Chapter One
A Lament
Carangil stood still looking down the shaft of his arrow while aiming his bow for an orc that happened to cross his path. He released his arrow and it hit at the same time as an arrow hit the orc on the other side. He looked towards the spot at which the other person would have been and didn't see a thing. He heard a twig snap and he spun around fast. He saw three young elves looking at him with a smug look on their faces. He saw the twin sons of Lord Elrond and the Prince of Mirkwood.
"Well, hello boys," he said casually.
"We are not boys, we have all come of age," replied Elrohir.
"You challenge an Eldar, young one," he smugly replied as Elrohir's face darkened.
"Excuse my brother Lord Carangil. He does not remember his manners often," said Elladan.
"I care not, call me just Carangil if you please," he said.
"Yes Lord Carangil," all three replied then took off running back towards Imladris.
' Age can make a child an adult but age can never remove the child in an adult,' he thought as he headed back towards the Last Homely House where he and his brother lived. He arrived just at sunset and he awed yet again at the beauty of the sight and then his thoughts went to the beauty of his ancient city, which was now under the Sundering Seas and his wife. He started weeping and his voice rose into a lament. The wind rose around him and his red hair swirled around him and carried his song over land and sea to where he hoped his wife and son were listening to the lament.
Carangil stopped singing and he opened his eyes and saw many elves had gathered around him and most were weeping. He turned to flee when he saw his brother Glorfindel looking down from a balcony, wind blowing his golden hair around, with a tear rolling down his cheek. He started walking towards that balcony and all the elves parted for him to pass. He saw Arwen crying into her mother's chest as tears fell down Celebrian's face. The three princes had a look in their eyes that said sorry. Lord Elrond stood at the door to the Last Homely House and they greeted in the traditional manner.
He walked into his room and right into his brother's embrace. Tears fell freely down his face as it had done before and he looked at his brother.
"I never saw my son, Glorfindel, I never saw my son," he said as he sat down with his head being held with his hands.
"It was not your fault brother," said his brother as he sat down next to his brother.
"I could have saved them," his brother shot back in anger.
"It was a part of the song, it was all in Iluvatar's will," said Glorfindel.
"From what I remember, his will was for us to be happy!" Carangil replied with his crimson eyes burning with wrath.
"It is and it always will be. He brought us back together, was that not happy?" asked Glorfindel.
"It was happy. It has been so long since I have seen my wife, it has been a whole age and more. I didn't even see my son," he replied as his eyes slowly lost their wrath.
"For there sake, live your life, become what you are supposed to be, not what you think you should be," his brother said.
"What am I supposed to be?" he asked with a confused look on his face.
"An Eldar, an Elf-Lord, heir to the throne of an ancient kingdom as I am," was the reply.
"I understand your reasoning brother it is just, how can I do something that requires joy when I have almost none," he said. "Build back your joy, do what you must to do that," he replied.
"The only way to do that would be to go to the west and visit them in the Halls of Mandos," he said.
"What about taking a journey with someone you only know a little about and get to know them," he suggested.
"Where would I go?" he asked.
"To the Golden Wood, a place where you can forget the past and learn to live again," replied Glorfindel.
"I have been to the Golden Wood, it reminds me of the forest where I met Gilwen in the hidden realm," Carangil said sullenly.
"I will not choose your path, for it is already set, but I will help you on it. You should choose at least one of the Princes to go with you, they are the simplest of all and will help you to be able to laugh again," he said in reply.
"I shall take them all if they would come. You are right brother, they would make me laugh," he replied.
"Now that this has passed, let us go to the Hall of Fire to listen to songs of the past and let us be merry and light hearted for tomorrow you shall begin your journey, younger brother," said Glorfindel as he rose and left the room with his brother following close behind.
A Lament
Carangil stood still looking down the shaft of his arrow while aiming his bow for an orc that happened to cross his path. He released his arrow and it hit at the same time as an arrow hit the orc on the other side. He looked towards the spot at which the other person would have been and didn't see a thing. He heard a twig snap and he spun around fast. He saw three young elves looking at him with a smug look on their faces. He saw the twin sons of Lord Elrond and the Prince of Mirkwood.
"Well, hello boys," he said casually.
"We are not boys, we have all come of age," replied Elrohir.
"You challenge an Eldar, young one," he smugly replied as Elrohir's face darkened.
"Excuse my brother Lord Carangil. He does not remember his manners often," said Elladan.
"I care not, call me just Carangil if you please," he said.
"Yes Lord Carangil," all three replied then took off running back towards Imladris.
' Age can make a child an adult but age can never remove the child in an adult,' he thought as he headed back towards the Last Homely House where he and his brother lived. He arrived just at sunset and he awed yet again at the beauty of the sight and then his thoughts went to the beauty of his ancient city, which was now under the Sundering Seas and his wife. He started weeping and his voice rose into a lament. The wind rose around him and his red hair swirled around him and carried his song over land and sea to where he hoped his wife and son were listening to the lament.
Carangil stopped singing and he opened his eyes and saw many elves had gathered around him and most were weeping. He turned to flee when he saw his brother Glorfindel looking down from a balcony, wind blowing his golden hair around, with a tear rolling down his cheek. He started walking towards that balcony and all the elves parted for him to pass. He saw Arwen crying into her mother's chest as tears fell down Celebrian's face. The three princes had a look in their eyes that said sorry. Lord Elrond stood at the door to the Last Homely House and they greeted in the traditional manner.
He walked into his room and right into his brother's embrace. Tears fell freely down his face as it had done before and he looked at his brother.
"I never saw my son, Glorfindel, I never saw my son," he said as he sat down with his head being held with his hands.
"It was not your fault brother," said his brother as he sat down next to his brother.
"I could have saved them," his brother shot back in anger.
"It was a part of the song, it was all in Iluvatar's will," said Glorfindel.
"From what I remember, his will was for us to be happy!" Carangil replied with his crimson eyes burning with wrath.
"It is and it always will be. He brought us back together, was that not happy?" asked Glorfindel.
"It was happy. It has been so long since I have seen my wife, it has been a whole age and more. I didn't even see my son," he replied as his eyes slowly lost their wrath.
"For there sake, live your life, become what you are supposed to be, not what you think you should be," his brother said.
"What am I supposed to be?" he asked with a confused look on his face.
"An Eldar, an Elf-Lord, heir to the throne of an ancient kingdom as I am," was the reply.
"I understand your reasoning brother it is just, how can I do something that requires joy when I have almost none," he said. "Build back your joy, do what you must to do that," he replied.
"The only way to do that would be to go to the west and visit them in the Halls of Mandos," he said.
"What about taking a journey with someone you only know a little about and get to know them," he suggested.
"Where would I go?" he asked.
"To the Golden Wood, a place where you can forget the past and learn to live again," replied Glorfindel.
"I have been to the Golden Wood, it reminds me of the forest where I met Gilwen in the hidden realm," Carangil said sullenly.
"I will not choose your path, for it is already set, but I will help you on it. You should choose at least one of the Princes to go with you, they are the simplest of all and will help you to be able to laugh again," he said in reply.
"I shall take them all if they would come. You are right brother, they would make me laugh," he replied.
"Now that this has passed, let us go to the Hall of Fire to listen to songs of the past and let us be merry and light hearted for tomorrow you shall begin your journey, younger brother," said Glorfindel as he rose and left the room with his brother following close behind.