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Hello, father,
I’m sorry if I haven’t written to you since I arrived in Imladris, but there was no time and the whole Middle Earth was in the middle of a war. You must have been really concerned for all this months.
Anyway, despite all the battles I have encountered in my journey, I am alive and I still have all four of my limbs. Regarding the journey itself I will probably send you a summary of the main events, as I fear you shall wait long before you hear them from my own mouth. I am currently in Minas Tirith and I am needed here. There is a city to fix, a lot of wounded to heal… The more help the city gets, the better.
Also, there is an important thing I have to tell you, and it cannot wait. I saw the sea. It calls me, father. I can feel the need to sail to Valinor. But don’t worry, I am not going to leave, yet. As I said, there is a lot of work to do here and also in the North, I suppose, as I heard that there has been a great battle there, too; also, I don't want to leave all my companions. We have all established great friendships.
Now, I probably should finish this letter. It is dinner time and one of my companions is waiting for me to go and join the others. I hope that now that the war has finished Greenwood is more or less alright. Tell me how it is going for you.
Love,
Legolas
Hello, Legolas, my dear son.
I’ve been waiting a long time for one of your letters, and finally it has arrived.
I understand why you couldn’t write and I’m glad to know that you’re alive and unharmed after all the things that have happened. After all these months without even the slightest news about you, I was starting to think the worst, but luckily we heard that the Enemy had been defeated and the War was finished.
Also, yes, I will be thankful if you send me a copy of the main events of your journey. Not just for my curiosity, but also because Carweg here has been waiting for them for months and has been asking me constantly about every single thing I knew that was happening in Middle-Earth, even if he knew better than me that we weren’t getting any news of your quest. And no, not even the War here in the North has discouraged the spirit of that crazy record-obsessed Elf.
Anyway, about that, what you heard is true. Long story short, the Enemy didn’t want us to send aid to Rohan and Gondor, and so an army arrived from Dol Guldur. The plan obviously consisted in joining the other army that was outside Erebor making a siege there, but Dale’s Men and the Dwarves resisted better than the armies had thought they would. Thanks to them (I hate to say it, but even I have to admit that the Dwarves helped us this time) we were able to win as well, thought we lost many Elves, of which a lot were soldiers and some weren’t. People have started to call it ‘the Battle under the Trees’. Unfortunately, King Brand and King Dain II Ironfoot died in battle, too.
On another note, I already talked with you about Aman. We thought it might happen and you know what I think about it. If it is what your heart wants, if you are going to suffer more and more by remaining here, then you have all the rights to go and I will wish you good things, and you hope you’ll find relief in the Blessed Lands. We will discuss about this more when you return home, my son.
But, as you say, there are other things to deal with before that. You can say to King Elessar that we’ll send what we can to help with the restoration.
By the way, even if writing all the story will take some time, at least you can tell me about the Fellowship of the Ring. We didn’t really get much information about that, I would really like to know what were the others of the Nine Walkers like, how it was to be the only Elf there, etcetera… (I have also happened to be informed that there was also a Dwarf… Gross, letting a Dwarf of all people join the Fellowship).
Please, remember to take care of yourself, after all you have passed even an Elf would be tired. I wait for your next letter.
Love,
Thranduil Oropherion, King of Greenwood
Hi, father,
Please, do not be so dramatic. I will return to Greenwood, I’m not one who sails to the West as soon as he sees a seagull, am I? There is no problem in waiting like, I don’t know, one hundred and ten, maybe twenty years.
By the way, as you can see I have attached a copy of what happened in journey. I hope Carweg is happy. Guess what, it turned out that in all the mess nobody wrote it before, I am the first! Well, there is to say, I didn’t do it alone, I was helped by my… dear friend Gimli. He is always so kind and willing to help me, as am I.
About the Fellowship, yes, I was the only Elf, but it wasn’t that bad. I mean, I probably "passed more time looking at the sky and the trees and singing sad songs than the others", as Gimli says, but we were all so different that it wasn’t that big of a deal. There were me, Mithrandir, two Men, four Hobbits, and a Dwarf.
