A/N: It has truly been a long time since I have updated this story and I owe you a good, long chappie. Here you go!
"English speech."
Thoughts, any language.
"Elvish speech (Sindarin unless otherwise specified)."
/Mind speech: -emotions- images /
Chapter 11 – A Thorny Problem
A soft knock sounded on the door to Elrond's study and he looked up to see his daughter standing in the entrance.
"Father, may I speak with you?"
"Absolutely!" He pushed the chair back from his desk and joined her over by the window. She stood in silence for a moment and he followed her gaze out into the garden below where Amy was dragging Sáranéssa and Aria down the paths, stopping only to point at things and repeat the names that the ellith supplied. Every once in a while the group would burst out in laughter at some misunderstanding and begin again. Elrond could see where Arwen's thoughts were going and he smiled before she even began speaking.
"It has been over three weeks since they were found by the ford, Father, and this morning it was impossible to keep the young one inside. She was even able to coax her friend into leaving the House for the first time since the picnic. Strange it is to me that she can bring a smile to the lips of one so deep in grief, and yet it feels right somehow. I do not know if that makes any sense to you, but I wish to help them both…"
"What do you have in mind, Daughter?"
"Árenne does not seem to enjoy extra attention, indeed she seems to do everything in her power to avoid it, but for the sake of her friend she might be willing to get out more and the excursions into the sun would be good for her spirits."
"This is true."
"I was thinking that we could arrange for Amy to be taken around the valley, on little guided tours. It will be easier for us to learn more about her if we can speak directly to her and it will be easier for her to learn our language if she can equate the words with the places, actions, and things they describe. Árenne will have to go along, at least to translate, until her friend can learn enough to speak for herself."
"Who were you thinking would be their guide, Dear One? You have duties to attend to, as well as everyone else, and Sáranéssa has her own orders to follow."
"About that, Father. Do you not think it wise to add another guard or two? She cannot be with them at all times and there is no one to watch them while she is giving her reports to you and my duties call me away. Arintiris has taken to speaking with them in the evenings but he can only do so when he is not on the watch that night."
"I was not aware of that. There is no reason for him to take such action. My meetings with Sáranéssa are brief and she returns to her duties immediately upon their conclusion."
"Actually, it was Amy's idea. She wished to thank him for his kindness when they arrived and seems genuinely friendly toward him as well as his sister-daughter. Regardless, there are few here that our guests know and trust; I was thinking of a small rotation for the tours, that way no one's work would get behind and she would have a wider knowledge base to learn from."
"You have been plotting this for a while, I see." He kissed the top of her head. "Who were you planning to pull into your little scheme?"
"Aside from Sáranéssa? Malthenas of Lórien, Neldhu of Mithlond, and perhaps Arintiris since he spends his free time watching over them anyway."
"I will speak with the Captain about his actions this afternoon, but as for the others, if you have their agreement then you have my blessing. Where are you planning to take our guests, do you know?"
"Well, just the gardens and the house until they are more comfortable with crowds, then if you allow it, the stables, the workshops, and when they are ready, the outer farms. Places with a lot of things in them will be good for lessons in vocabulary. I was also wondering… would you approve of someone to tutor Amy in reading and writing? I have looked through the books that she brought with her and the runes they use are like none I have ever seen before; if she is going to stay with us for an extended time, being able to read the tengwar will help her immensely."
"I shall look into it."
"Oh, thank you Father!" she spun around and fairly strangled him with glee. "This is going to be so much fun! I have to get back to the others and let them know; we have a lot of work to do!" Arwen headed for the door, but Elrond caught her arm.
"I am sending messages out to the Elven realms today, is there anything that you want me to tell your grandparents?"
"Give me an hour and I will have a letter for you." Her eyes sparkled. "Thank you, Father…" and she was gone.
Elrond looked down at his desk and the parchments scattered there. He sighed. Even with Elladan's drafts, it had taken him the better part of a month to organize his thoughts about the events surrounding the 'strange quendi' and put together a coherent letter of explanation. Arwen's blithe comment about his patrol-captain had just made things a lot more complicated.
