Chapter Three
Niphredil awoke to the setting of the sun, and the wails of her hungry baby. They threw into sharp shock the problems that she had. She could not admit to her family that she had fornicated before marriage. That would be a great dishonor to them. The thought of raising a child that would be shunned by the community and never accepted made her tremble with anger. Luckily she had had nine months to think on this problem. She recited her plan out loud as she nursed Anor.
"I shall come back soon, and say I found this child abandoned. I shall take it to King Thranduil. If I can convince him to let me raise the child, I shall be able to keep my little Anor forever, won't I, small one." She cooed down at her infant son.
"We won't be ridiculed, and I can go back to Lorien with the Lady. We can pretend like your father never happened, can't we?" her tone became uncertain with these words as she considered them.
Did she love him? He was charming and handsome, and brave. But he was also so vulnerable. The one thing she had discovered about Prince Legolas, heir to the throne of Mirkwood, was that he was an elf too. He was not a deity. He was a regular person. He had an easygoing manner, but did not make jokes. He stood up on things he believed, even if he was in the minority. But he was so young at heart. He did not understand life. Sometimes she felt as if she were talking to a child of 200.
He was not very perceptive. She had tried to tell him once that she was pregnant, but he had not understood, so she had switched the topic. How had she gotten herself into this mess? She started remembering from the beginning...
-
The lady had summoned her to her personal room. Word had been going around Lorien that the Lady Gadriel was traveling to Mirkwood, and was to stay there for a year. She was looking for handmaidens, and she hoped that she was chosen. She wasn't the most vibrant of people, and as a matter of fact she usually stood in the corner, and hoped she wasn't noticed. It had come as a great surprised when she was called to the royal talan.
She had put on her nice dress, and was walking rather quickly to the lady's talan as not to keep the lady waiting.
She weaved through the throngs of people going about their business. She passed the markets, the play places for the tiny elflings, and the bathhouses. She reached the staircase leading up to the Lady's talan, and nodded at the guards. She started up the stairs, smoothing her dress and making sure her hair was perfect. She reached the top, and was about to knock on the door when the Lady's voice resounded from inside the room. "Come in, my dear."
She carefully opened the gold leafed door, and shut it behind her. She stared in awe of the majesty of the room. Everything shined and glittered. There were several doorways leading off into bathing rooms, closets, and studies, she imagined.
But the most magnificent thing in the room was the Lady Gadriel herself. She was clothed in a gown of shimmering white, flowing down to the floor, obviously from the finest dressmakers in the city. But when she spoke it was like she was singing, not talking.
"Niphredil, as you may know, I am traveling to Mirkwood to do some official business. I am in desperate need of a handmaiden. All of mine are either pregnant or getting married in that time. I would love it if you would accompany me. You may have to talk it over with your parents, but if you could send me your answer by messenger, you would have my eternal gratitude."
I stood stunned for a minute. I had been expecting her to ask me that, but it was so much more real right now.
"Niphredil?"
"My lady, I can give you my response right now. I would love to!"
-
She sighed as the memory ended. Many times she had tried to convince herself that her innocence could return like it had once been, but now she realized that stage in her life was gone. She mourned its loss, and again thought of the bastard who had dared to take it away from her.
-
She was not looking forward to tomorrow. She would rest here tonight, and in the morning adjourn to the King's Hall, which in itself would be a challenge.
-
The sun was just peaking over the trees as Niphredil began to leave. She had packed up everything, and taken one last look at the royal birthing glade. Now should anyone try to say he was not of royalty, they would be proved quite wrong.
She began her leisurely walk through the forest. The glade was a good two miles from the palace, and she had a long way to go. She was surprised at the amount of ground she had covered two nights ago, pregnant and in labor. The woods looked quite different in day. The light dappled through the tree canopy, making marks in the leaf-covered floor. Squirrels scampered overhead, and birds sang, looking for a mate of their own. The forest in day was a multitude of colors, ranging from yellow to orange to various shades of green.
She joined the main path about half an hour later. She started to see more people on the road. The rug merchant's eyes popped out of his head as he passed her. The baker's wife sniffed the air and walked by Niphredil with her nose in the air. It reminded her why she was doing these deceitful things. It would not be fair for an innocent child to be succumbed to punishment of a crime he did not commit.
She only had a little ways to go until she arrived at the palace, and began to prepare herself for the interrogation that would come. Thank goodness the King did not have mind reading powers like the Lady, although Niphredil had an uneasy feeling that she already knew the truth.
At last she reached the palace gates, and stared at the guard on the other side of the iron metal gates. She spoke the password given to her by Legolas, "Archery," and the gates opened.
