I would've posted sooner, but I was going through some personal problems.
Another note: all chapters up to the middle of Chapter Six are pre-written. After that, anything goes...
--Elf Digest
****
Chapter Four:
As they waved good-bye to their generous host, Elrond and Celebrian looked at each other with such longing that Celebrian could barely manage to keep her palfrey walking to keep up with those of her parents.
As each became naught more than a dot on the horizon to the other, they finally turned their faces away.
Celebrian felt as if her heart had broken.
Elrond wished he could die, right under that archway.
Celeborn pulled back his palfrey to keep in step with that of his daughter's. He did not share his wife's gift for reading hearts, as well as minds, but he knew something was wrong with his child.
"You are troubled." he said, his voice low, his face showing only concern.
She finally forced her mouth to work, and her lips to make discernable words. "I am fine." Her eyes were red. "I will be."
It was thirty-three days later, and Celebrian was not as "fine" as she claimed. She had eaten only what her mother had forced her to eat, and spent time alone, huge amounts of time, either draped over the balcony outside her room or on the bed inside, sobbing until she had no more breath.
"What is wrong with her?" Celeborn asked one night at dinner, one which Celebrian had refused to attend.
Galadriel sat silently, the pain of her daughter coursing through her own heart. "Her heart is broken."
"What?"
She could only look at him.
"Who? Who broke her heart?" He stood, standing over her.
"Love broke her heart." Galadriel bade her husband sit, lest he work himself into a rage. "She is in love with the Lord Elrond."
"He broke her heart?"
"And she broke his, I am sure. If only she were allowed to remain in Imladris."
Celeborn felt that once again he had been left out of something very important. "Start over, love. Is our child really in love with Elrond? Did he hurt her?" He gripped his cloth napkin so tightly his knuckles were as white as his wife's dress. "Should we have brought her to Imladris? I will kill that half-breed elf if he dares to hurt my daughter!" He slammed the napkin, and the fist clutching it, onto the table.
"Calm down!" It was Galadriel's turn to stand, and she loomed over him. "Elrond and Celebrian are both in love. It broke her heart to leave him!"
Celeborn was speechless. Elrond had spent much time with his daughter, now that he noticed it, and she had seemed so radiant when he brought her to breakfast each morning.
"I will speak to her." He rose and left.
In her room, Celebrian, her dresses, books, sword, bow and arrows packed, had been writing a letter. She was dressed in riding clothes -- most unladylike for anyone but one who was planning a stealthy escape.
Dear Mother and Father,
By the time you read this I will have departed.
My life is so miserable here I cannot describe it on paper.
If you search your hearts you will know where I dwell.
Please do not seek to return me here.
Love always,
Princess Celebrian
With that, she hugged the letter to her chest and dropped it on the bed. She slung the pack to her shoulder, stepped outside her window, crept along the narrow ledge until she reached the lit walkway, and ran the rest of the way to the stables, where she chose a mount and departed. None dared stop her.
In Imladris, it was once again mealtime. Elrond had not eaten a single bite of food in an entire day, not since the last bite he'd eaten for Erestor's sake, since the other elf would not leave until he had eaten. He currently lay on his bed, looking blankly up at the ceiling, his utter depression creating an unseen cloud of misery round his bed.
"He's been sad before, but never like this." Erestor told Glorfindel, the captain of the guard. "He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, he wanders to that old bench in the courtyard and back."
Glorfindel was about to reply, before a shout from one of the guards alerted him. "Sir! The princess of Lothlorien is headed this way!"
A blur of motion rushed by Erestor and Glorfindel, before both bewildered elves realized it was Elrond.
In the forest, before the gates, Elrond stopped. The radiant beauty of his princess, a gold aura, commanded his senses. She rose upon her white steed, wearing clothing of the purest white.
Leaping off of her mount, she rushed to her lover's side and threw her arms around him.
"Elrond... Elrond, I love you!"
He pressed his face against hers, letting his tears fall. "I love you, too, Celebrian." Never again would he let her leave his sight, never again would his heart break, as long as Celebrian stood beside him.
