~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Dark
Memories: Shadows of the Past
by: DLR 2002
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The Second Age of Middle-earth, 3431
Imladris
Chapter 35
Belfalas 3150
"I thought that you loved me," she whispered, turning away from him, blinking back tears.
"You know I do," he answered. "Let there never be any question in your mind about that. I merely think it would be prudent to wait."
"We have waited," she argued, "We have waited nearly a millennium already."
He sighed patiently. "We have been through this; I am away, on the road, more often than not. You cannot come with me and you would be unhappy alone."
She looked at the floor. "I would not be alone; I would have the company of our children."
"That is my point, precisely," he returned. "I would experience the joy of raising children as well, but I simply cannot be present very often, at this space in time. You would deny me this?" She continued to gaze at the floor, unable to meet his eyes.
"Celebrían." He pulled her into his arms. "The years do not run out for us, we have all eternity stretched out ahead. I do not ask you to wait forever, merely until this conflict with Sauron comes to a close, it will not be much longer."
He placed a finger beneath her chin and tilted her face up towards his. "Stay with your people for now." His eyes twinkled. "You may be assured that many official duties will bring me to Belfalas."
She sighed and placed a hand on each side of his face. "I do not see you in person often enough to be wasting this precious time arguing. We can argue later, in letters."
His eyelids narrowed as he pressed his body tightly against hers. "You have indeed read my mind, Lady," he murmured, kissing her, as his hands traveled inside her bodice. He felt her answering hands unbuttoning his breeches, reaching inside with a soft caress . . .
"Elrond!"
He looked up, startled. Erestor smiled at him. "I am sorry to interrupt your thoughts."
"Indeed," said Elrond, annoyed. "You have most unfortunate timing."
"You would not speak so, if you knew my tidings," continued Erestor.
Elrond raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner and waited.
Erestor became playful. "Perhaps you would enjoy guessing."
The question in the Vice Regent's eyebrows transformed rapidly into a scowl. Erestor was not intimidated; he had the advantage of long friendship with the lord of the house.
"Guess," he repeated, smiling.
Elrond relaxed a little and smiled as well. "Hmm, tidings, eh? Let me see, what could it be, guests?"
"A safe guess," replied Erestor, for indeed, many representatives of the free world, entire armies, in fact, had been converging on Imladris for several months now, per order of the high king.
"Ah, but guests from where?" Erestor asked meaningfully.
Suddenly, Erestor's news became very interesting to Elrond. "Of what do you speak?"
Erestor looked smug.
Elrond became exasperated. "Enough of games, my patience with you grows thin."
"Calm yourself, they are still many leagues away, we have merely had news by messenger," Erestor replied.
"It would appear that you have a death wish," said Elrond through gritted teeth.
"Do I? Why do you say so?" Erestor was enjoying this interchange immensely. Finally he became slightly leery of the deadly look in the vice regent's eye and relented. "Oh very well, an army comes hither from . . ."
"Elrond!" exclaimed Glorfindel, poking his head through the doorway. "A Host approaches from Belfalas, the word is that your lady is among them."
Erestor sat open-mouthed, his thunder having been abruptly stolen away. Elrond lifted his lips in a smirk. "I would thank you for the news, but alas, I have already heard it." He left to change into riding clothes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Elrond dismounted and found himself pulled into a firm embrace by Celeborn. "A royal escort," smiled the silver-haired Elf-lord.
Elrond snorted. "I hardly consider myself royalty; let us say rather, a family escort."
"Indeed," coughed Celeborn, "although the little matter of a ceremony remains still."
Elrond smiled. "It will happen, have patience." With that greeting completed, he lifted his eyes, seeking.
"To your left," Celeborn indicated with a grin. Elrond turned in the direction of his gesture and his knees grew weak. He held his hand out to help her dismount and she was in his arms and they were kissing passionately before either one of them remembered it was a public place.
Glorfindel cleared his throat with emphasis and the lovers broke apart, turning pink. Celeborn lifted an eyebrow meaningfully at his daughter's suitor. "Soon, I promise," said Elrond, quite embarrassed.
"Perhaps we should proceed to Imladris," suggested Glorfindel, hiding a smile. Where you two can find a room.
Elrond remounted and looked at his friend sharply.
Glorfindel rolled his eyes. First visions, now mind reading? Elrond gave him another dark look as he led the host from Belfalas across the ford and into the secret valley.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Celebrían looked around herself, awestricken. "I am amazed at what you have accomplished."
Elrond smiled. "You have not been here in quite some time."
"True," she admitted, "but still." Elrond was impressed himself at the power of Vilya, Ring of the Air, which he had been able to wield freely, while Sauron was imprisoned in Númenor those hundred years or so.
