Chapter 5
Melaurë bid Nienna to sit.
" Celebhiril, will you be remaining here in this Middle-Earth?"
Nienna nodded with a small frown.
" Aye, my lady. It is my calling."
Melaurë leaned over, taking Nienna's hands. Nienna froze, not accustom to being touched. The Valar did not usually walk among the Eldar or let them touch them.
" Do a favor for me, please?" Keep an eye on my son. I do not think I could bear the thought of him dying also. You are greater than Galadriel and Celeborn in the art of healing. I fear evil is not vanquished totally."
Nienna just nodded.
" I will remain in the settlement your son does, Melaurë. I am sure that my escort, Glorfindel, will remain by his side and I have my own reasons for remaining with Glorfindel."
*First and foremost being that he does not accidentally give out my name.
Melaurë's dark eyes glinted.
" Are you and Glorfindel betrothed?"
Nienna shook her head, a small semblance of joy entering her grieving spirit.
" Nay, but my brother gave him specific orders. All Mandos could break loose if Glorfindel did not betray."
Nienna's spirits lifted a bit more.
*Literally…
~*~
Elrond lazily chewed a piece of grass, rolling onto his stomach with a slight wince.
" Who is that new golden haired Elf? I owe him for getting Elros out of my hair."
Ereinion glanced at him.
" Tis Glorfindel, the Balrog-Slayer."
Elrond's piece of grass slipped from his fingers.
" Glorfindel? I thought he died." Elrond concentrated a bit, pausing to think. " He died when my father was young."
Ereinion closed his eyes, the memory of Idril's weeping account still brutally fresh in his mind.
" Your father was seven." Ereinion inserted absently. " Make that seven and a half when he came to Sirion. Took them a half a year to travel from Gondolin."
Elrond chuckled softly.
" You are old."
Ereinion threw a handful of grass at the young half-Elven.
" You are too young."
" Elrond, what are you doing? You could rupture your stomach."
Elrond groaned, before looking up at his younger brother.
" Did anyone ever tell you how infuriating you are, Elros?"
Elros plopped down beside his brother.
" Sit up, Elrond."
Elrond dutifully sat up at his brother's insistence.
Ereinion chuckled. Elros glanced at him.
" You should be resting, Ereinion. Need I tell your mother where you are?"
Ereinion rolled his eyes.
" When did you become a mother hen, Elros?"
Elros shrugged.
" I would not see one of you die before me."
Elrond ducked his head, reality so brutally brought to life.
" When do you leave?" Ereinion asked softly.
" Tomorrow when Eönwë takes the Elves who wish to leave."
" Ereinion?"
Ereinion looked up, seeing his mother approaching.
" Twins, Celeborn was looking for you two. I believe it was something about dinner."
The two identical bodies flew off at the mention of food. Melaurë laughed gaily.
" So predictable, just like you were at that age."
Ereinion stood up slowly.
" Why are you so happy, Nana?"
Melaurë shrugged.
" I will cherish this last night with you in Arda."
Ereinion arched an eyebrow.
" I saw Celebhiril enter your tent. Has your joy anything to do with her staying here in Lindon?"
Melaurë just smiled mysteriously.
" She remains here with Glorfindel, yet he is but her escort." Melaurë straightened her son's grass stained robes with a frown, before smiling up at him. " I have seen the way your eyes follow her."
Ereinion's light skin betrayed his inner feelings. Melaurë smiled victoriously.
" I was fishing for that, Ereinion. I told you I would know her name before I left. Thank you for telling me."
" Nana." Ereinion turned away, thoroughly embarrassed.
Melaurë laughed before patting his shoulder.
" She has my approval."
~*~
Nienna sat with Galadriel as dinner went on around them. A sense of somberness was in the air. Some of these Elves would be taking the Straight Road to Aman, never to be seen in Arda again. Galadriel offered Nienna a plate silently. Nienna almost turned it down, but a strange gnawing was in her abdomen. She had never felt such a…hunger, with lack of a better word.
" Have you ever seen such a beautiful star, Celebhiril?"
Nienna glanced up at the Gil-Estel.
" Tis Eärendil's star." Nienna's next words flew from her mouth unstopped. " The Silmaril and Vingilot were hallowed and then set up in the sky."
Silence fell between the two women. Galadriel eyed her knowingly.
" You came from the West like Eönwë." Galadriel lowered her voice. " I have not sensed your great power, but unlike other Elves I cannot perceive into your mind. If I were king, you would be leaving this place. I do not trust you with my horse. I will be watching you."
