Disclaimer: I do not own the Hobbit, everything belongs to Tolkien, and this story is not for profit.
Chapter 4
Aeiliel's father had advised us to travel West, so travel West we did.
At least, we did after much debate about which way West was. Neither of us had traveled much, and then never on our own, but both of us had minds and mouths that liked to assume that they were right.
During our stop for supper the next day, we made a good search of everything in our saddlebags.
She packed her own, (in haste, she told me, because she had had word from her father that she must travel urgently) and already knew its meager contents: a canteen made of deerskin that held some wine she had stolen from the cellars of the people she was staying with, two loaves of travelers' bread, a small hatchet, a spool of twine, a needle and thread, and a few silver coins.
The contents of my own saddlebags were far more promising, her father having outfitted me with one of the saddlebags that wealthier lords of Gondor keep in their stables in case they have to flee: Two knives (one with a jagged edge meant for carving, the other a sharp dagger for defense), some line and hook for fishing (not an uncommon supply in these river lands), about twice as much travelers' bread as Aeiliel had, some flint for starting a fire, some dried fruit, a small spyglass, more needle and thread, a small iron pan for cooking food over a fire, ten golden coins, and, to our great excitement, an instrument that used the stars to locate your direction.
Immediately seeing the practicality of this, we set about to using it.
Unfortunately, our merriment was short lived, because no sooner had we taken out the object than we began bickering over how to read it correctly.
It began with me telling her that I had spent more time than she studying the heavens and the stars, so I should read it, and she telling me she had more experience actually looking at them, and therefore she should read it.
It ended with her throwing it into the Great River, and me shouting and walking away, swearing I would not travel a moment longer with such a colossal dunce.
In the end we now understood that we would have no guide but the rivers, what descriptions of the land that we could recall from memory, and whatever directions we could get from any travelers that we found on our journey.
…..
A week after my attempt to sneak a look around the halls of the Elven King of Mirkwood, I was deemed fit enough to walk again.
I did not have another opportunity like I had had earlier to try to sneak out alone, which I would attest to the elven healer who probably recounted my earlier attempt to leave my bed to the king.
First I was, with an escort, allowed to walk around the halls near the healing rooms. Later, with two escorts, I was allowed to roam about the gardens.
Around this time my fox, Carotene, was returned to me. He looked as improved as I felt, no doubt a result of the healing power of the realm of the elves. His right eye was still gone, but he didn't limp quite as much as before, I thought, and his fur was no longer a dirty orange color but now bright and healthy looking.
Wild animal though he was, he leaped into my arms when he was brought to me and licked my face, while the elves who brought him looked on in amazement. From then on Carotene was even closer to me than he had been before, sticking close by my side often.
I did not see any more of the king, until a month later when one of the healers told me that now that I appeared to be well enough, the King had invited me to dine at his table tonight at the feast, being the guest that I was.
I was given new chambers that day, (with two guards posted outside) there now being no more reason for me to remain in the healing room, and was sitting on the edge of a feather bed, stroking Carotene, when two elleths came in.
They brought with them hot water for a bath, and a fancy dress that a northern lwoman might wear, not an elven dress. As they came in my fox scattered out through the crack in the open door.
They gave me pleasantly scented soaps and washed my hair while I scrubbed my body in the tub. I was a little embarrassed to take a bath in front of someone else, even if they were young elf maidens who were very kind, but I thought I would be even more embarrassed if I showed it, or if I asked them to leave and they said that they must stay. I thought that if Aeiliel had been here she would have told them to wait outside or they could lay down some cloth on her seat at the dinner table so she didn't get dirt on the cushion.
The dress they pulled me into was a pretty blue thing, but I did not feel at all pretty when I looked at myself wearing it in the mirror. I felt horridly out of place, wishing my own clothes had not been ruined, although they were perhaps not fancy or warm enough anyway. At least I was not in an elven gown.
They tried to comb my dark curly hair out to wear down like the other elven women did, but I refused to let them do that. Instead, I braided it back into the long rope that I always wore it in, although tonight I pinned the rope into a bun for formality.
