The Forgotten
Introduction to Eldar
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings or any other work of Tolkien or any other entity you have ever heard of that may be mentioned in any given chapter.
Author's Note: The chapter in which – Elrond and Legolas threaten to throw Jennifer in a pool.
As they rode down the path towards Imladris, the elven singing only got louder. Listening to them made her realize how much elvish she had picked up and how much more familiar was she was getting with the language. Before, she struggled to understand the words in singing, but now it was becoming easy. Jennifer had remembered reading about the elves singing in the trees when Bilbo and the Dwarves came to Imladris many years ago, and wished she could have heard it. Now that she was she found she was enjoying it immensely.
As they rode down into the valley, the singing continued and got louder. She heard them say a few times that she was a strange girl with a strange name, but all she could do was smile. A few of them started singing greetings to the elven prince and joke that he was the greatest elven prince in all of Middle-earth. Legolas laughed and nodded his head as if in agreement.
They finally made it down into the heart of Imladris and Lord Elrond was there to greet them. They dismounted and Elrond said, "Welcome, Legolas and company! I trust your journey was uneventful."
"Greetings Lord Elrond," Legolas said with a bow. "It was an uneventful journey. We have come bearing news from my father King Thranduil."
"All news will be told later at a council that shall be held soon," Elrond informed.
"Very well, Lord Elrond. That is not all we are here for however," Legolas said.
"I had a dream some nights ago telling me that a mortal girl was accompanying you from a far off land," he said, turning his attention to the girl with them and looking slightly confused.
"Were you told nothing else?" Legolas asked.
"Nothing else, though it seems that there is much to tell. That however may wait. Ellindë, Thinhen, you may follow my servants here to your rooms."
They thanked Lord Elrond with a bow and then left.
"Lord Elrond, permit me to introduce you to Jennifer, the human you were told about," Legolas said as he gestured to Jennifer.
"Greetings, Jennifer. It is a pleasure to meet you," Elrond said.
"Pleasure is all mine, Lord Elrond," she replied with a small curtsy. She wasn't sure if one could properly curtsy without a skirt containing at minimum two yards of fabric, but she figured she ought to do something when facing one of the singularly most respected personages in all of Middle-earth.
"There is much we shall need to discuss, I think, but that may wait until after supper. I am sure you are weary from your travels so if you and Legolas wish, I will have you both shown to your rooms."
"That shall not be necessary, Lord Elrond. I know where mine is." Legolas said.
Elrond smiled. "Of course, then would you mind escorting Jennifer to hers also? Hers is to the left of yours."
Legolas and Jennifer thanked him and bowed, and went off to their rooms.
"So Legolas, how do you know where our rooms are?" Jennifer asked.
"I know because I have had the same room every time I have come here."
There was a pause, and then Jennifer asked, "Do you know Aragorn?"
"Yes I do, we are friends. Why do you ask?"
"Just curious," she replied. They talked and Jennifer looked around constantly at all the beautiful sights and architecture until they reached their rooms. The Last Homely House East of the Sea was massive, or at least she thought it was. Growing up in a small one story, two bedroom house that had to convert the dining room into a bedroom for her brother made most houses seem large by comparison. Even so, there seemed to be no end to the place. Up stairs and down, turning this way and that, they wended their way at length to a wing of the house that seemed to push out a bit and overlook the valley on the right and into what Jennifer really wanted to call a wooded garden on the left. It looked every inch as neat and kept as a garden should, yet it was full of trees and little flowers that loved the shade. From there she could also hear the sound of a waterfall and the river. The passage they were walking down gracefully arched back into the interior of the house and Jennifer found they were in a short hallway (comparatively speaking) that only had four doors on it, two on each side, before it turned again and wound its way down a little stair into another part of the house.
Legolas lead her to the further door on the right side of the hall and said, "This is your room. I am next door on the right, should you wish to see me. If you are in want of anything, you shall find a bell cord beside the bed and a servant will appear presently."
She stared at the beautiful door with the silver knob and shook her head. "This whole servant thing is still weird to me."
"You seemed to get along well enough with Estelneth," Legolas commented.
"Yes, but you and I both know she was probably acting more like a babysitter than anything else. I mean, I'm sixteen. I don't remember ever feeling so helpless to do things on my own. But like you said, it's a bigger place than what I am accustomed to. I mean, the width of my parents' house would fit between the doors to our room." She turned and eyed the width of the passage. "And the living room would fit in the hallway." She shook her head. "Back home I'm two years shy of being an adult, but in elf years sixteen is what? Just old enough to start lacing my own boots? Would I have even started my education yet?"
Legolas could tell Jennifer was exhausted. She had done a hundred times better traveling than he had expected her to do, especially with as far and fast as they did and with hardly a complaint she pushed herself hard to keep up with her companions. Now he suspected it was catching up with her rapidly. He opened the door to her room as he said, "I will happily answer all your questions about how elves grow later, but now I think we would both be better served resting from the long journey."
She nodded and went inside. The first thing she saw were three large windows with the curtains tied back. The window in the middle however was actually a door leading out to a small porch. The curtains were white and tied with golden cord. The bright golden afternoon sun flooded the room and painted all it touched. She pulled her gaze from the bright windows and looked around. It was a large room, with the front half separated from the back half with three arches, the ones on each side having thick green curtains tied back to open up the room. The front half that she was standing in was arranged with a table and chairs on one side and a pair of arm chairs and a book shelf on the other. Both sides had tall candle stands and both sides had a pair of lanterns fixed to the wall that would help shed light on either the table or the arm chairs. She went through to the back half of the room and immediately to her left was a door that was ajar just enough to see that the room was lit, and just past that was a large bed that had a night stand on either side. Directly across the room from the bed was a fireplace with a couch and a small, low table in front of it with a wardrobe and a door on its right and a desk with chair on its left. In the middle of the room was a large rug that complimented the bed spread and kept the room from looking cold. The walls were a pale creamy yellow color and the floors a light colored stone. She thought it was perfect. Everything was bright and airy and restful. As she looked around she noticed that there were several lanterns, candles, and lamps all about the room.
She went over to the wardrobe and found all her clothes she had brought with her hanging up already inside. For all the traveling in a bag they had endured, they looked to be in fairly decent shape, and she figured they would look just fine if allowed to hang for a little while. She then went over to the door next to the bed and pushed it open. There was a curtained window that let in some light, but it was otherwise lit with a pair of lamps that were reflected in a mirror to make it a bit brighter. Even so, it took a second for her eyes to adjust from the very bright bedroom to the much dimmer light. When they did though, she saw it was a bathroom.
