A tiny laugh escaped the young she-elf’s lips, her brows raising as she looked down at the younger dwarf. Of course he wanted to seem stronger, braver, in front of an elf. She had seen many a man do the same thing. And of course he wanted to seem like he could take care of himself after she had saved his life… —- more times now than she wanted to count. He wanted to seem like he didn’t need her bow or her daggers, and she understood that perfectly.
”Oh yes, you really seemed as though you were able to handle the spider which made an attempt on your life. I am sorry, I must have misunderstood the situation, please, Gohenno Ni,” she replied with a light grin on her lips, her head cocked to the side as she looked at him, noting the puff of his chest and his stance. Oh he was amusing, that was obvious, and had been clear to her from the moment she had met him, from the moment she had spoken to him in the gaols. It was… well, it was endearing in a way that the young she-elf hadn’t realized at first.
She could understand his use of words, how it was ‘convenient’ that she was able to avoid any sort of illness, any sort of disease that might befall his own kin. Yes, it was convenient and yet, she did not like the use of the word and it was clear in her expression and her tone. It was also clear that the dwarf had picked up on that and seemed to have regretted his use of words. Pursing her lips together, her brows soon followed suit by furrowing into a frown as he spoke of his uncle. Yes, their kin did not see eye to eye but that did not mean she would accept anything distasteful said about her own. And so she steeled herself for some sort of argument, for some sort of complaint or arrogant quip… and yet, nothing came.
”Well, yes…—— your uncle and my King have their history. And you cannot say that you did not bring that upon yourselves. You had been trespassing through our wood, our forest…—-” pausing, she pursed her lips for a moment before a smile graced her features. “—- and maybe if your Uncle had been respectful toward my King, then you would have been offered food and wine instead of a cold, damp cell.”
Her head tilted to the side as she watched him, thinking for a long time on what he wished for her to tell him. “There is the tale of the stars. Of Varda…—-” pausing, she gave him a look before singing the hymn she’d known since a child.
”A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
silivren penna míriel,
o menel aglar elenath!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
o galadhremmin ennorath,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
nef aear, sí nef aearon!
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
o menel palan-diriel,
le nallon sí di’nguruthos!
A tiro nin, Fanuilos!”
”It is the story of Elbereth, of Varda… she was the Queen of the Stars, too beautiful for words. She created the stars before the Valar came to this world, she made the constellations. She possessed the light of all stars….—- it is a story I was often told as an elfing, and one I treasure…”