Elvish - Tumblr Posts
Legolas pretty quickly gets in the habit of venting about his travelling companions in Elvish, so long as Gandalf & Aragorn aren’t in earshot they’ll never know right?
Then about a week into their journey like
Legolas: *in Elvish, for approximately the 20th time* ugh fucking hobbits, so annoying
Frodo: *also in Elvish, deadpan* yeah we’re the worst
Legolas:
THE LORD OF THE RINGS: The Two Towers (2002). dir. Peter Jackson.
This is the Elvish Ranger named Venus, she specializes in traversing deserts mostly.
Elf Valley Diorama Bookshelf Insert by LaCasaDelleTreBefane
This might be niche but it's past midnight and I am bored. Made concept stuff for tattoos I want
Elvish: Two sides of one coin
Elvish: Elementary, my dear Watson
Okay, so, today on deeply nerdy things I'm working on (and also looking for advice on; vote at the end of the post!)...
So I've been working on coloring Worm's page from the quarantine coloring book (this is what I have so far), and I decided that I needed to put a name on the side of the boat. Because this stream was the first thing I watched with Gerard and Worm, I decided that “Daydream Believer” would be a good name for the boat (fair warning, it’s a pretty violent game they’re playing in that stream, but to summarize, the part I’m referencing is from Gerard’s turn as the murderer when he starts playing Daydream Believer by the Monkees to creep out Worm and the other dude they’re playing with, which is the moment I linked to.)
But then I thought, this is an alien creature’s magical space-boat. I can’t just title it Daydream Believer in English. So I whipped out my D&D player’s handbook (5e) and went to the Elvish alphabet.
But then I thought, I can’t just write Daydream Believer in English with Elvish letters. I need to translate it into proper Elvish first. Which, of course, the only correct Elvish languages to use are Tolkien’s--Sindarin and Quenya. (In any case, I don’t believe that there is a complete D&D Elvish language.)
So, I brought up a few Sindarin and Quenya online dictionaries and translators, and I came up with a few different translations for “Daydream Believer”, and I wrote them out and transcribed my favorites to try and see which ones looked best in the D&D Elvish alphabet (I know Tengwar is technically the correct Tolkien-based Elvish script to be writing in, but I was already rolling with the D&D Elvish transcriptions, and I think I like the look of them for an alien space boat better, so I stuck with the D&D Elvish). But now I’m kind of stuck between three, and I thought, why not ask tumblr?
The two on the left with the blue highlights are Sindarin translations, and the one on the right with the green highlight is Quenya; I know there are differences in use between the two languages but I figured there’s no particular reason an alien couldn’t speak either of them. The first of the two Sindarin translations is “celain ely thenid pen”. ‘Celain’ means daylight, ‘ely’ means dream, and since I couldn’t find the word ‘believe’ in Sindarin anywhere I looked, I used ‘thenid’ which means ‘faithful’ and ‘pen’ as a pronoun meaning ‘one’. So, the first translation is really “daylightdream faithfulone”, which is fairly close. But I chose that translation mostly for aesthetics, and I worried I had strayed from the truest translation of the words, so I did another.
The second Sindarin translation I did was “eraid ely esteliad pen”. ‘Eraid’ is just ‘day’ instead of ‘daylight’, and ‘esteliad’ is ‘trusting’, which seemed closer to the meaning of a daydream believer as one who is trusting in their daydreams rather than one who is faithful to their daydreams, although that could lead to a whole debate on the meaning of the original song, which--let’s be honest I’m way overthinking this already. I’m just trying to find pretty letters to write on the side of this boat, lol :) But nerdy linguistic overanalysis for a random obscure reference that pretty much no one is going to get is what I’m here for, haha.
So, the third and final of my top three translations is the Quenya one, “árë maur savindo”. Quenya actually seemed to translate the phrase more easily, if only because there’s a word for “believer”. ‘Árë’ is day, ‘maur’ is dream or vision (which, I like the idea that the daydream believer’s daydreams are visions of a sort--oh no I’m analyzing the song again, I said I wouldn’t do that, I’ll stop, haha. I actually have thought about the meaning of the song quite a lot), and ‘savindo’ is believer. The Quenya translator that gave me ‘savindo’ warned that it was fan-created, but ‘sav-’ is in fact the Quenya verb for believe, and there was a whole section in the Quenya-English dictionary I looked at for “one who ___” verbs and they all ended in ‘indo’, so I think it’s a correctly derived translation.
Tl;dr--those are the three best translations I came up with, and I highlighted where I wrote each of them out in Elvish in the image above. So, now I’m asking you to vote: which Elvish translation of Daydream Believer should I write on the boat on my coloring page? “Celain ely thenid pen”, “eraid ely esteliad pen”, or “árë maur savindo”? Vote in the replies or reblog with your vote! :)
Postscript: If anyone wants to see my full Elvish translation scribblings which led to this, here’s what my process in my sketchbook looked like:
(There was a reflection from an old art class in the top left so that’s what I roughly photoshopped out if you were wondering.)
It’s always fun to have an excuse to mess around with translations and practice writing things in Elvish script :)
I dont know if anyone caught this and I really hope people see this but I have come to a realization:
"Solas" in Dalish quite literally translates to pride, further more there are common phrases within the Dalish language that speak of pride ruining everything and blah blah blah here's my source.