"Oh score!" she said out loud. She went over to the window and opened the curtain further and looked out. She figured as long as she didn't stand right in front of the window, it would be safe enough to keep the curtain opened. She drew a bath for herself and enjoyed the utter novelty of bathing indoors in hot water. Partway through she realized she had no idea where any towels were and no clean change of clothes in there with her. She found towels in a linen closet and decided if she wrapped herself in one and draped herself in another, she should be able to manage to get one of her dresses out of the wardrobe without scandalizing the whole of elvendom, as her room did look out over the better part of Rivendell. She very quickly darted out and then back and emerged a few minutes later in her hunter green dress and blotting her damp hair with a towel. She sat down on the couch and thoroughly enjoyed the other novel luxury of sitting on something with a backrest and seat cushions inside of four walls and under a roof. There was no fire in the hearth, but that didn't bother her in the slightest. It was a warm day and the windows let in the sun's warmth without any of the cool air. After a while she decided it was time to just comb her hair and put it in a braid. It was what it was, and after three weeks on the road, she was only going to manage to look so put together. Especially without Estelneth around to do her hair.
She heaved a deep sigh and sank onto the bed. It had been a very long month. The week in the Woodland Realm felt like a week of camp but with amazing food and very fun clothes. Then the three weeks of travel felt like a never ending camping trip and trail ride. By the middle of the second week, she was getting so used to living out in the wide open air, she wasn't sure if being indoors again would feel claustrophobic or like being wrapped up in a warm blanket. As it was, the House of Elrond felt like the happiest compromise in the world between being indoors and outdoors. Light and airy like outside, warm and dry like inside, with opportunities in excess to venture either further indoors or outdoors at every turn. As these thoughts turned in her head, she drifted off to sleep.
A bell rang out across the valley. Jennifer awoke immediately and sat up, wondering what it might mean, but then she figured it probably signaled dinner. For as much as she hadn't planned on an afternoon nap, she was glad she had one, however long or short it may have been, for she felt quite rested and ready to explore a little on the way to supper. She headed towards the door then paused and wondered if she should wear that silver circlet Thranduil had gifted her. She wasn't sure, but she suspected being properly accessorized was a part of being dressed for dinner. For being a rather out of common use concept back home, she was aware of it, and had picked up on the idea that the elves still practiced it on her second or so night in Mirkwood. She returned to the wardrobe and looked in her pack which was sitting on the bottom, and it was folded neatly and completely empty. She took a more careful look at the wardrobe and noticed a narrow little set of drawers on one side that was partially obscured by a dress sleeve. She opened the top one and found there her circlet and necklace neatly arranged on the green felt lining. Carefully, she took her things into the bathroom and gingerly set the circlet on her head then put on her necklace. "Well, the circlet and necklace look nice anyway. My braid looks a little plain, but whatever," she said to her reflection.
Without another thought to how she looked, and intentionally for she knew full well if she dwelled on a moment longer, she wouldn't leave the room, she headed towards the door and was only a step or two from it when a knock came.
"Oh! Hello! Would you like to accompany me to dinner?" Legolas asked. He had also changed out of his traveling clothes and into a long grey tunic with a green robe and wore a silver circlet. The fabric draped well and the weave and pattern of the fabric was such that it caught the light as he moved and seemed to display all the hues known to green leaf. Jennifer thought it looked like a tree in a light breeze.
"Yes, please. I was just about to go find you," she answered.
He offered his arm and she took it, as she was now quite accustomed to doing, and he said, "You look rested. Did you sleep at all?"
"I didn't mean to, but yes," she answered. "Oh… I slept in this dress. I hope it looks okay. Maybe I should change."
Legolas removed his arm from hers and took a step back to look at the dress. "It looks fine," he said resuming his place beside her.
"Oh good! I'm sure I looked like a mess when we rode in today. I'd hate to look like a mess at dinner too," she said with a half grin.
Legolas laughed, "You looked fine, especially for someone who had just ridden twenty miles that day through the mountains. I promise, I would not have let you be introduced to Lord Elrond if you looked less than presentable."
"Maybe, but I'm not sure what you could have done even if I had."
"There are places along the river where the bank is low. I would have tossed you in with a bar of soap," he teased.
She tried to give him a very annoyed look, but burst into laughter instead. "I can see it now, Ellindë holding my horse while you pull me off and chuck me in the river with Thinhen laughing."
It probably took ten or fifteen minutes to reach the dining hall where they were seated partway down the table, but still within easy talking distance of Lord Elrond. There were only elves present, which at this point Jennifer was getting quite used to their company. To the extent that if another human or something else showed up just then, she wasn't sure she wouldn't gawk. The elves of Imladris though were definitely a different stock than the ones in Mirkwood. She knew from the books that there were some great and mighty elves in the Last Homely House, and she remembered the description from the books, but even so, nothing could quite prepare for just how overwhelming they could be. What's more, at times she swore she could see a glimpse of something, but she couldn't figure out what. She didn't say much through the first course, as Legolas was preoccupied talking with someone across the table from him and most of the elves around her were either talking amongst themselves in elvish or silent. Eventually, the silent elf beside her asked her a question.
"I have not seen you here before. Are you a member of the party that arrived from Mirkwood?"
"I am a member of that party," she answered.
"Then you must be the girl I have heard rumors about," he said, switching to the common tongue.
She smiled politely and said, "Probably."
"Forgive my impertinence," he said with a graceful bowing of his head. "I was not sure when I saw you come in with Legolas if you were she, for I did not expect you to look as one of us. My name is Glorfindel, by the way."
"Oh," she said, suddenly turning a little pink. "Um, my name is Jennifer. And that's fine. I honestly didn't recognize myself when I looked in the mirror earlier. I wouldn't expect anybody else to figure me for human." She quickly took a bite at the end of the sentence, because she felt like she was rambling, and if she wasn't rambling, she was about to and she didn't much like the idea of making herself look like a chattering idiot in front of what she was increasingly realizing was probably some of the most powerful and important elves of the last two ages.
Glorfindel didn't seem to mind though and merely smiled warmly and said, "I am glad to have met you, Jennifer. Tell me, how do you find Rivendell?"
"To be honest, It's unlike anywhere I've ever been. I mean, I have been in bigger buildings, but never a bigger house. And certainly not as beautiful or perfectly situated. I think I could wander here for days without going into the same room twice. I think the house I grew up in would fit in this room."
Glorfindel laughed. "It is an impressive house. There is much to see here and do, or not do as you will. And what brings you here in the first place?"
"To be honest, I don't really know why I'm in Middle-earth at all, but since I've gotten here, it seems I'm turning into an elf," she said, subconsciously touching her pointed ear. "So I came here to Rivendell for some council and maybe some answers. But after that I have no idea. I have no kith or kin here, except for poor Legolas who seems to be stuck with me. At least for the time being."
