The evenings in Rivendell were beautiful. Elves sang from morning till night, filling the air with joyous music. Bethrelfin sat on a bench overlooking the festivities, unable to sleep. The farther away she got from home, the more she felt both happy and saddened. She had never strayed too far away from her parents, and she found herself missing them. Dumpling was sitting curled up next to her feet, snoring softly. She had taken her boots off, enjoying the feel of grass underneath her feet. She looked up at the sky, marveled by the shining stars ahead. The only way to see stars in Mirkwood would be to climb up the trees or climb to the top of the Elven King’s Halls, both activities that her mother had heavily disapproved of.
“Couldn’t sleep either?”
The gruff but friendly voice shook her out of her reverie and she looked to find a man sitting next to her. He was smiling, but not just with his mouth. His eyes shone, a radiant blue that matched the colour of the river flowing passed them. His long black hair was pulled up, though a few stray hairs escaped. For a moment, she was at a loss for words, not sure how to respond to him. The man stopped looking at her and instead looked up at the night sky.
“I never tire of looking up while I’m here. The stars are so different from home.”
Bethrelfin looked up to the sky once more. “And where is home?” she asked. She caught the man smiling once more from the corner of her eye.
“Gondor, though I’m hoping to find a new home elsewhere,” he answered. Bethrelfin looked at him, an eyebrow raised.
“Gondor? You are truly far from home. What made you leave?” The man shrugged.
“I wanted to help those who may not be able to help themselves. I was useless in Gondor. Hopefully I’ll make it to the Shire and be able to help the little folk. At least I can be useful somewhere.” He laughed, a deep baritone laugh that made Bethrelfin smile.
“But where are my manners? What’s your name?” he asked, meeting her eyes once more.
“Bethrelfin, and yourself?”
“Malethion. Mae govannen, Bethrelfin,” he said, hand towards his heart and bowing slightly. Bethrelfin smiled.
“Mae govannen, Malethion,” she said, echoing his gestures. They fell back in a comfortable silence as Malethion continued looking at the stars. Bethrelfin didn’t know what it was, but she felt as if she had known him for a lifetime. His eyes shone even brighter than the night sky itself, and his smile was contagious. Malethion suddenly gasped, and Bethrelfin realized that Dumpling had decided to make herself at home on his lap. She started kneading his knees and Bethrelfin blushed.
“Forgive me, she’s usually so well behaved.” Malethion laughed as he put his hand underneath Dumpling’s chin and started scratching. Soon, she started purring and cuddled up on his lap.
“Well, I guess I’m not going to be leaving here anytime soon,” he said with another laugh. Bethrelfin was about to pick her up but he stopped her. She could not stop staring at his eyes. Eru, what must he think of her, constantly staring at him?
“Where are you headed from here?” The question caught her off-guard, and she realized that all this time, she had not stopped staring at him. She quickly looked away, feeling her ears start to redden.
“I’m not really sure, I’m just…” her words trailed off. What was she doing exactly? She didn’t really have an end goal in sight. She was just going to keep travelling East, hoping to find a new home as well. She hadn’t really planned out her trip very well, and simply travelled wherever the road took her. Her elk was getting quite tired of her constant stopping to admire her surroundings, and the only reason she hadn’t left Rivendell yet was because she fell in love with the place and its serenity. It gave her time to think about she wanted to do with her life. She had read so many stories of heroes travelling and helping people. She desperately wanted to be that herself, but never really had the chance to. Blinking, she realized that without really noticing, Malethion had suddenly given her that chance.
“The Shire. I’m also travelling to the Shire,” she said. She saw Malethion’s smile grow wider.
“Excellent! We can travel together then,” he quickly caught himself and added “Should you wish, of course.”
Bethrelfin thought about it. All her life, she was always doing things alone. She never really fit in with her peers, too curious and adventurous, her head always in a book and daydreaming about leaving Mirkwood to find herself. She was used to being on her own with little Dumpling following close by. This man next to her radiated kindness, as if he was the embodiment of everything good that she could imagine. If she tired of his company, she could always leave and make her way on her own to the Shire, though she had a feeling their fates were intertwined one way or another. She sighed, quickly making up her mind.
“I’d love that.”
Nothing could have prepared her for his grin. She found herself chuckling at him.
“Are you that desperate for company, Malethion of Gondor?” she asked, mirth in her voice.
“When you’ve been travelling with nay but a horse for company, you’ll take any chance you’ll get,” he answered. Bethrelfin laughed, the first laugh in quite a long while. She tucked a stray hair behind her ears.
“I was thinking of leaving in three days,” she said. Malethion hummed his agreement, still slowly scratching Dumpling’s chin.
“I wanted to explore the library tomorrow, would you like to join?” he asked. Bethrelfin nodded with a smile, reaching out to scratch Dumpling’s head. Dumpling purred back in agreement as they both chuckled. Was this how it felt to have something akin to a friend? Her heart fluttered at the thought, and she slowly got up and picked up Dumpling, who quickly mewed in disagreement and tried to escape her clutches. Malethion laughed and got up as well.
“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” he said with a smile, giving her a small bow before turning to leave. Her words caught in her throat and she merely gave him a small wave before he turned. For the first time in her life, Bethrelfin felt she had a purpose and a goal. Perhaps it was chance that they both could not sleep tonight, or perhaps it was fate. Whatever it was, Bethrelfin was glad for it.
