Wow, it has almost been unforgivably long since I last updated. Heh. Apologies for making y'all wait so long! Thankfully, some awesome fics and the glorious cry-fest that was The Battle of Five Armies cured me of my writer's block, so here goes! Hope you enjoy! As for me, I shall go and nurse my still-shattered feels, though it's been over a month since I first saw the film...'ahem'.

Please enjoy, and don't be afraid to drop me a review!

Four

Feast

Hope.

Some, it keeps sane; others, it evades, lingering just out of reach, like a choice fruit dangling just above their yearning fingertips: itching to be picked, yet unable to be touched. It is as fickle as the seasons, yet as unbreakable as their cycle. It is - or was - my mother's name.

And, for my father, it died within the cold fortress of Gundabad the same day she did.

Every passing day, more and more of my people fall prey to the same sickness that ails their king, and every passing day, one question rings louder and louder in my mind:

Am I a fool for holding on?

Especially now, as I soundlessly slip back into the relative safety of my chambers, that question haunts me. I replay my conversation with my father in my head, mull over his words as I change back into my nightclothes and slide into my bed.

Those days have passed, Caladhiel.

Have they, truly?

As memories of the sickness that befalls my land surface and the despaired cries of those for whom no help is found return to my memory, the more I begin to see the possible merit in my father's bleak outlook. My conscious searches through mental pictures of those that I have seen recently, those that I love. It searches for the small spring in their countenances, the faint glimmer in their eyes, the evidence of hope's presence.

Not many still retain it, and for those that do, the flame is reduced to embers that only barely glow.

Save one - one that shocks me.

Physically, a prisoner; internally, anything but. As his face jumps back to the forefront, the audacious spark in his eye and the bold grin stretched across his face once again pull me in.

Hope. Reckless hope.

The kind that flattens armies, storms souls, moves mountains.

Perhaps he will go on to do these very things. Or perhaps he is merely as naive to the darkness as my father insists that I am. If that is the case, then I at least know that I am not alone.

But I find that I care not.

For the young Dwarf is right.

He is not the only one that is reckless.

In spite of our numerous and obvious differences, that hope flows also through my veins. And if I want to find the same incredible spark that dwells in his eyes, I need look no further than my own reflection. I find myself more determined than ever to restore it to the kingdom, to my people, to Ada, as I drift off.

It isn't long before a hustle and bustle towards the front of my chambers stirs me back to my senses. I prop myself up on my elbow just as Eruaina, my handmaiden and my friend, glides into the room, a silver tray laden with nuts and fruits in her hands. She grins when she sees me.

"My lady gave us quite the scare," she says. "It is indeed good to see you safe."

My smile is slightly tighter than normal as I fully sit up.

"What time is it?" I manage.

"It is well past noon," she replies. "Preparations for the Feast are at their peak, my lady. The kitchens are bustling beyond measure."

"Then I would wager that the cellars are absolutely infested," I quip, receiving the tray.

We both laugh.

As I eat, Eruaina opens my wardrobe and sifts through it, finally selecting an elegant gown that flows and shimmers like starlight. When I finish, I grab a brush from my bedside and begin to work it through my tresses. I notice Eruaina stiffen just a bit before she speaks.

"So...what are they like?"

My brow furrows. "Who?"

"The...prisoners," she manages finally.

My mouth tightens. "How did you know I was down there?"

"The guards told me. I asked them to. But I promise you, I have told no one."

Sighing, I stand and glide across the room.

"Those prisoners are Dwarves, and they act as such. I made a mistake in attempting to reason with them. I will say no more."

"Very well, then," Eruaina all but breathes.

I can tell by the look on her face that she knows that there is much that I am not telling her, but she is wise enough not to press it. She slips behind me as I sit in front of my looking-glass and begins to weave braids, flowers, and white gems into my hair.

"I deem that you are glad that the hunting party has returned in time for the feast, my lady," Eruaina says.

"I am indeed," I reply. "But I had no doubts that they would. Legolas would not have missed it for the world."

"Oh, but of course," Eruaina says.

"And it will be good to see Elhadron again."

"He left before Lord Legolas did, did he not?"

"Yes. Nearly two months ago. It has been far too long, at any rate."

Eruaina only smiles a strange smile. I know that smile. I hate that smile.

"What?" I all but growl.

"Oh, nothing," she sighs. "It is just that, if Lord Elhadron has returned, then Lord Sereg has as well."

"Ah, yes," I say rather bluntly.

"He will be there tonight, most assuredly."

"Of course, he will."

She stops her work momentarily before she continues.