I surely don’t need to explain to you who Mithrandir is. And yes, he’s still mysterious in his ways as he has always been, but, you know, he killed a Balrog and died himself and then returned, so maybe we aren’t no one to judge.
One of the Men was Boromir son of Denethor II from Gondor. A brave and noble man, who just wanted to help his people and died protecting two of his dearest Companions. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.
The other is he who now sits on the throne of Gondor, King Elessar, though for his friends he is still Aragorn, and the Hobbits still call him Strider. (By the way, he sends his thanks for the aid you're going to send, it is very needed). We have bonded a great friendship in all this months, and he is now one of my greatest friends. He is a courageous and just man, and he deserves everything he has. I’m glad to see him happy with Arwen by his side. She is now a mortal, like him, but I've realized that sometimes immortality is a curse.
(I would like to ask you something, which is absolutely unrelated to my current personal situation, and a question asked simply out of curiosity. How do you exactly feel about interracial unions and marriages?)
Four of the Fellowship were Hobbits of the Shire. Now, to clarify, do you recall Master Bilbo Baggins, the one that gave you and Bard the Arkenstone eighty years ago, the short one of the Company of Thorin, the one who was called by, guess who, yes, you, and I quote, “the little guy that made his Dwarven Majesty’s little heart beat like a thunderstorm and vice versa and everybody could see it except themselves, of course”, in our massive gossip session of the year 2958 TE? Well, now he lives in Imladris and these four Halflings are his kin (I told you he wasn’t just a random particularly short guy, I knew I was right). A lovely folk, theirs. It seems that they prefer to be called Hobbits (that’s how they call themselves) instead of Halflings. Not even Fangorn knew of their existence before meeting two of our Company! Their people haven’t seen a battle for a long time and have never been eager to do so. I have been wondering if someone lived in that area of Arnor for a long time… and then I find out it’s inhabited by lots of peaceful, little, curly-haired creatures! (Oh father, they are just so cute).
Frodo is the Ringbearer (he is also Bilbo Baggins’ nephew!). He has gone through a lot of things. He pretends he’s alright now, but we all know it isn’t true. There was something in his eyes before going to Mordor that isn’t there anymore, and probably will never return. There are things not even time can repair. I wish him all the happiness in the world and more and even more (actually, about that, I heard he might take the ship that was once supposed to take Arwen to Aman. As plenty of honours they can be, can mortals really sail to the West?)
He likes to say he wouldn’t have survived even a week alone without his gardener, (finally someone who enjoys plants as Elves do) Sam. He is very loyal and brave, and he would die to help Frodo (they walked for days starving through Mordor and he gave most of his food and water to him, so he proved it to be true).
The younger ones are Merry and Pippin. They started the journey totally unexperienced, but at last they found their worth, even when there were lots of people who didn’t believe in them. They always dispense everyone with their humour, especially Pippin: he's the younger one.