Legolas heard his name and what she said and so turned to her and said, "Do not say poor Legolas as if you are some grievous burden. Do not listen to her, Lord Glorfindel," he added grinning, "She would have you believe I am bound to her as a sentence of some sad doom. Would that all my burdens were so light!"
Glorfindel realized he was teasing the girl. Her mouth twitched into a self-deprecating smile, which seemed to amuse the elf prince. Clearly, this was a conversation they had had before.
At the end of supper Lord Elrond extended an invitation to Legolas and Jennifer to have them join him in his study. They followed him to his study and he invited them to sit down on some large upholstered chairs that were situated near a large hearth. As the evenings were growing chill, a fire was already going by the time they got there and Jennifer found the warmth quite pleasant after all those weeks traveling.
"I have been wondering about the dream since I had it and why I was given it at all. Perhaps now that you are here you can solve the mystery for me," Elrond said, looking at Jennifer then Legolas.
Legolas began to explain the series of dreams he and his father had, and Jennifer told hers, then he went through what happened that first morning and the conclusions he, his father, and Jennifer drew. While Legolas explained, Elrond carefully examined Jennifer's features and turned her head to examine her ears. "There is more," Legolas said. Elrond arched an eye brow and Legolas told him about the dream Jennifer pulled him into. This seemed to surprise the elf lord a good deal and he asked both of them to tell him every minute detail about the dream itself and about how they felt during the dream. Legolas kept saying that he felt tired and weary, while Jennifer kept saying that she felt like she was having to constantly pull back against something to keep things on track. Elrond sat in thought for a moment then asked if she would mind his trying to get into her head. She said she didn't.
"If the strain becomes too much, tell me," Elrond said.
Before she could blink she felt another presence brushing against her consciousness. He was looking at her, and his gaze went from keen to intense and she gasped. Then she heard his voice in her head. It was almost like hearing it aloud, but without it registering in her ears first, it came across differently. Almost more clearly. What was really strange though is that she could almost feel the vastness of the mind behind the words and the words were colored with thought and feeling. Like she could feel or sense the intent behind them.
"When you answer me, do not speak aloud. Only think your reply," he said.
She was surprised at hearing it and she could almost feel Elrond registering her reaction.
"I want you to try to answer me now," he said.
"I have no idea what to say," she thought, which she hadn't intended to reply, but she understood he had heard it regardless. "That was not what I meant to say, but I said it anyway. This is weird." And suddenly a string of related thoughts and feelings seemed to flow from her and she realized Elrond could hear them all.
"With this form of communication it is very hard to hide things. However, you notice you are not really hearing every thought and feeling of mine?" he asked. He felt her affirmation and her head nodded slightly as she was trying to dampen the constant stream of thought. It was easier when she focused on him and what he was saying. "I will teach you how to keep your thoughts in the background and only bring what you wish to say to the fore. For now, I wish to see the depth and breadth of your mind and your natural skill with this. If you will permit me, I shall explore a little. If anything comes to the surface of your consciousness that you do not wish me to see, simply shut the door and I will move on. And I will move slowly so you have time to react. May I?"
"Yes, I guess. I don't really understand."
"You shall in a moment," he answered and he began by permitting a strong desire to see memories of their trip there. That desire caused her mind to begin replaying the trip from the moment they left the king. Swiftly the memories zipped past like watching a movie in fast forward, but as they came to the first day outside of Mirkwood and she went to bathe she quickly shut off that memory almost reflexively and it skipped to Legolas showing her a map of the route they would take. "It is nearly reflexive with you. That shows a natural talent for this. Now that you have an idea, I shall begin skipping around a little bit, looking for different clues."
For several minutes Legolas watched the silent conversation. Jennifer's face was fascinating to watch because being unpracticed, her face reflected the concentration and flickered every so often with emotion. Eventually the contact was broken and she sighed and slumped a little in her chair.
"You definitely have elvish blood… high elvish blood. Whether you are one of the Noldor, Sindar, or another, I do not know. There was something else as well that I found."
"Which was?"
"I think you are part maia."
Jennifer sat there, looking at the floor in shock. Sure, she could accept the fact she had fallen into Middle-earth, she could barely accept the fact she had elvish blood, but she could not accept the fact that she was part maia. That did not seem possible to her.
"I could be wrong, however. That is simply the impression I received. In any event," Elrond continued, "I think we should do this at least once a week. I cannot say why you were brought here, but it is a mental exercise that will be worth doing, and it seems to me that no matter what path your being here may take that it shall prove to be advantageous to you."
She closed her eyes in concentration, trying to process what Elrond had just said. It wasn't easy. The original thought of all this being a dream returned to her in force. There was simply no way – pointed ears were one thing. Elven blood? Well, that would explain the ears. But maia?
Elrond didn't have to be in her mind to read her thoughts. "You can question or deny the evidence laid before you, but it shall change nothing of the truth. The sooner you realize and accept the truth of what is before you, the better for you it shall be."
She took a deep breath. "Okay," she thought to herself, and then said out loud, "In that case, Lord Elrond, there are some other things you should know." She told Elrond about the books (only so far as there are books about Middle-earth history and what could be called current events) and her theories as to how any of this might be possible.
"So basically," she said finishing up, "I am aware of current affairs."
"You have not told anyone what you know, have you?" the elven lord asked.
"Oh no, Lord Elrond. It seemed to me that such information could wind up doing more harm than good. I mean, I told King Thranduil about as much as I told you, but nothing really past right now. I figured he probably knew that much anyway."
"That is wise," he answered.
"What do you think this all means?" Jennifer asked.
Elrond shook his head. "Besides what you have told me or guessed yourself, I cannot begin to imagine why you alone have been brought here and to this moment, unless you are to have some part to play in the events that are unfolding. If you do or do not, I believe that shall be made clear to us in time. In any event, you are here and it is clear that you are at least part elven and having grown up estranged from your people, I think it would be best you become acquainted with us and our ways."
Jennifer involuntarily smiled. "When can we start? I know some history and I've already started learning elvish but I would love to know more!"
Elrond smiled at her enthusiasm. "Perhaps tomorrow. Tonight however, you ought to rest and enjoy yourself as you have traveled a long way."
She suddenly felt very tired. Elrond had worn her out. "Yes, I think you're right. If I may, I think I will go lay down now."
"Certainly," Elrond replied then went over and pulled a velvet bell cord. A servant appeared and Elrond said, "Please accompany Jennifer back to her room and attend to her. Legolas, may I speak to you for a moment?"
The servant curtsied and escorted Jennifer back to her room as Legolas stayed behind. Upon reaching her room, the servant turned down the bed and helped her ready herself for bed. Jennifer flung herself onto the bed and instantly fell asleep as the servant was yet hanging up her clothes. She looked over and saw the girl lying on the bed asleep looking completely exhausted. Softly, she pulled the covers up over the sleeper, stirred up the fire, blew out the lamps, and left.