What I find funny is that Fen'Harel/Solas shows up and is like "YEaH iTs ME, YOuRE LocaL ELVen ApOSTAte PrIDe" and if your playing a Dalish inky they don't question it or mention it, it's even funnier if your a Dalish Mage because then you're the First of your clan and you're supposed to know this shit. Like they're literally like "Suspicious amount of Fade knowledge, weird ass name, able to drag me into the Fade... Yeah isn't shady at all lemme continue to trust this guy."
Furthermore, Solas' fear is dying alone and the Dalish sayings are quite literally "Dirth ma, harellan. Ma banal enasalin. Mar solas ena mar din." Which roughly means: "Your pride is responsible for everything that has gone wrong; you will die alone." And there's another one thats: "Dirth ma banal. Mar solas ena mar din" which means "You have learned nothing. Your pride be your downfall." The wiki also says that these are common Dalish phrases so...
This likely means that Solas is probably super self aware and we, the fandom, can take this a bajillion ways. One way is that past Fen'Harel was often told that he was prideful and that it would lead to his misfortune and so in DAI he brands himself by his shortcoming to stick it in the faces of his fellow mages but fast forward to DAD, pride will be Solas' downfall and the DAD protagonist will leave him to die alone and pondering what would of happened if he wasn't so arrogant because he wouldn't have lost his friends, his lover (if romanced), or his future.
Little one - Thranduil
Warnings: - Word count: Requested: No.
This was originally posted in my Wattpad in two parts, that’s why there is a long time skip in the middle. I have never posted a oneshot here, I’m still learning to use Tumblr as it is, so please don’t hate me if there is something funky about this. English isn’t my first language, so there might be some issues.
If you are interested in reading some of my other oneshots, I recommend checking my Wattpad account: TheSpottedCreature. I post there pretty regularly. I might transfer some of my other favorites here as well, but we’ll see.
You sneaked around the kingdom, trying to be as quiet as possible. You wanted to see the dwarves that your brother had found in the woods, the ones you were forbidden from seeing. So naturally, you wanted to see them even more. You had never seen a dwarf before, your father wouldn't allow you to, and you were curious. Were they truly so short that ada told that they were? You sneaked down the stairs that you knew took you down to the dungeons, you knew that they whould be kept there. This was the perfect night to do this, everyone was up, enjoying themselves, it was the feast of starlight. You had thought it was boring so you sneaked down, knowing that there whould be no guards down tonight. You had tried this before but you couldn't sneak down without being seen, so you just had stayed higher up, listening to them talking in their gruff, and low voices. But now, you made your way down, making sure that your steps were silent. You were a little nervous, your father had warned you about them many times, not to go close them.
Meanwhile, Thorin was sulking in his cell, cursing the elves in his head. He heard the light patter of feet, the stone made them more audible, and he got up, thinking it was one of the guards yet again. "What do you want?" He bellowed and marched to the door, ramming his hands against it and making it rattle, only to see that the hallway was empty. He frowned and looked around, not seeing anyone. "What are you doing, Thorin?" Balin's voice came from a few cells from the left and Thorin could sware he could hear someone snickering. "It's nothing, I thought I heard something." He grumbled and sank back down, resting his head against the stone wall when he saw someone walking on the stone path. "Hey!" He yelled and the figure jumped into the air and disappeared behind a corner.
You were breathing heavily, having gotten spooked by the sudden yell. You were evening out your breath, a part of you wanting to run to your father or your brother, and let him comfort you, but most of you was too curious and you pushed the fear aside, peeking behind the corner yet again. There were so many of them, nearly all the cells were full. They were all at the gates, and they looked so ... funny. They were short, and all of them had some sort of beard. They were not fat, but they were a lot bulkier than you. You couldn't control your curiosity, you slowly inched closer. You were in the shadows, so none of them could see you, but you could see them clearly. Most of them looked quite scary, but some of them looked kind. You were so curious, your head full of questions. What did dwarf children do for fun? Was a beard itchy? Was it hard to fight when you were stocky?
You just stood there, thinking about what you should do, when the same voice made you jump slightly but it didn't scare you away this time. You inched closer to the border between light and shadow, pondering what you would do. "I can see you standing there." The voice rang yet again, and you decided to step into the light, walking so you were in front of the cell. You stared at him, his hair was dark and the beard he had was short, and his face was a little stunned. You took a tiny step forward and tilted your head, not sure what to do next, your curiosity rising. You decided to see who was in the next cell, so you shifted to see what did that dwarf look like. He had a long white beard and nearly no hair at all. You looked from one to another, they looked so different, yet somehow similar. The latter smiled and leaned to the bars. "What are you doing here, little one?" His voice was gentle and you thought for a moment before you answered. "I wanted to see a dwarf. Ada wouldn't let me so I came on my own." You declared and looked around.
- - - -
The small elfling was talking with Balin, having moved on from Thorin, who kept a close eye on her. She was very young, and her hair was done half up and her eyes shone as she was watching Balin's every move. "What is your name?" The elfling didn't answer straight away but after a little while of pondering. "Y/N." She stated simply and shifted her feet. "What is yours?" She asked Balin, who answered her nearly instantly. "Balin." "That is a funny name." She giggled and Balin huffed. "I suppose." She shifted her weight to see who was at the next cell, only to be met with Dwalin's gruff voice. "What do you want, leave me alone." He banged the bars but the young elf didn't' even flinch, she just giggled and moved on, walking past a few cells before her steps halted.
