THE FORGOTTEN

Saer a Melui

Bitter and Sweet

Author's note: The chapter in which – Lothril realizes she will never have another Thanksgiving with her family and her foreignness really starts hitting her hard. …Note on the word "melui" – it means: lovely, sweet, amiable. I opted for this over a couple other options because of how this chapter wound up turning out. There are a couple words that mean "sweet" be it sweet tasting or sweet sounding or whatever, but melui I think fits the tone of this best.

Shortly after they had arrived in the Woodland Realm, Legolas had been so kind as to help her draw out a complete set of calendars leading up to their wedding. She had side by side elven, lunar, and Gregorian calendars she could consult, which she did, every morning to try to get a feel for life and time in the Woodland Realm. So it was, she woke up one morning and in her general getting ready for breakfast, she glanced at the calendar and noted it was a Thursday… the fourth Thursday of November… Thanksgiving…

Except… there was no huge Thanksgiving dinner at her grandma's house. No giant roast turkey, no massive bowl of mashed potatoes and turkey gravy, no table full of too many pies, no pickle plate, no olives, no homemade cranberry sauce, no after dinner Christmas movie or Uno game… Nothing. She was sure whatever they would eat today would be delicious as always, but... well, she was simply going to have to get used to it. After all, hadn't she been the one who had said she wanted to go full elven when she got back? And she did… but still…

She sighed and put those thoughts away as she checked out her cranberry and grey dress in the mirror to make sure everything was laying right. Once she was sure nothing was caught or hitched up weirdly, she left her closet and went straight to the anteroom and picked up her lute and practiced the song she was working on. The tune was gentle and rippling and now that she nearly had it, she was finding it almost soothing to play. She had been so engrossed in her playing that she hadn't heard Legolas enter.

When he saw she was so focused on her playing, he stayed still and by the door and let her play undisturbed. Usually when she played that song, it seemed like a gentle happy lilt; today though it seemed like a gentle melancholic contemplation. He waited until the last note faded to say, "I think you have it."

She swiftly looked up and saw Legolas coming towards her and sitting down. "Oh, when did you get here?"

"Shortly after you started playing," he answered. "How are you this morning?"

"I am fine," she said with a small and unconvincing smile before she got up to return her lute to its stand. He didn't say anything. She turned back to him and said, "Shall we go?"

"Not just yet. Sit down," he said, patting the seat beside him.

She sat down and he put an arm around her. "I have been thinking it might be nice if we spent a day with family."

"Oh?"

"Every once in a while we get together and spend the whole day doing things like playing games, riding, hunting, or whatnot. Though, today we would be restricted to indoor things as it is raining heavily outside," he said.

"Is it? I have not looked."

He nodded. "It is pouring. But what do you think? Would you like to spend today with everyone?"

"Sure," she said with a little smile.

It wasn't terribly convincing, but she was clearly in a melancholy mood, so he let it be at that. "Very well, then we shall go breakfast with Ada as usual and then go to the drawing room," he said with an encouraging smile.

"That sounds good," she said and stood up and began heading towards the door.

"Hold a moment," Legolas said as he stood up as well. She turned to face him and he didn't say anything but just hugged her for a while until he felt her relax into his arms and she rested her face on his shoulder.

"Do you feel better?" Lothril asked, sounding sincerely concerned and comforting.

Legolas grinned… sometimes her self-awareness was comically low. "Yes, much better," he answered as he pulled away and let his hand slip into hers.

As they sat down to eat Thranduil asked, "Did Legolas tell you our plans for today?"

"He said something about spending the day with the family," Lothril answered.

"Indeed, that is our plan nearly the whole of it. Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please," Lothril answered.

Thranduil poured her a cup and handed it to her.

She took a sniff of the tea and decided it was too warm for her so cupped the warm mug in her hands for a second before setting it back on the saucer and started cutting into her breakfast. "So, how long has this family day been planned?"

"We do these every so often and when I began making inquiries yesterday on when we might have the next one, today seemed to be the best day for it," Thranduil answered.

"Oh," Lothril said quietly, "that is nice."

"It is, indeed!" Thranduil smiled.

