"Is Master Erestor in here?"
Haldir looked up to see Nenniach, one of Elrond's advisors, standing in the doorway of the classroom. During the last few days, Master Erestor had spent less and less time tutoring him and more time preparing for the conference. The elder elf had also granted Haldir permission to use the front desk if he was away after the incident with the spilled ink, realizing the desks in the classroom were just too small for an elf of Haldir's size.
The reason for Haldir being in Imladris was to be educated in Westron, among other things, and though he was not happy about the lessons in manners and the constant reminders of proper behavior, fewer and fewer were the times Lord Elrond would frown upon him in the hallway. He felt less and less like an outsider and more part of the household. Though he had regular chores - cleaning stable stalls and brushing horses - he also eventually came to understand that even the highest members of the house had daily responsibilities to attend to.
Nenniach was the one who did her best to clear up misconceptions Haldir had about the way Imladris was run. Unlike Lothlorien, Mithlond, and Mirkwood, all of which produced goods that were traded with other realms, Imladris was a service-driven society. The main purpose of the great house was that it served as a meeting and resting place, not unlike an inn in this way, but very different in the additional services offered.
The Hall of Fire provided for singing and storytelling and other like entertainment. The gardens were a well-maintained part of the house, suitable for many hours of walking or gentle riding. Lord Elrond himself was a well-known healer, and those who had need of his skills would come from miles afar to seek his advice. Horses could be rented, tours of nearby areas booked, rangers hired by parties who sought an elf to travel with them on their journey. The list was endless, and it fascinated Haldir each time he learned of something else to add to it.
"Haldir? Have you seen Master Erestor?"
Shaking his head out of his trance, Haldir said, "Master Erestor - he was here earlier, but said he needed to inventory the supply of feed for the horses."
"I was just down at the stables!" Nenniach complained to herself, placing her hand to her forehead. "Oh, I'll never find him at this rate!"
"Is something the matter?" ventured Haldir, putting down his quill.
"Yes, in fact, something is," she answered. "The delegation from Mirkwood is early by three days."
"They're here?" Haldir stood up excitedly, having looked forward to meeting the mysterious elves of Mirkwood. He had only been to the realm once, as a very small child, and remembered little of the journey, with the exception of the caves they lived in. He'd seen barely a half-dozen other elves, and always briefly. He pushed in the chair he had been sitting on and walked to the door. "We should greet them."
"We need Master Erestor," insisted Nenniach, turning to walk down the corridor.
"Do you really want to keep the delegation waiting?" pressed Haldir.
Nenniach narrowed her eyes. "I am going to find Master Erestor. If you see him, please tell him what news I have shared with you. I believe you have lessons to finish, Haldir." With that, she turned the corner of the hall and kept walking.
Haldir waited until he was fairly certain she was far enough away not to hear him before he whistled for the page down the hall. The elfling promptly came to the door, halting silently for instructions. "Do you know where the delegation from Mirkwood is waiting?"
"They are outside, near the gazebo," answered the page. Haldir patted the youth on the head and walked past him in the opposite direction, taking the steps two and three at a time.
In the courtyard, various elves of Imladris mingled with those who had arrived, still in their traveling clothes, still waiting to be formally received. There was no sign of Master Erestor, nor of Lord Elrond. Haldir had been told that during the conference, he would be expected to help Master Erestor with various tasks, and now seemed the perfect time to start. Greeting of diplomats was on the list he had been given, and he walked boldly up to the most stoic of the group, the one who looked to be in charge, and held out his arm in greeting. "Mae govannen!"
There was no reaction from the elf he had approached; in fact, he seemed to be looking right past him at some unknown point. Haldir cleared his throat twice until the elf, as well as many of the other elves around the area, was looking at him. Less sure now, he once again said, "Mae... govannen..."
"Máravë omentaina!" said an elf with darker hair who had been standing just behind the one giving him a stern look. Stepping forward, he asked, "Essenya Ilmendin. Man nalyë?"
Haldir stood quietly, letting his hand drop back down to his side, glancing around at the elves who were assembled. "Uhhmm..."
"Ma quetil i lambe Quenya? Ma hanyalyen?" The elf speaking had a warm smile on his face, but the elf beside him was looking less and less amused at Haldir's interruption. A number of the elves in the vicinity were beginning to hide their laughter politely, but the cheeks of the young elf burned despite this courtesy.
Swallowing hard, Haldir suddenly felt a hand clamp down hard on his shoulder. He spun around to find Nenniach looking at him with a vast amount of disapproval. "Couldn't stay in the classroom, could you?" She gently maneuvered Haldir around so that he was behind her and then did some sort of a deep curtsey he'd never before seen. Addressing the pair of elves, she said some things that Haldir did not understand, but in the language he had been spoken to in. After a few exchanged words, she curtseyed again and pulled Haldir along with her. "Come on," she hissed. "I think I know where he is. Let us hope he can salvage the situation."
