Nardanë Daughter of Parímoëar, of Lindon

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

Greetings.

Well my friend, I am certain you have already heard of this (indeed the couriers with indecent haste carried the news upon its conception, and marvelous though this system is that King Elessar has designed it is not fast enough to catch up with an Elf in a terrible hurry), so I may bestow upon myself congratulations at the successful conclusion of a job well done – though, I must admit, the chore shall not be fully completed ere the wedding has occurred, and these two are safely joined.  Unquestionably it seems to me to be a certainty, for when I watch the Prince and our little lady together I cannot help but smile; she is so dumbfounded by his presence, and he so confounded by her beauty, that they hardly speak, but gaze upon each other in rapturous silence; that may be perhaps because Laustairë is so tongue-tied in his company that conversation with her is futile and he merely settles himself to enjoying her features instead.

I know that you shall ask of him, for you are as concerned about our Laustairë's future happiness and well-being as I am and love her even more deeply than do I.  Let me set your mind to rest, dear Kalamiril, and tell you he is perfectly charming; he is frank and open, sincere and loyal, and diligent in his duties; he also displays a canny aptitude in mortal politics, for the Men in the surrounding areas love and trust him both, at times moreso than their own neighbors; the adjacent knights in the contiguous fiefdoms do vie for his favor, for he has the ears of both the King and of the Lord of Osgiliath, Faramir, and he has succeeded in building his demesne to a sound state in merely ten years; he is persuasive and potent in the council-chambers, so Mithlinálwi and diverse others have said, protecting his assets and the assets of his friend Lord Cirien with fervent zeal, yet doing so with such artless humor and good-natured friendliness one hardly feels any ground has been given him.  I have also had occasion to speak to the head of his militia, Meivel, who came to him from Taur e-Ndaedelos, and has fought by his side for untold years; he has given to me many accounts of his lord's bravery and selflessness, his loyalty and valor, that my head fairly swims with it; to look upon him one would not guess that of him, for unlike Laustairë I cannot go into such raptures when I gaze upon his form; he seems to me much like any other Elf in stature and grace, though I admit there is in his face a certain fineness and strength of character others might lack.  There is a wistfulness there too I have seen betimes, that his secretary Hirilcúllas tells me is the Sea-Longing; that he suppresses it so close to the mouth of the Anduin bespeaks to my mind a surmounting stubbornness that causes me some anxiety on Laustairë's behalf.  But he is quite comely enough for our charge; indeed she enthuses for hours unending upon his aspect and features, and I in weariness want to stop up my ears so that I no longer have to hear her ecstasies concerning his hair "like a waterfall of liquid gold," or his eyes "grey as mirrored glass," or his voice "dulcet as a nightingale's" – do you not see, dear friend, what it is I must endure?  Yet we know our Laustairë, we two; she shall cool off eventually, and his more weighty characteristics take the place in her mind of his physical charms.  This one, at least, has sufficient quality of temperament to weather it!

You would have been so pleased, dear Kalamiril, had you seen the way in which Laustairë – unknowing, but effectively – so completely vanquished him when they met.  I admit to some qualms felt when we approached his dais, for he seemed aloof, and the lady beside him (Lady Éowyn of Emyn Arnen, a doughty barbarian woman of Rohan) frowned at us; I bethought perchance our presence was unwelcome and resented, and I should have my hands tied ere I began my campaign; but then he looked upon her, and his visage softened, as do all who see her darling face; the crier did speak our names, and we stepped forward, and curtseyed as he solemnly bowed.  Now Kalamiril, I did clothe her as we had discussed, in the blue and silver gown, and it became her well; I dressed her hair (though not so elaborately as she liked) and set over it the silver cap, but we did not have her to wear the blue cloak, for it is warmer here in spring than in Mithlond; besides I liked the way she looked, tall and slim in her lovely vestments, and the cloak would perhaps have covered too much.  But I boast not when I aver she was the loveliest woman in the entire assembly, and when Prince Legolas arose he appeared to discover this too, for he seemed startled; and Laustairë, when she met his gaze, blushed deeply and lowered her face in confusion, then – you remember how she has done this since infancy, and so set discipline to naught in the nursery – looked shyly up at him through her lashes, her lips curving into a hesitant smile.  O how thunderstruck he was, my friend!  How I wish you could have been here to see it, Kalamiril, so utterly smitten was he with our little Laustairë – this hale warrior and canny statesman, so set upon his heels he could scarcely speak!  At that moment I met the eye of his seneschal, Galás, and we exchanged secret smiles, and between us two and Prince Legolas' valet Kaimelas we arranged the betrothal immediately, ere one or the other could change their mind.  Laustairë is euphoric over the prospect, for she indeed had fallen in love with him long before they met; as for the Prince I am not certain; he seems uneasy betimes, but so obvious to me is his high regard for her I see no difficulties there.  Now the documents are being passed betwixt Círdan and Thranduil, and I have no doubt the betrothal shall be announced as Galás and I have scheduled it, so prepare yourself, my Kalamiril, to sail up the Anduin to Osgiliath next spring, to so witness the wedding of our beloved Laustairë, and the fulfillment of our lord's wishes.

Now I must go, for there is yet another banquet tonight, for a man of Minas Tirith who has done some important task for the King – something to do with the flotilla I believe – and there shall be dancing and singing, and Laustairë is in a fever of discontent for the seamstress did not finish the plum-colored gown, and she wished to wear it tonight for her "beautiful prince," though I like it not; she has requested far too many ribbons and embroidered roses on it, and I think it would be more befitting a child than a woman full-grown.  But such are the garments she loves, as you know, dear Kalamiril, so I shall sew on the ribbons myself, forswearing my own poor dress, for in truth it is the Prince's betrothed the folk shall look upon, and not the lady's maid in her green sheath.  So lovely are Laustairë and Prince Legolas together that no other, man or woman, has any chance of being noticed at all – everyone's eyes are drawn to them, they are like two stars in perpetual orbit about one another, and to see it makes my heart to swell with happiness.

Write to me with all haste, dear friend, for I long to hear from you, and to hear all the gossip and doings of the court at home.

In sorrow we are sundered, yet in hope we shall be reunited,

Nardanë