The story will toggle back and forth between the Mirkwood and the Rivendell Elves. This chapter is devoted to Rivendell and shows, I hope, a very different family dynamic than the one that for centuries has governed Thranduil's household.
Jebb: I am relieved that Gilglîr seems to work as a character, since he is my own creation. Someday I think I might like to strike out on a story of my own, start to finish—characters, setting, plot.
Becky: Thank you. I hope I can live up to expectations!
Kitsune: Here you go. Didn't keep you in suspense too long, did I?
Dark of Stars: Talk about a small world! My family was created through adoption. I went down to Peru for six weeks to adopt my daughter, who was six days old when I began to care for her while the case was going through the court. I was in a bit of a daze when I arrived because on the application I had said that I would like to adopt a little girl between the ages of three and seven years of age. I was going to be a single mom, so I was trying to be practical. Patty was so new to the world that she still had the stump of her umbilical cord! So much for practical—but I've never regretted for a minute the way things turned out, although my life has been non-stop crazy ever since then. Anyway, adoption-related issues fascinate me. I'm a member of Adoptive Families of America, I wrote a response to Patty's 'family tree' exercise that was published in a Latin American Parents Association newsletter, and I delivered a paper on the way adoption is depicted in books for children and adolescents. I will definitely find a way to explore Elladan and Elrohir's feelings about Anomen's place in the family and the impact the situation has on them, and the impact their feelings have on Anomen.
Daw the Minstrel: This is a Rivendell chapter which will, I hope, address your curiosity about how things are going there.
Farflung: Thank you! I was fascinated by what you said about how I "didn't plan this out at the beginning and just flew by the seat of [my] pants but all these threads were there for [me] to use." I keep getting surprised at how the story seems to write itself. Sometimes I feel as if the story is already out there somewhere, finished, and I'm just transcribing it. Have you ever come across the idea that a sculptor is merely freeing the sculpture that already exists in the stone? The sensation that I'm just making the story available is a very weird one—kind of like a literary equivalent of 'channeling'. Ooooh, this is getting heavy. (Theme song from the Twilight Zone plays in the background.)
Dragonfly: I won't have the story end with the reunion. I want some wiggle room in case another episode occurs to me. However, I hope to establish by the end of the story that Thranduil is ready and Anomen almost ready for a reunion. Then the ending of "The Nameless One" won't seem so abrupt because people will know that it did not in fact come out of the air but that both Elves were prepared for it.
dd9736: Hey, you trying to scare me with that "I'll be watching" conclusion to your review? Eeeep! (Author tries to hide under desk, is too big to fit, bottom sticks out, which, like ego, is oversized!) ^_^
Ky: Yes, Anomen's reaction is going to be the classic $64,000 question.
Karri: Here it is!
Joee: Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. ^_^
While Thranduil and Tawarmaenas were grappling with death, loneliness, guilt, and grief, the Elves dwelling in Rivendell were confronting a very different sort of problem. No doubt Thranduil would have snorted in derision had he realized that, at the moment, the greatest test facing his Rivendell counterpart was convincing Estel to stay in his bed at night! Thranduil would have thought it a luxury to have been able to devote himself to the solution of such a trivial matter. Of course, Elrond had the time to tend to this minor nuisance because, instead of ignoring larger problems, he had been dealing with them on a continuous basis. Otherwise, the smaller ones would never even have surfaced.
On one of his visits to Rivendell, Mithrandir had advised Elrond to give Estel a room of his own so that Anomen could have some privacy. This advice seemed good to Elrond, and he had moved the little human into a room near his own. Unfortunately, Estel was balking dreadfully at this change in sleeping arrangements. Night after night, he slipped out of his new room and made his way back to the one he had shared with Anomen. From that young Elf's point of view, he had been better off when he had officially shared a room with Estel because at least he could keep the little human out of his bed. Now, however, Estel's bed had been moved to his new room, so when the child showed up in Anomen's room, he would promptly climb into the Elf's bed. Since Estel either stank or wriggled—usually both—Anomen was finding it difficult to get a good night's sleep.
To everyone's surprise, it was Glorfindel who solved this problem. On an expedition to Dunland, he stopped in a village where he observed a child playing with a newly weaned puppy.
