A warm wind born by the bay rustled the hair of the elven King as he
watched the suns light die. The child that slept in his lap stirred
slightly but did not wake as Gil-galad spread his cloak over him.
"Elros is going to have to have someone place some sense in his head." Elrond said quietly as he nudged a little closer to Gil-galad on the log on which they sat.
"He was just attempting not to show weakness." The King said as he placed his arm around the sleeping child. "He does it for you, you know." Elrond smiled at this.
"He does it to impress you. Elros is well aware that he does not excel in his studies but he knows he does when it comes down to shows of strength and bravery." Elrond said, looking down at his little brother. A feeling, or maybe a thought, that often stirred itself in Elrond when he was with his Lord came upon him and for no reason whatsoever he voiced it.
"We are very much alike, are we not?" Gil-galad looked down at his Prince.
"That we are." He replied with a small nod.
"Did you know your parents well?" Elronds question stung the King but he voiced no anger.
"Not as well as I wish I had. I was many years younger than you when I lost them."
"Does it bother you?"
"It saddens me." Elrond asked no more questions after this and after a reasonable amount of silence between them, Gil-galad spoke. "Why do you ask such things, Elrond? Does not knowing your parents sadden you?"
"In a way. I did know my parents, atar*." He whispered, his voice was quiet and it seemed to Gil-galad that it was cracking, but what he had just called him overrode his worry. "I knew my father's face and my mothers. Their temperaments, their moods, everything." The worry returned as Gil- galad watched a tear slip down the child's face. "And you do not know how it pains me to call you My Atar. Elros doesn't feel it because he never knew them all that well because he was too young, you are the only one he has ever known." Gil-galad was slightly hurt by the boys confession.
"Do you not wish for my care then?" His grip on Elros tightened slightly. Gil-galad knew fully that he had a claim on the children, they were his kin, the only he knew of that were still in Middle-Earth. But he would not force them to stay in his care, never would he force them or hurt them, not because they were his kin through blood but because they were his sons through heart and mind.
"I wish never to be from your care and I wish that Elros will never be from your care. You are more than the elf who cares for us. You teach us, worry over us...you are our atar." Gil-galad was confused.
"Why, then, do you bring this up?"
"I wanted to thank you for doing what you needn't have. I wanted to tell you that we are bound together as family. I wanted to let you know that I will never leave your side, through the darkest battles to the lightest celebrations." Gil-galad placed his other arm around the boy as Elrond cried silently into his chest. The child had just promised his life to him, be it as his King or his father, and it was no light thing.
"I will not hold you to your promise, hina*. You are still the son of Earendil and Elwing who are still the parents of your brother."
"If you will not allow this of me for my father then you cannot refuse it as my King." It was true, an elf could choose to bind themselves to their king if they would. Such elves made up the Kings escort*.
Though the thought of his Prince following him into battle mad Gil-galad worry, he did not refuse him and rarely was the King separated from him after that night.
It was a short time ere Elrond was called to stand by his promise for his father had succeeded and from the west came a great force to assist in the fight against Morgoth. Gil-galad was never alone, no matter where he was or what field of battle he stood upon.
"My Lord Gil-galad!" Elrond, who had grown slightly but still seemed to Gil- galad a boy, called to him. "It is the land, it goes to the sea!" Gil-galad came to stand next to him and watched in disbelief as Beleriand was slowly covered with water. A great panic arose within him for he had left Elros with Ondiel while he and Elrond had gone to Ered Luin* to ambush a troop of orcs that were reported to be traveling to lake Helevorn*. That was close to two months ago and Gil-galad now stood with his eldest Prince, watching as lava erupted from fissures that formed in seconds and were swallowed by the ocean in as short a time.
The orcs about them stopped as well to watch Beleriand sink. When it was no longer visible beneath the waves, the orcs let up a great cheer but were quickly silenced as the elves about them slew them in a desperate anger fueled by sadness. After a long while of silence, one of the elves spoke to Gil-galad. "My Lord, what do we do?" He recieved no answer, however, as his King stared at the waves that now lapped at a coastline that was a only a few hundred feet from the base of the mountain.
Atar-Father in Quenya(for the record, quote me on nothing.)
Hina-Child in Quenya
I used Quenya despite the fact that Sindarin was more commonly used to create a sense that using the titles with each other was important and meant a great deal to them.
*Poetic license coming into play, I have absolutely no proof that he could deny Elrond either way, I just thought that since technically, Gil-galad is not his father that he could make no binding promise to him that way but no one could say that he was not his King thus making the promise more concrete. Or so I think:}
Ered Luin-The Blue Mountains. They survived the sinking of Beleriand and are now pretty much on the coastline of Middle-Earth.
