[Nerindel]

Léspheria

As Léspheria took, the seat set for her and the Lords of Rivendell dismissed all their company, but six tall, fair and noble looking elves, all that remained of the high council of elves. She thought back to the beginnings of her journey, recalling her first encounter with the elf maiden that so matched her mothers reputed beauty. However, even as she remembered the young elves resemblance to descriptions of the betrayer of elves, she remembered the fearful glances and the warm smile when on the rare occasions it broke through her deep emptiness and sadness. The kindness and eagerness to help those around her, all traits that where her own and that she hoped Naiore had not stripped from her.

As she looked up from her musings, the gathered council waited for her to speak. she began at the Forsaken inn retelling her meeting of Naiore’s daughter, The bounty hunter , Vanwe’s untrained gift, the arrival of Amandur, The request of her brother, her many meetings in Bree, the discovery of Tallas, and then the journey eastward. Leaving out for the moment the painful memories of Vanwe’s mental assaults by her mother and the memories Naiore choose to assault her with and that she knew that Naiore was the one responsible for her mother’s torture and eventual death.

She then told of their crossing of the ford, pausing painfully as she told of Maethor's demise, their was a moments silence as all in the room silently prayed for the elf friends mortal spirit to find it's way to Illúvatar's gentle embrace, then she continued to tell them that Fintar with Amandur held the stairs waiting for reinforcements.

"They have already been sent," Elrohir assured her seeing the concern etched on her face.
With a slight nod of understanding , she waited patiently as the council discussed and debated all they had been told, the twins at one point drew together and whispered in secret, "Then our assumptions are true!" she heard Elladan whisper to his brother as she strained to listen to several different conversations at once. "But the reluctance to eat or speak does not hold well!" she heard Elrohir reply, his high brow creased in a contemplative frown. Of whom do they speak, she wondered, as she ignored the other conversations and concentrated on the voices of her lords, but just as she thought they were about to answer her question the large doors of the hall swung open.

All heads turn! A flustered guard hurried towards the dais. Without regard for the others in the room, the guard sunk to his knee and bowed before Elladan and Elrohir. "My Lords, his temper has risen and he threatens to break down his door, I do not know how much longer we can hold him!"

"We shall come at once!" Elladan answered, Elrohir nodding his agreement. As the two Lords rose to followed the guard, Léspheria rose also, realising that they spoke of Menecin she wish to help, perhaps she could quell his anger with news of his daughter.

"No, Léspheria you have had a hard journey and should rest," Elrohir gently counselled. but even as she began to protest Elladan came up behind his brother, “It may yet be that your skills will be required before this night is over!” he added with a faraway look in the direction of the ford, where they knew the battle to hold the stairs raged on. "We will speak again when this matter is resolved," Elrohir assured her. With a resigned sigh, she nodded and watched as the Lords of Rivendell quickly followed the guard from the hall.

Behind her, she could hear the council breaking up and preparing to leave, agreeing to ravine once the matter of Menecin recent fit of madness passed. As they slowly departed, she caught parts of their conversations, mostly concerning the bard and his sanity. However, a few discussed the nature of their foe, how it was a bad day when an elf brought orcs to Imladris.

With a heavy sigh she followed them from the hall and made her way silently along the ornately decorated passages, till she came to the central stairwell of the house, The stairs spiralled upwards to the bell tower and on the walls surrounding the stairway where the detailed paintings of great battles and historic events involving their people. Slowly she climbed the stairs to the first floor where she followed the east passageway to her room. She paused shortly trying to remember when last she had seen the interior of her room, but as she opened the door and stepped inside she saw it was just as she left it, several dresses hung on dressmaker’s dollies half done and the pine writing desk, littered with books and papers that waited to be attended too.

As she drew further into the room, she heard whispered voices and running water and as she looked round, she saw steam escaping from the adjoining room, with the thought of a warm bath to relaxing her aching muscles, she moved towards the two elf voices, but she stopped abruptly as she caught the topic of their conversation.

"They say that it is an elf that has brought this trouble upon us, Meril!"

"Oh no it can't be, you must be mistaken Terphil, surely no elf would ally himself with orcs!" the older of the two elves replied.

"It's true but its a female not a male, I overheard one of the guards saying that they had caught her outside the Bards cottage and that now at this very moment she is held in a cell and refuses to speak, even to our lords!"

Léspheria gasped as Menecin's ranting’s came back to her, 'It's not her!' Had he seen the guards take their prisoner? Could it be that they held Vanwe rather than Naiore in the cells? She had to find out! Turning quickly she fled from the room, flew down the stairs and out towards Menecin's cottage. Even from the garden, she could hear the bard’s wrath, but it did not slow her hurried pace, entering the building, she ascended the stairs and burst in to see several guards attempting to bolster the door against the bards attempts to knock it down. The twins looked up from their debate and looked at her questioningly.

"You must let me speak with him!" she exclaimed, staring determinedly at the door and the guards that barred her way.

"That is a request that we can not in all good conscious grant, he is again in the grips of his darkness and your safety could not be guaranteed." Elladan answered calmly.

"No! I believe he knows what I fear, that you have his daughter not Naiore imprisoned in our cells." She rebuked sharply turning to face her Lords.

Elrohir sighed heavily, "Regrettable as it is, we already know this to be true, but she refuses to talk to us or even eat the food we send to her!"

"We are not to know what hold Naiore has over her daughter and what lies she has fed her." Elladan continued.

Léspheria looked between the door and the twins, she could see their dilemma, but Vanwe did not deserve this treatment from her own kin, if she went to the elf now she may loss the tentative friendship they had begun to form, but as she looked again to the door holding the enraged bard she saw a way.

"Let him try!" she whispered.

"No!" Elladan answered adamantly, But Elrohir looked to the door contemplating her words.

"We cannot be sure what he would do!" Elladan pressed.

"But isn't it possible, brother that perhaps together they could over come what ever hold Naiore has over them, I too am reluctant to put such a bold reminder before him, but it may be the only way." Elrohir said to his brother.

Reluctantly Elladan nodded his agreement and Léspheria slowly walked towards the guards that struggled to hold the door, they looked at her then to their Lords, who nodded indicating that they should let her pass. Raising her hand to the door she spoke clearly but softly, "Menecin, it is Léspheria Denfëa, may I speak with you?" The cries and pounding persisted so she continued, "I am the daughter of Valaindon, and I believe you and she were friends?" The pounding stopped as the elf within fought to remember where he had heard that name before or so she assumed.

Slowly she opened the door, broken furniture littered the floor and artwork lay torn from their hangings, she cautiously stepped inside, but suddenly found herself pinned against the wall, the twins and their guards surged forwards. "No!" she said calmly with a wave of her hand, her heart raced as the bard studied her face and his unstable emotions tugged at the mental barrier she had in place, but she did not think he would harm her intentionally.

"It's not her!" he screamed in her face.

"Vanwe, her name is Vanwe," she whispered, the bard’s eyes softened and his hold relaxed as he stepped back mouthing his daughter’s name. Tears fell down his cheeks, "Vanwe" he said looking to her for answers.

"Come!" she whispered softly, leaning forwards and offering the elf the support of her arm. "I think she would like to meet you," she offered warmly, as the Bard hesitated, then nodding Menecin slowly took her arm and she guided him from the room. Elladan nodded approvingly as he came to the bards others side, and behind her she could heard Elrohir ordering the guards to see to the repair of the bards room, then he too followed them from the cottage and together they took Menecin to his daughter.