"Are there any more puppies hereabouts?" the elf-lord asked the child.
"Yes, sir. This one has six littermates."
"And are they all weaned?"
"Yes, all."
"Will you show them to me?"
The child led Glorfindel to a shed where the other puppies tumbled about, pulling at one another's ears and nipping at each other's tales. They all looked healthy, especially one of the males, although, truth be told, its brown fur was extraordinarily scruffy. Glorfindel picked up this puppy and pulled a coin from his waist pouch.
"Will you let me have this one?"
"Oh, yes!" The child seized the coin and scurried off. The Dunlendings usually lived by barter. It was rare that a coin fell into their hands. Glorfindel thought ruefully that he had probably paid ten times what the pup was worth in the eyes of the Dunlendings, but, well, never mind.
Glorfindel rode into Rivendell with the puppy concealed under his cloak. He did not, in fact, reveal it until dinner that evening. He wore his cloak to the table, the puppy still hidden within its folds.
"Estel," said Elrond sternly, "stop making that whimpering noise."
"I didn't make any noise, Ada. I was chewing just now, and I kept my mouth shut, just as you have told me to."
Narrowing his eyes and lifting his eyebrows—no one had ever been able to explain how he accomplished these simultaneous feats but the results were awe-inspiring—Elrond fixed his gaze upon his older sons.
"I do not know which of you is responsible, but you are well past the age when such behavior is to be tolerated—and do not look at me with those innocent expressions!"
"But, Ada," protested Elladan, "we can't help looking at you with innocent expressions. We are innocent!"
Just then the whimpering noise was heard again. As Elrond was staring directly at his sons, he could see that they were not the culprits. And why was Glorfindel smirking? Just then Glorfindel's cloak twitched.
More whimpering.
"Glorfindel, by what magic are you making your cloak move about—and, please, no bawdy jokes!"
Glorfindel drew aside his cloak, and the puppy scrambled up until, its back paws on Glorfindel's knees, it was able to place its front paws upon the table. Eagerly, it began to chew at a piece of venison on the balrog-slayer's plate. Erestor looked horrified.
"A creature at the table—this is unheard of!"
"Actually," said Glorfindel calmly, "it is not unheard of. Men often bring animals into their dwellings, especially dogs, whom they treat as companions."
"But we are not Men!"
"Estel is, or he will be, someday."
By now Estel had deserted his seat and was standing by Glorfindel's knee, playing with the puppy by dangling a strip of cloth—probably torn from his tunic—before the little dog, who seized it in his teeth and began to worry it.
"I have been considering, Elrond," said Glorfindel, turning toward that elf-lord, that one way to prevail upon Estel to stay in his own room is to let him keep this puppy. Apparently the little human likes to curl up against something warm, and a puppy would be eminently suited to fulfill that need."
The little human in question had by now captured the puppy from Glorfindel and had crawled with it under the table, where, judging from the thumps, they were tumbling about with noisy abandon. Much squealing could be heard as well, and it was impossible to tell which squeals came from the boy, which the puppy.
"But an animal would make the room stink," objected Erestor.
"Estel's room already stinks," giggled Elrohir.
"Yes," Elladan chimed in. "I doubt if a puppy would make matters any worse!"
"I think it is an excellent idea," joined in Anomen. "And, as I am the one who has had to put up with a stinky human in my bed, I believe my opinion ought to carry great weight!"
"But an animal in a bedchamber! An animal as a companion!" wailed Erestor. "Oh! Oh!" the tutor shrieked suddenly. "Let go my leggings, you beast!"
"Estel or the puppy?" deadpanned Elladan.
"I consider my horse to be my companion, friend, and confidant," declared Glorfindel, as, a little nettled, he returned to Erestor's statement.
"But you don't sleep with him!"
"Actually, on occasion I have. Conditions on a campaign sometimes require it—but you wouldn't know about that, would you?"
The conversation was getting altogether too heated, Elrond thought.
"Some Elves keep birds in their rooms," he interjected mildly. Then a pained look came over his face. Something warm and wet was trickling down his leg. He really did hope that it was the puppy, as the alternative was appalling.
