𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬

𝘉𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭

Upon returning home from the journey, Lasgalen realized that something within her had changed. Her home, once familiar and reassuring, now seemed somehow quieter, as if something was missing. She had never undertaken a journey for the sole purpose of visiting a place.
She remembered how her parents used to talk about it when she was younger, but they had never had the chance.

The Woodland Realm had fascinated and captivated her in every detail.
Every element, the trees, the atmosphere, the way the light filtered through the leaves, left a lasting impression.
Even though she was now back in her room, surrounded by familiar objects and the comfort of routine, she struggled to shake the feeling that there, in the heart of the forest, she had felt more alive than she had in a long time. Perhaps in decades.

The people were simple yet welcoming. They had a direct and sincere spirit. They celebrated with ease, were skilled warriors, and even in their most impulsive gestures, one could sense good intentions.
There was something in them that reminded her of her parents. For a moment, she wondered if her mother might have originated from that land. It seemed unlikely, considering how her parents had met, but she couldn't explain that strong, almost instinctive sense of affinity in any other way.

But beyond the charm of the place, there was another reason that pushed her to reflect on her journey.
She had studied in the past the different Elven lineages and the events of the First Age, as well as the history of Valinor, but she now felt the need to read again, to delve deeper.
She decided to go to the palace's great library in search of answers.
Her intent was clear: to carefully study the lineage of Oropher and the descent of Thranduil.

She walked to the library at a calm pace in the early morning, with sunlight just beginning to rise. After washing, she had taken her water-dampened tunic and made her way to the large hall filled with books.

It took her a while to find what she was looking for, but in the end she sat at one of the many wooden tables with four thick volumes. Thus began her research:

As she already recalled, she read that the Sindar, a branch of the Teleri lineage, had never reached Valinor to witness the light of the Trees.
They had settled in Beleriand, where they founded the kingdom of Doriath under the rule of Thingol.
His house belonged to the noblest of the Sindar, even related to the Maiar. Melian, Thingol's wife, was a Maia, and their union had produced Lúthien, the fairest among the Elves.
Reading those words again struck her deeply.
The Maiar were beings of extraordinary power and beauty, divine spirits who served the Valar.
That one of them had chosen to remain in Middle-earth for love defied all logic.
It sounded like the stuff of fairy tales, and yet it was historical truth.

Oropher, a direct descendant of Thingol, migrated with his people after the fall of Beleriand, along with his son, to what is now the Woodland Realm.
Thranduil was born at the end of the First Age, so he was nearly the same age as Elrond, although the latter was slightly older.
That made the Sindarin prince a young elf during the fall of the kingdom where he had been born.
Moreover, there were no notable mentions regarding his mother, only that she was a noble Sindarin elf.
Though not involved in the exile of the Noldor, those led by Fëanor out of Valinor and later banished by the Valar for defying their laws, the Sindar joined the war against Morgoth alongside the Noldor.

She read about the Oath of the Noldor, and her thoughts immediately turned to Galadriel: her brother had taken part in that oath, and perhaps only now she understood how important it was for Galadriel to be sure that everything they had done had been worth it.
Galadriel was among the rebels, had joined the host of Elves who had left Valinor without the Valar's consent.
She, who had been born in Valinor, born in the Years of the Trees, who had seen, heard, and lived more than anyone else, likely bore more rage toward Morgoth, and his shadow, Sauron, than anyone.
She was even older than Gil-galad.