Saryn sat in desultory silence before the fire. She and Telvryn had ridden
for nearly twenty-four hours without stopping, and they were both
exhausted. Still, they were both wide awake with their own thoughts. The
dancing flames flickered over her wan, pinched face as she prodded the logs
with a charred twig. Only her eyes were bright, hard chips of blue mica
that reflected the soft moonlight. "I know what it is that chases sleep
from my weary brow," she said at last, "but what troubles you?"
Telvryn propped himself up on his elbow. He rolled a dead leaf between his thumb and forefinger. "I am pondering this madness upon which we have embarked," he answered, studying her.
"The name for this madness is love, and its hand cannot be stayed," she told him, her blue eyes clouding for an instant at the recollection of what she sought.
"Tell me, how did you come to be joined with Legolas?" He sat up and crossed his legs.
"Ah," she sighed, her body relaxing at the mention of such a pleasant subject, "that is a story I will gladly tell." She leaned back against the trunk of the proud oak tree behind her and smoothed out the delicate hem of her gown. "I first laid eyes upon him," she began, her eyes growing misty and distant as they retreated into memory, "at the Festival of Rejuvenation in 1063. The whole village had been invited to attend, and the main glade of Mirkwood was thronged with people. Spring had come again, and the air was redolent with the scent of pine and grass."
"All of the local village girls had busied themselves for weeks preparing for their meeting with the king and Prince Legolas. My father, the local textile merchant, had been swamped with requests for the most expensive and exotic of fabrics. Even the poorest girls with hardly a gildnar to their name sought small swatches of finery to use as ribbons for their hair. Everyone knew that the prince was the most eligible bachelor in the elven kingdoms, and every girl held hopes of catching his eye."
"I, myself, primped and fretted along with the rest of them, but I held little hope for attracting his attention. My mother died when I was small, so my father depended on me to help him run his shop. As such, I never learned the finer points of femininity, like sewing. I spent most of my time delivering baskets of fabric to customers and tending our home."
"Nevertheless, on that night, I stood with the rest of the guests in the royal receiving line. It stretched from one end of the glade to the other with no end in sight. Guards lined the route to control some of the more overzealous girls. There were many who fainted before ever reaching Legolas, and they were carried away. The line was abuzz with nervous chatter, and wild rumors circulated about the prince's appearance. Some said he had a face that glowed like fire. Others said he was an angel from heaven."
"When my turn came to greet the royal family, time stopped when I saw Legolas. Though his face didn't glow with fire, he was indeed an angel. My knees went weak, and I would've fallen during my curtsy had he not steadied me. There were titters of scornful laughter behind me, but he seemed not to have heard. His hand grasped my arm just above the elbow.
'Pray, what is your name?' he asked, his cool gray eyes searching my face.
"My voice seemed to come from far away as I answered him. 'Saryn.'
'Saryn,' he said slowly, as though he were tasting it. 'Saryn, I'm certain we will meet again.' He let go of my elbow and moved on to the next guest."
"For the rest of the night our eyes never strayed far from one another, seeking one another like the trees stretch forth their branches in search of rain. Hour after hour, the line went on. Finally, long after the torches had been lit to ward off darkness, the last guest was greeted, and the orchestra was preparing to play the last song of the night. His eyes sought me out, and when they had found me, he started toward me, a pleased smile upon his face. But before he got far, he was beset by three harpies in the finest silk gowns. I despaired then of ever dancing with him, but to my surprise he shooed them away and hurried to my side, bowing low.
'And now, my lady, I have been waiting all evening to ask for this dance,' he said, offering me his arm.
"I accepted in a near-swoon. As we began to reel and waltz in time with the lively notes of the lyre and harp, I knew my heart was lost to all others. I was deaf to everything but his soft voice and blind to all but his beautiful face staring back at me. Faster and faster we spun, arms linked. After a while, I could no longer feel the ground beneath my feet."
"Despite the magic of that night, I was sure I would not see him again. I returned to my job delivering fabrics. I was mistaken. Three days after the festival, I answered a knock at the door to find Prince Legolas with a lily in his hand. He invited me to walk with him. I did, forgetting my chores and all else. This went on night after night. Finally, my poor father, up to his ears in dirty laundry and dishes, forbid me to go with Legolas until I finished my chores. Once I did, my father quite approved of the relationship."
"Legolas' father, on the other hand, was not so pleased. Though he was glad to see his bachelor son enamored with a member of the fairer sex, he had hoped it would be a lady of finer breeding, like Lady Gerlise, a duchess who lived in Lothlorien. In vain, he pleaded with him to renounce me, but Legolas would not hear it, and his mother, Queen Jaza, sided with her son. Thus, the king could do nothing."