Niphredil awoke to the setting of the sun, and the wails of her hungry baby. They threw into sharp shock the problems that she had. She could not admit to her family that she had fornicated before marriage. That would be a great dishonor to them. The thought of raising a child that would be shunned by the community and never accepted made her tremble with anger. Luckily she had had nine months to think on this problem. She recited her plan out loud as she nursed Anor.
"I shall come back soon, and say I found this child abandoned. I shall take it to King Thranduil. If I can convince him to let me raise the child, I shall be able to keep my little Anor forever, won't I, small one." She cooed down at her infant son.
"We won't be ridiculed, and I can go back to Lorien with the Lady. We can pretend like your father never happened, can't we?" her tone became uncertain with these words as she considered them.
Did she love him? He was charming and handsome, and brave. But he was also so vulnerable. The one thing she had discovered about Prince Legolas, heir to the throne of Mirkwood, was that he was an elf too. He was not a deity. He was a regular person. He had an easygoing manner, but did not make jokes. He stood up on things he believed, even if he was in the minority. But he was so young at heart. He did not understand life. Sometimes she felt as if she were talking to a child of 200.
He was not very perceptive. She had tried to tell him once that she was pregnant, but he had not understood, so she had switched the topic. How had she gotten herself into this mess? She started remembering from the beginning...
-
The lady had summoned her to her personal room. Word had been going around Lorien that the Lady Gadriel was traveling to Mirkwood, and was to stay there for a year. She was looking for handmaidens, and she hoped that she was chosen. She wasn't the most vibrant of people, and as a matter of fact she usually stood in the corner, and hoped she wasn't noticed. It had come as a great surprised when she was called to the royal talan.
She had put on her nice dress, and was walking rather quickly to the lady's talan as not to keep the lady waiting.
She weaved through the throngs of people going about their business. She passed the markets, the play places for the tiny elflings, and the bathhouses. She reached the staircase leading up to the Lady's talan, and nodded at the guards. She started up the stairs, smoothing her dress and making sure her hair was perfect. She reached the top, and was about to knock on the door when the Lady's voice resounded from inside the room. "Come in, my dear."
She carefully opened the gold leafed door, and shut it behind her. She stared in awe of the majesty of the room. Everything shined and glittered. There were several doorways leading off into bathing rooms, closets, and studies, she imagined.
But the most magnificent thing in the room was the Lady Gadriel herself. She was clothed in a gown of shimmering white, flowing down to the floor, obviously from the finest dressmakers in the city. But when she spoke it was like she was singing, not talking.
"Niphredil, as you may know, I am traveling to Mirkwood to do some official business. I am in desperate need of a handmaiden. All of mine are either pregnant or getting married in that time. I would love it if you would accompany me. You may have to talk it over with your parents, but if you could send me your answer by messenger, you would have my eternal gratitude."
I stood stunned for a minute. I had been expecting her to ask me that, but it was so much more real right now.
"Niphredil?"
"My lady, I can give you my response right now. I would love to!"
-
She sighed as the memory ended. Many times she had tried to convince herself that her innocence could return like it had once been, but now she realized that stage in her life was gone. She mourned its loss, and again thought of the bastard who had dared to take it away from her.
-
She was not looking forward to tomorrow. She would rest here tonight, and in the morning adjourn to the King's Hall, which in itself would be a challenge.
-
The sun was just peaking over the trees as Niphredil began to leave. She had packed up everything, and taken one last look at the royal birthing glade. Now should anyone try to say he was not of royalty, they would be proved quite wrong.
She began her leisurely walk through the forest. The glade was a good two miles from the palace, and she had a long way to go. She was surprised at the amount of ground she had covered two nights ago, pregnant and in labor. The woods looked quite different in day. The light dappled through the tree canopy, making marks in the leaf-covered floor. Squirrels scampered overhead, and birds sang, looking for a mate of their own. The forest in day was a multitude of colors, ranging from yellow to orange to various shades of green.
She joined the main path about half an hour later. She started to see more people on the road. The rug merchant's eyes popped out of his head as he passed her. The baker's wife sniffed the air and walked by Niphredil with her nose in the air. It reminded her why she was doing these deceitful things. It would not be fair for an innocent child to be succumbed to punishment of a crime he did not commit.
She only had a little ways to go until she arrived at the palace, and began to prepare herself for the interrogation that would come. Thank goodness the King did not have mind reading powers like the Lady, although Niphredil had an uneasy feeling that she already knew the truth.
At last she reached the palace gates, and stared at the guard on the other side of the iron metal gates. She spoke the password given to her by Legolas, "Archery," and the gates opened.