"I like your hat." She was standing in front of Bofur's cell, then. "Why, thank you little one." His voice was gentle, he was good with kids. "Can I ask you a question?" She was still standing in front of Bofur's cell, who answered her, a little hesitantly, but for nothing, because the question she asked was quite sweet. "What do dwarf children do for fun?" She was staring at Bofur with bright eyes, clearly wanting to know the answer. "Well, they play with wooden toys and they play tag and hide and seek and other games." Bofur listed, and she huffed. "Huh. So the same things as I do." She shrugged and pressed herself to the wall, and suddenly pushing herself off of it and jumping over the gap between the two stone paths that ran in front of the paths of the cells, landing on the other side with the agility of an elf. She jumped up to the candle holder and swung back and forth on it for a while before letting go and landing with steady feet, not wobbling at all. She turned to the dwarf that was in the cell that she was now next to.
- - - -
This cell had a young-looking dwarf in it with light brown beard and hair. "Can you say something in dwarvish? I would like to hear some of it, ada always says it sounds funny." The dwarf stared at me for a moment but did indeed say a sentence in dwarvish. You giggled. "It sounds like you have a sore throat but you still want to speak." You tilted your head. "But I kind of like it. It's different, but not as horrible as ada described it as." "Who is this ada you talk about?" Another dwarf, this one with dark hair and the smallest of all the beards, was looking at you. He had warm, brown eyes that reminded you of your father's elk. "Ada is my father, it's just funny to call him father when there is a shorter and more convenient word to it." "Your father doesn't sound very pleasant," Thorin growled from his cell, and you turned to him. "No! He is the best. But he might get a little boring sometimes, he doesn't allow me to do many of things, such as..." "Visit the dungeons alone?" You froze at the sound of your father's voice but turned around to face him. "Hi, ada." You greeted him with a quiet voice, knowing that he would be angry.
Thranduil stared at you for a moment and the dwarves were silent, observing the situation and settling with the thought that you were the daughter of the king, the king that they hated. You were looking at the ground, not wanting to look at his face, you couldn't see the disappointment in his eyes. Suddenly, you felt hands around you as Thranduil picked you up and hugged you to his chest tightly, taking long breaths. "Y/N, I was so worried, I was sure that a spider had eaten you." You buried your head to his chest, muttering out words as you clutched his robes in your hands. "I'm sorry ada, I just really wanted to see the dwarves."
"Ada, I searched everywhere, I don't understand where she..." Your brother had arrived, speaking with a nervous tone until he saw you. “Where did you find her?" Thranduil handed you to him, and you wrapped your hands around his neck as you clung to him now. "She was down here, talking with the dwarves," Thranduil answered, sounding a little bit displeased and you shrunk down into Legolas's chest. "Talking with the dwarves, why whould you do that Y/N?" He asked you and you lifted your head from his chest. "I was curious, you whould never let me go down there so I went alone. And the party was boring." Your father just huffed, and took you from Legolas, heading downstairs. "This elleth is going to get a bath and then go straight to bed." "Noooo!" You squealed and went totally limp in his arms and slipped off and ran back towards the cells. "Y/N." Your father's voice was calm, but it had a slightly sharp edge to it as he looked at you. "I am not in the mood for games." You smiled mischievously and shifted your weight from one leg to another. "That's too bad because I am." You stormed over to the path in front of the cells. "Y/N, please. Let's go. I'll read you a story afterward." Your brother tried, slowly inching to his left. But your mind was set, and you weren't about to change it. "No." You stomped your leg to the ground.
The next thing you noticed was that your father was at the other end of the path, and your brother was at the other. "What to do now?" You pondered, and as they moved towards you, you allowed your shoulders to slump. "Let's go and end this foolishness." Your father approached you and you let your head to sink down. "Okay." But just as he was going to grab you, you jumped up as hard as you could and grabbed the edge of the path that was running above. You hoisted yourself up, and peeked over the edge, smiling yet again. "Did you really think that I would come that easily?" You didn't wait for the answer, you got up and ran off, giggling, leaving Thranduil and Legolas shaking their heads. They made their way up after you with small smiles on their faces.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You are hiding in the wine cellars, you and Legolas are playing hide and seek and it was your turn to hide. Fifth time in a row. You were very good at persuading others to get what you wanted and you had your big brother wrapped around your finger. So here you were, hiding behind a shelf that held wine and you waited for your brother to find out. You had insisted on playing one more game, as it was bathtime and you didn't want to. He wasn't going to alter his mind, so you chose the second-best strategy. Stalling.
Soon, you heard steps coming down from the stairs and you pressed yourself deeper towards the wall but the steps were too heavy to be Legolas'. There were multiple of persons walking down, so you hunched over and listened to the sounds coming down, they were spoken in haste and in a low tone. "I can't believe it, we're in the cellars." "You were supposed to be leading us out, not further in." The speakers sounded angry and you peeled out of your hiding place, trying to see who was talking. "The dwarves!" They were here! How they did that, you had no idea, but they were here. You were pretty sure they weren't supposed to be, after all, even you weren't allowed to be down there, so you decided to ask.
