[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I do not doubt that Idril's intentions where pure, it is how her actions looked in the eyes of others that I have my doubts over.

I do realise that en feudal societies the nobility was the sword weilding class and that it was not uncommon to keep some number of armed men. How many was kept varies greatly. . .

Gondolin however does not strike me as a typical feudal society.It seems like the nobility of Gondolin is without land, atleast compared to the land possesing nobility of europe. In many respects it was this land that enabled the nobility to keep an armed force and to contribute to countrys army.

It is clear that the different leaders of Gondolin had followers, but I don't seem to recal it being normal with a body guard and so to me it still seems that Idril's actions must have seem drastic.

Of course she was the rightful heir as Mith points out and that might have made it look less suspicous, although righful heirs have been known to usurp the throne before time.