"Care to join me for a walk?" She asked her maid Dúvenith, who scurried up towards her. The Elven Queen took the pile of neatly folded clothes and placed them on a nearby chair that filled the empty corridor along the paintings of her, her husband and their son.
Idhrenel found being Queen exhausting so she liked to take frequent trips through the fruit trees in the direction of the great river. She and her maid walked at a similar pace in silence along the well-trampled yet still beautiful cobbled paths and grass banks. There they saw the jewel-blue stream which was partially surrounded by the white birch trees. The water curved gently through the forest and Idhrenel spotted a family of ducks paddling.
Down by the river, there was a slight breeze that delicately formed small goosebumps across Idhrenel's silky ivory skin as she bathed her toes. A quiet "The fishes don't bite" brought Dúvenith back to the moment. She chuckled slightly as she fiddled with her hands. Idhrenel mostly came here to be alone but she also liked to hear the elleths around her age playing the flute and other instruments for the younger ellons and elleths to dance to. Their sweet tunes carry on the wind and bless the Elven's Queens ears with their humming melodies. She looked up at her maid, with the late afternoons sun blaring in her eyes, and noticed Dúvenith was still standing on the grass nearby.
She held her hand out as she smiled at her maid. Dúvenith returned the smile and gently interlocked her fingers with her and felt the pull as she moved closer to the river. Her Queen nodded reassuringly as the younger elleth placed a single toe into the crystal waters of Greenwood. Looking around, Dúvenith recollected on when her mother once told her that rivers are the arteries of the forest. The fluttering butterflies drifted over it lazily. "I come hear quite a lot to get away from the pressure of running this place." Idhrenel smiled as she noticed that her maid was trying to catch the butterflies. She almost forgot how much younger she was than her. "I understand why.. it's beautiful."
Pebbles whisked about in the under wash like pieces of glitter. Dúvenith was now standing fully in the river and the hem of her dress was swaying the water and was flowing beside her. "The fishes don't bite." The maid mimicked as she remembered what Idhrenel had said to her not too long before. It was then that the Elven Queen realised that she was sitting on the grass on the side of the bank with only her toes submerged. She chuckled to herself before she stood up and slowly walked into the river. "If my husband knew I was doing this.." She mumbled to herself as her turned even more pale from the cold. The mountains stood silently in the background and a weeping waterfall poured from a gash in the rock face. Her gaze returned to the water surrounding her rather than the water in the far distance and she could see now how the water had gained its glassy clarity. The run off from the ice made it appear varnish clear and the surface glinted like diamonds.
"Where is Prince Legolas..?" Dúvenith wondered as she splashed the water towards Idhrenel, who was surprised at first but then joined in. "On Fridays he has archery practice." She replied as she thrusted her hands into the water which immediately drenched her maid who was ultimately left drenched. She almost felt bad until she saw Dúvenith smirk and then splash her back. Idhrenel then stopped. "I brought you out here to tell you something.. which is top secret, though only me and my husband know." Her maid looked up at her with eager eyes. "W-What I-Is it?" She stammered. The Elven Queen gently placed a hand to her stomach and rubbed it, "I'm pregnant." Dúvenith's mouth shot wide open before she sunk to her feet. Her dress now submerged in the water as if she were in a bath. "You're having another baby.."
Idhrenel nodded and smiled. Dúvenith stood back up and pulled her Queen into a tight hug, before whispering, "I-Idhrenel... I'm so excited! I promise I wont tell anyone" She liked how the Queen treated her like a close friend and hung out with her and treated her like they were both had the same status, even though they were both very different. She even told her secrets!
...
Tatharien was finishing her duties on guard for the day when she saw Dúvenith rushing towards her with her dress soaked and her hair matted. "Dinner is at 7:30 in the palace hall.. don't be late." Then the maid was gone. Tatharien was exhausted from the days work as she had been sent out deep into the forest to hunt out the growing number of spiders which had started to spawn there though she looked forward to having dinner. She brushed her fawn coloured locks from the centre to the side of her face before she nodded at another nearby guard and made her way towards her room.
Her room was a small room made completely out of wood, specifically oak, which was tarnished with gloss to add to the shine. Some of it was made out of willow which the Queen persisted must be used as the name 'Tatharien' meant 'willow daughter'. Small meant comfort for the member of the guard. On the left side of the room was a large bookshelf that stretched from one side of the room to the other. On the right was her vanity, though she didn't use that much, and her bed which had emerald sheets with matched her eyes. She would rest she thought to herself then she'd go and eat with her friends. They had been doing this for a few months as King Thranduil was busy with working so Queen Idhrenel had to eat alone. This was when she had decided on inviting her closet maids and friends to eat with her.
An hour had passed and Tatharien knew that she should start to get ready. She changed into a long green dress that she had got out of her wardrobe and pulled her hair out of her pony tail. Her hair was incredibly long and it flowed down her her back in loose curls. She opted for small heeled sandals which made a small squeak as they touched the ground, though she didn't mind.
When she arrived at the palace hall she noticed she was the third to arrive. Malunith was an elleth who was of a similar age who also lived up to her name, she had a well structured face with long blonde hair, similar to Idhrenels, that perfectly framed her face. Her face was notably pale which made her look like a long lost daughter of the Queen's mother, Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien. Coswen had deep black hair that was cut short, which just scraped past her shoulders by centimetres. She wore a deep red dress which went down to her knees showing her perfectly tanned skin. Tatharien thought she looked beautiful. Idhrenel on the other hand was wearing a long blue dress which flowed down to the floor and her hair was still slightly damp from earlier.
Dúvenith, Rosdis and Gwaereneth, who was always late, still had to show up. The last two arrived giggling together whilst Dúvenith had washed her hair so she took a little longer. Gwaereneth was the youngest maid that worked in the palace. She was still teenage in the years of the elves though she was more mature than others. However she had a love for gossip and especially ellons. "Did you know that Aldinen and Lhéwen did?" She almost immediately asked as Dúvenith sat down. Now all the attention was on her- which was what she liked. Her sister, Tatharien rolled her eyes. Idhrenel looked up from the table, "What?"
Gwaereneth turned to face her Queen. "She snuck out from the rest of the guards and went to see him..." The looks the other elleths were giving her made her carry on. "I followed them-" Tatharien sighed loudly, "and I saw them kissing on a wall.. like properly kissing!" The youngest elleth there exclaimed. Coswen's mouth was wide open as it was well known in the group that she had developed feelings for Lhéwen. She then rolled her eyes. "Oh Radhrion and Duvain broke up.." No one in the hall was surprised as they were always fighting. Duvain was similar to Gwaereneth in the fact that they both loved gossip and spreading it. The only difference was that Gwaereneth had long blonde hair and Duvain had long jet black hair like Coswen.
The food arrived shortly after and everyone ate in silence for a short while. "Queen Idhrenel-" she was interrupted by Idhrenel's soft voice, "Just Idhrenel is fine, Tatharien." The guard smiled then dropped her smile, breathing slowly before speaking. "I was wondering what plans we had for getting rid of the spiders.. I mean more and more are spawning here and if they come closer I don't think we'll be able to hold them of. The numbers are vastly increasing by each day." Idhrenel nodded and was silence for a moment. "Thank you for raising your concern with me and I will talk about it with my husband. Though for now, let's enjoy this meal and forget about the concerns and threats for this short while."
YOU ARE READING
till forever falls apart
FanfictionI didn't just lose you. I lost my entire life. This is my take on Thranduil and his wife before and after her death.
