King's Tower. April 11, Second Age 144
GIL-GALAD stormed into his chambers followed by Lord Gilmagor.
"Leave us," he commanded the servants more sharply than he wonted. They left quickly, closing the door firmly behind them under the king's scrutiny. Once silence settled in the room, Gil-galad turned to his sword master and a mentor.
"I don't understand, master. I thought you were on my side. I thought you were with me," Gil-galad touched his forehead, trying to calm the throbbing there.
"I am with you, Ereinion. I always have and always will."
"Then why?" asked Gil-galad. "I thought you approved of Elrond. Was it not Elrond that sealed your decision to teach the cadets yourself?"
If there was one person Gil-galad thought he could rely on at the council, it would have been Gilmagor, but now he wasn't so sure. He was relieved, at least, that the discussion had been just between his uncle, the commander and himself. Had this been in front of the whole council... Gil-galad shook his head. He didn't want to think about the damage it would have caused.
Gilmagor sighed, running his finger over the bone on his nose that jutted out, marring otherwise fine features of his.
"It is not the matter of Elrond's character. It is more about his lineage."
"He is my cousin, heir of my father's brother. Have you forgotten that he is Idril's grandson?"
"I have not forgotten. It is precisely why he cannot be your heir, Ereinion. He is the grandson of Turgon's daughter. Our kings come from the line of sons, never mind that he is not even of pure Noldorin blood."
"When have you become the purist?" The king challenged. "I thought only Lord Lammaeg talks of 'pure blood'. I expect that from my uncle, but you…"
"My feelings have nothing to do with agreeing with Lord Lammaeg just now. You know I don't agree with the views of your uncle, but I agree with him as to this matter."
Gilmagor held out his hand, stopping Gil-galad as the king turned to protest.
"This isn't about my personal views regarding Elrond, but about what your people expect. As their king, it is your job to execute the will of the people, not for you to execute your will on them. If you hope to unite all Elven kind in Middle Earth as you so wish, you should not start by alienating your own followers by changing our tradition for no reason. The purity of the blood aside, you cannot name an heir who is from a daughter's line until all heirs from the line of sons are exhausted. That is the way it has been and that is the way people expect it to be. Even now, there are many who see Celebrimbor as having a better claim than you. And as the only surviving member of House Feanor, Celebrimbor should have been the king."
Gil-galad took off the golden circlet on his head. "Then why did they make me king? I didn't want this."
"Because you are the only surviving member of House Fingolfin. After Maedhros gave up his right to the kingship, all of us acknowledged Lord Fingolfin as the high king and the crown has remained within his House."
"And as Uncle Turgon's heir, Elrond is part of this House. Why would it be wrong for the crown to go to Elrond, especially when Uncle Turgon had the crown before me?"
Gilmagor let out a long sigh and raked his hair.
"Turgon had the crown after your father's death because you were only 27 years old and too young to rule. But even Turgon knew the kingship will fall back to you and not to his heir even if he had a son. His heir would have only inherited Gondolin, had it survived, not the high kingship. Besides, Elrond is Half-Elven."
"But so was King Dior of Doriath. He was Half-Elven and a mortal at that but he became king after Thingol."
"But, their circumstance differs from ours, Ereinion. After King Thingol's death, there were only two who could have taken the kingship. Lord Celeborn was one of them but he had left Doriath decades before their king's death and they knew not where to look for him. The other was Lord Arandur but he refused, claiming that Lady Melian wanted Dior to inherit."
"Lord Arandur as in Oropher's father?" The king looked up at Gilmagor.
Gilmagor nodded.
"Yes. Lord Arandur was Thingol's nephew but according to him, one of his captains brought a word from Queen Melian, before she disappeared, that she wanted Dior to inherit. And when Lord Arandur refused the crown, it excluded everyone in his House including Amdir as he grew up in his uncle's house along with Oropher."
"No matter what Lord Arandur claimed, Dior became the king because people accepted him."
"People of Doriath accepted Dior because they respected Lady Melian above all others and took her words to heart. I am afraid your words alone will not have the same effect on our people."
Gil-galad sighed knowing this to be true.
"How do you know all this?" Gil-galad asked. "For a Noldo, you seem to know Sindarin history well. Those are details even I have not learned from Pengolodh and he is the loremaster."
"Master Pengolodh is knowledgeable and wise, but his knowledge of Sindarin history comes from pieces of information he gathered from the refugees of Doriath he met at Sirion. And the stories he added to his Annals are mostly those stories that are of interest to us and are written with our perspective. Unfortunately, those Sindar Pengo had access to did not always have the firsthand knowledge and many of their accounts missed the names of others not central to the story. And, Oropher's people who had actual knowledge of what happened in Menegroth stayed away from us."
