#this is part of my Melian never lets elwe return to his kin au

[kitcat22]

The steps to her father’s chamber are steep and winding and by the time Luthien reaches the top she thinks she must have been climbing for hours. She doesn’t really mind though, she is in no particular hurry to see her father anyway and she is grateful for the time to think.

The door at the top the landing is made of hard thick wood painted the colour of nightshade. She raises her hand to knock and drops it again. Seeing her father is always an uncomfortable, unhappy experience and she wishes that her mother had just sent one of their servants to speak to him instead. But no Luthien was told to and Luthien is an obedient daughter. She knocks, lightly and first and then two harder knocks but no answer comes. Annoyance stirs inside her but she maintains her smile and knocks harder again until a quiet, melodic voice calls out

‘enter’

Luthien does as instructed and pushes the heavy door open and stepping into the large room. He has been re decorating again she thinks. Candles line the walls casting the room in a faint, golden glow. In the centre of the floor stands a large circular bed with pale curtains surrounding it. There to the right sits her father at his desk. He does not bother to look towards her. She can see his pale hand moving around and realises he is sketching again. He is very talented at it she admits. Many pieces of his artwork hang gracefully from the stone walls. Some depict beautiful places Luthien has never seen before, wide open grasslands and shimmering lakes. Others depict faces with long pointed ears and with hair of molten gold, coal black and white-silver not unlike her father’s own long locks. She wonders if they were people he knew once but doesn’t bother to ask. She doesn’t think he would respond anyway.

‘Father’ she greets him and then feeling gracious,

‘i like the new layout’

There is no response at first and she stands uncomfortable and annoyed until the quiet voice responds.

‘It has been like this for quite some time. I find it dull to stay in one room that never changes. Perhaps it is time i do it again’

Luthien holds herself back from responding ‘maybe you should just leave your room more often’. It would be unkind and unmannerly to speak to her father like that and mother would be displeased.

Her mother is too kind to him, Luthien thinks, too gracious for her own good.

‘ you must not blame him, my beauty’ she would cry ‘your father loves you dearly but ever does his heart bemoan the loss of his kinsmen.’ Luthien thinks Melian gives him too much credit. It has been millennia since the Dark Valar wiped out the Eldar children of Eru and no matter how tragic that may have been, he cannot mourn for them forever.

At least not at the expense of his current family, she thinks darkly.

Grief has left her father a cold and bitter man. Rarely does he smile and rarer yet at Luthien or her siblings.

‘His kinsmen’ she remembers with a startle. That is why she came.

‘Father’ she says ‘there is news. Eol is to be wed’

There was a pause before he spoke back.

‘Eol’ he repeated sounding no more interested than before. ‘Is that so’

‘That is your son’ she thought ‘at least pretend to care’

‘Indeed’ she replied instead with a fake smile ‘but that is not the only news. The maiden he weds is of the eldar’

Now that got his attention.

Her father puts his charcoal down suddenly with a clacking noise and makes no effort to stop it as it rolls onto the floor. he turns to face her for the first time since she entered his room.

‘An elleth?’ He said ‘are you certain?’

‘I have seen her with my own eyes. A fair lady dressed in white clothing, structured and complicated in a way i have not seen before. Dark is her skin and darker her hair. Eol found her lost and confused and injured, when he realised what she was, he lead her further in the forest where it is safer’ The story slides of her tongue quickly, it is not often she has this much of his attention ‘My brother has found himself quite enamoured with her and mother has given them permission to wed. She couldn’t very well say no considering she herself married an ellon’

He did not respond immediately. His silver grey eyes were unblinking and searched Luthien’s face eagerly as if searching for a hint of lies or mockery. His pale hands smudged from his sketching were clutched tightly around the frame of his chair.

‘An elleth’ he repeated ‘your mother said i was the last of my kind, are you telling me that my lady wife is a liar?’

Any strange spark of joy she felt at his attention vanished and she bristled. How dare he imply her mother was a liar. Only he would twist her words in such a way. She spoke again in a more curt, biting tone.

‘Not at all. Mother believes that the girl must have been kept prisoner by the dark lords in Mordor. Poor thing. Otherwise mother would have seen her and told you of her’

‘Of course’ said her father, blank faced again as he pushed back his chair and stood ‘take me to this girl. I should very much like to meet her’

‘The maiden still rests from her weariness, you will meet her at the ceremony. Your presence there is required, I shall send the servants up with appropriate garments for the occasion, until then you may remain here if you so wish’

And with that Luthien turned from him and made her way out of the chambers leaving her father standing alone behind her.

#elwe is not having a good time #luthien thinks she is but isn’t really #to be clear the elves arent all extinct or imprisoned thats just a lie told by melian to keep elwe trapped #elwe has had a few thousand years for enchantments to fade and suspicions and resentment to grow #this is part of my Melian never lets elwe return to his kin au #silmarillion #the silm #silm #elwe #elwe singollo #elu thingol #thingol #luthien #luthien tinuviel #melian #dark melian au #they’re in Nan Elmoth btw