Chapter 15: Letters
Dearest Elrond,
I am pleased to announced that we, the Lothlorien company, will arrive there in Imladris the day before Spring Festival's Eve. Which calculating on Mithrandir's and Aiwendil's speed should be in three days time by now. Celeborn and I will arrive there along with two hundred of my kin. We hope that we are not an inconvenience to you, for I know you must be working day and night for these preparations. However, my thoughts were that since you out do yourself every single Spring Festival, two hundred people would not be a bother to you.
Anyways, how are things faring in Imladris? I yearn to see the beautiful family that you have blossomed in there. Have Elladan and Elrohir been giving you countless headaches? I suppose so, they are quite mischievous twins, those two. How many 'pranks' have they pulled on you since my last visit, Elrond? A thousand? One day, they might be the cause of your death. Oh, but those two are just lovely.
And what of my sweet Arwen? In your last letter, you said she liked horseriding, yes? It is good that you let her ride, for you must let her spirit grow but when the day comes, you will need to control her. She is an adventurous one, that youngling. Her mind is bright and sizzling, ready to overcome everything. You must keep her close now, Elrond for there might be a time when she will go. We all know it. However, she has a gentle soul and fear not, for she will find happiness. I agree on your idea in the previous letter you wrote to me. Sending Arwen to Lothlorien would be a very good way for her to be more lady-like and to be taught better manners. But you must understand that she is young and deserves to live in her home...so it is not the time right now.
And of course, how is my lovely little ray of sunshine? Have you been taking care of Celebrian as I told you to? I wish to see her happy when I reach there...oh, I hope she can tell me tales of her daily merits over there in Imladris!
Anyways, I hope your preparations go smoothly and that as every single year, you succeed in creating one of the merriest events of the year.
Kind greetings,
Galadriel, Lady of Lothlorien
Greetings Elrond,
My letter will be far shorter than of the usual but I wish to tell you that we will arrive there the day before Spring Festival's Eve. We are a company consisting of Galadriel, I and two hundred of my kin. I am sure we will not be delayed by such large party and I assure you we will reach there in time. However, I hope we are not an inconvenience to you, for I believe you have been working on your Spring Festival preparations, yes?
Anyways, how are you and your family? How are Elladan and Elrohir? I yearn to see them so. Have those twin boys of yours gotten into any major trouble recently? Do they still continue to 'prank' around Imladris? I believe you should do something to control them Elrond, to at least calm them down. They will be good warriors in the future but they are the most immature elflings I have ever seen. And I assure you...that did not come from my side of the family.
And how is Arwen? Is that little bud of happiness fairing well? I hope so. She's a marvelous little young lady...reminds me of my little Celebrian sometimes. She has so much sunshine inside her. But I suppose you do have some credit in making her grow up as she is. That adorable and bright Evenstar.
And lastly...what of my own ray of sunshine? Surely you remember the talk we had before the wedding, yes? Remember the words Elrond, I want my daughter as giggly and happy in your kingdom as she was in mine. And I will see to that when I reach Imladris with my company. If not so, you will suffer the consequences Elrond. Perhaps Galadriel does not prefer such physical tortures or punishments but you must know that...
I will not hesitate to hang your tongue on my door.
Best regards and good luck,
Celeborn, Lord of Lothlorien
Dear Elladan and Elrohir,
Have you little elflings been causing trouble? I suppose so, but well, what could I expect? Taking your silly pranks and jokes away from you would be like making you bald. Oh, how horrible...I cannot even imagine you two short-haired! Much less bald. Or taking your pranks away from you would also be like taking Elrohir's ham away from him. Elrohir, sweetling, you do need to control yourself on that ham...it is not very healthy.
Anyways, how do you two fare? It has only been a few months since we have last visited you but we already miss you dearly. We miss all of you dearly. Fortunately, I'm glad to announce that we will probably be there before Spring Festival's Eve, if not earlier. You know that when your Daeradar and I set out to do something, we will never be delayed by anything.