Back in the study, Elrond and Legolas were speaking.
"Yes, Lord Elrond?" Legolas said after the door shut behind the servant.
"I am curious to hear what you and King Thranduil think," he said.
"In truth, we are astonished and confused. All the circumstances surrounding her are strange to me, and though I do not know where she is from, I would swear it is not Middle-earth. Furthermore, I would have sworn to you upon our first meeting that she was nothing more than a human girl. Nothing about her suggested anything else to me. And yet –" he trailed off.
Elrond studied Legolas' face as the latter elf sat in thought. "Speak your thoughts," Elrond commanded.
"I am not certain what to make of my thoughts," Legolas said. "I had not thought about it until this moment, but even by that first evening she seemed to me more fair of face and it surprised me, but I reckoned it no more than the effect of seeing her dressed as one of us and dismissed any further thoughts. Now I am not so certain."
"Did she still seem human to you?"
"That is what I am uncertain about," Legolas said, shifting in his chair. "By the next morning when her vision was restored and her ears changed, I thought she felt and looked more elven to me, but I could not reckon how this could be. I still cannot, though the idea she has seems, I suppose, as likely as anything. I should call it fall far-fetched, but she is here and grows more elven by the day."
"Indeed," said Elrond. "If you had not said anything, I should not have guessed for some time that any mortal blood was in her veins. She looks and seems like a young elf. If I had met her by herself, I should have reckoned her an elf nearly full grown, not a human of sixteen."
Legolas nodded. "She is not the same as she was when we left."
"How so?" Elrond asked, leaning back in his chair.
"I do not know if she has noticed or not, but her hearing and vision have grown sharper. On the first day, if Thinhen and I, who rode before her, were whispering amongst ourselves, she heard nothing. By the time we reached the Misty Mountains, she heard us as clearly as Ellindë who was riding beside her, and she also at first would not see certain things we were seeing until she was closer, but now she sees as far and as clear as any of us. She also grows stronger and faster," he answered.
Elrond crossed his arms than began rubbing his chin with the knuckle of his index finger as he contemplated what Legolas had said. "I am certain of what I felt when I practiced ósanwe with her. She is elven, I strongly suspect she is maia, and there is a presence of mortal human. What this shall mean for her future, I do not know. Perhaps she shall be given a choice as I and Elros were. If such is the case, then she must be made fully to understand the choices before her."
"That is why we brought her here so swiftly. As the only one of the Eldar to have made this choice, we thought it would be best you council her," Legolas said.
Elrond nodded. "It is not an easy one, even for ones who understood perhaps better than any others what each road would be." He fell silent in contemplation for a moment then asked, "May I depend on you to help teach her our ways and customs? You have already played tutor and guardian to her thus far, and she seems to hold you in some regard as such. You are of course, free to decline if you wish to spend your time here otherwise preoccupied as I would not have you be unwillingly tethered to her. I am certain when the task of fetching her was first laid upon you, all that has since transpired was not in your reckoning."
Legolas laughed and shook his head, "No, no. It most certainly was not in my reckoning! But she has been a good student and an excellent ward. I shall continue to be her teacher, though I am certain others are more qualified."
It was Elrond's turn to chuckle "Perhaps she shall have other tutors as well, but you are well versed in Sindarin customs from Doriath and Silvan ways. As we do not know what her lineage is, I should cover as much as possible. Besides, there is something about her that seems – perhaps it is best I keep my conjecture to myself."
"Nay, I have felt it myself. I was reminded of it at supper this evening sitting beside members of your household. Whatever her family and whatever her kind, she is a scion of an old tree."
Legolas was next door standing on his porch, enjoying the night air. He had been there many times before. Each time he went, he stayed longer than he intended. Imladris was not just a haven for way worn travelers, it was a place of rest for the elves as well. Legolas found it a wonderful place to recover from the stresses of the years. He visited Imladris once every few decades. The elf hadn't broken his pattern until the last seventy-five years. In the last seventy-five years he had been there ten times playing messenger. He didn't mind at all.
The shadow in the east had been haunting him and all his kin for quite some time now. Aragorn's visit last year hadn't brought any comfort either. He gave a sad sigh. His thoughts turned to Jennifer.
"Poor girl," he thought. "It must be difficult and strange for her. Clearly, she never thought her dream would actually come true. Surely that was strange enough, but then all this happening, and how young she is! Sixteen years, to humans she is on the cusp of fully grown. If she had been born here as an elfling, her head would barely clear my waist at this age. She is so young, and yet, she doesn't seem as young as she did when she came."
He had no idea how very strange this all was to her. She could tell that she was half elf at times, especially when she heard things that she wouldn't have before, or saw something much further away than perfect human vision would allow, yet she was still very human in many ways. She was starting to wonder if this was how Elrond felt at first. Well, when she was awake anyway.
Legolas had a tree growing right outside his room. He had watched it grow for over a century. He climbed up onto the railing of the porch and grabbed onto a branch. He pulled himself up and started climbing. When he reached a lofty bough, he sat down with his back towards the trunk and gazed out. How peaceful it was in that tree top, how beautiful was the song of the wind in the leaves. How lovely the sound of elven voices were as they drifted past his ears.
Suddenly he heard someone moving. It was someone in a room; it wasn't his room, so it must have been Jennifer. It grew still again for a minute and then he heard a great amount of rustling of blankets and then crying which rapidly turned into sobbing. He remembered what she had said her first night in Mirkwood about her talking and so forth in her sleep, but he wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't at least make sure it was naught more than a bad dream. He scrambled lightly down the branches until he came to one that stuck out over her porch. He saw her sit up in bed and sob into her hands. Lightly he jumped onto the porch and opened the big glass door and sat beside her on the bed.
"Jennifer, are you unwell?" he asked gently.
She tried to answer, but she was crying too hard and couldn't get any words out. Without a word he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a big hug and let her sob into his shoulder. The sobs grew deeper, but less violent and suddenly images he did not recognize began flashing across his mind. He saw her family. He recognized her mother right away because they looked similar, and then realized the tall thin red haired man was her father. He saw her brother and sister and the little house in the woods that she grew up in. He then saw four older people he realized were her grandparents. He saw aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and places she loved and cared about deeply. Then suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and a huge gulf appeared between him and her family and he found himself staring into the wild and a great feeling of utter loneliness, strangeness, and uncertainty washed over him.
"Was this your dream?" he asked the crying girl, feeling like he might begin weeping himself.
She nodded as her crying began to ebb.
