Chapter 3
"Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to see first?" she asked looking at him. He thought about it and said
"No I just want to see everything, I mean this whole place is incredible, the architecture is wonderfully detailed." gushed Ron excitedly running a hand over a pillar which had engravings of leaves and vines around it.
"Yes this place is very beautiful, I was just as awed when I came here six years ago." Ron looked around him at everything there was. "Come if you wish to see everything then we have to go now to return in time for dinner." she smiled at him and began to show him around. Ron was very conscious of the sound of his footsteps, even though he wore light boots he sounded like an elephant. Cilath looked at him curiously
"Pardon but why are you staring at me?" asked Ron uncomfortably
"Apologies but I was just wondering what a fat human looked like."
"I'm sorry?"
"Well I had not seen a human before I came here and I have seen a young male human, an old male human, an old female human, an ill human, and a human that belies his nature by his appearance, but I have yet to see a young female human or a fat human." She was smiling and her eyes were dancing with amusement. Ron felt himself smile back at her and said
"Well I suppose a fat human would be no different from a fat elf." She gave him a look that made him realise, "There is no such thing as a fat elf is there." She giggled and shook her head. "Well I suppose a fat human would be round and flabby." Ron shrugged he really didn't know how to describe it.
"What is flabby?"
"Well when they move their skin wiggles!" she cocked her head to the side. Ron shook his head
"I'm sure you'll get it when you see one." She nodded and brought him around the house. She then led him outside into a beautiful garden, full of sweet scented flowers, tall, clearly old trees, stone garden benches, and elves. They were sitting and chatting and laughing. Ron felt really out of place among these beautiful beings. Many called out greetings to Cilath and some shouted welcomes to Ron.
"Earithramir!" called Cilath suddenly, and she hugged the elf that came up to her at her call. He was tall, with brown eyes and brown hair, pulled back into a ponytail. He bowed to Ron, who blushed and bowed back,
"Earithramir will be one of your trainers, I believe he will teach you archery." Earithramir nodded
"I look forward to it Lord Weasley!"
"Oh please call me Ron, I don't think I could take being call lord or captain or anything like that!" exclaimed Ron
"As long as the same can be said for me!" smiled Earithramir
"Ok but can you do me a favour?"
"Of course!"
"Can you teach me the basics of your ways so I don't make an idiot out of myself?" Earithramir laughed and agreed. He and Cilath taught Ron the basics of elven culture but Cilath promised to teach him more later. Her eyes had danced when she'd said that in a way that made him blush and Earithramir, who was quite a teaser, laugh. He found that the elves were very likable people, they were light hearted but they didn't mock him for making mistakes. He couldn't wait for tomorrow when he would begin training. Cilath and Earithramir seemed to find him as fascinating as he did them, they asked many questions about wizarding life. Ron told them about Harry and Hermione and they were impressed by his description of them, Cilath said she hoped to meet them.
"It is strange, our people seem so similar, yet there are so many differences between us." observed Earithramir. Cilath nodded and Ron said
"I wonder what differences there are between us, besides appearance and even there they are small."
"Well I suppose elves being immortal is one thing, then there is how we can die of grief, although I suppose you can do that too. I think we'd have to ask Prince Legolas for all of them, or Lord Elrond." Earithramir shrugged
"Who's Prince Legolas?" asked Ron
"Why he is one of the nine walkers of the Fellowship of the Ring! He was the best friend of the great king Elessar, and Gimli son of Gloin! He was the last elf to leave Middle-Earth!" said Earithramir looking amazed that Ron had never heard of him
"Sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about!" Ron blushed as Earithramir goggled at him.
"Don't forget Earithramir we erased ourselves from history and the fellowship wasn't put down in records save the red book written by Bilbo and Frodo Baggins and Samwise Gamgee. And the great king Elessar records are probably all gone because of war." reminded Cilath
"Oh yes, forgive me."
"It's fine but I can't wait to get started on my lessons! They sound like fun. Much better then Hogwarts lessons. Oh no!" cried Ron in dismay as he realised something
"What?"
