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."