Chapter 5

October 19, T.A 2940
Forenoon

Anariel sighed as Daeron sat her down at a large mahogany table in preparation for their work. Taking a seat himself he slid over a great tome, cracking it open the binding creaked and moaned in protest.

'Sit up,' Eruanna snapped from the side.

Anariel adjusted her posture, less than hoping it would be to Eruanna's liking.

'No,' she snapped, 'still wrong.'

Anariel rolled her eyes, unsurprised.

'Back straight, chin up, tuck your foot in gently behind the other and relax them to the side.'

'We'll aren't we technical,' The princess snapped following her directions anyway.

'You must learn to keep those horrid comments to yourself,' Eruanna spoke, nodding in approval at her posture as Anariel fixed it before waving a hand to Daeron to begin his lesson.

'Well, we shall start from the beginning. Mirkwood, or Greenwood the Great as it is also known. However, it's commonly known as Eryn Galen among our people.'

Daeron began, waving a hand to Anariel and the book and quill in front of her.

'Hmm,' she breathed.

'Take your notes.' He breathed, annoyed at her foolishness.

'Oh, fine. So, it was what and what?' Anariel asked in a mock tone of caring, prepared to be thoroughly bored.

'Greenwood the Great, known also as Mirkwood and among the elves Eryn Galen,' Daeron informed yet again.

'What does that even mean?' She asked raising her eyebrows.

'It is the Sindarin form of Greenwood the Great.'

'Right,' Anariel nodded.

Eyeing the notes, she took, he continued. 'Mirkwood or Taur-nu-Fuin dates back to the earliest days of Middle-earth, Elves passed through these lands on their Great journey from Cuivienen.'

'Elves did what, when and from where.' Anariel breathed halting her writing.

Daeron sighed, once more. 'The great journey, my lady.'

'Which is what?' She asked squinting her eyes, her hand falling to her mouth.

'Hands away from your face,' Eruanna snapped out, Anariel shoot her a glare but followed the order none the less.

'Do you truly know nothing of our people?' Daeron growled annoyed.

Anariel just shrugged, turning her lip up at him.

'The Great Journey or Great march, was the journey the Eldar, Elves, took from Cuivienen, the place of their awakening, to the West.'

'Right,' Anariel nodded, 'So Awakening... by that you mean?'

Again Daeron found his head falling into his hands, as he held back a sigh.

'According to Legend the first elves awoke here by Eru, on the bay of Cuivienen. There were six as they awoke, they spent some time there before deciding to go off in search for more of their kind. As their searched ended, they returned with sixty. They dwelt in Cuivienen, invented music, poetry and our languages everything began there. Many years later came to the great journey where they left those lands moving to the far west to the undying lands. When they came upon Mirkwood.'

Anariel nodded slowly. 'Okay, so after these elves came to Mirkwood, what then...'

Anariel found herself suddenly curious if they were heading to the undying lands, why stop here and stay?

Daeron raised an eyebrow surprised by her sincere response. 'Well, some Elves had become reluctant to cross the Misty Mountains, upon such they made the decision to settle within the woods along the Anduin. They were the kindred known as the Teleri those who remained here came to be called the Silvan Elves or Wood-Elves...'

'My Lady, it is time for your next lesson, if you will follow me,' Rilien called as he entered.

'But...' Anariel frowned.

She had been genuinely curious about what happened to the Elves who chose to stay.

'Eruanna will be teaching you in a room just down the hall,' Rilien explained.

'Why not here, if she is always with me anyway?' Anariel asked with a sigh as she looked over to the elf in question.

'We cannot do it in the same room,' Eruanna began in a tone that implied what a foolish question that had been. 'The things needed will be in another room.'

Anariel rolled her eyes with a shake of the head.

Following Relin and Eruanna, they entered a new chamber, Rilien bowed his head leaving the two ellith to their own.

'First things first, sit and we will go over, Apologizing,'

'Right, I think I know how to apologize,' Anariel growled pursing her lips in annoyance.

'Do you now? As you seem to think you positively know everything, go ahead.' Eruanna waved a hand at the princess.

'I'm sorry, your so ugly and annoying,' Anariel smirked.

Eruanna huffed in frustration, before quickly grasping her by the upper arm and dragging her out of the room.

'Oh, are we done lessons already? I must be wonderful at this.' Anariel piped up as they stormed through the halls.

Anariel sighed, biting her lip as she understood who they were going to see. The two ellith entered the vast room the walls lined with bookshelves from floor to ceiling, at the other end sat the king, behind a massive desk strewn with papers, he sat tall and regal in his throne like chair.

'My lord,' Eruanna called as they entered.

'What is the meaning of this, you should be in your lessons?' he snapped, looking up from his work.

'And that we were but she seems more apt to insulting people than learning.'

'No, you once again are mistaken. I can apologize, I do not need lessons on doing so. This is utterly ridiculous.'

Thranduil sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. 'Anariel,' he began only to be quickly cut off by his daughter once more.

'No, just no. All of you assume I'm some horrible mindless elf that knows nothing, can do nothing. I am not a child.'