"Birds!" snorted Erestor. "They are nowhere near as messy as dogs!"
"Oh, I wouldn't know about that, Erestor," Glorfindel commented. "Berenmaethor keeps a jay in his chamber, and it is not very particular about where it deposits—"
"Yes, yes," interrupted Erestor hastily. The young Elves had to fight to keep their faces straight. Everyone knew that Berenmaethor's jay had scored a direct hit on Erestor's head when that venerable Elf had come to Berenmaethor's chamber to deliver a map that the patrol leader had requested.
Elrond cleared his throat. It was really time to bring this, ah, discussion to a close. Everyone looked toward the elf-lord, awaiting his decision.
"As Estel is a human, we should not try to bring him up in all ways as we would our own offspring. He will always be able to freely move amongst the elven kindred, but someday he will be numbered amongst Men as well. We keep horses. Men keep horses and dogs. Estel should have a dog, as the young of Men generally do. Such a dog will, I deem, cause little disruption in the Hall. Like children past babyhood, dogs once past puppyhood can be taught to behave quite appropriately as regards their bodily needs. It is true, of course, that Estel's room will soon smell rather canine, but that odor will be no worse, and mayhap even better, than the current one. Finally, if Estel is curled up with a dog, he is unlikely to wake up during the night and invade Anomen's bed, where he both kicks our poor young Elf and offends his nasal sensibilities."
Elladan and Elrohir snickered at that last pronouncement, but they subsided when Anomen shot them a dangerous look.
"Well, now that the matter is settled, Estel must name his new companion," declared Glorfindel. He was anxious for the discussion to conclude because he had the distinct impression that something was chewing on his boot.
Putting on an air of erudition, Erestor declaimed, "It is the custom of Men to name their dogs 'Spot'."
"All their dogs?" said Glorfindel doubtfully. "That doesn't sound practical. If all our horses had the same name, they'd all come galloping up every time we tried to summon just one of them."
"We are talking about Men," said Erestor loftily. "No doubt the usual standards of logic do not prevail."
Elrond shook his head. "Even Men would have more sense that that, Erestor. At any rate, Estel lives here, amongst Elves, so he may follow elven practice and give his puppy a special name that signifies that puppy and only that puppy—ah, there will be only that one puppy, I hope, Erestor?" Elrond made a grab for a wine goblet that was teetering on the edge of the table, repeated bumps against the table leg having jolted it into that position.
"Elrond, your elven vision fails you if you do not observe that this puppy is of the male persuasion. It—he—will not be gifting us with a litter in a year's time. I think not even Mithrandir's magic could bring about such an event."
"But it—he—can still sire puppies," pointed out Erestor gloomily. He tried to kick away whatever was crawling over his foot and was rewarded with a nip for his pains.
"Aye, but that will be a problem for the wolves, not for us, Erestor, as the only females with which he could breed are out roaming the forest."
Erestor muttered something about wolf kin taking up residence in Rivendell, but Elrond, not to mention everyone else, pretended not to hear him. The decision was final.
Estel had been happily ignoring this entire conversation. You may be sure that no one wanted to look under the table and see what he and the puppy had accomplished.
"Estel," called Elrond, "come out from underneath the table and bring your puppy with you."
"My puppy, did you say?" called back Estel.
"Yes, your puppy."
Cradling the puppy in his arms, Estel wriggled out from under the table. The little human looked a little like a puppy himself, so covered was he with dust and dog hairs.
"You must name your puppy, Estel."
Estel looked down at the puppy, considering.
"He is Gwaurant!"
"Dusty gift?"
"Yes," Estel said decidedly. "He is a gift, and he is dusty."
"And the same could be said for you, little one," laughed Elrond. "Very well. 'Gwaurant' he is.
Glorfindel had hit upon the perfect solution, it seemed. Estel slept through each night curled up like, well, curled up like a puppy with its littermate. When Elrond checked on his little foster son each night before retiring himself, he sometimes had trouble telling where puppy left off and child began. Anomen was perfectly contented as well. He had good-naturedly agreed to help Estel train the dog—Erestor had muttered that the task should have fallen to Glorfindel—and felt that this was a small price to pay for undisturbed sleep in a room that smelled like the forest rather than like mud and sweat—and other things whose source he had never dared determine.