I yearn to see the two of you soon!
With lots of love,
Daernaneth
Mae govannen Elladan and Elrohir,
Have you been giving your Adar a headache? That is good. However, sometimes there is no need to go to the edge of the cliff with him...your 'pranking' can truly affect somebody. By the way, don't give your Nana a headache either. Despite all that and the warnings I am to give you, I have to say, I did truly miss your jokes. You two bring light at every word you say and your laughter is truly a wonderful sound.
But there is no need for all that lamenting! For I will finally see you two in a couple of days. Your Daernaneth and I along with two hundred others from Lothlorien will be there in Imladris before Spring Festival's Eve. We would never miss Spring Festival's Eve without you all.
Oh, it's only been five months since we last saw each other yet it feels as if it were such a long time! Don't you think?
Anyways, before I need to say goodbye for now, I need to give you my counsel. First of all, Elrohir, have you controlled your addiction with ham? It is very disturbing and eating so much ham isn't very healthy. Maybe you could eat fish instead? And Elladan, have you stopped snoring in your sleep? I hope so, because last time, I woke up at midnight because I heard your incredibly loud snores from across the hall.
But I hope that we can see each other soon and that I may be able to spend time with my you, my dear nephews.
With much love and care,
Daeradar
My dearest daughter,
How do you fare? My heart and your Adar's gladdens everyday as we are reminded that we will see you again. Oh, how we've missed you! You most certainly need to visit us more often! It has been long since your bright presence has lit the halls of Lothlorien! However, we will reach Imladris in about three days time, which is a day before Spring Festival's Eve.
And how are your little elflings? I hope Elladan and Elrohir have not given you too many headaches with their endless jokes and pranks. They are silly little things but my dear...you know one day they will need to grow up. They must mature their souls and slip out of their innocent skins. We do not live in a world with only laughter and humor...they will find the truth soon. They will find pain. They will find death. And they will find darkness. However, that day is yet to come and I hope it does not come soon. You must prepare them for such moment, Celebrian.
But there is no need to worry! A smile is as precious as dwarven gold! I remember their jokes and plays were most delightful (and I bet they still are). Did you remember your Adar was nearly crying of laughter? Oh, how rare does that happen!
Oh, and what about your little sweetling, your little Evenstar? Does Arwen fair well? I hope so. Is she still a teensy bit tomboy, that one? Oh, do let her ride, a lady must know how to do some things anyways. But has she been stubborn in her lessons? I worried so...I wonder who she got that stubbornness from? Perhaps from Daeradar? Well...you must restrain her sometimes but trust my council...she will be a beautiful young lady in due time.
My heart blooms to see you again, penneth!
With much love,
Naneth
My dearest little blossom,
Long has your light gone from our halls to Imladris...you do not know how much I've missed you, penneth. Everywhere in Lothlorien seems to remind me of you, the precious little memories we had. However, do not despair! I am glad of your happiness there in Imladris and I am ecstatic to announce that your Naneth and I will probably be there in three days time, if not earlier.
My letter is a slight bit quicker and shorter than most of what I would write. There is so much I yearn to tell you and yet I fear there will be no scrolls left in Lothlorien. Besides, your Naneth does not want to delay Mithrandir with all of the letters we are making him deliver to Imladris.
So how do you fare? I suppose Elladan and Elrohir are driving you senseless with their jokes and pranks as usual. And perhaps Arwen has still been rebellious with her lessons? Well, even with some years, things have not changed!
Yet despite all of that, I know that they will grow up into some of the best elves I will ever know and I know that I will-and I am-truly proud to call them my grandchildren. You have a beautiful family, my daughter, cherish that in your heart. ALL RIGHT, perhaps Elrond is not as bad as I truly thought he was when we first met. Yes my dear, him puking all over my robes because he was drunk was not the most satisfactory impression of him.
We all miss you penneth, and hope the best for you. I hope to celebrate the Spring Festival once again with you and your wonderful family in Imladris.
