Chapter Ten:

Araton looked up and saw Ereinion, and he immediately stood. "Majesty."

Ereinion smiled. "Better get comfortable, mellon-iaur; I'm not leaving for at least 2 weeks. I promised."

Araton looked annoyed. "Majesty, you're needed in Lindon. There are people to talk with, agreements to be signed---"

Ereinion cut him off. "And those can be done by my chief counselor for a couple weeks. Most of what needs to be done, he has the authority to do, and what he doesn't can wait till I return."

Araton looked like he'd been backed into a corner. "Majesty...."

"Two weeks, maybe more, depending on what happens. I've got one ward just out of surgery and one who's just getting up the courage to start talking again. I won't have their progress interrupted."

The black-haired guard had obviously missed a beat somewhere. "Wards, Majesty?" he asked tentatively.

"Wards, charges, fosterlings. Depending on how things pan out, they may be coming with us. Meg's a ten-year-old human girl and she doesn't speak very often. Arrah's a fifteen-year-old human youth and he's just had a spearhead removed from his abdomen. Your duties hereby extend to them also."

Araton tried unsuccessfully to hide his discouragement. "Yes, Majesty..."

"Excellent!" Ereinion exclaimed with entirely too much glee. "Now, take your rest. I need to talk to Lord Elrond, and I don't want to be disturbed." With that he turned on his heel and went to find his lover.

Araton stared blankly after his fosterling-turned-king for a few long moments, then just sighed and went to his guestroom. The king was obviously in a non-compromising mood today.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Elrond stood on his balcony, peering over the edge into the watery depths. Never had he felt so much love, so much grace; and yet for it to be coupled with this dread, this knowledge that it would last for only spurts of time . for eternity. The lord lifted his head as he heard approaching footsteps. "Yes?" he voiced, not turning to look at the newcomer.

"It's me," Ereinion said softly. "Two weeks, at least. I used Arrah as an excuse."

A light smile graced Elrond's features, but he did not turn around. "Yes, I suppose that would be a reason worthy enough to silence them."

"I found out something about Meg," he said as he approached and wrapped his arms around his lover. "And I don't think you're going to like it because it represents a problem from the war that we didn't anticipate."

"Evil is difficult to anticipate. But what would child have to do with the war? She could not have been." He trailed off.

"There are humans in Mordor," Ereinion said gravely. "Remember when we thought that Barad-dur and the other fortresses were run by orcs? We were wrong. There were humans there, and they're still there. Meg and her parents tried to move further west, but her parents were recaptured, probably killed. She kept running, and that's now Havan came to find her. And she can speak. She's spoken to me a great deal today. But they weren't allowed to speak in Mordor. Her father's tongue was ripped out because he yelled that a fire was spreading."

Elrond frowned a moment, pushing his personal turmoil aside in favor of more important matters. "We know that the Shadow has found sanctuary in the hearts of some men, but you think there is more to this?"

Ereinion nodded. "From what I can gather, they're slaves, not in the service of the Shadow of their own free will."

The elven lord sighed. "What is evil if it is not an enslaver? This is grave news, yet we've not the forces to send against the remains of the army. Though, I can inform certain people and places of the issue. Gondor herself is on the border; perhaps they can watch for those fleeing from darkness."

"I told Meg I'd send people to investigate the situation, gather information. If only we'd known, Elrond...." His voice carried the weight of deep despair.

Elrond leaned forward and took Ereinion's hand. "You cannot place blame upon us or yourself, my lord. We fought evil where it was found. We faced it when others would not and encouraged those who would to join us. If there was a populace wrapped in the darkness, kept alive for foul purposes, we *could not* have known. Those lands are perilous even to the most skilled."

Ereinion sighed and moved to the bed to lay down. "Meg said she was born in Mordor. She's known no other home. How many children are like her, Elrond? How many, that we had no knowledge of?" He felt responsible. Not for not knowing, but for not considering it as a possibility. They had been there. They had been at Barad-dur. How many could they have saved, if only they'd stormed the fortress after the Dark Lord was destroyed?

Elrond watched his lover depart, then followed. "Suffering, no matter how small, is too great for us to overlook; however, it is likely that the number is very small, else we would have seen or heard of it. There are many amongst our numbers with no small amount of power."

Ereinion nodded, but he didn't feel very consoled.

Elrond kneeled before his lover, his lord, his king and took the elf's hands in his tightly. "You cannot protect all that is good and innocent from evil, Ereinion; not even you can do this." His own grey eyes darkened, his anger as real and ready as if the event had just occurred. "Especially when Isildur allowed this darkness to continue."

"Isildur is dead, and the Ring of Sauron lost. There is naught we can do now." He sighed softly. "But I suppose you are right..."

Elrond kissed his lord's palm lovingly. "Lost, but not forgotten; and you know, my lord, that I am right."

Ereinion gently tugged his lover closer to him, and kissed him gently on the mouth. Elrond returned the kiss, his fingers moving to his lover's neck. "Darkness is to blame, not our inaction. We do all that we can, but we cannot protect the humans from follies which may lead them into the clutches of the Shadow." Ereinion nodded mutely and pulled Elrond with him onto the bed.

Elrond's grey eyes regarded him hesitantly. "Are you all right?"

Ereinion thought about that for a moment. "I don't know," he admitted at last.

Elrond sighed. "I do not ... I do not know how to help you," he voiced apologetically.

Ereinion hugged his lover a bit tighter. "Just stay here with me for a while, please," he requested. "Arrah is resting comfortably, and Meg is down for her nap, and all my guards all taken care of. Just be with me."

Elrond smiled lightly. "Of course I will stay. I would not wish to go."

"Your presence is very soothing, my love," Ereinion said softly, somewhat absently. He found, quite surprisingly, that he was slipping in and out of a light reverie.

The elven lord smiled fondly, kissed his lover gently. "I am glad I can be useful," he whispered softly with a tease, then turned serious. "Your praise stills my heart."

Ereinion just smiled and snuggled and fell into the nap that was tugging at him.