch of kindness or love. It is a very rare gift, and if I am not mistaken, by the power of this stone, you have greater sight and hearing than any of your kindred." He looked into her eyes. "You have the clearest eyes of any elf that has ever been in Middle Earth- therefore it is also by this orb that your sight has been blessed, and your mind able to see the thoughts of others, a skill which you will learn in time… Have you any other questions?" Candria's head was swimming with questions, but exhaustion was creeping through her bones and she desired to rest, her weariness suddenly catching up with her.
"No my Lord, I ask leave of your grace to rest." She stood up and bowed to Thranduil, her eyes darting to his son who seemed to be watching her with a newfound amazement.
"If you could but stay a moment longer, I should very much like you to hear what news my son had brought us from the southern borders of our forest. You have already been introduced I take it?" Candria looked directly at his son, all of her embarrassment lost in a sea of thoughts more important than any humiliation he had caused her.
"No King Thranduil, we have not been formerly introduced." At this his son stood up, his eyes casting down upon her with their aloof glow.
"Then, Candria, Lady of Lorien, daughter of Luthien, I present to you Legolas, son of Thranduil, and heir to my kingdom." Candria lifted her gloved hand up to him, and Legolas took it, lightly kissing it as a formal gesture. He seemed to pause momentarily before releasing her hand, caught by the same force that Candria held on all she touched. She forced a smile and retook her seat by the side of Thranduil, her mind wandering from thought to thought, hardly able to focus upon what Legolas was saying.
"…and after three days of traveling the border we came upon the largest host of orcs dwelling near the south east edges of the forest. They were stopped thirteen miles inside the forest, and when they broke camp they began to move northward. We lost them most unusually; it was as though they had disappeared into the ground without trace or track. We did not encounter any other beasts on our way through the forest, and the ride returning to the city was not followed." Legolas bowed and asked leave of Thranduil.
"Yes. I am tired and I know that you both must be as well. Legolas, escort Candria to her room please." Thranduil rose and bid them both good night. Legolas offered Candria his arm and for a moment, she considered refusing. Out of weariness she slipped her arm into his and he led her out of the hall. For a while they walked along in silence, her mind wandering through all that had been told to her and her free hand playing with the stone around her neck.
"If I offended you, then I am sorry." Legolas' voice had changed and now seemed to be truly filled with regret. Candria felt ashamed of what she had said as well, her hand let her necklace drop as she replied:
"If you offended me? There should be no doubt that you did, but I shan't let you redeem yourself in my graces if you do not allow me to do the same. I am sorry for all I said as well, I…I was afraid and alone. My fear did not afford me the right to be rude." They arrived at her door and without another word, or response from him, she passed through, ready to collapse from exhaustion.
"My Lady." A young man's voice came from directly behind her and she felt no other choice but to turn and face him. Candria came face to face, not with the elf she had seen on the terrace, but a vassal of King Thranduil.
"The King wishes to see you. This way please." He motioned for her to follow. After a long walk through the various passes and halls of the palace the vassal motioned towards a tall set of wooden doors, which opened into the court of the King. Candria suddenly remembered that she hadn't brought the leaf of Galadriel with her and turned to the youth.
"I shall be along presently, there is something I must bring to the King but it is in my room." She turned to go, but the servant offered to retrieve whatever she wished to have from her quarters.
"Thank you. It is a golden leaf with a seal upon its center, wrapped in material inside my quiver." He bowed and quickly set off to retrieve the leaf. Meanwhile, Candria walked up to the mighty doors and stared at the woodwork, admiring the complexity of the delicate carvings. In the wood of each door the mighty trees of Greenwood were carved to the finest detail. Something compelled her to touch the doors with her hands, to run her fingers along the fine crevices of the delicate crafting. She pulled the lace glove off her right hand and pressed her fingertips against the door. For a moment she thought she felt a tremor pass through the wood and into her skin, but the moment passed as quickly as it came.
"My Lady." The vassal had been quick about his work.
"Thank you I…" She turned to find herself facing the elf that she had left on the terrace. A hot wave of embarrassment rushed through her skin and pounded the blood in her temples so loudly she thought they would burst. His manner was aloof as he seemingly disregarded her for a moment and wandered over towards the bookshelves that lined the walls of the room. As he was lightly brushing his fingertips across their bindings, he flippantly remarked:
"Is it the custom of the Lorien elf-maidens to abruptly leave when one tries to engage them in conversation?" His eyes did not leave the shelves, or he would have seen a flash pass over Candria's countenance before she recovered and coolly replied:
"Is it your custom to spy upon ladies when they are without the company of any protection?" At this he turned to face her, the smooth lines of his jaw setting in a hard and indignant manner. He walked the length of the room across from Candria, never bothering to remove his eyes from Candria as any gentleman would have. Instead, he regarded her with the same appraising look that one used to select a horse. She felt her body quake with an anger that was building up inside of her and bursting at her tongue to escape.