The night came, however, when once again Anomen heard the door swing open, followed by the approaching footsteps of a small human. The mattress sank slightly as Estel crawled up upon his bed.
"Estel," he began to protest, but then he realized that the child was crying. Worried, he sat up and lit a candle. The little human was clutching his mouth with his hand, and Anomen was alarmed to see blood oozing out from beneath the hand and running down Estel's chin.
"Estel! Did Gwaurant bite you!?"
Estel shook his head.
"Then what has happened!?"
Estel shrugged his shoulders helplessly.
Anomen sprang up and, carefully picking up Estel, ran down the hall to Elrond's room. He burst in without knocking. Fortunately and unlike Glorfindel, Elrond preferred to sleep in a nightdress, probably because long years of parenting had taught him that one may need to arise at a moment's notice. Usually Glorfindel knew when Orcs were on the way, but Elrond never had any warning of what his sons would do next.
"Ada," cried Anomen, "I think something is wrong with Estel!"
Estel was still holding his hand over his mouth, his eyes brimming with tears.
Elrond arose and knelt before the child, gently grasping his shoulders.
"Are you hurt?"
The little human nodded.
"Your mouth is injured?"
Another nod.
"You must let me look if I am to help you."
Slowly Estel drew the hand away and opened his mouth. Elrond could see blood on his hand, lips, and gums.
"Ah, I think I see the problem." Gently Elrond reached into the child's mouth. One swift tug and a tooth lay on Elrond's palm.
Estel began to cry. "My teef' are falling out!"
"No, no," Elrond reassured the child. "You have had tiny teeth, but you are growing bigger, and these tiny teeth will no longer do. Each little tooth will loosen until it is ready to fall out or be pulled. Then big teeth will come in, suitable for a young Man. Don't you know that someday you will be as big as Halbarad, jaw and all?"
"And as big as my fadah was?"
"Aye, as big as your father, Arathorn son of Arador."
"And when dat happens, I will be Awagorn son of Awathorn."
"Aye, but not before you can say Aragorn son of Aragorn!"
Elrohir knocked on the door just then. He had heard the sound of running feet in the corridor.
"Elwohir! Elwohir!" I am getting man-size teef'!"
Anomen grinned and opened his mouth to speak.
"Don't you dare say it, Anomen," hissed 'Elwohir'.
"Oh, I won't, but everyone else in Rivendell will be saying it by next nightfall!"
"Elwond," began Estel.
"Ah, Estel," Elrond said hastily, "I thought you were going to call me 'Ada'."
"Oh, yeth. Ada, may I have dat toof'?"
"Of course. Let me tell you a secret. You know that Dwarves are bringers of gold."
"Oh, yeth. 'An Elf for wine; a Dwa'f for gold'. Dat's what Halbawad always said."
"Oh, did he?" Elrond looked a little silly. "Very well. You must leave this tooth on your window sill tonight. If you do, a Dwarf will come by and leave you a nugget of gold in exchange for it."
"Weally!?"
"Really."
"Weally!? Weally!?"
"Really, really," Elrond assured him solemnly. "The Tooth Dwarf left me a nugget for each and every one of my teeth."
"Can you pull out de west of my teef'?" asked Estel eagerly.
"No, Estel. The rule is that the Tooth Dwarf leaves only one nugget at a time. Besides, it may be awhile before your next man-size tooth is ready. If I were to pull your teeth, you may be toothless, like a baby, for a very long time. You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"Oh, no!" said Estel quickly.
Another knock was heard on the door.
"Enter," sighed Elrond. Would he never get any sleep this night?
This time it was Mithrandir, who had returned just that afternoon from Lothlórien. He too had heard footsteps.
"Mifunder! Mifunder!"
Mithrandir blanched. The first time he had met Estel, the child had called him 'Mithunder'. He had said then that Estel might want to call him 'Gandalf'. Apparently it was time to renew the suggestion, and perhaps more forcefully.
"Ah, Estel, remember that once your name was Aragorn son of Arathorn."
"It still is Awagorn son of Awathorn. Estel is my name, too, but I will always be Awagorn son of Awathorn, and someday people will call me that too."
