Chapter 7: Talk of Valor
She calmed herself as she breathed deeply. She was angry that her chieftain and Lord Elrond had appointed a babysitter to her. She was not a child anymore; she didn't need to be looked after. Goldor was sufficient enough to protect her. She didn't need an elf, of all beings, to tell her what she should do. "Perhaps you should be guarding the border. I am not the enemy."
"Yet you remain a person of interest. I must wonder about that." He did not move from his position leaning against the post.
"Do your people not trust Men?" She came closer to him, challenging him, a scowl profound on her face.
He shrugged. "We do not trust the resolve of men. You are held to the low standards your ancestors had shone in the early days. It is not fair, but more often than not generations never overcome the standards. It is fact: History repeats itself."
"I will prove you wrong. In the coming years, this generation will prove you wrong. Just watch us."
The smirk grew. "That's what I've been assigned to do."
She turned from him, hiding a small smile. She accepted his charge, knowing she could not take her anger out on him as he was just doing as he was commanded to do. "Do not get in my way." She walked away, allowing him to follow behind her with silent footsteps.
After a while, though, she could no longer tolerate the elf. She felt like a caged animal. Every time she would stray too close to the border or some place that he had deemed inappropriate for her to enter, he would wave her away like she was a lost sheep, stepping from the shadows or dropping down from the tree branches.
As the sun began to set, he escorted her back to the house after her day of exploring. "The Lord Elrond wishes for you to prepare for tonight's supper as we have many important guests attending." He brought her to her room. They were greeted by an elf maiden, who entered from the balcony.
The elf lady was dressed in a long white gown. Her face was quite angular and her light blonde hair was prominent. In vast contrast, her eyes were a dark coco. "This is Lhûn," her escort introduced. The lady bent her six foot frame gracefully in a deep bow.
"My lady Coran." Her accent was different than that of the elves of Imladris; it was more like a Mithlond accent. She probably was named for the river whose mouth the Grey Havens stood proudly upon.
"It is a pleasure," she greeted with a bow as well. "I assume you've been assigned to me?"
"Yes, the Lord Elrond demanded of it. I will serve you and the Lord Elrond well." She kept her head bowed, her long hair falling over her shoulder.
The guard bowed as he began to exit, but was stopped by Coran as she said, "I have been incredibly rude, Lord Guard. I did not inquire your name."
That smirk return and she heaved a sigh as she tried not to think about it. "You have asked me for my name, milady, and I shall give it. I am called Telthedir. I bid you good eve." He offered another bow and left them.
With a kind smile, Lhûn commented on her appearance. "I see you've been exploring the grounds today. Be careful not to tire the Lord Erestor's cousin out too much. The poor lad hasn't had this much excitement since the King under the Mountain and his company arrived a very long time ago. I am very glad that Bilbo elected to come stay with us again. His company is much appreciated among all of us." She began to ramble as she started to fill the bath with the hot water she had taken to the room a little while earlier. It was still a little too hot for Coran to slip into and so both women waited and chatted. "The roads are too dangerous for trade or just normal people. We do not get many visitors. I really like having visitors. It gives me something to do. I think I start experiencing a sort of madness if there is not some excitement going on."
Coran watched her with a smile as the elf maiden took a breath. No, she did not hate all elves. Yes, they could be pretentious sometimes, but not all were like that. She actually did enjoy the company of Lhûn, Erestor and even Telthedir was growing on her. As they judged the water to be the right temperature, Coran slipped out of her clothes and into the water.
Lhûn bent over her, beginning to massage oils into her hair. She continued to talk. "Just before you and the hobbits and the Lord Aragorn arrived, the Lord Erestor came back. He's not a guest, but he did cause enough commotion. He talked about the Black Riders that were out hunting you. He and the Lord Elrond had to decide whether to send a large or a small group to aid you. And after you all arrived there was much excitement, especially when word got around that you waited all through the cold night to see the Lord Aragorn in safely. We all thought it was very admirable, milady."
"Thank you," Coran mumbled as the elf began to gently scrub the dirt from her face and body. Perking up with a thought, Coran asked, "Lord Telthedir told me that many important guests were being received in tonight. Do you know who and what they are here for?"
Lhûn giggled. "Wouldn't you like to know? You are one of those people who like to be prepared for things, aren't you? You like to have things under control?"
She blushed with embarrassment. "Aye."
