Lightly the golden sun beams upon the small lake, allowing it to shimmer brightly as a young elleth is seen there. Lightly her soft leather shoes dance amongst the lush robust blades, the morning dew gathering as her ruby lips echo a fluttering wordless tune into the warm air. Her dancing movements are graceful, her scarlet gown and her slender hands working as one to lure all those who walk by into a gentle trance.
Along the shore of the lake, a tall edhel is seen walking slowly. His head is bowed and the sun shines brightly on his black hair, sparkling off of the silver hairclasp at the base of his neck. A soft grey shirt seems to absorb the light, leaving an image of shadows playing in the wind. His bare feet make no sound in the soft grasses and moss of the faint trail. He is quite near to Liske before the sound of her singing penetrates his abstraction, and he looks up. His face is guarded; perhaps he was hoping to have remained alone to think. When he recognizes the elleth dancing, a strange mixture of expressions flash across his face; and he stops. Standing half in sunlight, half in the shadow of a nearby tree, he resembles nothing so much as a deer poised on the edge of flight - uncertain yet whether to stay or go.
As the young learner softly dances, she approaches the edhil slightly, but not too closely as to scare him away from her. Suddenly a blue haze forms around the elves as Liskelindele's dulcet voice floats delicately atop the warm air and into Lothdaimoth's ears, causing all to disappear around them except the images her melodious tone creates. Slowly the azure scene starts being dotted by small white dots, that grow larger and form the likeness of clouds passing in the morning sky, as a beaming beacon of golden light shines in their minds. Her song contours gently like the crystal blue waves of the lake lapping softly upon the shore as words start developing from he previous melody.
"Fluffy ivory orbs of calming allure,
Streams of milk strewn upon the sky,
Gently waltzing with the cool breeze,
As the golden sun wanes gradually by.
Light pale images atop dazzling blue,
Blossoming white roses flower above,
Soft pillows for tired eyes to rest upon,
As the alabaster vision shadows a dove,
Wisps of white smoke dance in the sky,
Slight gestures tell deep thoughts aloud,
Delicate motions hypnotize all who look,
Aye, nothing 'tis sweeter than a cloud."
She continues on with her lovely tune, allowing no elements of reality about them to creep into the enthralling images being created as she progresses onto another place.
When the dancing elleth starts to come nearer to him, Lothdaimoth takes a step backwards and closer to the tree. It looks as if he might dive behind it at any moment and disappear. One hand goes almost unconsciously up the the trunk, resting lightly on the bark. As the soothing tones of the melody drift into his ears, some of the wariness leaves his face, and you might notice a barely perceptible relaxation in his shoulders. He stands, not quite enthralled by the charm of the music, but a little divorced from immediate reality now.
Another sweet melody separates from the singing as the white clouds begin to fade slowly away, leaving the azure mist left to surround them. Then the blue haze begins to start flowing lightly at first like a small trickling stream and then faster and stronger until it resembles an old river traveling throughout the sapn of Middle Earth. The sound songbirds chirping softly in the boughs of the golden mallryn and then the feeling of a cool wind upon their pale skin accompany her melodious voice as she sings louder, engulfing the edhel further into her song.
"Silver gleaming waves, its cool currents flowing,
Rippling delicately under swaying golden leaves,
Glimmering sun overhead, by the lush grass growing,
The streaming surface dancing with the crisp breeze.
Water singing sweetly, harmonizing with the wind,
Echoing in fair ears and minds of passing elven faces,
Swiftly flashing by my bare feet, shimmering Anduin,
Meandering gently in Middle-Earth's wondrous places."
Liskelindele's waltzing melody does not cease there as the images begin to alter slightly, displaying even more of her thoughts to him that could not be expressed aloud.
Images trace their way through the courier's mind, not replacing the thoughts there, but overlaying them for the time. The quiet sound of water rippling back and forth over the shore of the lake mingle with the picture Liske is creating.
The current of the blue haze slows down as the sounds of birds gently serenading and the feel of the breeze disappears, leaving a still background that grows darker until it turns pitch balck. The night image is invaded by small shimmering dots and a crescent moon beaming brightly, shedding sparse beams upon a lone elleth standing amongst the tall golden mallryn, illuminating a crstal tear resting upon her smooth cheeks as the melody grows slower and the song more sorrowful.
"Ruby lips sing a low tune,
Wind howls coldly at night,
A shadow lies on the moon,
No fair elf lingering in sight.
Loneliness now remains alone,
Resting on the sorrowful song,
Golden woods echo a sad tone,
As if gently humming along,
No songbirds sing overhead,
Starlight is concealed by clouds,
Bards sing softly in their heads,
Letting no sweet sound aloud.
