Chapter 6 – I Pity You

Streaks of sunlight could be seen through the bolted and locked window shutters of the small room in the tower of the palace. The light couldn't reach the dark haired beauty who sat stiffly on the bed. A closer look at her fair features revealed that she had been crying and she clearly had not had any sleep in days. A plate full of uneaten food sat on the third piece of furniture in the room, a table, aside from a chair and a bed.

A sharp knock rattled the door, but the elven maiden did not move nor make any sound. Her star-lit eyes remained staring at their spot on the floor in front of her. But it did not matter if a response came or not for after a sharp click of the lock, the door swung open and slammed against the wall behind it. Still the elleth made no gesture that she heard the noise, much to the fair ellon's, who now stood in the doorway, displeasure. A large hound stood only a couple of feet behind the elf with its ears perked and its head cocked in curiosity, but a hint of sorrow could be seen in the hound's dark eyes.

Celegorm slammed the door shut behind him, leaving the large hound in the hall, and approached Luthien as she sat stiffly on her large bed. "I am giving you one last chance, Luthien Tuniviel. Say yes."

Still she made no effort to respond to him, even when the tone of his voice was far more deadlier than it had been when they first met. The ellon's dark eyes narrowed and he moved to stand in front of Luthien before grabbing her jaw and forcing her to look at him. "Answer me!"

The maiden's bright eyes narrowed and after a moment her still sweet and lyrical voice sounded in the tense air, "I do not fear you, I do not love you, I pity you, Celegorm, son of Feanor, for resorting to this."

The son of Feanor growled and pulled his hand back to issue a sharp slap across the face of the fairest elleth. But no cry of pain or shock emitted from her lips and once more did her eyes return to the floor in front of her as already the blood in her face rushed to form the large hand-print. Celegorm only clenched his fists to keep from hurting her further, or taking her for himself right there and then, and turned to storm out of the room.

But as soon as the door slammed behind him and his dark and furious eyes met his brother's curious ones, an idea formed.

"Send the letter, Caranthir."

"Did she say—"

"No, send the letter."

"But—"

"Thingol knows not what occurs on here. He does not know that his daughter still refuses me. I am sure he would prefer his precious daughter to marry one of the Eldar instead of that mortal she's been chasing after. It will keep Luthien alive, and the king of Doriath would much prefer that."

"If you force this upon her, she will not live long anyway, Celegorm," Caranthir finally replied as he glanced to Huan; the large hound's dark and knowing eyes clearly sharing his sympathy for the maiden. The Vala hound was agreeing with the darker of the two brothers.

The fair brother's eyes narrowed dangerously at the two of them before he stormed past them and called over his shoulder before he rounded the corner, "Why is it that I must do everything myself?"

The two who were left standing both cast sorrowful glance towards the door before Caranthir stepped forward to lock it once more. The large hound laid back down in his place in front of the door before resting its massive head on its paws as the darker ellon headed back down the hall in search of his brother.

Inside the room, Luthien did not bother to stop the tears that streamed down her cheeks as she had heard all that had occurred on the other side of the door.

--

Thuriniel awoke with a gasp as she shot up in her bed. Her hand reached for her cheek as if it was she that had been slapped as she shuddered at the memory of the dream. These dreams were getting worse and worse. She decided she liked the first dream that kept replaying in different ways when she was still in Lindon. The two dreams she had, had in the Grey Havens had left her with a feeling of dread or feeling quite startled.

When the door slammed open, Thuriniel yelped and nearly jumped out of her bed before she realized the intruder was only a very worried, tired, and yet fully dressed Gildor.

"Is everything alright? Are you alright? Thuriniel, what happened to your cheek?"

The elleth went pale suddenly at his words. Even in the dark he could see the hand print that should not have existed on her face, and undoubtly the color rushing away from her face did not help matters.

In two quick and graceful strides, Gildor was seated on the side of her bed, carefully examining her cheek.

"I-It's fine, Gildor. It was only a dream," she finally managed to answer as her eyes slipped shut and she took a deep breath.

"A dream?" He pulled back and glanced fully at her face. "Did you slap yourself?"

"Maybe…I dreamed I was slapped, I might have done it myself for added effect," she answered with a tiny hint of a smile curling the corners of her lips.

Gildor didn't catch the humor. "Let me see your hand."

Confused, Thuriniel held up her small hand and he pressed it to fading red mark on her cheek. The answer she was looking for was clear when his eyes narrowed. "Was this another one of your dreams, the strange dreams you have been having?"

"Yes, it had the same maiden—"

"Do you know her name?"

"Yes, Luthien, Luthien Tinuviel."

Now Gildor's face went pale. He had never before been entrusted with this secret that both Erenion and Elrond had held so close to their hearts until only the day before when Elrond was giving Gildor his last orders. Though Gildor's loyalty would never permit him to disbelieve something that Elrond told him to be very much the truth, as he could feel it himself, the ex-Lindon guard never fully believed the tale. Until now. "The last dream you had, the one you tried to tell me about earlier, what was it about?"

She yawned as she fully awoke but kept from stretching once she glanced up and saw the stern look on her dear friend's face. "Uh, well, the maiden was fleeing through a forest, though why I have not the slightest clue, and two ellons and a large hound spotted her and confronted her, politely."

Gildor's stern look didn't vanish, but only molded into a worried one. "What happened in your dream tonight."

"I don't know what this has—"

"Thuriniel, please."

She sighed before continuing, "The maiden was locked in a room and one of the ellons who had found her entered and demanded that she do something, something she would not agree to. She said that she pitied this Celegorm--"

"Alright, that is plenty," Gildor interrupted with a heavy heart. Elrond's tale was indeed true, he could see it now. But one of the few orders he had been instructed upon Elrond's leave was that he was to never tell Thuriniel the truth of her past unless the need was dire. By the looks of it, he would not have to wait long until she began to dream of worse events in Luthien Tinuviel, the fairest child of the Illuvitar's, life. But would Gildor be able to keep this secret hidden?

"Gildor, what is it?"

The ellon shook his head and stood from the bed to move towards the balcony of the room. "It is nothing, I am sorry I worried you, Lady Thuriniel."

She was at his side in a graceful instant. "Gildor, you need not refer to me with such a title. You do not serve me, you are my friend. And I do wish to know what is keeping sleep from you."

He glanced to her as she stood beside him with a small smile. How little did she know. "It is just my thoughts that kept me awake tonight. And though I may not be in the service of Lord Elrond any longer, it was one of his last requests to offer you my service as well as protection."

Her demeanor shifted to a disappointed one. "And I am sure locking the library was another one of his requests."

Gildor chuckled with a nod. "You are sharper on your feet when you have just awoken than in broad daylight."

She simply rolled her eyes as she stepped forward to put her hands on the railing as her starry eyes glanced out to the rising dawn.

The ellon watched her shift positions, but remained where he was. His green eyes instead watched her as she took in the sunrise. He had missed her more than she would ever know, and even if Elrond had not instructed him to look after this fair maiden before him, he would have seen to it anyway. And there was only one other who knew why.

"Thurinel," he began as he finally stepped forward to put a hand on her delicate shoulder. She allowed a pleased smile cross her fair face as she waited for him to continue. "There is something you need to know."