Chapter 10
The bitter taste of Mortality
Year 442 of the Second Age
Elrond hastily packed his bags. He had not seen Elros for years upon years and now that he had a chance, he was not about to let it pass. He felt strange, as if half of him was weak. Ereinion came to the doorway, speaking of something, but Elrond did not hear him. Elrond pulled up his bag, eyes wide in horror.
" I have to go."
Ereinion glanced at him oddly.
" Have a good-"
Elrond turned abruptly.
" Come with me."
Ereinion nodded, his eyes dark with confusion at Elrond's strange behavior.
*What has him all fired up?
~*~
Ereinion understood when the new king of Númenor greeted them.
" My father is unwell. He has passed on the crown," Vardamir said softly, " I am glad you have come. Maybe you can heal him."
Elrond nodded absently. Ereinion glanced at Celeborn. Ereinion had asked Celeborn to come for the Elf knew the ways of mortals far better than Ereinion. If Elros was to die, then at least Celeborn could help make it peaceful. Elrond had taken no notice of the extra passenger. His eyes had been wrought towards the island the whole time.
~*~
Elrond drew in a shaky breath. His brother's hair had become white and thin. Breaths rattled in his chest like a toddler's rattler. Tears bit Elrond's eyes and he swallowed slowly. Elrond sat on the edge of the bed, hesitating before gently waking his brother.
" Hmm?" Elros' eyes narrowed, as if he could not focus his vision, " Elrond? Elrond, is that you, my brother?"
Elrond could not stop the tear that trailed from the edge of his eye. Even his brother's voice sounded old.
*So many years passed. I thought he was immortal.
" Yes, Elros, tis I."
Elros' face beamed.
" Well, look at you. Still as young as the day we made our choice. Tis quite unfair if you ask me. I mean, look at me," Elros paused for a halting breath, " I am a wrinkled, old man, but I believe I can live with my choice."
Elrond's heart panged at the word live. His brother would not be doing that much longer. His thumb and index finger pinched the bridge of his nose as the tears flowed freely. A hand clenched his shoulder. Elrond ducked his head thankfully.
*Celeborn
" Celeborn, so glad to see you. Come back in here, Ereinion Gil-galad. I may be old, but I saw you duck. My eyes are sharp sometimes."
Elrond could tell the two elder Elves, Ereinion mostly, had no idea of what to say. None of them had ever seen a mortal die of old age. Celeborn finally leaned over with a sad tinted smile.
" And how are you, Elros?"
Elros shook his head.
" I am on my deathbed, Celeborn. There is no need to be formal. I am taking bets on what the Halls of Men look like."
" Elros," Elrond admonished sharply, while Celeborn chuckled slightly.
Elros had not lost his vivaciousness in old age. He looked like a scolded two year old, before his expression changed.
Elrond was busily digging through his pouch of herbs. Elros reached over, stilling his brother's hands.
" I am dying, Elrond. You know it. I know it. Everyone knows it. You are skilled brother, but not even the skill of the Eldar can stop death with their herbs."
Elrond threw the bag to the floor, going to the window. Silence fell in the room.
*What do you fear?
*Let me be.
*I know you are afraid. I feel it in my soul also. Tell me, tell me, Minë.
Elrond turned, a half smile on his face at the long unused childhood name. The Elves and healers watched curiously, unaware of the mind link the two possessed. Elrond sighed, making a hopeless gesture with his hands.
*You are leaving me, Atta. My time has just begun here and yours ends. Your choice is more bitter to me than you. This is no gift, this death. I fear for you.
*Do not fear for me. I am ready to see what destiny holds.
Elrond angrily crossed his arms and them parted them, empathizing each word with his hands.
*You are not going to visit Círdan for the summer, Elros. This is permanent. You will die, end of story.
Elrond took his brother's hand, sitting back on the bed.
*We have never been separated like this before.
Elros squeezed his brother's hand, tears cascading down wrinkled and aged cheeks.
" We shall meet again. I promise."
" No good. Your last promise was a lie."
Some chuckled. Elrond could not even muster a smile. His chest began to tighten. It was becoming harder and harder for Elros to stay awake. Elrond closed his eyes painfully. It had all the signs of heart failure. Elros would be dead soon.
" Watch my children? I do not know why my decision had to be different, but it must have some meaning. Life is not meaningless."
Elrond nodded. His brother had always been the optimistic one. Elrond could barely find his voice.
" Your children shall be like my own."
