"As you see, Your Majesty," Glorfindel began. "They are not mortals."
Damn, there goes all my work to try to hide it from them. Rhiannon wasn't helping things either. She could've played dumb, saying she had some balding or a scar or something…but she was too distracted by that damned hot Glorfindel. If it were me, I could've resisted him easily. Damn Rhiannon and her Elf-fantasies!
Ereinion Gil-galad looked at Rhiannon and Glorfindel, taking in the sudden disclosure of our short-lived secret. He then looked to me and began towards me.
I reluctantly, almost automatically, reached up, and pulled the hat from my head, letting the cascades of my fiery gold hair tumble down my back, keeping my gaze to the ground, unable to look at the High King of the Elves.
My heart was beating strangely rapidly as I sensed Gil-galad handle the curls of my hair before brushing it behind my sensitive Elven ears. He gently ran his finger along the tip of my ear, the feather-light touch causing an electric feeling that made me shiver.
"You tried to hide this," he said softly in his deep warm voice.
"We were afraid," I answered, unable to move or do anything but obey his commands. As I said before, I could resist Glorfindel easily…but Gil-galad had weakened my defences. A lot.
"Afraid of what?"
"We saw the orcs killing people. So much happened; our reactions were those of fear."
"To lay a blow to my captain is to be afraid?" Isildur questioned.
Rhiannon had the sense to look at least a little bit sheepish about that. "No, that was because he wasn't helping us, wasn't being polite, and in short, he's a prick."
I must agree with you on that, Rhiannon. Actions well justified, even if morally wrong. But I couldn't voice my agreement, not with Gil-galad so close to me as he was.
Gil-galad seemed to think this over for a moment before saying loudly, "Let us head back to the safety of the camp, lest the orcs return in greater numbers." He said something to Glorfindel in Elven-Speech as the group began to move out. Gil-galad then turned back to me. "You shall ride with me. I do not want any more escapes. It has wasted much of our precious time already."
Guiltily, I mounted behind him, once again thankful that Elves used tack in war times. The King said nothing, but his horse responded by heading off in a canter. Holding onto Gil-galad's waist to keep myself from falling, I chanced a look back to where Rhiannon's expression was a smug smile from her place behind Glorfindel on Minras, holding on much tighter than necessary, I thought. It seemed strange to me that Glorfindel should have the same she-Elf who felt his arse that morning ride behind him…were these Elves crazy?
Upon returning to the camp, I found myself separated from Rhiannon- as we had long tried to avoid- and in Gil-galad's tent of all places.
Get your mind out of the gutter! It was an innocent gesture! Well…I mean, as in we were being interrogated. Gil-galad wanted me to feel comfortable…have you noticed the more comfortable a person is, the more willing they are to respond to questions? That's all it was…
"Where do you come from?" Gil-galad enquired, as though I weren't a prisoner, pouring two cups of wine.
"I do not know, sir." I said quietly.
"What of your parents? And Family?" He asked, handing me one of the goblets.
"Only Rhiannon." I sipped the drink, never having been much a fan of wine, but I found it was mild and sweet in taste; just how I liked it.
"How did you come to be here?"
"We…there was a field- where the orcs were killing people, just before the incident with the captain. I remember nothing more."
Gil-galad stared at me for a long while before speaking. "So you do not remember from whence you come? Prince Isildur informed me that he asked the same question to which your friend replied 'The Great Beyond', but you both denied it was Númenor of which you spoke. Are you from Aman?"
"I do not know."
"Then why give such an answer?" Gil-galad said softly, suspicion rising in his tone.
I swallowed unconsciously, thinking carefully before I replied and prayed Rhiannon would be answering Glorfindel's questions much the same as I. "It was said without thought; but on thinking, we cannot remember any such place."
"Do you know what Aman is?"
"The Blessed Isle, the home of the High Elves, and the place Elves shall seek when they leave Middle Earth. The Ainur reside there; of the Valar and Maiar, only Ulmo, Ossë and Uinen dare venture near Middle Earth again. That is, if they do such anymore."
"And you knew of the Fall of Númenor." Gil-galad stated, sipping his wine. "How is it that to every question of personal nature you have no answer, but you can remember these events?"
I opened my mouth, but for a moment no words came out. "I-I do not know."
Gil-galad looked at me once more. "Do you think perhaps it is possible that you have come from Aman?"
I thought about it, and what I had said. "I suppose such a notion is not so unconceivable."
"I believe, my young friend, that the Valar have sent you, to aid our war against the Dark Lord Sauron. I know not how it perceived that you will help us, but I trust to the Ainur's wisdom."
Ok, that works for me. I'm not in trouble! For the moment…when he finds out that Rhiannon and I are the biggest pair of idiots Middle Earth has ever seen, and that we can't help these guys win the War of the Last Alliance (I mean, gees, they're going to sort of win it anyway…sure, Sauron's gonna be around for a lot longer than was planned…..but there are advantages too! Like…oh, I dunno!
It suddenly dawned on me Gil-galad had been saying something to me. "Pardon?"
"It seems to me that a she-Elf needs a name in the Elven tongue. I hope you do not think my presumptuous for taking the right from your parents, but we need a proper name for you." Gil-galad said.
"If you think I must." I shrugged casually. Damn my hormones must be going mental…
"Anórmír," Gil-galad smiled gently. "It means Sun-jewel, for your hair is like the red fire of Arien and the same beautiful gold of Laurelin, the Golden Tree."
I smiled shyly, not sure what else to do or say.
Gil-galad looked away, for a moment seeming to pull himself from a trance that I wasn't aware he'd been in. "You need to bathe. I shall have a basin of water brought here and some suitable clothing. It would be best if you were to stay here in the tent for the rest of the day until I can think of how to deal with you and your friend." With that he left the inner room of the tent.
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