When she got home, everyone was either asleep or just didn't want to bother her. Mistril went on the balcony where she left her drawing utensils earlier that day and sat down, looking at the starry sky. She smiled unconsciously at the beauty of the tinkling stars, at the moon, at how pure it was and how darkness has not touched it one bit. One star flickered before it started to fall. Mistril watched it hoping that he was doing the same.
And he was, he truly was looking at the same sky and at the same falling star. He couldn't help think about her and what she was doing. He doubted her from the beginning, seeing the emptiness that he had only seen in the eyes of the dead. She had lost her way, had lost her light and lost her entry to the afterlife. And yet he couldn't help but wonder how remembering all the evil deeds she did affected her.
"My lord, I have to talk to you about Dol Guldur." Faervel approached the king silently. "The scouts I sent to the south of the forest resported back this morning. It's terrible what is coming towards us and I am sure-"
Thranduil was in his sleeping robes but couldn't quite go to bed yet. He didn't want a glass of wine either and eventually found himself on the eastern balcony that gave towards the Lonely Mountain.
"I respect your opinions Faervel but I do not remember ordering any scouts. If I remember correctly, I ordered everyone to stay inside our land." He emphasized even if Faervel did not seem to care about his king's authority at the moment. "I need our people to be safe. I cannot have them fear more than they already do."
"I understand. I already added a few more troops at every important corner of our border. But the evil is growing stronger, it moves faster and spreads wider. At the same time, we're doing nothing but making it easier for it by gathering in one place." The military elf spoke back.
"Are you doubting my word, Faervel?"
"No, you are my king and always will be."
"Very well," Thranduil said before he turned to look at the sky. He sighed heavily as he heard his most trusted warrior leave.
Outside, waiting impatiently for their leader, was a group of a few men and women. As soon as, Farrvel stepped out of the Halls, they approached him.
"What did the king say?"
Faervel looked to the side at the still protected land of the elves before he answered.
"He said we should take care of our people. We'll each take a side of Mirkwood and bring information at the end of every week. Do not spare any detail." He ordered and his most trusted warriors nodded before taking their places.
"Are we there yet?" Asked a tired and bored Legolas. There wasn't much he could do on their way to Lothlorien because no danger approached their group. He didn't have much in common with Miluinir and no matter how much he respected Gweluven, the healer was actually a very plain person. "I really miss Mistril," he mumbled to himself.
"We'll be there by nightfall." Gweluven answered seeing how Miluinir rolled his eyes in annoyance. Legolas was not the type to travel in peace, he was active and he was young. It was only natural that he would have prefered somebody else for a travel mate.
"Why do they need your help anyway? Isn't Lord Celeborn skilled in the art of healing as well? I heard rumors of miracles happening in Lothlorien before." Legolas commented hitting an imaginary stone.
"Gweluven is the best healer of the elves!...sir." Miluinir shouted before he remembered who he was angry with. "He is the wisest and his skill cannot be compared to any." He added in a calmer tone.
But Legolas did not seem impressed. All he could think about was how this was nothing but a punishment for him for asking to be included in the military.
"Then why is his help needed for a mere orcish poison?"
Miluinir and Gweluven glanced at each other knowingly before they turned to the prince.
"Is that was the king told you?" Gweluven asked warily. Legolas was confused. "We have been summoned by Lady Galadriel herself."
"What for if not the poison?"
Gweluven smiled already imagining his prince's reaction to his words.
"For Mistril."
Legolas' eyes sparkled with excitement and curiosity and he suddenly grew faster.
"Then let's get there before nightfall!"
Gweluven chuckled to himself but he was actually a bit worried. The Mistril from Lothlorien was no more the Mistril they knew.
But the group of woodelves still had a few more hours to go and Mistril could do many things in that time. She could barely close her eyes and relax the night before and when morning came about, she was quick to go practice. Illion found her there and she was not using the arrows but her knives.
"She looks quite elegant in the way she moves, doesn't she?" Elrohir asked as he approached the place Illion was in.
"What are you, her guard?"
Elrohir chuckled and shook his head. If anything Mistril was their guard for the travel.
"It's hard to believe she was an assasin of Mordor." Elrohir said without thinking much about it. Illion's eyes widened as he glanced between the elf and the training elleth.
"I wondered about her hair colour and other details but never thought so far as to place her in the army of the evil." Illion mumbled in awe. "How could she have fallen into darkness? How could she have killed her own kin?"
"There are many details that you don't know about. " Arwen said coming towards them with the sun shining behind her. "Do not judge her so harshly Illion. It was not her fault that darkness surrounded her. It is as Lady Galadriel said: it is her choices of the present and future that matter now."
"She's quiet most of the time. We don't know what goes on in her mind or spirit."
Arwen smiled softly as she watched Mistril train.
"But we do. Her mind is filled with one thing only and that is love."
Even Elrohir looked surprised at his sister. Illion was confused and overloaded with information.
"Love? Does she even know what love is?" Illion asked scoffing at the idea of a washed up elleth giving in to such pure emotions.
Maybe it did not show because there was a bit of distance between them but Mistril heard them perfectly. Her heart trembled at Illion's question and she too wondered what would happen if she were put in the posture of choosing between love and her former master.
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