Three days later.
"Lord Celeborn?"
Celeborn turned around quickly and startled as he looked straight into two sapphire blue eyes.
"Lady Artanis..."
She smiled and rushed towards him.
"She's flying… She does not walk, she flies lightly above the earth…" Celeborn thought. "Like a butterfly, or- an angel."
"I hope I do not disturb you?"
Celeborn smiled lovingly, hoping that his feelings weren't too obviously readable from his face.
"Of course you do not, Milady. Of course you do not…"
She smiled again. "Thank you. Can I just- walk with you to the gardens, Milord? If you were heading for the gardens, of course."
Celeborn, who was not at all heading for the gardens, quickly changed his plans.
"Yes, I was. And of course you can, Milady."
Suddenly, as they walked to the gardens, Artanis laughed.
"You are not at all like your brother, are you?"
Celeborn smiled. "No, I and Galathil are totally different, though our looks are kind of alike. Galathil has always been…"
"…the tomboy." Artanis completed. Celeborn glanced at her with surprise. That was just the word he had wanted to say…
But Artanis went on. "He is really a tomboy. Sweet and- and nice and funny, but a bit of a child sometimes. Are you the older brother, Milord?"
Celeborn smiled and shook his head. "No, Galathil is the older. But people are often mistaken on that matter. Maybe I look older than my brother."
"Yes, you do. I hope I do not offend you, Milord, but you certainly seem to be the older. Oh-"
She grinned painfully, but as she saw Celeborn's alarmed look, she laughed.
"'Tis nothing, Milord. Just one of my tresses that's stuck in this tree. Would you please…"
Celeborn blushed. "Yes, of course, Milady."
He tried to unfasten the tress as carefully as he could.
"I am not of porcelain, Milord." Artanis smiled. "I'm not going to break."
Celeborn smiled. "I do not like to see beauty suffer, Lady Artanis."
As he had unfastened the tress, they went on.
Suddenly, the Lady remarked "You are indeed very different, you and Galathil. Galathil would not say such a thing."
Celeborn blushed again. "I am sorry if-"
"No! It's just- Galathil is just more- superficial, sometimes. Still, he's a nice man."
Celeborn nodded softly. "Yes, he is. But he must already have remarked the treasure of your golden hairs, Milady."
But Artanis shook her golden head and said sharply "My hairs aren't a treasure! They look like gold, but they are not of gold!"
Celeborn quickly apologized. "I am sorry, I did not want to offend your feelings, Milady."
"You have not. It's just… I will tell you, but first, let's quit with the stupid "Milady" and "Milord" thing. I am Artanis."
"And I am Celeborn."
"Good. Come sit down here, Celeborn."
She sat down on a tree stump.
As he sat next to her, she smiled.
"Good." she said again, and then sighed.
"I do not know where to begin. You see, Celeborn, when you called my hairs a treasure…" She held her breath.
"I once had an uncle, Celeborn. His name was- Féanor."
"Féanor?" Celeborn asked sharply. She nodded.
"Yes, that Féanor. He was strange, Celeborn, he was- frightening, but he also had a strange attractiveness. His people loved him, Celeborn, and I understood them, though I disliked Féanor. It was strange. You hated him, but after you talked to him, you felt like you could do everything for him. It was so- strange. But I always tried to- and managed to resist him, as did my family. My father disliked him strongly, as we all did. Féanor disliked us all as well. Except one person. Me."
Celeborn held his breath as Artanis continued.
"He loved me. Or, no… "She laughed bitterly. "He loved my hair. He was obsessed by my hair. My hair… I know it is beautiful, I know that, and many people admire it, but after all, what is it more than a part of my body? But Féanor saw it as- as something… I cannot define it, but he was totally obsessed by my hair. He asked me three times for a single hair. It was hard. But I managed to resist. When I refuse to give him a hair for the third time, he was furious. He swore- he swore that he would hurt me. "I will not kill you, Artanis, for you- are still too precious to me. But I will hurt you, Artanis! You will cry and remember the words of the Great Féanor, whom you denied what he wanted!" he yelled, Celeborn. And when- when I saw the dead bodies of my kin at Alqualondë, I knew… he had kept his promise."
A tear rolled off her cheek, but she managed to control herself.
She looked at Celeborn. His eyes were big and surprised.
"Artanis. Artanis. Have you ever told someone about this?"
She shook her head. "No. You are the first."
"Artanis, how were you able to keep this- horrible secret for so long…"
She sighed. "I do not know. Celeborn, please, do not tell anyone. I don't know why I have told you all this. It's my business and I have to handle it alone."
Celeborn smiled and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Artanis, you know you cannot do this alone. I will not tell anyone about it, but you cannot stop me from helping you handling- this. I am your friend."
She glanced at him. "Are you?"
"Yes, I am, and I will always be your friend. I just want you to know that."
She smiled. "I guess you are. I…" She sighed softly. "have never had many friends. My best friend was my cousin, Aredhel, the White Lady of the house of Fingolfin. But even her I have never told... this. I have never had many friends. " she repeated. Celeborn smiled. "But now, you have one."