I thought they might say something about my hair, but instead they smiled and showed me the way to the King's feasting hall.
It had been late summer when I had arrived in the King's realm, so I was not surprised to learn that the feast was a celebration for the coming of autumn and the passing of summer.
The dining hall took my breath away. Like all of the rooms in the Elven realm of Mirkwood, it was magnificently built, and beautifully decorated.
The dining hall was elevated higher than most of the other caves of the king's halls, and the King's table was set highest of all. Other round tables were scattered around the hall, the highest set tables appeared to host the more important elves, lords and advisors to the king. Below them were soldiers, I supposed from their outfits, and below them were several tables that appeared to just hold the average citizens of the realm. All of the Elves in Mirkwood appeared to be there, although that was probably an over-estimation.
The room was decorated with the autumn theme; golden, red, and brown leaves decorated the floor and tables of the hall. Acorns and assorted nuts were in crystal bowls on the tables, along with a bounty of food that was harvested in the fall. Elves walked around carrying glasses of golden wine, which was also on most of the tables.
I could hardly take my eyes off of my surroundings until I was shown to the King's table.
His table, the highest of all, was finer than any I had seen in my life; finer than my father's own table during the feast we had at midsummer's eve every year.
I could see that King Thranduil and the other ellons and elleths were dressed to match the magnificence of their surroundings. The king's golden robe shone as bright as the wine in his hand. I was suddenly glad that I had been outfitted properly and that my own clothes had been ruined. I would have hated to stand out any more than I already did. There, eight radiant elves seated at the high table, and saw that a ninth seat was empty on the King's left side. Oh, no.
I'm sure the elves didn't mean to make me uncomfortable by watching me step for step walk up to my seat as I was led their by the two elleths who had helped me to dress, but as for the king, I could not speak. The more uncomfortable I was, the easier it would be to make me talk, he no doubt thought. Well, I would try my best not to let his cold eyes phase me.
An attendant pulled out a chair for me at the table; I tried to gingerly slide into the chair without stepping on my long gown.
"Good evening, my lady." The King said, inclining his head slightly towards me in a greeting.
The other elves bowed and softly gave their own greetings to me in their charming voices. I noticed, though, looking around, that the King's eyes were not the only cold ones at the table. On his right side, a young elf that looked much like him, having even the same hair, gazed at me with a look that was at best distrust and at worst pure malice. His look was cold enough to make me turn back to the King.
"Your majesty." I returned the greeting as politely and aloofly as the one he had given me.
"I trust your day was well." He said as we waited for servers to come out.
"It was very well, thank you, although a little busier than I am used to."
He gave me a sharp look, while I avoided his gaze by taking a sip of my drink, (which tasted like honey) because he knew full well that he rarely allowed me to leave my rooms, leaving me with not much to do during the day.
"How unfortunate. I'll see to it that your day gets even less busy, unless of course you decide that you would like to tell us a little about yourself."
So we were done with the small talk and the pretense. The King was getting strait to business.
"Your majesty. I would like to apologize for my reluctance to speak. You see, I have been reluctant for a reason."
"And what reason would that be?" he asked.
"Well, as I am sure you are aware, I was injured before I entered your marvelous realm, and I will admit that the injury was to the head. As a result, I was having trouble remembering some details about my own life. Until lately, when I have been able to remember things in more detail, I was not able to answer some of your questions, and others I refrained from answering, for fear of saying the wrong thing as a result of my accident."
"Go on." He said.
Time to lie. I breathed in deeply before speaking.
"My name is Furien. I am a resident of Laketown, although until about a year ago I lived in Gondor with my parents. After their deaths I came here to live with my aunt and uncle. One day, I was off riding near the edge of the wood, and unaccustomed as I am to this area, I was lost, and went into the woods looking for assistance. The last thing that I can remember is hitting my head on a low branch."
"Is that so?" The way he looked at me, like a spider begging for a fly to come just a little closer to the web, gave me chills. During the course of my story our food had been brought. The elves' of Mirkwood had been waiting for their king to say a few words in thanks for the food and season, but he just gave a wave to them while he was listening to me, indicating they begin.
