The Captive by Glorified

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Chapter 10: Tirion

Elrond and Ella, arrive in Tirion and it begins to dawn that the context of what she has been drawn into are far deeper and wider than she could ever have imagined.

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Tirion

Most of Elrond’s household had decamped to Tirion with Celebrian and taken the good horses. I had the Mearas and he would tolerate no other rider so there was only the donkey left for Elrond. He said it was not a problem. But that first that first morning walking along on my Mearas and the donkey trailing behind jogging with Elrond’s astride him, legs nearly touching the ground I stifled my sniggering behind my hands and Elrond bless him was stoically trying to humour my sniggering and at times out right laughter at his predicament. We stayed away from the main road and meandered through the countryside camping and washing in rivers and pools and the occasional small taverns. The climate in Valinor was temperate and the seasons not unduly varied or severe. We had no agenda expect to get to Tirion before mid summer. From there Elrond would send a missive to Maglor we had arrived.

 

We let the Mearas and donkey go a mile or so before the city gates. They would find have no problem fending for themselves and the Mearas would wander wherever he wished. We lugged and pulled the luggage we had bought with us up towards the city walls which had come into splendid view when we had come around the bend. Tirion on Tuna, its green hill stood above the city and at its pinnacle was Elrond told me was Ingwe’s tower the Mindon Eldalieva whose bright lanterns shone out dazzlingly. The buildings looked as monumental as before, all worked in alabaster stone and marble work. Everywhere there were arches and soaring steeples and balustrades and impossible architecture that seeming to balance itself on precarious angles that should not have been impossible. Light was refracted from golden roof tops and stained glass window, the paved streets glittered with embedded diamonds and stretching out to meet us were the crystal stairs which cascaded down to the green meadow at its feet. This was the seat of the High King of the Noldor, Finarfin and the white tree Galathillion gifted by Yavanna herself. I had been here once before at Maglor’s trail but had not understood what I was seeing just being simply over awed by by the sheer grandeur and beauty. But now I had the heir to Fingolfin’s line and so to Finwe, first high King of all the Noldor with me.

 

I looked at my friend anew as he spoke of the city’s history and thus his linage. I knew him simply as my friend but in context with this city of the high elves of Valinor and by birthright his home, I saw his  majesty revealed and wondered how I had not seen it before. He walked with an upright posture and solemn gait pointing out sights and views to me. It had not occurred to me before but here I was walking with last high King, by default, over all the Elves in Endor.

 

We walked through the city walls upon the crystal staircase and we stopped as porters came to help us with our luggage and Elrond dealt with them. As I waited I looked around and pondered that this was also the city where the Maglor and his brothers had taken their dreadful oath and the first of the fractures within the Nolder had taken place. It was fitting I thought that they had wanted to bring Maglor here for the trial and also fitting that they wanted to see his restitution in full here also. The price that he was to pay for his crimes was a public spectacle, a show, but I could see now why it was needed. The fracture of the Noldor had come with a very high cost, a split of a third of the populace of Valinor and genocide of a city, betrayal of kinsmen and family, and futile deaths in an attempt to what? restore honour, capture some trinkets? Now with the returning kindred Valirnorian society was once more destabilising, family ties and marriages not as enduring or permanent as some had believed. I thought to my own situation and saw keenly why our small love affair would be expected to be sacrificed on the alter of the greater good of a society and its stability. Who did I really think I was to oppose this? I was no one.

 

Elrond came back and spoke my name and I came back from my musings and wobbled slightly unsteady from looking up. He caught my elbow and looked at me questioningly. He said I was probably dizzy because I was susceptible to the spells of enchantment woven around the buildings that the architects had used. I agreed but silently my heart misgave me It was beginning to dawn on me I was totally out of my depth, perhaps we should turn around and go home now, it would be far less embarrassing I thought and sighed.

 

Our lodgings were well away from the palace for us on the second level of the city near the embroidery clothing quarter with some fine rooms with a view of the hill of Tuna and the palace.

I was still deep in thought when Elrond came to my rooms, and reminded me that I had an appointment with the dressmakers that afternoon. I was not looking forward to being prodded and poked but it was all part of the spectacle and what would be required. I would have to go along with the whole charade I thought. I smiled weakly trying to be positive.

