Things were tense over the next couple of days. The news about Sauron returning had slowly gotten around, and the collective unease made the air just about buzz sometimes. At the same time, though, there were small victories. No more reports of panic attacks from Estel, Erestor was keeping it together, and everyone else seemed to continue to putter along, their fear having not totally overwhelmed their capacity to live life.

Once the stressful discussions we'd postponed were out of the way, I had forced myself to sit down and work through the tedious task of doing the statistical calculations for my research project (yes, the one that Sauron kept bloody interrupting), to make sure that my findings were likely to be indicative of a hard and fast rule rather than something that had occurred by chance. I had, essentially, become a hermit, emerging only to eat, sleep, and engage in Happy Hour, and it was probably for the best that I had the knock on my door when I did.

"Oh, Gilraen!" I said as I looked up and saw her standing in the doorway. "Good to see you. Come in, come in. Sit down and have a drink with me."

Gilraen shut the door gently behind her, took a seat, and accepted a glass of some of the apple juice I had purloined from the kitchens, her face gentle and solemn all the while.

"How are things?" I asked as I scratched out one last note on my calculations and packed the papers away.

"They are… concerning, as a matter of fact," Gilraen replied, a shadow passing over her face. "In fact, my worries are what brings me here today. You help with giving counsel on things pertaining to the mind, so I thought perhaps you might be able to shed a little light on something for me."

"I'd be glad to help," I said with a smile. "I just need to mention a couple of things first, and if you're all right with them, we'll start talking."

Gilraen nodded and interestingly enough, she paid close attention to my ethics and confidentiality rant. This was a lady who never missed a beat, and it was easy to see how her child had turned out the way he did. She consented, autographed the bit of paper, and discussions began.

"What's on your mind?" I enquired.

"It isn't so much my mind that gives me cause for concern," Gilraen replied heavily. "Rather, it's Estel's"

"Oh?"

"He was acting strangely yesterday. Did you notice anything?" she asked, looking up at me.

"I… ah… haven't noticed anything much if it's not been occurring in these four walls, I'm afraid," I admitted sheepishly, feeling my cheeks warm a little.

Gilraen, not bothered, continued. "Ah, well, he was somewhat… dreamy, I suppose you could call it. Dreamy and subdued. I confronted him about it, and he told me he has fallen in love."

"Oh, really?" I answered with interest. "There are no other mortals here that I know of. Has he fallen in love with an Elf?"

"He has," Gilraen replied, now looking extremely grave. "With Elrond's daughter, no less."

My eyebrows shot up now and my insides turned to ice. "Ah," I vocalised quietly. "I see your concern. And, ah, what does Arwen think of him?"

"I do not know," she said. "So far, her heart seems not to have been won over, so it is possible that it may be unrequited, but I believe that in time, she could come to love him back."

Frowning a little, I leaned on my armrest, covering my mouth with my fingers, hoping to look contemplative when internally, I was exerting some effort in stopping my bowels from evacuating themselves from the shock of it all. Everybody knew the tale of Beren and Lúthien, the romance that the mortals ate up with a spoon and the Elves and Maiar lamented over. I immediately dispelled the thought of Arwen sealing the same fate for herself as her ancestor had and forced myself to focus on the here and now.

"So what about this brings you to my office, then?" I asked her after I had collected myself.

"I seek your counsel on how to proceed, knowing what I do now," she answered carefully, her keen eyes scrutinising my face closely.

I was feeling hugely nervous now, but pushed myself to remain cerebral about it.

"That depends on two things," I began steadily. "How much you intend to involve yourself in your child's life now that he is grown up, for one. Is that something you plan to do much of?"

"Normally I would not," Gilraen admitted, "but at the same time, I firmly believe that Elves and Men should not intermarry. In my opinion, this is quite a serious matter." She nodded her head once in conviction, and then lay her hands in her lap.

"And to be truthful," Gilraen continued, "I do not know what Lord Elrond would think of this. He has fostered the heirs of Isildur out of the kindness of his heart, and I am not sure what would become of his goodwill if he found out that my son is trying to win the heart of his only daughter."

I pursed my lips, loath to say anything either way. I felt terribly guilty for it, but out of all this, Elrond and Arwen were my primary concerns. I wasn't sure how Elrond would take another loss at this point, especially if it was one of his children, whom (along with Celebrían) he adored above everything else in life. As for Arwen, I had absolutely no desire for her to have to live as a mortal and experience the gradual onset of age and, eventually, death. As much of a unique and wonderful journey as mortality was, I was selfish and wanted her present through all of the long years that awaited the rest of her family and contemporaries.

"No, that's a tough one," I murmured noncommittally before lapsing into confused silence a moment longer, my train of thought having gone violently off its tracks.

"You said there was more than one thing to consider," Gilraen prompted after what turned out to be a pregnant pause I had failed to notice.