A young elleth lingers awake,
Crystal tears from hazel eyes,
Grievous notes for ears to take,
Softly under overcast skies.
Ruby lips sing a low tune,
Alone she stands in the breeze,
Gazing up towards the moon,
Reliving old days to be at ease."
Her melody quickly changes at the end as to not leave much grief or sorrow that she has had resting upon the edhel, the song then contours gradually towards a more joyous and relaxing feel then the loneliness created by her last verse.
The change in the mood of the song brings Loth out of the pleasant trance he had begun to sink into. Dark eyes leap to the singer's face, an older pain mixing with more recent distresses in their depths. Turmoil shows nakedly on his face for a brief moment, before he forceably banishes it. Fingernails dig into the soft bark of the tree. The tenseness that had mostly left his body during the earlier portions of the music returns and he trembles; again poised on the brink of fleeing.
The joyous tune expands and inudates the edhils thoughts, bringing up old visions from their meeting before the song contest. The blue haze stays dark, but gives way to a cloaked figure playing a silver flute sitting near a young elleth outside of the theater. The small tune of the Loth's flute mingles sweetly with her dulcet tone as weariness begins to grow in Liskelindele's mind, though her dancing melody does not falter yet as the familiar song she had sang in the Secluded Clearing reuturns conveying the happiness she had when she met Loth.
"Hearts fluttering, Words escaping,
Thoughts falling, Gazes unfailing,
Moods changing, Souls converging,
Love is coming; Feelings are sailing.
Minds collapsing, Eyes shimmering,
Tongues stopping, Faces unchanging,
Seasons passing, Time slowly moving,
Love is coming; Feelings are sailing.
Anduin flowing, Lothlorien gleaming,
Golden sun setting, Moon beaming,
Stars shimmering, Lush grass swaying,
Love is coming; Feelings..."
The tune quickly ends as the weariness takes over her thoughts, causing the azure haze to vanish, leaving the young learner now swaying and trying to regain her balance as she stands before Lothdaimoth. Suddenly she loses her footing from the weariness and begins to fall limply towards the emerald grass below...
Lothdaimoth draws back against the mallorn, pressing into its embrace as if he wishes he could become the tree himself. The memory of their first meeting brings lines of distress back into his face. And the sound of a song she had already sung to him once before turns the distress into something very like panic. His gaze darts from the elleth who has somehow gotten much nearer, to either side, measuring the distance from his tree to freedom. Freedom only from the discomfort of the moment, however, for the disquiet in his mind will not leave him soon. Before he can make any movement to leave, Liske crumples in front of him, and he automatically reaches out to break her fall. His fingers leave traces of bark and sap across the sleeves of her dress.
Limply she lays in his arms as he catches her from the fall the singing has brought upon her. No sign of life stirs from her except the light rise and fall of her chest as she breathes in the warm air about her. Her hazel eyes remain shut and her milky white face seems deadly pale as she collapses into Loth's grasp, virtually in a coma.
Lothdaimoth stares down at the still figure in his arms, somewhat startled by her sudden collapse, and definitely taken aback to find himself holding her. A bare moment of stillness is all it takes before long years of experience move him. He looks around, surveying the ground intently, and moves away from the trees before gently laying Liske down on the soft moss near the lake's edge. Sitting down near her head, he dips his hand into the water and spills some of the liquid across her forehead.
As the crisp drops of water splash lightly upon her pale face she stirs slightly, blinking her autumn eyes slightly though they still gleam dimly. Her cheeks regain some color, though they still are wuite pale from her weariness. Gazing up towards Loth, her ruby lips slowly curl up a small smile as she attempts to prop herself up with her trembling arms, applying all her strength to that task. A soft "Thank you" gently escapes her rosy lips as her arms shake a little more now. "Maybe next time...I will learn the manner of normal speech when seeing you...eh?" Deeply she breathes as she tries to steady herself more, though her slender limbs shake more violently now as she foolishly tries to sit up and thank the edhel.
A hand lands quickly on Liske's shoulder and pushes her back. "No, do not try to sit up. You have exhausted yourself, and you should rest." In the need of the moment to aid the singer, all previous discomfort in her presence seems to have disappeared. For the time being, at least, he is at ease. Smiling down at her, he says teasingly, "A simple 'hello' would suffice, I think." Lifting his hand away, he settles back beside her before asking, "Would you like a drink?"
As she is forced back down upon the pillow of lush grass, a strange smile still lingers upon her milky white face as more color returns gradually, all apprehension she had about talking to Loth before this morning. "I shall try that 'hello' when I see you next..." She sighs softly as her energy returns slightly, and nods gently towards the edhel hovering above her head. "Yes please...I do not know what came over me to sing so long...I am only a learner and perhaps I should leave performing to my teacher and the other bards until I learn more...But I thank you yet again..."
