Chapter 05

Bluebells for Erestor

"Roses are red, bluebells are blue

Oh, I wish I am home with you

Erestor, you silly… fondue

Back to the place where I met you."

Erynlith sang as she arrived at river banks of Anduin. Right before her, a field of blooming flowers greeted her. The field was carpeted in richly-colored bluebells, and the late autumn wind was warm. It breezed past her, umber hair flying as it went. She tucked her hair behind her ear and proceeded to the field. She knelt down in the middle, observing the bluebells before plucking some out one by one.

"Bluebells, bluebells, tra-la-lay," she continued singing to herself. "Pretty, pretty flowers in Greenwood, tra-lo." Her arm was now full of bluebells. She smiled happily, like a child given a new toy. "Erestor likes flowers… the eltiria that bloom in Rivendell. I wonder what other names the elves have for bluebells, tra-la-la?"

She looked up ahead, beyond the Anduin. There was Lórinand, the valley of gold. She wondered if someone could see her right now; the marchwardens of Lórinand were terribly vigilant of their surroundings. Remembering the Silvan elves living there, she sighed and the feeling of emptiness welled inside her. She missed her cousin in Lórinand and it had been years since they last saw or heard of each other.

"Maybe I should visit them sometime?" she asked herself and stood up. Santien had given her a dress earlier that morning, a pale blue dress that touched her ankles. Although not the one for dresses, she thanked the snobbish Silvan healer and took the dress.

"Ah, there you are!" Someone chirped behind her.

Erynlith jumped up in surprise and quickly hid the flowers behind her back. Thranduil was striding towards her now, handsome and graceful. The look on his face was thoughtful, but mischievous at the same time. As he reached her, he titled his head to the side and said: "I have been looking everywhere for you, my lady."

She blinked. "You are?" And then blinked again. "Wait, who are you?"

Thranduil frowned lightly. He was disappointed not to hear her 'tra-la' kind of singing. The elf did not seem to remember him from yesterday, even if he was the one who rescued her. "You don't, remember? Well, I don't blame you." He leaned closer, his hands behind his back. "Now, my lady, what do you have behind your back?"

She flinched, not expecting that question. Or perhaps she should have expected it first? "Nothing, really…" She felt the need to leave the 'tra-la' out.

"My name is Lascalen," he said cordially, blue eyes glinting in mischief.

Erynlith quickly held out her hand in an attempt to shake his hand. Instead, Thranduil took it and kissed the back of her hand. "I am Erynlith," she answered, withdrawing her hand. When silence fell between them, and the other elf was still silent, she pursed her lips awkwardly and said: "Um, can I help you?"

Thranduil chuckled. "Well, yes, you can. I was sent to fetch you back, actually. The healer from the infirmary was quite worried when you left without permission. You should be aware that you are not fully-healed yet, and you might hurt yourself even more. The King has tasked us to make sure of your well-being. And we will do what we are told. So, please, bear with me and return to the infirmary with me."

She fell silent. This elf sounded like Erestor on a daily basis. Gripping the stems of the bluebells tighter, she nodded and began following him. She spared one last glance on the lovely field of bluebells. As they reached the forest once more, Thranduil looked back at her, making sure she was following. His companion was looking around, often wandering about to check on something she had probably never seen before.

"Oh, look! Hold up!" Erynlith suddenly called out, walking away from him. For the umpteenth time, Thranduil turned around and watched her. Behind the bushes, a small fox emerged, sniffing the ground. Erynlith knelt a few inches away from the creature, on her face was a big smile, and stretched out her hand. "Come here, little one," she began cooing, much to Thranduil's amusement. She flicked her fingers. "Come here; let me pat you for a moment…"

The fox did not move. It only stared at the eccentric elf. Erynlith tried again. "Puppy… Come here, boy…"

Thranduil pinched the bridge of his nose, and murmured. "We're never going to make it to the palace."

At last, the fox complied and scampered towards her. Its bushy tail wagged to and fro, the long muzzle probed around, sniffing her hands and legs for treats. Erynlith smiled and patted the fox lovingly; on her other hand was the bouquet of bluebells. When she was satisfied, she bid goodbye to the fox. "See you later. Be careful in the forest, puppy, tra-la-la."

His ears perked up in that strange singsong voice again. Slowly, a smile made its way to his lips.

"You like animals?" he asked, trying to make a small talk.

She stood up. "Oh, yes. In Rivendell, we only have few horses and birds. No foxes of the like, tra-la." At her brief moment of realization, she slapped a hand to cover her mouth, embarrassed of her words. It was always Erestor who heard all her singing antics, sometimes Elrond and Lindir.

Thranduil chuckled. "Is this your first time in Greenwood?"

Again, she nodded. "We never traveled as far as Lórinand."

"And why not?" he asked, arching an eyebrow and looking down at her.