Pulling his chair back up to the desk, Elrond picked up the penknife and began sharpening a quill. The Valar had sent the girls to his doorstep, that much was clear, but one of them was a mortal and the last time he had allowed one under his roof for an extended period of time he had effectively killed his daughter. Arintiris was like a brother to Elrond and the Lord of Imladris was not sure that he could handle another loss in his immediate family.
'But it is not your choice,' a little voice in the back of his mind cautioned.
No! he thought, I am his liege lord; I have a duty to keep him safe.
'He is almost 6,500 years old and unmarried; he is destined to lead a strange life.'
Historically, strange plus humans equals bad! My own family has proven this many times over. Some lines should not be crossed; I have to nip this thing in the bud. End of discussion.
Dipping the quill into ink, Elrond began a new letter with firm, fluid strokes.
oOo
Amy looked up when a shadow fell across her notebook. "Oh, Arintiris! I'd been wondering where you were. Look!" She turned and retrieved a basket from the seat next to her. "Gwirin! Roses!" Not noticing the strange look on his face she began rattling off all of the colors that she had learned earlier: "Goer is red, malen is yellow, lún is blue, calen is green, fein is white—"
"Glos." He corrected and she paused to look up.
"Glos…le hannon. Thank you." she smiled and held out the flower. When he plucked it from her hand she tugged the pen out of her hair and bent to write down the new word before she could forget it.
Aria, coming up to stand at the end of the bench, noticed the look that passed over his eyes as Amy's hair tumbled out of its twist and into her face again. She cleared her throat and looked over her friend's notes.
"Hey, Amy? Glos is spelled with one 's' and it means 'dazzling white' if I'm not mistaken."
"Oh, thanks." She corrected the entry before looking up again. Cyermanto and Sáranéssa were coming up the path towards the group and the elleth looked troubled.
"I thought you were on patrol, today?" Aria asked the Elf standing across from her.
"I was given another assignment a short while ago." He replied, glancing at the advancing pair. "Lord Elrond wishes for me to deliver some messages to the Elves in the east. I am leaving as soon as the preparations can be made. I felt you should know…"
"You are traveling alone?"
"No, Cyermanto goes with me over the mountains and then we split up. He goes to Lothlórian and I go to Thranduil."
"In the Mirkwood? Alone?"
He nodded. "The paths are warded. It is still safe for those who know their way."
"Aria? What are you talking about? Lothlórian and Thranduil; is somebody leaving?" Amy glanced back and forth between the two Elves standing over her. "What's going on?"
"Elrond is sending him and Cyermanto to deliver messages to the eastern realms. They are leaving in a little while. He came to say goodbye."
"What!" Amy stood to her feet, dumping the basket to the ground, unheeded. "That's crazy! Why would he do a thing like that? He could send anyone, why would he send one of our few friends away on such a long journey?"
Aria noticed a dark-haired shadow standing in one of the windows overlooking the garden. "Do you know what the messages concern?" she asked quietly, trying to bring the figure into focus.
"I think it has to do with you two and your rather interesting arrival. Such incidents are not trivial in times like these. Cyermanto and I witnessed it and have gotten to know you a bit, which may be a useful resource to those who must respond."
"I see." Aria recognized the face in the window just before it disappeared. She turned to her friend. "Elrond thinks that the other realms need to know of our arrival and is sending the most informed messengers that he has. Don't take it personal, Amy, he just wants what is best for all concerned."
Amy sighed and knelt to pick up her flowers. "He has a right to do that, I suppose. I just wish that it didn't mean losing a friend."
"You won't lose them; they will be back before you know it."
"Time moves different for me, meldis nin."
"You are living in an Elven realm, now, Amy. You might be surprised…"
oOo
Edward stood on the sidewalk in the rain watching as various police officers scurried in and out of a rather battered house on Bryant Avenue. Yellow tape had been strung up preventing him from getting any closer, much to his annoyance, so he had to settle for simply observing and trying to overhear what they did and did not know about what had just taken place. Specifically he wanted to know what had happened to the occupants of said house, but no one was mentioning any yet.
He stood in the shadows of an ornamental tree for hours until they seemed to be packing up. When he had an opening, Edward raced into the alley beside the house and began looking for a way to get in when a familiar presence brought him to a standstill.
