90) Fountain


The moonlight glinted off of the marble of the fountain, washed the entire garden in a soft, shining white light.

Elrond stood before the fountain, staring at the thin streams of water as they fell from the spouts and into the larger basin, creating never ending ripples.

He'd had this fountain constructed for Celebrían as a wedding present.

Wrought of white marble and detailed with silver, it looked beautiful in daylight and outright ethereal in moonlight.

The spouts were fashioned after swans, silver wings outstretched in mock flight, water pouring from their mouths.

There had been a time after Celebrían had sailed that he would come here and cry when he looked upon the fountain and had felt her ghost standing beside him.

Now he looked upon the fountain and felt numb.

That was worse and it made him want to see her again. See her, not some fading bittersweet memory that his longing heart conjured up in a fruitless attempt to help himself feel anything besides the numbness that had settled inside him. He still missed her, he just did not cry anymore. He wanted to cry but he could not seem to make tears anymore.

He would see her again, he hoped. Talk to her, touch her, feel the numbness melt away from his soul like ice.

For now he had the fountain.