"What are you doing here?" You stepped from behind the shelf and faced the dwarves. They jumped and turned around, but froze as they saw you. "Y/N, what are you doing here?" Balin took a step closer, extending a hand to stop a bald dwarf from getting close to you. You didn't answer, you just tilted your head as you watched the dwarves. "We are... Thrand... Your father let us go." He spoke to you, sounding like he was in a hurry but he was trying to hide it. You frowned, the answer sounded like a lie. "Ada let you go? And told you to come ... here?" You asked, suspicious, and the dwarves nodded. "Yes," Balin told you, and you shook your head, knowing that he wasn't telling the truth. "He would never do that, only a few are allowed down here. Even I am not allowed to come here." You threw your hair behind your back and shifted your weight from one leg to another. "She made us, we have to do something or she will alert the whole kingdom." The bald dwarf spoke again in a whisper to the rest, and you took a step back as you realized that they might do something to you.
You swallowed and took a step closer to the stairs, only there was someone in your way. "I can't let you go." The dwarf that was standing in front of you had a red beard, and his voice was low, almost threatening. You glanced at the two guards that were passed out on the table, but you knew that they couldn't help you. If you tried to wake them, the dwarves would notice and possibly hurt you. "What will we do with her? We can't let her go, she will alert everyone." The bald dwarf asked the one with silver streaks in his hear, the one your father had interrogated personally. He shook his head and glanced at you. "We could knock her out?" The bald one suggested, and you winced at his words and took a step back so you could try and hide behind the shelves.
Your bottom lip started quivering, and you tried to stop it, but you were so scared. You wanted away from here, now. "Be quiet, Dwalin, you are scaring her." The one with a hat hissed and glanced at you, looking worried. "Then what do you want me to do, Bofur? You come up with an idea then, one that doesn't hurt her precious mind." The bald one, that you knew now was named Dwalin, scoffed and walked away. You felt a tear roll down on your cheek, and you wiped it away as the one with a hat walked closer.
You backed away until you back hit a wall, and another set of tears ran down your cheek as he stopped. "I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," Bofur spoke calmly, but you shivered lightly and pressed yourself tighter against the wall. "I'm going to speak to you from over here, is that okay?" You stared at him, trying to see if he was lying. Another figure approached, and as you winced, it lifted it's hands up in surrender. "I promise, no one will hurt you." He was beardless and shorter than the dwarves, and even in your terrified state, you were curious. What was he? And where had he come from? He must have noticed your expression as his face melted into a kind looking smile that helped you relax a little. "I'm Bilbo Baggins, I am a hobbit from the Shire." He nodded to you and you fiddled with the sleeves of your dress. "I-I didn't see you in the c-cells." You mumbled, and his smile faltered. "Oh, I wasn't in one. I snuck in." You tilted your head, now slightly impressed. "How did you do that?" He hesitated and glanced behind his back at the dwarves who were now climbing into the barrels. "I am a hobbit. We are light in our feet." He lifted his leg up for you to see, and you lifted your’s up, comparing your small one to his, much bigger one. Bilbo smiled lightly and you relaxed a little bit as it seemed they truly didn't want to hurt you.
You giggled lightly and placed your foot down while Dwalin made his way back to you and you squeaked and pressed your back against the wall, scared. "Bofur, Bilbo, we need to go now." They nodded and turned back to you while you lifted your gaze up and listened to the voices coming from upstairs, the guards have noticed that the dwarves are missing. "You should hurry, they know you are out of the cells and they going to be down here soon." You muttered to Bilbo and Bofur, knowing that your father would be quite angry at them if he found them here without permission. Unfortunately, Dwalin heard you too and came barreling in. "Are you threatening us?" He asked and slammed his hands at both sides of you, causing you to shriek and sink to the floor. "I-I j-just heard the g-guards upstairs, t-they realized that you a-are not i-in the c-cells." You squeaked, covering your head with your hands while tears made their way down your cheeks again. "Dwalin, stop it." You heard rustling and few thumps and angry muttering and the shadow looming over you disappeared and you lifted your head. Bofur was standing in front of you with apologetic eyes. "Sorry about him. We really need to leave. Promise me one thing. Do not move from there until we have gone, okay?" You just nodded, and huddled into a tiny ball, wanting this to be all over. The next sound you heard was the hatch being opened and scared yelps and thumps as the barrels dropped down. You lifted your head to see all the barrels and dwarves gone, only Bilbo was standing there. You stared at him, shivering and tears running down your cheeks, and he nodded to you, speaking softly. "Go." You didn't hesitate, you stormed up the stairs, away from the cellars.
You nearly collided into Tauriel as she was making her way down with a few guards. Before she could say or do anything, you slipped past them and ran towards the throne room. You threaded through the guards who were running in the other direction while yelling out orders. As you stormed in the throne room and saw that he wasn't there, you let out a cry and stormed away but you tripped, scraping your hands and knees in the progress. That did not make you feel any better, and you were crying twice as hard as you made it to the meeting room. You normally avoided it, knowing that ada got angry when you got in and interrupted, but you just wanted him now.