"I do not know." She shrugged. "Erestor always comes with me when we travel. And do you know Gildor? We always travel together in the forests in Arnor. It takes us months to return to the valley, tra-lay… oh, I rhymed!"

He fondly smiled again. "Ah, Gildor…" Thranduil muttered, trying to recall the appearance of the said elf. Gildor was known for his seemingly endless travels. He looked down at her again and noticed that the bouquet was now held in front of her. He smiled mischievously. "Ah, luinell. So, you've found them, haven't you? You should not go picking flowers from the forests."

Her brows furrowed. "Why not, tra-lo?"

"Because the forest is alive," he answered. "It needs every blade of grass, every green leaf, and flowers to live. If you keep on doing that, the forest will soon wither away. I must refrain you from picking any more bluebells from now on."

The girl nodded obligingly, and he was pleased at the look of disappointment on her face. "Moreover, the King will punish everyone who picks his flowers."

Her face blanched, just like the way Thranduil anticipated. "What?"

"The King likes his luinell, you see?" he continued as they went nearer to the palace. "He doesn't want anyone picking them."

Erynlith looked down on the flowers in great defeat. "Oh, too bad, tra-la."

Thranduil laughed heartily. "I am only bluffing!" he said between laughs. Before he knew it, his companion huffed and stomped away, leaving him quite dazed. He followed, of course, and was surprised that she knew her way back to the infirmary.

"My lady!" he called out to her, already forgetting what her name was. "I was only joking. Do not be angry!"

She did not turn around. Who was he to make a fool out of her? He was supposed to be helping her! "I already dislike Greenwood," she huffed. She found the infirmary in no time. At the doorway, Santien was standing, glaring and all, her arms crossed. Erynlith avoided her gaze and slipped past her as Santien's eyes followed her accusingly. Soon after, Thranduil followed, also greeted by the healer's glare.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I brought her back, didn't I?"

Santien growled. "You did when it was way past lunchtime!"

He sighed exasperatedly. "At least I brought her back."

Elrond sighed and rubbed his temples. He then rested his elbows above his desk, fingers entwined; but his eyes looked directly at nothing, his mind in deep thought. The soft knock on his door made him blink. Beyond it, Celebrían's voice sounded, asking to be received. Grunting, Elrond pushed himself from the desk and opened the door. Celebrían smiled and entered; a silver tray of teapot and cups were there. Elrond led her towards the couch and she began pouring out the tea.

"Any news of them?" Celebrían asked, offering a cup to him.

Elrond accepted and sipped lightly. "I'm afraid not. I've sent other scouts but they all turned around before even reaching the High Pass. Something has happened to them. I am sure! If something really terrible happened to them… if Erestor or Erynlith are hurt, I cannot forgive myself."

"Don't say that," Celebrían said and took Elrond's hand into hers. She smiled softly. "They are fine. They must be somewhere in the woods right now, in Lórinand or in Greenwood. You know Erestor; he will never let anything happen to his friends. He is very knowledgeable about things. They are fine. You'll see." Then, she leaned in and planted a swift kiss on his cheek.

"Perhaps you should become my counselor instead of Erestor," Elrond said with a smile.

She laughed. "I don't mind that. You're giving Erestor all the work! Captain and counselor? You should really consider his well-being!"

"There is no one who can do it other than him," Elrond admitted. He leaned back to his couch. "I am considering making Gildor a counselor. But you know him; always traveling about and rarely comes home. He enjoys Lindon more than Rivendell these days."

Erestor slightly waved his hand as the Erynlith entered. He sat up a little from his bed, torso and arms covered in bandages. He had awoken just this morning after Erynlith, and he was disappointed not to see her there. Santien attended to him immediately, redressing his wounds. His shoulder wound was still open slightly; livid scar showed itself. Then, Santien offered him the same medicinal tea, and Erestor took it gratefully. The taste lingered in his tongue, a mix of sweet and sour, and he wondered if Erynlith had already drunk hers. When Santien said otherwise, he chuckled at the expected turnout.

Now, well now, his smile became wider at the sight of her; the pale blue dress she wore suited her well, he thought. And as she went closer, Santien was accompanied by another elf that he knew very well. Erestor gave Thranduil a little nod before turning back to Erynlith. Her eyes looked at him in disbelief.

"Good afternoon, little one," Erestor greeted her.

Erynlith smiled and swiftly drew him into an embrace. "Erestor!"

He winced when he was crushed by her. "Ow! Injured… shoulder!"

"Oh, sorry, tra-la…" Erynlith gasped and withdrew. Erestor was soothing his left shoulder. "Oh, are you alright, brother?" She continued worriedly.

He nodded, still groaning softly. "I will be… Where have you been?"

