Several days elapsed in much the same pattern; Merlinith and Araspen arriving after breakfast and following a few minutes' chat, Glorfindel and Ecthelion heading out to the beach while the ladies conducted genteel crochet sessions and gossiped easily about life in the camp, making Oropher casually aware that he was missed, and remembered with fondness, all under cover of passing the time while they worked.

More than once Fin and Thel arrived late to the lunch table, with Fin's hair still damp from the bathing pool but both of them feeling relaxed and comfortable. The day meal provided the perfect opportunity to enquire as to the morning's craft session, and Thel listened with every appearance of interest to details about double trebles and magic circles; his and Glorfindel's initial attempts had not inspired him to take the hobby further, although Glorfindel had seemed to like playing with the wool.

'Interesting colours,' Fin said as Oropher proudly brought out his morning's work. 'That orange really looks striking against the pink, and the outer band of purple is very… very… What's it going to be?'

'I do not know it is going to be anything,' Oropher said. 'It simply is.'

'How are matters at the camp today?' Ecthelion asked into the smiling silence which followed Oropher's pronouncement. Merlinith hurried to answer.

'Good, they are very pleasant. Although the Lord of the Hunt is growing eager to depart, he says, and many of our company wish to go with him. Others do not want to immerse themselves in the forest just yet; they would like to explore the land a little first.' She paused to glance at Araspen. 'In fact, we have been invited to join Master Mindomen in his tailoring emporium. Araspen thinks he hasn't realised we're married yet, and has designs on one or other of us, but I think he's after our sewing machines, myself…'

Glorfindel laughed.

'Well, you'll find a few Silvans in the town, too, and not all of them because they're banned from the forest because of poaching.'

'It is not that I do not love the forest,' Merlinith said. 'But we – those of us lately arrived – have lived so differently this last three Ages that it is hard to adjust…'

'Oh, I know all about that one!' Fin said. 'That's one reason Thel and I came here. Just for a bit of peace, at first, to get used to being us again. And we found we loved being near the sea… we keep talking of visiting New Gondolin, perhaps, but it's not happened yet.'

'The town elders do not like us being on the plain for so long,' Araspen put in. 'They say it is their land, and while they are glad to welcome us, they want us gone…'

'Ah, now that's nonsense!' Fin protested. 'The land belongs to the Valar. All of us, wherever we live, do so with their agreement and under their care.'

'We are welcome to make use of the land with permission, of course; there are finite boundaries to where our flock grazes, where we keep our hives, but these are agreed with our hosts and drawn up as formal documents simply for the records,' Ecthelion said. 'But the plain is meant to be common land, for those who journey by ship, and those who come to greet them. If any of your friends wished to settle, there is plenty of free space in the region.'

'Basically, you can use whatever land you need. So if you want to keep goats, and sheep, you will find you have more granted you than if you simply want a house and a garden. There is plenty of room, after all.'

'Perhaps they have a point, though, perhaps we need to move on.' Araspen sighed. 'But… our king – Thranduil, that is – he wishes to wait. As does our Queen… Erestor and Arveldir want to return to their estate…'

'Your queen?' Thranduil asked, looking up with sudden interest. 'Thranduil had no queen, she would not be his queen…'

'No, not Lady Baralinith,' Merlinith said slowly with a glance at Araspen that made Ecthelion wonder if there had been a plan to bring up this particular topic. 'Our queen. Your queen, Lord Oropher? Thranduil's mother, your lady wife?'

Oropher shook his head.

'I do not remember…'

'Do you not? Oh, how sad that is! Well, now, I remember her, I do, although I was very young, just a little older than my brother, when you set off for war…' Merlinith sighed. 'We watched them ride out, our warriors, with you and your son at their head, Lord King, so brave you all looked! And my Adar there, amongst the warriors…' She smiled down at her plate, toying with her cutlery. 'Your queen, she was wonderful! While you were away, she held us together, took care of us, was brave and strong and… and when word came my father had died the same day you did, my lord, she brought us the news herself, and his gemstone. She sat with my mother, and my brother and me, and she shared her own sorrow with us. "You are not alone in this," she said. "It does not stop the pain… but know, others share in it, also." And after she had gone, my mother hugged us both, and said, at least she knew her children were safe, our queen still had a son to worry about.'