He said nothing for a while and only held her as she cried. At length she calmed herself down and even her shuddering breath evened out and she sat up. Without a word Legolas fetched a cloth for her to dry her eyes and blow her nose then sat down beside her again. She gave him a very thick sounding 'thank you' and took it from him. He sat beside her in silence for a few minutes more than got up and stirred up the fire in the fireplace, as the air in the room was growing chill then returned to her side.
"Do you wish to discuss it?" he asked quietly.
"What? The dream? Not really. I just miss them. And I wish I knew if I would see them again. I wish I could have said goodbye, but – no. I can't spend my life focusing on what ifs."
"That is wise. We cannot change what was."
"I'm sorry if I woke you up with my crying," she said.
"I was already awake. I was up in that tree outside listening to singing and the night breeze."
"Well, thank you for coming and sitting with me. It helped," she said.
"You are most welcome. From hence forth, if you are feeling lonely, come find me. My room is just through that door there," he said pointing to the door next to her wardrobe.
"Thank you, but are you sure? I would hate to-"
"If you say the words 'be a bother' or any variation of that sentiment to me ever again, I shall throw you into the river and leave you there," he teased. "I have never met anyone in all my days who was so accommodating and yet so apologetic. Dear Jennifer, believe it or not, you have been extremely easy to watch over and rather enjoyable company. You must not apologize for simply living."
"Yes, but you-"
"Have volunteered to help Lord Elrond teach you our ways and customs. I should not have done so if I found your company tedious. So you, as you so quaintly put it at supper, are stuck with me. At least until my errand here is complete. After that, we shall see what we shall see. Now does that put your worried heart at ease?"
She smiled a little and said, "It does."
"Good. Now it is still some hours before morning. You ought to go back to sleep," he said standing up and heading towards the door that connected their rooms.
"Legolas," she started.
"Yes?" he asked, turning to look at her.
"I- well, I'm – that is-"
"I can stay for a while longer. But you should lie down and try to sleep."
Without a word she laid down and pulled the blankets up high over her head and felt like such a fool for wanting him to stay and kicking herself for even saying his name while at the same time, she was extremely glad for the company.
"And stop berating yourself," he added as he settled himself down on the couch, kicked off his shoes, and put his feet up on the small table. He began singing very quietly and after a few minutes Jennifer was sound asleep with peaceful dreams. After a while he grew tired himself and stretched himself out on the couch and slept there for a few hours until the first light of dawn streaked across the sky. He awoke and saw she was still asleep and peaceful and silently went into his room.
Jennifer didn't awaken until the full light of morning came streaming into her window. The memory of the night before came flooding back to her and she wondered briefly if it hadn't all been a bad dream. Quickly she glanced around the room and the elven prince was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps it had been. Perhaps she hadn't been a blubbering mess in front of Legolas then subsequently made a fool of herself by asking him to stick around like a frightened child. With a sigh of relief she got out of bed and made herself ready for the day. She was in the middle of trying something ever so slightly more complicated than a single plait in her hair when there was a knock at the door. She couldn't very well stop what she was doing or she would have to start all over again, so she walked a few paces out of the bathroom and called, "Come in!" then ducked back in. She heard the door open and said, "I'm in here, just braiding my hair. I'll be out in a minute." As quickly as she could she finished the braid and tied it off and came out to see whoever it was. It was Legolas sitting in one of the armchairs with a book. As soon as she walked up he shut it and replaced it on the shelf.
"Good morning," she greeted.
"Good morning," Legolas returned. "Did you have any more dreams last night?"
She cringed. "So that part wasn't a dream. Thank you for sitting up with me for a while last night."
"You are quite welcome. Now that you are awake, would you like me to show you around a little before breakfast?"
"No thank you. I've never been one for guided tours. You can come along though as I go exploring, if you like. I'd enjoy the company."
"Very well," he replied with a laugh. Jennifer and Legolas started wandering the halls of Imladris. She threw open doors, looked in, and then would leave unless something caught her eye. After an hour and a half she decided it was quite enough exploring for one day and was high time for breakfast."
"There is one room, Jennifer, that you shall not find on your own and I would not have you miss," Legolas said. "We still have a little time before breakfast anyway."
She followed him through several halls and corridors, up a few stair cases and then to some half-forgotten corner with a door and a window. Legolas opened the door and let her go first. Inside the door was a tall winding stair case. Jennifer and Legolas climbed it all the way to the top. At the top was a trap door. Jennifer opened it and climbed into the room.
It was an open room with a small fireplace on one wall and a couch before it, but the rest was all open. The roof went out several feet from the walls on all sides, permitting no snow or rain to get into the room. The breeze drifted through and it smelled lovely. All of Rivendell could be seen from this tower.
"Legolas!" Jennifer gasped. "This is beautiful!" It was rendered even more so than usual for the rising sun was shining full upon the valley. The trees looked like they were consumed in a greenish yellow fire, the river looked like glass, the snow on the mountains shone like polished silver, and the voices of the singing elves rose to their ears to make it perfect.
"I knew you would like it," Legolas grinned. He was glad to see her looking so happy after last night. She stood for nearly several minutes saying nothing, just gazing out at the landscape that spread before her. After a time they started talking about this and that, and after a few minutes heard the breakfast bell ringing.
After breakfast, Elrond summoned her back to his study and they sat down at a small table that was situated happily near a window.
"Tea?" he asked as he poured himself a cup.
"Yes, please," she answered.
"Cream or sugar?"
"No, thank you. I've never been terribly fond of tea, but it has been growing on me since I arrived in Middle-earth, and I've decided I like it best plain," she replied.
Elrond smiled, "Tea is an acquired taste. It took me years to learn to appreciate it." He handed her a cup and then sat down with his. "Today I should like to begin by resuming our conversation from last night. What have you noticed as changed since you arrived?"
"Besides the ears and the eyes – honestly, I think my face has changed. Everyone used to think I was twelve, but I think I look older now. I think I'm stronger than I used to be, though that might just be due to riding a horse for a month straight. And – well, this might sound a little crazy, but I've started seeing things."
"Such as?"
"Well, like last night at dinner. Every so often I kept seeing these white flashes of something. At first I thought maybe it was the light reflecting off of something, but then I realized it wasn't light being reflected off of something on the others, it was light coming from them."
Elrond nodded. "That is normal. I shall teach you all about it in time."
Jennifer sighed in relief. "Oh good! For a little bit there I thought I was losing my mind."
Elrond laughed, "No, no. As I said, I shall teach you all about it in time, but for the moment, the short answer is that elves have both a physical form or hröa and a spirit or fëa that controls the physical form. At times we can see the true nature of things that is hidden from mortal eyes."
She nodded then took a sip of her tea.
"Have you noticed anything else?"
