Legolas Thranduilion, Lord of Dol Galenehtar, the Green Knight of Gondor, Still A Fool But Not Quite So Foolish As He Had Been Before, Ithilien

To Bandobras Took son of Reginard, My Faithful Esquire, Whose High Opinion of His Master's Acumen is Greatly Exaggerated, Crickhollow,

My Dear Bandobras,

Well, I have done it; I have delayed the wedding.  Now ere you disturb the household with your rejoicing I may tell you it is delayed not suspended; I do not easily rescind either decision or oath no matter how much I may regret any imprudent choice on my part; it is not in my nature to be so fickle, or to disdain my promises.  And I may tell you that though my heart is heavy I feel I have done the right thing in this; I have given my betrothed the additional time she obviously requires to adjust to her new home, and her new duties; I have neither discarded nor rejected her, and for that all ought to feel deep relief, for I was sorely tempted to so do.

Your advice, O my dear Little One, was invaluable and welcome, also the advice of our inestimable friend Gimli; between those two, and with the collusion of King Elessar, Queen Undómiel, Faramir and Éowyn, Cirien and Aldamir, I have knelt in humility and admitted my folly; difficult as this was to do I went in mortification of spirit unto my betrothed, enlightening her as to my resolution and defending my judgment in this, that we should say not this spring but the following, so that she and I shall be the better acquainted, and she the better able to take up her duties as my lady.  That she in her pretext disappointed me I could not help but reveal, though I refrained from harshness knowing her to be very young and perhaps ignorant of the distress she has caused; she railed against Dúrfinwen and Seimiel but I defended them saying they did naught but that which I as their lord did properly require of them.  At this she quieted, and looked at me keenly; I did see passing before her face a shadow of enlightenment followed by an expression of remorse, and I did perceive within her the prickings of conscience.  I know not whether this moratorium shall produce its proper fruit but I have this at least upon my side, that I have in all fairness given her a second chance, and I am now sure, as she has in the past assured me of her love for me, she shall prove it unto me not with vain action but with solid evidence of labor; indeed Andunië has said unto me that she has thrown herself into the preparations for the Tournament with all enthusiasm and interest, applying her energies to its workings and heeding instruction with meekness.  But O how my heart did wring itself in my chest as I spoke!  I could see within her the fracturing of her innocence as I remonstrated her, and in truth I believe she is as disappointed in me as I am with her, that I am not the indulgent lord she took me for, but am as flawed as any other – I am pained that I am the first to have taken her so to task, and crushed her naïveté; would that someone – anyone – had been in such a position before me to do it!  It was exceedingly distressing to know her esteem in me has been so blemished.

But there; that is my pride speaking; I admit I was pleased to be seen as one so lofty and noble, and it did my dignity perhaps too much good, feeding my conceit so with her blushes and accolades; this is better for me though, for I am brought low, and now we may come together without pretense or expectation.  For after all what matters it if we suffer some months of distress on account of a deeper goal, that is, our eternity together; I should rather this event have occurred than to have discovered it after we were wed, for then would I have been not so distressed as angry; as it is there is yet time to repair this oversight.  But it is still mortifying, my Bandobras; had I been wiser and less prone to flattery I should have discovered this all the earlier and so prevented a painful incident.

Well!  It is over for now, at least, and my betrothed shows every sign of repentance; I shall do all I can now, as the Tournament is nearly upon us and the harvest is ended, to foregather with her and see to her personal comforts and needs; I have been most neglectful in this, though I admit I have been very busy; perhaps now we have been given this pause we shall discover in each other more of the camaraderie and ease that have so far been lacking.