Nodding, although it is not clear whether at her avowal to merely say 'hello', or at her request for a drink, Loth gets to his feet and, slipping a small silver flask from his belt, crouches down and fills it with cool water from the lake. Returning to his seat, he hands Liske the flask, one hand ready to support her if she should need it.
The young elleth again struggles to prop herself upon the verdant ground with her thin arm, but with less difficulty this time as she rests the silver flask upon her lap. Slowly she leans forward and manages to balance herswelf as she sits up, though wavering softly as a crisp breeze passes through. Nodding gently to the edhel she takes a sip of the refreshing water and feels slightly stronger, finally being able to balance herself upon the ground but not yet prepared to walk. Delicately she extends her slender hand and returns the luminous flask to Loth, a drop of crystal water glimmering upon her ruby lips as she turns her soft gaze towards him, dim as it may be. "Tis a fine morn, is it not?"
Lothdaimoth busies himself fixing the flagon back at his belt, suddenly conscious again of the many reasons he doesn't really want to be alone with this particular elleth. Cautiously, he edges backwards, so he is sitting a more comfortable distance from her, and finally looks back up. His eyes flicker to her face and then away, finally focusing on a small pebble nearby. Picking it up, he twists it in his fingers, staring at it intently. "There are few mornings that are not fine in Lorien," he says finally. There is a pause while he casts his mind about for something else innocuous to say. "Have you been long in the Glirdain?"
The smell of the blossoming exotic flowers nearby engulfs her fair face as she sits cradled in the robust grass, her smile slightly fading as she notices the edhel backing away and busying himself with the study of the small pebble. "I have been in the glirdain for a little while..." She pauses to think of when she first joined as her cinnamon hair rest upon her bare shoulders, her smooth cheeks gradually returning to their orginal hue. "I have been a learner for nearly six months, though I have played my flute and sang before that...How long have you been a courier, mellon...?"
Lothdaimoth risks another swift glance up to Liske's face. "Not much longer. E're that I was in the Order." He draws his knees up and wiggles long bare toes in the coolness of the grass. Staring intently down at the ground, one arm is wrapped around his knees and the other still fiddles with the pebble. In his grey shirt and green pants, dappled with sun and shadow, he resembles one of the shy Silvan woodelves from Doriath of long ago.
The young elleth's autumn orbs glint brighter now, as her strength continues to grow though her slender arms resting idlely in her lap do not show it. She meets his gaze, but then shlyly looks towards the shimmering lake, her hesitant nature returning with her senses. Her sugar brown hair is gently teased by a cool wind as her slender hand now skims the swaying blades lightly, no smile tarries upon her rosy lips as the silence fills the area. After a moment, her fair face gleams from the golden sun as she raises her head towards Loth and looks curiously at the shy edhel. "How long have you been playing your flute?"
A smile crosses Loth's face at an old memory. "My sister taught me," he says. "When Sil..." A tiny shadow, nearly unnoticed darkens his face for the briefest of moments and then is gone. "When we were young. She is also a bard."
Nodding gently to the edhel, her fair face is nearly drained of weary from this pleasant talk, setting her mind at ease while she continues to sit. "That is good news to hearken too, your sister taught you well from what I remember of your playing that night..."
Some animation appears in Loth's countenance as he speaks of his sister. "Tiina is very talented. She plays the harp as well as the flute. Also, she sings and composes." A small glow of pleasure and happiness brightens his face. "She came back from Imladhris for a visit with us."
Softly Liskelindele smiles as she listens, a cool breeze teasing her sugar brown tresses as she nods gently to the edhel. "She sounds quite talented indeed, mellon.." Her dulcet voice grows stronger as she continues speaking, her slender hands still resting limply upon her lap. "How was your venture to Imladris?"
"It was ... interesting." Forgetting caution in absorption in his subject, Loth looks up earnestly. "The journey..." His eyes darken and his voice trails off. "It was somewhat difficult, though we expected as much. But our mission was successful, for the most part. And the valley where the Lord Elrond dwells is very beautiful." Dropping the pebble he has been playing with, his fingers instead go to the grass and begin to toy with the blades. Memory causes his eyes to go distant, thinking back on the past. "There was snow, there! Right in the valley. It was a wondrous thing. But none the less, I am glad to be home. I would not wish to live away from Lorien."
