001 | Video | Open to both Courts

[stillhope]

[There's some hesitation at first, unsure if the locket is working, but with a small sound from the imp beside her, she adjusts. The image is no longer one of the stars and boughs of the trees overhead but resting on the face of a weary elf. A weight had been lifted off of her with her arrival, though the chill still remained - seeming to radiate from within.]

Mae govannen [(Well met)], these creatures informed me I am in the Drabwurld just beyond the Unseelie castle. They do not seem to be able to tell me how I might return home. It is imperative that I do not linger here, my father will worry.

[Among others, though he would be first to notice her absence. It could be a terrible distraction from the war, causing worry when it was unnecessary - even cause a horrible loss. That could not happen - no on her account.]

Goheno nin [(Forgive me)], but I must return to Imladris at once. You seem to have powerful enough magic to bring me to your world, surely it could not be such a hardship to return me home. Thank you for any assistance you can provide.

[And with that the locket closes, uneasy eyes searching the forests for an unseen danger - far too accustomed to things like orcs roaming in the night. The sooner she could be returned home, the better.]

Comments

[bythewaves]

"A war?" He murmurs softly, hands tightening on hers comfortingly. "I am sorry, Silme. And you chose as did Luthien..." A sigh.

"So that is why the Song is strange around you. You stand on mortality's brink, it seems." Again his grip tightens.

"But you will not fall. I wish now I could heal, but my hands are far too stained for that. But I will guard you, silme, until you can go home again."

He will make sure of it he decides grimly. Somehow, he will see his family home and safe.

[stillhope]

She gives him a sad smile with that, though not all was lost. "My beloved is here and the darkness is lifting with every moment I am away from home." Though she needs to return to face it. See it through. She rests her other hand on his tightened grip.

"You have already done more that I could have asked. I shall heal with time." She never truly thought she'd be under the protection of a Feanorion, though she does not doubt his word nor his ability to keep her safe - never.

[bythewaves]

"Is he now?" An eyebrow crooks up curiously. "Who is the estimable Man then, that I may make his acquaintance?" Does grandpa have to do the shotgun talk or has it been done already?

And he shakes his head.

"For Elrond and Celebrian's fair daughter" he says softly "For the love I have for your parents, who loved me beyond all hope or reason - I would risk much, and do more, to keep you safe and return you to their hands."

[stillhope]

"His name is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. He shall be a king should they win the war." A gracious and just king. Though she would wed him without the title - she loved him as he was. Would always love him to the moment he drew his last breath and beyond. Her adoration for him shines in her eyes, lifting some of the weariness she carried for a moment.

"Thank you Maglor." Her voice is soft as she looks up at him, knowing there are more than a few that would also thank him, possibly including her beloved if she has the fortune to see him again while here. "Shall we depart?" She did not want to linger in this castle any longer than necessary.

[bythewaves]

"Aragorn" Maglor tests the name on his tongue and notes the ways her eyes light up. "One day I will hope to meet him, he sounds a good Man."

He dips his head shyly in thanks and then nods. "Hold tight, silme" There is enough moonlight in the room for the ring to work and so he simply pulls her through the nearest shadow, through to the Greenwood where Legolas has set up camp. Once Celebrian reaches the station, he will bring her there instead.

[stillhope]

"He is. Truly. Father took him and his mother in when he was young." Something that should assist in speaking to his character.

She moves closer to him with his urging, the sensation unlike anything she's ever experienced before. She leans on him slightly for support as she acclimates to her new surroundings, the experiences of the evening exhausting.

[bythewaves]

The change is as swift and easy as stepping through a doorway, and the Great Greenwood rises around them - here the trees are kinder than in La Llorna, and the beasts less monstrous, though no less dangerous.

He supports her easily, leading her through the trees.

"Welcome to the camp of Legolas's Rebellion."

[stillhope]

She breathes easier here, partly from the company but also from the trees. She relies on him slightly more than she'd have anticipated needing to, relief starting to wash over her. She was away from her first threat here, one stop closer to her mother.

She lets out a weary laugh at the title of the camp. "Is Legolas leading this rebellion?" Already certain with both Gimli and Aragorn here, he would soon have eager support. Hers included from what she'd already seen of the Unseelie castle.

[bythewaves]

"He does" Maglor chuckles lowly. "Some are already calling him King."