"Yes." I figured that parts of it were at least close to the truth. But now that I had given him answers to his questions, albeit untrue ones, it was time he answered mine. "Now that I have told you all that I know, I would ask you again any word or information you have of my sister, Aeiliel. She had been out riding with me before the accident, you see. I am worried that she was hurt in the forest."
"A girl matching those descriptions was found dead in our realm three months before you arrived." He said, his strikingly beautiful face hideous to me because of the cold indifference with which he said those words and then reached for his wine, looking away.
It couldn't be true.
But it could. She must have made her way north and died as I almost had. I wouldn't have believed someone as strong as she could have been defeated, but it was true what they said, that nothing lasts forever.
I looked down into my lap. My first thought as I felt warm salt water running down my cheeks was to have some pride, act like the lord's daughter that I was, and suppress my tears. Also, I didn't want to give King Thranduil the satisfaction of seeing me cry.
But then I thought that the only thing that would be shameful would be not mourning the best friend that I had ever known.
I cried silently for a while until I could no longer suppress my sobs and my whole body began to shake.
Some elves began to turn their heads and look concerned, including the King, who appeared more concerned about how this would make him look.
"Stop crying will you!" he said taking a piece of cloth and drying my eyes quickly. Of course, this only made me cry harder.
"Listen," he said, holding the cloth to my face with one hand and squeezing one of my shoulders with the other, "stop crying this instant. If your 'sister' is dead, I don't know about it, we haven't found any mortal girls in my realm, aside from the one making a scene right now."
"Whaa-aat?" I said, looking up his face, sniffing.
"We haven't seen her."
"Whhy would you say that?" I grabbed the cloth out of his hand and pushed him away, wiping my eyes and nose myself. How could he have been so cruel? Why would he lie about the death of someone so close to me?
"To discourage you from telling more lies to me. "Furien", indeed. Also, I wanted to see if you would have an explanation or notice that I said we found your sister months before she even went missing."
I suddenly felt stupid, realizing that he had indeed caught me in a lie. But my humiliation was overshadowed by my absolute hatred of the King.
"You-" I said. My hand involuntarily curled into a fist.
He grabbed my wrist before I could move it.
"I wouldn't finish that sentence, unless it is some sort of explanation."
I gave my hand a little tug but he wouldn't let go. "I didn't notice that you said she had been found three months before because I was so distressed at hearing of her death."
"Enough!" he said, squeezing my wrist even harder.
Was I seeing things, or did I just imagine that the image of his face flickered for a moment, revealing a deformity much different form his own perfect face?
A thought passed through my head of how his behavior was so unlike what I had heard of elves.
As if on cue, he calmed down and loosened his grip a little. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, he seemed calm, almost sad.
"Fine. I will send word to your aunt and uncle, when you give me their names, and to all of Laketown for that matter, that a girl named 'Furien' is here in my realm. You can waste here until your family comes to get you. Or until anyone comes to claim you."
I wandered for a moment that he might know who I was, that the men that my cousin Baldrick had sent after me might at any moment come and take me away.
I felt like a fish on a hook, a sight I had seen so often in my youth in my river town, struggling to get free but just getting more entangled.
Did he know the truth? Could I trust him? What should I say?
I couldn't think here, with the noise and the crowd and the King so close to me and so angry. I needed to get away and have some time to think. I needed to get away from the king now.
Thinking quickly, I pushed my glass of golden wine to my lips and purposefully jerked it into my lap. It spilt all over my dress until it rolled off, crashing onto the floor into a million pieces.
All noise and music stopped. Every eye turned towards me. Not many things were accidentally broken in the graceful land of elves, and immediately some attendants rushed up to help me and clean up the mess, while my elven maids each grabbed one of my arms, gushing over my dress and helping me back to my room to change.
I looked back to see the king's furious face watching me leave.
He was angry, but it would be all right. I had bought some time to think. Or act.