"Spying?" His face broke into a condescending smile that Candria found more loathsome than his high airs. "You flatter yourself my Lady, for it was you that wandered onto the terrace, and thus into my view. I did not pursue you, intent upon taking advantage of your loneliness in the darkness of the eaves."
"And yet you have followed me here." Candria dared not say more, intent upon keeping her tongue chained until the vassal would return and rescue her from the presence of the elf.
"Again, your vanity is proving to be the weaver of your rather elaborate fantasies. I did not follow you here, I was summoned by my father and commanded to wait here. Although it is of little consequence to me, I do feel inclined to ask what you are doing here, so far away from the merrymaking." Just as Candria opened her mouth to reply, the servant came in, carrying the leaf before him, still wrapped in the cloth. When he caught sight of the elf-Lord he started and them quickly bowed.
"Welcome home, my Lord." The elf smiled at the servant and looked back up again at Candria. The vassal approached her and held out the leaf for her taking. She suddenly realized that her right hand was still ungloved and she felt a quick stab of fear as she fumbled to put the glove back on. Candria took the leaf when she had covered her hand and she faced the servant, unsure of what to do next when the elf spoke to the young vassal.
"May I see my father now, for I know he is anxious to hear the tidings of the south-wood." His haughty smile was caught in Candria's throat, causing her to suddenly feel unwelcome and unwanted. She suddenly realized that this elf's father was King Thranduil. Just as she was about to comment upon her discovery, she heard the heaven doors behind her sliding slowly open.
Candria turned from the elf and the servant and faced the doors from whence a white light mixed with gray shadows was pouring forth. She blinked a few times before her eyes adjusted to the brilliance of the light and then determined to remain calm, she stepped forward boldly into the chamber of Thranduil.
"Welcome Candria, Lady of Lorien. Come forward child." There was something great and terrible about Thranduil as he was perched atop a throne woven of the supple boughs of trees. Every bit of his earthly approachability had been replaced with the glory of authority and the presence of power. Candria felt herself walk forward, unafraid of the mighty visage of King Thranduil. She was drawn to him as a child caught in the romance of a story, lost on a sea that was taking her she knew not where.
"King Thranduil, I bring you the leaf of the mellyrn tree as a symbol of the Lady Galadriel and the Lord Celeborn's agreement to join your alliance." She stooped at the foot of his throne and held the leaf above her head for him to take. Thranduil removed the leaf from her hands and bade her sit next to him at the right side of his throne.
He looked intently at the leaf for a while in silence, pausing every now and then to look at Candria. She perceived that the leaf had had more to do with her than with the agreement between Thranduil and the Lorien elves.
In fact, Galadriel had not sent Candria to deliver the message of her acquiesce, but to deliver herself. For Candria was more important to the survival of the elfin race in the dark times to come, than anyone save Galadriel could know. After what seemed an eternity, Thranduil laid the leaf aside and turned to face Candria. His eyes were set as though he was preparing himself for what he had to say.
"Candria, there are many questions that you have wanted answered since you were a child. I can find no way to respond to them all, save only those that will be revealed by what I am going to tell you. I know this shall be difficult to understand, but you must pay attention and believe all that I say." He turned to look across the hall and noticed his son waiting patiently outside; clearly upset that Candria had taken precedence over him. Thranduil motioned for him to come forward and take the seat at his left and hear all that was said. So Thranduil began the story of Candria, of her father and mother and all that had transpired to bring her to Greenwood.
"First and foremost you must realize that your coming to Greenwood was not for the purpose of delivering the message of Galadriel, her intentions were known to me by other means much faster than riders. I sense you already knew this when you first entered into Greenwood. There are great powers within you Candria, and few have known of your very existence, a secret closely guarded by the power of Lorien and Galadriel.
Your mother was the fairest maiden to ever walk in Middle Earth, the half-Valar Luthien Tinuviel. Before she was found in the forests of Neldoreth by Beren, son of Barahir, she had a child by the Valar Orome. Orome was a mighty lord, a lover of Arda, skilled hunter, and was loath to leave the shores of Middle Earth for Valinor. I believe from what Galadriel told me that you as well do not have the desire to travel from your home in Middle Earth for the Grey Havens. So has Orome's blood passed on to you his love for the earth.
Because the blood of the Valar flows through your veins, the power of your touch is immeasurable, even to me. Your blessing is the gift of healing, a gift passed to you by the love of your mother and the power of your father. There are many things you may be able to do that we have not foreseen as yet, but of this we are sure: you, Candria, are gifted with the touch that binds the life force of whomever or whatever you are touching to your command. It is because of this that Galadriel set the law that you should never know the direct touch of another's skin.