Lake Helevorn was below Mount Rerir in the Blue Mountains.
"Elros is going to have to have someone place some sense in his head." Elrond said quietly as he nudged a little closer to Gil-galad on the log on which they sat.
"He was just attempting not to show weakness." The King said as he placed his arm around the sleeping child. "He does it for you, you know." Elrond smiled at this.
"He does it to impress you. Elros is well aware that he does not excel in his studies but he knows he does when it comes down to shows of strength and bravery." Elrond said, looking down at his little brother. A feeling, or maybe a thought, that often stirred itself in Elrond when he was with his Lord came upon him and for no reason whatsoever he voiced it.
"We are very much alike, are we not?" Gil-galad looked down at his Prince.
"That we are." He replied with a small nod.
"Did you know your parents well?" Elronds question stung the King but he voiced no anger.
"Not as well as I wish I had. I was many years younger than you when I lost them."
"Does it bother you?"
"It saddens me." Elrond asked no more questions after this and after a reasonable amount of silence between them, Gil-galad spoke. "Why do you ask such things, Elrond? Does not knowing your parents sadden you?"
"In a way. I did know my parents, atar*." He whispered, his voice was quiet and it seemed to Gil-galad that it was cracking, but what he had just called him overrode his worry. "I knew my father's face and my mothers. Their temperaments, their moods, everything." The worry returned as Gil- galad watched a tear slip down the child's face. "And you do not know how it pains me to call you My Atar. Elros doesn't feel it because he never knew them all that well because he was too young, you are the only one he has ever known." Gil-galad was slightly hurt by the boys confession.
"Do you not wish for my care then?" His grip on Elros tightened slightly. Gil-galad knew fully that he had a claim on the children, they were his kin, the only he knew of that were still in Middle-Earth. But he would not force them to stay in his care, never would he force them or hurt them, not because they were his kin through blood but because they were his sons through heart and mind.
"I wish never to be from your care and I wish that Elros will never be from your care. You are more than the elf who cares for us. You teach us, worry over us...you are our atar." Gil-galad was confused.
"Why, then, do you bring this up?"
"I wanted to thank you for doing what you needn't have. I wanted to tell you that we are bound together as family. I wanted to let you know that I will never leave your side, through the darkest battles to the lightest celebrations." Gil-galad placed his other arm around the boy as Elrond cried silently into his chest. The child had just promised his life to him, be it as his King or his father, and it was no light thing.
"I will not hold you to your promise, hina*. You are still the son of Earendil and Elwing who are still the parents of your brother."
"If you will not allow this of me for my father then you cannot refuse it as my King." It was true, an elf could choose to bind themselves to their king if they would. Such elves made up the Kings escort*.
Though the thought of his Prince following him into battle mad Gil-galad worry, he did not refuse him and rarely was the King separated from him after that night.
It was a short time ere Elrond was called to stand by his promise for his father had succeeded and from the west came a great force to assist in the fight against Morgoth. Gil-galad was never alone, no matter where he was or what field of battle he stood upon.
"My Lord Gil-galad!" Elrond, who had grown slightly but still seemed to Gil- galad a boy, called to him. "It is the land, it goes to the sea!" Gil-galad came to stand next to him and watched in disbelief as Beleriand was slowly covered with water. A great panic arose within him for he had left Elros with Ondiel while he and Elrond had gone to Ered Luin* to ambush a troop of orcs that were reported to be traveling to lake Helevorn*. That was close to two months ago and Gil-galad now stood with his eldest Prince, watching as lava erupted from fissures that formed in seconds and were swallowed by the ocean in as short a time.
The orcs about them stopped as well to watch Beleriand sink. When it was no longer visible beneath the waves, the orcs let up a great cheer but were quickly silenced as the elves about them slew them in a desperate anger fueled by sadness. After a long while of silence, one of the elves spoke to Gil-galad. "My Lord, what do we do?" He recieved no answer, however, as his King stared at the waves that now lapped at a coastline that was a only a few hundred feet from the base of the mountain.
Atar-Father in Quenya(for the record, quote me on nothing.)
Hina-Child in Quenya
I used Quenya despite the fact that Sindarin was more commonly used to create a sense that using the titles with each other was important and meant a great deal to them.
*Poetic license coming into play, I have absolutely no proof that he could deny Elrond either way, I just thought that since technically, Gil-galad is not his father that he could make no binding promise to him that way but no one could say that he was not his King thus making the promise more concrete. Or so I think:}
Ered Luin-The Blue Mountains. They survived the sinking of Beleriand and are now pretty much on the coastline of Middle-Earth.
Lake Helevorn was below Mount Rerir in the Blue Mountains.