"That must be why Mc Gonagall and Snape are here, they are going to be my magic tutors! Mc Gonagall I don't mind, but Snape hates me with a vengeance! Oh gods and I'm going to be on my own in his class. Gods I'm dead!"
"Worry not Ron I will also be there, as I expressed my wish to learn about healing potions." smiled Cilath consolingly
"Phew! Then I may just make it alive!" Ron grinned. The two elves laughed and then Cilath began to hum a sweet tune. It reminded Ron of last night when he'd heard her singing.
"You have a wonderful voice Cilath."
"Thank you Ron, but all elves do, you shall hear better voices then mine while you are here."
"Oh don't listen to her, she has one of the best voices in Rivendell, all her family do but you hardly ever get them to sing." Earithramir exclaimed. Cilath turned a faint pink and Ron had to admit she was cute when she did.
"Ah Mr. Weasley there you are!" Professor Mc Gonagall came up to them, "We have your schedule done." and she handed him a sheet of parchment. Ron looked it over, it seemed to be no different from his usual class schedule, but there seemed to be way more things to do. Training, and classes, lunch and then there was a free period everyday. It turned out that was to get to know the people around him. Weekends were as busy as the rest of the week something Ron was indignant about. Dinner came before he could find someone like Lupin to talk about it with. Cilath sat beside him on the right while Earithramir sat on his left. He was glad he had made some friends so quickly he knew it would make this whole thing easier. The food consisted of roast chicken and boiled potatoes and cooked vegetables.
'Boy these people must have really light stomachs!' Ron thought to himself. He looked around the table and saw Lupin talking to Dumbledore and Snape. Mc Gonagall was chatting to an elf on her left, she seemed to be explaining something. Fudge wasn't anywhere to be seen, Ron assumed he had left after the meeting. He was probably going to clear out his office for Rufus Scrimgeour, Ron was fairly sure he was to be his successor. On his other side after Cilath were Elrond and Glorfindel and at the very end was an elf that intrigued Ron. He was similar to most of the elves, blond hair, blue eyes, very like Cilath in fact. 'Maybe their related.' mused Ron, the elf wore green and brown clothing, but that wasn't unusual, no, it was the strange air of melancholy around him. His eyes held much sorrow and pain, yet there was a quiet strength, and mischievousness there too. Ron tapped Cilath on the arm to get her attention and asked her who he was. Cilath looked and answered
"That is Prince Legolas, remember we spoke of him."
"Oh yeah, it's just he seems so sad."
"Well his closest friends are all gone because they were mortals, and an elf has a much better memory then most creatures, I mean if you think of a friend, and then you don't see him for months maybe years. The image in your memory will begin to fade around the edges, until maybe you can't remember at all what they look like. But for an elf that image may as well have happened a second ago it never fades. Now imagine the grief of losing all your closest friends, should not the pain fade over time?"
"Yes, but for you guys it doesn't, it still hurts as if it all happened at once only a second ago." finished Ron, he felt respect blooming inside him for these people. They could lose so many loved ones in this war and yet they were willing to risk it for another kind that didn't even remember their existence. Cilath nodded and added
"Legolas is the Greenleaf of his people, yet there have been times when he seems to fade away. Thankfully there is always someone to bring him back. My father, his brother was one."
"So you're his niece?"
"Yes, and I am proud to be so." Ron nodded and smiled at her. Dinner ended and Cilath asked him if he would like to join her in the fire room.
"What's the fire room?" He soon found out.
Ron had his eyes closed and was listening to the wondrous music the elves were producing. It was light and danced around the room so gently as if caught in a breeze. Eventually it slowed and there was applause, then there were cries of 'Cilath!' and 'sing Cilath sing!' Ron opened his eyes in time to see Cilath stand up and begin to sing. Her voice was wonderfully melodious, and sweet like a nightingales. She sang in elvish, so Ron was the only one of his human companions who could understand her.
Ilu Ilúvatar en káre eldain a fírimoin
ar antaróta mannar Valion: númessier.