'My mother says she did that for everyone,' Araspen put in with her soft little voice. 'She took the news, and the gemstone, every time. She sat with the families and shared their sorrow.'

'And afterwards, when it was done and the survivors returned home, led by your son, my lord, she welcomed them, and attended all the rituals, and kept us strong, still. She made sure our King Thranduil knew all he needed to know about the kingdom. And only then, only once she knew we were safe and secure, only then did she allow herself to turn her face towards the Halls of Mandos and follow you, my lord, to spend the time waiting with you.'

'I did not see her there,' Oropher said, his tone clipped and hard with suppressed emotion.

'That is saddest of all, is it not?' Merlinith went on. 'That you should both be there, and not share the time… I understand, it is a comfort, to be with one you loved in life…?'

She looked at Glorfindel as she spoke, and Fin nodded slowly.

'Yes, just to be able to talk to them…' He glanced over at Ecthelion. 'To come to your senses, such as they are in Mandos, and see your best friend in all the world is holding your hand, or would be, if you were able to touch properly…'

Ecthelion cleared his throat, choked with emotion, the sound masked by Oropher continuing in harsh tones.

'…I did not deserve to see her, I had failed my Silvans, my kinsmen, my subjects, I deserved no less than the severest punishment and…'

'Your Silvans, Lord King, forgave you long ago,' Araspen said. 'That is, there was nothing to forgive, unless to have a king who would die for you is in need of forgiving? It is said, you punish yourself too much, and even now, when we want you back, you refuse to see all is well…'

'It's not just that,' Glorfindel put in. 'The longer you're in the Halls, the harder it is to adjust to outside again, it's…'

'So many died. It is not possible to punish oneself too much for that.'

'But now, they live,' Merlinith said simply. 'Only those who are still paying for their transgressions are left in the Halls. Everyone else – including your wife, Oropher, Lord King, they are alive again, and waiting for you. If you could just see…'

'I am tired,' Oropher said, rising abruptly from his chair. 'I will rest now. Good day to you.'

He stalked from the room leaving the ellith sighing and sad and Ecthelion puzzled.

'Was there a reason, ladies, for bringing up the past so dramatically?' he asked.

'Indeed there was,' Merlinith said. 'Nestoril said, once he started on purple, he'd be recovering his sense of leadership and it would be a good time to mention his responsibilities… But we should apologise, perhaps, for drawing you into the discussion. If we caused offence, or distress…'

'No, don't worry!' Glorfindel said, his voice over-bright as he tried to lighten the mood. 'We talk about when we were dead all the time, don't we, Thel?'

'I would not say it was a regular topic of conversation in fact, but sometimes…'

'Oh, I am sorry!' Araspen said. 'I… we do not really know what it is like…'

'Nor did I know our king had not met our queen there… is it true? That is, of course, if he says…'

'We didn't even know she was there,' Fin said. 'But we never met her while we were alive, so why would we? I knew Oropher during his first life, but never met his queen.'

'What should we do? Should someone see how he is?'

'No,' Ecthelion said. 'We pay our guest the courtesy of taking what he says on face value; if he claims to be tired, then we will leave him to rest.'

'Should we wait and apologise?'

'You are welcome to stay, of course. But you have other things to do with your afternoons, I think, and if we are trying to help your king adjust to routine once more, then perhaps you should follow your regular patterns.'

'Then, thank you for inviting us to eat with you, we are very grateful. I do not suppose you will walk back to the camp with us?'

'If you wish it… Fin, what do you say? Fancy a walk?'

'Well, if Oropher's resting, you're not going to be able to play to me on the veranda, are you? Why not? Bring your flute, we can find somewhere quiet on the way back and fill it up with beautiful sounds.'