'Well, you are certainly acting like one.' Thranduil snapped.

Anariel growled, 'No, I don't believe I am, the thing is I act like...' She paused yelling out loudly. 'It doesn't even matter, dammit I will not sit here and let you push me around.'

'A simple apology is hardly worth getting this mad over,' Thranduil spoke fiddling with the papers in front of him.

'Why can you not allow me to try without assuming I am so clueless and useless!' Anariel screamed.

'I asked you to try and all I received was insult's...' Eruanna snapped.

'No, I apologized for your ugliness and being annoying.'

Thranduil cocked an eyebrow at Anariel growing more frustrated in the process. 'You must listen to your instructors.'

'Even if it is redundant and pointless?'

'Eruanna, tell Anariel what it was you were going to say,' Thranduil commanded standing tall as he came to stand in front of his desk.

'Yes, my lord. I was merely going to explain that a sincere apology should always be offered when ones' actions had a negative impact upon those around you. Whether you know why or not is irrelevant we must respect their feelings and accept that our actions are the root of the problem.' Eruanna spoke, eliciting a growl from the princess.

'Thank you, Eruanna. Now, Anariel, without mocking or being rude tell me yourself. I want an honest, sincere answer on what it means to you to apologize, if you are so sure you need not know these things.' Thranduil nodded his head awaiting her response.

Anariel nodded, surprised by the king's kind and calm exterior to the matter.

'I guess, I believe,' Anariel paused a moment, feeling like she was pushed on the spot like this was some sort of test. Her heart was beating faster as her nervousness raged through her body, 'That whether one says 'sorry' or not is meaningless. I could stand here and say I was sorry for saying what I did to Eruanna but it would be pointless and I would not mean it. I do not mean that one should never apologize, I merely mean to say that, 'I'm sorry' is nothing more than that, a pointless saying. If one were truly sorry they would see a promise to be made, a promise that it would not happen again. They would see a responsibility in the matter of how to make it up to another. It would be like me walking over to your desk and swiping everything to the floor.' Anariel took notice how this made a sneer of anger appear upon the king's lips, she smiled knowing she picked an appropriate object. 'Would it make it better if I said, 'sorry?' No, of course, it wouldn't, your work would still be strewn about on the floor. A promise that I would not do it again, better for it should not have happened at all. Me taking responsibility would be to help pick it up. To right my wrong. Sorry alone is nothing especially if it is not sincere.'

Thranduil leaned back against his desk eyeing his daughter, a smile spread across his lips as he nodded lightly. 'Eruanna, you are dismissed. It would seem, my daughter is in the right after all.'

Eruanna stood dumbfounded, as did Anariel. Thranduil waved to Anariel to join him at his desk.

While Eruanna left in a huff, closing the door loudly in her departure.

'With that sorted, I will tell you, that should anything else arise where you feel you need no help please feel free to come and talk to me,' Thranduil spoke kindly as he poured himself a glass of wine, offering one to Anariel.

'What, because you would have listened,' there was a sourness to her voice.

'Had you come to me calmly and elaborated your point as you just had, yes I would have. But, must I point out to you this is the first time we speak without you cursing or screaming.'

'Not like I felt welcome,' She snapped. 'Well, asides from Feren.'

Thranduil quirked an eyebrow at his daughter's piece of news, 'Feren?'

'Yes,' Anariel nodded with a smile. 'We had become friends on the trip here, he was sympathetic and caring. He tries to understand.'

Thranduil nodded his head, sipping his wine he made a mental note to check in on their training later.

'Once I am finished with these, we will begin our lesson,' Thranduil informed turning his attention back to his own work.

Anariel watched with curious eyes, she watched the way he seemed to pay attention to the smallest of details, his smooth effortless way of things that made everything look so easy. As she watched, Anariel noted the endless calm exterior, the perfectly precise mask, one she knew far too well, one she once wore when she too blocked out everything. The words of Feren rang within her mind, 'perhaps I am making too many assumptions but perhaps it reminds you of someone.'

Feren was right, Anariel stood staring at herself in a nearby mirror that hung off to the side of the king's desk. With light, gentle fingers they trailed along the frame as she stared at herself. The same emotionless eyes stared back, had she so quickly lost sight of herself that she already began to build her walls again taking to only anger, and lashing out at those around her because they were new, wanting into her life and so she pushed them away.

She was already ripped from one life, ripped away from so many loved ones, she forced back anyone and everyone else.

Thranduil paused in his work as he noticed Anariel stand, he was about to call out to her when he noticed her reflection in the mirror. Thranduil sighed, as he took in the broken, lost look upon her face, he allowed his hand to slide from his wine glass, allowed his own posture to slip as a hand ran over his face he knew that look. By the gods, did he know that look, a look he has worn daily since his wife was taken from him since she was found dead since he began his search for her?

Hundreds of years he spent looking and now that she was here, now that he finally had both his children back home and safe he still felt the endless need for his mask, something was still missing.

What was missing, he did not know. What he knew was his daughter felt it, he knew his son felt it, for Legolas to knew the same emotionless mask as they did.

They were a broken, lost family.
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