Almárëa

8

The Halls of Thranduil
The King of Mirkwood

The home of the woodland elves of the Mirkwood were impressive to say the least.

It was built in great cave on the edge of Mirkwood on the eastern side.

The main entrance were huge stone doors, reached by a bridge that Prince Legolas carried Almárëa over before he handed her over to Saereth
to be taken to get cleaned up because she was to meet the King after his audience with the dwarves.

The halls of the home of the woodland elves were a massive structure of rooms, walkways, passageways and dungeons. Trees and plants grew inside and a river flowed down below under the bridges and walkways.

It was actually quite beautiful and Almárëa enjoyed the walk to the room she was being lead to where she was handed over to a motherly elleth with a stern face named Míriadis, or just Míria.

Saereth didn't stay, leaving Almárëa with this stranger, who had to scramble to find a child sized dress for her which was difficult because they had not have an elfling in a very long time in their halls.

Almárëa found herself bathed and scrubbed clean of the dirt of the road and their mad dash to get away from the orcs, or yrcs as her elven kin called them.

Ten or more elleths came to gawk at her when Míria wrapped her in a towel and a few of them brought a makeshift dress that they quickly made smaller for her size.

The dress were simple and a green colour, but it was durable and very comfortable.

Unfortunately, she had to wear her traveling boots with the dress because there were no shoes in her size.

Her hair were also braided in a simple braid and one of the elleths expressed her envy at Almárëa's naturally straight hair. Most elleths had curly or wavy hair and here she were, with hair as straight as the King's. Not that Almárëa was pleased at hearing that her hair was as straight as the King's though.

She didn't know the elf, but she had heard some gossip that he is a stern elf from the elleths. Though, they didn't say it to her, but they did say it amongst themselves as they watched Míria busying herself with Almárëa.

Míria laughed at the elleth for her expressed envy as she braided the little half-elfling's hair, but she made no comment as she felt it improper to gossip about the King's hair and the little elfling who understood and heard everything they said. It was a case of little ears hearing things that they should not hear.

After her hair was done, Almárëa was escorted to the kitchens to have something to eat before she was taken to visit the public gardens by Míria and the other unnamed elleths.

They were met by other elleths, of one which was an unfriendly sort. She had dark curls and hazel eyes and looked like she smelled something unpleasant at the sight of Míriadis and the other elleths.

She even looked down her nose at the half-elfling girl as if she was something the spiders had birthed.

"Good day, Lady Síla," Míria greeted the elleth, curtsying.

"Míriadis," she returned with a curt nod. "Who is this?" She jutted her chin towards Almárëa.

"Almárëa. Prince Legolas brought her in today. She is our kin."

Lady Síla frowned slightly as she eyed Almárëa with some contempt. "Does the King know that this....child had been brought to his halls without permission?"

Míria seemed to stand taller, her hand around Almárëa's tightening slightly. "Prince Legolas had the right to bring her here without his father's permission, my lady."

Lady Síla scoffed. "What about the council? They will not tolerate an outsider such as this...child coming into our home. Should she not be with her family? Surely her mother will want her back?"

Almárëa stiffened, her heart constricting at those words. How can someone speak like this elleth who did not know anything about her.

"Nin Naneth na- firn - My mother is dead," the words left her mouth unbidden in a blunt manner.

The elleth glared at her. " Gar- cín lammen, Hína!- Hold your tongue, Child!" she snapped. "I was not talking to you."

Almárëa bit back a retort, pulling her hand out of Míria's.
She wanted to leave. This elleth was worse than old lady Gretel of her former home.
She'd been a prejudiced snob also.

The elleth opened her mouth to speak again, her eyes moving back to Míriadis, but she were given no chance to speak as Saereth and another elleth came walking towards them.

"Almárëa, the King would like to meet you now," Saereth said. " Tauriel and I are to escort you there. Come, Gwinig. " She held a hand out to the little half-elfling child while ignoring the other elleths.

