Elrond looked up from the ledger on the desk before him. "Yes, Erestor?"

"My Lord, one of the mountain eagles has landed on the upper terrace. He has a message from Estel. Or I should say, King Elessar."

Elrond smiled at the elf standing in the doorway. "Excellent. I needed a break from my autumn tallies." He rose and walked around the desk and joined his seneschal. "It has been some time since we have heard from the South."

"Let us hope it is good news."

Elrond nodded as they two went up a flight of stone stairs, whose balustrade was a thick branch of old ivy covered in dark glossy leaves.

Elrond ran a hand through the leather tendrils. He remembered when it had been planted. No, better, he remembered when he had brought it from the Grey Havens, an offshoot of an ancient plant from Beleriand.

When the elves reached the archway leading to the large terrace they stopped.

One of the Wind Lord's kin stood in the center, preening his tail feathers. When he saw the elves, he stopped and bowed his head slightly.

Erestor stepped up to the eagle and bent to detach the message tube tied with soft leather around the bird's left leg. He brought the hollow wooden holder carved with the symbols of the King of Minas Tirith.

The eagle tipped his head and the corner of his mouth quirked slightly: the closest the creature could come to a smile.

Elrond smiled and turned to Erestor, who gave him the message. Elrond unrolled the parchment and read for a few moments. He looked up, his smile radiant.

"I am to be a daeradar come early spring! All is well. Arwen and Elessar ask that I attend the birth of their prince."

"Wonderful news!" Erestor said and clapped a hand on Elrond's shoulder. "Congratulations!"

The eagle rustled his feathers and bobbed his head.

Elrond turned to Erestor. "Well, it appears I am making a journey south."

"It has been some time since you've taken a journey of that length." Erestor tipped his head towards the eagle. "Perhaps you could use the services of the Wind Lord's fledgling here?"

"No," Elrond grinned. "I am not so old that I must fly there. I have plenty of time to reach the South before the winter comes. Besides, I would like to see Middle Earth clothed in autumn finery one more time before I must leave for the West. Estel is more than capable of handling any medical issues that might arise in the meantime, besides having the excellent services of the Halls of Healing."

Elrond turned back to the raptor. "If I can prevail upon you, young lord; I shall go and make a reply."

The eagle dipped his head.

Erestor said. "I shall go see what Resaldil might have tucked away in the larder for our messenger."

The two elves turned and went back into the house.

"I shall also start a list, my lord." Erestor said.

"And I will start one, as well." Elrond replied.

The afternoon light danced in golden splotches on the trail before Elrond. Leaves almost as yellow as the sun littered the ground from the tall maples and chestnuts keeping the midday heat at bay. Rhean walked complacently through the wood. And Elrond, delighted by the afternoon stillness murmured a Second Age epic of sea dragons and Gondollin under his breath.

Rhean suddenly halted and turned his head to the left, his ears pricked forward. Elrond stopped reciting the lay of "Andoryn and the Dragon Frith" and pulled back needlessly on the reins.

Something or someone crashing through the undergrowth was headed directly across their path. Elrond pulled on the reins again and Rhean stepped backwards both rider and stallion keeping their eyes on the dense growth to their left.

With a shout, a man came bursting through the brush and ran across their trail. Rhean snorted and shook his head. Not a minute later a very angry boar thundered past, an arrow bouncing in the animal's left shoulder.

Elrond waited a moment and then quickly slipped off Rhean. He loosened the long dagger his side carefully followed the easy track of the hunter and the hunted through the broken plant life beneath the trees.

Another loud shout and the bellow of the boar sounded. Elrond picked up his speed, dagger now held loosely before him.

In the blaze of a small clearing, he pulled to a halt to take in the scene before him.

The hunter held out his bow before him striking at the enraged boar. The animal's sides heaved with exertion and the injured shoulder ran with blood. The hunter glanced up at Elrond a quick look of surprise crossing his face. The moment of distraction was all the animal needed and with a heavy grunt it charged the man whose back was against the large bole of a maple.

"Dodge to the left!" Elrond shouted.

The man rolled to the side and the boar crashed into the tree. Stunned he fell back on his haunches. Elrond swiftly came behind the animal, pulled its head up and slit its throat. He stepped back several feet to give the dying animal room to thrash.

Elrond bent to clean his knife and as he straightened, he took in the man before him. His dark blond hair was pulled back into a short braid. Green eyes in a tanned face stared back at him. His brown leather jerkin hung open over a ripped shirt tucked into leather trews. The knee high boots he wore were well-scuffed.

The boar let out a last sigh as its spirit fled and the two males stared at the other over its carcass.

Elrond put his dagger back in his sheath and said. "Are you all right? Did the boar gouge you?"

"Just a passing scrape." The man grabbed his left arm for a moment and then let it drop. "You are an elf far from elvish lands."

"I could say the same for you. There is no town or village in these hills for almost a league." Elrond tipped his head to the side. "Surprisingly, you look familiar. Have we met?"