As you searched the hallway, the two guards blocked the door with their spears to keep you from entering but as you reached them and they saw your tear-streaked face and bloody hands, another one of them knocked on the door and pushed his head inside. Your father's annoyed voice sounded from inside. "This better be important." The guard glanced at you and answered him. “It is." He gestured you to get in, and you stormed past him into the small room. Your father was sitting at the end of a long table, all of the elves sitting across it were staring at you. This caused you to freeze and Thranduil sighed as he saw you enter. "Y/N, haven't I told you that I am not to be disturbed -." He stopped talking as he saw the condition you were in, your knees and hands scraped and tears running freely down your cheeks. "Y/N, my little lokte (blossom)! What happened to you?" He got up, knocking the chair down in the process and you stormed to him, tears streaming down your face. "Ada!" As soon as you reached him, he picked you up and pressed you to his chest tightly as you cried into his shirt, wetting it completely. "We will continue tomorrow." He spoke shortly to the elves around the table before turning away and making it to your room. He sat down on your bed and smoothed his hand over your back, trying to calm you as you cried your eyes out.
Your cries reduced into hiccups and you buried your head into his chest, listening to his calming heartbeat. He still smoothed his hand on your back while holding you close to his chest with the other. He reached to your pillow to grab the stuffed moose you loved. He handed it to you and you hugged it tightly into your chest as you snuggled closer to Thranduil. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" He asked gently, and you sniffed and looked up to his familiar icy-blue eyes. "I was playing hide and seek with Legolas." You sniffed again and hesitated to continue. You knew that you weren't supposed to be down at the cellars. "Keep going, darling, you will feel better when you are finished." He encouraged, and you pressed deeper into his chest, hoping that he would not get angry. "I hid down in the cellars because I didn't want to take a bath." He hummed lightly and ran his hand through your hair. "Then what?" His voice was gentle as he moved you lightly so he could see your face better. "The dwarves came down there." You felt him tense as he grabbed your hands gently and inspected them. "Did they do this to you?" His voice was shaking from the anger he was trying to hold in. "N-no, I tripped when I ran to find you." You whispered and he breathed out, calming down slightly. He smoothed his hands on the small wounds. They didn't bleed nearly at all but still his heart pained, it bothered him to see you hurt and so scared.
"Let's find a healer to get these cleaned up." He stood up, holding you tight, only to have you wail in his lap and try to squirm off. "No!" He frowned and sat back down as you squeezed his robe tightly. "Why not?" He smoothed his hand across your cheek and you sniffed as tears returned into your eyes. "It hurts." You whined, and he wiped the tear off your face and lifted your head so you were looking at him. "Only for a short while. The cuts will get much worse if we don't get them cleaned." He spoke gently and you nodded a little. “You are a big girl already, you can survive a little sting." He tickled your sides lightly, and you giggled and pressed onto him. "I can."
- - - -
After you had visited the healer, you had stopped by at the kitchens to see what they had to offer. You were now eating a piece of lembas with a thick layer of jam on it. Thranduil usually never allowed you to have jam, as it contained much sugar that caused you to jump into the walls and ceiling (literally) but today he had made an exception. "Feeling better?" He asked as he finished the report he had been writing and looked at you. You had calmed down and you were sitting on a bench, swinging your legs and looking out a window into the forest."Yes, ada." You chomped down the last piece of your bread and smiled at him as he sat down next to you and moved your hair off your face. You yawned and he pressed a small kiss on your temple. "I think it's time for you to go to bed, little one." He stood up so he could sweep you up into his arms but before he could do that, a knock sounded from the door.
Legolas stepped in and you squealed and ran to him, wrapping your arms around him tightly and squeezed hard. He lifted you up and spun you in a circle, causing you to giggle wildly. Thranduil shot Legolas a warning look but he ignored it and threw you into the air, causing you to shriek in delight. He grabbed you and threw you again, and you giggled wildly as you returned to his arms. Thranduil clicked his tongue and both of you turned to him, you still giggling. "She was ready to bed before you got her all riled up again." He sounded slightly annoyed, but Legolas didn't flinch as he placed you down on the floor. "I thought she needed a little cheering up. I heard she had a rough day." Thranduil stared at him for a moment before he returned to his papers, stacking them up neatly.
You yawned again and pulled Legolas's sleeve, making him turn to look down on you from your father. "Will you read me a story?" You preferred Legolas to read you a story. Not that your father was bad at it, but Legolas did all kinds of funny voices for the characters and you loved it. He shook his head and your shoulders slumped, and he ran his hand in your hair. "Sorry, Y/N. I have to go on extra patrol tonight." You nodded but still looked down, it had been a while since he had read you a story. "Don't worry Y/N, I will read you one." Thranduil looked up from his papers and you glanced at him, smiling before turning back to your brother. "I'll see you tomorrow, seler'. Good night." (sister) "Good night, toror'." (brother) You waved at him, and he left the room after nodding to Thranduil. You ran on the bench and grabbed your elk off of it, squeezing it tight into your chest. Next, you ran to your father and you tugged at his sleeve. "Let's go ada."
- - - -
"And then the elven prince rode his horse into the sunset and they lived happily ever after. The end." Thranduil finished, closing the book and placing it on the table next to your bed. You yawned and smiled at him before placing your elk on top of his head. You giggled as its legs hung off from the sides of his head. He lent down to kiss you on the forehead and your elk fell down from his head and he grabbed it and handed it to you. He blew the candles out as you squeezed the elk into your chest in addition to the other animals you already had; a fox, a wolf, and an owl. Tauriel had made them for you and you loved all of them, but the elk was by far your favorite. "Good night, little lokte." (blossom) He kissed your cheek one last time and you held the elk up for a kiss too. You looked at him with begging eyes and he kissed it as well, causing you to smile. as you snuggled it tightly into your chest. "Good night ada." You yawned and squeezed the elk tightly into your chest as you closed your eyes. Thranduil tiptoed to the door and closed it but couldn't fight the urge to peek in one last time. You were already sound asleep and Thranduil smiled as he pulled away from the door and closed it as quietly as he could.