Toi aina, mána, meldielto - enga morion:
talantie. Melko Mardello lende: márie.
En kárielto eldain Isil, hildin Úr-anar.
Toi írimar. Ilyain antalto annar lestanen
Ilúvatáren. Ilu vanya, fanya, eari,
i-mar, ar ilqa ímen. Írima ye Númenor.
Nan úye sére indo-ninya símen, ullume;
ten sí ye tyelma, yéva tyel ar i narqelion,
íre ilqa yéva nótina, hostainiéva, yallume:
ananta úva táre fárea, ufárea!
Man táre antáva nin Ilúvatar, Ilúvatar
enyáre tar i tyel, íre Anarinya qeluva?
Cilath's song ended and she sat down amidst cheers from her fellow elves. Elrond stood and said
"Perhaps in return for our hospitality one of our guests might favour us with a song or a story or a poem?" the humans looked at each other, each thinking the same thing, 'Anyone but me!' There was a lengthy silence until Ron gathered his courage and stood up.
"Well I don't know any songs and I don't know any poems, but I do have some stories you may enjoy." The elves all prepared to listen and Ron began to tell them about his first year adventure. He remembered most of the little details like when Harry's broom went mad, and what Hermione did about it. That got Snape, who was there, a loud applause and a laugh. He told them about when he, Neville, Harry and Hermione had met Fluffy, about how they had figured out who Nicholas Flamel by accident. Then he went to the best part, from Fluffy to the devils snare, then to the keys, then to the chess pieces. The elves gasped out loud as he told them how he let himself be taken so Harry and Hermione could continue. Then he told them what Harry had told him about what happened after he was rendered unconscious by an over eager chess piece. They were fascinated by Harry's fight with Quirrel. Finally Ron finished and they erupted into applause. Ron blushed and sat down taking a deep breath of relief. He sent many prayers to the gods that Snape didn't eat him alive tomorrow. The elves sang for a while longer then Cilath asked Ron if he wanted to take a walk with her, which he agreed to. She led him to the forest, and then she sat down amongst the roots of a tree. Ron plopped down beside her.
"Tell me about your family." she said resting her back against the trunk.
"Well I my dad works in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts. He loves muggles, thinks they're fascinating."
"Muggle?"
"Non magic people."
"Ah, I have never been in the muggle world, is it any different then the wizard world?"
"Pretty different I suppose but Harry would be a better person to ask."
"What about the rest of your family?"
"Well my mum does all the cooking and cleaning and mostly stays at home. My oldest brother Bill works for Gringotts the wizarding bank, Charlie my brother who was born after Bill works with dragons, Percy works for the Ministry, Fred and George are still in school even though they left last year, Dumbledore let them rejoin their class in seventh year and complete school. Ginny is younger then me by a year and is just going into fifth year or as I call it the year of hell." Cilath giggled and Ron grinned at her. He couldn't help but feel completely relaxed around her. "So what about you? What's your family like?" Her smile faded and she looked upset.
"My parents are gone, Legolas has taken care of me since, although it was only a while ago and I can take care of myself."
"Oh I'm so sorry Cilath."
"Its alright you didn't know." she murmured. They sat in awkward silence then Cilath stood up and said brightly, "We should return, you need to be well rested for tomorrow Earithramir will eat you alive if you keep yawning!" Ron mock groaned in annoyance and then got to his feet. Cilath saw him to his room and bid him goodnight. He smiled at her and took her hand and kissed it. She giggled and left him gently sliding her hand out of his. He watched her disappear a silly smile on his face, then realised what he had just done.
"Where the bloody hell did that come from?" Of course only the empty corridor answered him. He yawned, went into his room and looked around for his night robe from last night. There it was, hanging on the back of the seat of his little desk. He took off the clothes he'd been given and went to put them away and found the closet full of elven clothes and boots. There was a mixture of colours, greens, browns, blues, reds and white. He smiled; the elves were as on top of things as the house elves back in Hogwarts. He changed and fell into bed, exhausted, even though he hadn't done much. He was instantly asleep and thankfully didn't have any dreams.