CHAPTER 2
Lord Elrond sat silent in his chamber. Looking around, he took in the beauty, which he was surrounded by every day, but seemingly more radiant today. That's because he had spent the last few hours talking with his daughter. Everything seemed more brilliant around her. Her inner light seemed to spread to everything and everyone. He noticed that even his servants seemed to go about their business in a lighter manner. Not that they ever complained in the first place, they simply seemed more light-hearted than usual.
He sighed. These were times in which he considered his immortality a gift. When beauty abounded, and worries disappeared. Well, when worries became less. As ruler, he never could really relax, and as immortal, all those worries built up for much longer periods of time than most. Again he sighed.
Letting his mind wander back to Arwen, he got up to go find out where she had run off to, when he heard a polite knock at the chamber door. Before he even could call out, the door swung open and Elrond beheld a site that even his ancient eyes rarely saw. An elf crying. A child elf to be exact. The little one came running in, with her embarrassed mother in tow. The mother dropped to her knee, as was proper, and whispered to the child to return to her, but the child refused. The fear in her eyes was apparent, so Elrond sat down once again and called the child up to him.
Seeming to notice where she was finally, the little girl became suddenly shy, but something was wrong, and she had to tell him.
"What is wrong little one?" Elrond gently questioned, while signaling for the mother to rise. " What is making you cry so?"
" My dreams, they are worse than before. All there is, is darkness and pain."
At this, Elrond quickly recognized the girl as the daughter of a noble family, who had been said to have prophetic dreams. Although some families were known to make up such stories in order to receive acclaim, this child's family was known to be honest and loyal, so he knew not to take this child lightly. " Why have you come to me?"
She had stopped crying, but her cheeks still glistened with her tears. " I thought you could tell me what's wrong. You can help make these dreams go away. Can't you?"
Elrond sat, thinking. He wanted to comfort the distraught child, but if she did have the gift of prophecy, then her dreams could mean something very essential. Then again, they might simply be the nightmares of an overactive imagination. He looked down, and seeing the child's face, immediately felt that the former was most likely true.
" Talya," he responded gently, as that was her name he remembered, " I might be able to help you. But I wonder if you can do something for me." She simply nodded so he continued.
" Talya, it might be hard, but I need you to tell me all about these dreams you have been having." He quickly continued, " They might be very important, and as protector of Rivendell, I need to know as much as possible to help keep it safe for everyone. Do you understand?"
" Yes sire."
He grimaced, for although she agreed in her duty, her eyes betrayed her fear of revisiting those dark hauntings of her sleep. He would have to be very slow and careful in his questioning. Looking down again at the girl, he realized that the mother was still present. She immediately nodded when he directed his questioning gaze towards her. That fear of the dreams was present even in the mother's eyes, because she didn't want her daughter to be hurt anymore, but she also knew her duty.
As did Elrond. And at times like these, he both respected and hated that duty. "Why don't you go get a little snack and wash your face, and come back in an hour or so."
She jumped off his lap and ran to her mother, hugging her leg. They both bowed, turned, and left the chamber. As the doors were shut behind them, he sighed once again.
Something was wrong. He had felt a slight disturbance, but had brushed it off as passing orcs and the such. Now he wished he had paid closer attention to the source of his uneasiness. Standing up, he decided to go discuss the matter with Arwen, hoping she could shed some light, both figuratively and literally, on the situation. If it was as serious as he felt it growing to be, then he was going to need as much clarity and light possible in the near future.
Leaving the chamber, he didn't notice that although the chamber remained beautiful and light, his own slight glow had dimmed. Dark times were ahead for the ancient ruler, and his participation was to be key for many people's future.