She thought for a moment as she stared blankly into her half empty tea cup. "Not really. I do have a question though, if you don't mind."
"Please ask."
"Is this what it was like for you when you chose to be Eldar?"
He paused a moment in thought and drank some tea then answered, "No, for I and my brother were already one hundred years old and considered fully grown amongst the elves when were given the choice. As we had already lived as elves thus far, for me there was little to no change. As for Elros, he did not notice anything very different for some years when he began to age as mortal men, though more slowly. And had you been born here as an elf, you would not be noticing changes any more so than you noticed growing as a human child. As it stands, however, you were nearly fully grown in body when you came here and I believe your coming here awoke within you your elven and maia natures. Therefore, everything that has lain dormant all these years is now awakening and trying to catch up to your physical form. I imagine the next few months shall be more than a little interesting for you, as several decades worth of maturing shall be trying to catch up with your nearly fully grown form."
"Oh joy," she frowned then took another sip of tea.
Elrond smiled kindly and said, "So far you seem to have handled it with grace. I well imagine you shall continue to do so. That is why you are here and why I shall help you. That is also why today you are going to start learning about the nature of elves, our history, customs, and traditions and why I have enlisted the help of Legolas and some others. As we do not know whether you are Sindarin or Noldor or what have you, I think it would be best you have a base knowledge of each. Tell me, what do you know of the Valar?"
Jennifer recited what she could remember from the Silmarillion about the music of the Ainur, the rebellion of Melkor, the relationship of the Valar to each other, what very, very little she knew about the maiar (leaving out the detail that she knew the wizards were maiar, as at the last second she thought she remembered reading that nobody in Middle-earth really knew that. Or were supposed to know that.), and the awakening of the elves. After that her knowledge was much sketchier, as she couldn't remember just how long it was between the waking of the elves and the waking of men, and then endless wars, silmarils, cataclysmic destruction, Feanor causing chaos, then sons of Feanor causing chaos, and every other character having six names, all of which either started with 'F' or 'E', and that any human with a name that ended in '-uor' or '-urin' was doomed to tragedy.
"And then," she said carrying on, "Sauron decided trickery was the way to ruling the world, so he lied to the Valar, then lied to the Numenorians, then lied to – oh, I can't remember his name… Celebrimbor? I remember it started with a 'c', anyway he was one of the greatest craftsmen of the elves and Sauron going by Annatar I think it was, taught him how to make magic rings then turned around and made the one ring behind everyone's back and then the elf made the three elven rings behind Sauron's back and all at once everyone realized Sauron was a liar. The elven rings were hidden with Gil-galad, Cirdan, and the third elven ring bearer still has it. The other two gave their rings to others, and apparently the only ones who know who has what elven ring are the other elven ring bearers. But anyway, Sauron and his ring seemed to put an end to all the petty squabbles the elves were having because there doesn't seem to have been any since, and the Last Alliance was formed, Sauron was defeated but not destroyed, and here we are today, about three thousand years later and the East growing dark once more and Sauron looking to finish what he started."
"It seems we shall have to work on you keeping everyone's name straight, but that is the pith of the history of the world. What do you know about the nature of the elves?" Elrond asked as he poured himself another cup of tea. He offered her some more tea, but she politely declined.
"A bit less, I'm afraid. I know you don't die from old age, or at least, no one has lived long enough to do so yet, so you- they- we are immortal. For all intents and purposes. We don't get sick, though we can be poisoned and we can be killed, but if we choose, we can be reincarnated as ourselves. For example, Glorfindel. Though, I don't know if anyone else has ever bothered. Anyway, when compared to the other races in Middle-earth, we have better vision, better hearing, and are stronger than some, but not necessarily strongest… Like, I think now we're stronger than humans, but I think early on, humans could be stronger than elves. But that hasn't necessarily been true for like two ages now. Oh, and I do happen to know that elves can in fact grow beards, but they have to be like ten thousand years old to do so. If I remember right, Cirdan the shipwright is the only one who can. Also, and I'm not sure why, but it seems elven made things are repellant to evil creatures and can cause them some serious damage. More so than a comparable man-made object. And that's about all I know."
He nodded then asked, "And what do you know of our customs?"
"Next to nothing," she answered. "Estelneth, she was servant that helped me in the Woodland Realm, taught me some basic manners sorts of things like how to properly greet someone and address people, and how to dress for dinner, but otherwise I haven't a clue. I haven't really been here long enough."
"That is quite understandable. Well, considering what you have told me, let us start today with our customs and then we shall address the nature of elves. As well, I should like to practice ósanwe with you whenever we meet. You seem to be in possession of a natural talent for it, so I think it best we develop it."
She nodded then said, "What is ósanwe?"
"It could be rendered in the common tongue as mind-opening. It is what we engaged in last night."
"Ooooh! That. Yes, we should definitely do that because I accidentally shared a bad dream I had last night with Legolas, and I really don't want to do that again."
Elrond asked her about it and she reluctantly gave him the whole story and decided that was what they would start with today and then delve into other things.
The bell for the midday meal rang and Elrond decided that was enough for the day and escorted her to lunch. As they walked, he told her she should enjoy the rest of the day and that they could meet again tomorrow if she so wished and if so, she could come straight there after she finished breakfast.
After lunch, Jennifer bumped into Legolas as he was coming out of a room with his nose in a book. He asked her how her morning went and she told him her head felt like a library had been shoved into it. He found that extremely amusing and made a point of letting her know by laughing and then telling her he should have been disappointed if she had reported anything less.
"What shall you do for the rest of the afternoon?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know. I don't really have anywhere to go," she answered.
He shook his head, "What do you mean you do not have anywhere to go? The whole valley of Imladris is open for your exploration. You should go wander around. There are several small waterfalls and little streams and pools that empty into Bruinen, and that is to say nothing of all the gardens, woods, and everything else."
"Well, that does sound nice, but what if I get lost?"
"If you are not returned to your room by nightfall, I shall come find you. And you needn't worry about wandering out of the valley either, as you shall notice if you do. Now go! Give your mind time to sort out the library that was just shoved in it."
Part of her wanted to protest, but he had that funny look on his face he'd get sometimes when he thought she was being terribly amusing, but he wasn't going to change his mind. He'd had it a few times on the road when she protested to digging for worms and baiting fishing hooks. Instead she simply sighed and headed for the nearest door with a quiet chuckle from Legolas chasing her out the door.