Lhûn rolled her eyes at her embarrassment began to rinse out the suds of the soap. "Well since it would be bad service on my part to deny you information that is clearly not private as the Lord Elrond would have dismissed me from the discussion room when I was serving him, I shall tell you. The Lord Elrond has called a meeting of many peoples. Elves from the Woodland Realm, Dwarves of Durin's Folk, Men from Gondor are all arriving tonight as they will join the Lord Elrond's council tomorrow. We are having a welcoming feast tonight so the Lord Elrond wants you to be taken care of."
The elf pulled a shivering Coran out of the bath. She was cloaked in a towel and rubbed gently yet furiously as Lhûn tried to warm her again. "Tonight there shall be much celebration. There will be feasting, of course, but we will also sing and dance. Do you do either?"
As Lhûn rubbed a sweet smelling perfumed oil into her skin, she felt as in the elf was molding her, like a potter shapes clay or a baker bread. She answered, "Yes, I like to sing. And as for dancing, I'm far too awful at it to enjoy it. I only danced with Aragorn and my husband at my own wedding. I'm afraid I won't be doing it again soon."
Without knowing it was a touchy subject, Lhûn wondered about her husband, eager to learn more about her charge. "What is he like, your husband?"
She could not blame Lhûn for not knowing. Of course, thinking about him made her want to tear out her insides in grief. But, she did not want to earn the pity of the elf just yet, so she decided to lie. When she finally found the courage to answer, her voice came out small, "He is an excellent man. He is compassionate but stern. He is courageous but not to the point of stupidity. He is my dearest friend in the entire world and I love him. I love him more than is describable." She fought back the bittersweet tears. She would not let Lhûn see her cry.
Lhûn finished with her skin and pulled a dress over her head. "Do you have any children?"
"I was only bonded with him this past spring. Then, we were stationed on the borders of the Shire." Blood flooded her cheeks as she spoke, embarrassed, "I had not yet lain with him."
"What about your wedding night?" The elf finished tying the golden girdle about her waist. She adjusted the dark blue velvet dress as it lay crooked on her small shoulders. Satisfied with the appearance Lhûn pushed Coran down into a chair and began to finger-brush her hair.
"There was an Orc attack that very night. He did not come back for three days. Then he took a whole day to rest and we left for the Shire with a ranger unit the next day." Coran winced as Lhûn detangled her short hair. Her hair was cropped to just below her shoulders in an effort to keep it tidy.
"When you see him again, you'll have to make it as if your wedding just happened. I know he will love you."
As she came around to check the front of her to see how the braid looked, Lhûn's eyes went wide as she saw the young human crying. She knelt in front of her, gathering her hands in her own and whispered softly, "Did I hurt you? Did I say something to upset you?"
Coran could not do it. She could lie no more. Weeping against the elf, she murmured, "He's dead. I will not see him again. I will not lie with him. I will not have his children. All I have left are his haunting memories."
Lhûn cradled Coran and let the girl cry. She knew of the cleansing power of tears. She would much rather she feel better for the ceremonies later than have pent up angst. "I am sorry I questioned you so. It is not my place to ask or to know. I have always been far too curious for my own good and I have found that it is a vice. I will refrain from further wrongdoings by holding my tongue."
"It is not necessary. You did not hurt me, Lhûn. You helped me… to acknowledge my grief better," Coran wiped her eyes and reassured the elf that all was well. "I look presentable enough, yes? Even though I just wept?"
"Yes, m'lady. Should I escort you to the dining hall or call on Telthedir?"
"I would rather have you at my side." She gave a small smile and followed the elf out of her chambers.
~x~x~x~x~x~
"Coran," Aragorn caught her by the elbow as she entered the hall and led her to the largest table in the hall. "You will be seated with the hobbits." She was a late comer and most of the chairs were full. Because of this she could see that she and the hobbits were far away from the Lord Elrond and Aragorn. Most of the guests from the foreign lands were seated on the side where her chieftain sat.
With a snide tone, she commented softly, "The small folk and I are to be far from any political or diplomatic discussions? I understand. I am a woman and they are naïve to the world. We know nothing."
He gripped tighter as they neared. "Do not be so foolish. They are other reasons than that." They broke away to take their respective seats.