With much love and hope,
Adar
Mae govannen penneth,
Oh Arwen! How much we have missed you! Even if it has been a few months since we last saw each other, it seems eons! And to say time is like the faint trickle of the wind for us, elves. I yearn to see you soon! I believe you have grown more beautiful and grand everyday!
How have you been faring? Your Nana tells me you've caught an interest in horseback riding. Is that so? Well, that's marvelous dearie! Yet you must also focus on other areas as well...like manners, arts, your studies and so. But...if you want, perhaps when I arrive there at Imladris, I may race with you.
Have your brothers been bothering you with their pranks, sweetling? If they have, I will need to talk to them. Their jokes and pranks are fun to hear yet sometimes we do not need too much of anything, don't we? And is Elrohir still eating that much ham? Remind him once in a while if you can that his ham diet is not so good for him.
Anyways, I believe we will see you in three days time. Which is a day before Spring Festival's Eve...we would never miss one without all of you. And if we do not arrive then, it will be that we arrive sooner than that. Oh, how my hearts yearns to see you, my little Undomiel!
I am sure to be eager to hear your beautiful voice when it comes to telling me about what I have missed.
With much care and love,
Daernaneth
Dearest Undomiel,
How much I have missed you! I long to see your bright light once again! And do not fear, for even if you cannot talk with me of battle strategies and weapons like I can with your brothers, I will always truly love you all the same, penneth. I truly yearn to spend time with you again, little one!
Perhaps your Daernaneth has already told you but we will be there in about three days time in order to be able to be one day early to Spring Festival's Eve. And if we do not come then, it means that we will have arrived earlier.
My letter will be quicker and shorter for now your Daernaneth is nearly tugging my ears for me to stop writing to you and to join her in the preparations. And of course, I still have to yet choose my gifts for you all. I know just the one for you, my little bird...
I hope I can hear you laughter of ringing white bells again and to rejoice with you again once more! Stay safe and well, my little Evenstar.
With much love and yearning,
Daeradar
Dear Legolas,
I've heard much about Imladris...is it as beautiful as the songs say? I guess so...as Nana once told us, the songs mostly never lie. So anyways, how have you been coping over there in Imladris? I heard that those elves are indeed strange...especially those so-called Elrondion twins, Elladan and Elrohir. Have they been treating you and the rest of your company well? If they aren't, then you know I could just sneak out of Mirkwood, cut all of their hairs in the sleep and hang them on flag poles as well. But for the sake of their lives...I hope they have been treating you well. Anyways, I believe Lord Elrond and Lady Celebrian have been good to you, yes? That was expected, I have heard he is a very amiable host. Adar's probably told you to be courteous to them...of course he did, why am I even asking you? But well...I suppose you've done as he said? Good, you're not the disobedient kind of brat. Oh! And is the Undomiel as pure and heavenly as most of them have said? They say she has a beauty that could one day rival Lady Galadriel's. And as eerie as that elleth is, we all have to admit...she does have a very nice hair.
Anyways, since I have been asking you so much about Imladris, you're probably wondering about home. Well...what can I say? It's just the usual. And by the usual, I mean orcs, spiders and some more of both. The borders near Dol Guldur are more dangerous everyday...there is a darkness that is in the back of my mind that refuses to fade when I think of that orc-infested place. We've been making more patrols evacuate them to our palace grounds to relocate them somewhere else but well...we haven't had much luck. We have got most of the she-elves and elflings but we don't have enough patrols to help the elves. I know...you would have 'loved' this task but the paths to Dol Guldur are getting stranger. Some elves have even been disappearing from their patrols! And we have no idea where they are.
The worst part in this all, is that Adar's been forcing me to be with him.
Oh, you don't know how horrible it has been! Well, of course I feel quite sorry for those injured elves in those villages near Dol Guldur but as Adar has stated, it was pretty dumb to settle near there in the first place. And do you know how much patience and energy I've been using to be keep still while I sat with Adar in his study helping him do his things and accompanying him to what seemed a thousand council meetings? Ugh, and the complaint notes...those are bad enough to make you mad Legolas. I'm afraid I feel like a chicken right now, cooped in a cage.
