After the Coronation if King Elessar, there had been a grand feast prepared in the Great Hall. Everyone from Imladris was invited, as well as the other guests from Rohan, Lothlorien and other lands who had come to see the new king of Gondor. The affair couldn't have been more lavish and no expense was spared. Every person in attendance felt like a king or queen themselves with their treatment, and all were joyful, save one.
Mélanyë sat with the party from Imladris, seated between Glorfindel and Elrohir. She too appreciated the wonderful dinner and grand atmosphere, but there was only one thing on her mind- Frodo. She had seen him at the Coronation, bowed when everyone else had bowed, and been exceedingly happy at knowing he was safe. But she hadn't been allowed to see him.
She knew of course, that he was busy with other people, now that he was such an important person, but that didn't stop her from feeling sad and frustrated at being denied access to her brother. She had spent the past few months without him, worrying about his safety and wondering if she will ever see him again. Now that they were over and he was so close, it was incredibly frustrating not being allowed to go to him.
"Are you alright?" Glorfindel's question startled her out of her brooding. She had been sitting, staring off into space and not noticing her surroundings. "You haven't touched your food," he continued, "I thought you would be hungry." She half smirked and looked down at her plate. She had been pushing her food around for the past hour with her fork to make it look like she was eating, but in truth she had no appetite.
"I'm just not feeling well, Glorfindel," she apologized. "I'm not being very good company, am I?" The Elven Lord laughed lightly.
"That is quite alright," he said. "Elladan was entertaining me with tales of impersonating his brother a time or two!" Elrohir looked up at this and exclaimed in playful annoyance. Mélanyë couldn't help but giggle at this and the twin smiled knowingly at Glorfindel, who gently caressed her cheek. "Mission accomplished."
The rest of the night passed with Mélanyë making a concerted effort to seem happy and entertained. Inside, however, she was lonely. No matter how hard they tried, Glorfindel and the twins couldn't replace her brother. She looked often to the head of the table and, while she could see Elrond and Gandalf sitting near Aragorn, the people around him blocked her view of Frodo.
When the dinner ended and the guests began to disperse, Mélanyë got up and headed for the doors, thinking it time to turn in for the night since she was exhausted by the long day. She was half way there when she was pulled back by a hand on her arm.
"Merry!" she exclaimed, her gloom and fatigue lifting slightly. "It's so good to see you! How are you?" she asked as she hugged him. She could feel Pippin standing behind her.
"We are well, m'lady," said Pippin, and to her surprise they both bowed courteously to her. She blushed. There was a moment of charged silence in which none of them knew what to say, but much was understood without words.
"It has been a long time," she finally broke the silence quietly, "much has happened."
"To all of us," said Merry. Pippin looked up at his cousin and seemed taken off guard by Merry's serious tone. After a moment, Mélanyë and Merry seemed to snap out of their stare and blinked. "Frodo asked me to give this to you," he said, handing her a folded piece of paper. "He's very sorry he hasn't been able to see you yet, but he and Sam are important hobbits now; their time is not their own." Mélanyë let out a relieved smile and gratefully took the note. Before Merry let go she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into another hug. Merry was startled, but hugged her back warmly.
"Thank you," she said quietly, leaning her cheek on his
shoulder. "You don't know what this means to me." They were quiet for several
seconds and Pippin began to get impatient, darting his eyes back and forth
between them, wondering when the embrace would end. Finally, it did. Mélanyë
thanked them both again, gave Pippin a quick hug, and vanished through the
doorway.
The two cousins stood for a moment looking at the closed door. Pippin looked at
Merry and slowly, a grin surfaced on the younger hobbit's face. He looked from
Merry, to the door, then back at Merry, then finally nudged his cousin with his
elbow. Merry jumped and blinked, yelping his surprise.
"You like her, don't you?" Pippin accused, laughter in his voice. Merry frowned at his cousin.
"Don't be absurd, Pip," he defended, "I'm a hobbit and she's an elf."
"Half an elf," Pippin pointed out. There was a pause as they continued to stare at the door, then Merry playfully punched Pippin in the arm and ran away. Across the room, Glorfindel watched the entire exchange between the three hobbits and smiled.
Mélanyë waited impatiently by the outer wall of the seventh level courtyard. The view of Osgilliath across the river was spectacular, and she found her eyes repeatedly drawn in its direction. After a moment, she looked down and for the tenth time, unfolded the note Merry had given her. Frodo's sure, steady hand asked her in Sindarin to meet him by the north-east wall of the courtyard at midnight.
She traced a few graceful letters with her finger and wondered, for the tenth time, why he chose to address her in Sindarin, which happened to be neither of their native tongues. Had Bilbo not told her of the many Elvish lessons he'd put his nephew through when he was younger, she would have sworn the letter had been written by a native speaker.
All thoughts of why or how the letter was written vanished, however, when she heard soft footsteps behind her. Mélanyë closed her eyes, clutched the note tightly to prepare herself, took a deep breath and turned.