Thank you so much for reading! And happy Valentine’s day!!
Characters:
Halynesra (Nesra) Caifir = Hall-ee-ness-rah (Ness-rah) Caee-feer
Otaehryn (Ryn) Venkalyn = Oh-tay-rin (Rin) Ven-kall-yin
Lenna Caifir = Leen-nah Caee-feer
Ehlark Cairfir = Eh-lark Caee-feer
Nen = Neh-nn
Rilitar (Aran) Venkalyn = Ree-le-tarr (Ah-rahn) Ven-kall-yin
Myriani (Erain) Venkalyn = Mee-ree-ah-nee (Eh-ray-een) Ven-kall-yin
The Beginning
“‘But Nesra I can not wait for the future! I want you now.’ I only laughed at the boy who I had grown to love in a day. ‘What else are we to do Rin? We are too young to do anything but wait.’ I stopped running and faced the boy I was talking to. His face is obscure, of all detail but I know he is handsome. From his long and pointy ears to his dashingly long white hair. His clothes are far nicer than any fabrics I have come to see in my young life. They even fit him way better than my own. ‘What if I marry you?’ I look up to the sky and think a bit, making him groan in worry. ‘Well, I don’t know? You haven't asked me to marry you, so how could I answer that question?’ ‘Fine, only for you Nesra.’ He took one large step to stand in front of me and held my hands in his. I smiled at his face as he stood so close to me. ‘Halynesra of Caifir, will you bless my life for however long it may be. To live with me as mine for however long you see fit?’ ‘Yes! I want to be yours!’ We both smiled widely as he squished me into his body. He let go enough to look at my face and tried to give me a kiss. I stopped him by covering his mouth with my hand. ‘No kisses til the wedding Ryn. You don’t want to spoil me now.’ He pulled me back into him with a squeeze and began to drag me away. We both laughed along as he took me away from the fields and into the thick woods. ‘Ryn? Where are you taking me?’ ‘To marry you obviously.’ ‘And how will we do that with no Elen House?’ ‘Patience, my bride.’ We talked, giggled, and kissed each other's cheeks as he led me further into the woods. ‘We’re here.’ I looked up at his words and found an old Elen House. It had vines and holes in the walls, but the open roof was still held high. The old intricate design of the metal work showed it’s shadow onto the ground. With my new found excitement I squeezed the boy's hand and pulled him further in the grand old building to the platform. We faced each other on top of the platform with smiling faces. ‘Now. I am Oteahryn Venkalyn, and I stand before Elen to grant me the blessing of marrying Halynesra. Give your power to honor me in making Halynesra of Caifir, Halynesra of Venkalyn.’ As he spoke he tied our interlocking hands together with our palms facing one another. ‘I am Halynesra and I stand before Elen to bless me with being one with my love, Oteahryn of Venkalyn. I shed our blood, for you to show us if this union is true.’ At my words I take one of my hair pins and unfold it to reveal a knife. I sliced both our wrists and watched as we bled onto the broken concrete.”
“Nesra! Are you sleeping?”
“No, I’m awake.”
I think often of that day. Mostly about how I never saw him again, and how my mother had cut my hair that day. My hair I was once so proud of was taken from me. It has been twenty years since that day and my life has not gotten any easier. My mother had made it her goal for me to feel as ashamed as she is for having me. Though it’s not my fault I’m a ‘half breed’. You see, humans are a lowly race that had once roamed an entire continent. But because of their arrogance they practically wiped themselves out. They began moving and roaming the world for a new home. Unfortunately, everything they saw they thought was theirs to take. Somewhere during this time a member of my mom's family had mated with a human and brought into our family line human genes. Fortunately, I did not have a short life span. I did get the shortness of their body, and the rusty color of the hair they had. Even my eyes reflect the color of dirt. I am what my mother hates.
“You know if you keep zoning out like that you’ll be late.”
“I know, but no matter what mom will be mad. Thank you for looking out for me though.”
“Of course, bye Nesra.”
“Bye.”
She had already run off before I spoke. Adjusting my basket in the crook of my elbow I flip my hood onto my head. The hood and cape that was gifted to me from my father. He had bought it when my mother cut my hair. His original plan was for me to hide my hair in the hood so I wouldn’t be embarrassed, but since mother keeps it so short I hide it so others won’t think I am a slave from another town.
“Nesra! Nesra, Honey! Come here!”
The older woman came to me, almost making me drop my basket. She looked worried but also excited. I was confused as her shipment of clothes had already come in this week.
“What is it, Nona?”
“Royal guards. From our kingdom and another are on the way to your house!”