"So, where did you get your information. I doubt any of Oropher's people opened up to you."
"No, they did not," Gilmagor scoffed. "But Oropher was close to Lord Cirdan and deferred to him in all matters. I went to talk to Lord Cirdan when you first came to me regarding Elrond. I knew everything about Elrond's father, but not enough about his mother."
"And the knowledge did not convince you that Elrond is worthy?"
"As I said, it is not about the quality of Elrond's blood. He has a royal blood of both Noldor and Sindar but he comes from a daughter's line from both royal Houses. If there was no Celebrimbor, some may not question Elrond's qualifications despite his mortal blood. But as it stands, Celebrimbor has the better claim until you have a son. If you name Elrond your heir now, you are practically telling Celebrimbor you reject him as a part of your family. As Lammaeg said, under you, we will be united. But, if people are given a choice between Elrond and Celebrimbor, most will choose Celebrimbor."
"That includes Lammaeg himself," Gil-galad said. "He believes anyone who is not Noldor beneath notice. My uncle thinks Elrond does not have enough of Noldorin blood in him."
"I know how you feel about Lord Lammaeg and his views, but I recommend that you keep them to yourself, Ereinion. You need Lammaeg. He commands a large following and has the connection and influence over many Noldor. But most importantly, Lammaeg is loyal to you. No matter that your views clash often with his, he will never think of betraying you."
Gil-galad sighed as he looked down at his hands. He knew Gilmagor was right.
"Do you think they will choose Celebrimbor even though he is Feanor's grandson?" Gil-galad knew he was making a losing argument, but he had to ask.
"You know the answer to that. It is not our way to blame a son for the error of his father, or a father for the error of his child. No one blames him for the act of his father and neither should you."
Gil-galad nodded, realizing he cannot fight this now. The king felt the scrutiny of his sword master and turned to meet the piercing eyes of the elder Elf.
"Let me ask you, Ereinion, as your friend and not as your teacher or adviser. Why do you insist on naming your heir now when you are still young? You are a young ellon with prospects better than most. We are at peace now. Is it so strange for the council to think that you will marry one day and produce an heir? Have you not seen the hopeful eyes of the many young maidens in this kingdom whenever you pass? What is it that spurs you to want an heir not of your own body? And why is it that you want an army when we have no dark lord to speak of?"
Gil-galad threw himself onto one of the chairs in his chambers. He pulled at the neckline of his velvet tunic, suddenly feeling suffocated.
"Talk to me." Gilmagor's eyes softened as he stood before the king. "What haunts you, young one?"
The king put his hand over his mouth. The vision of his mother lying on her bed, once beautiful face that became too pale and too thin, a wisp of her former self, swam before his eyes.
Once, proud and majestic she was. With long dark hair that was waves of silken curls and gray eyes that twinkled like evening stars, his mother had been the only source of joy for him in the land by the sea which was strange and foreign, so different from the windswept Hithlum with the scent of pines and snow-capped mountains where he was born.
Gil-galad was only 20 years old when his father sent him away with his mother to the care of Lord Cirdan.
"Ereinion," Gilmagor called, bringing the king out of the thoughts of the past. "Will you not talk to me?"
"I don't think I could marry," Gil-galad whispered, repressing the overwhelming sadness that clung to him like a morning chill.
Gilmagor frowned as if he had not heard right.
Gil-galad reined in the tremor that shook him, but this was not a matter related to the realm. It was personal and as such, it had no bearing on their discussion. The dream, maybe, but not this. Gil-galad's eyes swept over the gilded gold box sitting on his desk before meeting Gilmagor's eyes again.
"I heard that you started to train the cadets yourself? Why is that? I thought you were planning to select only a few to train?" The king leaned back in the chair, trying hard to sound normal.
Gil-galad knew that his master was too sharp not to notice the intentional change in the subject, but he wasn't ready to talk about it. Not yet.
Gilmagor met the king's gaze and held it but after a moment, sighed, then took a seat across from the king.
"I met a new cadet. He intrigued me."
"Oh?" the king looked up at his sword master. It was rare for the elder elf to say such a thing. Of all the years the king had known him, the only other person Gilmagor found 'interesting' had been Elrond although that alone did not make Gilmagor take on Elrond as his pupil as the king had hoped. "Tell me about him."