"I'm sorry," Haldir began, but he was cut off abruptly.
"If you were sorry, you wouldn't do it," she scolded. "Sorry is the response to an accident. This was not an accident. This was you not thinking before you did. Doing without asking, without waiting. I told you to stay in the classroom, I'm sure Master Erestor would have found you before he welcomed the delegation. Even if he hadn't," she continued as they walked down a hidden path toward a small pond, "you should remember that you are being given a special privilege to walk among the delegates and be at his side for the duration of the conference!"
Haldir opened his mouth to apologize again, but closed it when he realized it would be futile. He had indeed done wrong, now that he thought about it, but he truly thought he had been helping. Watching the ground as they walked, he braced himself for the punishment that would come from his mistake.
"Erestor!" called out Nenniach as they came to the end of the path. Not five feet away was the water's edge, and Haldir thought it strange that they should stop before coming out into the open. There was no answer, so Nenniach called a little louder. The second time, there was a sound of paper rustling and a faint response. "Oh, bother, he's far out." Turning to Haldir, she said, "Would you mind just walking out there and telling him?"
Not wishing to disappoint twice in so little time, a slightly confused Haldir continued down the path to the edge of the water. At first, he saw no one, but after a second scan of the pond, he noted he was being watched by an elf lounging lazily on a log that was drifting across the water. There was a book in his hand, and his hair was fanned out in the water behind him. Other than that, the elf on the log was wearing was nothing else from what little Haldir could see. This was made more than evident when he saw the neatly folded pile of clothes sitting on a large rock near the shore. "The Mirkwood delegation is here," Haldir called out, trying best he could to look at Master Erestor and yet avert his eyes.
"Early? Hmm." Erestor readjusted himself on the log, completely unashamed of his appearance, and paddled with one hand back toward the shore, still reading from his book as he went.
"I..." Haldir paused as Master Erestor looked up. "I may have tried to welcome them to Imladris for you, but it seems to have gone rather badly."
Master Erestor stared at him for a few moments, saying nothing. Haldir shrunk back a little. Finally, Master Erestor asked, "What did you say to them?"
"I only said, 'Mae govannen'," replied Haldir.
"Ai, Elbereth," Master Erestor whispered to himself, but it was loud enough for Haldir to have heard. "Here, catch this," he called out, flinging the book toward Haldir. Haldir's eyes widened that Master Erestor would throw such an important thing across the pond, but it easily made the distance before landing in Haldir's hands. In the meantime, Master Erestor had dove off of his perch and was swimming back toward the shore.
"I'm... I'm sorry. I mean, I shouldn't have, but I'm still sorry," Haldir apologized as Master Erestor reached the shore and began to dress hastily.
"No real harm done, I hope," said Master Erestor, using his cloak to dry off quickly and tossing it aside. His shirt he pulled on over his head as he said, "Prince Ilmendin speaks Quenya, not Sindarin. A personal choice I've never understood. Nonetheless, protocol dictates to speak to him in Quenya. I'm sure he will overlook this, in fact, he and I will most certainly have a laugh about it later. Lord Thaladir, on the other hand…"
"The stern-looking one?" questioned Haldir. Master Erestor nodded as he sat on the rock and shoved his feet into his boots. "He didn't speak to me at all. I suppose he didn't understand a word I was saying."
"On the contrary, he most certainly did. However, once again, he was expecting either Lord Elrond or myself, or even Lord Glorfindel if he were here. Being greeted by you without proper introduction is not appropriate. I will have to make amends best that I can," sighed Master Erestor, picking up the damp cape and handing it to Haldir. "Come. Let us greet the delegation and show them the proper respect. It is no fault of yours, I did not instruct you on what to do, nor did we expect them this early."
"I'm going to be so embarrassed," mumbled Haldir as he trudged along behind Master Erestor. "I don't know how I can face them again."
"To have approached the entire delegation, a whole group of unknown elves, and attempt to make them feel welcome, that was a bold move," Master Erestor commended. "Not proper protocol, but I'm sure that's a phrase you'll get used to hearing over the next few weeks. I think you can find the courage to bow to them and be silent as I speak."
"I suppose you have a... proverb or... something of the sort for this situation," remarked Haldir as they rejoined Nenniach on the path and walked up to the house.
"The only thing that comes to mind at the moment," said the dark elf as he wrung out his hair, "is 'Don't swim naked in public when there is a chance the elves of Mirkwood will show up early'"
