Lord of the Rings: The Heir to Lorien

To Woo a Warrior Elven Maid

The departure of Celebriel had thrown Imladris into an uproar. Thinking that she would attempt to return to Lorinand, Elrond had sent scouts to the south to apprehend her. His efforts had been in vain, for the search party had found nothing. Her horse had come back, minus saddle and bridle, but of her mistress, there was no sign.

Celebrian was torn between anger and worry. She had not expected that Celebriel would attempt such a thing and wondered if her sister could fend for herself in the wild. She had left with little besides her bow and arrows, a few clothes and some food.

Elrond tried to soothe her, "Glorfindel tells me she is well-trained to live in the wild, my lady, she had good teachers in Lorinand. She helped hunt game and cook on the trip north, I do not doubt that she can fend for herself.

Mithrandir arrived and discovered that Celebriel had taken flight. It did not surprise him, and he wondered why Elrond had not taken precautions to prevent her. Had he looked more closely, her unhappiness would not have been hard to see and perhaps a way could have been found to prevent this.

He, Elrond, Glorfindel, and Gildor Inglorian were sitting around a table in Elrond's study, debating what course of action they should take. No one seemed to be in agreement on what to do, so sure they had been that she would be apprehended on the way south.

"Have you sent any men north to see if she took refuge with Thranduil?" Mithrandir asked. "Perhaps if she suspected that you would pursue her if she headed south, she decided that the best course of action would be to seek refuge in the Greenwood."

"Would Thranduil give her shelter?" Gildor asked, "After all he has no ties to her, does he?"

"They are kin through her father Celeborn of Doriath," said Elrond, "I sent a messenger to him to tell him she was missing. I made a mistake, I did not suspect that she would travel to the north so sure was I that she would attempt to return to Lorinand. I concentrated my efforts in the wrong direction and now she has slipped through our fingers."

"Well, what is to be done?" asked Gildor, "We have found no trace of her to the south, it is if she has vanished."

"I can go to Thranduil and see if she is there," volunteered Glorfindel, "Keep in mind that if he has given her shelter we cannot force her to leave. She has reached the age of her majority and is free to make her own choices, as long as they are not rash ones. Perhaps she is lost in the wilderness, though I do not believe that that is the case. If she is there I will ask her to come back, but that is all I can do."

"Mithrandir, what do you think?" asked Elrond.

"I think Glorfindel's course of action is the best. She has known him since childhood, she may be more inclined to listen to him. If she decides she wishes to stay with Thranduil, I think we must honor her wishes. She will be less than amenable if we try to force her. Leave her to herself and I think she may decide to return—at some point."

"My wife would not be pleased to hear that, she is angry that I have let Celebriel slip through our fingers. She is also angry that Celebriel has acted so rashly and possibly put herself in harm's way. We had nothing but good intentions when we brought her here, but perhaps we should have taken into account that she would take matters into her own hands. Neither Celebrian nor I am truly surprised at this." Elrond sighed and pushed himself away from the table.

Thranduil had not yet given his word that he would give her shelter in the Greenwood, but Celebriel felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For the first time since leaving Lorinand, she felt a sense of freedom.

The day after her arrival she had bathed and dressed in a green velvet dress Thranduil had given her. Legolas had given her a knowing smile when he saw her, and she could not help smiling back. Thranduil was kind to her and Legolas was friendly, and the informality of the elf-king's court was a welcome break from the Noldor in Imladris.