"Hail, son of the Firstborn."
Edward turned to see a very large, glowing Maia standing in the alley where there had been nothing just moments before.
"Hail, lord Ossë." He replied, not sure how to respond to the situation. Desperately he wanted answers, but he was equally unsure how to voice the questions.
"Much has occurred this night, young one. Are you not wondering about my presence in this place?"
Edward nodded slowly. "I am concerned for my friends, for the people who were in this house when it was attacked. I know not what has become of them. Or that which was placed in our safekeeping. I fear that we may have failed in our quest this night."
"Many a dark night has given way to a bright dawn."
"Storms rage on regardless of the time of day."
"Yet, here I may offer you comfort and perhaps the beginning of the answers you seek."
"That would be much appreciated, my lord."
"This then is for you." He said, holding out a set of keys. "When you are all assembled you will know more. Take heart, Beloved of Ilúvatar, this world has been overcome, as has its ruler. The storm will pass and you will see the Promise of God once more."
"Thank you—" he started, but the being was gone. Curious, Edward looked at the keys in his hand: one car key and one house key with an address written on the tag. Shrugging, he stalked back towards the street and began looking for a vehicle that matched the brand on the key. He finally found it halfway down the block: a nondescript two door with a dark bundle in the passenger seat. After unlocking the door and sliding into the driver's side Edward discovered that the bundle was a person. A strange person dressed in Elven clothing and wearing a quest-pendant. He recognized neither the face nor the engraved name, but was more worried about the fact that the person was unconscious than anything else.
Driving a few miles away to a payphone in a deserted parking lot, he dug up a few quarters and dialed a number.
"Allo?" came a sleepy female voice on the other end.
"Helen? This is Edward. Do you still have your first aid kit?"
"Edward?" the voice asked, suddenly coming very much awake. "Edward, what is wrong?"
"I need you to call roll and meet me somewhere as quick as possible."
"What do you need and where?"
"I find myself in need of sanctuary," he said, eyeing the address on the keychain, "and I have a friend who could use a helping hand."
"I see. Give me an hour."
"Fine. See you then."
The line went dead and he hung up the phone. Now to lose any tails that he may have picked up…
oOo
Elrond stepped away from the window and glanced back at the message pouches on his desk. This is the right thing to do, he told himself. You saw the way he was looking at them. First it is curiosity, then it is affection, then he thinks of them as family, and then there is no end to the pain. No. Separate them quickly and no attachments can be formed. No attachments, no pain. It is as simple as that.
Totally ignoring the haste with which he had made this decision the Lord of Imladris called for his seneschal to apprise him of his need to re-arrange the patrol schedule for that night.
oOo
Cyermanto stood in the doorway and silently observed his friend packing for the trip. Every once in a while the taller ellon's eyes would wander over to his desk where a white rose lay unobtrusively.
"After all these years and flowers still fascinate you?" Cyermanto ventured.
"I appreciate the beauty of creation wherever it may be found."
"Perhaps. All new things are interesting but some things fade in time."
"All things fade in time, Cyermanto. Arda is marred. Do not judge on that basis alone."
"On what basis do you judge flowers, then?"
Arintiris walked over to his desk, retrieved the rose that lay there, and held it before him as he turned to face his long time friend. "I have never seen a flower quite this dazzling before. It is unique of all the blooms in the garden. Even cut, separated from the bush that gave it life, its fragrance is strong and soothing. I take joy in this bloom because I allow myself to see its beauty, a thing you might consider for yourself."
"All roses have thorns, my friend. You would do well to remember that."
Cyermanto turned on his heal and disappeared off down the hallway. Arintiris stared after him for a moment before turning back to his desk. Grabbing a slim volume from the shelf he pressed the flower between its pages and packed it with the rest of his things.
Glossary
Malthenas o Lórien = (S) "golden-ness"
Neldhu o Mithlond = (S) "bell-voice"
A/N: Many thanks to UrbanFool for kicking my butt about not posting. You gave me the impetus to corral the plot bunnies into some semblance of order. I hope you liked it…