It was later that night when Mistril stood in front of her window, staring ahead at the sky with eyes shining in sadness. The world she was dragged into was far darker than any shadow. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she let herself fall into that memory.
"Lirneth! Wait for me!" Mistril screamed at her young sister. There were so many orcs that she could barely take a step without defending herself. But Lirneth was still far and glancing behind, her brothers were busy protecting other civilians.
"Mistril!" The elfling shouted back, ducking when an elf was thrown at her.
Mistril tried her best to make her way to her sister. She looked back again, hoping her father was near after they got lost but she didn't see him. Instead, she saw her oldest brother jumping over an orc before having to kill a few more.
But it wasn't enough. She had to move forward but her strength was not a match for the huge number of enemies.
"Mistril!" She heard Lirneth's voice but couldn't see her anymore; "Mistril!" was heard again.
The same image of the red haired elfling being pushed down and killed came into her mind. It was horrible seeing it so much clearer than before. Mistril shouted in pain as an orc got to her and scratched her leg. Looking around she saw the decapitation of her oldest brother and she felt another piece of her heart break. And then a group of orcs surrounded her and started to call her names. She was ready to fight for her life but the whole memory became black.
She woke up in a cold place with blood dripping from the side of her head. She looked around alarmed and figured she was in a cell.
"Hey! Wake up already! Let's enjoy!"
She frowned but couldn't even have an opinion because somebody grabbed her by her hair and dragged her out, throwing her into an empty space. Orcs and goblins were around, watching two other orcs fight between themselves. One of them was huge.
"Get her in! Get her in! That filth will scream beautifully!" A small sized orc urged.
She looked up at the huge one and swallowed nervously. The pain that followed was excruciating and it was only the beginning.
Mistril opened her eyes and shuddered at the memory. She could still feel her former injuries and how eager orcs were to see such a show again. It was a surprised that she survived in the first place.
A knock made her flinch and from the way it sounded she was sure it was Gweluven. Just as she expected, he walked in with a confused expression.
"Did lord Glorfindel ask you to check on me?" She asked annoyed.
"Is there a reason why he should?"
Mistril shook her head and welcomed Gweluven in the same manner as usual. They sat on the bed and just like every time, she waited for him to ask her whatever he was supposed to ask.
Surprisingly he didn't mutter a word but just stood there. His eyes were not judging her but they weren't as genuine as Glorfindel's. No matter how much she trusted him and how kind he was to her, it was not the same.
"My family is dead. They were murdered by orcs. My city has fallen and I know now that I had experiences worse than death itself." She started knowing he wanted to know.
"King Thranduil sent me to check on you.” Gweluven said eventually, hoping that would soften her up.
“If he has anything to say, he should do it personally.” Mistril answered coldly, getting up and turning her back to the healer.
"It's nobody's fault, Mistril. The Valar should be thanked that you stumbled into Greenwood because we both know it could have been worse."
"I didn't stumble in, I died. I was killed by those monstrous little buggers and left to rot. Incredible how it's been proven it wasn't the first time." she stated still angry yet her tone did soften since she was getting it all out. "I can't help it, Gweluven. I feel like they abandoned me; the world left me in the hands of orcs. They tortured me, I can still feel their muddy hands on me and I can't even remember what they did exactly."
"I can imagine. That's why you should see Glorfindel as a bringer of joyous memories. He can remind you of a peaceful time in Gondolin. Don't you want to remember your family and friends?" Gweluven asked, knowing he did the right thing by stopping over to check on her. It seemed like his words brought a new view over the issue because she looked up at him with sparkling eyes and purpose.
A few days passed since Glorfindel arrived and unlike her original plan, Mistril followed him everywhere. Dinners were especially interesting because she’d stay next to him and eat silently while Glorfindel would speak to Thranduil about their issues.
Thinking about it, Glorfindel came to Greenwood with a reason and she wasn’t interested in it until now. The two must have spoken about it but none said a word to her. Even Faervel seemed well informed; he’d lock himself in his office or with the king and talk for hours.
But Glorfindel was keeping her busy. He had many stories to tell and Mistril was eager to hear them all, particularly the ones about her family.
“Your mother played the harp. She was disappointed that her oldest daughter was so bad at it.” He said as they were taking a stroll through the kingdom.
“What about my father?”
“Valdaglerion was a wise elf. He taught you how to hold a sword but never how to wield it. He believed it would be better for you to live a peaceful life rather than sacrifice it by my side." Glorfindel said with a tinge of melancholy. He could still hear Valdaglerion's worry in his husky voice as he came to the palace and vehemently urged Glorfindel to stop Mistril from ever getting into battle or even petty fights.
Glancing at the elleth, he was quite glad he didn't listen to the blacksmith or else she would have been dead.
"And yet you didn't listen to him." She said sounding like she was just as glad as him with the results.
"You used to spare with my men. I always wondered if those fights were just a game or you were developing your own fighting style."
"I'm sure whatever it was, it made an amusing sight." She commented trying her hardest not to smile. She was still fairly disappointed with him.
"It wasn't amusing but amazing. That helped you fight your way through those orcs."
"Yet they still caught me." She said meekly. It was still uncomfortable just thinking about those times.
"You were outnumbered. Even so, you escaped and we are able to have this discussion because of your swordsmanship." Glorfindel added turning to look into those green eyes. "Come with me to Rivendell."
"Why would I?" She asked rising an eyebrow suspiciously.
"I will not disappoint you or myself a second time. Lord Elrond will welcome you gladly." He said, his eyes sparkling with genuine care.
"What will king Thranduil say?" She asked receiving a confused expression from the Balrog killer. "I mean, I have lived here for so long and I'm sure he will prefer to be informed of any change that might take place." she said randomly, always growing polite in her speech when she was nervous.
"I'm sure that won't be a problem." Glorfindel said slowly, watching her with a brotherly glow. "I can talk to him, if you want."
"No! No, no, it's fine. Let me do it." she interfered with wide alert eyes. 487Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ySQfgfL5z
If Glorfindel had known better, which he did, he would have gone and talked to the king himself, assured that Thranduil wouldn't deny him this favor. But she seemed so keen on doing it herself that he decided he'd let her do so first and then have his personal conversation.
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