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Dark Memories: Shadows of the Past
by: DLR 2002
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Chapter 20
"You cannot mean that," said Elrond, aghast. Elros said nothing, keeping his eyes firmly fixed upon the ground. "How can you even consider this? There is no comparison, no contest. Elros," he said with some heat as he gripped his brother's shoulders. "What in Eä are you thinking?"
Elros finally looked up into Elrond's eyes. "I had a feeling you would not take this well."
Elrond stared at him, his mouth open. "Not take this well?" he cried out. "You are sundering yourself from the life you have known, giving yourself a death sentence, separating yourself from your twin brother and you expect I should take this well?" Elrond was beside himself. "For what reason do you do this?"
"Calm yourself," said Elros, "and I will try to explain."
Elrond remained agitated while Elros waited. "Please," said Elros. "Take deep breaths." Elrond complied, reluctantly.
"You and I are twins," Elros began. "We look alike, yes, but in temperament? We are night and day."
"I will concede that," said Elrond.
"Well, think on it," said Elros. "What did Eönwë say, 'the path of the Eldar lies in knowledge and wisdom'?"
"He said that, yes."
"And does that not describe you?"
"I strive for that," agreed Elrond.
"I do not," said Elros. "I wish to achieve things, to build something, to make a great mark on the world. I will not bury my nose in books."
They both fell quiet for a moment. "There is to be a new land," said Elros. "Out in the sea between here and the blessed realm, a land given to the Edain as a reward for their achievements in battle."
"How do you know this?" asked Elrond.
"Eönwë," said Elros, "he told me. In this new land," he continued, "people will be building cities; there will be creation, new ideas and most of all, no conflict. I am weary of this war-torn land of destruction."
"There will be no more war or destruction here," said Elrond. "Morgoth is defeated."
"He has been defeated once before and he returned," said Elros. "Much of his evil remains. It can be felt, still, woven into the very fabric of this place."
Elros had been staring into the distance and now turned back to Elrond. "There is another reason why I would go." Elrond waited in silence. "Even though I become Atani, my blood will be superior to any of the others, being in part Maia and Firstborn. I would be the High King."
There was a long pause. "This has been offered to you?" asked Elrond.
"It has," Elros answered, "and I have made my choice." He looked into Elrond's eyes. Come with me, he pleaded silently.
Elrond gazed back at him. Stay with me, his own eyes answered.
Elros shook his head. "Nay, I must follow my heart."
"As I must, as well," responded Elrond. He put his hands on his brother's shoulders and his eyes filled with tears. "Now that you have explained it, I understand your choice and I agree it is the right way for you."
"I have no wish to hurt you," Elros whispered.
"You do not," said Elrond solemnly. "Saddened indeed, am I, but you do nothing hurtful." He embraced his brother. "I love you, Elros," he whispered. "I will always love you. Not a day shall pass that I do not think of you and feel connected to you, no matter where you may be."
Elros held him tightly for a moment, then stepped back and wiped his sleeve across his face. "I do not depart just yet, but soon I will seek out the descendants of Húrin and Huor and count myself among their numbers. Cheer thyself, gwanunig-nîn, for you and I, though we may not be together, will lead happy lives for many a long year."
"But how long?" asked Elrond. "How long will it be for you?"
"I know not," responded Elros. "Neither do I care. I will accept what is given to me. The life of a man is some hundred years. Eönwë said that mine would be many times that. It is enough for me."
"Five or six hundred years," said Elrond. "Tis but a moment when compared to all eternity."
"And I tell you again, that moment is enough," said Elros. "More than enough."
They were walking along the coastline and the sounds of waves and seabirds filled the air. It was twilight and Elros pointed at the sky. "See there. Sometimes you see a star burning very brightly, intense, in fact. Tomorrow night, it may not be there, all of its energy spent in the effort it took to keep it shining so brightly. I will shine with that brief intensity"
Elrond almost smiled. "I thought you did not wish to be a star."
"Am I not the son of Eärendil?" asked Elros, quietly, with a wink.
Elrond put his arm around his brother. "Indeed yes," he sighed as they walked.