"Lord Celeborn?"
Celeborn turned around quickly and startled as he looked straight into two sapphire blue eyes.
"Lady Artanis..."
She smiled and rushed towards him.
"She's flying… She does not walk, she flies lightly above the earth…" Celeborn thought. "Like a butterfly, or- an angel."
"I hope I do not disturb you?"
Celeborn smiled lovingly, hoping that his feelings weren't too obviously readable from his face.
"Of course you do not, Milady. Of course you do not…"
She smiled again. "Thank you. Can I just- walk with you to the gardens, Milord? If you were heading for the gardens, of course."
Celeborn, who was not at all heading for the gardens, quickly changed his plans.
"Yes, I was. And of course you can, Milady."
Suddenly, as they walked to the gardens, Artanis laughed.
"You are not at all like your brother, are you?"
Celeborn smiled. "No, I and Galathil are totally different, though our looks are kind of alike. Galathil has always been…"
"…the tomboy." Artanis completed. Celeborn glanced at her with surprise. That was just the word he had wanted to say…
But Artanis went on. "He is really a tomboy. Sweet and- and nice and funny, but a bit of a child sometimes. Are you the older brother, Milord?"
Celeborn smiled and shook his head. "No, Galathil is the older. But people are often mistaken on that matter. Maybe I look older than my brother."
"Yes, you do. I hope I do not offend you, Milord, but you certainly seem to be the older. Oh-"
She grinned painfully, but as she saw Celeborn's alarmed look, she laughed.
"'Tis nothing, Milord. Just one of my tresses that's stuck in this tree. Would you please…"
Celeborn blushed. "Yes, of course, Milady."
He tried to unfasten the tress as carefully as he could.
"I am not of porcelain, Milord." Artanis smiled. "I'm not going to break."
Celeborn smiled. "I do not like to see beauty suffer, Lady Artanis."
As he had unfastened the tress, they went on.
Suddenly, the Lady remarked "You are indeed very different, you and Galathil. Galathil would not say such a thing."
Celeborn blushed again. "I am sorry if-"
"No! It's just- Galathil is just more- superficial, sometimes. Still, he's a nice man."
Celeborn nodded softly. "Yes, he is. But he must already have remarked the treasure of your golden hairs, Milady."
But Artanis shook her golden head and said sharply "My hairs aren't a treasure! They look like gold, but they are not of gold!"
Celeborn quickly apologized. "I am sorry, I did not want to offend your feelings, Milady."
"You have not. It's just… I will tell you, but first, let's quit with the stupid "Milady" and "Milord" thing. I am Artanis."
"And I am Celeborn."
"Good. Come sit down here, Celeborn."
She sat down on a tree stump.
As he sat next to her, she smiled.
"Good." she said again, and then sighed.
"I do not know where to begin. You see, Celeborn, when you called my hairs a treasure…" She held her breath.
"I once had an uncle, Celeborn. His name was- Féanor."
"Féanor?" Celeborn asked sharply. She nodded.
"Yes, that Féanor. He was strange, Celeborn, he was- frightening, but he also had a strange attractiveness. His people loved him, Celeborn, and I understood them, though I disliked Féanor. It was strange. You hated him, but after you talked to him, you felt like you could do everything for him. It was so- strange. But I always tried to- and managed to resist him, as did my family. My father disliked him strongly, as we all did. Féanor disliked us all as well. Except one person. Me."
Celeborn held his breath as Artanis continued.
"He loved me. Or, no… "She laughed bitterly. "He loved my hair. He was obsessed by my hair. My hair… I know it is beautiful, I know that, and many people admire it, but after all, what is it more than a part of my body? But Féanor saw it as- as something… I cannot define it, but he was totally obsessed by my hair. He asked me three times for a single hair. It was hard. But I managed to resist. When I refuse to give him a hair for the third time, he was furious. He swore- he swore that he would hurt me. "I will not kill you, Artanis, for you- are still too precious to me. But I will hurt you, Artanis! You will cry and remember the words of the Great Féanor, whom you denied what he wanted!" he yelled, Celeborn. And when- when I saw the dead bodies of my kin at Alqualondë, I knew… he had kept his promise."
A tear rolled off her cheek, but she managed to control herself.
She looked at Celeborn. His eyes were big and surprised.
"Artanis. Artanis. Have you ever told someone about this?"
She shook her head. "No. You are the first."
"Artanis, how were you able to keep this- horrible secret for so long…"
She sighed. "I do not know. Celeborn, please, do not tell anyone. I don't know why I have told you all this. It's my business and I have to handle it alone."
Celeborn smiled and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"Artanis, you know you cannot do this alone. I will not tell anyone about it, but you cannot stop me from helping you handling- this. I am your friend."
She glanced at him. "Are you?"
"Yes, I am, and I will always be your friend. I just want you to know that."
She smiled. "I guess you are. I…" She sighed softly. "have never had many friends. My best friend was my cousin, Aredhel, the White Lady of the house of Fingolfin. But even her I have never told... this. I have never had many friends. " she repeated. Celeborn smiled. "But now, you have one."