Now, about Gimli, there is certainly a lot to say. I don’t even know where to start. Well, he is from Erebor, where he lives with his family. His father, Gloin, took part to the expedition to retake Erebor with the Company of Thorin. He is so brave, and wise, and clever, and I didn’t even know it was physically possible to do what he does with his axe! I still cannot believe that I've spent all these thousands of years hating Dwarves. Utterly unbelievable, how I have lived thinking all the lies we knew were truths. Even before we got to Lothlorien, I was blind in front of the evidence and treated Gimli like he was some sort of evil and disgusting creature. Then we arrived there and something happened that really shocked me. When we were going to Lord Celeborn’s palace, I was already terrified of what could happen. You see, as soon as we entered Lothlorien’s borders, the Dwarf was already speaking ill of the Lady, the Lord… well, speaking ill of Elves. No, don’t make that face, father, you know, Dwarves have been believing lies about Elves for generations, too. But then, when we arrived, Lady Galadriel, the Valar bless her, treated him… properly, even gently. She smiled at him. But what astonished me even more was that after that Gimli looked at her with regard and admiration. I have to say, I was quite puzzled by it. And when the meeting finished he went on talking about how wise and beautiful the Lady was for at least half an hour. He did not intend to lie and he truly believed in what he was saying, everyone could have seen it in his eyes. During the night, I passed a lot of time thinking about what happened, and I came to the conclusion that maybe Dwarves’ feelings existed, and they were not so different from ours. I could nearly understand why he mistreated especially me in the way I did with him. After all, a thing I didn’t think about before, I saw him as the son of a Dwarf that passed through my father’s kingdom without permission, and then escaped from our prisons, but he saw the son of an Elf who found his father starving and put him in prison for weeks, and then went to the gates of his old home with an army, asked for a part of the Dwarves’ treasure and besieged them. (Honestly, I am not blaming you, but you really could have avoided it.) I realized that maybe there was a way in which we could understand each other better and stop arguing over everything. So, the next day I went to him and talked. A lot. Oh, I had been so wrong, so utterly wrong on everything for all that time. I was so stupid. I should have understood him earlier. And he was already suffering so much. He had found out that his uncle and his cousin and his friends who went to Moria to try retaking it died. He was mourning them, and he was mourning Gandalf, as was I. He was far from home and hadn’t seen a single Dwarf other than him for months. I don’t even know how we accomplished to start a calm conversation and go through it without trying to hurt each other (he says he reconsidered the Elves after meeting Lady Galadriel, and thought that he really never tried to speak to me properly: he knew only what you did, but he never knew me before), but only thing I know for certain is that when he got to Lothlorien we were almost enemies, two opposites on the same side, and when we left it we were practically best friends, and we grew closer and closer as we spent time together. We have saved each other several times. I cannot describe to you how much I care for him. No, really, I cannot. It’s better if I don’t, trust me. Anyway, then the war ended and we finally
Maybe the rest is for another letter. Yes, definitely. When you are… ready. For now process this, and then we’ll see.
Oh, and then Lady Galadriel gave Gimli three strands of her hair. Unbelievable. I mean, three strands of her hair. Galadriel’s hair. Oh, no, don’t make that face. And don’t mention Fëanor.
Anyway, it must have been difficult for you, too, during this time. I am so sorrowful to hear that King Brand and King Dain II Ironfoot lost their lives in battle. I wish all the best to their families. (Gimli is going to be so grieved when I tell him. Dain wasn’t only his King, but also his cousin.)
I was almost forgetting one thing! Do you know the territory between Gondor and Mordor? Well, it’s called Ithilien and it’s a beautiful land. It has a great forest. The problem is that the iniquity of the Enemy has damaged it, but I think that with the right amount of Elves we could do something about it. It’s just an idea, really, but think about it.
Take care of yourself and try not to destroy too many things when you read about Gimli.
Love,
Legolas
Hello, Legolas,
I just finished to read about your journey (Carweg is very happy), and I’m glad and slightly surprised that you’re still alive. I cannot believe you encountered a Balrog. It has been a very long time since one was seen (honestly everyone thought they were all dead), and they are extremely dangerous and obscure creatures. And remember, you should never underestimate Mithrandir: he is wise, but he is also a Maia, never forget it. He killed a Balrog. I did not know he was so powerful, I can really say I’m shocked.
However, at least I’m glad you finally got to get out of Greenwood and see the world. I’m sure who must have found Imladris and Lothlorien beautiful.
You should know that only now I am reading the rest of the letter. I have a question for you: were you drunk when you wrote it?
I’m serious, because the things you have said about the Dwarf are…
I didn’t know that in the South there were such inebriating drinks (though I bet our wine is better), but now that I think about it not even Carweg has ever had such a perfect grammar and calligraphy while being that drunk (and you have to be this near to an ethyl coma to able to come up with the things you wrote, but you have always had a great imagination).