"He makes a fine one - a credit to his father. You say that Elrond helped to raise your beloved? He must be a good man indeed."

[stillhope]

"King Legolas..." It's a little amusing to think of, though not a strange thought. It was the nature of their stations in life. "His father was killed by orcs. Ada took him and his mother in - bestowed the name Estel upon him to keep him safe." Memories of his mistaking her for Luthien with their first encounter after he'd grown coming to mind. It had been easy to maintain her own hope through the war because he provided it for her.

She never truly thought she would fall so deeply in love, but she would not change her decision if faced with it again.

[bythewaves]

Maglor nods and smiles a little fondly. "He will be a good king." He says and leads her to a spot by the campfire.

"Estel, hm? A strong name - did Elrond forsee something, I wonder. Did you know him in his childhood?"

[stillhope]

A strong and accurate name indeed. "I have no doubt he did, and no - I did not. I was in Lothlorien at the time - after Mother's departure. We met in the woods when he mistook me for Luthien. We then met again thirty years later in Lorien, where he stayed for a season." And they pledged their love to each other.

The fire does not hide the smile that escapes as she speaks of him - her enamoration clear.

[bythewaves]

He smiles to see her so happy and nods. "I can see how - the Lady Luthien was here for a brief season. I did not meet her, but I chanced to see her over the lockets - you are her very image. But if your hearts have chosen then it is what it is, although the parting from your kin will be hard."

If I live, perhaps I will come and visit

"On more serious matters, your mother wishes you armed - are you trained in the use of blades, silme?"

[stillhope]

"I made my choice, to live a mortal life." There's a sadness to it, but also pride. She knew the cost and while it was high, incredibly so - it meant she could be with the one person she'd only ever truly loved.

There was no reason to dwell on the end that would take them both right now, the need to make every moment last - the urgency she was slowly beginning to grasp, something mortals seemed to revolve around. Lacking the fluidity of time that accompanied being an elf. She was here, with a chance to meet those she would otherwise never get a chance to - that deserved her focus more than anything.

His question earns a small nod. "My brothers saw to it. More so when I started travelling between Imladris and Lothlorien."

[bythewaves]

A press of her hand. "If it makes you happy, silme, then it was a good one." He says simply.

He nods and tips his head consideringly, for the moment more the Commander then the Bard .

"Knife or longsword? How good is your archery?"

Nerdanel is their best smith, but they have no forge, unless they return to Caer Scima, and he would rather his mother never have to forge a blade. The alternative is for him to simply go back to the armory and find her something that suits.

[stillhope]

"I prefer a knife over a longsword. I am not as skilled with a bow as Legolas, though I can hold my own." The lighter the better, in her opinion. Though she would much prefer to use her hands to heal rather than fight, it had become far more important that she was able to defend herself after her mother's time at the hands of orcs.

[bythewaves]

Maglor nods, consideringly. "You may use mine then - Celegorm made it as a Begetting Day gift, long ago - I do not know if there is any virtue on it other than that of a brother's love, but until we can get you something of your own I think it will suit."

He slips the long hunting dagger and its belt off and offers it to her. "I am glad I went back to retrieve it now, for it will serve you better than an unfamiliar sword, I think. Once we find a forge, we will see about something of your own."

[stillhope]

She takes them offering a small thanks in return. She tests the weight, unsheathing the blade partially to inspect it before fastening it around her waist.

"It's beautiful. I hope I never have to use it."

Though that could change if she had to return to the Unseelie Court. Either way, she would be in desperate need of a brush up to hone her skills.

[bythewaves]

"As do I, but I learnt long ago not to trust to such a hope." Maglor nods. "Rest for tonight - we have guards enough to ensure that the camp is secure enough, and the Greenwood is a kinder forest than La Lorna."

[stillhope]

So that was its name... La Lorna. She tucks it away for later reference should she need it. Diola lle." She lets her gaze move to the fire for a moment, the flicker of the flames almost mesmerizing.

"How long have you dwelt in these lands?"

[bythewaves]

"I 'ell nîn." Maglor answers, switching easily to Sindarin, although his is archaic, if she takes the time to notice.

"They stole me to these lands some perhaps 8 months now, as they measure time here - I came with the first of what the native folk call this 'cycle' of Shardbearers, for there have been many before us, and some of those unfortunate ones are still here, even now."