After breakfast they went to the drawing room and Lothril learned what she assumed was just part of the wall was actually a door that could slide open and open up the drawing room to the game room. Not everyone was there yet, but it seemed like the better part of them were and were split between the two rooms. Some in the drawing room were playing music while a handful in the game room were playing pool and darts and some were singing or humming along to what was being played in the other room as they played their games. Thranduil went into the game room with Legolas while Lothril opted to stay in the drawing room and listen to the music.

For a little while she listened happily until someone decided to play the song of Nimrodel. At first she was keen to listen and hear the whole thing, but as it went along she found she really didn't want to hear any more of it and stole away across the hall into the library, which was empty, dark, and silent. She hadn't really spent much time in that particular library and began perusing the shelves until she came to a large window with a window seat covered in pillows and blankets. She drew back the curtains and crawled up onto the seat and sat curled up staring out the rain splattered window. Legolas hadn't been exaggerating when he said it was pouring. The window overlooked the river and if it wasn't for the fact there was a slight over hang, she wouldn't have been able to tell forest from river. It was hard enough as it was as the rain was falling at a slant and still splattering a little against the glass, but the sheets of rain definitely veiled the scene before her.

Being a dark and rainy day, it was hard to tell the hour nor how much time she had sat there, so she was a little surprised when Linnrien, Legolas' cousin on his mother's side, suddenly appeared and said, "Oh! There you are! We have been missing you, Lothril!"

"Oh, I just stepped out for a minute and got distracted by the rain," Lothril replied.

She smiled. "I understand. I like watching the rain too. But I am afraid you have been gone for hours. We were heading to lunch when we realized you were not to be found."

"Lunch? Oh, I guess I lost track of time," Lothril said feeling a little disoriented all the sudden. She really had thought it but a few minutes.

Linnrien sat down on the edge of the window seat and said, "You know, if you wish to be alone, I can always tell the others you are not feeling up to things and have retired for the afternoon. No one will think anything of it. I think I can even distract Legolas to allow you some time alone and some privacy if you need me to."

Lothril felt touched and almost relieved at the gesture. "Thank you, Linnrien, but I am fine. I will join everyone for lunch."

Lothril went to get up but Linnrien placed a hand on her shoulder and asked, "Are you sure?"

"I am sure I… I just miss my family today. That is all," Lothril said.

"That is enough!" Linnrien said and leaned in and gave her a hug. "I am from Lindon and came here after the Last Alliance. Most of my kindred were killed in that war and the ones that remained either died of grief, sailed, or scattered. I moved to Lothlórien with some others and met Elior who was there with Lauríel visiting their father and mother. Elior and I fell in love and wed and I returned with him here to the Woodland Realm. I am very happy with him, but that does not mean that I have not spent many nights mourning the loss of my kin and my home in Lindon. I cannot say the pain and grief ever quite go away, but in time it becomes more bearable and you will find the joy of your life with Legolas will be greater than the grief of loss. But it does not have to be today."

"Thank you, Linnrien," Lothril said, her voice starting to sound a little strained.

Linnrien pulled her into a hug and Lothril burst into tears. Linnrien did not say a word but simply held her and let her cry. After a little while she stopped crying and Linnrien took her back to her own rooms, which were actually quite close by, closer than Lothril's rooms were, and helped her dry her eyes and wash her face and combed and braided her hair. Lothril did not say very much, but she was a little surprised to see that Linnrien and Elior's apartment was really quite comparable to her own. The rooms were a little smaller (Lothril thought hers were a bit larger than she needed) but no less nice. She supposed maybe some of the fixtures and furniture weren't quite as ornate or expensive, though she honestly had no real way of gauging it. She thought everything looked very nice and homely and comfortable and she thought if they had to swap living arrangements tomorrow, she could be quite happy here.

Lothril's thoughts turned though from the rooms to the ones living in them. She felt like she was still getting to know Linnrien in a lot of ways, but right now, she was being the friend and family she needed.

"What do you think, Lothril – this silver ribbon, the red, or this brown that fairly well matches your hair?" Linnrien asked, holding up the ribbons in question.

"The silver," Lothril answered, smiling a little.