Her autumn eyes gleam brighter now, shades of scarlet and emerald now emerging in once dim orbs as she perks up slightly from the recounting of the tale, her mind often meandered in thoughts of wandering about Middle-Earth and viewing the fair things about her. "There was snow? Ah, you are lucky to view such wondrous things as snow and the valley where Elrond inhabits...Though we are all glad that you do grace our golden woods...But, if you do not mind my asking as I was not present for meetings before this journey, what was your mission?"
A more serious look replaces the expressions that had been on Loth's face as he speaks of what has become his avocation. "We went for two reasons, really, although they are not so separate as might seem." The hand digging through the grass comes up and fingers are counted off. "One was to see if an embassy could be established - we have been sundered far too long. The other was to give and receive counsel regarding the growing threat outside our borders. Both were successful, to my mind. Some will shortly return to set up the embassade, though I do not know who will be chosen. As for the other, the Peredhel is also greatly pressed, and no aid could he lend us - yet with perhaps some other alliances, we will soon be able to at least keep the road between our peoples clear of foes." A little embarressed by his own enthusiasm, he stops. "But I am rambling."
The young elleth nods gently nods as Loth speaks of the mission with great enthusiasm, her fair face regains its normal hue as she gazes towards the edhel. "You are not rambling, mellon..." Her melodious tone dances atop the warm air, almost at the same strength as before but quite yet. "It is quite important of what you speak of...But may I also ask, if you do not mind my incessant questioning, did you get to hearken to any bards while you stayed there?"
"Yes, of course. There is often music there. Elrond's house is very large - there are not talans as there are here - with many rooms and many floors. It was, well, odd. I was glad I did not need to sleep inside it." He shrugs. "One room was a great hall with a fireplace at one end, and food and drink always at hand. Often musicians would play as well."
"It sounds odd indeed, but I'm sure their lovely music was quite enthralling..." Softly she sighs as a stray lock of cinnamon hair falls over her right cheek and shadows her glowing hazel eyes, much intrigue gathering as she listens carefully. "I would not be comfortable sleeping in such a place either, with no talans, though it would be quite interesting to view along with the sites you saw along the way...But I digress from my ramblings, did you by chance play your flute when you visited?"
Lothdaimoth eyes Liske oddly, wondering for a minute why she is so interested in his flute, then remembering she is of the Glirdain. "No. I did not." A glint of amusement enters his eyes and he chuckles a little. "I did get fallen on by four cooks, however..."
"Not only by one, but by four cooks?" Her dulcet tone rings with mirth as her ruby lips curl into a small smile, the golden sun beaming upon her pale skin while she gazes towards him. "And how did you manage this feat?"
Folding his arms across his knees and resting his chin on top of them, Lothdaimoth grins. "I was hungry," he says. "And I found the kitchen, after some straying along the way, hoping for a snack that wasn't already spoken for." Crinkles of fun appear at the edges of his sable eyes. "There was a child there, and she evidently kept a pet mouse who had gotten loose and taken up residence in the kitchen." His grin grows broader as he remembers the irate cooks. "Alas, mice also enjoy snacks, and this one had helped himself to more than his fair share of dessert. And then, he had the wisdom to hide between my feet... only the cooks were already converging upon him. I was not a very great impedence in their path."
Her fair face finally returns to it's original hue as she giggles lightly at his tale, grinning all along with the storyteller until the conclusion. Slowly she raises her slender hand and brushes away stray locks of silky hair gently, and lowers her thin arm limply back into her scarlet gown. "Not that should be turned into a song, I would love to sing of such a tale. The hungry edhel and the mouse...Why perhaps it could even become an epic." Her milky white skin teems of joy as she continues smiling. "But I shall stop having fun at your expense, though that was tantamount to my friend's fall from the boughs of the golden mallorn tree onto a pillow of lush grass during one of my lessons with Suulthanaur...Do not worry, she was quite alright though her pride may have been injured slightly..."
Lothdaimoth's laughter subsides after a moment. "I am glad your friend was not hurt. I also came out unscathed from my adventure, except it then took my arm an extra week to heal." He sighs and stretches, then gets to his feet in one swift graceful motion. Looking down at the learner's face with experienced eyes, he decides her color has returned to normal and she will be alright alone. "Namarie," he says and turns to walk down the path towards the city.
"Namarie" The learner gently utters, indeed her strength had returned to her limp slender limbs as she slowly watches the edhel walk lightly towards the city. Her hazel eyes glint brightly, in all the hues of autumn as her mind sorts through what had just transpired. A burden seems lifted off of her thin shoulders as she then lays back down on the lush grass, staring upwards towards the passing clouds backdropped upon the azure sky. A small grin still tarries upon her soft lips as she closes her autumn orbs to the light and contemplates more verses to etch into her crimson songbook.