Menegroth. April 12, First Age 468

LADY MELIAN*, the Queen of Doriath and the lady wife of King Elu Thingol, held a tiny infant in her arms. It has been a long time since a child was born within the stone walls of Menegroth. And, he may be the last. Even within Doriath guarded with her power, a shadow had fallen. And outside the borders of Doriath, the Enemy's shadow lengthened and the darkness was coming. But today her husband was laughing with his nephew, Lord Arandur, and Arandur's son Oropher, the child's father.

The baby squirmed in her arms and the gold of his hair glowed as the highlight of silver, ever present in all of Thingol's kin, sparkled under the sunlight. Melian fingered the silken cheek of the baby. Holding the infant made her ache for Luthien, her beautiful child who was now lost to her.

Just then, the baby opened his eyes and Melian was drawn into the bright blue-green eyes the lady has never seen among the Sindar. A light from a nearby window bounced off the baby's eyes making them glow as if faceted like gems. They were almost the exact shade of his mother's eyes.

"Hello, Thranduil (Sindarin, Vigorous Spring)," Melian whispered.

The baby looked up into Melian's twilight gray eyes then smiled. It was as if the whole room brightened and the sunlight enveloped him. Melian smiled back.

"He is so beautiful, Arinariel. I could see him grow up to become one of the most beautiful of your kind," she said softly as the baby took hold of her finger and grabbed onto it with surprising strength. "I see the beauty of a true Eldar in him."

Melian looked deep into the infant's bright eyes, then she frowned as a light from the window faded and a shadow fell. Within the depth of the baby's eyes, she saw so much grief to come, her heart broke. She held the infant closer. There will be much grief this little one must endure in his long life.

"Arinariel, raise him to be a healer like you," Melian said softly. "Do not let him become a warrior like his father. In time, he will become a powerful lord, but I see much grief in his life."

Lady Arinariel smiled sadly with a look of one who knew what kind of grief lay before her son.

"If I could keep him safe by making him a healer, I would. But, alas, my lady, it is not within my power, for is it not I who brought it to him by delaying the grief I should have born?" Arinariel's eyes misted with much sorrow. "If I could have convinced Oropher as Galadriel had of Celeborn…"

"Then Thranduil would not have been born. It may seem as if you contrived it, but it is the will of Eru. Children are precious gifts and those given in times of darkness are even more dear as they are given to us in furtherance to His design, a light for these dark times of approaching shadow."

"But, we are safe here, my lady. I know even the Dark Lord cannot match his power against yours."

Melian smiled, her eyes grave and sad. "You forget I am merely one of the Maiar* while the Dark Lord is one of the Valar*. I cannot hope to match Morgoth's power if he is to come here himself."

"But, surely your protection around Doriath will hold?" Lady Arinariel said.

"Perhaps. While I am here," Melian sighed, another drawn out sigh, as she looked far away, as he heart ached with grief. "But, sometimes, it is not the evil that brings darkness, but folly of our own making. And, even I cannot undo a doom that is already written."

"You speak of the doom of Noldor?" Arinariel asked. "It is terrible how much loss Feanor's sons have faced, even if it was doom of their own making. I hope Galadriel goes far enough away that the doom will not touch her."

Melian smiled, pushing away the thoughts that troubled her. Despite the troubles to come, today was to be celebrated.

"Who managed to finally pry Celeborn away from Thranduil? I thought he would never give me a chance to hold the baby," Melian laughed.

"Thranarin," Arinariel smiled back. "He managed to convince Lord Celeborn to join the rest of the warriors in celebrating. I think Celeborn was fussing over Thranduil, more than when Thranarin was born, as his way of telling Galadriel that he also wants a child."

"I know he was," Melian laughed, her eyes twinkling with merriment, her grief forgotten for now. "And, I am quite sure Galadriel knows but is ignoring it. Too many desires she has at the moment to want to start a family. But, she will, in her own time. She is the wisest of all her cousins and brothers, I dare say. But, right now, she is blinded by pride and ambition. In time, she will come to see that it is simple things that really matter."

