The cool night breeze toyed gently with her hair as she stood at the large balcony. It had stopped snowing some hours ago, and a thick layer of white covered the forest of Mirkwood, shimmering in pale silvers and blues under the dark blue sky. It was quiet. The only sound that reached her ears was the soothing lullaby of the wind as it caressed her face, playing a serene tune for the sleeping trees to sway in an enchanting waltz.
Elerrina let her eyes absently fall on the sleeping realm of Mirkwood. It was still an hour before the first rays of sunrise would wash over the forest. The sight held a beauty that only some months ago she had never dreamt she would see. And yet, it was right in front of her eyes now, right under the large balcony at her bedchamber in the palace. By dawn every elf in Mirkwood would know about her. The King had not yet formally presented her, but word had already started to spread since the moment of her arrival at the palace the day before. Part of her was scared, part of her confused. She had not idea what to expect, had no idea how to be the Princess they would expect her to be.
She shook her head slightly, forcing her thoughts into a different direction. The last hour of darkness felt oddly comforting, shielding her in her solitude. She had tried to sleep, but after long hours lying silently on her bed she finally recognized that sleep would not take her. The few times she had been about to give into the arms of sleep, the fresh image of the stream in the forest brought her back into the waking world.
Slowly, Elerrina turned around and headed back inside the elegant chamber. The pale cream curtains framing the balcony swayed lightly at the silent breeze, casting pearl white reflections on the polished marble floor. Letting out a sigh she headed out of the chamber and into the long corridor outside.
She did not really know where she was going, the twins would be sleeping by now, as well as Legolas and her other siblings. Walking through the deserted corridors of the palace felt more comforting that staying in that overly large chamber by herself. The tall thin columns seemed more delicate now in the emptiness of the night, the hallways wider and longer. Somehow, this cold emptiness felt friendly, like the only witnesses of her lonely walk.
Her feet seemed to take her body on their own, her mind not really paying attention to where she was headed as she descend an elegant staircase. She only noticed where she was when she had reached a small empty terrace leading out to one of many gardens that surrounded the palace.
The pale moonlight filtered through the pointed archway that framed the terrace, falling delicately over the elegant pieces of furniture that filled it. The wind had lifted some of the white snowflakes and deposited them at the edge of the terrace's floor, creating a thin white borderline over the few steps that reached to the grass below.
Silently, she made her way to a long chaise placed in one corner of the terrace. Her eyes carefully studied the gardens ahead, which resembled more of a free growing forest than a real garden. The forest of Mirkwood held an enchanting allure to it, both beautiful and at the same time frightening. Here, the song of the trees was louder than it ha been in Imladris, as if they could actually speak with one another, whispering secrets into the wind. And yet, the song did not felt strange to her ears. It felt natural to listen to it, it felt soothing and welcoming, as if the tall trees were singing only for her, knowing that she was listening.
"They chant beautifully, do they not?"
Elerrina jumped slightly at the unexpected voice, startled. She turned her head to look back in the direction of the speaker, surprised to see the tall regal figure of the Elvenking standing still beside one of the delicate columns that framed the entrance into the terrace. She quickly rose to her feet, not knowing how to react to this unexpected visitor. She did not know for how long he had been standing there and felt slightly embarrassed for not having acknowledged his presence before. She had been so immersed in her thoughts she had not even heard him approach.
His long light blond hair fell unbraided down his back, the silver moonlight glittering on the long strands, making them look paler than usual. No crown rested on his head, but that detail did nothing to lessen the royal aura that seemed to float around him. Ice blue eyes stared patiently into hers, so deep and powerful that she felt extremely young under those impenetrable eyes that gleamed with the experience of many millennia.
"I am sorry, I did not hear…" She started but he gracefully held up a hand to stop her unnecessary apology.
"May I join you?" He asked, a kind smile appearing in his fair face as one of his hands motioned to the chaise upon which she had been sitting only seconds ago.
Elerrina quickly nodded her head as a reply, suddenly feeling at a loss of words at the presence of this elf that was both the King of Mirkwood and her father. She watched in silence as the Elvenking gracefully moved to where she stood, every movement naturally effortless. His long formal robes swirled elegantly behind him, the rich green fabric carefully embroidered in golden thread. Elerrina lowered herself on the chaise once again and he sat next to her, facing the gardens outside.
"You are up early" He commented as he turned to look at her, infinite blue eyes seeming to penetrate into hers, so familiar and yet so strange. His voice was soft, as serene and quiet as his movements.
"I could not sleep" Was her simple answer as she stared back into his powerful impenetrable eyes. There were so many things she wanted to ask him, and yet she could not gather the courage to do so.
"I am sorry to hear that. Perhaps you can get some sleep later today." He added with a gently smile, his eyes staring softly at her, so powerful and at the same time so kind and welcoming.
She nodded her head as a reply, and wished she could think of something else to say. The Elvenking remained silent for a moment, not pushing her for a conversation. She wondered at what was the King doing up this early in the morning, but could not get herself to ask him. Suddenly she noticed that this small terrace was far too elegant and secluded to be one of the large public terraces that adorned the palace, and she suddenly felt that she was invaded some private space where she should not have been.
"Do they always sing like that?" She said looking at the peacefully swaying trees. She wished she had come up with a better thing to say, but the Elvenking simply smiled at her, not minding the question at all.
"Not always. Sometimes they do, other times they are quiet. Nobody really knows why. The forest sings whenever it pleases."
