I'm sorry, my fingers are about to drop off and I can't seem to spell today.
Enjoy
Reona
Voices When You Listen
Long fingers caressed the width of the page, moving slowly across the paper. On the ring finger of the hand sat a silver band with a dark blue stone, shining in the dappled sunlight that filtered through the tree above. A child's young voice hesitantly spoke the words that were being pointed to by the finger, puzzling through the new language. The child, dark haired and bright eyed, sat in the lap of an adult Elf. The Elf wore a light blue tunic with a darker blue robe, a silver mithril circlet upon his long dark hair. He turned the paper and placed his fingers upon the new page, holding the book at an angle so that the child could view it easily. The pair sat in the gardens of Rivendell, enjoying the shade of the tree above them and untangling the Elven language together. Although everyone in the valley could speak the Common Tongue, Aragorn insisted that he wanted to learn to understand and speak Elvish.
Elrond Peredhil waited patiently as Aragorn paused in his reciting, stuck upon a rather difficult Elvish word in the book. The lord of the valley moved his finger to cover part of the word when Aragorn looked beseechingly up at him, frustration on his young face. "Sound it out." ordered the half-Elf.
Together they took the word apart and sounded out the pieces. "Gwilwileth." Aragorn was finally able to say. The child paused again, a look of concentration on his face. "Butterfly." he said with a little uncertainty.
Elrond smiled and hugged him about the waist. "Correct, Aragorn." he praised. His elegant fingers rested again on the page. "Now," Elrond continued. "What is…" The Elf lord paused, confusion on his face for a moment. Aragorn blinked as a look of disgust crossed Elrond's face and he lifted the sleeve of his robe to cover his nose. "Put that foul thing out this moment!" the half-Elf exclaimed.
It was then that Aragorn heard the footsteps approaching them and looked up to find an elderly man with a long grey beard walking toward them. He wore a grey habit and a funny pointed hat on top of his head. The man carried a gnarled walking stick and a smoking pipe in his hands. A sheepish look crossed the man's face and he quickly snuffed his pipe. "I'm sorry, my friend. I forget how sensitive Elven noses are." said the man in a gravely and apologetic voice.
Elrond did not lower his sleeve from his nose and scowled lightly at the man. "I just bet you did." retorted the Elf.
The grey man huffed and slid the pipe into the top of his staff. "A fine welcome, Lord Elrond." he said.
"If you wanted a fine welcome, my friend, then you should have used the front gate." said Elrond.
To Aragorn's surprise, the grey man laughed. "Right you are. Right you are." His bright eyes suddenly centered on the child and Aragorn shifted under the intense gaze. "Well, well. Who have we here?"
Elrond closed the book they had been reading from, finally taking his sleeve from his offended nose, and stood. The half-Elf set the child on his feet and brushed at his clothes. "This is Aragorn, son of Arathron and Gilraen." The old man's eyes lifted to meet Elrond's and the half-Elf nodded ever so lightly.
"So the rumors of the attack were true." muttered the grey man.
"Aragorn, this is a good friend of mine. His name is Gandalf and he likes to stink up my valley with his foul smoking." said Elrond with mirth.
Gandalf huffed, puffing out his beard. "I can not help it if you Elves have not taken up the habit." he said.
Elrond's face twisted slightly. "It is foul and creates an ill smell." he argued. Aragorn blinked at the two adults but the argument was ended by two excited voices calling out.
"Gandalf!" Everyone looked up to see the twins running across the lawn toward the grey man. "We knew you were here." exclaimed Elrohir, latching onto one of Gandalf's arms.
Elladan nodded and smiled. "We could smell the smoke all the way from the house." Gandalf sighed and hung his head.
Elrond grinned. "I hate to say I told you so." Aragorn decided right then and there that this had to be the weirdest man he had ever met.