Almárëa willingly moved to take Saereth's hand. She would do anything just to get away from the snobbish elleth that had ruined her day by just opening her mouth.

She waved goodbye to Míriadis and the other friendly elleths, but ignored that elleth and her friends- or whatever they are to her, and happily let Saereth lead her away.

"Have you eaten?," Saereth asked as she and the quiet Tauriel let her through hallways and over bridges and walkways towards the King's throne room.

"Yes. Míria made sure that I did."

Saereth nodded, smiling slightly. "That is good," was all she said.

Almárëa didn't mind. She welcomed the silence between them. It gave her the chance to think about her unknown father and to wonder if he had been told about her.

Most likely he will be told after I have met the King and get the permission to stay in his home, she thought, her eyes taking in the smoothness of the stone bridges and the walls of the hallways they were taking.

The home of the woodland elves were no Imladris, but it was no less beautiful. In fact, she really found it interesting to say the least, how much different it looked.

" What is this place called?," she asked on impulse.

"It has many names. Felegoth, Aradhrynd, Amon Thranduil," Tauriel answered, a faint smile on her lips.

"Oh," the half-elfling girl said, her eyes looking this way and that. " It is beautiful here."

Saereth and Tauriel smiled. "It is, isn't it? I am sure the King will be most pleased with your compliment. Be sure to repeat it to him," Saereth stated.

"What is he like?"

" Who? The King?," Saereth asked.

Almárëa nodded.

"He is stern, but fair to his people and cares for our well-being."

"Do you think he knows my father?"

Saereth and Tauriel shared a look between them. They didn't know what to reply to that. The Prince had not informed them of who Almárëa's father are.

"I suppose so," Tauriel said, hoping that she aren't lying to an innocent child. It would break her heart if she was to found out that she was telling a lie.

Almárëa didn't ask more questions as they walked, satisfied and hopeful that the King might know her father and would inform him of her and maybe, just maybe, let her stay with him regardless of Lady Síla's horrible words.

They walked further, coming across many an elf or elleth as they walked. Some were friendly and in awe at the elfling. Others, like one of the nobles, were like Lady Síla. They just did not voice their thoughts in front of the two respected warriors, but the way they looked at Almárëa, was enough to show that they did not take kindly to her presence in their home.

"Do not mind them, Gwinig. The King won't tolerate their attitude towards an innocent child such as you," Saereth said after the fifth time encountering one of them.

Almárëa stayed quiet, but in her heart she felt worried that the King might not be as Saereth said, that he would throw her out of his home. With that worry, came the worry that her father might not want her either and she carried the worry with her into the throne room, where a tall blonde elf, wearing an impressive crown, sat on an equally impressive throne.

Saereth and Tauriel lead her two steps before the throne before bowing respectfully.
"My King, the child as you asked,"Tauriel stated.

The tall elf stood from the throne. " Thank you. You may leave us. I will take it from here. "

He waved the two elleths away and then looked down at the half-elfling child, his eyes taking in her features.

"You look nothing like your mother's kin," he remarked, his voice stoic, but not unkind.

Almárëa looked up at him, having to crane her neck to see his face. He is beautiful, of that much she was sure. His hair is long and blonde like Legolas's and his eyes....oh, they are blue like hers, she had to admit. His eyebrows is a different story. Just like hers, they are dark and thick and they made him more beautiful.

"You knew my Naneth?"

He nodded. "I did indeed. Mithtrandir wrote that she has passed. He did not give any details, however. But you do not have to tell me what happened now, if it makes you feel sad, Almárëa. What matters now is that you are safe here in my home." He stepped down from the dais that the throne stood on and held out a hand to her. "Walk with me," he commanded.

She frowned slightly, but didn't disobey his command, placing her small hand in his larger long fingered hand.

"Did your Naneth speak of your Adar?," he asked as he lead her out of the throne room.

"Not much, my lord. I do not even know his name. Do you know his name, my lord?"

He nodded again. "Indeed, I do."

Almárëa looked at him with eager eyes. " What is his name? Will I meet him? What is he like?" Then slightly worriedly, she asked in a small voice, " Will he like me? What if he don't?"

