Hogwarts wizards who signed in to Middle-earth.

Chapter 273: Proposal
Midsummer Day, Year 2947 of the Third Age.

The tranquil valley has become somewhat different from usual, with a touch more liveliness.

A very formal letter of visit was delivered three days ago by a great snowy owl to Lord Elrond of the Valley.

The letter was sent by Gandalf, representing Lord Duir of Stormwind, formally proposing to Elrond the marriage of his beloved daughter Arwen, and has come to the Valley today to discuss the matter with Elrond.

The elves in the valley already knew about Duir and Alwen's relationship and had even seen them on dates, but now, upon hearing that Duir was coming to propose to their Lady Twilight, they were filled with mixed emotions.

Arwen holds a very high position among the elves. She is the only daughter of Elrond, Lord of the Valley, and Celebrian, Princess of Loreen, and the granddaughter of Galadriel, the Noldor princess.

Elrond is a half-elf who holds an important position and influence in Middle-earth.

Galadriel are powerful and ancient elves, possessing extraordinary strength and wisdom.

Arwen is known as the "Twilight Star" and the "White Princess of the Noldor." She is the evening star in the hearts of the Elven people and is regarded as the "reincarnation of Lúthien," possessing beauty like Lúthien.

Wearing the magnificent and magical elven jewelry, "Twilight Star".

The most complicated cases involve Alvin's two older brothers, Elohir and Elladan.

Although they were somewhat prepared, they never expected that brat Duir would be so eager to marry their sister so quickly.

Unfortunately, my father had already agreed.

Otherwise, according to their thinking, it wouldn't be too late to drag it out for one or two thousand years.

Anyway, the elven race has a long lifespan, and Duir can live forever now, so there's no need to rush at all.

“Hey, Eloshir, how do you think Duir and the others will get to the Valley? Through the fireplace?” Elladan asked his brother.

Elohir thought about Floop's rather unglamorous teleportation method and shook his head, guessing, "Today is an important day. If he doesn't want to appear looking disheveled, he definitely won't choose this method."

"Could he be coming riding his giant dragon?"

"It's not like we're going to war or showing off. What's the point of bringing a giant dragon along?"

Just as the two brothers were speculating about how Dui and the others would arrive at the Valley, Elrond, sitting on his high seat, looked up at the sky with a hint of surprise and a smile.

"The guests have arrived, Lindir. Prepare to welcome them," Elrond instructed his secretary, Lindir, beside him.

Upon hearing Elrond's words, the elves present all followed his gaze and looked curiously into the sky.

With the elves' keen eyes, they soon spotted a small white dot in the distant clouds.

As the little white dot grew larger, the elves were immediately surprised.

In the distance, twelve white winged horses pulled a magnificent golden carriage, flying towards the valley.

The twelve Pegasus horses were robust, twice the size of ordinary horses, and their silvery-white bodies shone brightly in the sunlight.

The entire carriage was constructed of gold and assembled from turquoise wood, and was carved with images of Hogwarts Castle, the Silver and Gold Trees, dragons, eagles, basilisks, and other symbols. Various mysterious runes were also painted on the carriage body with mithril.

The carriage descended rapidly from the sky into the valley, and then landed on a wide, straight white road.

The Pegasus folded their enormous white wings and, after trotting for a short distance, finally stopped in front of the stone bridge.

The driver was a human coachman in blue uniforms. Although he tried to remain calm and composed, his flushed face and excited eyes still revealed his unease.

They were two coachmen hired by Dui from among his subjects, specifically to drive the flying chariot and take care of the twelve flying horses.

Although I had driven it many times before, my skills were already very proficient.

But the thought of driving the flying carriage across thousands of miles to bring their lord to the elven territory of the Valley still filled them with excitement and exhilaration.

The two coachmen jumped off the carriage, bowed deeply towards Elrond, and then one of them carried a wooden ladder down from the carriage to help people get off.

The other person returned to the carriage and opened the door from the outside.

Then they stepped back and waited respectfully for the person inside to come out.

On this side of the valley, Secretary Lindir, accompanied by several elven attendants, was waiting at the stone bridge leading to the entrance.

As the carriage door opened, the elf's keen eyes immediately spotted a huge space hidden inside the carriage, the bottom of which was impossible to see at a glance.

The first one to emerge was Gandalf.

At this moment, he was no longer dressed in a simple gray robe as before, but instead wore a low-key and exquisite long robe. Although it was still based on gray, the material was made of tough spider silk, interwoven with silver threads, which reflected a silver light in the sunlight.

The pair of gray dragon-skin boots she wore made no sound as she stepped on the ground.

His hair and beard were also neatly groomed.

He stepped down from the carriage and greeted Lindir, who was waiting for him, with a smile: "Long time no see, Lindir. I didn't expect it was you waiting for us. We're not too late, are we?"

“Mislandil,” Lindir greeted gracefully, shaking his head with a smile, “You’ve come at just the right time. Lord Elrond sent me to greet you.”

