Chapter 2: Certainty
Elrond stood on his balcony and stared out into Imladris without actually seeing anything; he was deep in thought, having spent the last few days to try and detect where that feeling had come from. It had not diminished yet but rather grown stronger, and it had changed slightly: now it was not only sadness but it was sadness mixed with fear, and the elf still did not know what to make of it.
Elrond thought about his absent children; he knew Arwen was well, having just received word from the Lady Galadriel, but he had not heard from Estel for some time now. He sincerely hoped that nothing was wrong with his foster son, who lived out in the wild; the elves were fully aware that dark forces had started to stir in the east and evil creatures were on the move once more, and Elrond often feared for his youngest child due to that knowledge. He had come as far as that, when someone knocked on his door, sounding urgent.
"Come in", Elrond called and sighed softly; whatever it was, it would probably take him some time to find out.
The door opened, and the captain of the guards stepped in: "I am sorry to disturb you, Lord Elrond, but something has happened." Elrond tried not to show his mounting fear: "What is it, Tiriel?" "One of our patrols has found a body,", Tiriel said, "just outside the borders. They have reason to believe that the person has been murdered a few days ago."
Elrond balled his hand into a fist: "Have they been able to identify the victim?", he asked, his voice barely audible.
Tiriel shook his head: "It was not an elf, but looked like an elderly human. He wore monk´s clothes and had a donkey with him... the animal has been slain as well, both of them were shot." Tiriel fell silent, his eyes pained at the thought.
Elrond nodded, feeling slightly ashamed of the relief that overcame him when he realized that it could not be Estel, but Tiriel continued: "The patrol searched the man´s possessions and found this." He handed Elrond a piece of paper; the elf lord took it and paled when he recognized Estel´s handwriting, informing him that his son intended to visit him; he had met a monk called Beruan who would come by Imladris´ borders soon and be able to pass the note on to the guards. "I expect to arrive only a few days after Beruan", he wrote, "I have some business to attend to quite nearby first."
Elrond stared at his son´s signature: "Love, Estel", and felt the sensation of sadness and fear grow stronger, confirming what he had been dreading for some days now: "He will not come", he whispered, and suddenly swayed so Tiriel quickly grasped Elrond´s elbow to steady him.
"My lord", he said uneasily, "we do not know for how long the monk has been dead exactly. Your son might still be on his way..." But Elrond only looked at the letter, his face stricken with grief; he now knew that the sadness he had felt had been his own, as well as the mounting fear, and that whatever had happened to Estel had to be something severe or it would not have affected his foster father so.
Tiriel cleared his throat: "My lord- what would you have me do?"
Elrond shook his head: "We have to find out who murdered the monk", he murmured as if he had not heard the captain, then suddenly he squared his shoulders with fresh determination : "And we will have to find out what business Estel did have to attend to, and where."
He finally looked at Tiriel: "Pray for my son to be still alive", he said quietly, "that is what I would have you do, Tiriel."
TBC
