no word we know by arafinweanappreciation  

“None of you are innocent!” Galadriel cried, gesturing wildly at the royal family, one hand still locked around a crumpled sheet of parchment. “None of you! His blood is on your hands!”

The throne room had gone deadly silent. Courtiers simply stared in shock, conversations abandoned. Only Melian would meet her gaze. Luthien stared into the space in front of her, face a mask of stone. Her new husband, only now feeling well enough to make an appearance in the throne room, looked on the verge of tears. Thingol’s eyes were fixed on some distant detail of the masonry, his jaw working silently, though there didn’t seem to be any anger in him.

Normally, Celeborn would have tried to intervene, but even if he could bring himself to move, he was not sure what he could do or say that would have any effect. He wondered if anyone else could see how badly his beloved was shaking.

“He was never anything but good to you!” she half-sobbed. “To any of us!” She held out the hand clutching her brother’s final missive. “And look what you’ve done!”

Melian opened her mouth to speak, but Galadriel beat her to it. “I don’t care!” she spat. “I am leaving tomorrow at dawn, and I will never set foot in this city again!”

With that, she swept out of the room.

Celeborn caught his father’s gaze and saw fear in his face. As he turned to follow his wife out of the hall, all he could do was shake his head. He had promised, in their wedding vows, to follow her wherever she went, and to share in her sorrow as well as her joy. Whether he agreed with her or not about who was at fault, in this too, he would join her.

Chapter End Notes

this ended up with more celedriel than I initially intended oops

Leave a Comment