"At first, I thought he was a Vanya, someone I knew in Valinor although I knew that couldn't be." Gilmagor's eyes clouded for a moment as if he was seeing somewhere far.
The king raised his eyebrows. "A Vanya? I thought there were none left in Middle Earth?"
As far as Gil-galad knew, all of that race of Elves went to Valinor millenia before the birth of the sun and the moon. According to what he read, Vanyar did not readily mix with others. Of few that did, they were all married into his family.
"He wasn't. He was just golden."
"Golden? I know of none in Middle Earth now except for Lady Galadriel. Of course, unless he has a blood of Men. I have seen mortals with a blond hair although their hair is not so radiant in color as the Vanyar. Theirs certainly were not like Idril or Galadriel."
"I do not believe there is any mortal blood in him. I am talking about Oropher's son, Thranduil. I guess you have not met him yet?"
Gil-galad shook his head.
"I offered to house him here in the palace, but he refused. And my invitation to the celebration of the First Yen did not reach him. I received a similar response for the dinner invitation before the training. I don't know if he is avoiding me, or if the timing was unfortunate. So what intrigued you?"
"I thought I saw something in him. At first glance, I could tell he was a trained warrior. Although he is young, it looked as if he was tested in a field. The way he stood…the look in the eyes. But…" Gilmagor seemed hesitant to go on.
"He was not what he seemed?"
"I am not yet sure, but there is something not right about him. I sensed fear in him."
"You are not saying he is a coward? I cannot believe that the son of Oropher could be a coward." Gil-galad gaped at his sword master.
"Sons do not always take after their fathers nor are fathers always like their sons. But I do not think it was a cowardice. Hardy and resolute, he was. Stood and took everything without one word of complaint although he suffered more than all the rest. That alone tells me he is no coward. I have driven the cadets hard all day. I wanted to see how hardy they were. As I always said…"
"Yes, I know." Gil-galad smiled remembering the grueling training Gilmagor put him through insisting that a leader must get up when everyone is beaten down even if he was hurting more than the rest.
"A leader needs to have a great stamina, both in mind and body along with plenty of iron will and determination," Gilmagor said as if he wanted to drill that into the king.
"Then what do you think it is? Did he at least do well enough against other cadets?"
"No. He was the first Meduion."
Gil-galad couldn't believe it. "I thought Thranduil was trained by the best of Doriath warriors?"
""I cannot say how well he is trained, but he certainly is experienced. I could tell by the ease with which he grips his weapons and how quickly he adapts to those around him although he seems to have some difficulty with his right hand." Gilmagor stopped then shook his head. "But something haunts him. It weighs him down and affects him deeply. Whatever it is, if he cannot overcome it, he cannot lead. And there is another problem." Gilmagor sighed. "He is not familiar with the Noldorin style. I don't think he knows any of the patterns for wielding a sword other than his native Sindarin movements. I have learned the Sindarin style from Lord Cirdan's people. The patterns are much more simple, effective but not as sophisticated as ours, although I'll admit to some innovative moves."
"Can we set someone to teach him?"
Gilmagor scoffed aloud, but his eyes laughed. "This lad declared to me that he can learn whatever patterns in Noldorin style before the next quarter."
Gil-galad rounded his eyes.
"That is in ten days. What has made him say such nonsense? Does he even know how many patterns there are?"
"I care not. He said he could, so I expect him to do so."
"But, master…"
"He is young and arrogant to a fault. He must learn to be responsible for what he says."
"But what if he can't do it? The sheer number of the patterns in ten days? You spent one week for the each pattern when you taught it to me."
"When I trained you, you were learning to wield your weapons for the first time. I needed to make sure you learned your patterns correctly. But Thranduil is already a warrior. The style may be different from what he may have learned, but a trained warrior should be able to pick them up much more quickly. Well, that is, if he is a properly trained warrior. He has yet to show me that he is."
"Still…ten days? What will you do if he cannot do it?"
"Then, he will be unable to keep up with the rest. And a soldier who says things lightly has no place among my officers. I will throw him down to basic training with the common soldiers as I told him I will do."
The king knew nothing he could say will change Gilmagor's mind. The sword master had originally wanted to sail to Valinor and reluctantly agreed to take a temporary command of the army upon the entreaty of the king and the council. But Gilmagor had made it clear that he will not tolerate any meddling by anyone, including the king and the council, as to how to train the army while he was in command.
But, how will Oropher take it if they throw his son down to basic training with common soldiers when they have told him Thranduil will be trained as an officer? Gil-galad rubbed at his forehead.
