My mother is a woman known by many names. Perhaps you know her as “Queen Solaris” or “Luna of Nilmar”, but to me, she is very simply Nanneth, Ami, or Mother.

When I was younger, I did not see my mother for the queen she was. I saw her as mother, the one that played with me, one who held me when I cried. I never saw her as the ruler of a race of elves. I saw her as a wife to my father, not the wife to a King. Perhaps she was hiding it from me when I was younger, or, perhaps I didn’t notice her long absences at times, or her temper when something was wrong. But she was never mad at me, and she never took her temper out at me.

But as the decades past, I began to see my mother as someone else as well. I saw her as the queen. It came as a shock to me, that others would call her by any name, that was not “Luna” as my father called her, or Nanneth that I called her. But people did. I had walked into the throne room in the palace, and I noticed mother sitting in one of the chair, father next to her. There was someone kneeling on the ground before them, and mother looked worried, and father was angry. I stepped into the shadows, so not to be seen and observed my mother. There was a circlet of gold on her forehead, and her hair was tied back into a elaborate knot. She was in ceremonial robes of crimson and gold.

As I watched, my mother waved a white hand and the person kneeling on the floor in front of her stood and bowed. My mother spoke, her voice calm and even, and not full of the love I heard as a child, but an emotion I couldn’t place. “Tell Queen Elenwe and Lord Legolas that the aid of the sun-elves is theirs to request. We can not risk an open war.” The person bowed, and as he turned I saw that he wore the armor of another race. The door shut and the person was gone. My mother’s voice sounded again. “Lorelai, you can come out now.” A blush rose to my cheeks, and I left my hiding spot to face my parents. I looked at my father, and in his face was amusement, and my mother smiled at me. “Ami…how did you know I was there?” I asked.

Mother smiled wider and Father laughed. “Your nanneth always knows when someone comes into a room.” I looked at my mother wide-eyed. I saw her as the queen, and a spy, and I don’t know what else, but in that instant I saw her as more then just my mother.

(Some years passed, and I spent more and more time in the throne room. Finally mother came to me one day and stood before me, studying me with a frown on her face. “Lorelai.” She said. “Come with me.” She led me through the rooms and into another wing of the palace where a hurried looking elf appeared with pins in her mouth. She hurried by Mother and I without stopping, and nodded. She got about three feet away, turned around and came back to us. “Your majesty.” She greeted mother, bowing very low. Then she turned and looked at me. “My Lady.” She said, looking at mother quizzically.

“Seranya, this is my daughter, Lorelai. Lorelai, this is the dress-maker here, Seranya.” Mother smiled. I nodded, and Seranya looked me over.

“Quite small, your majesty, much like you were when you were young, and still in Middle Earth.” Seranya said, and mother blushed a little.

“You know what I want you to do, Seranya; I’m thinking gold, and perhaps a really dark rich red.” Mother said, then turned to me.

“Daughter, I must go and attend to some things in another place, your father will be here, and he will teach you some things about diplomacy I never learned. Listen, and behave. And Seranya will be here to help you as well.” Mother leaned over and kissed my forehead and left.)

Through the many years I watched my mother, I came to learn that her job was not as easy as it would seem. I mean, well, okay, I don’t know what I mean.

I remember, when I was younger, my parents room was that inaccessible place, the door was always shut and locked. It wasn’t until I was much older that I finally gained access, when I followed a maid in, and dismissed her, so I could clean my parent’s room, and snoop. I looked around the big room. There was a huge four-poster bed, with big fluffy pillows, and a red and gold coverlet. I had some memories of lounging there with my parents from when I was younger, but as time went on, and more violence came to Valinor, those fun times with my parents came to an end.

I looked at my father’s things around the room. He had a few swords hanging on the wall, gifts, and there was a portrait of him and Nanneth on the wall. I looked around, and saw more of his things, but it was more my mother I was interested in. I walked over to her vanity, a neatly kept thing. ON the shining table top were a jewelry case, and some crystal bottles. I looked at the crystal bottles and opened one. It was Mother’s Camilla perfume, the perfume she only wears on special days. I figured the others were less exciting scents. I looked in the jewelry case, there were diamonds, and gold chains, and a ring that caught my eye. On the ring was the Drow symbol interlinked with a moon. ON the back it said “To our sister in the moon…Fai” Ah. So Fai had given this to our mother, but why did he say “sister in the moon” Mother was a sun-elf. There was no such thing as a moon elf. I continued to sift through the case. There were rings, infinitely more than mother would ever wear, all probably gifts from wealthy subjects trying to bribe mother. She never did as they wanted, but she always kept the rings and jewelry. I closed the case gently, and turned around. My mother had such an interesting life…she was queen, and she had all these things.

Some days passed, and nothing seemed to change. Mother had left the day I took the arrows, and wasn’t due to return for some time. But they day she did return was terrible, and wonderful all at once.

She walked into the room, and looked at Ada, Arteden, and I, with her level stare, and said angrily, “One of my arrows is missing.”

Ada looked startled. “But, Luna, we keep the locked away.” Mother looked at Ada, and said, her voice clipped,

“I know that. Which means someone had to be in the room to get to them. Arteden?” She asked. Arteden looked at mother, his eyes serious, and his dark hair braided. “

“Nanneth…I haven’t been in yours and Ada’s room for many years. I didn’t know where your arrows were kept.” Arteden said, and his voice told mother how honest he was. I didn’t think I would be that lucky.