"He fancies you, my lady."

I sigh. "I know."

"You speak as if it's a bad thing," Eruaina says.

"I just..." Words fail me for a second, and I become frustrated. "He is a friend. A very old friend. As is Elhadron. Nothing more. It would be...strange."

"If it helps, the king would certainly approve," Eruaina says.

"I know," I mutter.

"And...I-I deem it a smart match-"

I hold up my hand to silence her.

Delicately Eruaina clears her throat. "I beg your pardon, my lady."

She finishes her work in silence. Soon enough soft skirts tickle the tops of my feet, and a simple necklace made of silver and a single emerald graces my neck. Not before fastening a small knife underneath a broad silver sash as a precaution, I glide from my chambers in search of my father or Legolas. The halls are relatively quiet; most that live here must be congregating closer to the Great Hall or the throne room, laying in wait for the feast. For a while, the only footsteps I hear are my own, but suddenly they seem to have an extra echo.

Immediately I freeze.

A few second of silence pass, then there it is again. A soft and swift padding of footsteps, the same that snuck around the garden, that slipped through the dark halls the night previous. Almost straining, my eyes search for any evidence visual evidence of their owner: maybe movement, perhaps a shadow...

Nothing.

I sigh. "Who goes there?"

No response is made.

Anger mingles with fear as my knife leaps into my hand.

"Who goes there?" I bellow.

Once the echo of my voice subsides, the soft padding of feet returns, this time much more desperate. Whatever - or whoever - this is, I have obviously given it some sort of fright, for it now runs from me. Determined not to let it slip away from me once again, I follow it. It goes in no apparent direction at first; its footsteps seem lost.

"Show yourself, whatever you are!" I say. Fear now becomes more prevalent, and a bit of it registers in my voice. "You cannot hide forever!"

The footsteps go silent. My head whips around, my ears straining for any sign of what is obviously an intruder of some sort. Just as I am about to give up, the footsteps pick up again, this time making an obvious break towards somewhere deeper into the palace. Perhaps the cellar. Or the dungeon.

I am about to pursue when a voice calls down to me and snaps my attention away from the invisible creature.

"Lady Caladhiel, there you are!"

I jump.

"Galion!" I all but cry, forcing a laugh to hide my awkwardness.

He smiles. "I am sorry to have startled you, my lady."

"Oh! No, no, Galion, no fault is yours! I am alright!" I stammer. Quickly I glance down at the knife that still gleams in my hand and shove both arms behind my back, grinning rather sheepishly.

Galion gives me a bit of a strange look before he continues. "Your father and brother wait for you just outside the Great Hall. The Feast will begin once you have joined them."

"I will be there shortly," I reply.

"I take my leave, my lady," Galion says with a short bow, then leaves.

Once the knife is safely back in its scabbard, I lift my skits ever so slightly and scurry after him, embarrassed to have held up the festivities. Just before I reach the Great Hall, I drop my skirts and slow down to the graceful glide that everyone has come to expect. Legolas and Ada stand just around the corner.

"My apologies for my lateness, Ada," I say. "I have no excuse."

My father looks slightly annoyed with me, but the small smile in his eyes does not go unnoticed. He turns towards the heavy doors that lead to the Great Hall. Legolas, for his part, offers me his arm, and I take it gratefully.

"You look beautiful," he whispers.

I smile in response, then the guards fling the doors open at my father's command.

All in the room, lords, soldiers, townspeople, all but the musicians, rise when we enter the hall. Nerves creep over me at first, but when I catch the gazes of a few tiny elleth that stare up at me, eyes wide with wonder, I cannot help but smile. And it morphs into a full-out grin when I catch sight of Elhadron. When we've made our way to the head of a long, sturdy table, my father gives a signal, and the banter hums, the servants bustle, and the party begins. It isn't long before I find myself sucked into the festivities, weaving through the throng, dancing a few dances, listening to Galion's uptight assertions that it will not be too long before we run out of food or wine or whatever else. At the first chance I get, I break away with Legolas and try to find Elhadron.

It does not take long. Elhadron's cheerful call hails us from not far away. I feel a small twinge when I see Sereg with him, but nevertheless I go to them happily.

"Mae govannen, hir vuin!" he says to Legolas.

"Elhadron, mellon nin, it is good to see you again," Legolas replies, and the two clasp each other's shoulders in a sign of friendship.

Elhadron then turns to me. "Lady Caladhiel, it has been far too long."

"Then why waste your time on formalities, friend?" I laugh.

He grins, and we embrace. He knows that he may as well be my second brother.

