I do not own Erestor, Elrond, Glorfindel, Middle Earth, or Ossiriand. With other characters, I believe I am their only writer.

I wish to bring enjoyment to fellow fans rather than make money. :)

Mellolaes went where Silvans go when they are distressed. She surrounded herself with trees growing outside Elrond's extensive gardens and tried to breathe. Her breast, though, was stiffened by memories of what Glorfindel had said and how Erestor had looked before she left him in his room.

As Mellolaes recalled these things, the leaves rustled around her. She looked up at them and then beyond them to the sky. Her heart and mind went where she commanded them even as her will knelt to the One she wished to seek. "My Lord … what shall I do?"

She paused continuing to stare into the leaves and sky. She waited in silence. Her face was illuminated by the light at times and shaded at others as the branches above her moved to shade her or reveal the sky.

Then her face was suddenly aglow from within as she stared. All the wind settled around her. Every branch, leaf, and blade of grass went completely still. The elleth's mouth hung open as she stared upward into the blue sky.

. . .

The elleth stepped lightly through the open door and up to the steward's bedside. He looked away from the book he held and stared at her wide-eyes. She sat down gently on the chair to the right of his bed looking back at him bleakly. He raised an eyebrow at her, "What is it, young elleth?"

Mellolaes bowed her head for a moment. Then she raised it again to meet his gaze. "I … I have come to tell you the rest of the story."

Both of Erestor's eyebrows flew upward. "Truly?"

Mellolaes nodded. "I ... I told my charge I would try to make you happy and instead left you miserable. And I have been charged once more, to continue telling you this story to you ... The tale does have a happy even if there is much sorrow in it. Please listen!"

Erestor stared at her a moment. He noted her eyes were closed, she bit her bottom lip, and clasped her hands in her lap hard. He carefully set aside "The Fall of Gondolin" the the left of his legs beneath the coverlet and carefully settled himself back into his pillows before nodding. "Go ahead then elleth, and execute this charge you have been given, which obviously means so much to you." He gave a soft smile. "I believe I can take it today."

. . .

Lathwinn stood outside the den's low entryway with her brothers. Her arms were crossed over her chest and back straight and chin lifted as she stared the four ellon down. "It has been ten days, brothers. It is past time he come out!"

Her second-eldest brother snorted. "Let him be! If he wants to remain in the dark allow it, he causes no trouble to any as he is."

"His cry and silence after and fading feeling now have thus far troubled our kin's hearts greatly. And you know aunt Sarnin's in particular deeply sorrows over him even now."

Her second eldest brother pursed his lips, but her eldest brother continued his point for him. "As bad as those things are, dear sister, it remains better than some mischief he could get up to were he up and about among us."

Lastannan sat squatted before the den's entrance, apparently to gaze inside the hole. In reality, he did not wish to seem like he was trying to command his little sister. He carefully did not flaunt his height, age, or eldest born status before Lathwinn the Great just now. He had learned that did not work well in gaining her acquiescence.

Her heart was soft and warm most of the time, but almost always strong and sometimes hot as well. Her youth, slenderness, and smallness of stature were not often great factors in an argument with Lathwinn the great.

His younger and her second elder brother, just a little shorter than her and taller than her, stood before her arms crossed and brows furrowed. Ranthallion seemed to truly fear this stranger. Lastannan did not know what to do. Their parents were gone now. Their king hung back to watch and wait before deciding to use his authority to either chase away or force a guest to stay who did not want to.

Lathwinn was all for dragging the stranger out above ground and forcing life back into him. Their brother was all for letting him fade away. Lastannan did not know who to side with.

The ellon seemed honorable and safe enough. His actions had not so far proved otherwise. However, Lastannan did not have the powers of either his only sister nor his eldest younger brother to see deep into the spirits of others. His brother had always been able to sense danger from afar and foulness lurking under the mildness of others' faces and voices. His sister had always been able to see both the obvious and deep goodness in most things. She could often tell when a danger lurked too, but was sometimes drawn in to far by a things remaining good when its evil could still lash out.

Lastannan felt himself pulled in the direction of protecting his little sister now. "We do not know who this ellon truly is or was or what he will do once among us again, Lathwinn."

"And thus, we will simply leave him to die in the darkness?"

Her brothers stared at her a moment. Then the older ones looked downward, her eldest brother's face lax, the other still scowling. The younger two simply stared up at her in calm lying relaxed on the ground as the other three fought things out with words above them. They wanted to be nearby however it came out, but Melarbeth wished to observe more before forming a strong opinion. Manpalan didn't know if he'd earned the right to have one yet. This is the way it often was among the five of them and how it would often be for many centuries yet to come.

Lathwinn glanced a little longer between her four brothers before continuing. "If we would not leave the least of beasts to perish so, how can we leave one of our fellow elves to such a fate?"

Melarbeth now sighed, for he figured he would not be allowed to continue lying his head neatly cradled in his interlaced fingers for long. Ranthalion briefly lifted his arms above his head before turning away and letting his hands fall to slap against his thighs. Then he rested them on his hips. Lastanan rubbed his chin before shuffling aside and whispering "Be careful little sister ..."

Manpalan stepped forward and rested his hand lightly upon the hilt of his deer-antler knife stuck into its deer-antler-cast-leather sheath. Lathwinn grinned at them all. Then she got down on her hands and knees and crawled through the opening of the den.

What do you think?

God Bless

ScirbeofHeroes