Just as the two were greeting each other, Bilbo Baggins also got out of the carriage.

He was also dressed smartly, in a well-fitting brown-yellow suit, and he was now wearing a pair of dragon-skin shoes, which he usually didn't wear.

It's just that because of his short stature and wide feet, it looks like a child wearing adult shoes, which is quite amusing.

Bilbo gazed at the valley's scenery with a mixture of excitement and nostalgia before stepping down from the carriage. Finally, Dui emerged.

He wore a crown of wisdom, the jewels on which shone with the light of wisdom.

She was dressed in exquisite and gorgeous elven attire, with a magic cloak adorned with starlight over her coat, a shimmering star necklace hanging on her chest, and high boots made of dragon skin on her feet.

It made her look incredibly dazzling.

Lindir looked at Dui with a look of amazement.

This outfit was chosen by Gandalf for Dui, with Bilbo also offering some suggestions. Their goal was to make Dui look glamorous and dazzling, so that he would truly be the star of the day.

Seeing the amazing appearance of the elves around them, Gandalf and Bilbo were filled with a sense of accomplishment.

Du Yi looked at his jeweled appearance with a bit of helplessness. He stepped down from the carriage and greeted Secretary Lin with a familiar smile.

"Lindir, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. Where are Lord Elrond and the others?"

Lindir was very gentle with Dui, and replied with a smile, "The lords are in the banquet hall now, please follow me."

He then led the way for them.

As for the Pegasus, they were left in the care of the two coachmen and the other elves.

In the valley are several winged horses that Dui gave to Arwen and Elrond, which have always been welcomed and cherished by the elves.

Now, twelve more Pegasus horses have arrived, much to the delight of the elves.

The two human drivers didn't even need to do anything; the other elves took over their work, leading the flattered drivers to entertain them, and then taking care of the Pegasus.

On Duy's side, led by Lindir, he, Gandalf, and Bilbo made their way to the banquet hall.

Besides Elrond at the head of the table, many elves had gathered in the banquet hall, all watching the three who had entered.

Even Dui became inexplicably nervous under the watchful eyes of so many elves.

Bilbo became somewhat flustered and almost walked with his hands and feet moving in unison.

Only Gandalf remained unaffected, as calm as ever, leading Dui and Bilbo into the banquet hall with a smile and unhurried pace.

"Lord Elrond, good day." Gandalf greeted him with a greeting.

Dui and Bilbo followed Gandalf and also bowed.

As Dui's client, Gandalf was in charge at this moment. Dui didn't need to say anything; he could leave everything else to Gandalf.

Although Elrond already knew the purpose of their visit, he still asked, "Mislandil, what brings you here today?"

Gandalf, beaming, declared, “I have come here today for a noble cause, concerning the happiness of two young people, and the friendship between two races and two powers!”

As he spoke, his voice grew louder, and everyone in the banquet hall could hear him.

"On behalf of Lord Duir, Lord of Windcloud Peak and Eisengard, and Lord of the Dragons, I hereby inform you that he has long admired your beloved daughter, Alwen, and has specially entrusted me to formally visit you to seek your permission to betroth your daughter to him."

As he spoke, he stepped aside to make room for Dui to come forward.

Dui was somewhat nervous at this moment. He took a deep breath, and then, under everyone's gaze, bowed to Elrond again and said:

"My lord Elrond, I am deeply in love with your daughter, Arwen. Her beauty, kindness, and wisdom have captivated me. I swear by my honor and in the name of my family that I will protect her with my life, give her the respect and love she deserves, and make her the happiest woman. I implore you to give her to me in marriage. I am willing to give everything I have to guarantee her rights after marriage."

He had practiced these words many times before, and now, as he spoke them again, they carried an added weight of solemnity.

At this moment, Gandalf, who was standing to the side, announced loudly once again: "Moreover, to show our sincerity, Duir has brought three treasures as a betrothal gift. These three gifts will belong to his wife and their children after the marriage!"

When this was mentioned, Gandalf couldn't help but marvel at Dui's grand gesture.

He then took out an exquisite mithril box inlaid with jewels from his spatial bag.

At the same time, Bilbo and Dui each took out the boxes they had prepared.

Bilbo was the first to open the box in his hand.

Inside lay a golden cup.

Gandalf then began to explain the power of the Golden Cup.

The elves present were all astonished upon hearing Gandalf's explanation and feeling the magical fluctuations emanating from the golden cup.

The elves, with their long lifespans and extensive knowledge, were naturally able to discern the preciousness and extraordinary nature of this golden cup.

Such a treasure would be a prized possession even among the elven clan.

Unexpectedly, Duir was willing to give it up as a betrothal gift.

Even if these treasures eventually return to the groom's hands after the bride marries into the family, the ownership belongs to the bride, and the groom has no right to dispose of them.

The first betrothal gift was so extraordinary that it made many elves even more curious about what the remaining two gifts were.

(End of this chapter)