Anyways...there's something else I've got to talk to you about brother.
See, Mithrandir must have delivered this letter, did he? Well, good...I feared anything would happen to this letter but perhaps he kept his word. Anyhow, Mithrandir passed through the palace ground and wanted to talk to Adar, along with Aiwendil. They told me they needed to talk to Adar about the shadow that lives in our lands. Of course, this was something Adar didn't want me to hear so he kicked me out of his office room. But as curious as I am...I eavesdropped.
Remember that attic Nana used to bring us with all those old things? It turns out it was right above Adar's office room so I had a decent place to hear what they were talking about. And so here is the point: they were talking about the Necromancer.
The floor was thick, all right? I didn't get to hear much but I heard some bits. Mithrandir and Aiwendil say that we are going to have war and bloodshed...he says that the Necromancer is back. Surely you know who I mean with the Necromancer, if you paid attention in your lessons. Mithrandir and Aiwendil both say that his dark powers are the reason Dol Guldur is so powerful. I couldn't hear anything else clearly but I don't like what this talk is about.
But I need to know more.
We all do Legolas, after all...don't we live in the same place as Adar does too? We have a right to know about this 'darkness' that is coming to us. We must be prepared for the bloodshed to come. That is why I need a bit of your help. See...if Mithrandir went to Imladris, it must be for a reason! And he's probably going to talk to Lord Elrond about the same issue he was talking to with Adar!
In other words, I'm telling you to eavesdrop them.
Fine, it might not be very polite but...you have to do it! You have to uncover what is happening! Not only for my curiosity but I know you might be a bit curious right now. So you must do it, Legolas. Because we have the right to know.
Anyways, good luck eavesdropping and enjoy your stay in Imladris! I'll want to hear how Imladris celebrates their Spring Festival. And wait...IS YOUR HAIR STILL PERFECT? Dammit Legolas, don't pretend to be dumb and innocent, you must tell me your secret.
Well, stay out of trouble, Legolas!
Waiting for you to come home,
Thalos
AN: Hahaha! Celeborn is the best! :D I found a gap of time today to update so here are the letters! Here are the reviews, which decreased drastically but... here they are!
BlackMinx17: That is VERY true! And it is a bit selfish of Thranduil but remember, he has been through A LOT. And he truly does love Legolas, he just has that weird way of showing it. One of my mom's friends can't say 'I love you' to her kids, even though she OBVIOUSLY does. It's sad but it's true...
Eraman: Me too! I totally agree with your theory. The issue about the ring is a HUGE question...I've been thinking about it a lot. Anyways, the three rings were given to Elrond, Galadriel and Gil-Galad. Gil-Galad gave it to Gandalf which makes a lot of sense because he's done A LOT for Middle-Earth, being one of the Maiar and all. I think Oropher and Thranduil didn't get one because they weren't part of the original elven kingdoms. Sure, they were Sindar, but they went to Greenwood to form a new kingdom, with new rules and customs. That's just my theory though and you can definitely add to that. In the end, it DOES make sense that Thranduil's all grouchy.
Horsegirl01: Thanks! :) I appreciate that! And yes, I hope I could update earlier too. School is being A PAIN though and September is a terrible month for me: 9 major assignments (projects, quizzes and tests) need to be done, plus homework, plus some of the clubs, plus french, PLUS trying to write in secret because my parents think I'm studying. But I promise I'll do my best to update! :D
Luin: Haha, well, it's better than Gorno Borno! And yes, flashbacks are great! Somehow, I always make them really sentimental...maybe I should do a couple of funny ones. For now, though, MORE ANGST AND PAIN! MWAHAHAHA! *Serial killer side* Sorry...but I DO have a feeling you'd like that! ;) And I will try to update for both stories. And yes...nicknames are plenty here!
Alesia: Thanks! I appreciate your enthusiasm! :D