"When Legolas presented me with a token of favor six months later, the whole kingdom was in a furor over the news that the prince's beloved was a modest merchant's daughter. The elite maidens of Mirkwood shunned me, unable to accept that someone beneath their station had captured the heart of the fairest prince in all elfdom. Worse yet, their mothers took their business elsewhere. Soon my father was in great debt. For the sake of his livelihood, he ordered me to end my romance with Legolas. I could not. Desperate, I confided in Legolas. He soon appointed my father outfitter to the crown prince and saved his business. My father serves him faithfully to this day."
"On the first anniversary of our meeting, Legolas presented me with a token of promise and asked for my hand in joining. I accepted, and plans were made to be joined after the fall harvest. We were overjoyed, but his father was not, for when the wealthy maidens of the village learned of our betrothal, they began rumors that I was impure and unfaithful to Legolas. Legolas knew them to be untrue, but the king, desperate to maneuver his son into a more desirable pairing with the duchess, seized upon them. He told Legolas that if he wished to marry me, I must consent to being examined by midwives to vouch for my purity."
"Legolas was furious with his father for questioning my virtue and flatly refused to honor his father's wishes. His mother, too, was horrified, and beseeched him to change his mind, but he would not. Every day the midwives came, and every day Legolas forbid them from touching me. It was out of love as well as a little shame, for I was impure, but not because of any misdeed. Legolas had deflowered me in the palace garden three weeks before and wished to keep the matter private."
"Things might never have been resolved had not his mother intervened. She told the king that since Legolas was her only son, she wished more than anything else to see him joined to the one he loved. If the king would not grant her request, she would leave the castle forever. Faced with his wife's threats and pleas, King Thranduil relented. We were joined in the fall of 1064. From that day forward, we have never been long apart from one another. Do you understand now why I must find him?"
He nodded. He did. Though reason told him there was no hurry, his heart spoke more urgently. He would help her find Legolas. He had one last question. "Have you made peace with the king?"
She sighed. "He has softened, but he will never love me as a daughter. He has been impatient for grandchildren, and there have been rumblings about the castle that he would ask Legolas to declare an annulment on the grounds that I was barren. Hopefully the fact that I am with child will restore me into his tenuous favor." She stroked her belly for a moment. "At last I am weary. Will there be anything else?"
"No," he said, stifling a yawn.
"Goodnight then," she said, getting to her feet.
"Goodnight." He watched her until she'd settled beneath her blanket. Then he put out the fire. The night engulfed them.
Telvryn propped himself up on his elbow. He rolled a dead leaf between his thumb and forefinger. "I am pondering this madness upon which we have embarked," he answered, studying her.
"The name for this madness is love, and its hand cannot be stayed," she told him, her blue eyes clouding for an instant at the recollection of what she sought.
"Tell me, how did you come to be joined with Legolas?" He sat up and crossed his legs.
"Ah," she sighed, her body relaxing at the mention of such a pleasant subject, "that is a story I will gladly tell." She leaned back against the trunk of the proud oak tree behind her and smoothed out the delicate hem of her gown. "I first laid eyes upon him," she began, her eyes growing misty and distant as they retreated into memory, "at the Festival of Rejuvenation in 1063. The whole village had been invited to attend, and the main glade of Mirkwood was thronged with people. Spring had come again, and the air was redolent with the scent of pine and grass."
"All of the local village girls had busied themselves for weeks preparing for their meeting with the king and Prince Legolas. My father, the local textile merchant, had been swamped with requests for the most expensive and exotic of fabrics. Even the poorest girls with hardly a gildnar to their name sought small swatches of finery to use as ribbons for their hair. Everyone knew that the prince was the most eligible bachelor in the elven kingdoms, and every girl held hopes of catching his eye."
"I, myself, primped and fretted along with the rest of them, but I held little hope for attracting his attention. My mother died when I was small, so my father depended on me to help him run his shop. As such, I never learned the finer points of femininity, like sewing. I spent most of my time delivering baskets of fabric to customers and tending our home."
"Nevertheless, on that night, I stood with the rest of the guests in the royal receiving line. It stretched from one end of the glade to the other with no end in sight. Guards lined the route to control some of the more overzealous girls. There were many who fainted before ever reaching Legolas, and they were carried away. The line was abuzz with nervous chatter, and wild rumors circulated about the prince's appearance. Some said he had a face that glowed like fire. Others said he was an angel from heaven."
"When my turn came to greet the royal family, time stopped when I saw Legolas. Though his face didn't glow with fire, he was indeed an angel. My knees went weak, and I would've fallen during my curtsy had he not steadied me. There were titters of scornful laughter behind me, but he seemed not to have heard. His hand grasped my arm just above the elbow.
