The small group met in the widow's house after breakfast. Joseph shook
his head.
"Legolas tells me he doesn't know where to find this... Celebrimbror."
"Celebrimbror is dead," Sivi said, looking up with a startled frown. "This is the year 3441 of the Second Age" she went on; "the year in which the One was taken by Isildur. Celebrimbror was slain in the year 1697, when Eregion was overrun during the wars of that time."
"So, what are we doing in Gondor over seventeen hundred years later?" asked Sarah.
"The legends surrounding the Rings of Power are not very clear, or at least" -- he glanced wonderingly at Sivi -- "are not made clear to the common Elf in my time," Legolas admitted. "I was guessing."
"You're not a common Elf," Andrea protested. "You're a prince."
"What he means is, he's not a scholar," Megan explained. "I think."
"So where are the Elven Rings now?" asked Jeremie.
"Nenya we need not concern ourselves with, for it was not stolen," Sivi answered.
"Whoever it was knew that they'd better not mess with Galadriel," Christina snorted.
"Vilya currently belongs to Gil-galad," Sivi continued, "and Narya, to Cirdan."
"So, we have two choices," concluded Joseph: "We can stay here and try to beg the Rings from two different Elves, or we can make another time jump."
"Basically," Sivi agreed.
"What about this Gil-galad guy?" Andrea asked.
"What about him?" Sivi returned uncomfortably.
"Isn't he supposed to die or something?"
"At the upcoming battle, yes."
"Shouldn't we try to rescue him?" Sarah asked.
"Many Men and Elves will die that day," Sivi said sadly. "We can't save them all."
"No, but we can try to rescue one," Megan said.
"We could," Sivi agreed.
"So I guess we're staying here, then?" Joseph surmised.
The rest of the group nodded.
Gil-galad had been searching for Telpeliniel all morning. None of the nobles of Gondor seemed to know anything about her. It pained the Elf to think that she might be hiding from him. In two days, he would have to return to the battle field, and he wanted at the least to tell her goodbye.
Suddenly, he spotted the fair-haired Sinda that traveled with Telpeliniel's small band. Making his way through the sparse crowds of the narrow streets, he saw that the Elf was talking to the human man that was also in the little group of eight.
"Pardon me, m'lord, a word," said the elf-king as he came up to them. The man looked at him strangely, but said to his Sindarin friend,
"I'll be back in a minute, OK, Legolas?" The elf nodded.
"What can I do for you, sir?" the man asked politely.
"Are you Raental?" Gil-galad asked hopefully. The man blinked.
"That's not my proper name, but my daughter's friends call me that, yes," he replied. "I don't even know what it means. My real name's Joseph."
"I see. Your daughter, her name is Telpeliniel, is it not?"
"Again, that's what her friends call her," Joseph conceded.
"What is her name?" Gil-galad pressed, wounded that she had not trusted him enough to give him her real name.
"Well, who are you, first?" asked Joseph suspiciously. Reprimanding himself and choking back his eagerness to know more of his melui, Gil-galad tipped his head respectfully.
"Forgive me, sir. I am Ereinion Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor. Telpeliniel had words with me yesterday; I believe I made her uncomfortable, and I should like to apologize and bid her good bye before I return to the field of battle a few days from now."
"I would not do that if I were you," Joseph said warningly.
"Do what?" asked a startled elf-king.
"Go back to the battle. It is not... wise."
Gil-galad's heart sank in his chest. If Telpeliniel was a prophetess, it was likely, or rather it made sense, for her father to be a prophet. If that was so, it seemed as though the elf-king's death was imminent, and he had no idea what to do about it. He would not desert his soldiers; so much as that was certain enough.
"I thank you, sir, for your concern," he said nobly, "but I'm afraid I have no other option."
"You're a brave man -- I mean, a brave elf --, and a polite one," Joseph replied. "Her name is Siobhan (SEE-oh-vahn), but everyone calls her Sivi."
"Joseph, sir?" called the elf Legolas. "Megan would speak with you."
"I have to go," Joseph told Gil-galad, "but maybe you and Sivi can talk tomorrow."
He disappeared into the crowd before the Elven-king could say a word in reply.