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Elrond covered his ears with his hands but that did not block out the screams. Water. A huge wall of water. He closed his eyes, trying not to look at the floating, battered bodies, but they were there, still.
"This cannot be happening," he whispered. There were a few ships left unharmed and the living attempted to scramble aboard. Although for the most part, they simply screamed as the angry sea claimed them.
"Elrond, Elrond!" they called out.
"I cannot help you," he whispered.
They caught hold of his arms and shoulders, shaking him. "Nay!" Elrond cried, "take your hands from me or I will drown as well!"
The hands let go of him abruptly and their owner stood quietly looking at him. Elrond blinked as he focused on the concerned face of Gil-galad. "You were seeing something," the high king said, observing the shocked expression in Elrond's eyes. Elrond stared at him, at a loss for words.
"You are all right," said Gil-galad. "Calm yourself."
Elrond tried to control his breathing as he beheld his friends' and fellow soldiers' troubled faces.
"What was it?" asked Elros, quietly.
"Balar," whispered Elrond. "Balar is no more."
The concerned expressions quickly turned into expressions of shock. "Speak," demanded Gil-galad, gripping Elrond's shoulders once again.
"A great wave of water," said Elrond, staring vacantly into space. "The isle was overwhelmed."
Gil-galad exchanged glances with Círdan. "All are dead?"
"Nay," said Elrond. "Many were able to escape into ships." He took a deep breath. "Many were not."
"Has this happened yet?" asked Gil-galad.
Elrond considered a moment. "Yes," he said finally. "It has. It is related to all the upheavals taking place around us."
"Let us hope they find their way here," said Círdan.
"Indeed," said the high king. He paused. "This news removes one worry."
"How to transport the army back to Balar?" surmised Círdan.
"Exactly," said Gil-galad grimly. "It appears we will be staying here."
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"Eldalië of Middle-earth," began Eönwë, speaking in Sindarin. "The Curse of Mandos is hereby lifted. Should ye wish it, ye may return to Valinor. Thou art no longer in exile." He paused for a moment. "The building of ships will commence immediately. All who are skilled in this art will offer their services. That is all, ye may depart." He gazed over the assemblage then stepped down from the podium. The elves stared aghast, as he strode away.
"Leave Middle-earth?" Glorfindel asked, incredulous.
"Well, I am leaving," said Elros. "It is not an unheard of activity."
"True," said Glorfindel. "But you have a reason, an advantage to be gained by departure. What would our incentive be?"
"The Blessed Realm," said Erestor. "Is that not a perfect place to be?"
"Presumably," said Elrond. "Although I cannot say I relished my encounter with Eönwë."
"And he is a lesser power, is he not?" asked Glorfindel.
"Maia, actually, but very great," explained Elrond. "Then there are all the Valar above him."
"Meaning what?" asked Erestor, mystified.
"The scrutiny," answered Glorfindel.
"Precisely," agreed Elrond. "It would be as if I were back in school, the tutors directing my every move, only ten times as much."
"You would stay?" asked Elros. "Even if all others left?"
"Nay, of course not," said Elrond. "But it is highly unlikely that all of the Eldar will depart. I do not doubt that there will be many who will stay."
"I include myself in that number," said a voice behind them, causing them to jump.
"You are staying, Einior-noss?"* asked Elrond, surprised.
"That is what I intend," replied Gil-galad.
Elrond regarded him silently for a moment. "I would be interested to know your reason."
"My sire and grandsire fought and died in these lands," said Gil-galad, "along with untold others. I would be loathe to dismiss their efforts so lightly by leaving for no just cause. There is much about this place that is raw and unmolded still. I have no wish to go to a land dictated by others, established and unchangeable." His eyes twinkled. "I did not care much for Eönwë either."
Elrond smiled. "It is settled then, I stay with you."
"As do I," said Glorfindel. His eyes met Gil-galad's and for a moment, something passed between them.
Elrond noticed the exchange. "What is it?" he asked, looking at both of them in turn.
"Nothing at all," said Gil-galad, tearing his eyes away from Glorfindel. "Erestor, you have been silent, what is your choice?"
Erestor smiled. "I stay with my friends and I serve my King, of course."