"Celebrian..." he started, in Quenya, fumbling for the right words, "my treasure, my soul mate, my love... would thou doest me the honor of becoming my wife?"
She smiled, with all the pent-up longing she had held for him, her face more beautiful than any Elrond had ever seen. She was more than worthy of becoming his queen, if she accepted.
"I would accept thine proposal, and become thine hallowed wife, if thou wouldst become my sacred husband." she replied, placing her cheek on his chest.
"We shall be married tonight."
"I cannot wait."
He led her back inside, his face projecting such a look of utter tranquility and happiness that his servants were transfixed. Inside his -- no, their room -- he opened her pack and proceeded to carefully hang each robe in his closet, while she sat on the bed and gazed around the room. For being an elven-lord, his room certainly wasn't much different from the room she had while visiting Imladris.
Soon I shall be his wife, she thought, and even my parents cannot tear me away from this place.
"Are you hungry?"
She blinked, then nodded. "A bit." she admitted, allowing him to lift her off of the bed, into his arms.
"Shall I carry you to the dining hall?" he asked, grinning. She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Thou art a true elven-lord!" she smiled, planting a kiss on his cheek, as he carried her the short distance to the open dining hall, and announced their engagement. That evening, they were wedded under a silver mellorn tree, and Celebrian could not remember a happier moment, nor could Elrond.
Elrond bade his wife to write her mother of the passing events, since Celebrian had told Galadriel years ago never to eavesdrop on her life through that accursed mirror.
Dear Mother and Father,
Elrond and I are married, and none shall
break that bond.
I am happier than I can describe in words.
-- Queen Celebrian of Imladris
As Galadriel received the letter, bound in green silk, from the elf messenger, she clasped it to her bosom, already knowing what words were printed on the paper. As she handed the letter to her husband, she hoped he, of all people, would understand.
Celeborn was silent as he handed the letter back. How, he cursed silently, how could Elrond take his little girl from him?
Another note: all chapters up to the middle of Chapter Six are pre-written. After that, anything goes...
--Elf Digest
****
Chapter Four:
As they waved good-bye to their generous host, Elrond and Celebrian looked at each other with such longing that Celebrian could barely manage to keep her palfrey walking to keep up with those of her parents.
As each became naught more than a dot on the horizon to the other, they finally turned their faces away.
Celebrian felt as if her heart had broken.
Elrond wished he could die, right under that archway.
Celeborn pulled back his palfrey to keep in step with that of his daughter's. He did not share his wife's gift for reading hearts, as well as minds, but he knew something was wrong with his child.
"You are troubled." he said, his voice low, his face showing only concern.
She finally forced her mouth to work, and her lips to make discernable words. "I am fine." Her eyes were red. "I will be."
It was thirty-three days later, and Celebrian was not as "fine" as she claimed. She had eaten only what her mother had forced her to eat, and spent time alone, huge amounts of time, either draped over the balcony outside her room or on the bed inside, sobbing until she had no more breath.
"What is wrong with her?" Celeborn asked one night at dinner, one which Celebrian had refused to attend.
Galadriel sat silently, the pain of her daughter coursing through her own heart. "Her heart is broken."
"What?"
She could only look at him.
"Who? Who broke her heart?" He stood, standing over her.
"Love broke her heart." Galadriel bade her husband sit, lest he work himself into a rage. "She is in love with the Lord Elrond."
"He broke her heart?"
"And she broke his, I am sure. If only she were allowed to remain in Imladris."
Celeborn felt that once again he had been left out of something very important. "Start over, love. Is our child really in love with Elrond? Did he hurt her?" He gripped his cloth napkin so tightly his knuckles were as white as his wife's dress. "Should we have brought her to Imladris? I will kill that half-breed elf if he dares to hurt my daughter!" He slammed the napkin, and the fist clutching it, onto the table.
"Calm down!" It was Galadriel's turn to stand, and she loomed over him. "Elrond and Celebrian are both in love. It broke her heart to leave him!"