O and speaking of matrimony, my dear Little One, here is a tidbit of news for you, which shall forever prevent further teasing from you upon the subject of one of my ladies!  Seimiel and Kaimelas have announced their betrothal; long did I suspect their private discourse and low-voiced conversation of hiding deeper sentiment; for long centuries have I watched them, smiling in secret over their unconscious intimacy and oblivious familiarity; now it appears my own struggles have brought this to a head, and Kaimelas in frustration did make an appeal for Seimiel's heart, which she in honesty could not gainsay him; now they are finally to be bound, and all are relieved; they are eminently suited, my Bandobras, moreso than Seimiel and I ever would have been; she shall care for him most tenderly, and he shall give unto her all the esteem and admiration and affection she craves; I am most satisfied with this, for I love them both very much, and am overjoyed to see them so gone in bliss.  As a dearly beloved sister to me has been Seimiel, and long have I desired to see her paired with one worthy of her; that it is my dear friend Kaimelas who has been so privileged is yet one more reason to love them the more.  So there you are, my Little One!  Did I not tell you again and again that Seimiel and I were naught but friends and incompatible together?  Now at least that is one subject upon which I need fear no further provocation!

You have not said, my Bandobras, how fares the restoration of Long Bank; our last few letters have been rather more fraught with matrimonial import than usual, and I miss our discussion of the tidings and doings of your own land – how nice it would be to live in the Shire, how bucolic and comforting!  That I could be with you now, instead of in my own demesne – not that I detest Ithilien in any way but you must admit the circumstances in which I now find myself are far from restful – I should greatly like to sit with you at your hearth, my head upon your dear mother's lap, talking of insignificant trivialities with you in the gloaming, or wandering upon the northern downs beneath the stars, or playing with Samwise Gamgee's children upon the Hill – would that not be pleasant, my Bandobras?  Or better yet to find my fiefdom at peace, with tilth and tillage resolved, treaties upheld and economies stable, so that you and I could travel at will to Rohan to foregather with Gimli there, to sit upon the high wall of Helm and gaze upon the ancient keep of warriors, to descend the winding golden stair to the wonders beneath the Deep, to hear the Dwarves' sonorous chanting and booming drums echo back from far wall to high ceiling!  Then at last to return to our home here, to climb the tower and stand upon the balcony gazing down upon my lands, at the jutting peaks and swelling green hills, the misty cataracts and glittering rivers, the rustling oak and swaying pine, the fruitful vine and laden tree; is this what you then desire, Bandobras my dear?  To forswear your own lands and kindred to dwell with your Master and his people in this strange and wild place?  That you would submit to my headship for the duration of your apprenticeship is astonishing enough – I shall think no more of it, lest I long too deeply for that which ought rather be denied me; you are a Hobbit and I an Elf; you mortal and bound to the fate of your folk and I bound instead to the sands of Valinor – that I think not of my betrothed in this is a shameful thing, but in truth as things stand I do not see us ever coming to so comfortable an accord as you and I have together.  O that you were here, my Bandobras, to distract me from my cares!  Well, at least we have this as our consolation:  you shall be here well before I am to be wed, and can become acquainted with Laustairë as well, so that I may see even more clearly of what she is made, for you are my touchstone, O my dear Little One; before your unprejudiced eye all pretension shall wither and I shall be made more wise.  I seem to have lost my sight in this, my Bandobras; I am as astute as ever in the council-chamber or upon the battlefield or at the vine, but in this one domestic conundrum I am the greatest fool who walked upon the earth.

And here comes Kaimelas himself, scolding me for my lack of regard for my guests – I have been neglectful writing to you when I ought to be preparing for the banquet downstairs; here he has drawn my bath and set out my robes (not the ones my Lady Mother sent, I am pleased to report; I garner far too much attention when I wear them) and as I write he is unbraiding my hair – it is full of dust and twigs; I was out upon the northern hills today for we are considering clearing one of the meadows and tending to the many stands of herbs that grow wild there, in order to cultivate them – it is very difficult to write when one's head is being wrenched from side to side – see, I have just blotted the paper – I must go, my Bandobras; write to me quickly and let me know how goes your uncle and his Diamond, and the work upon Long Bank.  How I miss you!

Your Master,

Legolas