Evening had set as they gathered in a cozy den. Singing could be heard in the Hall of Fire, but the small group in the den had decided to forgo the hall for a quieter atmosphere. Elladan and Elrohir were challenging each other to a game of chess while Aragorn watched, the child determined to understand the complicated game. The twins muttered to each other softly, loath to disturb the calm that had blanketed the room. Even the human child kept his voice low as he asked questions.
Glorfindel had sprawled in a comfy chair with a book by the balcony, catching the cool evening breeze as it drifted into the room. The book now rested on his chest and the blond Elf appeared to be completely asleep. Elrond and Gandalf sat in wing chairs before the small fireplace, sipping wine and watching the twins play. After some time they stood together and made their way to the balcony. Glorfindel cracked open one eye as they past him and made a soft sound in his throat. Elrond shook his head lightly at the seneschal and Glorfindel closed his eye again, sinking back into the chair.
Elrond and Gandalf walked out into the deepening night and made their way down a side stair into the gardens below. Half-Elf and wizard walked across the lawn and into a grove of trees. "Speak your mind." said Elrond as he stopped next to a tall oak. He laid his hand on the trunk and closed his eyes, waiting for Gandalf to speak.
"Ah, my friend." sighed the grey man, rubbing a hand across his forehead. "You have taken the child into your heart."
"I could do no less." replied the half-Elf softly.
Gandalf nodded. "I know. You can no more close your heart then you can close yourself off from the sun." he said. "But you must know the grief the boy will cause you."
Elrond opened his eyes and looked into the sky, searching through the tree branches for the one star that would bring him the most comfort. His eyes landed on his father's star that sailed across the night sky and he sighed. "I know."
Gandalf narrowed his eyes at the half-Elf. "What have you foreseen?" he asked.
Elrond did not lower his eyes from the sky. "The wind talks, Gandalf. It speaks with the mountains, the valleys, the hills, and the plains. The wind holds conversation with the tallest tree and the smallest leaf. It whispers with the highest cloud and mutters with the deepest cave. The wind carries news as it passes over the sea and it bears the words of the people of Middle-Earth, snatching them from their lips. Then it speaks to me. The wind tells me many things, Gandalf, many things indeed." The half-Elf closed his eyes as a gust of wind gently past through the grove. The breeze rustled the trees and grass and pulled at their clothes and hair. "The wind never ceases speaking if one will listen to it." muttered Elrond. He opened his eyes, a strange shade of glowing silver under the moon and stars, and looked at Gandalf. "Tell me, does the fire do the same for you? Does the flame tell you all its secrets and show you where it has been?"
Gandalf ran the pad of his thumb along the gold band of the ring on his finger, the red ruby deepening in color to blood. "The fire talks, my friend. Sometimes it whispers what it knows and sometimes it roars so loud that I think all can hear its voice." the wizard muttered.
Shutters fell over the peculiar radiance of Elrond's eyes and he nodded slightly. "I thought that would be the way of it."
"Ada?"
Elrond's eyes opened, once again their normal grey, and he turned to find Elladan making his way through the tree grove. The wind died down and the half-Elf smiled at his son. "Yes, Elladan?" he asked.
"Erestor has been looking for you. He wanted to know if you and Gandalf would like to be present for the final song." said the twin.
Elrond cocked an eye at Gandalf. "What say you, my friend? Up for one song?" he asked.
Gandalf huffed, smoothing his hand down his grey habit. "I think I can survive one song, Lord Elrond. I only look like I'm about to fall apart."
Elladan and Elrond laughed. The twin took a hold of his father's hand. "Come on, Ada! If we hurry we could get some of the last cookies!" exclaimed Elladan. Elrond smiled and allowed himself to be raced back toward the house, Gandalf following at a slower pace. The wind swept through the grove after they left, ruffling the grass and removing their footsteps. It twisted up the trunk of the oak tree and burst through the top of the canopy, swirling into the sky. The wind muttered and whispered as it blew out of the valley and across the world.
