The rest of the journey towards Lothlórien went without many surprises. Through the weeks it took them to reach it, Arwen learned a few things about Luminarie from her mother . She shut herself off from almost everyone, but when there was someone she cared about, she would protect them without regard for her own life. This was evident in the fight with the last seen Balrog on the surface, where everyone thought she had died, but a few who knew her suspected that she probably just went into hiding again because she thought it would be painful to go through all the celebrations after the war. She even left her sanctuary and fabricated this journey to help her friend in need. So it all led Arwen to know that her new teacher wasn't social but was protective, and from what she could deduce from other stories she liked to read, she enjoyed crafting , singing, and even playing a few instruments. But this wasn't the aspect she admired the most. She looked up to Luminarie for her mastery of weapons , tactical and strategic thinking, but there was something strange in her eyes. Her teacher never spoke about her accomplishments . None of the examples she provided during lessons were from her own experiences. All scenarios were made up on the spot, and there was never in her eyes arrogance or pride. When Arwen asked her about it, she looked at her as if she were an alien.
" Why should I be proud of such things? I just wanted to live, so I fought with all I had and survived it. Rather , we should never forget about those who never came back , " Luminarie said with sorrow in her eyes and walked away. When Arwen saw this, she wanted to go after her, but Neori stopped her.
" Young lady, leave her be for now. She recalled her own loss through your words. "
" What loss?"
" Her parents died in the First Era when she was less than 400 years old. After that, she went into a whirlwind of work, like smithing or mastering battle awareness, " said Neori, one of the oldest Elves in the camp. " I have been a companion of Lady Luminarie for almost 6,000 years, and she never let her grief cloud her judgment or allow her loved ones to suffer. She would rather die than let that happen, but sometimes she needs quiet moments of peace." Arwen looked at the older woman and then in the direction Luminarie had gone .
" Should I apologize ?" she asked in a quiet voice.
" It is okay, my child," said Celebrian. " Lumi isn't so petty as to hold it against you that you question things you know nothing about. Besides, she prides herself on being strong and independent, so it could be detrimental."
" Mom, but she can't be alone all the time, right?" Celebrian's daughter asked with worry on her face.
" Maybe not, but it is not our place to do something that we are not asked to do, " the Lady of Imladris said and walked away. Arwen looked at her back and then toward the direction where Luminarie had gone . She thought for a while, looking at the darkening sky.
" I will not let her be alone," she said and walked toward her teacher . When she came near, she saw that between Luminarie's hands were projections of men and women . After a closer look, she noticed that they looked like the woman and had hair like the man.
" I am sorry if you wanted to be alone, but I couldn't stop myself from coming here. Are those your parents, if I may ask?" Arwen said to Luminarie, who almost jumped when she heard her voice.
" You can ask, but I am not obligated to answer that question," Luminarie said in a cold voice and with a cold look. " My life is my own, and you are not in any position to know anything about my private life. You are just a girl who happens to be the daughter of my friends and was given to me by them to train. Do not overstep where you shouldn't," she said as she stood up and walked toward her. " I don't know you well, so don't try asking such questions ever again. If I wanted to tell you about myself , I would just say it."
After those words, Luminarie went toward her tent, leaving Arwen with shock on her face. A few minutes later, the young Elf could be seen with a crestfallen face near her horse while she cleaned her hair. Celebrian saw her and sighed. She walked toward Luminarie's tent and simply entered without announcing herself. When she got inside , she looked around and saw her on her bedding with her hands on her face, sobbing. She saw her like this and was rooted to the ground. After the initial surprise, she closed the distance in seconds and took her in her arms while coaxing her.
" Lumi, hey Lumi, it's okay. I'm here with you. Shhh, cry, cry, and take it out of you , " she said while stroking her back. " I will stay with you if you want, Big Sis," she said while using her old nickname, which she had used before marrying Elrond. When Luminarie heard her say it again , she looked at Celebrian and wailed even louder, alarming Neori , who rushed into the tent. But when she saw that Celebrian was with her lady and was being shooed away by hand gestures , she left them be. When Neori went out, she met Arwen, who was undecided about whether to go in or not after her talk with Luminarie.
" Your mother will take care of it," said Neori to Arwen with a small smile. " She always had great influence over her and if something really happened to her this time, she would probably raze everything connected to darkness in those mountains to the ground."
Arwen looked at the commander of the elves and then at the direction where her mother went and sighed. She shook her head and went to sleep while thinking about the face of Luminarie with tears she saw when the older woman was looking at the medallion .
" Ehh, I am an idiot who can't read the room," she said towards the ceiling of her tent. After that, she drifted to the land of dreams.
After leaving Arwen, Celebrian and their guards at Lothlorien, Luminarie traveled towards Mirkwood and spent about a month there . She met little Tauriel , which gave her a little shock, but after she recovered, she gave the little girl two daggers she had made and a bow with a quiver full of arrows. The quiver was enchanted to store more than normal quivers. It could hold 500 arrows. The arrows were normal , with the arrowheads designed to have better piercing power. For Prince Legolas, she made a quiver that could hold 1000 arrows and the daggers that were enchanted for better cutting and piercing. King Thranduil received armor made with the best technique and a bit of mithril to make it more resistant. After she made the deal with him, she went back to Lothlorien to take Celebrian with her daughter and guards, and they went home. After they reached Imladris, she stayed for a week, and after that, she informed them that she would come for Arwen next year to take her for training and left without much talking to the young elf, who didn't get a chance to apologize for her behavior on the way.