Coran glowered as the feast started. Lord Elrond had been kind enough to take in the dietary considerations of the various peoples. For instance, where she sat with the hobbits, there was much more food than down the table where the ambassadors sat. Even Arwen was allowed to sit with the leaders. She was allowed to give her input. She was allowed to describe what happened. But Coran could not? She was sat at the children's table while they were at the adult table. She felt ridiculed and unimportant.
Pulling her from her churning thoughts, Frodo introduced his uncle to her. "Lady Coran, this is my uncle, Bilbo Baggins."
"It is a pleasure," she faked a smile, still brooding about her placement.
"No, it is all mine."
"I have heard tales of your adventure. My father was a dear friend to King Thorin. You did a very unselfish thing, helping them. Your heart is kind and you are very brave. I only wished that I had even half the valor you possess, sir." She meant this earnestly. She loved the tale of the Dwarves and their Thief. She particularly loved the songs.
"That warms my heart tremendously, lass. I, too, have heard of your courage. You helped heal Frodo and tried to protect these lads. No ordinary woman would do that."
"I am not who you say I am. I am no courageous being. I would have been able to protect them or even die for them if I was filled with bravery." She had barely touched her food and had begun to play with it, disheartened from eating.
Bilbo had a twinkle in his eye. He reached for her hand across the table. In doing so, he claimed the attention of the room, silencing them with his actions. In a kind voice, he said, "It is not always those who succeed who are the real heroes. It is those who stand and fight despite the odds, despite failure. It is the heart you put behind your actions, not the actions themselves, lass." He gave her hand a comforting squeeze before sitting down again. All of the young hobbits looked at him with admiration, completely taken with him. As she glanced down the table to where the leaders gathered gazed thoughtfully and smiled at his words.
He was truly loved, this hobbit. She also felt that Frodo would one day command the same admiration his uncle had. It was just something about hobbits.
Returning to conversation about Bilbo's journey and his life with the dwarves, she brightened a little as she chatted with him about the songs of the dwarves, no longer playing with her salad. They were having a nice discussion about weeds and their many uses when a commotion was heard down at the other end of the table just after the third course.
The dwarves bellowed and roared for some unknown reason before dying down in spent anger. Several of the males at the end of the table stood threateningly. It seemed that it was mainly the elves who seemed to take offense at the words of the dwarves. Coran and Bilbo were quick to their feet as well, readying to say something, anything.
"I think it is best we retire to the Hall of Fire," Lord Elrond suggested as he rose slowly, calming his guests with a chilling and stern gaze. He took Arwen by the arm and led their procession into the hall. As all of the guests were seated, Lord Elrond called their attention again. "This is a place of tales and songs. We honor each other here. Please, share your talents and love."
Filled with excitement Bilbo took the floor. He recited several verses of his own making before announcing, "I would like to honor our Dwarven guests, one of which is the son of one of my companions. He is Gimli, son of Glóin. This is a song that has been very near to my heart and I would love to share it with you all. But, I daresay that I cannot sing this alone. The young lady I met tonight knows the verses and if she is willing, we may sing for all to hear." Bilbo smiled, his eyes twinkling in merriment as he put her on the spot. At the expecting looks from the other hobbits and from many of the other guests gathered, she stood, willingly, and took the spot next to him.
He allowed her to start the first verse in her dark alto voice and joined in on the second.
Far over the misty mountains cold,
In dungeons deep, and caverns old,
We must away, ere break of day,
To seek the pale-enchanted gold.
The dwarves of yore cast mighty spells,
While hammers struck like ringing bells,
In the deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls, beneath the fells.
For ancient kings and elvish lords,
There lay many a gleaming golden hoard,
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught,
To hide in gems, on hilt of sword…
Time seemed to become irrelevant as they raised their voices, the dwarves joining them as well. She lost all sense of awareness and soon the song was over and many of the other guests had entertained them with song or story. The fire burned hot through the late hours of the night and sleep threatened to take her. Somehow she found herself leaning tiredly against Lhûn who plucked a harp. It was Telthedir who carried her back to her room, sound asleep in his arms. He and Lhûn carefully laid her to sleep on the bed before turning from the room.
"She is still very much a child," the elf maiden commented absentmindedly as they retreated to the hallway.
"Aye, I do not see how she will be able to accomplish the task set before her by the Lord Elrond when she is so childlike." He retorted.
"Well, most mortals are. Besides, I have good hope that she will be able to do what is asked of her."
"I hope you are right. For her fate shall be decided tomorrow at the council."