The man dropped his eyes to the dead boar. He shrugged as he toed the animal with one foot. "I haven't met an elf in quite some time, perhaps we have-"

"You are a Ranger." Elrond stepped closer. "And again, you are far from your usual patrol in the North."

The man stepped closer to the elf and held out his hand slowly. "I am Beregar. The rest of my patrol was killed over a year ago in an unfortunate meeting with a gaggle of orcs."

"I am Elrond of Imladris. " He took the man's outstretched arm and clasped him by the elbow.

Beregar immediately winced and bowed slightly. "My lord."

"More than I scrape, I see." Elrond said. He dropped his hold on the arm and pointed to the animal. "Shall we dress the meat? Have you a camp nearby?"

Beregar nodded and sighed heavily. "Yes. And I am glad to have crossed paths with you. I couldn't have managed this beast all on my own. But he was too good to pass up."

It took two hours to clean, gut and portion out the beast's carcass. Elrond called Rhean to them and with the use of a large canvas cloth the meat was rolled up and placed on the stallion. His skin rippled in unease, but he took the bundle without fidgeting.

Beregar pointed back down the path made by the boar. "My camp lies along the animal's trail."

The sun cast long bars of sunset orange through the trees when they finally reached the clearing where Beregar's gelding stood, head down and back hoof cocked. A small fire was burning in a ring of stones.

And a young girl tended it.

Elrond pulled Rhean to a halt.

Beregar turned. "This is my daughter, Gylla. Gylla?"

The little girl ran around the fire and threw herself on her father. Beregar winced as he grasped her. "Gylla, this is Lord Elrond of Imladris."

"An elf!" Gylla said, untangling herself from her father's embrace. "I have only seen the elves once late one night…a silver line of them through the trees."

Beregar looked at his daughter in surprise. "When..? Oh." He nodded. "One night last spring we were out among the Downs and saw the elves headed to the Grey Havens."

"We are leaving Middle Earth. Our time here is done."

Gylla frowned. "But, why? Don't you like Middle Earth?"

Elrond smiled. "I love Middle Earth. It is the foundation of my spirit." He looked off into the trees. "But my heart is in the West. And so, I too, must go."

"But not now?"

"No," Elrond turned and began to untie the bundle of meat. "Not now. We must store this meat away."

The meat was hung high in a tree and far from the camp. Luckily, this area of Eregion had few large predators.

As a haunch of boar roasted on a spit over a much larger fire, Elrond had Beregar sit by the fire and remove his jerkin and shirt. A sluggishly bleeding gash crossed the underside of his left arm and elbow. Elrond dug into his satchel of medical supplies and pulled out what he needed to clean and suture the wound. "This is an old wound made worse with your meeting with the boar. You will have to lie down on your stomach so I can tend to the back of your arm."

Beregar did as he asked. He groaned as he settled himself. "It feels good to lie down, even on the ground. The boar was no easy hunt."

Gylla bit her lip as she sat next to Beregar's head. "Poppa that has gotten worse!" She looked up at the elf worried. "You won't have to cut off his arm, will you? I tried to bind it up but I cannot tie the knots tight enough."

Elrond chuckled. "My lady Gylla. As bad as it looks, cleaning it and adding a few stitches will improve it immensely."

"Oh, I am so glad. I do not think I can hunt or chop wood like Poppa."

Beregar laughed. "I am glad Lord Elrond does not have to relieve me of my arm, too! It would make it very hard for me to tickle you."

Elrond paused before he began and looked at the wound. Beregar was obviously exhausted and the wound was a ragged infected cut. It might only need stitches, but it would need careful work around the elbow. Making a decision, Elrond laid his hand on the human's forehead and sent him into deep sleep.

Beregar sighed deeply and relaxed.

Gylla put a small hand on the elf's arm. "Is Poppa all right?"

"He is just sleeping, now, Gylla. It will be easier for me to tend to him." He looked at the little one and smiled. "Could you bring me a bowl of hot water from the kettle and make us some tea as well?"

Gylla sprang up and did as he asked.

Elrond turned to the slumbering man and began his work.

A half moon silvered the woods around the sleeping humans. Elrond rose from his spot by the fire and walked out into the woods. Only the sounds of small animals foraging and the mournful hoot of an owl disturbed the silence.

This is what I love about Middle Earth, the elf thought. The profound quiet of the world in the deep of night. Only the silent dance of the stars, gilded by the moon. A breeze to stir the leaves into a murmur of song. Elrond walked to a low line of hills and climbed to a spot where he could see the spread of the landscape, even to the faraway twinkle of moonlight off the Bruinen as it joined with the Greyflood many miles to the West.

Ah, the West, he thought. Celebrian! Soon I will be with you! I am granted this last grace to see our first grandchild. To see our Undomiel one last time and Estel being the King he was born to be.

Elrond closed his eyes and sighed. The breeze, slight and faint still brought the scent of the sea which called to the elf.

He reveled in a few moments more of the solitude and returned to the camp.

It would be pleasant to have company on his journey now as he had spent the last weeks alone.

to be continued…