Gimli Son of Glóin, Lord of Aglarond, Lock-Bearer and Elf-Friend, of the Nine Walkers, Rohan,

To Bandobras Took son of Reginard, Esquire of the Green Knight of Dol Galenehtar, Crickhollow

Dear Bandy,

Greetings to you, my dear little friend; I know your heart is bowed under with sorrow and believe me when I tell you that you are not alone in your concern.  Be not so dismayed your Master has not written you – at the time he seems incapable of writing or speaking; in the years I have known him never have I seen him this distraught, and we are all very concerned.  He came to Meduseld with sundry other Elves (Meivel and Himbaláth send their greetings to you by the way, and beg you come to us quickly) to fetch the bodies of Laustairë and her maid Nardanë; I had made their coffins myself, and decorated them with gold and runes as richly as I could within the limited time frame I was accorded.  After Legolas and his people arrived Éomer himself led us all to the shed, and opened the lids showing us their faces; your Master gazed down upon them, his countenance pale and grim in the dim candlelight; then his features contorted, and his eyes filled with tears; Éomer, seeing his distress, placed a hand as to comfort upon his shoulder, and Legolas fell to his knees beside the coffins, his face hidden behind his hands; though he wept not he trembled nor answered us; at last Himbaláth gestured us away, and we left him there alone, and he did not emerge for some hours.  Then the folk of Meduseld came, and lit torches, and sang a dirge; after which I led my own folk in a chant to Námo; then O Bandy how the hearts of the folk were wrung, for Legolas lifted his hands unto heaven, and sang an Elven requiem in his own tongue; there was not a dry eye in Meduseld, Bandy, nor among my people, so rending was it to hear his clear strong voice quaver, to watch the light in his eyes extinguish, and to see his heart broken. 

Do you not question me as I write that:  I meant "heart broken" in a differing sense than how folk usually use it; we both know well he loved not the maid Laustairë nor her friend Nardanë, but still it is with intense sorrow they bid one of their own farewell, who ought to have lived many ages upon this earth or in Valinor.  Also I fear to tell you your Master, being your Master, has taken the blame upon himself for their deaths (though he was not even in Dol Galenehtar when they left), he did tell me this eve ere he sought his couch in Meduseld that his culpability lies not in Laustairë's actions but in his own attitude toward her from the start, and there is naught I can say to change him.  There is more; he did give unto me a letter, found in Nardanë's rooms after her departure; he said to me, "Destroy it, for I cannot," but in truth I cannot either, for it seems to me some part of the tale still needs be told.  So I send it on to you, Bandy, to do with as you will; perhaps you ought keep it for now, and give it him later, when it is not so painful to read it – for myself I thought it would rather cause him to feel less culpable, but it seems to instead have rendered him senseless to all emotion save sorrow and regret.

Tell your mother to wait for me; I shall leave here shortly after Legolas and his contingent return the bodies to Dol Galenehtar; I go there with him to be by his side during the funeral and give what comfort I can, but when I am satisfied he shall do himself no harm in his grief I am coming back, and shall pass through Rohan and up Hollin to Bree; from there I shall go to Crickhollow and fetch you.  This is no longer a question of his desiring your presence; he needs his esquire now and I am going to bring you to him.  But do not I beg you tell him I am doing this!  When I mentioned it to him today he chided me saying the weather was far too harsh for travel and I should bring more harm than good; so be you sure to pack warm clothing, and we shall go in a carriage with many goods and comfits; also I bring Hwindiö with me, a good stout Elf and very capable; he shall see to it you and your mother lack for nothing.  Fríma also has said she will come, so that your mother shall have another lady about with whom to converse; I hope they get on well; she is gruff and not very affable but a good lady nonetheless.

Write to your Master and give him what consolation you may, though I fear it shall be hollow words only – I can think of naught to say to alleviate his pain; only time shall dull it now.

Watch for me; it shall take me six weeks at most.

Gimli

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 (attached letter)

Nardanë Daughter of Parímoëar, of Lindon

To Kalamiril Daughter of Menelúin of Mithlond, my Beloved Friend,

Greetings,

O Kalamiril, that you were here with me; I am so wretched!  Indeed I was unhappy an hour past but now I am doubly so. 

Laustairë has done naught but sulk and hide away since her atrocious acts at the Tournament; we are still trapped here by the inclement snow and storms, and I feel at times Dol Galenehtar is a ship asail in a cold white sea, for when I stand upon the balcony and gaze out at Legolas' lands there are naught but huge drifts like swells of waves as far as my eye can see.  I am drowning here, Kalamiril; drowning in anger and discomfort and melancholy; I know not what I shall do, and wish only to go home to you, that you might soothe me, and take this infant off my hands for a time.

Yet perhaps when you read what I have done to her you shall not wish to befriend me any longer.  O Kalamiril, what shall I do?  How I wish I were in Mithlond, how I wish I had never come here!