I don’t think I’m going to answer to that bit. Yet. I really hope you were drunk.
However, I am glad you found so many nice people during all this time. As I was saying, you were all lucky to have Mithrandir by your side. About King Elessar you have already told back when you were in Imladris, and I wish to him again to have a peaceful time ruling his kingdom (I also hope everything with the wedding goes well, and since you asked me, I am not against theirs because Arwen is Elrond’s daughter, but I will never appreciate the things some people have chosen, not that I don’t appreciate those people. Mind, Beren and Luthien were lovely people, but, please, don’t go around getting fancies to human lasses). I am sorry to hear that the Steward’s son died (and the Steward himself), so send my condolences to his brother Faramir. About these Hobbits, I’m surprised indeed. I never thought much about the territories between Imladris and the Lindon, but I believed that they were wild and unexplored regions, just like all the rest of the Central-Western area of Middle Earth. Very interesting, these Hobbits, then: I can say I never heard of them, and the last time I went to this Shire, when the Beleriand fell, they weren’t there, so they mustn’t be an ancient folk, but I suppose they’re good people, since there were four in the Fellowship and one was the Ringbearer. And yes, I truly thought Master Bilbo Baggins was just a very short Man, though I’ve always wondered about those slightly pointy ears. But I remember him very well, indeed. Do you know what I remember even better? The epic and absolutely dramatic foolishness he and the filthy Dwarven King were caught by, not realizing they were actually and deeply in love. As I have told you in the past, I do not expect Dwarves to be able to love something other than their fancy metals and jewels, but when you get in front of such an extraordinary story, the only thing you can do is try to start to use a little bit of imagination. Something like that has not ever happened, I think, not even in one of the absurd and ridiculous romances Carweg likes so much to read in his free time. I can tell you, after so many years everything seems dull, so I try to fill my life with interesting things, and Master Bilbo Baggins and King Thorin were definitely one of those. It’s almost a pity it didn’t end well, but then again, with Dwarves it never does.
Anyway, of course I know Ithilien, but I didn’t think it was so much ruined. When everyone is settled we’ll see what we can do for it.
Take care.
Love,
Thranduil Oropherion, King of Greenwood
PS: I’m not going to tell you to drink less, that would be one of the most hypocrite thing I could say. Besides, it's part of our culture. But seriously, “Lady Galadriel gave Gimli three strands of her hair” ? How can someone even physically come up with such things? Oh, thank you, my son, I’ve been laughing for hours.
Dear father,
I wasn’t drunk! Quite the contrary, in fact. I have kept myself completely sober that day just so I could write properly the content of that letter!
I know it must be difficult for you to understand this, but Dwarves are really worth appreciating. You should try to change the way you feel about them, because now I have finally understood that I had been completely wrong about them, and you should do so, too.
Also, knowing my lov best friend is a Dwarf, I cannot stand idly while you insult him and all his kin. But unfortunately, the only thing I can do is trying to make you think.
I swear, they are not liars, nor greedy, nor crazy, nor rude. They just have their ways, as we have ours, and we should just try to understand them. They’re not so different from us.
Love,
Legolas
PS: I really think those gossip sessions are not good for me, or you’re just always overreacting. I met Bilbo Baggins in Imladris and at some point I got to talk to him. You know I have not been much involved with the retake of Erebor and the Battle of the Five Armies, so I tried to rely on what you told me, that was almost everything I knew about him. You should have seen his face when I mentioned King Thorin! I made a fool of myself in front of him!
Legolas,
No.
Your father
Dear father,
You can’t just write ‘No.’ and send the letter. First of all, you can’t waste paper like this. I’m your son, should I really tell you about the trees? And look at this poor creature, this bird has travelled all the way from Greenwood to Minas Tirith just to bring this miserable message.
And then, what about all those lessons you wanted me to attend to about writing properly? They were some of the most boring hours of my life!