Soon though, she forgot all about Legolas. She found the path that lead past her room and decided to go explore that little wooded garden. Not far in was a tributary of Bruinen cutting through with a graceful stone bridge arching across it. She crossed the bridge and felt like she had entered some other place. The trees were thicker on that side of the bridge and therefore, it was shadier. It was also quiet. The noise of the nearby stream seemed dampened and the birds seemed to be singing quietly. She continued on down the path for some time and would see statues here and there, but all the inscriptions were in elvish which she couldn't read yet. Part of her wondered if this wasn't a cemetery or memorial garden of some kind. Or perhaps it was just decorative and those inscriptions just said, "Carved by so-and-so". She kept on and at length the trees lightened up again and the sound of a waterfall reached her ears. She decided to go see the falls and eventually reached the edge of a wide, shallow pool into which a little stream came splashing down a rocky stair case into it. It wasn't a very big waterfall, but it was noisy enough. The pool it emptied into was fairly round and calm and emptied on one edge down a short one foot drop and continued on bubbling and splashing down a succession of rocky steps until a ways down where it leveled off and meandered lazily into presumably the Bruinen River.
Without a thought she sat down at the edge of the pool and took off her slippers and let her bare feet splash around in the water. The current didn't feel particularly strong, but she stayed where she was. At length, a piece of driftwood came splashing down the falls and fell unceremoniously into the pool where it immediately bobbed up and drifted around. She watched it carefully for a long while until it eventually drifted out the pool and down, down, and away. It didn't look like the current was very strong at all. The woods were quiet with only the singing of birds to be heard. The far side of the pool had a wide grassy bank and a thin line of trees and then the land fell away into a deep glen. She looked around and listened very carefully. She seemed to be quite alone. Never, ever in her life had she ever even sort of considered skinny dipping, but suddenly the idea seemed not only appealing, but fairly safe. She figured she had been gypped out of a whole summer of swimming anyway, so she may as well make up for a little of it now. Giving one last glance around she went to the far side of a large tree near the edge of the pool and left her clothes in a neat pile at the roots then carefully waded in.
The pool wasn't deep at all. Under the falls was its deepest and she figured that only to be about five feet. Everywhere else it was more like three or four, so she kept herself low in the water and paddled around a while before she figured she was probably pressing her luck and headed back to shore. Now came the part she hadn't accounted well for – drying off. She figured she had three options – throw her clothes on while still wet, dry herself off with her shift and then just fold it up carefully and take it back to her room, or lie out in the sunshine for a few minutes until she dried off. She was still in the pool and making up her mind when her luck began to run out. Down the path a ways she heard voices. Faster than thought and as silently as possible she darted out of the pool and threw her clothes on behind the tree then forced herself to walk slowly away without turning to see who was walking down the path. She didn't know, she didn't want to know, and she sincerely hoped she never found out who it was or what they saw (if anything) ever in the history of ever. Once she got into the thick of the trees again and was reasonably convinced she was out of sight, she broke into a run and in so doing went deeper into the woods and off the path. At length she found a tree with some low branches and she climbed up a short ways into it until she found a rather comfortable spot against the bole that she could lean against. She closed her eyes and listened and heard nothing. Then she suddenly noticed she wasn't winded at all, nor was her heart pounding as she would have expected after such a flight. For a good long while she sat in the tree and mulled over some of the things Lord Elrond had taught her and eventually drifted on to other things. Suddenly she heard a faint bell and realized it was probably the supper bell.
"Probably high time I head back anyway," she thought to herself. Without thinking about it, she jumped down out of the tree and began heading back in more or less the direction she figured she had come. Twilight settled under the trees and she began to realize she had gone further than she had figured. Usually this would have made her feel a bit panicky, especially with it getting dark, however she knew that there was nothing to worry about here and Legolas had said he would come find her if she wasn't back to her room by dark. He hadn't failed her yet. Just when she was starting to figure she would need Legolas to come find her, she found herself coming down towards the bridge and she realized she had gone in a giant triangle. She crossed the bridge and saw the Last Homely House glowing with lights. Just then a door opened letting out more light and out strode Legolas.
"There you are! I thought for certain you would have been back well before supper. You surprise me, Jennifer. But you see, I am true to my word," he said as he strolled up to her.
"For a little while there I thought you'd have to come find me."
"Did you have a pleasant afternoon exploring?" he asked as they turned to walk towards the house.
"I did," she said very simply, deciding there and then she was going to keep the skinny dipping incident to herself.
"You have missed supper, but I am sure you guessed that already. However, it is a little known secret that the kitchen is always open and if one doesn't mind eating in the kitchen, one can get nearly anything they wish day or night."
"And how do you come to know this?" she teased.
He merely smiled. "Follow me," he said. After helping her to the kitchens and procuring supper for her and dessert for them both, he bade her good night at the door to her room and then headed back towards the library. Contrary to what Lord Elrond believed, Legolas was only somewhat familiar with Sindarin customs of Doriath. He himself had never been there, and his grandfather had made a point of adopting silvan customs. His father however, did not have the issues with Doriath that his father did and so brought about a small Sindarin revival. Legolas though wasn't exactly sure which traditions belonged where and he knew a lot of the Sindarin things he father brought back had been mixed with Silvan customs and so was thus searching through various histories, letters, diaries, and journals Elrond had archived. With a stack of books, Legolas headed back to his room to do a bit of reading before bed.
That night as Jennifer lay in bed she thought over it all. It still didn't seem possible that she could be half elf and half maia. That would mean she was just like Luthien. She wondered what that would mean for her, and it was with those musings she fell asleep.
Her time there fell quickly into a rather amicable pattern for her. Three days a week she would have what she called 'elf lessons' with Lord Elrond covering a host of topics ranging from elven metaphysics and philosophy to elven history and language (which she already had a head start on, thank goodness!) and elven physiology. Two days a week she had an 'elven tutorial' with Legolas in the morning, during which he answered whatever questions she had crop up as a result of lessons with Lord Elrond about history, language, and culture. They also went over feasts and celebrations they held each year (or every so many years, as the case may be). Then in the afternoon, she and Legolas would continue working on her archery skills along with various elven styles of sword fighting. Sword fighting is where most of her guest teachers appeared. Legolas claimed he was really only proficient with one particular sword discipline and long knives, but that there were a number of different styles of elven blades with a different style of fighting for each type. This was how Jennifer was introduced to the great names of elvendom in Imladris. After going through a half dozen different teachers, they found the particular kind of blade and style of use that seemed to suit her quite well, and from there on out, she had lessons with two or three different elves that favored the same.
It was during her lessons with Elrond that she increasingly realized that for as proper, delicate, and subtle as elves could be about any given subject, they were also perfectly honest, aware, and unembarrassed. Certainly not shy. This was particularly apparent to her as she kept learning about elven physiology and healing.
Legolas could always tell when it had been a healing lesson day or a physiology lesson day because she either smelled strongly of herbs and fairly glowed and would be reciting bits of incantations for hours; or she would look red to the tips of her ears and walk right past him without a word or a look and lock herself in her room until dinner.