Linnrien nodded and put the other two back in her vanity drawer. She gently combed through Lothril's hair and started to separate pieces to braid. "You have the prettiest hair with a very unique hue. Usually dark haired elves are a little darker than yours and I have never seen one that glints with silvery colors when the light touches it unless they were silver haired already. I wonder if perhaps one of your ancestors had silver hair and another dark," Linnrien mused as she worked.

"It could be, but I do not know. I did not have a chance to meet any of them nor did Elbereth say one way or the other," Lothril said.

"What color is your father and mother's hair?" Linnrien asked.

"My father has red hair and my mother brown. Hers was darker than mine though and warmer. She did start going grey young though, but that is more a mortal thing I think than an elven one."

"I have always thought it must be strange to go grey," Linnrien said. "Born with one color only to turn another… but I have observed some mortal children go from pale blond to dark hair as they grow older and I have always found that strange also. Whatever hair color we have as elflings is the hair color we keep."

Lothril just gave a non-committal hum in reply.

"There," Linnrien said as she tied off the braid. "All done. Are you ready to go to lunch?"

"I am. And thank you, Linnrien," Lothril replied, looking at Linnrien in the mirror with a serious sort of smile.

Linnrien gave her shoulders a squeeze. "You are welcome anytime, Lothril."

They went to lunch and it was immediately apparent not everyone was there. Apparently the billiards game was running long and the players involved were committed to finishing it before going to lunch, keeping a few well invested spectators with them. However, Thranduil and Legolas it seemed had been called away by some business or other, which apparently was not unheard of as no one seemed either disappointed or alarmed by it.

Lothril however felt a little disappointed and a touch confused. Wasn't Legolas supposed to be off duty until Turuhalmë? How serious was this that it necessitated both of them? Or was Legolas called away on something separately? So help her if this was him being called down to the loading docks because he ordered a barge worth of dresses or something from Gondor…

About halfway through lunch Legolas returned and besides a general welcome back sentiment, no one really batted an eye or even asked what he had been called away about. After all those years, it was the general opinion of the family that if it was really important, they would be told. Otherwise, like as not, it was either going to be something stupid or something uninteresting to most of them.

Lothril gave him a lightly questioning look which was met with a smile from Legolas and as he took his seat beside her he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. He fell in easily to the lunch conversation and Lothril remained fairly quiet as she had been, but the melancholy air about her seemed less, and she and Linnrien seemed to be chatting a little bit on and off. Legolas noted that happily. Even though Elior was his blood relation, he and Linnrien had become very close over the years and he counted her as close kin. It made him happy to see her and Lothril seem to be growing close too.

Thranduil showed up towards the end of lunch and told everyone if they were done to go ahead without him and that he would join them as soon as he was finished. As some ate slower than others, the ones that were done went ahead and left and started up a card game while some of the others lingered for a little while before finishing so as to keep him company. Amongst them, Lothril and Linnrien, to whom Lothril was telling the story of how her grandparents met and married.

Thranduil finished and as they headed from dining room to the game room, Thranduil pulled Legolas aside in the hallway. Lothril paused also until he said, "Go on ahead, pen mell (dear one), I shall only keep him a moment."

Linnrien, who was walking just a step or two behind caught up to Lothril and holding out her hand to her said, "Come with me and continue the story of your grandparents!"

Lothril smiled and said, "Alright!" as she took the proffered hand they continued down the hall, Lothril picking up the tale where she had left it off at dinner.

As soon as they were in the drawing room Thranduil asked, "What do you think of the reports we were given?"

"Mostly I am frustrated we have gotten no further in our pursuits. Someone must know something and they either do not realize they know something or they are hiding something," Legolas replied.

"I think the same," Thranduil said. "By the by, how is Lothril bearing up under this? Her mood today seems low."

"She is a bit melancholy today and I think it because today would be one of the larger holidays in her old world and she is now sundered from her kin," Legolas answered.

"That is likely it," Thranduil replied with an understanding nod. "Is that why you ordered what you did for supper tonight and so badly wanted today to be the day we are all together?"

Legolas nodded. "It is."

"Then why did you say nothing? We would have loved to have been on your plans!"

"To be perfectly honest, I was not sure how she would be feeling today and given her mood, I do not think she would have liked the constant reminder. She can be very particular about these things. To the extent that I am going to warn her what I have done on the way to supper tonight and if either she or both of us do not appear at supper, do not be surprised," Legolas replied.