Nienna rose silently and walked away, unseen by any but Galadriel and Ereinion. His eyes followed her, getting him a sharp elbow jab by his mother. He flushed appropriately. Nienna sighed, rubbing her arms at the strange prickles of cold biting her arms.
*It seems that the hunger and fallibilities of an Elf come with its body.
She looked up at the stars.
*As do their emotions…
~*~
Ereinion paused, unsure of whether or not to approach her. He bit his lip.
*What would I say?
Just as he turned to leave, she turned her head.
" To what do I owe the honor of you seeking me out, Majesty? You have been there at least five minutes."
Ereinion flushed slightly, stuffing his hands in his pockets. She turned fully, walking towards him.
" I saw you leave at dinner." He offered as a poor explanation. "Galadriel can be rather outspoken at times. I pray she spoke no ill."
The raven-haired woman shrugged, waves licking at her bare toes. She looked down at her wet hem.
" The water is rather warm; and Galadriel spoke only the truth."
Ereinion became indifferent.
" What did she say?"
Celebhiril looked up with a shrug.
" She does not trust me."
Ereinion then shrugged, rolling his eyes.
" She does not trust lightly. I would be surprised if she trusted me."
Celebhiril's lips twitched slightly. She looked away towards the moon, allowing Ereinion to fully gaze at her with no inhibitions. Her skin was pale, like any other maidens, yet she did not have the cheery look. Her gray eyes were deep and sad. Upon her cheeks, he nearly fancied he could see the worn tear trails ending at her soft lips. Ereinion looked away, shocked at himself when he wondered if they were as soft as they looked.
" Join me in a walk?"
He stared dumbfounded a moment before nodding. Out of propriety and his mother's nagging voice at the back of his head, he offered his elbow. She took gently, her hands resting in the crook of his elbow.
" Many Elves leave tomorrow. Will the Peredhil remain with you, or shall both go with Eönwë?"
Ereinion sighed.
" Elrond will remain with me, under my rule; but Elros is now under the jurisdiction of men. Eönwë is taking him to a Edain port so he can make himself a life."
Nienna sighed, shaking her head.
" So young."
Ereinion nodded.
" I will never understand how death is a gift."
Nienna looked down.
" Neither will I. I see only grief and pain for them and those they leave behind."
Ereinion sent her a small smile.
" You are a caring Elf, Celebhiril. You worry about the plight of others."
Nienna looked away.
" Twas the way I was taught." She glanced towards the camp. "You should be with your mother. You only have tonight to see her until time tells."
Ereinion gently kissed her hand. Nienna tried to ignore the tingles running up her arm at the soft caress. He bowed before walking away. She watched him walk away, royal blue robes fluttering. She glanced mournfully across the Sea.
*Being an Elf is more complicated than it looks. So many emotions…
~*~
Ereinion helped his burgundy-robed mother onto a pure white mare. Melaurë gently caressed his cheek.
" Take care, Gil-Galad."
Ereinion gently kissed her hand, before moving back. They had said their goodbyes the night before. Glorfindel clasped the King's shoulder, sending Melaurë a nod. Eönwë exited a tent with Celebhiril beside him. Many Elves noticed Celebhiril hand him a rolled parchment. Eönwë touched a fist to his chest and bowed low. Eönwë led the procession away from the tents. Ereinion remained, watching the horses until they disappeared out of sight.
~*~
Galadriel entered a tent, finding her husband and Celebhiril bent over plans.
" What are you two up to?"
Celeborn glanced back at her.
" These haven plans. Celebhiril and I have been trying to make sense out of them, but Ereinion has the worst handwriting of any Elf. Only Elrond can decipher it."
" He and Ereinion left out on a ride." Celebhiril intoned softly.
Galadriel concealed her antipathy to Celebhiril, leaning over to help the two.
~*~
They had been sitting there silently for the last couple of hours. Neither wanted to break the precious silence. They were lost in memories of those that had left them.
" I guess we should go back." Elrond finally said.
Ereinion hummed absently in response. Elrond kicked his foot.
" Get out of your daydreaming over that new maiden, Gil-Galad. It is getting dark and I have no wish for any foul creature to eat me."
Ereinion rose languidly with a chuckle.
" What foul creature could harm us?"
Elrond shrugged.
" It got you a-moving."
Ereinion lightly cuffed Elrond on the back of the head, causing the half-elven to burst into a sputter of laughter.
" Infuriating half-elven."
Elrond grinned, mounting his horse.
" Race ya."