"Legolas tells me he doesn't know where to find this... Celebrimbror."
"Celebrimbror is dead," Sivi said, looking up with a startled frown. "This is the year 3441 of the Second Age" she went on; "the year in which the One was taken by Isildur. Celebrimbror was slain in the year 1697, when Eregion was overrun during the wars of that time."
"So, what are we doing in Gondor over seventeen hundred years later?" asked Sarah.
"The legends surrounding the Rings of Power are not very clear, or at least" -- he glanced wonderingly at Sivi -- "are not made clear to the common Elf in my time," Legolas admitted. "I was guessing."
"You're not a common Elf," Andrea protested. "You're a prince."
"What he means is, he's not a scholar," Megan explained. "I think."
"So where are the Elven Rings now?" asked Jeremie.
"Nenya we need not concern ourselves with, for it was not stolen," Sivi answered.
"Whoever it was knew that they'd better not mess with Galadriel," Christina snorted.
"Vilya currently belongs to Gil-galad," Sivi continued, "and Narya, to Cirdan."
"So, we have two choices," concluded Joseph: "We can stay here and try to beg the Rings from two different Elves, or we can make another time jump."
"Basically," Sivi agreed.
"What about this Gil-galad guy?" Andrea asked.
"What about him?" Sivi returned uncomfortably.
"Isn't he supposed to die or something?"
"At the upcoming battle, yes."
"Shouldn't we try to rescue him?" Sarah asked.
"Many Men and Elves will die that day," Sivi said sadly. "We can't save them all."
"No, but we can try to rescue one," Megan said.
"We could," Sivi agreed.
"So I guess we're staying here, then?" Joseph surmised.
The rest of the group nodded.
Gil-galad had been searching for Telpeliniel all morning. None of the nobles of Gondor seemed to know anything about her. It pained the Elf to think that she might be hiding from him. In two days, he would have to return to the battle field, and he wanted at the least to tell her goodbye.
Suddenly, he spotted the fair-haired Sinda that traveled with Telpeliniel's small band. Making his way through the sparse crowds of the narrow streets, he saw that the Elf was talking to the human man that was also in the little group of eight.
"Pardon me, m'lord, a word," said the elf-king as he came up to them. The man looked at him strangely, but said to his Sindarin friend,
"I'll be back in a minute, OK, Legolas?" The elf nodded.
"What can I do for you, sir?" the man asked politely.
"Are you Raental?" Gil-galad asked hopefully. The man blinked.
"That's not my proper name, but my daughter's friends call me that, yes," he replied. "I don't even know what it means. My real name's Joseph."
"I see. Your daughter, her name is Telpeliniel, is it not?"
"Again, that's what her friends call her," Joseph conceded.
"What is her name?" Gil-galad pressed, wounded that she had not trusted him enough to give him her real name.
"Well, who are you, first?" asked Joseph suspiciously. Reprimanding himself and choking back his eagerness to know more of his melui, Gil-galad tipped his head respectfully.
"Forgive me, sir. I am Ereinion Gil-galad, High King of the Noldor. Telpeliniel had words with me yesterday; I believe I made her uncomfortable, and I should like to apologize and bid her good bye before I return to the field of battle a few days from now."
"I would not do that if I were you," Joseph said warningly.
"Do what?" asked a startled elf-king.
"Go back to the battle. It is not... wise."
Gil-galad's heart sank in his chest. If Telpeliniel was a prophetess, it was likely, or rather it made sense, for her father to be a prophet. If that was so, it seemed as though the elf-king's death was imminent, and he had no idea what to do about it. He would not desert his soldiers; so much as that was certain enough.
"I thank you, sir, for your concern," he said nobly, "but I'm afraid I have no other option."
"You're a brave man -- I mean, a brave elf --, and a polite one," Joseph replied. "Her name is Siobhan (SEE-oh-vahn), but everyone calls her Sivi."
"Joseph, sir?" called the elf Legolas. "Megan would speak with you."
"I have to go," Joseph told Gil-galad, "but maybe you and Sivi can talk tomorrow."
He disappeared into the crowd before the Elven-king could say a word in reply.