Sorry for my lateness!
"Thurin? Thurin...come on...open...up...forgive me..." Thorongil grunted, struggling with the door as I sat resolutely on the other side, managing to keep it shut with all his slamming.
It had only been fifteen minutes since I had fled to my room, and he was asking for forgiveness all ready? I hated it when people intruded on my personal space before I was ready, a thing Thorongil frequently tended to do.
"I...my friend is...here...I want you to...meet him..." Thorongil managed to get out in between strenuous grunts. I had added a chair to my own weight, making an even stronger barricade.
"Why should I care?" I spat, pressing myself as hard as was possible against the slowly opening door.
"Because he's a very good old friend of mine, and I would like him to meet my daughter, is that not enough?!" my father growled, losing his temper and throwing up his hands in frustration.
"Elrond is right, you are rather gruff." observed Glorfindel as he rounded a corner, making Thorongil all the more agitated.
"I wouldn't be gruff if my daughter didn't provoke me!"
"A good adar ought to-"
"You're a bachelor, Glorfindel! You have no right to tell me how to parent my child!"
As their argument continued I took the opportunity to open the door a crack, peeking out at them.
Glorfindel snorted, shifting his weight to the side and placing a condescending had on his hips.
I had thought my Da was tall, but now, seeing Glorfindel, it was clear that he was not the tallest, or broadest, one around.
"I will have you know, tithen pen, that I have had a significant part in raising all of Master Elrond's children, and know quite a bit more about parenting than you do, who happens to be as well, I might add, a bachelor."
"Well, what would you recommend I do then?" My father sulked, crossing his arms grumpily.
"Leave it to me."
And before I knew what was happening, Glorfindel dove at the door, grabbing and yanking it open before I could react, smiling sunnily at me, curled up on the ground in surprise.
"Well, my dear, it seems the Elves of Mirkwood have arrived, and your father wishes to introduce you to them. You must humor him, really, he is trying his best, and I'm sure he's really quite sorry for whatever he did to get him in such a fix in the first place."
I stared at him dumbstruck for a moment, before slowly rising, wiping my eyes on my sleeve, and following him down the hall, my fuming father hurrying behind.
However, all his agitation disappeared upon seeing the small crowd of green-clad elves congregating in the main entrance hall, looking as if they'ed just arrived.
"Legolas!" Thorongil cried, hurrying down the tall stairwell and straight into his surprised friend's arms.
"Ai, mellon nin, Estel!" he crowed in delight, embracing my father in return, "Now, mellon nin, what is that look on your face? I know that look, you are trying to surprise me with something, and you're quite pleased about it."
Thorongil sighed in defeat, before responding, "Yes, indeed I have, but I doubt you suspect the nature of my surprise."
"Surprise me."
As Glorfindel and I descended down the stairs and towards the friends, Thorongil announced, "Meet Thurin, my daughter."
The look that came upon Legolas' face was priceless, and definitely worth coming down for.
"What? How? Who? Estel? How?" He bubbled in confusion, for a moment losing his almost constant composure, before recovering slightly, a shadow passing over his face as he perceived my name.
"Yes, well, she is not mine by blood, but I adopted her at a very young age, like Master Elrond did for me."
"But...you named her Thurin?"
Aragorn nodded grimly, putting a gentle hand on Legolas' shoulder, an action the Prince would not usually suffered.
"Hannon le...you honor his memory...naming your own daughter after him..."
"What are you talking about? Da, I thought I was Thurin because is meant 'Secret one', for you knew not where I came from, but I am named after someone as well?" I asked in confusion, tugging at his robes in hopes of an answer.
