runando ~ A Thranduil Story

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Over the next few days, Laineth spent much of her time isolated in her quarters. Thranduil had been nice enough to give her a space where all of the necessities were right there for her. She had clothes in drawers and a wardrobe, she had a decently sized bathroom which included a relatively large bathing pool. Along with the basics, there was a bookshelf which was stacked with books and a desk at which she could write or draw or whatever she wanted to do, basically. It was as if the King knew that Laineth wouldn't want to show her face around the caves, she had been publicly exposed, shamed really.

During this time, she wrote an unusual amount. She'd decided that she was eventually going to go storm into the council meeting rooms and announce that she was there to help, assuming that they were still stuck on what to do about the roaming orc pack on the border. But she couldn't just walk in without knowing what she was going to say or do, that would just make her look like an even bigger fool, she couldn't bare to do that, especially in front of counselors like Ortheron and Lomion.

As a result, she'd been writing pages upon pages of notes, taking her memories of how she trained her own orcs and putting them on paper. Never did she think that her time under her father's command would ever come in handy, but now it was. Laineth just hoped that the counselors would hear her out and at least respect what she had to say. But if she was honest, they didn't owe her anything, she would understand if they refused to listen to her ideas. However, she thought that it was in their best interests to comprehend her notes.

One morning, she made sure to wake up at a decent hour, unlike the past few days, and wash and dress respectfully. No longer would she wear torn dresses or wear her hair in an indecent manner. No longer would she channel Sauron, but now she would channel her mother, Eltariel. From memory, Laineth's mother was such a graceful being, almost ethereal in nature. It was completely beside Laineth to imagine why she decided to marry her father, they were polar opposites. She was a respectful woman, always teaching Laineth to show kindness to everyone and how to be princess-like in nature. Eltariel knew that her children were to be the heirs to her brother's crown, she knew that he would not have children. As his lone sibling, it fell to her to ensure that they were sufficiently prepared for such a daunting time in their lives. Unfortunately for her, she was only able to get through to two of her four children.

Tall in stature and fair in beauty, Eltariel was everything a princess ought to be. Laineth liked to think that she inherited some of her mother's likable traits, as well as some of her beauty. Thinking more about it, both her parents were quite fair, at least her father's actual physical form was, not the one bulked up in dark armor, but the one her mother met him in. She remembered how her mother would refuse to even acknowledge him if he was in any other form. She wanted normalcy but she married one of the most unique creatures in Arda, it was something she would learn to regret.

As she dressed herself in a long green dress, the sleeves drooping from her arms, Laineth reminded herself of her suspicions surrounding her mother's untimely death. For as long as she could remember, she'd blamed her father for her death. It was too coincidental. She was sure that they'd had an argument or something of the sort and he had gotten so mad that he just killed her on the spot. That was Laineth's theory though, it had never been confirmed how she died and the poor child would likely take her suspicions to her grave or to Valinor, only then would she find out the truth.

"Valinor." She thought to herself, how appealing it seemed. Many times had Eltariel spoken to her of the beauty of the undying lands. After she fled the battle at Dagorlad, she considered just heading straight for the grey havens and pleading with Cirdan himself to let her cross. But, she knew it would be a fruitless effort, even if Cirdan let her board a ship, it would not go far without washing ashore or sinking. Just one of the few curses placed upon her.