Once near enough to be in sight of the camp, however, Glorfindel hung back.

'You know, not really sure I feel terribly sociable today… do you mind if we turn back now?'

'I am sure it will be fine, my sunflower,' Ecthelion said. 'It is not as if we are needed; the ladies, I am sure, are quite capable of making any reports Thranduil or Erestor may require…'

'In fact, when I said earlier that Erestor and Arveldir were eager to return to their home, they are quite ready, and are trying to hand over everything as soon as possible; I think they might like a bit of a chat…' Merlinith lifted a hand and began to wave. 'Oh, there they are, with Parvon and his husband near Thranduil's pavilion …'

'So they are,' Ecthelion said, taking Glorfindel by the hand. 'Well, they are obviously busy so we will not interrupt; perhaps another time. In any case, we will see you tomorrow, after breakfast, as usual. And please – make sure you emphasise how unfortunately stressful today's conversation was for our friend.'

Merlinith looked contrite.

'Yes, well, it's all very well for you, Ecthelion. You haven't had your brother nattering in your ear all day long about his honour-parents…'

'…your brother…?'

'My brother Govon is married to Legolas. Or did you not know?'

'It may have been mentioned but, to be quite honest, the marital arrangements of the grandson of our friend Oropher really have not held my attention… so. Until tomorrow, then. Unless you wanted to say hello to anyone, Fin?'

'No, they all look very busy… let's just go.'

Ecthelion nodded and put his arm around his husband, bidding Merlinith and Araspen farewell before turning to saunter back along the trail. He was not entirely sure whether to be relieved or anxious that his shining love didn't want to spend time with his friends-from-before…

'I want to hear you play,' Glorfindel said as they continued on. 'I want to sit down with my back to a warm sand dune with you perched on the top of it, and listen to your flute dancing. It seems like ages since you played for me.'

'It does, indeed,' Thel agreed, although it had not been more than a handful of days at most, but it was sweet that Fin thought so. 'Perhaps because we have been spending some of our music time listening to the music boxes instead. Of course, I have new tunes, now… if you wish?'

'I don't care, Thel. It's just you, and the flute, and the music. Whatever you feel like playing.'

They made their way down to the shore and wandered along to one of Fin's preferred spots amongst the dunes. At this time of day, the shorewards side of the dunes were still warm from the morning sun, and Fin settled with a sigh where he could look up at Thel, sitting on the crest of the dune with one leg dangling down.

'You could sit next to me, my sunbeam, if you wished…?'

'You always say that. But I like to watch you.'

'What would you have…?'

'You. Later, though. But not too much later. Just blow the thing!'

Thel smiled and moistened his lips.

'Later, darling…'

Fin threw back his head and laughed, the light bouncing in his hair, so of course Ecthelion started with the simple little tune about sunshine, and from there moved on into a blend of recently-heard tunes and old songs, allowing his mood and the brightness of the day to inform his selections, shifting from melody to melody with easy freedom.

He watched Glorfindel as he played, smiling with his eyes when his mouth was busy shaping the notes, trying to read his beloved's mood. For once, it was not obvious to Thel how his love was feeling… which was either good, as it meant there was nothing terribly wrong with Fin's fëa at present, or bad, because it meant something was brewing…

Perhaps he worried too much, but Glorfindel could be so swift to fall into despondency sometimes, and Ecthelion would rather catch him on the way down than let him hit the depths and have to be pulled out his personal darkness…

But then Fin leaned in, resting his head against Thel's thigh and smiling up at him, and all seemed well.

'I suppose we should head home,' he said when the currently melody drew to its close. 'We must have been gone an hour…'

'Longer, my light of joy. By the time we get back, it will be more like two. I hope we have not been too much missed by our guest…'

'He's been better, since crochet classes. Not quite as anxious if you leave him on his own for five minutes.'

But when they approached the villa, Lalbes was waiting on the step for them.

