Despite the fading sunlight, the air grew warmer as Thranduil's company descended into the valley at the end of the day's march. They had long since been spotted by Elven sentries and a song of welcome could be heard drifting toward them from below on the scented breeze.
*The daylight is fading,
The lanterns are lighting,
And here comes the Elvenking!
We are delighting!
The boughs in the Greenwood
Are only just greening.
Wood-creatures are calling;
The birds are careening.
Here grass is still growing,
And leaves are yet swinging,
The white water flowing,
And elves are yet singing
Come! Tra-la-la-lally!
Come down to the Valley!
The stars are far brighter
Than gems without measure,
The moon is far whiter
Than silver in treasure:
The fire is more shining
On hearth in the gloaming
Than gold won by mining,
So stop, now, your roaming!
O! Tra-la-la-lally
Join us in the Valley!
Elluin felt another change in the air as they trotted on that she could not attribute to the terrain. The effervescent hum of nature was replaced by a different note. In her heart, she felt it was similar to the natural one in its subdued power, but it was less ambivalent and carefree; there was an active benevolence that somehow wove itself into the air and the water surrounding and running through Rivendell. She had felt a similar type of power in the Gray Havens where she grew up, and it set her heart at ease.
The song of the Elves of Rivendell grew louder, along with the relaxed rush of the waters of the river Bruinen. Shortly, the moist air also teased them with smells of banquet food.
Singing Elves met them before the final bridge to take their weary mounts. Thranduil took his aunt's arm and led the way across to where Lord Elrond and members of his court stood awaiting them. Berenil took Ninniach's arm to cross next and the rest of the company followed.
"Lord Elrond," Thranduil began formally, bowing his head briefly, "my company and I have traveled from Greenwood to renew the friendship between our strongholds."
"I welcome King Thranduil and his company to Rivendell," said Elrond. His gray eyes reflected the smile on his timeless face. "You remember my wife, Lady Celebrian." He extended his hand to the elleth at his side, who stepped forward with a bright smile of her own and bowed her head gracefully.
"Not since she became your wife, Lord Elrond," Lady Anarrima said, stepping forward to embrace the elleth fondly. "Young cousin, you are as radiant as ever."
"It is merely my joy at seeing you again," Celebrian answered, her silvery hair flowing in wispy waves as she turned to the king. "King Thranduil, we are honored that you accepted our invitation. I have been eager for an excuse to host you here since the lovely stay my parents and I had in Greenwood after the war."
Thranduil was reluctant to admit how much he relied on her father Celeborn's guidance as he settled into his role as the new king of Greenwood. Oropher's old advisers were well-intentioned and experienced and knew their sire from childhood. They tended to see Thranduil as capable but not entirely independent, often insisting on handling certain matters themselves. While Celeborn had not been close to Thranduil in his formative years, he cared for him as a fellow Sindar noble and distant kin, and sympathized with the new king thrust so unexpectedly into his father's role. Recognizing that Thranduil's new leadership could potentially improve relations between the Elven realms, Celeborn eagerly offered his help.
In his advice, Thranduil found the older Elf to be conscious of both the Silvan need for independence and the Sindar desire for a well-fortified border to ensure the peace of the realm. Celeborn remained respectful of Thranduil's position throughout his time there and never set his proposals above those of the other council members. Perhaps he had learned how to deal more successfully with the Elves of Greenwood after Oropher explicitly rejected his interference in the Second Age. The late Elvenking even went so far as to abandon his fortress at Amon Lanc to distance himself from Lorinand, where Celeborn was a prominent advisor to King Amdir. Regardless, Celeborn quickly won the respect of the court of Greenwood. The Silvans, however, were at first less than enthusiastic about hosting his family. His wife, Galadriel, was unique among the Noldor in recognizing and denouncing corrupted hearts, even among her own kin. However, her Noldor roots could not be denied and she made few friends among the Silvans during her stay.
Celebrian was much more readily accepted by the Silvans, as she was a distant relative of Thranduil's through Celeborn. Her time growing up among the Silvans in Lorinand across the Anduin also made her more at home in Greenwood. She and Lady Anarrima spent many hours sitting in the trees, singing with the fair-voiced Silvans.
"It is a delight to see you once more, Lady Celebrian," Thranduil told the elleth with a smile. "It appears you have found Rivendell more to your liking than the Woodland Realm."