Elerrina nodded her head as a response letting her eyes turn once again to the gardens. She could feel the King's eyes on her for moment before also turning his gaze ahead. Silence settled over them once more, the soft breeze bringing the soothing lullaby of the trees.
"My Lord?" She said hesitantly, not really knowing how else to address him. Calling him father felt strange, and no matter how much she wanted to able to call him that, her mouth would simply not say it. And yet, calling him by his formal title of King felt too distant and she did not want to push him away.
"Yes?" He turned his head to face her, his expression open and serene. Infinite ice blue eyes stared at her patiently, so welcoming and kind and yet so unreadable. Whatever he thought of the way she had chosen to address him invisible in his perfectly controlled expression.
"Would you tell me about me?" He raised a fine eyebrow at her request, but his small smile did not disappear from his face.
"And what would you like to know?" His voice was soft, so peaceful and royal.
"Anything"
She had not really thought of what she wanted to hear. She simply wanted to hear a story about her early childhood, needed to hear something to make her believe that she had indeed been born in this land. She needed it for everything to seem real. He let out a breath and turned his eyes to the gardens once again, a smile on his face.
"You were never much of a trouble maker. You were mostly easy to please, nothing really bothered you, but when something did not please you, you had not problem in letting the entire forest know about it." He turned his eyes to look at her and she felt a smile appearing on her face as he continued to speak.
"You were mostly a happy child, never cried much. You could sleep anywhere, anytime, even in the most uncomfortable places, except at your own cozy crib at night. I was about to go insane." She let out a light laugh and his smile widened.
"I am sorry about that." She said still laughing and the King of Mirkwood let out a single chuckle as he shook his head.
"I once found you inside a drawer." Her eyes instantly widened and he let out another musical chuckle. "Apparently you had been left playing with Legolas in Tadion's chambers but you were crying and not being much fun. And so his solution was to pick you up and place you in a drawer. You can imagine my surprise when I opened the drawer looking for something and instead found you fast asleep over Tadion's tunics."
She burst out in laughter at the story, her eyes wide in surprise and shock. The Elvenking also let out a light laugh, ice blue eyes staring deeply at her, as if the story gave him pleasant memories. One of his hands reached out and gently placed a strand of her golden hair behind her ear.
"I cannot believe he did that!" She complained between chuckles, and he shook his head while laughing.
"I could not either. He was grounded after that, and received a very long lecture. He was only an elfling at the time. Tadion thought it was hilarious and kept commenting on how he had never thought of doing that himself. You were their favorite toy, and many times the victim of their pranks. They would do anything to get your attention."
She smiled at his words, trying to imagine the scenes he was describing and wishing she could remember any of it. The sun was starting to rise in the horizon, casting pale pink shadows on the snowy gardens and trees.
"What was her name?" She asked in a barely audible voice. The Elvenking turned his head in her direction once more.
"Pardon me?"
"My mother, I mean. What was her name?" She asked again, suddenly regretting her question as the smile slowly disappeared from his face.
"Alarya" He said simply, his expression unreadable. The name rang a bell in her head. She had read it in the Lord Elrond's letters back in Imladris, but had forgotten.
The sound of approaching rushed footsteps caught the Elvenking's attention, and he turned his head in the direction of the newcomer. She saw his face once gain become serious, his expression serene and composed, and yet his eyes were once again impenetrable, cold and powerful.
A tall blond elf suddenly came into view, stopping at the entrance of the terrace. She recognized his face, although she did not know who he was. She had seen him before interacting with the King, and his long formal robes indicated that he was one of the high-ranking elves at the palace. The elf's dark blue eyes did not look at her as he focused only on his King, his expression betraying some kind of urgency.
"Your Majesty" The elf said with a small bow of his head, eyes looking directly at the Elvenking as the latter rose to his feet.
The Kings eyes pierced into the newcomer's dark blue eyes, something about their exchange of looks telling her that the King already knew they reason why his presence was sought. Without saying anything, the blond elf nodded his head silently, seeming to answer an unspoken question.
"Excuse me" The Elvenking said to her suddenly, turning his head to look at her for a moment before making his way to where the other elf stood, both of them disappearing in a rush.
Elerrina remained frozen in place, her mind trying to understand what had just happened. Suddenly she had the feeling that the King had not been awake so early by coincidence. Suddenly, she comprehended that he had probably been waiting for this elf to come looking for him, had been waiting for some information that had been silently delivered in that simple nod of the head.
Out in the gardens the sun was starting to rise over the heavy canopy of the forest, the trees now once again silent. A chilled morning breeze blew her face, and for a second, she though she could hear a very familiar whisper carried faintly in the distance, almost as if it was a fragment of her imagination: Vilya.
And so the story begins! Here is chapter 2! I hope you like it! And please let me know what you think!
Thank you deeply to all those of you who reviewed the first chapter of the story: shopgirllaura, Elf sister, Paperlanterns86, wonderpanda10, ILoveEomer 3, She Elf of Hidden Lore, dandapanda, ForbiddenShadow0, AmazingWriter123, Martine9295, Jibril, Coco99, The Grimreaper PT, gossipghurl, Wtiger5, SarahWeasley, K&Y, CeffylGwynn, Jasperslittlesister, xX-MissyMoo-Xx, KittenEm, and luckyponygirl. Your comments truly mean a lot to me, thank you!
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Love,
Elena