'I am glad you are back, my lords, you have been asked for…'

'Oh? Visitors, perhaps?' Ecthelion asked mildly. 'No? Well, thank you, Lalbes. May we have refreshments in the sitting room, please, when convenient? And Bruiven may serve, if you are busy.'

'Thank you, my lord. I do have other matters on hand…'

Oropher appeared as soon as they entered the house, as if he'd been listening for their return.

'There you are!' he said. 'I wanted to talk to you about… what was said. But you were not to be found!'

'No; we went for a walk so I could play for Fin without disturbing you, Oropher. You said you were tired.'

'I was. But I could not rest.'

'We're going through to sit down. Would you care to join us? I must put my flute away, but Fin will go with you…'

'Your flute? You really were playing? You do not play for me, I note.'

'I generally play most days, you know. Fin is kind enough to say he likes to listen.'

'I do, I love Thel's music,' Fin said. 'It's just, well, we thought you'd want peace and quiet, not to be disturbed by our nonsense; Thel plays brilliantly, but sometimes I sing along… Come on, then.'

He smiled at Ecthelion and gestured Oropher to precede him into the sitting room.

'The things said,' Oropher began as soon as Fin had taken a seat. 'That my wife did all that was needful for the kingdom, and then allowed herself to fade… I do not – did not – deserve such loyalty. When I left the Halls, they brought an elleth with a look of my son about her, but I did not acknowledge her… and now I cannot remember if it was that I remembered her or would not let myself…'

'I'm sure you know what you mean, Oropher, old friend, but… bit vague here, sorry…'

Oropher gave a long-suffering sigh.

'I had failed my subjects, I had failed my family. I considered I did not, do not deserve the loyalty and love they would offer. It was a part of my punishment that I did not see my queen while I was in the Halls… but… if she followed me for love, then… did I not punish her by not asking for her?' Oropher stared at his hands, his fingers knotted together with tension. 'How could I expect to be forgiven such behaviour? If I did not see her, did not know whom amongst them she was, then it would somehow be less cruel to her… and easier for me to accept my penance…'

'Well, it's your own fault,' Fin said briskly. 'Námo told you ages ago that you were free to go, you had atoned enough. But, no, you wouldn't leave, you knew better than the Doomsman of the Valar…'

This drew a wraith of a smile.

'…my point being, your queen died so she could be with you. Think about how long she's been waiting, in the Halls, outside in the Undying Lands. Think about how you were together, before you got this huge guilt-thing to play with… do you really think you're so important that it's all your fault?'

'When you phrase it in such a way… and yet…'

'Oropher, you'd finished atoning long before you were finally coaxed out; if your wife hasn't forgiven you, then it's because she doesn't see anything to forgive. Because that's the thing, when you have a fëa-mate, when you marry your forever-love. Those who love us, they don't just stop. They never stop caring, loving, forgiving. They don't care what we did, Oropher, they just want us back so they can love us. And that… that's hard, sometimes. You think you've got a lot to be forgiven for, well, just you get in line, I…'

He broke off and got to his feet, heading out of the room and almost colliding with Ecthelion in the doorway.

'Did you hear that?' Oropher asked as Thel stared after Glorfindel. 'He says it is my fault…!'

'But, Oropher, that is exactly what you have been saying, is it not? Glorfindel has merely – from what I can gather – demonstrated that your remorse is over the wrong subject.'

'There are things I need to know, to… do you think Glorfindel is right?'

'He quite often is, frequently to his own surprise.'

'Then I should do something? But what? Ought I send for her, my wife? Or for my son? But I do not clearly remember, still, although some things are returning…'

'Oropher, I understand you are currently in the midst of a crisis, but I rather fear that so is my husband. And, dear friend though you are, my first loyalties are to him. Excuse me.'

Inclining his head, he set off after Glorfindel, heading for the outer door and passing Bruiven on the way.

'My lord, you wanted refreshments?'

'In the sitting room, thank you. And later, I think we may need the hammock.'

With this pronouncement he hurried from the house to seek his husband.

.