"It is good to see you again," he says.

"Indeed," I reply. "How goes the hunt?"

"Not as well as we would hope," he replies, "but I would not wish to burden you with ill news on such a happy night as this. But I shall tell you both in time."

I nod understandingly, gratefully. Legolas has now turned to Sereg, and after they've exchanged happy words, Sereg turns to me.

"Welcome home," I say rather softly.

"It is good to be home," he replies. "And it is good to see you."

He takes my hand formally and quickly kisses it. I for one, hope to the Valar that Eruaina is not watching. To my relief, I see her nowhere. Legolas and Elhadron sink deep into conversation, and Sereg extends his arm to me.

"Shall we go for a walk?" he asks casually.

I nod and take it. Just as we slip out of the Great Hall, Galion calls to me, walking rather briskly.

"The cellars are absolutely overflowing with empty wine casks, my lady. Any more and they shall spill into the hallways!"

I know the situation is most likely largely exaggerated in his stressed mind, but nevertheless I offer a solution.

"Send them down the river to the bargemen," I say coolly. "They should be awaiting a new shipment anyway."

"Very good, my lady," Galion mutters quickly, turning on his heel and all but scurrying down towards the cellars.

I chuckle a bit, and Sereg sighs good-naturedly. Then, excluding the echoes of the celebration, all goes silent.

Suddenly my ears catch the same pitter-patter of soft and swift footsteps. Just as they fade away, a tiny shadow, weak as dying smoke, slinks across the floor, whispering after Galion. However, I cannot see anything of its owner. Frustrated, I come to the conclusion that the accursed sickness in this wood must somehow be affecting me, and that I must be completely and irrevocably losing my mind.

My body must have grown tense, for Sereg picks up on my apprehension.

"Are you alright, Caladhiel?"

"Oh...yes, of course. I'm fine," I stammer, fighting to find myself again. "I just...I thought a saw something...a strange shadow..."

He gives me a bemusedly concerned look. "How much wine have you had tonight?"

I cock an eyebrow. "Not nearly as much as my father," I quip.

Though he obviously tries to stifle it, Sereg's deep laugh eventually bursts forth. Even the guards chuckle a bit.

"Shall we?" Sereg says.

I nod, and we begin to walk away, not before I steal one last look over my shoulder. Sereg, apparently, decides to make no more of it. Instead, he relays stories of the deeper parts of the wood, even a little of the outside lands, places that I long to see again but am barred from by my duties and by the evil that plagues my world.

"We had more than one encounter with spiders," he says. "We have cleared the forest for now, but Legolas suspects that more will come. If we could only find from where."

"Then we could destroy them at their source and end this madness," I reply stiffly.

"Yes," Sereg concurs. "But some good has come of it. Elhadron has managed to use their venom to form an elixir that draws it out like I have never seen before."

"There are some that sit in the dungeon that may have need of that ere this is over," I mutter before I realize what I am saying.

Sereg stops. "Prisoners?"

"Dwarves. Thirteen of them. They arrived yesterday, all tangled in webs. I can only assume that they fought the beasts before my brother's party found them."

Sereg's jaw drops.

"I am sorry; I thought you knew."

"They must have arrived before I returned," says Sereg. "Strange for them to be in these parts."

"That is what I thought," I say. "But Elhadron is right; now is not the time to speak of such things."

"Agreed."

Silence grows over us, and I suddenly wish to flee back to the Great Hall and melt back into the crowds.

"Our journeys brought us out of the trees, beyond the forest," Sereg finally says. "It was good to see the sky, the sunset with the silhouette of the Lonely Mountain in the distance, the stars appearing above the clouds. They shine brightest in those dark nights. And every time I beheld their light, I was always reminded of your beauty."

My discomfiture all but makes me dizzy, but I somehow manage to force an incredibly strained smile. He gazes right at me now, but my eyes remain glued to my feet, and I hope to the Valar for the coming of some sort of escape.

And come it does.

Suddenly a huge clamor roars from the lower levels of the palace. The cries of the guards mingle with their hurried and heavy footsteps. A few shoot past, barreling towards the gates and barely noticing us. Finally I catch sight of the captain.

"Castien!" I cry out.

"My lady," he says, hurrying over and giving me a quick bow.

"Castien, what is going on?" I whisper.

He all but breathes his answer.

"Prisoner escape!"

Elvish phrases:

Mae govannen, hir vuin! - Well met, my lord!

Mellon nin - My friend

Ada - father

Note: Castien does not belong to me, but my sister is kindly letting me write him. His role will increase as the story progresses.