"In truth, to me, there is no land more beautiful than a forest tended by Silvans," Celebrian conceded. "However, one may be swayed to accept a change of scenery for a sufficiently convincing reason!" Celebrian beamed at her husband, who smiled adoringly back at her.
"Marriage is an excellent reason, and it seems to suit you," Anarrima chimed in. "And children are yet another sign of a blessed union. I have been urged to verify the rumors that your daughter bears the likeness of Luthien, whom I had known in Menegroth."
"You shall soon have the opportunity," Elrond said pleasantly. "My family will join us at the feast tonight in honor of the arrival of all our guests." The atmosphere was joyful as the group proceeded to the buildings built along the banks of the valley.
A servant of Lord Elrond's house led Anarrima and Ninniach to finely furnished chambers that included a smaller room for Turiel and Elluin. They quickly set to work preparing the ladies for the evening's feast, smoothing out the wrinkles in their fine gowns as much as they could. While the servants arranged their ladies' hair, Anarrima chatted lightly about some of her memories of the famed Luthien from her youth in Menegroth, encouraged by a very excited Ninniach.
Her countenance sobered, remembering the last time she beheld the most beautiful of the children of Iluvatar. "I must warn you, Ninniach, not to press for stories tonight at the feast," Anarrima said. "Galadriel, Celeborn, Berenil, and I have found joy again, but our fond memories of Doriath are tainted by the pain of all the losses we endured. Not least of these is the choice of Luthien to be sundered from her kindred forever. She was known to all of us, and a dear friend of Thranduil's mother. Did you know?"
"No!" Ninniach said with surprise. "The lady Elemmire is so seldom mentioned at court."
Anarrima nodded sadly. "My sister was never the same after Luthien left. And although we survived the sack of Doriath, the trauma of losing our home and so many of our kin was nearly too much for her. Fortunately, the love she shared with Oropher kept her on the hither shores long enough to raise her child. Thranduil gave my sister such joy, I was certain she would overcome her grief."
Anarrima's pain was obvious in her gaze. Elluin and Turiel slowed their hands, feeling that fussing over jewels and braids would be disrespectful.
"But she did not," Ninniach prompted gently, lightly grasping the older elleth's hand from her seat close by.
"When the Valar repeated their invitation for us to go to Valinor, she finally hoped to find peace," Anarrima continued. "We begged her to come with us and make a new Sindar home elsewhere in Middle Earth… But Oropher and I agreed, it would have been cruel to force her once more into a darkening land. Thranduil was grown by then, and also eager to see more of the world before sailing west. It was a bitter parting." Anarrima did not need to say, because they all knew, that Thranduil still missed his mother, and felt her absence even more keenly since his father's death.
Elluin and Turiel quietly stepped away, having finished their tasks. Anarrima forced her sorrow down and faced Ninniach with a small but determined smile. "And yet, there is still much joy to be had before we make our own way westward," she concluded. "The young lady Arwen is proof that there is still beauty and goodness in this world. I intend to enjoy it for a while yet."
Ninniach smiled brightly in reply and hooked her arm around Anarrima's as they rose and walked out toward the feast.
The entire company of Greenwood attended the feast that evening, along with all of Lord Elrond's court. Lady Arwen was everything she was rumored to be: the incarnation of the beauty of the night. She wore a dress of deep blue embroidered with clear beads that sparkled as she moved, mimicking the starry night sky. Her face was white as the moon, and from it, she gazed joyfully out with eyes of twilight gray. Like a following shadow was the dark hair flowing down her back.
Although Elluin and Turiel were at a table far from the dais, they could clearly see the lords and ladies sitting at their high table. Lady Anarrima declared immediately that the likeness of Luthien had indeed returned to Middle Earth. Her opinion was seconded by Berenil and graciously received by Arwen's parents, and her grandparents, Galadriel and Celeborn.
Thranduil was glad to have Amroth, who succeeded to the throne of Lorinand when his father Amdir was killed in the war, also present as a guest of Elrond. The four older Elves were soon reminiscing about their younger days under King Thingol. Later, Thranduil, Amroth, and Celebrian set about debating the benefits of certain types of trees that could be cultivated around the valley as Elrond indulgently considered their suggestions. Ninniach and Arwen talked mostly of dresses and teased Arwen's brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, about their lack of knowledge and enthusiasm on the subject.
