#hos7

Before she could think too much on it, the door to her room eased open gently and she turned around. “Arwen…” She whispered, frowning softly as she looked at her friend. 

Arwen smiled softly back at Tamuril, moving a few more steps into the room and gently closing the door behind her. “Are you alright?” The way she asked made it clear she knew the answer already.

Tamuril lowered herself into the chair next to the window and covered her face with her hands. “I have been better.” She admitted.

Arwen gave her friend a sympathetic look. “You know you can talk to me about anything.”

Tamuril could have laughed, though it would have sounded as bitter as it would have felt. She wasn’t sure how she could ever talk to Arwen about any of this, especially not about what she had done! Elrond was Arwen’s father and Tamuril thought of her as the closest thing she had to a sister… it was just all so terrible. She lowered her hands and lifted her gaze to look at the other, who was still smiling kindly at her. 

“My friend, there is nothing you can say… nothing you could do.” 

Tamuril eyed Arwen and then sighed. “You already know?” She questioned.

Arwen gave her an apologetic nod. “I am afraid I was in my father’s private garden…”

Tamuril’s face flushed bright red again as the embarrassment once more flooded through her body. “Oh, gods…” She frowned. “I am so sorry, I have no idea what–”

“Hey, hey.” Arwen shook her head quickly, holding up her hand. “It is alright.” Arwen understood, or… well, she thought that she understood, at least. “You have a lot going on. Up in your head.” She murmured. “Tamuril, please do not think my father will hold this against you. He would never. He does not have it in him.”

Tamuril shot her a look. “You did not see him when he came to find me. He is angry, Arwen, I have shamed him. I have disgraced myself and I have pushed him too far. He will not forgive me and he is right not to.” She did not deserve it.

“Tamuril, please.” Arwen began but Tamuril wasn’t quite finished, standing up and moving back over to the bed where she had packed her things.

“He did not even attempt to get me to stay.”

“You are leaving?!” Arwen interrupted, turning to follow Tamuril’s movements across the room, her gaze falling upon the bag of belongings in the middle of her bed. “You cannot! Why? Where will you go?!”

“I am going to Mirkwood.” She felt shaky as she said it but she did her best to keep her voice level, glancing at Arwen. “There is nothing you can say that will stop me… and even if there was, your father would not agree. He already planned to send me away on a ship.”

Arwen frowned. “Tamuril.” She said softly. “Do you not think… perhaps that is an idea you should have considered?”

Tamuril stilled her movements and turned to give Arwen the most incredulous look. “You would also wish me away?”

“It would not be right away but you… you do realise that in doing so, you would be reunited… with… with Haldir, yes? Eventually.” Arwen knew it wasn’t an instantaneous thing and the time apart would still be bitter and full of longing but his spirit would surely leave the halls of Mandos at some point and Tamuril was gifted with the long life of the Eldar and she could go… heal… and eventually be reunited with the man she loved, whose presence she grieved over.

“Do you not understand?!” Tamuril practically shouted, causing Arwen to freeze as she stared back at her friend in absolute shock at the reaction. “He is not coming back!” She could feel tears pricking at her eyes yet again, clouding her vision. It was frustrating to have gone from never shedding a tear to not being able to stop once more. “He has left me!”

Tamuril turned and fled the room, running away down the hall with her bag on her shoulder, leaving Arwen standing in the middle of her chamber.

Thranduil reached up to pet his majestic Elk on the nose, allowing himself the briefest ghost of a smile. He truly loved that animal and they had been through so much together. “Ready to go home, boy?” He murmured. Thranduil was more than ready but part of him was anxious to return. There was a lot that needed to be done within the woods. The memory of the fires raging across the trees came back to him and he lost himself for a moment before he managed to blink it away.

It was just then that Elrond walked into the stables, looking distressed. Thranduil’s eyebrows raised in mild surprise as he regarded the other, not often having seen him in such a state.

“Am I to assume that your talk with the lady did not go as you intended?” Thranduil wondered, turning back to his Elk.

Elrond frowned at the back of Thranduil’s head, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. 

“She had informed me that she is departing with you for the woodland realm at dawn.” He said calmly, gaze fixed on the King. “Apparently you offered her a place there.”

Thranduil was taken aback by this revelation because of course he hadn’t said anything of the sort and his mind quickly worked back over his previous interactions with Tamuril. They hadn’t truly said much of anything to each other from what he could recall. He had spent time with her and, yes, he had perhaps lingered a little more than he maybe felt that he should have… had she taken his attentions the wrong way? Though he realised that something had happened between Tamuril and Elrond, something that had quickly made the pair tense and uncomfortable with each other. Thranduil wasn’t privy to what this was but he had seen enough to know that something happened. Perhaps the girl simply wanted away and this was her best bet, the first opportunity that seemed to present itself to her.

Thranduil turned back to Elrond after a brief second. “Do you disapprove?” He asked, not admitting to have invited Tamuril to Mirkwood, but also not admitting that he hadn’t.

Elrond kept his expression blank as he studied Thranduil for a moment. He didn’t know what was going to happen if Tamuril went to the Woodland Realm. Thranduil had a temper and often spoke out of turn, much like he had at dinner the other night. Elrond didn’t put it past him to say the wrong thing and make Tamuril’s state of mind worse. But he knew that he could not keep her here after what happened. He saw it in her eyes and he felt the chasm between the two of them growing by the second. It hurt but he forced himself not to think of it.

“No.” He half-lied. “I merely wonder why.”

Thranduil shrugged. “We need all the help we can get at the moment.” He said. “I intend to bring the wood back to its former glory… but it will take time and many hands.”

Elrond mulled this over in his mind. Here, he had allowed Tamuril to drift where she wanted, not wanting to push her too far in the wake of Haldir’s death. She had spent a lot of her time hiding away but she had friends here that he had hoped would help bring her back out of her shell. Elrond didn’t know how she would adjust but surely she had agreed already if she and Thranduil had talked about her going.

“Right.” Elrond nodded, frown deepening as he looked back at Thranduil. The King could see this whole thing was difficult for the Lord of Rivendell and that he was doing his best to keep it buried and accept what came his way. “Anything else you need, Thranduil, please do let me know. You have Rivendell’s full support.”