"Ah, right, yes," I said quickly, giving my head a quick shake. "Sorry about that, Gilraen. The other thing would be to establish exactly how much of an impact you as his mother can actually have on this. If you forbade him, for example, from pursuing anything with Arwen, would he obey you?"

Gilraen tapped her fingers together as she considered my question. "Mmm… of that I am also unsure. I imagine he will pay close attention to my words but will inevitably make his own choice."

Make his own choice. The words struck me like blows. I sighed and nodded as another wave of shock passed over me before I finally admitted it to myself: this was too much. I could not remain professional in this situation. If I influenced her in any way that would allow that relationship to be pursued, I would never be able to look Elrond in the eye again. How would I comfort him if Arwen, god forbid, actually did elect to seal herself to Estel? No, there was too much at stake here. I had to tell her.

"Gilraen, I'm going to be honest with you, here," I said to her. "I will not be able to give you impartial advice on this matter in my capacity as a psychologist. I love you and your son dearly, as I do Elrond and his daughter, and there is much that has happened in the Peredhel family that has caused so much heartbreak as it is. Frankly, my instinctive urge is to do everything I can to ensure they are not subjected to any more suffering, as such a relationship would invariably bring were it allowed to blossom." I looked up sadly into her silver eyes, clear as a moonlit night, and a tiny smile came across her beautiful, clever face.

"I had anticipated something like this might happen," she said sagely. "I appreciate your honesty, Rhodri."

"I'm sorry that I can't be of any real help to you, Gilraen," I said remorsefully. "You're a very intelligent woman, and I'm sure you will make a good choice. Whatever you decide to do, though, I must ask something of you."

"Oh?"

"Elrond might not find any of this out through his own intuition," I began. I let out a puff of air and looked up at her. "I've never begged anyone for anything in my life, Gilraen, but I'm begging you now," I took her hands in mine and didn't take my eyes off hers. "If at any point you have a reasonable suspicion that Estel and Arwen both have feelings for each other, please, please let me divulge this conversation with Elrond."

For a minute there I wasn't sure what Gilraen was going to do. My pathetic face must have moved her somewhat, though, because she nodded gently.

"Very well," she said. "I'm sure you know that for my part, I hope nothing comes of this, either. In fact, I think your request has made it quite clear as to what I must do. Thank you, Rhodri."

Giving my hands a squeeze, she stood up and left the room without another word.

I sat there in a stunned silence for I don't know how long before deciding to totter out and hunt up some leftover birthday cake. A few minutes later, I was loitering in the courtyard munching away on a colossal slice of honey cake, my mind a million miles away. Or, at the very least, far away enough that I hadn't noticed that my cake had disappeared abnormally quickly. I only found out when I went to take a bite and nearly shattered my teeth when they didn't go through anything but thin air before the top row gnashed into the bottom row.

"What the-" I said in a daze as I nursed my throbbing jaw.

"You looked like you were struggling with that piece of cake on your own, there, Auntie Rhodri," a slightly muffled voice from behind me said.

I jerked around and saw Elladan and Elrohir, each holding a mouthful of my honey cake, their own gobs already quite stuffed with it.

"We hate to see you suffer like that," Elrohir said sweetly, him and his sibling looking the picture of innocence as they smiled at me warmly.

"You are aware that there are over 60 pieces of honey cake left in the kitchens right now, yes?" I asked them, arching an eyebrow as my eyes darted between them.

"Oh, yes," Elladan replied with a nod as he popped the next bit of cake into his mouth. "But you were having difficulty with this particular one."

"Well, what a relief I have you two here to help me out," I cried in a tone of melodramatic relief, clapping the back of my hand to my head. "And what do you good Samaritans do when you're not helping poor, defenceless psychologists cope with a superfluity of baked goods, hmm?"

"Delivering messages on behalf of our father, as a matter of fact," Elladan replied, straightening himself up in an attempt to look official.

"Indeed," piped up Elrohir, copying his brother's stance. "Ada has asked for the pleasure of your company in his study, if you are available."

"You look available," Elladan remarked, raising an eyebrow at me. "All your cake is gone, so you have no good reason to be standing around the courtyard."

"I don't believe this," I said. "First my cake disappears from right under my nose, and now I'm getting the move-along in my own foyer?"

"These are strange times, Auntie Rhodri," Elladan said with a shrug.

"You can say that a-bloody-gain," I murmured, shaking my head as I made for Elrond's study.

"No need to repeat it, really, it seems you heard it correctly the first time," Elrohir called after me.

I turned around and stared at these two hellions, bold as brass as they beamed back at me with the most coprophagic smiles I'd seen in decades. Shaking my head, I waved goodbye to them and made for Elrond's study, hoping this friendly chat wasn't going to be about what Gilraen came in to discuss today.

I rapped my knuckles smartly on the door, and was invited inside by the voice within.

"Hello there," I said happily as I stepped in, closing the door behind me. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this summons?"

