Merisuwyniel gracefully swung a shapely leg, clad again in the practical yet feminine divided skirt which was her habitual attire, over Falafel’s back. The starry festive gown had been relegated to her saddle bag, folded carefully with layers of tissue paper and enclosed in a waterproof protective cover. Likewise had she traded the high-heeled Manwëolos for her fine leather boots, supple and sturdy. As she waited for the others to take their farewells, she unwrapped the small package that Celery had secretly slipped into her hand, recalling his words.
“The eyes of the men who surround you on this journey are not sufficient witness to your beauty,” he had said. “Take this small token from one who has seen much that was once beautiful fade away from memory, and delight in the vision it shows you.”
After she had removed the shiny wrapping paper and the elaborate bow, she saw a locket, exquisitely shaped of gold and mithril, attached to a mithril chain. She pushed the clasp to open it and lo! the face of a wonderfully fair, dark-haired Elven maiden was therein. She recognized it as the image of Tinúlizzie, the most beautiful Elf that ever lived. Then the picture faded, and a golden-haired maiden became visible. Eyes of velvety violet looked back at her, and only when the image moved did she realize that she saw herself in a mirror.
Peering more closely, she realized that her complexion was rather ruddy, more so than a becoming blush would account for. Furtively, she rummaged through the cosmetic bag till she found a sample of tinted moisturizer and applied it to her face. Then she disguised the shadows of sleepless nights with cover stick. How restlessly she had tossed and turned, torn between self-reproach and longing.
She had looked into the heart of an enemy and seen there love and understanding. Now memory was all that was left, and memory was not what her heart desired. That could only be a mirror… And as she gazed into the mirror, it seemed that she could see the outline of a dark figure, waiting for her – but where?
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'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth.. .'
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