~~ Chapter Two: Dinner ~~

And rest she did. Artanis slept for nearly two hours before she was awoken by a knock on the door. "Come in," she said, and slowly got to her feet. She rubbed her eyes, then ran her hands over her radiant golden hair to smooth it down. She doubted that sleeping had done anything more than put a few strands out of place, but it wouldn't hurt to make sure. Her hair was the greatest of all her fine features, and she took great pride in it.

The door opened, and in came a dark-haired Elf woman with sparkling gray eyes. Her face was kind and beautiful beyond words. Artanis guessed that this was Princess Lúthien, Thingol's daughter, for the beauty of Lúthien was legendary, and Artanis had never seen someone so fair in all her days.

"You must be Lady Artanis," she said. "I am Lúthien. Welcome to Menegroth."

So she was right. "Thank you, Princess," Artanis said. "You have a fine city."

"Please, call me Lúthien," said Lúthien. "I'm glad you like Menegroth. Will you be staying long?"

"I know not," Artanis replied. "Either as long as we can, or as long as it takes."

"My father will let you stay as long as you need," Lúthien said. "Let your mind be free of such worries."

Artanis sighed. "Many things lay on my heart, Lúthien."

Lúthien walked over to Artanis and laid her hand on her shoulder. "Now is not the time to dwell on them," she said. "The enchantments of this land can ease your suffering if you allow them. My heart tells me that you will find joy here."

Artanis managed a smile. "Thank you."

"My mother should be here soon," Lúthien said, glancing back toward the door. "She is meeting your brothers. I wanted to meet you first because… because I was hoping we could become friends."

Friends. Artanis felt her heart jump at those words. She'd only ever had one close female friend, the Vanya Amarië, whom her brother Finrod loved, but Amarië would not leave Valinor with them. The idea of becoming friends with Lúthien appealed to her, and a smile crept across her face. "I would like a friend," Artanis said, "and I would be honored for that friend to be you."

Lúthien beamed. "Oh, Artanis, I'm so excited. When my father told me that there was a woman among the visiting Noldor, I could have started dancing. Seldom do we get visitors, and even less seldom are the visitors women."

"Are there not women in the country whom you could befriend?" Artanis asked.

Lúthien's expression darkened for a moment. "My father does not like me to leave Menegroth," she said. "The women I do see are not interested in befriending a princess."

Artanis couldn't help noticing the spite in Lúthien's voice. "You dislike being royalty," she observed.

"Your name means 'Noble Woman,' Artanis," Lúthien said. "Surely you know how it feels. To be so powerful… and so alone…"

Artanis's heart went out to Lúthien. Beneath her titles and heritage, she was just another person, and she was lonely. Artanis always had her brothers to keep her company, but Lúthien was an only child. No doubt she grew lonesome from time to time. "Worry no more, Lúthien," Artanis said. "You will always have a friend in me."

Lúthien's smile grew wider than ever. "Thank you."

At that moment, they were joined by Melian, Lúthien's Maia mother. "You must be Artanis," Melian said. "I am Melian, Queen of Doriath. And I see you have met Lúthien."

Artanis bowed her head slightly. "I am honored to meet you, Queen Melian."

"Will you be coming to dinner with us?" Melian asked. "I understand that you may be tired, but…"

"I have every inention of coming," Artanis said. "When are we expected?"

"Half an hour," said Melian. "Do you wish to change your clothing?"

Artanis nodded. "Yes, I suppose I should, but… but I don't have anything."

"I do," Lúthien said. "Wait here. I know just the thing." She smiled, then dashed out of the room.

Melian watched her daughter leave, and a smile spread across her face. "Lúthien was so excited to here that there was a woman among you," she said. "I hope her zeal was not too shocking."

"It's quite all right," Artanis said. "I, too, am excited about the possibility of a friend. I love my brothers, but one longs for the company of another woman after a time."

Melian nodded. "Yes, I know. Lúthien and I are close, but a mother-daughter relationship is not the same thing as a friend."

"No, it's not," Artanis agreed. She could see that Lúthien and Melian were close, and she felt a twinge of jealousy. There had been no great love like this between her and her mother, Eärwen. Finarfin was pleased with his daughter and the strength she showed in both mind and body, but Eärwen, it seemed, was not so delighted. Eärwen wanted a daughter, and although Artanis was female by body, in spirit, she was more like her brothers.

"You have beautiful hair," Melian commented.

Artanis was somewhat surprised by Melian's words, as they were completely irrelevant to the topic at hand, but she found herself smiling at the compliment just the same. "Thank you," she said. Her hand absentmindendly drifted to her tresses, and she wound her fingers through the ends.

"The way it glows when the light hits it is incredible," Melian continued, stepping around Artanis to view her golden locks from different angles. "The very light of Laurelin lies within these strands."

At that moment, Lúthien returned, carrying a fine gown made of red silk. "This should fit you," the princess said. "You are taller than I, but it has always been long on me."

"Thank you," Artanis said, grateful to have anything to wear at all. "I'm sure it will do."

"Come, Lúthien," Melian said, placing her hand on her daughter's arm. "We should allow Artanis a few moments to change."