Elrond, who had been hunched over his desk the entire time, turned around and smiled at me broadly. Jesus, everyone was in a really dapper mood. What on earth was going on around here?

I smiled back at him blankly. Elrond had an amused look on his face as he spoke.

"Well, Rhodri, I appreciate you coming over so quickly," he began.

"Any time," I replied. "Is it an emergency?"

He shook his head, "It is not. I called you in today as a follow-up to the discussions we had regarding Sauron's re-establishment in Mordor."

"I see," I said as I took a seat and adopted a comfortable slouch. "What is it we're following up on, exactly?"

"Well," said Elrond as he got up and slowly paced the room with his back to me, "as you know, when anything significant with Sauron arises, we do tend to call an assembly of the White Council."

"Y-yes?" I confirmed, now getting quite bewildered.

"I have just sent out letters to the members, and have scheduled the next assembly for two years from now," Elrond said, turning on his heel and facing me from across the room, his entertained expression still firmly in place.

"Jolly good," I said in a slow, suspicious voice, nodding. "You don't usually bring me into your study to inform me of this sort of thing, though."

Elrond bit his lip and I could hear a tiny snort come out of him. He wandered over to me and said what I imagine he must have been itching to trot out all day.
"Well, Rhodri, I would like to remind you that you did forcefully assault the head of the White Council when last we were assembled."

"Oh, I see," I said, comprehension finally dawning on me. "So this is why you've had that look on your face since I came in! I suppose you've asked me in here so you can ask your vicious, bloodthirsty friend to not commit a repeat offence on the next meeting?"

"So cynical, Rhodri," Elrond chided playfully. In a split second, he straightened himself up in much the same way his children had done minutes earlier, and watched me with a more refined expression now.

"But yes, you're absolutely right in that I decided to make a point of asking you not to rain blows on Curumo during this next meeting, however frustrating he may be."

I squinted at my best friend and held up my index finger as I began to speak. "First of all," I said with feigned snakiness, "I did not "rain blows" on Curumo, as you so dramatically put it. I only needed one good whack to do what I wanted to do, and I wasn't even hitting him as hard as I could!"

"He was swelling up like a frog before he even hit the ground, Vinyaten," Elrond retorted coolly, raising an eyebrow as I lowered at his use of my other name. "Your argument is effectively moot. Next point, please."

"Secondly- what do you mean don't punch him again? As if that implies he's going to be at the next meeting!"

"He is still the head of the White Council," he replied with a shrug.

"God, what does it take to get someone ejected from that bloody position?" I groaned despondently as I rubbed my forehead. "Do you mean we're stuck with this vexatious wanker forever?"

"For as long as he is considered suitable to be a wanker, yes," Elrond said, nodding seriously.

A brief emergency period overtook me as I suppressed a sudden, violent urge to laugh. Celebrían, it would seem, had taught her spouse this word at some point. Or was it Glorfindel? Whoever had done it was making me get my just desserts either way.

"Ugh, fine. I tell you what, I won't sock him unless I have as much cause to do so as the last time. That's my first and final offer," I said firmly.

"Well, that's better than nothing, I suppose," Elrond acceded with a hint of weariness.

"I have no idea how anyone can consider him a fit leader right now. Even Olórin doesn't trust him," I protested.

Elrond drew up his shoulders, took a deep breath and relaxed them again, a thoughtful look on his face. "To be truthful, neither do I. I assume Olórin still thinks him trustworthy enough, because he has not taken any serious action against him, nor have any of the Maiar."

I shot Elrond a sarcastic look.

"Present company excepted, of course," he clarified with another amused grin. "But to be fair, you do not behave like the other Maiar. I'm afraid I often forget you are one of them," he admitted.

"Hah," I said under my breath. It was true, I essentially lived like an Elf and by and large gave no outward sign of being especially different. But a thought hit me at that moment: was it morally acceptable to lead such a lifestyle when those powers could be of use? I frowned as I started to get shipwrecked on my own thoughts.

"Rhodri?" Elrond asked after a moment, snapping me back into the here and now. "What is it?"

"Maybe I should start acting a little more like them," I murmured quietly.

"The other Maiar? In what sense?" he probed.

"Exercising my power a little more. Perhaps in this space before the next meeting, I should do a couple of experiments."

Elrond took a seat. "Tell me more?" he requested, the intrigue in his voice plain as day.

"I don't remember anything of my time in Valinor," I said, half to myself, half to him. "Only that Tulkas and Irmo were both very dear to me, and they were both very fond of me back. It is possible that I received tutelage from them both in their respective fields, so exactly how far my potential powers stretch is something I'm not sure of."

"Fascinating," Elrond breathed as he softly drummed his fingers on his lips. "I wonder- could I possibly witness some of these?"

My semi-mysterious facade evaporated as I shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure, if you like. You might even be able to help me with some of them, if you're up for it."

He nodded. I nodded back. This was going to be interesting.