About the content, you cannot change what is happening. Gimli is my best friend, it is a matter of fact. I told you now because I didn’t want you to hear it from others, since news spread quickly. You have to accept it. I’m very happy with him and in my whole entire life I have never met someone like him. I knew you would have been angry and disappointed, and I would like to comfort you, but there is nothing I can do to calm you down without hurting myself and him.
Don’t worry. I promise he’s good and can be kind when he wants to. However, you’ll meet him anyway, since when everything here is finished we will return to our homes together.
I know it’s really hard for you, but we can all change the way we see things if we want to.
Take care,
Legolas
Legolas,
Why are you doing this to me? I may have done a few mistakes in my life, but I am certain I do not deserve this.
For the Valar’s sakes, I am your father, I know what is the best for you. Why, among all the Elves of Middle Earth, it had to be my only son?
Look, believe me, you do not know what you are doing. I’m trying to understand what could have happened. I think it’s understandable if you, after your long travel, have met different people, it would be strange if you didn’t. But you mustn't to confuse yourself and your untrained mind in such a way.
And why a Dwarf? Do I really have to remind you about everything those filthy creatures have done to us, the Elves, the Firstborns? Do I have to remind you how they slaughtered Thingol, the King of Doriath, because of their greed? Those things don’t happen just in our history books, Legolas. I was there when it happened; I lived in the Doriath, when I was young. There was chaos everywhere, and all the people were running and shouting “King Thingol is dead, King Thingol is dead, the Dwarves killed him!”. Nobody knew what to do, everybody was scared and angry. Lots of us were killed while seeking for revenge. Melian’s energies started leaving her, after her husband and daughter's death, until she finally returned to Valinor. I know what those can do. I saw it. Through history, then, we have always despised each other. But we have always been right, and they are just jealous of everything we have.
Save yourself, Legolas, don’t get right in their traps, they cannot be trusted.
I hope I can make you change your mind. Anyway, I would like to know if there is something else you have not told me, yet. We have been writing for weeks and I get to know this only now, so if there is something I don’t know that I should know, even if I won't like it, please tell me.
I thought you knew better, and I would lie if I told you I don’t feel disappointed, but I’m sure we can fix all of this. I’m trying to stay as calm as I can.
Take care and don’t be stupid,
Thranduil Oropherion, King of Greenwood
Dear father,
I understand why you would feel that way about Dwarves, but, as you said, those things happened in the past. Elves and Dwarves have despised each other for a very long time, but after Thingol, nobody, ever, tried to think about the other without prejudices. And this is exactly what I and Gimli did. We were already tired of mistreating each other, and we tried a different point of view, one that was not affected by thousands of years of hate, lies and disinformation.
If you don’t trust me saying such things, then trust Lady Galadriel. She is much older than you, wiser than you, and has seen all the horrors of the world. I was not joking when I said she gave Gimli three strands of her golden hair. Fëanor asked several times and he never received a single one, but Gimli asked nicely, Galadriel saw the purity and kindness of his hearth, and gave him not one, not two, but three. He says to me that he will treasure her gift for all his life.
Now, what I haven’t yet told you is that. I have not lied about this thing, just omitted one tiny detail. Gimli and I. I cannot even begin to imagine how you will react to this, since you were so angry and shocked just by knowing that we are friends. Friends in arms. Best friends. But actually, we are more than that. We have found that our care and respect for each other goes even further. We found love. I love him so much, not just platonically, and so does he. I said it before and I’m saying it again: never have I, in my relatively long life, met someone as brilliant, as kind, as brave, as loyal, as skilled as him. I do not wish to hurt you, but it is as it is, and you can do nothing about it. May the fact that with him I’m happier than I ever was comfort you.
Now you know everything there is to know.
Before you destroy everything, just know that after Aragorn and Arwen’s wedding (which will probably be on Mid-Year’s Day), and after everything is temporarily fixed, Gimli and I plan to return home together, but not before visiting the Glittering Caves and Fangorn, so it will probably take us around three months.