Celeborn was speechless. Elrond had spent much time with his daughter, now that he noticed it, and she had seemed so radiant when he brought her to breakfast each morning.
"I will speak to her." He rose and left.
In her room, Celebrian, her dresses, books, sword, bow and arrows packed, had been writing a letter. She was dressed in riding clothes -- most unladylike for anyone but one who was planning a stealthy escape.
Dear Mother and Father,
By the time you read this I will have departed.
My life is so miserable here I cannot describe it on paper.
If you search your hearts you will know where I dwell.
Please do not seek to return me here.
Love always,
Princess Celebrian
With that, she hugged the letter to her chest and dropped it on the bed. She slung the pack to her shoulder, stepped outside her window, crept along the narrow ledge until she reached the lit walkway, and ran the rest of the way to the stables, where she chose a mount and departed. None dared stop her.
In Imladris, it was once again mealtime. Elrond had not eaten a single bite of food in an entire day, not since the last bite he'd eaten for Erestor's sake, since the other elf would not leave until he had eaten. He currently lay on his bed, looking blankly up at the ceiling, his utter depression creating an unseen cloud of misery round his bed.
"He's been sad before, but never like this." Erestor told Glorfindel, the captain of the guard. "He doesn't eat, he doesn't sleep, he wanders to that old bench in the courtyard and back."
Glorfindel was about to reply, before a shout from one of the guards alerted him. "Sir! The princess of Lothlorien is headed this way!"
A blur of motion rushed by Erestor and Glorfindel, before both bewildered elves realized it was Elrond.
In the forest, before the gates, Elrond stopped. The radiant beauty of his princess, a gold aura, commanded his senses. She rose upon her white steed, wearing clothing of the purest white.
Leaping off of her mount, she rushed to her lover's side and threw her arms around him.
"Elrond... Elrond, I love you!"
He pressed his face against hers, letting his tears fall. "I love you, too, Celebrian." Never again would he let her leave his sight, never again would his heart break, as long as Celebrian stood beside him.
"Celebrian..." he started, in Quenya, fumbling for the right words, "my treasure, my soul mate, my love... would thou doest me the honor of becoming my wife?"
She smiled, with all the pent-up longing she had held for him, her face more beautiful than any Elrond had ever seen. She was more than worthy of becoming his queen, if she accepted.
"I would accept thine proposal, and become thine hallowed wife, if thou wouldst become my sacred husband." she replied, placing her cheek on his chest.
"We shall be married tonight."
"I cannot wait."
He led her back inside, his face projecting such a look of utter tranquility and happiness that his servants were transfixed. Inside his -- no, their room -- he opened her pack and proceeded to carefully hang each robe in his closet, while she sat on the bed and gazed around the room. For being an elven-lord, his room certainly wasn't much different from the room she had while visiting Imladris.
Soon I shall be his wife, she thought, and even my parents cannot tear me away from this place.
"Are you hungry?"
She blinked, then nodded. "A bit." she admitted, allowing him to lift her off of the bed, into his arms.
"Shall I carry you to the dining hall?" he asked, grinning. She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"Thou art a true elven-lord!" she smiled, planting a kiss on his cheek, as he carried her the short distance to the open dining hall, and announced their engagement. That evening, they were wedded under a silver mellorn tree, and Celebrian could not remember a happier moment, nor could Elrond.
Elrond bade his wife to write her mother of the passing events, since Celebrian had told Galadriel years ago never to eavesdrop on her life through that accursed mirror.
Dear Mother and Father,
Elrond and I are married, and none shall
break that bond.
I am happier than I can describe in words.
-- Queen Celebrian of Imladris
As Galadriel received the letter, bound in green silk, from the elf messenger, she clasped it to her bosom, already knowing what words were printed on the paper. As she handed the letter to her husband, she hoped he, of all people, would understand.
Celeborn was silent as he handed the letter back. How, he cursed silently, how could Elrond take his little girl from him?