I know that Laustairë has not written you; this is to preserve her sense of affront, for should she attempt to justify her actions to you I know not even she could defend herself.  Instead she crouches within our chambers, alternately weeping and raging, and I am not certain which action offends me most; betimes Hirilcúllas or Dúrfinwen or Andunië offer to speak with her, but I refuse them, for I know she would do the more damage were her tongue unleashed.  She is so miserable, Kalamiril; she feels in her heart she was vindicated to take her revenge upon her betrothed, yet realizes the great hurt she has done and knows not how to bring these two feelings into accord.  Legolas was right – she is too young to wed – and now that her nature has been so blazoned abroad we shall never find a mate for her.  Would she but apologize to him, privately even, I am sure he would soften (though he would still not marry her, nor do I blame him for that) and she would be forgiven, for his heart is tender and affectionate and he most desires harmony and peace within his walls; yet each time I suggest it to her, after she has wept and complained of his anger, her own wrath blazes forth, disguising her guilt, and we quarrel so loudly betimes Kaimelas knocks upon the door, requesting some semblance of decorum.

Today I had had too much; I have tempered my words to a certain extent as you requested of me, but her continual blame of the ladies of Legolas' court inflamed me, and I spoke my mind harsher than I had intended; she turned to me quite white in the face, and asked why I had joined with "her enemies against her."  I told her quite plainly that she was in the wrong and "her enemies" would have been her friends but for her own selfish and vain actions; this initiated her usual rant against Seimiel (though she is to be wed to Kaimelas this Spring) and Dúrfinwen and the others, claiming them to be jealous of Legolas' regard for her and sabotaging his love for her.  Then in anger I said,

"Legolas is far too wise and prudent to accede to such foolishness, Laustairë; had you but behaved yourself his regard for you would have remained unswayed, even if Dúrfinwen and Hirilcúllas desired him – which they do not; they are not so base as to desire another woman's betrothed."

She looked at me then, her eyes dark with fury; balling her hands into fists she said:  "They are not the sole perpetrators of this indignity; you yourself have cast yourself so before his face he can scarce see me."

"I have done no such thing," said I with great indignation; "my sole desire has been the union betwixt Mithlond and Dol Galenehtar, as Lord Círdan did instruct me; to disrupt your relations with Legolas would be foolish in the extreme.  Do you give me credit for some intelligence, Laustairë."

At that point her speech degenerated into a series of incidents proving my perfidy; she had remembered each one and coddled them and cosseted them 'til they burst forth in an orgy of recrimination against me:  How I had spoken to him over her own voice, explaining her meaning; how I had gone to him attempting to smooth things over but instead remaining by his side talking for hours; how I had in her stead ridden with him into the woods for a day – things I had indeed done, Kalamiril, though I had not noticed how they vexed her at the time.  "I only sought to ease relations betwixt you two," I said, though my words sounded feeble even to myself.

She drew herself up then, tall and furious; she said coldly:  "You sought only to endear yourself to my beloved, taking my place in his affections; you thought to see to the union betwixt Mithlond and Dol Galenehtar without me:  You are in love with him yourself."

I opened my mouth to object, Kalamiril, but then I realized she saw the truth, though I did not:  each time I interrupted her when they were speaking, each time I stood by his side, each time I sat to watch him, I remembered; though at the time I excused myself saying I did it to make sure things went smoothly betwixt Laustairë and he I am forced to admit for once in her foolish life Laustairë has seen true, and I have not:  I am in love with him.  What disgrace is mine!  O what shall I do, Kalamiril?  Even if he returned my affections (which I am sure he would not; such a thing would be abhorrent to one so decent as he) I could not countenance such a thing; it should be shameful, detestable; all should object to such a union, and rightly so; what should my Lord think, or his noble Parents, should such a thing come about?  Yet to my humiliation I admit to you I contemplate this with deep and tender longing, Kalamiril – O I am shamed to think such a thing; I disgrace not only Lord Círdan but Legolas himself with my repugnant desires!

Laustairë did see the realization dawn in my eyes, and grew the angrier; with a cry she threw herself at me, beating me with her fists and weeping, and in my mortification I resisted her not, for I knew her to be justified in her wrath, so I stood with bowed head, accepting my doom.  Then she broke away, her eyes frantic; she said:  "You are in love with Legolas then?"  "I am," I said sadly, and with an exclamation of anger she quit me, leaving these rooms for the first time in weeks.  Now it is quiet and I can think, but I take no comfort from these thoughts – I am condemned to unhappiness, my dear friend; I am ruined and lost, for the one I desire is forever denied me.  He shall go on, living his life alone but strong and hale, for he needs neither maid nor man to support him; I however shall slink back to hide in my home, shamed and disgraced by this failure, and shall either fade, or go soon to Valinor, to reap what happiness might be mine – none, if Elbereth knows my reprehensible cravings, for I have dishonored my family and my Lord, indeed I have dishonored Legolas himself, who would be mortified to know of my feelings for him.  I have naught but humiliation and discredit to my name now, and the sooner I quit these fair halls, the sooner I distance myself from the sound of his clear voice and the sight of his fair face, the sooner I conceal myself from his kindly dear eyes, the better and gladder all shall be – save myself, for I am constrained to guilt and shame and sorrow, and I cannot raise my head.

Kaimelas has just come in; he said to me Laustairë did take from the stables a horse and rode into the storm, saying she should seek her home herself.  Foolish child!  But I blame her not for her actions; how can I then blame her, when I am culpable as well, and desire also to return to Mithlond?  Well I had best go after her and fetch her back; this is no weather to travel in.  I shall finish this later, O Kalamiril, and regale you further with tales of our stay here, which has been both heavenly and horrendous  – heavenly, for it did bring to me the breathtaking countenance of my beloved, yet horrendous, for it is forever denied me.