The dressmakers was partially built on an under ground labyrinth of rooms stacked ceiling high with bolts of beautiful cloth and yarn, mannequins stood around half cloth stitched and pinned onto them. The establishment was run by two elleth who seemed inquisitive and friendly and very gossipy.

They started by putting different colours of cloth up against my face as I peered at myself in a mirror near a window bringing in natural light. They placed a number of colours against my skin but quickly decided green of any shade was not my colour as it clashed with my tanned skin. Unfortunate for me as it was a popular spring time colour for the festival in Tirion. They chided me on being so brown, and said paleness was a requisite for any noble lady. I nodded politely a little irked. Red or any of its shades were seen as taboo and orange and yellow and all their plethora of hues were seen as positively ghastly. As was beginning to feel somewhat insulted when they bought out a bolt of dark blue velvet, and laid it across my shoulder and stood back looking at me in the mirror. I looked at them both through the mirror and saw they were nodding their heads in unison. I looked back at myself, the fabric was beautiful with a depth and richness I had rarely seen, it had a peach down texture to it and its folds were an inky indigo and where the light hit it glowed a burnished deep true blue. I looked at my face and saw a stranger looking back at me with wide amber tinted eyes and sharp cheeks bones and a fine nose and feminine pout to her mouth. The cloth seemed to give my hair a dark glimmer and my skin shone pale and ethereal.

They both clapped their hands. They had found my colour. They then started talking about trimmings and beading excitedly and brought out some beautiful silver trimmings. Then they pulling and pushing me to wards the fitting rooms where they made me strip down to my underwear. I was wearing breast bindings and they started pulling and unravelling them. I protested and asked if it was necessary to remove them and they assured me it was as as they needed to see my natural shape as the gowns they were making would have hidden support in them. I felt embarrassed standing there with my arms out stretched as they took under and above breast measurements and then proceed to discuss in front of me the natural swell of my under breast to my nipples and how they would have to accommodate more support in this area so as to keep a smooth line. In order to demonstrate one of them perked one breast up and placed a pencil under it and pointed tout he swell of out my breasts kept it firmly in place and that corrective measures would be needed to lift this area. I felt like a prize cow whose udders were being examined. I just looked up at the ceiling hugging my breasts hoping it would soon be over

My head ached already and I told them I would leave things in their good hands and return in two

days time. They said that was not necessary as their garments always fitted correctly and they would be delivered by courier. They nodded already discussing neck and hem lengths. I cautioned them nothing too low in the decollage or too ridiculous to move in and left to return to our lodgings and to lie down before supper.

When I got there Elrond was not back from his excursion to visit his relatives and to get a lay of the land. I lay on the bed and dozed wondering what I had got myself into. I who knew nothing about polite society and the codes it ran itself by. Apparently there were twenty different types of bows and curtseys according to rank and position. This was ridiculous I thought, I was bound to get it all wrong and embarrass myself and Elrond to boot and utterly show myself up as country hack.

Knock, a familiar voice beckoned to come in.

He turned the door handle and came and sat on the bed.

“How did it go?” I said,

“Interesting I have found out quite a bit”.

I sat up attentively.

“Well It seems Maglor’s wife has not been as forthcoming about her situation as she could have been. Indeed, her tactics have been all along to ensnare Maglor into a plot which would cover up her own misdeeds and see to it her reputation and economic prospects were secured. She is with child indeed but the father is another ellon and not Maglor.”

I gasped.

“When she she had found her self with child she hatched this plan with her cousin who is married to one of the courtiers in Olwe’s court and is particularly favoured by Earwen, Finarfin’s wife. Consequently in order to cover up the unplanned pregnancy and to secure her reputation she ensnared Maglor back to Formenos under pretence of restoring their marriage under the pretence of love. Apparently she was all tears and pleading before Earwen and she in turn spoke to her brother and then he to Finarfin. Finarfin indeed does see the benefit does not even now know he was duped into the situation. So as I said, Maglor was coerced when he got to Formenos, to either agree to the pretence or face being imprisoned again and of course now she has both a restored marriage and a privileged position as part of one of the leading house of the nobility”.

“So thats why Olwe was fishing around asking me questions about Maglor”.