Swiftly, she presented the bouquet in her hands; the blue petals fell from the roughness of her movement. Erestor's eyes followed the falling petals, picked one that fell on his lap, and stared at Erynlith with wide eyes. She smiled and placed the bouquet in his hands.

"These," she said, picking the petals and giving them to Erestor, "are your little gift from me, you silly elf, tra-la-lay." She closed his hands and held them. "You really made me worry out there, brother. I thought I was supposed the mischievous one, remember? You just had to act so noble and dauntless. Well, lucky you, I am a reliable person. And I will never leave you behind, tra-lo."

She embraced him gently, now too careful not to touch his still-aching shoulder wound. Erestor smiled softly and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. He buried his nose on her umber hair; the scent of the forest and sun was already caught up in it. When they broke away, they both looked down to Erestor's lap and laughed when the bouquet of bluebells was squished from their embrace.

"Now, look what you've done!" Erynlith cried, holding up one squished flower.

Erestor laughed harder. "Oh, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll get that fixed right away." He tried to take the flower from her.

"No!" said the younger elf, drawing her hand away. "You ruined it already! It's really squished!"

"I'll fix it, I said!" Erestor said, still laughing. "Maybe water can nourish it back to health, or something."

The conversation between Erynlith and Erestor continued. They talked about nothing in particular; Erynlith just kept on talking and talking to keep her brother from falling asleep again. And Erestor had always enjoyed her company; he laughed at her eccentricities, the little inside jokes she learned from Gildor during their travels. Even Santien and Thranduil listened, with the blonde elf prince quietly laughing every once in a while. It was a little late in the afternoon when Santien insisted that Erestor should get more rest, which he gladly obeyed. Erynlith was also asked to rest inside the infirmary, but she declined, wanting to get more exposure of the unfamiliar forest.

"I'll take you out," Thranduil offered, already opening the door for them.

Erynlith had completely forgotten that he was there in the first place. She assumed he already left after their little misunderstanding that afternoon, and that he would not show his face afterwards. She glared at him, something she rarely did to her friends at Rivendell. She was not an entirely snobbish elf, only that she disliked how Thranduil had been dishonest of her and even making her look ridiculous.

She crossed her arms and lifted her chin. "No, thank you. I do not like you, tra-la."

Thranduil look stunned while Erestor raised an eyebrow. Did Erynlith even know whom she was talking to? To whom she was being hostile with?

"Oh my," Thranduil smirked. "I did not intend to be dishonest. I can be nice."

Erynlith faked a loud gasp and sneered at him. "Excuse you!"

"And I am extremely humble," he added.

She rolled her eyes, scooting closer to Erestor as she sat on the edge of his bed. Then, she whispered to Erestor's ear audibly: "He was bullying me, brother, tra-la-lo…"

Before Thranduil could shoot something back in his defense, Santien quietly grabbed him by the elbow and shoved him out of the infirmary, sharply whispering something in Silvan. Erestor and Erynlith heard Thranduil whisper something back as well, his voice accusing and raised, but the healer shrugged him off and slammed the door in his face. Santien huffed and returned to her work on her desk, concocting another medicinal tea for the sleeping Caladhir.

"They are very familiar with each other, aren't they?" Erestor said amusedly, referring to Santien and Thranduil, as he slipped under his covers.

Erynlith smiled and helped him adjust his pillows. "Yes, maybe, tra-la. Anyway, you should really get some rest. I'll see you later at dinner, okay?"

Erestor nodded thoughtfully and closed his eyes. "I will."

As he dozed off once more, Erynlith sat on a chair and pulled it beside the bed. Her hand combed through his dark hair, that soft hair she even wondered how he managed. As his breathing became lighter, she sang songs to him in a whisper, suddenly wary with Santien's presence on the other side of the room. On Erestor's bedside table, the bouquet of bluebells was placed within a red vase.

*Luinell - Bluebells (from luin "blue", and nell "bell")

*Eltiria - Stargazers (from el "stars" and tiria "watch, gaze")(I kind of see them as the Lily Stargazers, you know? Those pretty flowers)

Next Chapter: Some history behind Erestor and Erynlith... and more Thranduil/Erynlith mischief with King Oropher.

Author's Notes: Yay for Thranduil and Erynlith meeting! For some reason, I can imagine Thranduil being very mischievous or something, making fun of other people and all that. He didn't even give her his real name! Apparently, our weird elf is not impressed. And yes, she thinks Erestor is a fondue ( ._.)

Thanks you all for the reviewers lat chapter: xSiriuslyPadfoot, DeLacus, Rousdower , and xummy10. Thank you very much for giving Erynlith your support (I'm sure she's singing about it somewhere by now). For fangirling over Amdir and Amroth, I'll give them to you in the upcoming chapters, DeLacus! Because those Sindarin kings need more love.

Please review! I'd be happy to read some feedback from you guys! Ciao! ( ˘ ³˘)❤