My eyes widened. Mother will kill me if we have guests when I’m not there. I hand Nona my basket and run off into the fields to find the path in the woods I had made to make going home faster. With my loose garments held I picked up my speed and cuddled Nen closer to me. Coming up to the town bridge I see our kingdom's guard’s horses and others with colors and flags I do not recognize. A few men spot me running under the bridge and out the other side. I send a little wave as I pass but do not slow down. Taking the right path I had made so I will be behind my house by the time they arrive at my home. Hopefully by doing this it will seem that I was already home. Upon seeing my home I see my father getting off his horse. With happiness I skip by my back garden and race to my father.
“Papa!”
“My Diamond!”
With a smile my father caught me in his arms and brought me up twirling us both. We laugh as he slows and places me back on the ground. Looking at me with so much love he holds my face in his hands.
“Oh my only girl, how beautiful you grow everyday.”
“And how strong you become since training with the King’s men.”
Papa laughs and I take his horse’s reins and take the strong animal to the barn as father enters the home to greet mother. Before I could take the animal inside the barn the guards I had passed came running down my way. Getting closer they split and ran on either side of me. This makes my fathers horse nearly kick me as it bucked and tried to get away from the intimidating stallions. They stopped too close to me and the horse as I tried to calm him.
“A bit jumpy the old mare is?”
“No, you scared her.”
“My apologies, Nesra.”
A younger guard got off his horse and approached me. I remembered his face but not his name. We met when my father was invited to a guards dinner and brought me and mother along.
“Please, forgive her nature and dress. Her father raised her to be a fighter, a strong woman. As for the hood she simply likes the style as she is too beautiful to be seen.”
I blushed and tried to hide behind fathers horse. A few of the other guards laugh, whether or not it’s in mockery I do not know. Looking back up I try to apologize for snapping at guardsmen, but I was interrupted by a man still on his horse.
“My apologies, Lady. We still have some young guards in training. They had gotten anxious with no activity, so I am apologizing for their thoughtlessness and your fear,”
“There is no need for an apology, except from me. I should not have been so quick with my tongue to such noblemen.”
“Your reaction was only necessary because of our mistake. Please allow one of us to finish your chore as we walk with you back to your home.”
Before I could reply a younger unfamiliar guard wearing an insignia I don’t recognize gets off his horse. He gave me a small smile that held a sorrowful feeling as he gently took the reins. I stood there in surprise as he walked with the horse to the barn. When I looked at the other men I noticed that the ones closest to me had gotten off their horses to walk with me to my home. I began walking in silence as the guards fell into step with me. It was a short walk but it felt like I was walking on glass. Opening the front gate wider, since only my father passed through it I waited for the men to tie up the horses. I fix my hood and pet Nen as he pokes out his head. The front door had opened to reveal my mother inside. Seeing her I put my head down and listen as she greets the guards.
“Welcome to our home. Who is it, we have the honor of hosting at our humble home.”
“Lady of Caifir?”
“Yes, that is me.”
“We have come a long way to find your family. We are guards of the Lovelui Dor Kingdom in the Land of Sidh.”
There was a moment of pause in awe. The Land of Sidh was a strong and rich country. Their people rarely left the land for anything. The silence is broken when my father speaks up.
“We may not have a lot of room inside but my daughter has quite the garden in the back.”
“That sounds lovely, Master Caifir, but we are only here to confirm and collect.”
“Oh and what do you plan on collecting from here?”
“Not what, my Lady, but who.”
“Well let us not waste your time then, follow me please.”
Only the men who had gotten off the horses followed my father as me and mother followed. Going through the house I stop in the kitchen to pick up two big empty serving platters and two pitchers with a few cups. I walked in the back garden seeing my mom sitting in our garden chairs while my father was showing some of the men the garden. I continue my work as father brags about my vegetables and fruits. With both empty pitchers I move over to our well and begin to fill them both. I listen to the sloshing of water and the straining of the rope. The sound that has always calmed me while doing my chores.
“Does the Lady mind some help?”
The guard from before had scared me, causing me to jump. Holding my hand to my heart I look up and smile kindly. He approached closer to stand on the other side of the well from me.
“I only want to help.”
“You can help if you’d like, but I can do it on my own.”
“I do not doubt you, my Lady.”
“Please, call me Nesra. Everyone else does.”
“My rank does not allow me to address you any other way, but I will apologize for making you uncomfortable.”
I nod as I pull up the first pitcher and set it on the edge of the well. I untie the pitcher and retie the rope to the second pitcher. As I lower the pitcher down in the well I speak to the guard.
“I meant no disrespect to your heritage, I am just not used to such a title. It is one though I think I could get used to.”
“I suppose anyone could, yes. Speaking of heritage, may I ask about yours.”
His question made me stop for a moment. I continued my work and tried to hide my surprise.
“My apologies. I know your people have some views on certain types of your race.”
“No, you are fine. You are right. Some of us care about what or where we are from, or even what we have done.”
“Do you not?”
“No. My father taught me to be better than those who would look down on me.”
“Not that anyone would.”
Father interrupted stepping up from behind the guard. I blushed at my fathers comment. He has always treated me like I was his most prized possession. A precious gem even. His diamond. My father asked if we had met each other properly. I only shook my head.
“Well we can’t have that now. Nesra, this handsome guard is Venkalyn. Venkalyn, this is my only child Nesra.”
I keep my head down as I give the man a small bow. I did not expect him to return it.
“Let me carry a pitcher for you, surely your arm must be tired.”