Despite everything, I miss you and Greenwood a lot, and I can’t wait to return home.
Calm down,
Legolas
Legolas,
No.
You can’t.
Why?
You can’t.
Why me? Why my only son? What have I done to deserve this? What could anybody have done to deserve this?
Everything is useless. Why do I even try?
You saved Middle Earth and now you want to destroy it yourself?
Thranduil Oropherion, King of Greenwood
PS: The throne room is half destroyed and the sitting room is disintegrated.
PPS: You cannot.
PPPS: Why?
Dear father,
I know it is very hard for you. Changing your mind is difficult when you spend most of your life believing in something else, but you have to understand what I said. I already knew you would have not accepted us at first, but I thought I should be honest with you and hiding it could only be worse.
What I wanted to say I said, and I will not talk more of it until we meet in person at Eryn Lasgalen. And that’s also because we’re going to leave Minas Tirith soon: Mid-Year’s Day is arriving and after Aragorn and Arwen’s wedding the rest of the Fellowship is going to return home, as we are.
Anyway, the city is mostly repaired (at least the most important walls), except for the Gate, that could not be fixed (Gimli says the Dwarves of Erebor will take care of that, King Thorin has already given him the ok). Also, the stuff you’ve sent arrived yesterday, it's going to be really helpful and King Elessar thanks you again for the help you’re giving him. He says that even if the war was everywhere you are very generous for helping who is in the greatest difficulty. I have talked to the Elves who brought the things and they said that if they have enough time they will go to Ithilien and give a look at the situation.
At this point, there is really nothing else to say. I will wait for your next letter, and then my answer will be the last one. By that time Aragorn and Arwen are going to be married and the Fellowship will return home, so if you want to tell me something do it now because it’ll be the last read from you.
Take care, and don’t forget that I still love you,
Legolas
Legolas,
Yes, I have something to tell you: you are a horrible son and a terrible Elf. The evil magic of the Dwarves have fooled you. That Dwarf is trying to seduce you, then he will come here and destroy our home. Mordor’s smokes have affected your brain and you are clearly not lucid. Remember, I can always disown you.
Just know that you're hurting me very much by doing all of this. You have been far from home for too long.
Anyway, I’m glad to know that my first aids for Minas Tirith’s rebuilding are being useful. I am going to keep in touch with King Elessar. With this letter I have attached a renewal of our peace and alliance treaty for the New Kingdom of Gondor and Arnor, please talk to him about it. I may not understand your private life’s choices, but I know you are a good negotiator and representative of the kingdom when you want to. Sending there a trustful delegate would take too much and right now I can’t obviously come personally, so I trust your skills. Also, negotiating with a friend is easier than negotiating with a stranger, or an enemy. At least your journey has brought political convenience (other than dishonour and disgrace, even if now that I think about it your situationship with the Naugrim could be useful, politically speaking... Still horrifying and unheard of, though. I will never accept it and I will never give you my blessing).
About Ithilien, if you care so much about its healing, you can talk about that with Elessar, too. I heard he has formally given it to Faramir son of Denethor II, the Steward, but I’m sure we can have at least a part if it or co-rule with him. I don’t know, honestly, do what you want at this point. I trust your judgement and, anyway, if we actually get it the Lord will probably be you. I do not plan to die very soon (though your news might provide for that in the near future, ungrateful son) so you aren't going to have Greenwood, but you are my heir and my son (unfortunately). I am not like Elrond, who lets his two eldest sons have not a single territory and lets her daughter fall in love and marry a Man. No, no, no. Oh, no. You would expect him to be always wise and smart, but then he does these things. Do you even know how many times I’ve told him: “Elrond, what about your honour, your children’s honour, the Elves’ honour. Do you not care about that?” and: “Really, Elrond, what in the whole Middle Earth are you doing? Come on, are you serious?” and similar things? But he never listens. He says that I’m selfish. So, yes, if we get it it will be yours until you want to leave Middle Earth.