Celeborn had been standing off to one side while Gil-galad conversed with his young subjects, a small smile curling the edges of his lips. Gil-galad looked over at him and raised his eyebrows.
"Galadriel will never return to Valinor," Celeborn said in answer to the unspoken question. "Naturally, I am staying."
"Which leads us to another decision," said Gil-galad. Celeborn waited, expectantly. "Balar is no more and all who survived are here. Where shall we go?" There was complete silence as all and sundry digested this query and its implications.
"I would imagine," said Celeborn, "it will all depend on what is left above sea level, and what is not."
"True," said Gil-galad with a smile. "Come to my tent, let us study some maps."
The young elves looked at each other in silence for a moment after their elders had departed.
"What of Elwing?" Elros asked his brother.
"What of her?"
"You have the chance to return to Valinor, to see her, do you not wish it?"
"As far as I could ascertain from Mahtan," said Elrond, "it would not be permitted. She stays in her white tower and does not walk among the people."
"Perhaps you would be allowed into the tower," said Elros.
There was a long pause as Elrond reflected on this. "Perhaps I would be, that is a possibility." He paused again and his companions waited anxiously for his next words.
Elrond looked around at the serious apprehensive faces. "Elwing is my mother. But you are my family, all of you. I would not exchange that for a vague dream of a mother and son reunion. This thought does not alter my plans to stay here."
Glorfindel and Erestor broke into wide grins as they all three embraced at once.
Elrond turned to face his brother. "You, Elros Peredhil."
"Yes?" asked Elros with a lift of his eyebrow.
Elrond smiled. "As your company commander, I order you to spend some time with your brother before you depart for your new life."
Elros placed his hands on his twin's shoulders. "So has it been ordered, so shall it be done."
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Gil-galad held the tent flap aside and followed his companion inside. Celeborn unrolled a map from the pile on the table and scowled at it. "We are here," he indicated, "at Lothlann." Gil-galad looked over his shoulder. "Note the elevation," Celeborn continued.
"There is none," observed Gil-galad.
"Exactly," said Celeborn. "There is every likelihood that Lothlann will be claimed by the sea."
The high king grunted his agreement.
"I suggest we look to the south," said Celeborn. "As we approach Ossiriand, we see a flat plain at the foot of the mountains, but quite a bit higher than Lothlann."
"Plentiful water supply," said Gil-galad, noting the abundance of rivers in the area.
"This map indicates a small settlement established at Lanthir," remarked Celeborn.
"Humans?"
"I suspect not. In all probability, Green elves."
"Yes," mused Gil-galad, "You are most likely correct. Do you suppose they would object to an influx of forty thousand soldiers and refugees?"
Celeborn smirked. "I hardly think they will be in a position to have much say in the matter if I know you."
Gil-galad raised his eyebrows, offended. "Are you calling my people invasive, Lord Celeborn?"
"Indeed yes," said Celeborn. "Proud and stubborn as well."
Gil-galad glared at him. "You, a Teleri, speak to me of pride and stubbornness?"
"Certainly," said Celeborn, "for there are none more haughty and willful than the Noldor, this is well known."
"The Noldor," said Gil-galad, becoming incensed, "have behind them a great lineage and heritage. . . ."
"As do the Teleri," interrupted Celeborn. "Excluding kinslaying, of course."
"The House of Fingolfin . . . ," began Gil-galad, his voice rising.
"Was directly responsible . . . ," yelled Celeborn.
"My Lords!" exclaimed Gildor, poking his head inside the tent flap. "You are attracting a crowd out here, please cease."
Gil-galad and Celeborn stared at each other for a moment. "Ossiriand it is," said Celeborn, finally.
"Yes indeed," agreed Gil-galad darkly. "It seems a most promising area."
"Possibly a major port in the future, as well," said Celeborn, scowling.
"That would be a great asset," said Gil-galad, evenly.
"I am so glad we had this conversation," said Celeborn, lying.
"As am I," said Gil-galad, his eyes narrow.
"So, we shall build a great city together," said Celeborn, his teeth clenched.
"I am looking forward to it," Gil-galad muttered under his breath.
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*Elder kinsman.