Pady and the Elf Queen

Pady and the Lady

    Tomorrow, my journey begins anew. These last two days with the Dolenwaith� ah, they aren�t enough! These are Elves kind and wise and I would dearly love to sit among them for months and learn their lore, their insight and their healing skill. It is regretful that not many have made their acquaintance; Middle-earth misses something without them. Still, I understand their reluctance to be revealed to the wider world. They have seen much heartache. The elder days of the Elves were dark and full of trial and the Lady wishes to spare her kin from any further distress. However, I learned not only about these remarkable Elves for the time I have been with them; I discovered that my own life has been bound with them and I did not know it. If they had not met my kin, it is likely my family would have perished and I would not have come into being.
     Resting in the Shire, I had not thought very far beyond it�s borders. I never would have guessed that my existence was due in part to a race I had never met and heard only of in ancient legendary tales. I suppose I am a very strange Hobbit indeed, saved by dwarves and preserved by Elves. When I was in the Shire, I think this would have made me feel all the more alone. I have always been so different than all the other Hobbits. But now� my connection with the Dolenwaith makes me proud. My kin are tied to their kin and I would not want it otherwise. Though, the manner in which my kin became part of the Dolenwaith history is not what I would have desired.
     After I had eaten that delightful meal to which Celuvellon and Sirviriel had led Priscilla and I to, my belly had been full and my eyes weighted and I could not help but fall into a deep and entirely restful sleep. I must have slept for hours, for when I was finally awakened, I found myself looking into the fair face of Celuvellon, glowing by the light of a torch he carried in his hand. I was a bit reluctant to be disturbed; my dreams had been full of joyful memories of the greenness and goodness of the Shire, absent the pain of my solitude. I felt as if I had experienced the Shire truly for the first time. When I was roused, my heart awoke sad that I had only had but a dream. Still, I think it must be from that dream that I have begun to put the pain of my past behind me, for it has disturbed me little from that moment forward. I am sure the Dolenwaith had something to do with it; their powers of healing are beyond imagination.
     Celuvellon whispered softly to me. �Come. The Lady Sirithiel awaits you.�
     I forced myself to sit up and yawned rather louder than I had intended. Celuvellon smiled at it, but held a hand to his lips. He motioned next to me and I saw that Priscilla was still sleeping. How beautiful she is when at rest! I would have loved to sit there and watch her for hours, but Celuvellon was beckoning me to follow him. As I walked slowly beside him, I said in a quiet voice,
     �What about Priscilla?�
     �She will be coming presently. My wife will wake her and she will join in our evening merriment.� His eyes shined as he spoke.
     His look made me quite curious. �What do you do in the evening?�
     Celuvellon�s face widened in excitement and a large smile played on his features. �In the evening is when we feel most alive. We were born under night, we Elves, and the velvet sky and glorious stars are our ever joy. In the evening, we begin to sing beside our fires and as the night waxes our songs become more bold and beautiful. Our song only wanes at the approach of dawn.� He paused to look my direction. �You see, it is in song that our history and our loves are made clear. Tonight, I believe you will learn much more of us than you ever dreamed possible.� His eyes looked almost mischievous when he said that.
     We walked on not long before I saw through the beech trees passionate flames reaching their hands up to the sky. I was at first startled, thinking the forest had caught fire, but then I realized it was only a very large bonfire that the Dolenwaith had created for the time of their songs. When we arrived to where the fire resided, I felt an intense heat pour over my entire body. It felt so lovely and so warm, I had the urge to just sit down next to it and be lulled back to sleep again. Celuvellon, though, put his hand on my shoulder, and we left the Elves tending the blaze as he directed me towards a clearing only a few feet away.

There, in the middle, was a much smaller fire, and beside it sat the Lady, whose appearance became my awe. She had seemed the most beautiful maiden I had ever seen that morning, but now, that image paled in comparison with her splendor at night. In the morning, she had been a star, but at night she was a full moon, deep and low on the horizon, for her light was overpowering. It reminded me of the times I had spent alone in the Shire at night, staring across the fields at the clear moon as it traversed the sky. It did not matter what magnificent stars graced the heavens, if the moon was large and bright, my eyes were riveted to its form and helpless in its grasp. This is how I saw the Lady this night. I was powerless to do much more than stare at her and sit without word.
Celuvellon departed after I had sat across from the Lady Sirithiel. I said nothing for fear of breaking the stillness and destroying the sight before me. The fire had caused the raiment of the Lady to glitter in its light and her blue eyes to glisten as the fading glow of sunset on a wide blue ocean. It was the Lady who spoke first, and although I had been intimidated by the moment and her presence, her kind voice made me an equal and throughout our conversation, I felt as if she honored me as much as I esteemed her.

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