Please, send my congratulations to King Elessar and Elrond’s daughter when they will be wed.
And please, in the next months, think about what I said. All the things I said and I’ll say. You are testing my skills as a father.
I think I miss you, though.
Return soon,
Thranduil Oropherion, Kind of Greenwood
Hello, father,
You are always so kind and affectionate. I can confirm he is coming to Eryn Lasgalen, since I’m bringing him there before he goes to Erebor, though the chances of him destroying our home are near to zero. Also, I am completely aware of what is happening and what I’m doing. Really, stop it, father, I am not a two-hundred-years-old kid. I fought in the War of the Ring and was one of the Nine Walkers, for the Valar’s sakes!
The negotiations with Aragorn has gone really well, and I’ve attached a copy of the renewal of the treaties and other documents and other things that have been decided. (They're so many, that's what is actually going to make me crazy! I really don't know how Carweg can stand all this paperwork. He is one of our most trusted advisors and he's the manager of those unending stacks of official sheets of paper in archive, so it's understandable, but he often looks like he's actually enjoying it all, and in an inexplicably disturbing way. Nobody in their right mind should enjoy paperwork. I am sure you know what I'm talking about, you've known him longer than me). About Ithilien, there have been made some inspections and maybe in the future months we’ll see what to do with it.
Aragorn and Arwen are finally wed and they thank you for the congratulations! Since I left Greenwood, I can genuinely say that one of the hardest things to do has been planning this wedding. Do you know what makes planning a wedding even harder than it already is? Planning a wedding of which one of the spouses is my friend Aragorn II, son of Arathorn, who is one of the greatest fools of all Middle Earth when talking about wedding planning. I know I shouldn’t agree with you, and Elrond has actually shown great wisdom during his Council, but really, considering the fact that Estel has grown in Imladris, what in all Arda has Elrond been teaching him? It is either that, or maybe he’s just lost all of his great Elven knowledge while going around being a Ranger. Or he hit his head. Anyway, if it hadn't been for me and a few others, it would have been the most horrible wedding Middle Earth has seen in centuries. Literally. He can be as much brave and noble-hearted as you want, and he is, but I will never, ever, in my whole life, forget the look on Sam’s face when, while we were trying to choose the flowers for the centrepieces, Aragorn suggested monkshood. And the embarrassed silence that followed his suggestion. It was almost funny. Each one of the Hobbits had an adorable panicked expression, and Arwen visibly felt like she would have preferred to take a shovel right then and there and dig herself a hole in the ground deep enough to hide her for several days. Aragorn’s confusion was only equally shared by Gimli, but I forgive him, because apparently Dwarves are taught gem language, not flower language (don’t worry, I’ll take care of that). But Aragorn should know this stuff. I'm sure it's just him, but it' not just that. During the preparations I started to suspect that the Noldor don’t know how to have fun. I mean, yes, high classy things and everything, but then they don’t know how to plan a wedding, or a celebration, or whatever it is. In his defence, at least, I can say that it is not easy. Too difficult and stressful, I'm never doing this again (alright, maybe there is one other wedding I would be willing to plan...).
Well.
Alright.
Yes.
I think I miss you, too. Quite a lo- Just a little bit.
I can’t wait to see you again. These months have been really tough, and even if I’ve been in other places full of Elves, Imladris and Lothlorien, home is always home. I miss the trees, our trees, that have been growing for centuries and will continue to grow; and their big green leaves, that by the time we arrive will start to turn yellow, brown and red. And our wild paths in the forest and our beautiful vast underground halls. I miss everything about Greenwood. Even your glacial scowls and your secretly explosive anger. I miss our moments together, the bad and the good ones. I miss you, father, and after everything I told you and you said about me and my Gimli, I hope you still love me as you did before.
See you in autumn,
Love,
Legolas Thranduilion