Rivendell's Elves did not feast like the Elves of Greenwood. They dressed more finely and their manners were more formal. Much of the food came from farms or tended orchards to supplement the natural bounty of the valley. There was no dancing and the music, though cheerful, was more structured and slightly simpler. Aurados, who was sitting beside Turiel, declared with amusement that the musicians of Rivendell were vastly inferior to the talented Silvans of their home. Turiel laughed and nodded in agreement. "If Maethon were here, he would have snatched a harp right out of their hands and showed them what music should sound like!"
Harthadon had been tended by Lord Elrond before the festivities began, and had been given leave to join his companions for a short while, provided that he be under Elluin's supervision. He refused to be excluded, and despite having one arm in a sling and a bandage around his head, he sat contentedly at the table with his broken leg propped up beside him. His words were slightly slurred when he spoke due to the mixture of wine and healing herbs. "If it weren't for this blasted leg," he said a little too loudly, "I would show them all how a wood-Elf dances!"
A familiar voice from the next table joined in their chuckling. Turning, they saw Lindir stand and walk over to them. "Fair maidens of Greenwood," he saluted Elluin and Turiel, "my heart sings to have so many beauties gracing the Valley this evening." He turned his carefree gaze to Harthadon and the other soldiers. "Welcome, friends! In truth, my good Elves, the merry-making of the Silvans is not to be matched. I lament that you must endure such mediocre entertainments as we have to offer."
"Our suffering could very possibly be assuaged if we may take advantage of your hospitality," Aurados said, pointedly raising an empty wine goblet with a grin.
Lindir laughed heartily and motioned for someone to come fill their cups. The servant was unable to completely hide her surprise that many of the cups were already emptied, earning her a few smirks.
Elluin thought back to her first experience with Silvans. After establishing their home and learning the Silvan tongue, Elluin's family often joined in merry-making in the forest to forge friendships with their new people. It was an exhilarating change from life in the Gray Havens. The diversity of Lord Cirdan's domain obligated stricter customs of courtesy that could be easily understood by Elves, Men, and Dwarves. In Greenwood, however, Silvans were decidedly wilder, embracing their forest and their heritage in all aspects of their lives. Among the wood-Elf traditions was a simpler wardrobe, with females frequently wearing tunics and breeches like the ellyn. Otherwise, they would wear dresses cut to allow sufficient freedom of movement for tree-climbing and vigorous dancing, both frequent activities among these Elves. Such dancing was often accompanied — and if Elluin were honest, motivated — by large amounts of wine. She was sure that when she first witnessed the Silvans' impressive drinking, she had the same expression on her face as this servant did now.
Turiel took a swig of her wine and studied the comparatively languid crowd. "Lindir," she asked, "if there is no dancing, what do people do? Surely not sit at the table all night?"
"By no means, pretty maiden," Lindir answered. "Perhaps you remember Peniadir, who came with me to deliver my lord's invitation to your king?" Lindir called the young Elf from another table. He bowed and greeted them with a studiously blank expression.
"Now, instead of dancing, the Elves of Rivendell often walk through the gardens," Lindir continued. "The more adventurous ones sometimes climb by the waterfalls. Will the beautiful ellith of Greenwood join my companion and me on such a stroll this evening?"
"What a charming offer," Elluin said, setting a hand on Harthadon's good shoulder. "I'm afraid I am unable to abandon my post as this brave ellon's attendant."
"Indeed!" Lindir said. "We have merely had rumors of the disaster at the mountain pass. I shall remain with you and have my fellow soldier regale me with his tale."
"With pleasure!" Harthadon answered proudly, his eyes slightly glazed.
Peniadir took a step toward Turiel. His eyes shone brightly as he held out his hand to her. "My lady, will you grant me the honor?"
When Turiel glanced over, Elluin nodded discreetly at her to indicate she would take over her friend's duties to the ladies if needed. With that confirmation, Turiel happily rose and took the Elf's hand. "Lead on, Peniadir," she said brightly. "I am eager to discover the charms of the valley, if there are any to be seen!"
They walked off chatting and Elluin was surprised to feel a pang of jealousy. It was obvious that Peniadir had taken a particular liking to Turiel. Elluin wished she could make her feelings known to the king with such ease. It was hardly a servant's place. Here in Rivendell, however, with Thranduil removed from many of the duties of kingship and herself from those of a palace servant, there could be opportunities to interact more freely than in Greenwood. But it would not be tonight. Dutifully, she turned her attention to Harthadon and his dramatic and slightly slurred rendition of the events on the Misty Mountains.
* Based on Tolkien's song "Down in the Valley" from The Hobbit.