"You have not told her of who she was named after? Very well, I will. Thurin was an old friend of both of ours, but particularly of mine. He was a very faithful, constant friend, very much like your father. Well, I, the guard, and you father(he was staying with us for a short time), were in the forest when we were ambushed by a pack of orcs, and we were outnumbered at least three to one. That wouldn't have been a problem, except there were more of them, hiding, who had not revealed themselves, and when we least expected it, they began shooting at us with poisoned arrows. Naturally, we were greatly surprised, and were rather confused for a few moments. I became distracted, as another orc engaged me, and could not have seen the arrow flying right for my heart until it was too late. Thurin saw it, though, and threw himself before me just in time to take the arrow, and save my life. And though it hit him not in an incredibly vital place, the poison was very strong, and nobody could not tend to him, or else the orcs would certainly overwhelm us. By the time the fight was ended, it was too late to save him. Your father and I tried the best we could, but there was nothing for it. He died a hero, and was greatly mourned by his friends. I can see why Estel named you after him, for you remind me much of him. the same long, unruly dark hair, and soft, big eyes, like a deer's. He was taller than you, certainly, but even how you move, it reminds me much of him." Legolas laughed lightly, as he looked me up and down carefully, before smiling at Thorongil, "She really looks like she could be yours by blood, Estel, she really looks like your daughter."
"What makes you say that?"
"The unkempt majesty."
"What?!"
"Both of you have it, a sort of unkempt majesty, that's all I can say."
"Really Legolas, how rude."
"I am just making an observation. Oh dear, I almost forgot!"
"About what?"
"The letter!'
"What letter?"
"The one that is for your daughter."
"How can you have a letter for my daughter?"
"It was delivered to Rivendell, but it was a addressed to a Thurin, and Elrond knew of no Thurins in his realm, and no one claimed it, so he sent it to my father in Mirkwood, and he was quite annoyed and just sending it back, by me, since I was coming here anyway. Here," He explained as he handed me the mysterious piece of folded parchment, before turning back to converse more with my father.
On the back, it was addressed to Thurin in Rivendell, from Esgalnoron.
I felt my hands shaking as I read the name, and hurried out of the room to find somewhere private to read it.
In a few minutes I was on an old stone bench hidden by a convenient screen of growth, steadying my heavy breathing as I opened the letter, wondering what message it might contain.
This is what I read:
Dear Thurin,
I doubt I will be able to send any more letters, and I cannot give you any address to send a reply to, for I do not know where I will be. I was told you were going to at some point be in Rivendell, and hope that this letter has found you well. If it ever finds you, I assure you that everything is well at camp, and as of sending this letter, I am doing alright as well. I do not quite know how to say this in a letter, for, as you know, I am not the best with pen and ink, but I miss you terribly. I suppose you do not know what you have until it is gone, as I am now finding out, much to my disappointment.
Darkness is rising fast, and I am beginning to fear for our future, that is, I do not know how much longer it will be until we ever see each other again. But I promise, Thurin, that I will find you again, if I have to walk across all of Arda to do it. Please, promise me you will take care of yourself, I worry often about your state of health, for you are so prone to fevers and coughs, and I worry over how your ankles are holding up, though I know worrying so is very silly, as your father would remind me.
I do not know what we have, Thurin, but it is something very special, and it is not something that can be broken by time, or by separation. I believe in you, and know that you can always do anything you put your mine to.
Fight hard.
With love,
Esgalnoron
"But how did he know where to send it-" I wondered aloud before stopping short, knowing the answer, "Da. Da told him, that's exactly the sort of thing he would do. The last time we saw him, in Rohan, I think, Da must have told him."
It really was just like something my father would do, and I suddenly began to feel very guilty for all the punishing I had done to him in the last half-hour.
Stuffing the letter into my dress I hurried down the long garden paths and back to find him. He was not still in the main entrance hall, however, but perched on the stairwell above, bidding Legolas farewell until supper, as the Prince retreated with his comrades to their chambers.
"Da!" I called, hoisting my skirts and hurrying up to join him.
"Well," he smiled nervously, eyeing the note protruding from my pocket, "am I forgiven?"
"Of course!" I cried, nearly bowling him off the stairs with a massive hug, before hurrying around the corner.
As soon as I was out of sight I sunk down against the wall, that smile still clinging to my face.
Hardly breathing I traced every line on the note, every letter.
Just that blessed note had renewed my hope, at least for now.
I would see him again, and I could defeat all of darkness to do it if I had to.
Because even if he didn't know what that special something we had was, now I did.
I realized, as I traced over his name on the bottom of the parchment, that what we had was commonly referred to as true love.
What will happen next? I don't know, you must tune in next time to find out!
HUGE thanks again to BlueMountainFairy, and if you are reading this and not reviewing, everyone else, a review would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks all!
~Thurin