"Very true. Well, like you, I have more than one name. For the time being, I am going to be Gandalf. Can you say that?"
"Gandalf."
"Excellent."
"So now ewyone will call you Gandalf?"
"Um, ah, yes. Elrond, will make it generally known that henceforth I am to be addressed as Gandalf?"
"Of course, mellon-nîn," said Elrond, his face studiedly impassive.
Mithrandir—that is, Gandalf—heaved a sigh of relief. He did have his dignity to consider, after all, and he didn't think it would last long under the onslaught of 'Mifunder'."
"Now," said Elrond, "I am sure Mith—Gandalf would like to get back to sleep. I know I certainly would."
Upon that hint, the wizard, the little human and the two young Elves bowed and departed from the room, Estel carefully clutching his tooth in one hand and poking at the empty space in his gum with the other.
"I can feel something hawd in my mouf' where de old toof' uthed to be," Estel declared excitedly.
"So you see," said Anomen, "Ada was right. Before too long that space will be filled with a man-size tooth."
"Yeth! And I will have a gold nugget. Gold nuggets are shiny. They will make pwetty tholdiers, much pwettier than sticks and nuts."
Ah, so that explained Estel's momentary eagerness to have all his baby teeth pulled. Anomen had briefly wondered if Estel had developed a bit of a greedy streak, but, no, he was merely looking forward to reinforcing his play army of nuts and twigs with more noble warriors. Anomen resolved to whittle some warriors and ask the Master Goldsmith to gild them for the child. He could have them ready as a gift for Estel at the Midwinter's Feast.
"Anomen," said Elrohir, as they reached his chamber, "Elladan and I are thinking of riding to the northern border. Hitherto that border has been safe, but Thoron returned last night with a report of unusual tracks in that region. Would you like to accompany us?"
"Of course, Elrohir."
Estel began to clamor. "I want to come, too!"
Anomen knelt before the child.
"Estel, your man-size teeth are beginning to come in, is this not true?"
Estel nodded.
"So you are becoming a Man."
Estel looked surprised. After a moment he nodded again.
"More is expected of Men than of children, is that not so?"
Estel had no choice but to nod, albeit reluctantly.
"Men do not always do as they please, correct?"
"Ye-eth."
"Men follow orders, even if they do not wish to."
Estel nodded unhappily. He could see where this is going.
"This is a sortie for Elrohir, Elladan, and myself. Your turn will come. For now, it is your task to present yourself to Erestor in the morning at the library and to present yourself to Glorfindel in the afternoon at the training fields. Those are your orders. Will you be a Man and follow them?"
Estel sighed but said "Yeth" in a firm voice. Anomen smiled. Even though assent had been lisped, the young Elf knew that Estel was making a promise that he intended to keep—as a Man would. The Elf arose.
"You are truly worthy of your name—all your names. Glorfindel has taught you to check over your weapons carefully, has he not?
"Oh, yeth!"
"Would you assist me in preparing then? I would like someone to check the fletching of some arrows. Could you do that?"
"Glorfindel says that I am vewy good at caring for my awwows."
"Excellent. And I shall mark each arrow you check with a spot of dye. When I return, I shall tell you how each arrow flew and what foe it felled."
"Oh, I will check all your awwows!" Estel exclaimed enthusiastically.
"No," said Anomen, his face serious. "I need to stay in practice myself, so I can't let you examine all of them—I must hold back some for my examination."
"Vewy well," Estel agreed, equally serious. "I would not want your skills to wane."
Elrohir was watching this whole exchange with astonishment. It was amazing how Anomen could get along with the little human. It was true that Estel had a spot of elven blood, but no one would have called him an Elf! Well, in his wanderings, Anomen must have encountered many different peoples. No doubt he had had to develop the ability to adjust no matter what the setting.
Gandalf had also been watching the exchange between Elf and human, but with a speculative eye. In the coming centuries, he thought to himself, he hoped that Elrond would find a way to put to good use Anomen's talent for getting along with folk of various races and cultures. He would have to encourage Elrond in that direction. Yes, mused the wizard, he could see that, given the right mission, Anomen's skills would someday prove to be very useful—perhaps extraordinarily so.