I blink out of my surprise and notice how long I had been holding the pitcher in its place, waiting to be untied. I only nodded shyly as he pulled the pitcher to his side of the well. Father had walked away to sit with mother and the other guards. Looking over I noticed that one of the guards had filled a platter with my fruits and vegetables as I had planned to do. When Venkalyn had untied the pitcher he moved to walk beside me as we both made our way to the group.
“Please forgive my men, they are used to not allowing women to serve them.”
“Because women are gifts.”
“How did you know?”
“Oh it, I was told that by an old friend of mine. He was very kind. I wish he could have stayed.”
“Were you close?”
“You could say that.”
I smiled as we approached the group. Another guard stepped up to me and gently took the pitcher from my arms. I watched as he brought it to the front yard, most likely to the other guards. That is probably where my other platter had gone. My father cleared his throat bringing me out of my head. When I looked over and saw a few eyes on me making me blush.
“I was just telling these men about how talented of a gardener you are.”
“It’s not much.”
“It means more than you know.”
I blush at Venkalyn’s words. Father and Nona had really been the only ones to give me compliments. I was not used to strangers giving me such kind words.
“I would like to get down to business, Caifir.”
Father looked at me and gestured to his hair. He wanted me to take off my hood. I could see my mother avoiding the area I stood as I tried to prepare myself. I did not like taking off my hood in front of others. They always treated me differently, like I was someone who had done wrong by the law and made a slave to others. Even if they had known me since childhood. Slowly I brought my hands to the rim of my hood and just as slowly pulled my hood back to lay on my back. Nen was still in my hood and hid in my hair that rested on my shoulders. I kept my eyes down as no doubt all eyes were on me, except for my mothers.
“He was right, you are an amazing mix between Human and Elf.”
I picked up my head in shock, seeing also that my father had done the same. Clearing his throat, father tried to speak calmly but could not hide his shock.
“I thought you said you were looking for your Prince’s bride.”
“We are, the Prince is my brother. He is the only one able to succeed to the throne considering his marriage.”
“If it is his bride you are looking for then why in Elen are you looking here?”
Normally I would be hurt by my mothers disregard for me but I was too shocked. Another kingdom coming all this way to look for their Prince’s wife. In such a peaceful manner too, well despite the scare earlier.
“Lady Caifir, I believe it is your daughter that has married my young brother.”
“Impossible! This has to be a joke! She has never left our home I would know.”
“Indeed she never did, they married here. On sacred grounds in front of Elen themselves.”
Quickly my mother stood up, knocking over the chair and standing in front of me. Before I could apologize she hit and shoved me away. As I landed onto the ground a small squeak sounded. Nen had also fallen and landed a few inches from me. Quickly I picked him up and sat up to cradle him.
“What have you done behind my back! For how long had you been married, lying to us! How shameful are you, child!”
Without thinking I held onto Nen closer to me but also gently, and then ran. I ran along the path leading into the woods. Running down the way I came, I ignored the shout and calls of my name. Feeling the tears fall from my face I reach the fork in the path and take the one I avoided when coming home. Along the path never stopping my pace I think about why my mother did what she did. She had never laid a hand on me in front of others. Always prided herself on her self control. After running for so long I found myself in the very place that was the reason for my mothers reaction. More vines and plants had grown in new places, and more pieces of stone had chipped away. The metal along with it’s beautiful designs had rusted and turned green with age. One day it will all fall down, becoming one with the planet as it once had been. This fact does not keep me from treating it with care. This place is special, and now I know my memories to be true. I find myself sitting in the middle upon the platform. This can’t be real. We were only kids, there is no way he actually thought we were married. Perhaps he simply wanted to see what the young girl he once knew had become. I sigh as I look down and check over Nen. Making sure his tiny legs could still move or if they hurt. Checking over to see if his skinny long body had been cut or bruised. Seeing that he was fine I cried again.
“Oh Nen, I am so sorry. If you had been hurt I don’t know what I would have done.”
He looked up at me as I held him close to my face. With quiet squeaks he licked away a tear and cuddled into my cheek. I smile sadly and set him down beside me so he could wander around. As he scurried away he would turn around every few feet to see me waiting for him. I watched as he ran around and under rocks. He fell dramatically in a small puddle and ran into a bush rolling around trying to dry off. His action made me giggle, making him look over at me. He sniffed in the air and walked around a corner I could not see. Before I could grow worried from his absence he came back trying to run with a bushel of berries he was dragging. I laughed at him as he did his best to make it back to me. He dropped the fruit at my feet and crawled up my feet sitting upon my lap. I scratched behind his ears and under his chin making him lean into my hand. When he was satisfied he crawled deeper into my lap as I picked up the fruit. I laid back on the stone platform and set the berries beside my chest so I could see Nen eat.
“You can have them, Nen. My mood for food has vanished completely.”
After watching me lay down without eating a berry, Nen took one in his mouth, pulled it off the bushel and tried to put the berry in my mouth. Accepting his offer I gently take the berry in my hand and eat what was given to me. Satisfied he ate some himself. Once full he slowly walked over and cuddled into my neck. I yawned at this action and relaxed. A nap could not hurt.
When you were seven, you held a fake wedding by the swings with a kid you met at the park. You never saw your childhood “spouse” again after that day. Today you received a letter summoning you to a foreign country… where your wedding to the heir to the throne twenty years ago is seen as valid.