"Master Nolomir? Here are your letters for today." Limthir walked into the office, carrying a stack of quite a few sealed letters, feet padding across the floor with earnest haste. His olive-green robes made agitated little swishing noises as he entered the room and set the letters on a grandly carved oak desk in the corner.
"Thank you, Limthir." Nolomir looked up from a scroll half-covered in equations and diagrams, and put his quill back in its stand. "Would you care to read what is written on the outside of these letters? 'Twould be good practice and relevant to your studies." He smiled at Limthir, who picked up the top-most letter and squinted at the elegant script with which it was penned. The boy was young and impressionable, very eager to learn, but had some difficulty with letters. This was only natural, Nolomir reflected, as he seemed to be of Silvan stock, and had incomplete knowledge about reading and writing when he had arrived in Imladris. By now, Limthir could read anything written in Sindarin passably well, but struggled when faced with more ornate forms of calligraphy which made the letters more difficult to recognize.
"Ah, perhaps this was not the easiest one to begin with." Nolomir stood up and cast a glance at the letter. In looping, flourished script, the inscription on the letter read: To Uilossiel Nolmiriel of Imladris, Second Assistant Scholar in the Library of Elrond, with greatest affection from Líriel Mirilluin of Lóthlorien. Nolomir smiled wryly and took up the letter, explaining the writing and the style of calligraphy to Limthir, who listened attentively. "You must excuse my niece, she tends to be rather …. excessive in her habits, and this extends to her writing. I will include some examples of this script in your copy-work today, so you get used to reading letters written in this style."
"That is very kind of you, Master Nolomir." Limthir smiled and made a hasty bow, green eyes glimmering with excitement. He glanced at the letter again, frowning in puzzlement and twirling a lock of walnut-brown hair in one hand. "Er…why was the letter delivered to your office, if it is addressed to your daughter?"
Nolomir laughed softly, a rich, resonant sound which set Limthir at ease somewhat, but did not sate his curiosity. "Ah, I suppose the news has not reached Líriel yet that my daughter Uilossiel has already departed Imladris. It takes quite a while for letters to travel across the mountains, you know."
Limthir nodded eagerly. "Aye. I still remember how long it took me to cross them. Though, I did have a friend with me when I made the crossing." A slight chittering noise alerted Nolomir to the presence of Lotheg, a small brown squirrel who made a habit of nesting in the wide sleeves of Limthir's robes. A small brown head poked out from the void inside Limthir's left shirt-sleeve, and within moments Lotheg had clambered onto Limthir's arm, tail twitching back and forth like a long feather-plume. Limthir laughed awkwardly.
"Oh, I think it is time for Lotheg to be put outside. Might I use the window for a moment?" He gestured awkwardly toward the large double-paned window beside the desk.
"By all means, as your friend is always more agreeable when he has returned from his daily stroll about the gardens." Nolomir smiled kindly, regarding the squirrel with some amusement. Lotheg was an uncommonly doughty squirrel, to have accompanied his master all the way from the Greenwood. By now, he was used to Limthir's small companion, and always remembered to leave a crack open in the window of his office when the squirrel had gone out for the day.
Once the window had opened, Lotheg scurried down Limthir's arm, perched on the windowsill, and made some choice remarks in rapid-fire style to the two scholars. He then whisked his brown tail around himself and leapt out the window onto the branches of a nearby tree, and vanished from sight. Limthir looked after the squirrel with fondness.
"He will be back after noon, as you know. Lotheg is a creature of habit."
"As many of us scholars are, no doubt." Nolomir chuckled. "Now that we have seen off your friend, let us return to the letters. Find me another parchment, and address it to the library in Lórien, for my daughter Uilossiel. Then you may enclose the letter for Uilossiel in that envelope, seal it, and bring it to the first courier bound eastwards that you find. "
"Yes, I shall!" Limthir turned on his heel, snatching up Líriel's letter and making for the door. He halted, hearing his teacher's voice.
"Limthir?" Nolomir could not hide the fond bemusement in his voice. "You have forgotten the other four letters."
Lotheg - Sindarin "Little Flower" from loth "flower" and -eg, diminutive suffix