"There is more to her than ambition and pride, my lady. She is generous of heart and noble, as noble as they come," Arinariel said, frowning as she took back the squirming infant from the queen.

Melian smiled kindly. "I did not mean to speak ill of her, Arinariel. Merely, that she still has much to learn."

"In that sense, all of us have much to learn," Arinariel said looking at Thranduil. "I wish I could impart even a small portion of her wisdom to him. It is a pity that he will not grow up in the light of the Valar. At the least, if Galadriel was not leaving, she could have taught him some of the wisdom of Noldor."

"Do not worry, Arinariel. Many believe knowledge is wisdom, but that is not so. All who are wise have much knowledge, but not all who have knowledge are wise. Too many forget that knowledge alone does not give you wisdom. True wisdom comes from deep understanding acquired through painful experiences that bring enlightenment and ability to see things as they truly are. Such a thing, however, requires more than book knowledge and is much harder to achieve. There will be much loss and pain along the way. Had Noldor more wisdom and less knowledge, there would have been less haste, less willingness to commit violence against their kin, and maybe all the losses that had come and will come could and would have been avoided. But, alas, we have all been unused to loss and sorrow until the intrusion of the Enemy. And for some of us, the wisdom gained may come too late."

The queen sighed, reflecting on the sorrows of the Age. When the child's mother looked up, Melian smiled warmly down at her.

"Worry not for Galadriel. She may not be the most powerful or the most knowledgeable among her brothers and cousins, but she is the wisest of them all. She will not allow the wisdom gained from her experiences in Middle Earth to be wasted. I just…I will miss her very much when she is gone. When is she planning to leave?"

Arinariel reached out and the queen of Doriath took her hand. "Before another war breaks."

"Soon, then." Melian's eyes clouded, but she smiled down at the baby's mother. "I am glad, at least, you will be here, Arinariel. No matter what will come, it is good to have a friend near," Melian smiled.

Then, the queen looked down at the baby who was now yawning and nudging closer to his mother as his eyes filled with sleep.

"And, for him, too. A good friend to share each other's burdens. Yes." Then Melian smiled brightly. The queen ran her finger over the baby's soft cheek and his little face lighted up with a brilliant smile as he fell asleep in his mother's arms.

Melian (Sindarin, Dear Gift)-One of the Maiar, heavenly beings who served Valar. Mother of Luthien.

Doriath (Sindarin, Fenced Land)-Realm of Thingol and Melian in Beleriand during First Age. It is known as "Fenced Land" because Melian used her power as a Maia to place a protection of enchantment on the borders of Doriath so that no one could enter without the will of King Thingol. Under the light and teachings of Melian, Doriath flourished and was considered the greatest realm in Middle Earth during the First Age.

Elu Thingol (Sindarin, Greycloak)-Originally, a leader of Teleri known as Elwe (Quenya, Male Star). He led the third group of Elves, Teleri, to West. When he arrived at Beleriand, Elwe was entranced by Melian and was lost. Two third of the Teleri would not wait and followed Elwe's brother Olwe to Valinor. After awakening, Elwe gathered those who remained and established a realm with Melian as his queen. This realm is called Doriath and its people, Sindar.

Eru Illuvatar (Quenya, The One Father of All) Supreme deity and creator of all. Created Ainur first out of his thought which is Valar and Maiar collectively. Eru created Elves, then Men, so Elves are called Firstborn and Men, Secondborn. Dwarves are created by Vala Aule and given blessing later by Eru.

Valar (Quenya, singular, Vala) spiritual beings born of Eru's thought and aided Eru in creating the world. There are 14 (15 if you include Melkor, later known as Morgoth) that entered the world and reside at Valinor in the Continent of Aman west of Middle Earth. Men call them gods.

Maiar (Quenya. Singular, Maia) lesser spiritual beings to assist Valar in creating the world. Some of the well known are Sauron and balrogs. Gandalf, Radagast, and Saruman are also Maiar who in the shape of old man were sent to Middle Earth as wizards to help fight against Sauron later in the Third Age.