Lúthien nodded. "Yes, Mother."

"We will wait outside for you," Melian said as she and Lúthien left the room. "And there is water in the basin if you desire to wash up a bit."

Artanis thanked them, then began to prepare herself for dinner. A wash basin was located next to an empty wardrobe. She splashed some of the fresh, cool water on her face, then ran her hands through her hair, wondering if she should just leave it down or find something with which to pull it back. She glanced around the room, but seeing nothing she could use to perform the latter, she decided to allow it to hang loose.

The gown Lúthien brought was lying on the bed. Artanis changed out of her travelling clothes and slipped into the elegant red dress. It fit her well – almost too well for her desire, in fact, for the way it hung on her made it very obvious that she was a woman. Although it was long, it had been made for Lúthien, and Lúthien was not only shorter than her, but more delicately built as well. A wave of self-consciousness hit her, but she did not want Lúthien to think that she was uncomfortable with her choice, so she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and went out into the hall.

"I knew it," Lúthien said, smiling when she saw Artanis. "It looks wonderful on you."

"Yes, it does," Melian agreed. "How do you like it?"

Hearing these compliments made Artanis feel a little better. "I like it very much," she said. "Thank you, Lúthien."

Lúthien smiled. "You are welcome."

"Come," Melian said, taking a few steps and beckoning them to follow. "Let us go to dinner."

~~~

The dining hall was almost full by the time Melian, Lúthien, and Artanis arrived. Thingol was seated at the head of the table, and to his right was an empty seat, presumably for Melian. Artanis saw her four brothers, and Uncómien and Galathil, as well as over a dozen other Elves she did not recognize. Food had not yet been placed on the table, but there was wine, and everyone was drinking and laughing amongst themselves. All in all, it was a merry sight, and Artanis could already feel the weariness from her travels being lifted.

Melian took the empty seat next to Thingol, and Artanis spotted two empty places next to Finrod. She and Lúthien took those seats. Finrod did a double take when he saw his sister. "Artanis?"

Artanis felt her face grow slightly warm. "Yes, it's me," she said.

"You look… like a woman," he said, unable to think of anything else.

She smiled. "Imagine that," she said, and Finrod chuckled.

Artanis introduced Lúthien to Finrod, and also Angrod, who was sitting across from them. Then Lúthien introduced Artanis, Finrod, and Angrod to Daeron, the king's minstrel, who was seated next to Angrod. The five of them chatted amongst themselves for several minutes, and then the food was brought out. The talk slowed down as they ate, but continued just the same.

About halfway through the meal, Artanis noticed someone seated at the corner of the table nearest to Thingol. His face was both handsome and kind, and his hair, which hung down to his mid-back, was as silver as the moon. He was engaged in conversation with Thingol and Melian, and his face was turned in their direction, but his gaze seemed to go right through them. His eyes had a blank, cloudy look to them, completely unlike the rest of his attentive face. He also ate very slowly and meticulously, never once looking down at his plate. He was apparently close to the king, and yet they had not seen him earlier when they were brought before Thingol, and Artanis could not help but wonder who he was.

"Lúthien," Artanis said, "the man speaking with your parents – who is he?"

"Oh!" Lúthien said, and smiled. "His name is Celeborn. He's an advisor to my father, and also a student of my mother's. Uncómien and Galathil are his brothers. They're princes, but don't count on hearing that from them. They do not want to be admired for their titles."

"What is he like?" Artanis asked.

"Exceedingly clever, and wise beyond his years," Lúthien replied. "And a very good friend."

"Are the two of you close?"

"He's like a brother to me."

Artanis studied Celeborn for a few more moments before asking another question. She didn't know why, but something about him intrigued her, and she desired greatly to meet him. Then she remembered her conversation with Uncómien earlier. "Lúthien," she said, "when I spoke with Uncómien earlier today, he said Celeborn was the captain of the border patrol for many years, and then there was an accident. What happened?"

A scowl crossed Lúthien's face. "I doubt that it was an accident," she said quietly. "But whether it was or not does not matter now. He is blind."

Artanis nearly dropped her fork. "Blind?" she repeated.

"His eyes were pierced by an arrow touched by the Enemy," Lúthien said. "Our magic could heal the scars, but not his sight."

"That must be awful for him," Artanis said, gazing at Celeborn. The Elves depended on sight more than any of their other senses, and to lose that ability was an affliction like no other.

"It was, at first," said Lúthien, "but he's never given up. We always knew he had a strong will, but it turned out that it was even stronger than we thought. Never did he lose hope or give in to despair. When it became known that his vision could not be cured, he resolved to still be of use to the king. My mother has been teaching him since the incident, and he has achieved a level of wisdom far beyond his years."

"Is that so?" Finrod said, who had become interested in the story after taking notice of Celeborn as well. "I think I should like to meet him."

Lúthien nodded. "I will introduce you both to him after dinner – that is, if you would like to meet him as well, Artanis."

"Yes," Artanis said, never taking her eyes off Celeborn. "Yes, I would like that very much."

~~~~

Thanks to Arinya, Tindomiel, Morelen, and Dragon Confused for reviewing! Hope you're all enjoying.