'Pray, what is your name?' he asked, his cool gray eyes searching my face.
"My voice seemed to come from far away as I answered him. 'Saryn.'
'Saryn,' he said slowly, as though he were tasting it. 'Saryn, I'm certain we will meet again.' He let go of my elbow and moved on to the next guest."
"For the rest of the night our eyes never strayed far from one another, seeking one another like the trees stretch forth their branches in search of rain. Hour after hour, the line went on. Finally, long after the torches had been lit to ward off darkness, the last guest was greeted, and the orchestra was preparing to play the last song of the night. His eyes sought me out, and when they had found me, he started toward me, a pleased smile upon his face. But before he got far, he was beset by three harpies in the finest silk gowns. I despaired then of ever dancing with him, but to my surprise he shooed them away and hurried to my side, bowing low.
'And now, my lady, I have been waiting all evening to ask for this dance,' he said, offering me his arm.
"I accepted in a near-swoon. As we began to reel and waltz in time with the lively notes of the lyre and harp, I knew my heart was lost to all others. I was deaf to everything but his soft voice and blind to all but his beautiful face staring back at me. Faster and faster we spun, arms linked. After a while, I could no longer feel the ground beneath my feet."
"Despite the magic of that night, I was sure I would not see him again. I returned to my job delivering fabrics. I was mistaken. Three days after the festival, I answered a knock at the door to find Prince Legolas with a lily in his hand. He invited me to walk with him. I did, forgetting my chores and all else. This went on night after night. Finally, my poor father, up to his ears in dirty laundry and dishes, forbid me to go with Legolas until I finished my chores. Once I did, my father quite approved of the relationship."
"Legolas' father, on the other hand, was not so pleased. Though he was glad to see his bachelor son enamored with a member of the fairer sex, he had hoped it would be a lady of finer breeding, like Lady Gerlise, a duchess who lived in Lothlorien. In vain, he pleaded with him to renounce me, but Legolas would not hear it, and his mother, Queen Jaza, sided with her son. Thus, the king could do nothing."
"When Legolas presented me with a token of favor six months later, the whole kingdom was in a furor over the news that the prince's beloved was a modest merchant's daughter. The elite maidens of Mirkwood shunned me, unable to accept that someone beneath their station had captured the heart of the fairest prince in all elfdom. Worse yet, their mothers took their business elsewhere. Soon my father was in great debt. For the sake of his livelihood, he ordered me to end my romance with Legolas. I could not. Desperate, I confided in Legolas. He soon appointed my father outfitter to the crown prince and saved his business. My father serves him faithfully to this day."
"On the first anniversary of our meeting, Legolas presented me with a token of promise and asked for my hand in joining. I accepted, and plans were made to be joined after the fall harvest. We were overjoyed, but his father was not, for when the wealthy maidens of the village learned of our betrothal, they began rumors that I was impure and unfaithful to Legolas. Legolas knew them to be untrue, but the king, desperate to maneuver his son into a more desirable pairing with the duchess, seized upon them. He told Legolas that if he wished to marry me, I must consent to being examined by midwives to vouch for my purity."
"Legolas was furious with his father for questioning my virtue and flatly refused to honor his father's wishes. His mother, too, was horrified, and beseeched him to change his mind, but he would not. Every day the midwives came, and every day Legolas forbid them from touching me. It was out of love as well as a little shame, for I was impure, but not because of any misdeed. Legolas had deflowered me in the palace garden three weeks before and wished to keep the matter private."
"Things might never have been resolved had not his mother intervened. She told the king that since Legolas was her only son, she wished more than anything else to see him joined to the one he loved. If the king would not grant her request, she would leave the castle forever. Faced with his wife's threats and pleas, King Thranduil relented. We were joined in the fall of 1064. From that day forward, we have never been long apart from one another. Do you understand now why I must find him?"
He nodded. He did. Though reason told him there was no hurry, his heart spoke more urgently. He would help her find Legolas. He had one last question. "Have you made peace with the king?"
She sighed. "He has softened, but he will never love me as a daughter. He has been impatient for grandchildren, and there have been rumblings about the castle that he would ask Legolas to declare an annulment on the grounds that I was barren. Hopefully the fact that I am with child will restore me into his tenuous favor." She stroked her belly for a moment. "At last I am weary. Will there be anything else?"
"No," he said, stifling a yawn.
"Goodnight then," she said, getting to her feet.
"Goodnight." He watched her until she'd settled beneath her blanket. Then he put out the fire. The night engulfed them.