"Well I hope she does come to supper. I made a cinnamon pumpkin pie for dessert that I think she will like," Thranduil said. "And I wish to see her enjoy it." He sighed and added with a frown, "This makes me all the more angry someone has decided to target her so meanly. It is hard enough that she is parted forever from her natural kin, she does not need someone trying to make her miserable on top of it."

"I agree. All told I think she is adjusting well, but at times I can tell she feels a bit lost and lonely despite the fact she knows she has us. Her family was of a good size and though she did not have dozens of friends, she had a few and she was very close to them. She is making friends here I think with our huntresses, but as many of them are now gone for the season, I think she is feeling her loneliness anew," Legolas said.

"Have you told her she may invite them back and throw parties and dances if she so wishes?" Thranduil asked.

"I have, but I think that whole concept is still foreign to her," Legolas answered. "All her time with her old friends was very casual and I think she is still painfully aware of the fact that most of her new friends are wives of lords and have been for a very long time. I think she is still very intimidated by that fact."

"I can well appreciate that. Perhaps then when this whole business is over, you ought to arrange something for her. You are friendly with most of them and their husbands," Thranduil said.

"I think I shall," Legolas said thoughtfully.

Thranduil clapped a hand on his son's shoulder and said, "If you need me, I am here."

Legolas looked at his father with a small smile. "I know, Ada."

Supper time came and everyone began filing out to the dining room again, talking, singing, and laughing. It had been too long between these days for their tastes and everyone kept saying they needed to another and sooner than later. By the end of the afternoon, Lothril's mood had improved significantly and she had even played some card games and spent a good deal of time talking to his various relations, though Linnrien, Elior, and Cîlwen most.

As the others headed out, Legolas held her back and as soon as the room was clear he said, "Lothril, before we go to supper I want to tell you something."

"And that would be?"

"I know you said you wished to throw yourself into our life and our customs, but I also remembered that today would be Thanksgiving Day where you are from and thought you might be missing your family and traditions so I have arranged that we have roast turkey and mashed potatoes and gravy and all those things today. That everyone had the day off is naught but good fortune, but I had asked as many of them as possible to join us for dinner before yesterday. However, if you do not-"

She threw her arms around him and gave him a big hug. "Thank you, Legolas. Do the others know today is a holiday?"

"No. Just Ada. I decided I would leave it up to you whether they learn that or not. In case you do not wish to bring one of your holidays here," he answered.

She held him a little tighter and said, "Thank you, melethron."

"Do you want to go join the others for supper?"

"Yes, I do," Lothril said with a smile. She really couldn't believe sometimes how thoughtful he could be.

She really didn't feel like explaining the holiday to everyone and at the moment it was largely because she really did not feel like being the center of attention. However, when she saw the feast spread out on the table she almost cried. It looked perfect. Roasted turkey, cranberry sauce, huge bowl of mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, big bowl of buttery corn, hot rolls, apple pie, pumpkin pie… She got a little misty eyed but was able to blink it back before anyone noticed.

Supper was delicious, the conversation lovely, and afterwards the others went to go sing and have an after dinner wine, but Lothril decided she wanted to end the day a little more quietly and so headed back to her room alone and pulled out her photo album and rang for some hot mulled cider. She sat on the couch in her pajamas slowly flipping through the album and sipping her cider. She reached the end and put it back on the shelf on her nightstand and pulled out the sketchbook Legolas had gotten for her and returned to the couch to look through the sketches. Somehow, seeing the faces of her family mixed in with the faces of Elrond, Arwen, the twins, the Fellowship, and Thranduil… it just seemed… well… how blessed was she? To have so many that loved her.

The turkey started catching up with her so she put the sketchbook back and crawled into bed and let herself drift to sleep with a little smile on her face.

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A/N: In answer to the Guest who asked what hobbies the elves might have that differ from ones here, the answer to that would be - not many. Most of the arts and crafts hobbies we have today were once more or less common things done to help with daily living. Granted, they might be into things that are more obscure crafts now like blacksmithing, glass blowing, etc., but they are still things that can and are done. Now if you're fishing for something particularly elvish... well, I am likely to go into that at least a little bit down the road, but I haven't written that far ahead yet.