Bluestar | Legolas x OC

Chapter 10: Sapphires & Emeralds

November 19th TA 3018

Silent steps walked upon the polished floor, illuminated by the pale moonbeams streaming through the domed glass ceiling. The silver rays bounced around the circular chamber, casting long, playful shadows and reflecting upon the frames of the portraits gracing the walls.

A slender hand traced the curved walls before gliding over the silver frames, the figure passing each picture. Eluin glanced at each painting as she passed, the first being one of the four children of Elrond. The two sisters, Eluin and Arwen, sat while the twin brothers, Elladan and Elrohir, stood tall behind them. The elleth gazed into each of her sibling's eyes, the paint having captured the light that had once shone like the bright flames of a candle. Their broad smiles were untainted by the shadows of war, unburdened by the sorrow they all skillfully hid.

She trailed her fingers along the smooth wall and moved to another portrait before stopping. A chill went down her spine, but not due to her skin feeling the cold metal of the frame. With a slight reluctance, Eluin turned her sight to the two figures in the painting. It was rare for her to catch her father's gaze now, but in a painting, he held her eye without turning away, no heartbreak in his wise, grey eyes. A bit of warmth filled her heart before it immediately got extinguished as her gaze turned towards the other painted figure.

Next to Lord Elrond, a familiar figure stood - Lady Celebrían with her silver-gold tresses and a radiant smile gracing her fair face. Even in paint, her bright blue eyes were darkened like twin stars of sapphires under the pale light of the moon, mirroring the set of the elleth locked upon them. Eluin's heart tugged, longing for when her mother had not sailed West. Yet, the reality was harsh, as echoes of Celebrían's melodic laughter were blemished by the guttural shrieks of Orcs.

Like a star cruelly plucked from the night sky, the House of Elrond had lost their First Lady of Rivendell to the West too soon. One does not need to be dead to be wretched away from their family so ruthlessly. Driven mad by the torture of the Orcs that stole her light, she sought solace in the blessed realm of the Undying Lands, choosing to sail West from the Grey Havens.

A cool draught entered the gallery, causing Eluin to turn her head towards the entrance. The curtains draped by the archway had been pushed aside by Legolas as he stood, his green eyes widening as Eluin looked at him. "We always seem to find each other," he spoke, breaking the silence while ignoring the warm blush creeping up his neck. Legolas had been wandering the halls, drawn by an unseen force that willed him away from the usual strolls in the gardens.

"I wasn't aware you were here," Eluin admitted. Legolas took in the sight of Eluin standing in front of a portrait of her parents. From his angle, she was right between the two painted figures behind her. A perfect mixture of both parents, her facial features as sharp and her hair as dark as her father's, but unlike her siblings, she did not have Elrond's grey eyes but had her mother's. Piercing azure pools like a reflection, yet Eluin's were darkened like a flickering light.

"I had just arrived," Legolas breathed, his heart skipping a beat as Eluin offered him a smile. "You have met my mother before, yes?" the elleth asked as she turned from the portrait towards a lone bench in the centre of the circular chamber.

Legolas stepped closer as he answered, "Yes, I had seen her a few times. She was wonderful, and my father spoke highly of her whenever they met." It was true; the First Lady of Rivendell was kind and had a beautiful soul that mirrored her looks. In Legolas's memory, she had been a tall, fair, and wise lady, so he could easily see how Lord Elrond had fallen for her.

"She was.... It has been five centuries since she sailed from the Grey Havens," Eluin spoke as she sat down. Legolas had heard the news from the rare scouting Mirkwood had done outside their borders in the past that she had sailed West, though they never discovered the reasoning.