“But what of his family? Do they agree to this?”,

“Yes the nobility understand arranged marriages and this is one that has already taken place. They want Magor free and so they have discretely decided to turn a blind eye. Anyway in a year or so it will be expected that both she and Maglor will return to if not their formers lives, resume relations with their former paramours. It is not so unusual a set of circumstances said Elrond catching my crest fallen face”.

“Actually I think it all rather sordid”, I spate out vehemently.

“Oh Ella I know it may seem it, but… but can you not see it would be a way of being with Maglor”.

“You mean take the crumbs she leaves me I said coldly”.

Elrond shook his head and took my hand squeezing, “Think on it”, he said.

I sighed, I surely could not believe Maglor would accept such strictures but what could he do, if he did not agree to them he would be imprisoned again. We were stuck in an impossible situation.

I changed the subject realising I must not hog all the attention and that Elrond had gone on other matters this day.

“How is Celebrian?”,

Now he sighed, “She would not see me”.

“Why?” I asked shocked,

Elrond, did not immediately reply and I looked at him questioningly.

When he looked back at me I saw his gaze filled with a depth of longing and hurt I had not expected.

“She has taken a lover, in Tirion,”.

“Oh”, I said shocked,

“Stories found there way to me before we came here”.

I thought of the last year or so that I have known Maglor and Elrond had visited me, I had been so engaged with the dramas of my own life I had not sort to avail or help my friend with his own.

“Why did you not tell me until now?” I asked softly,

He looked at me guiltily again his soft grey gaze filled with culpability.

“I too have not honoured our marriage bed”.

“Was this why she left?” ,

“No it happened after I heard about her and her lover, a long time after I heard actually. It was just random couplings to satisfy the body. She left because I could not give her the love she craved, she deserved, needed, I let her down, again, again, now...… now she wishes to terminate our marriage under terms of desertion and I cannot blame her”.

“But, but I don’t understand” I said perplexed.

“Haven’t you heard that is the done thing now here in Aman. So many returnees who no longer fit. Their spouses are suing them for desertion, for staying in Endor for so long”.

“Stars” I explained

I sighed and shook my head, “You have to speak to her, to her and her lover. If you hold any hope for reconciliation you have to face this, you have to speak to her”.

Elrond laughed, “Now you give me my own advice”.

“Yes but will you heed it? I asked.

“Is there anyone who could help you speak to her on your behalf, pave the way? What of your mother in law I asked, is she approachable?”

“This is where all the information about Maglor came from, she says that Celebrian is adamant that our marriage is over, and that her lover and herself have set up house in Tirion and she plans never to return. There is even talk of a child, she wants to go to Lorien to restore her fractured womb”.

“Oh friend I said, I am so sorry, at least she could have told you herself. She will come around, surely?”.

“Her mother says I must wait for it to fizzle out, she herself has tried to speak sense to her daughter”.

“So she is on your side?”,

“If you can call it that, she wants what she feels is best for Celebrian and she sees this as Celebrian running away and not facing her obligations and duty. But also not facing me and all that I remind her of”.

We both sighed.

“It seems we are both caught up in conundrums outside our control”, I said.

“What of her father, can he help?”,

Elrond rolled his eyes, “He would be no help rather I feel he has given credence to Celebrian’s behaviour”.

“How so?” I asked,

“He is intent on bedding every young available elleth he can put his hands on and some married ones too, his wife says”.

“What in stars name is going on!”, I exclaimed,

“With the returnees coming back they bring new ways and ideas, although not received well, it disturbs deeply rooted cultural mores.

“But I said, I thought bonding and being wed for life were innate qualities imbued in the Eldar by Eru himself, rather than codes of conduct?”,

“If truth be told for many in the old world they were not, the native Silvan population of Endor were highly promiscuous according to Valinorian standards and exchanged partners as freely as deciding what to have for dinner, and did not hold marriage as a bond to be endured eternally”.

“Oh , I said, but what of Celebrian can you not get to see her, will she be at the inaugural ball?”.

“All the great and good of Turin will be there, which reminds me I must send a missive off to Maglor telling him of our attendance”.

Elrond left and I sat on the bed pondering.

My heart beat at the thought of seeing Maglor again, and I reminded myself it would not be like it was before and I should restrain my self to be more circumspect as we would be in company and noble company at that. It reminded me also that how little I really knew Maglor and his background. He was a Prince of the noble line of Feanor and Finwe his grandfather, the founding lines of Valinorian society.