Golden Thrones and Moonlight Veils (HOBBIT FANFICTION)

Prologue

Everyone was whispering that day. Even the wind—usually harsh and unforgiving—was quiet as a sigh. She sat alone in the middle of her room, clutching her worn-out ragdoll, waiting. Minutes turned into hours until her nursemaid finally slipped into the room. The old woman's wrinkled face was pale, her eyes red-rimmed, and it scared her. "They are gone, dear sweet child," she said softly, patting her pale hair. "Your parents. The Night took them, in peace. They've gone to a better place."

But she had heard the murmurs, the servants' hushed voices behind the door. "Attack... ripped apart... they never found who... they should never have gone... oh, so much blood!" The whispers clung to her days, seeping into her dreams. The Night might have taken her parents, but her young mind understood it wasn't peaceful. It was red, like fire, like dawn, like the dress she refused to ever wear again. And so, her days of nightmares turned into months, then years. But as she grew, her body ripening, her mind maturing, she learned to hide—from the pitying gazes of servants and visitors, and from the shadows that lingered just outside her periphery, a silver-haired woman and a man with a golden crown, both weeping blood instead of watery tears.

"We have to go," Eline urged her mistress gently towards the awaiting carriage. Lady Talessa Quinmaer's face was turned towards her home, her hesitant, sorrowful gaze clung to it's gloomy, grey walls. The bare stone was neither inviting nor strong; it was a bleak, shabby mansion that its inhabitants tried to brighten with flowers, carpets and colourful decorations. Eline never understood why her friend was so attached to such a musty, desolate place.

The girl found herself working at Quinmaer Castle at the age of twelve after her parents secured her a position as a kitchen maid. The manor struggled to find servants, as the tragic demise of the Lord and Lady had sparked rumours among the nearby villagers. They whispered of a haunted place, a danger to a good man's mind and sanity. It didn't help that the new lady of the manor was said to be of unsound mind—a ghost in a living body, they claimed—one who would haunt your dreams and draw you into madness.

Eline's parents, however, were more educated than the village folk. Her mother worked as a tutor, and her father, a trader who had visited many lands before settling, dismissed such superstitions. So, of course, they didn't believe the rumours and considered the position an excellent opportunity for their young, unruly daughter. Eline, on the other hand, a bit naive and impressionable, believed everything the villagers whispered. To her, the new employment was a nightmare. But she had to accept it to help her family, as her mother was preoccupied with caring for her two little brothers—one five at the time, the other merely two.

After the first few months, however, she realised it was not as terrible as she had feared. Some of the older servants were a bit quiet and evasive, and there was certainly a lingering sadness, something melancholic between the stony walls. But the job was easy, she was paid well, and she never even encountered the infamous Lady of the manor.

Until the day she did. She was tasked with polishing the silverware—a rather honourable task for someone of her simple position—in the dining chamber when the Lady walked in. The woman wore an ivory gown, a simple, long-sleeved, high-neck design, but the delicate lacework all over made it look elegant, almost regal. The most peculiar thing, however, was the long white veil, gently stirred by the wind from the open window, obscuring her face, her features barely visible. She turned to Eline and seemed to want to say something, but the servant girl dropped the fork in her hand and fled the room, startled, as the woman who she just saw was surely not human.

Eline had a fiery temper, and so she very loudly declared to all the staff that listened that she would not work in a haunted house. But then the maidservant Bertra grabbed her by the arm, dragged her out of the kitchen, and gave her a stern lecture about making fun of a child, barely older than Eline herself, who had lost her family and was just trying to deal with her grief. Bertra left Eline with a disappointed look, and the girl suddenly felt very guilty and rather foolish for indulging in the villagers' gossip and believing in ghost stories. For the next two years, whenever she saw her mistress, she curtsied deeply, as if to apologise for her earlier behaviour. The lady—the girl—always replied with a nod, and sometimes Eline could even make out a small smile behind the veil.

When Eline turned fourteen, Bertra offered her a new position as Lady Talessa's maid. Eline was nervous to accept, not because of superstitions this time, but due to the simple commoner's wariness of those with titles, manners, and wealth. She ended up accepting though, and it proved to be one of her best decisions. Not only did she gain a valued and noble position, but she also found a best friend.

On the first afternoon that Lady Talessa met Eline as her new maid, her face was uncovered. She sat straight-backed on an ornate sky-blue sofa, dressed in one of her usual white gowns, her impossibly long silver hair gently framing her delicate, radiant face. Eline had never seen a girl more beautiful; for a moment, she thought she might be gazing upon an elven princess—or her carved marble counterpart. Her slightly pointed ears, peeking through her silver hair, only added to the ethereal impression. Later, Eline learned that the lady was indeed half-elf, a descendant of the fabled Lúthien on her mother's side.

Talessa, or Tessie as Eline soon came to call her, was kind and graceful, polished but not haughty. She treated Eline as a friend, not a servant, and so that is what they became. Sometimes Talessa's sorrow would resurface, making her distant and fragile, but Eline always found a way to distract her, to bring her back to the present. Whether it was with a silly story, a walk through the garden, or simply sitting with her in silence, Eline learned how to gently coax Tessie out of the dark corners of her mind. In return, Talessa offered Eline something she had never expected to find in a noblewoman: true friendship. It was a bond that transcended the boundaries of class, one that made them both stronger, and Eline knew it was a bond that would carry them through any challenges that lay ahead.

✧

Although Talessa had been certain of her decision yesterday, now doubt filled her heart. Just a few weeks ago, a letter had arrived from a distant elven relative, Lord Elrond, inviting her to visit him in Rivendell. When she mentioned it during dinner that evening and suggested accepting the invitation, both her friend Eline and her beloved maid Bertra had been ecstatic, encouraging her to go. Their enthusiasm emboldened her, and Talessa set aside her qualms, deciding to organize the trip.

Now, as she gazed back at her house, a sudden dread crawled up her spine, spreading through her body like ice. She had never set foot beyond her estate, never even visited the nearby villages. She was on the verge of calling off the journey and retreating to the familiarity of her chambers when she saw them—two pale figures in one of the high windows: the lady with the silver hair and the lord with the golden crown. Over the years, their faces had grown obscured, their shapes more transparent, but they were always there, watching. And Talessa realized that if she didn't leave now, she would be trapped here forever.

As the vision faded, she began to back away, shaking her head to dispel the unwanted sight, her veil shifting and momentarily obscuring her view of the house. Instinctively, she reached out for Eline, and the girl, noticing her distress, quickly grasped Talessa's trembling hands, her face filled with gentle concern. For a moment, everything seemed to freeze—except for Eline's shiny copper curls, which danced in the breeze. That was enough to snap Talessa out of her daze. With a surprising surge of determination, she strode to the carriage and, taking the valet's offered hand, promptly climbed inside.

Bertra raised an eyebrow but smiled knowingly. Eline helped the elderly woman up before climbing in herself and taking a seat beside Talessa. The butler hesitated at the door, unsure whether to close it or wait for his mistress to change her mind. Talessa closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then gave the order: "Depart!"

✧

At the same time, thirteen dwarves, a wizard and a hobbit set off on a glorious adventure to the Lonely Mountain, Erebor, to reclaim the ancient homeland of Durin's folk.