The King chuckled softly and held up his free hand to stop the onslaught of questions.
"Calm down, Child. All will be revealed soon enough."

Almárëa swallowed, looking about ready to cry, but she did not speak again as he lead her to a smaller garden that was not in any way near the large public gardens.

There, he lead her to a bench under a gazebo of flowers and vines.

"Take a seat,Gwinig,"he said, pointing to the bench.

She hesitantly let go of his hand to take a seat on the bench. "Where are we?," she asked, looking at their surroundings.

"My private garden. This is not the only one. Through that gate there is a larger one." He pointed to a gate as he took a seat beside her.

"Am I allowed here?"

He furrowed his brows at that simple question. "I am here with you, Almárëa. I brought you here. Yet, if I did not bring you here, then you would not have been allowed here."

She fiddled with her sleeve, her eyes looking everywhere, drinking in the beauty of the trees and the flowers and plants that grew in the garden.

"They are not sick like the trees in the forest," she commented.

He smiled, though he wasn't one to smile easily. "Ideed, they are not."

Almárëa looked at the King. "You have a lovely garden, my lord."

"Thank you," he said, his eyes taking in her features once again. "What did your Naneth tell you about your Adar?"

She pulled up her shoulders a shrug. "As I said, not much. I know she had armor of him in a chest and a few other things like a traveling cloak. It was nice and warm, but I had to leave it at Imladris. Lord Elrond promised to keep it safe for me." She looked out at the garden. "She kept my father's name to herself. She never told me anything about him, only that she had loved him once. She never said why she did not tell him about me, nor why he never came to see her ever again after she left her kin. It was the Dúnedain that found me the day she was killed by raiders. Our whole village was attacked and I was the only survivor, as far as I know, because Mama hid me in the walls of our house. Then the Dúnedain came and a few of them were to take me to Imladris, but orcs attacked at night and Linna were tasked to get me to safety while the others stayed behind. Then we came across Mithtrandir and the dwarves. We traveled to Imladris with them, chased by orcs and wargs."

She swallowed and folded her thin child arms around herself. "Mithtrandir and I left Imladris after the dwarves and the hobbit left Imladris to catch up with them. Lord Elrond was not happy that I was to leave with Mithtrandir, but in the end he let me go rather reluctantly. We traveled hard to get here to Mirkwood. Though, Mithtrandir had another errand to do last minute and left me in the care of Thorin Oakenshield."

She looked at the King. "Please, no one told me who my Adar is. Please will you tell me who he is? I do not know why all this secrecy is necessary. Everyone said that I look like him, even Mama's former husband said so when they found me in our village. I do not think that he likes my father much."

The King sighed softly, looking at her for a moment before looking at the garden. "I do not know how to tell you about your Adar, Gwinig. It is hard for me."

She frowned at that. "Why?"

He looked back at her, his blue eyes suddenly sad. "I have no true answer to that, Almárëa."

"Is he dead?"

The King shook his head. "No. He is very much alive."

"Is he married then and would not want me?"

The King shook his head again. "No,Child. He is not.....married. Not anymore. She has died a long time ago."

The girl's lips formed an O, no sound coming from them for a moment. Then she asked, " What is the problem then?"

He looked at her. "There is no problem, Almárëa."

"Then...." Her voice trailed off.

He looked away from her, fiddling with his sleeve like she had hers earlier.

"Will you take me to see my father? If there is no problem, then....then I can meet him, right? My lord, I can meet him, right?"

The King looked down at her and took a deep breath before he spoke in a soft gentle voice that he wasn't used to using, but were willing to for the sake of the little half-elfling girl. "I do not have to take you to him, Almárëa. Because you already are with him. You see,Almárëa, I am Thranduil and I am your Adar. "
🧝‍♀️🧝‍♂️💋🧝‍♀️🧝‍♂️💋🧝‍♀️
So ....a long time right? I have no excuse....except for my sister's wedding planning and such.