“Eliriael.” It was the same voice from her dreams, except this time her name was being called with tender warmth instead of desperation or hopelessness. She pulled out of the long embrace and looked up at the elleth. “Welcome home. I was hoping you would return soon.”
Eliriael gave a slight smile as she smoothed down her hair. “In my dreams, you appeared and called to me. I thought something might have been amiss.”
She stepped back, looking at Eliriael with a surprised expression. She sat down on the couch beside her and took Eliriael’s hand, gesturing for her to take a seat. “It is true that I have been troubled for some time. And I selfishly wished for your return. The news that comes from the borders tell me that the world outside is changing, and I wanted to have you here, where I could know you were safe.”
Eliriael smiled reassuringly. “I was safe, as you can see.”
“It seems that even Lorien can no longer stand apart from the threat of the enemy.” Her eyes grew distant. “Something has touched Lorien, and though I know not what, I feel its ripples shake across the Golden Wood.”
Eliriael’s brows narrowed. Her usually calm countenance had been overcast with a slight shadow of fear. She placed her hands over her long graceful fingers.
A smile grew on her lips again as she looked straight at Eliriael. “Did Berendir say anything to you?”
Eliriael shook her head. “He seemed more troubled than usual. But he told me little.”
Surprisingly, she began laughing softly. Eliriael tilted her head. “He is so stubbornly childish at times. I think he has forgotten how to enjoy himself. You should go and cause him some trouble the way you used to.” She winked.
The expression of curiosity on Eliriael’s face dimmed to a slight grimace. She was always amused, but she always regretted being the subject of Berendir’s annoyance. “Will you not tell me yourself what worries you?”
The elleth smiled lovingly at Eliriael and patted her head as she stood up. “Berendir can tell you. Besides, the scouts on the border are in need of some extra healing supplies, I hear.” Eliriael noticed that her smile remained in place as she said this, but her voice seemed slightly strained.
***
The next day, as she stood on the elleth's doorstep, she felt that her visit had been too short. It had been several years since she was in Lorien and she could not help feeling disappointed that she was not keeping her longer. And as if she was her own mother and knew her child’s heart, she placed a finger under Eliriael’s chin and raised her head up. “Do not be saddened. I want you to return with Berendir, for his time on the borders will end in three nights. Then, I will have you both in my home again and it will be just as it used to.”