You have been sent to Greenwood in preparation for the war that is coming. The shadows are once again crawling into this forest, infesting the southern borders with orcs and other beasts of the darkness. The power of the elves cannot fend off the creatures that are pouring from the mountains into our land. The wisest of our race feel that one of the Nazgul who escaped from the fall of Morgoth has hidden himself in the forest, although we have been unable to find any trace of him. It is only by the healing of you hands will the battle we are about to fight be won. You have a gift, a rare and wonderful power that will deliver our race from the hands of destruction." Thranduil paused to look at Candria; her eyes were now wide and full of wonder. She pondered all that had been said in the silence of Thranduil's stare, her breathing became slower and the full knowledge of her parentage washed over her, bathing her in solemnity. The questions of her youth were answered, the truths of all fallacies discovered by Thranduil's disclosure. After what seemed an eternity, the silence of the hall was broken by Candria's voice, almost a whisper.
"Why…why is my gift the savior of the elfin race? I don't understand." She looked down at her hands, the lace of the gloves betraying small specks of her fair skin. Her hands shook uncontrollably, quivering despite her efforts to still her fingers.
"Many of our elves shall fall in the battles against the shadow, it is by your touch that they shall be spared death. I do not mean to say that you can bring the dead to life, for that power is held only by Iluvitar himself; your touch can bring the dying back into the realm of light. As long as there is the smallest bit of life left in a being, you can draw them through your power back to living." Candria suddenly remembered the stone that she wore around her neck. She reached down and pulled at the silver chain that held the red stone against her breast. The gem seemed to glow brilliantly in the presence of Thranduil as she held it up for him to see.
"This, I was told, was a gift from my mother, now I wish to know the origin of this stone, for I have never seen its equal in all the jewels of the Lorien realm." Thranduil touched the stone with the tip of his finger and suddenly the dancing flame filled the entire sphere with a crimson glow.
"You have never seen its like, because this stone was made at the hands of Aule, at the wish of Orome for Luthien to have as an heirloom for their child. In its depths are the flames of Luthien's heart, always glowing at the touch of kindness or love. It is a very rare gift, and if I am not mistaken, by the power of this stone, you have greater sight and hearing than any of your kindred." He looked into her eyes. "You have the clearest eyes of any elf that has ever been in Middle Earth- therefore it is also by this orb that your sight has been blessed, and your mind able to see the thoughts of others, a skill which you will learn in time… Have you any other questions?" Candria's head was swimming with questions, but exhaustion was creeping through her bones and she desired to rest, her weariness suddenly catching up with her.
"No my Lord, I ask leave of your grace to rest." She stood up and bowed to Thranduil, her eyes darting to his son who seemed to be watching her with a newfound amazement.
"If you could but stay a moment longer, I should very much like you to hear what news my son had brought us from the southern borders of our forest. You have already been introduced I take it?" Candria looked directly at his son, all of her embarrassment lost in a sea of thoughts more important than any humiliation he had caused her.
"No King Thranduil, we have not been formerly introduced." At this his son stood up, his eyes casting down upon her with their aloof glow.
"Then, Candria, Lady of Lorien, daughter of Luthien, I present to you Legolas, son of Thranduil, and heir to my kingdom." Candria lifted her gloved hand up to him, and Legolas took it, lightly kissing it as a formal gesture. He seemed to pause momentarily before releasing her hand, caught by the same force that Candria held on all she touched. She forced a smile and retook her seat by the side of Thranduil, her mind wandering from thought to thought, hardly able to focus upon what Legolas was saying.
"…and after three days of traveling the border we came upon the largest host of orcs dwelling near the south east edges of the forest. They were stopped thirteen miles inside the forest, and when they broke camp they began to move northward. We lost them most unusually; it was as though they had disappeared into the ground without trace or track. We did not encounter any other beasts on our way through the forest, and the ride returning to the city was not followed." Legolas bowed and asked leave of Thranduil.
"Yes. I am tired and I know that you both must be as well. Legolas, escort Candria to her room please." Thranduil rose and bid them both good night. Legolas offered Candria his arm and for a moment, she considered refusing. Out of weariness she slipped her arm into his and he led her out of the hall. For a while they walked along in silence, her mind wandering through all that had been told to her and her free hand playing with the stone around her neck.
"If I offended you, then I am sorry." Legolas' voice had changed and now seemed to be truly filled with regret. Candria felt ashamed of what she had said as well, her hand let her necklace drop as she replied:
"If you offended me? There should be no doubt that you did, but I shan't let you redeem yourself in my graces if you do not allow me to do the same. I am sorry for all I said as well, I…I was afraid and alone. My fear did not afford me the right to be rude." They arrived at her door and without another word, or response from him, she passed through, ready to collapse from exhaustion.