"Jennifer," he said, knocking on her door one day as she flew past him looking particularly crimson, "Jennifer, open your door."
Silence.
"Come now! Anything that turned you that red should be discussed. If not with me then at least Lord Elrond."
"That's the absolute last thing I want to do!"
Legolas was about to seek alternate means of entry when Lord Elrond came walking down the hallway.
"What did you discuss today?" Legolas asked, walking towards Elrond and looking rather bewildered.
Elrond looked equally befuddled and replied, "Nothing that I should have thought would warrant such a reaction."
"What happened?"
"We were discussing the line of Finwë and she made a comment about how odd she thought it was that only Finwë and Feanor seemed to be the only ones to have more than three children when we live so long, and yet she knows so many families that have four or more," he replied.
"And?"
"I began to answer her and suddenly she turns bright red and nearly ran out of the room."
"That – that does not make sense," Legolas said. "Though – have you noticed she tends to be odd about certain things? At times it seems like her sensibilities overtake her reason."
"I have noticed that. I think that makes as much sense as to why she reacted that way as anything," Elrond replied. "Stay here, I shall return shortly."
Legolas returned to the bench he had been reading on when Jennifer blew past him and resumed his book. A few minutes later Elrond returned carrying a tray with a tea pot and three cups and saucers.
"Bribery?" Legolas asked, arching a brow.
"Diplomacy," Elrond replied as he walked past. When they reached Jennifer's room, Elrond had Legolas knock on the door for him. "It is Elrond. I should like to talk to you."
Hesitantly the door opened and a still rather pink and flustered looking Jennifer stood in the doorway.
"I brought you tea. May we come in?"
She looked and saw Legolas standing right behind him and gave a rather small and defeated sigh as she opened the door wider and stood aside.
Elrond thanked her and set the tray down on the table and bade her and Legolas sit and join him. He poured the tea then sat down himself and silence fell.
After a few moments and a sip of tea Jennifer sighed, set down her cup, though she still held onto it, and said as she stared into the steaming cup, "I am sorry for running out of the room that way. It was stupid and juvenile."
Elrond set down his cup and said, "I am not nearly so concerned with you running out half so much as I am with why you ran out. Did I say something to upset or offend you?"
"No, I- no. No, you didn't."
"Then what happened to cause you to run out?"
"Nothing. It's just that – I really don't like talking about those kinds of things. It just seems indecent somehow," she said, still staring at her tea.
"Then why did you ask?" he queried.
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she picked up her cup and took a couple sips and set it down again before replying, "I didn't mean to. I was going to ask about something else, but then that question came to mind as I went to ask, and I regretted saying anything as I said it."
"It was not a bad question. It is actually a rather good one, especially given your observations," Elrond replied. He watched her carefully for a reaction but she gave none. "What is so indecent about it?"
She did react to that question, but only so far as closing her eyes and knitting her brows ever so slightly. After a few minutes of silence she drew in a slow breath and slowly let it out and said, "I don't know. It just seems wrong."
Legolas broke his silence. "Would you like an outside opinion?"
She frowned but said, "Sure."
"I think for all your openness and frankness, you are actually a very private person. More than that, you are a very moral and conscientious person. I also think you are a very curious person, and when your curiosity transcends into things you think are private or improper, you think you are committing some sin and feel guilty about it." Legolas knew his theory was right when her eyes grew wide.
Two or three times she tried to say something and then all at once the rigidity in her manner snapped and with both elbows on the table and her face in her hands she mumbled, "I'm an open book for all to read but me."
"I do not know that just anyone can read you," Legolas said, "But I have had more than a fair amount of practice these several weeks."
"If it makes you feel any better," Elrond said, "I had not reached that conclusion until Legolas pointed it out to me."
"It helps," Jennifer said, composing herself and resuming a little of her usual manner.
"Would you like to know the answer to your question?" Elrond asked.
Jennifer felt her face grow hot again as she replied, "I don't know. Do I?"
"The answer is really quite simple. Remember how we have discussed the relationship between fëa and hröa?" He asked. She nodded and he continued, "That is your answer. We will or not to have children and only so many as we will. Generally speaking, we only desire to have a couple of children, and so that is all we have. Obviously, Finwë and Feanor wished to have more and so they did. Mankind, on the other hand, does not have a say in whether or not they will have children. They can avoid having children by abstaining altogether, but barring that, they have no say in the matter and are subject to times and seasons of life," he answered.
"Oh." She sat and sipped her tea for a moment, thinking through what he had said then she shook her head but said nothing.
"Stop berating yourself," said Legolas.
"I shall berate myself for being a silly fool if I want to," she snapped petulantly.
"Then I shall have no choice but to throw you into the nearest pool so you cool off," he replied calmly before drinking some tea.
Elrond hid a grin behind a sip of tea then said to Jennifer, "You should not judge yourself so harshly. You are yet young and though you possess a good measure of discernment, certain things simply take time to learn how to navigate. Striking the balance between curiosity and impropriety is difficult under the best of circumstances, and some people never learn to temper their curiosity. Though with you, you must learn to allow your curiosity some leeway. I doubt your sense of propriety shall allow your curiosity to stray into the improper."
She nodded, but said nothing and finished off her cup of tea. Elrond offered to pour her another and she accepted and Legolas was so kind as to bring up another subject by asking Elrond how the apple crop was that year. It seemed the last of the late apples were in from the orchard and everyone could expect some particularly fine cider and pie to be served at some point that week with dinner.
Once the tea was gone and Jennifer seemed to be in a significantly better mood, Legolas and Elrond replaced the empty cups and tea pot on the tray and left. Just before leaving the room however, Elrond turned to Jennifer and said, "I expect no more blushing and unasked questions henceforth. You may turn any color you like, but you should still ask. Though I doubt you shall, I will let you know if you ask anything you should not." She nodded and promised she would and Elrond half turned to go then paused and added, "And if I catch you berating yourself over nothing, I shall help Legolas throw you in."
Authors note: I toyed around with I can't tell you how many variations of that tea party scene. If I'm perfectly honest, I struggled profoundly for years with apologizing for absolutely everything and feeling unnecessary guilt over things I shouldn't have felt guilty about. Part of it was, as Legolas so aptly put it, letting my sensibilities overtake my reason. Mind – I NEVER, EVER had a scene like this, because I never would have permitted myself to run out of a room like that; and more's the pity because it probably took me that much longer to realize my foolishness by concealing my struggles and feelings rather than facing them head on. Ironically though, what eventually got me to stop apologizing for living and berating myself over everything was a dear friend looking me square in the face one day and saying, "Stop apologizing and just be!" I dearly wanted to have Legolas say just that to Jennifer, but it didn't flow right, so I didn't, but the sentiment is there.