Imladris had become the sanctuary, the refuge that he had always hoped it would be; a calm, beautiful oasis in a troubled world.
Celebrían still marveled. "There is just something about it now, something different, magical, in fact."
Elrond caught Galadriel's eye and they exchanged a knowing glance. "It is indeed the perfect haven," the elven lady acknowledged. "You are to be commended."
Elrond bowed in recognition. "Come; let me show you a project of mine." He escorted his guests through the maze of hallways. He stopped before a large archway, leading into an even larger chamber.
"There are doors being carved for this entrance," Elrond commented. "Perhaps in forty of fifty years they may be completed." He led them into a great expanse.
"I propose to create here a memorial to the past and present Elven kingdoms of Middle-earth. As you can see, I possess some standards and artifacts from Gondolin and Doriath, passed down to me by survivors of those realms. I would have it be known that I would be the keeper of all such relics, from all kingdoms, displayed here for any that wish to view them."
Elrond fell silent while Galadriel inspected a nearby statue. "Fingolfin?" she guessed. "Indeed," replied Elrond.
"I could sketch Finarfin for you," she offered, "and perhaps others as well."
Elrond was gracious. "Thank-you Cousin, that would be a most welcome contribution."
"To a most worthy project." She smiled. "You as well, Husband, there are many sketches you could contribute."
"Indeed," said Celeborn, nodding. "Thingol, Beren and Lúthien perhaps."
"All would be much appreciated," said Elrond. "As you can see, I have a great deal of space to fill."
"I may have some moldy old flags lying about as well," said Celeborn. "You should ask Gil-galad when he arrives; he must have many such articles."
Elrond stiffened and his lips tightened. "No doubt," he agreed, and then grew silent. Galadriel looked at him keenly and Elrond shifted his position uncomfortably. He wondered how much of his mind she was able to discern and he bit his lip recalling the clarity with which she had perceived the distress he felt after using his ring against the wraiths of Sauron years ago.
Elrond shook off his apprehensions. "I have bored you long enough; make yourselves free of the house and grounds." He immediately became reflective, his thoughts turning inward, his eyes open, but unseeing.
Celeborn and Galadriel moved off to seek other entertainments, but Celebrían remained, gazing at him, worried. "Meleth-nîn," she said quietly, and he was startled out of his thoughts.
"Ah, Lady," he breathed as he took her in his arms. "It has been too long."
"I keep telling you this, do I not?" Her voice was muffled in the folds of his clothing.
"You know that I agree with you," he said. "It is the circumstances which are not complying."
"Should we not, perhaps, seek more private quarters?" Celebrían asked, a short time later.
Elrond looked up briefly from his ministrations. "This is not a very well-trodden venue. It is quite shadowy and I think perchance we will go unnoticed." He looked up at the image of Fingolfin, his grandsire twice removed. "Unnoticed by living eyes, at least," he murmured to the statue with a wink.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She saw him standing on the far side of the Hall of Fire a split second before he saw her. She turned to flee, but he was at her side in an instant. She winced as he grabbed her roughly by the forearm. "Celebrían!" he said, with anger and amazement both.
"Let go of me, Halmír," she whispered. "This is a public room, people will see us."
Her assailant looked about briefly, and then led her into a side chamber. "I do not know why I am surprised to see you here, I should have expected it."
"Well I am certainly surprised to see you; I was unaware that a host from Lórinand had arrived. How long have you been here?"* She struggled, finally breaking free of his grasp.
He looked at her angrily. "Long enough to hear many a rumor of you and your new lover. Just what do you think you are doing?"
"I should think that would be obvious," said Celebrían. "I am marrying Lord Elrond."
"Yes, so you have said in your letters," Halmír responded, "but you cannot, we have a promise."
She looked down. "A promise my parents will not allow me to honor."
"What say have they?" he asked, glaring at her.
She still could not meet his eyes. "They have every right. They are my parents and I respect their wishes."
"Where was this respect when you committed yourself to me?"
"I thought they would accept us, I was in error."
Halmír was astounded. "You expect me to simply forget that it ever happened?"
"That is my intention," Celebrían said firmly. "I have forgotten it already."
He stared at her, speechless. At last he shook his head. "May Elbereth forgive you, though I am not certain I can."
"I have no need of your forgiveness, only of your silence."
He looked at her for a long moment. "I hope you are aware of the depth of this hole you are digging."
She returned his gaze. "I have made my choice."
His face was grim. "Which you will most likely live to regret."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
* The army from Lothlórien did not join the Last Alliance until the troops traveled southward, towards Mordor, but I needed them here now. ;)
Tolkien does not say any thing about the elves of Belfalas, but we certainly can't leave them out.