"At the least, shouldn't we teach him the patterns?"
"I have already set Elrond to do so. I have tied them as each other's warrior companions."
"Elrond will not like that. He is not very fond of Thranduil."
Gilmagor harrumphed. "He certainly was willing to disobey commands to defend the Sinda. Besides, they can learn much from each other."
"Disobey commands? Elrond?" Gil-galad asked. That didn't sound like Elrond at all. But Gilmagor did not elaborate. "And if Thranduil is anything like Oropher, then I don't know what Elrond can learn from him," the king added.
"I know Oropher is difficult but he has a will and determination rare in many others. You should not have let him go."
"What should have I done? Chain Oropher to Lindon? It would have only brewed more discontent. How can I hope to unite our kind if I hold any of them against their will?"
The king stood up from his seat, sudden heat choking him. Gil-galad was keenly aware that he was keeping Oropher's son against his will; but, that could not be helped.
"But if Oropher is to establish a realm, how will you deal with him and his followers then? At least when they were under your rule, your words would have governed them."
Gil-galad walked over to a table and poured himself a drink. There had been a heated discussion in the Council Hall before Oropher was allowed to leave Lindon.
"Oropher said he had no wish to establish a kingdom. I don't think he has that sort of ambition. You agreed with me on that." The king turned to Gilmagor and offered him a glass of wine.
"And I still do, Ereinion. It is the only reason I voted with you in the end. But, he is a born leader. People flock to him of their own will. Have you not seen how many of his followers grew by the time he left?"
The king thought back to the time when Oropher first approached him with the request to leave Lindon. In the beginning, it had only included his household, barely enough number of Elves to fill one ship. But they have grown over the years to require three ships by the time Oropher sailed. Although it still was only a handful compared to the number of Sindar who remained in Lindon, it was large enough to garner the attention of the council and also because they consisted mostly of the upper echelon of former Doriath citizens, most of the surviving councilors, royal guards, and many craftsmen who had lived in Menegroth.
"Even if Oropher does not have such ambition, his followers may. Ambition alone does not make one a king, but neither does a lack of it prevents one from becoming one," Gilmagor said.
"In that event, it is Celebrimbor I should worry about. His supporters seem to be growing."
"It is precisely why Lammaeg and I are against you naming Elrond your heir now, Ereinion. We do not want to antagonize Celebrimbor or give his followers a reason to choose between you and him."
"I suppose," Gil-galad looked away with a sigh realizing that they have circled back to the issue they had originally started with.
"Then you understand why we don't want you to name Elrond your heir now? Focus instead on growing your power and influence. As soon as he is ready, install Elrond as part of the council. I will help you. Let them see who Elrond is. Let Elrond earn his place rather than naming him your heir against the wishes of the council. Besides Celebrimbor, there may also be a child. We need not decide on the heir until you are sure there will be no child."
Gil-galad nodded. But the king was sure already that there will be no child. But how can he tell Gilmagor that he will never marry, that he will never have a child of his own?
Idril ( a Sindarized version of Itarille, Sparkling brilliance)- Daughter of Turgon, thus the princess of Gondolin. She was the second Elven princess, after Luthien, to marry a mortal.
Ellon—male elf (ellyn, plural); female elf is elleth (ellyth, plural)
Hithlum—Northern Beleriand ruled by Fingolfin, then later by his son, Fingon. In Silmarillion, it is stated that after taking the high kingship, Fingon sent his young son to Lord Cirdan for safe keeping few years before leaving for Battle of Unnumbered Tears, the last battle fought by Noldor against Morgoth where they were utterly defeated. Fingon died in this war and the crown passed to Turgon, Fingon's brother.
Age for Elves—Up to 3 years of age, Elves and Men look same, according to Tolkien. But afterward, Elves grow slowly. At 50 years, they reach their majority (I took that to mean that they will look about 13 or 14-year-old human. During the Medieval period, once a child is about 13 when girls have their first menstruation, they were considered adults and marriageable). So, up to 50, divide the Elf's age by 4 and you will get how old they look if they were human. At 20, Gil-galad would have looked about 5 years old, and at 27, he would have looked about 7 years old. (I based Gil-galad's birth year as FA 445 based on the account in Silmarillion.)
Tolkien said, "some hundred years would pass before they were full-grown". I take that to mean that they would look 17-18 years old human by the time they pass their 100 years of age. To me, although Elves may look as they do not age, they do age, just very slowly and not discernable to humans. Humans may not be able to tell, but Elves would be able to tell how old each other is.