Perfect... (Middle Earth Inspired Short Story)

Chapter 1

"You're late," pointed out Lord Elrond as I came rushing into the room. I prayed he hadn't noticed the redness around my eyes as I straightened my robes, keeping my gaze on the ground.
"I'm sorry my lord, I overslept," I lied. Elrond looked up from his book with a raised eyebrow.
"Any particular reason for this?" He asked.
"I-I was working late last night, my lord, there was paperwork to do so I did not get to bed until..." I began, feeling the lie beginning to come undone like a missed stitch on my tongue. Elrond waved a hand at me dismissively and I gladly fell into silence.
"I do not care, just don't let it happen again. See to your duties," he sighed, looking back at his book. I gave a sketchy bow and began to go about my work, blinking away the few tears that were lingering in the corners of my eyes.
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It was the same routine as every morning. Fetch any messages, give the maids their tasks, give orders of food or wine to the cooks, sharpen the quills, fetch the ink, the list seemed to go on forever. I was glad there was so much work to do. Every minute working meant another minute not trying to avoid people, not constantly looking over my shoulder. Working hard came at a price though, and by the time I got back to Lord Elrond's study I was suppressing a limp.
"Here, my Lord," I said, putting the books I'd been asked to fetch down on the desk. Elrond looked up, his clear grey eyes reading the pain on my face that I was desperately trying to hide.
"Are you quite well?" He asked. I broke eye contact again, an instant indication that what I was about to say was a lie.
"I'm fine my Lord," I said simply.
"You're not." Replied Elrond flatly "You haven't been fine all morning."
I stayed silent for a moment, staring down at the ground between my boots, keeping most of my weight on my left leg.
"Lindir. Answer me."
"I-I am fine my lord," I repeated, ignoring the pain shooting up my right leg when I put a little too much weight on it. Elrond immediately detected the slight wince and stood, gesturing to his vacated chair. I mentally cursed myself for showing weakness.
"Sit." He ordered.
"I-It's nothing, m-my lord," I desperately tried to lie, hating how whiney and childish I sounded. Elrond gave me a glare.
"This is non-negotiable, Lindir. Sit."
Unwillingly, I sat down in my lord's chair, biting my lip and trying to ignore my stomach tying itself in knots. Once I was calm enough I looked up at Elrond, who was staring down at me with that same cold, calculating look.
"Right boot off," he ordered. This time I didn't even try to argue, leaning down and undoing my right boot, slipping it off. I kept my eyes on the ground, refusing to meet the worried gaze of Lord Elrond which I could feel burning into my skin.
~{}~~{}~~{}~
"Who did this to you?" My Lord asked, kneeling down and beginning to inspect the damage. I didn't answer, staying stubbornly silent. My right ankle was swollen and bruised, my ivory skin stained purple and black. It was so painful but I refused to show it, I appeared weak enough without adding pain to the mixture. My Lord stared up at me, searching for an answer to his question.
"Lindir," Elrond said warningly.
"I-It's nothing," I stuttered quietly. The Lord of the valley sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get any information out of me, guilt adding to the ever boiling pot of emotions inside of me. I just sat in embarrassed silence as Elrond healed my ankle with magic, muttering in ancient Quenya. When it was done I finally met my lord's gaze, feeling pathetic and embarrassed.
"Thank you," I murmured. Elrond stood, brushing his robes off and straightening his posture.
"You are relieved of your duties this afternoon, I need you in decent condition for this evening," he ordered, his tone giving no room for argument.
I stood shakily, bowing slightly to my Lord before leaving quickly.
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Tears were already gathering at the corners of my eyes by the time I reached my room, horrid tears of embarrassment and pain and self pity. The emotions welling up inside me only made me hate myself more. I was an elf, emotions were a thing for lesser beings. I wasn't meant to be like this. I wasn't meant to be different. Curling up on my bed, my emotions overtook me and I finally let myself cry. Within seconds I became shivering mess of the emotions that I wasn't allowed to have, that I wasn't meant to have. I had fallen so deep inside myself that I didn't hear the soft knock at the door, nor the worried voice, nor the soft footsteps that approached me.
"Oh Lindir," whispered a gentle, feminine voice. The bed dipped ever so slightly as she sat beside me, putting an arm around me as I shuddered pathetically.
"A-Aerin," I whispered hoarsely "Wh-What a-are you d-doing h-here?"
"Looking after you," she replied, rubbing my back comfortingly.
"Y-You don't h-have t-to," I whimpered childishly.
"Hey, none of that now. If I didn't want to look after you, I wouldn't," she said softly. I sniffled, allowing myself to relax in my friend's arms. We had a strange friendship, but I liked it. She was a few years older than me, about twenty by elven standards, with long black hair and brown eyes. Aerin acted as my big sister, filling a little of the empty space my mother had left behind. She was the only one in Rivendell that seemed to care for me, and I was so grateful to have her that I didn't mind her treating me like a child. I almost enjoyed it, adulthood had been thrust upon me so quickly. Aerin stroked my hair, hushing me and comforting me quietly.
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Once the sniffles died down, I looked up at her, biting my lower lip again.
"What's got into you, hey?" She asked.
I began to explain, beginning to sniffle and sob a little again, telling her how I'd been cornered before work, how I'd been late and just... everything, everything up until that moment came tumbling out of my mouth uncontrollably. Aerin's expression just grew more and more worried with each sentence, and by the end of it she was holding me close again, stroking my hair.
"They can't keep doing this to you, Lindir," she said quietly.
"I-I can h-handle th-them, I-it's okay," I sniffled. Aerin shook her head.
"You could handle it when it was just verbal abuse, Lindir, this is different. They're hurting you," she said with that soft, almost motherly voice of hers. I just stayed quiet, looking up at the clock and chewing on my bottom lip nervously. Aerin saw where I was looking and sighed.
"Before you ask, no, you're not skipping mealtime," she said, getting up and offering her hand to me. I didn't take it, staying curled up. I had been weak today, I'd shown my pain and cried like a baby. Eating was out of the question.
"Lindir," Aerin said softly "C'mon, I'm not letting you starve yourself, no matter what you think you've done."
The worried look in her eyes made me relent and I stood, letting her lead me out of the safety of my room.
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Author's Note
Sorry for the depressing first chapter, I promise it will cheer up once I introduce a character coming up in the next chapter.
Lots of love,
MoonsongMarauder (Nova_Oakenshield) xxxx