Everlong

44

Unfortunately though, there seemed to be an impasse; one which lasted way longer in Liruliniel's eyes than it perhaps should've. No ground was given, and no ground was taken in an effort to keep orcs from their borders, or from the fortress. But likewise, a possible alliance did not exactly happen or be achieved with Radagast or his neighbour. All independently they went about doing what they all thought was right, for the sake of protecting their homes and themselves. It just meant that if anything, they became more isolated and insular. And that pained Liruliniel, it pained her quite a bit.

She may not be physically up for travelling, but in her mind and heart she still held onto hope that one day she would see the world again. But, even without the need to leave the kingdom, she still couldn't help but write to Khazad-dûm. Everyone else may be retreating into themselves and forgetting about the world beyond their walls, but she definitely wasn't. They were in trouble, and she explicitly said as such in her letter; for once not aiding Thranduil's help in writing it, she did it off her own accord, and she waited for a reply.

And she waited, and she waited, yet she did not get word back for many, many months. This dragged on as long as the apparent impasse with the enemy did. She received no reply, and she wasn't as ignorant to think that if she got one back that it would be kept from her. She did think this briefly, yet marching into the small room where letters were dealt and sent off from, it was clear the elf had no clue about a letter coming in from the dwarven kingdom.

He had been telling her the truth, Liruliniel could see it in his uneasy expression and tone, he didn't like confronting her or giving her replies to questions she'd rather have the opposite to. He wasn't lying, and he wasn't pretending to humour her. He genuinely had zero clue and no recollection of a reply coming in. This had worried Liruliniel. She did not think that Durin would ignore her letter, not like Thrór did to Thranduil's. It wasn't a favouritism thing, but more of a social standing; she had gone to him, and she had spoken lightly and honestly to the dwarf-King. There were many things she thought dwarves held in regard, and that was honesty and frankness. Surely he wouldn't ignore her? They may not have been friends, but they were civil, and he had not deterred her from visiting the kingdom if she wished it. Someone who did that, did not sound like the same who'd ignore a letter, especially if it was one of warning.

More months passed, one season practically bleeding into another and Liruliniel had come to realise that she had not received word from Durin for the simple fact that Khazad-dûm had been abandoned. She had had enough one day, the same day she received this news in fact and had plainly told Thranduil what she had done. He had been less then pleased of course, not appreciating her going behind his back, but also not telling him any of the information she had told the dwarf. Liruliniel knew, she always had done, that telling him or anyone else about the information regarding the orcs and possible goblins homing in on the dwarven realm was pointless.

"You wouldn't go to their aid, so it does not matter now!" Liruliniel had rather rashly exclaimed while raking a hand tiredly through her hair, her sleeping patterns were all over the place and oftentimes would not sleep at all. But she would go for walks, silently she'd leave their shared room and just meander through the kingdom. Sometimes she had a destination in mind, other times she did not.

"That is beside the point, you knew all of this without sharing it; what if by chance something happened here? What would coming clean do then?"

Liruliniel had narrowed her eyes at that, "Hypothetical possibilities are different than reality."

Thranduil hadn't commented back, instead looking at her with an equally plain look. Something was troubling her and unfortunately her mixed up feelings on the matter were being taken out on him, and he wasn't entertaining it. "Then I shall make something of a reality to you. Khazad-dûm is lost." He said it so casually she felt like the air had been knocked out of her lungs as she double took. Thranduil just remained seated on his throne, because this whole confrontation happened in that room, thankfully with no one around.