Elros let out a breathy laugh.
" You will never wed."
Elrond shrugged.
" True."
Ereinion shook his head, and walked out. Elros was the only one that noticed, knowing death was uncommon to the Elves. Elros looked up at Elrond.
" Sing for me. I need something to lull me to sleep."
Elrond bit back a half-sob. His brother would sleep with or without a song.
Elrond began the Noldolantë, finding it fitting at the moment. Elros began to slip off to sleep, fighting to stay awake.
*I love you brother.
Celeborn laid his hand on Elrond's shoulder hearing his voice tremble. Elros' eyes closed fully, a peaceful look on his face. His clasp on his brother's hand lessened. Elrond's hands trembled as he leaned over for a pulse.
" No, please no."
Celeborn rubbed his shoulder.
" He is gone," Elrond looked up, his eyes vacant of all emotion and life.
Celeborn opened his mouth to speak, but Elrond stood, going to the window that faced West. Celeborn pulled the sheet up over the peaceful figure. Ereinion entered and Celeborn nodded mournfully. Ereinion's eyes turned to the window. The young Elf-lord put a hand to his head, his shoulders beginning to shake. Ereinion's heart fell and he moved forward quickly, embracing the Elf.
" He is dead. He is gone," Elrond whispered.
" This day had to come," Ereinion replied, " You just made his passing peaceful."
" Their days are so short, so meaningless. Why would any wish to be one of them?"
Ereinion shook his head.
" I will never know why either."
~*~
Elrond was glad to be back in Lindon. He never wanted to return to Númenor. He felt so empty. A piece of him had literally died. He wrapped a blanket around him, feeling chilled. Tears trailed down his cheeks as he stared vacantly at his white wall, his books forgotten.
Ereinion watched from the doorway, his eyes brimming with sadness, not knowing he too was watched.
" I fear for them both. They are all each other has now, family-wise," Galadriel said softly, " Grief is a terrible way to die. It eats away at the body until all that is left is flesh and bones. I fear…"
Celeborn nodded, watching Ereinion turn to re-enter his study.
~*~
" Are you ok?"Elrond shrugged. He should have locked his door so no one would bother him. Glorfindel sat beside him.
" Everyone is worried about you. You do not eat, or sleep or even come out of this place," Glorfindel wrinkled his nose, " And you smell as if you have not taken a bath since your brother died."
Elrond did not pay his jesting any attention.
" He is gone, Glorfindel. Sundered from me in body and spirit." Elrond looked up.
Glorfindel deeply pitied the Elf when his lifeless eyes met Glorfindel's. Glorfindel shook his head.
*To think Turgon did this over his wife. I cannot the depression Elves now fall into.
" Would Elros wish you dead?"
Elrond looked confused.
" No, never."
" Then get up off your bed and live again. You have mourned three full moons now, which is far too many days in my opinion. It is time to live again."
Elrond turned away. Glorfindel repressed an irritated sigh. His bluntness had always either turned others away or drawn them to him. Glorfindel stood.
" Everyone has a choice to live or not. At the rate you are going, you might as well throw yourself into the deepest part of the Sea and be done with it."
Elrond only pulled the blanket closer to him.
~*~
Ereinion came in silently from dinner and stopped, staring incredulously. Was that Elrond? The Elf was actually out of his room, sitting at his own desk. Ereinion shook his head at Elrond's dripping wet hair and the bare feet resting comfortably on his desk as he read, every once in a while, taking a bite of the apple he held in the other hand. Ereinion crossed his arms, trying to suppress a smile.
" Elrond Peredhil, I still ask for a proper dress code from my advisors, even when they are relaxing."
Elrond shot up from his chair, having been so immersed in his book he had not heard the king come in.
" Of course, I, I," Elrond stammered.
The king's sternness dissolved into a fit of laughter, which Elrond had to laugh at also.
" If you could have seen your face. Twas as if I were a Balrog."
Elrond re-sat himself, plopping his feet back up on the desk. Ereinion sat on the desk edge, pushing the feet off again with a warning look.
" What brought you back?"
Elrond shrugged.
" I believe you need to add Glorfindel as a debater. He has a bluntness to him that outdoes a dwarf's; and you know their eloquent ways with words."
Ereinion caught the sarcasm.
" So did Glorfindel throw you into a bath and tell you to get your sorry self out of the hole you were in."
Elrond closed his book.
" Were you not the king and a friend, I would hurt you. No, Glorfindel's words struck me in a way not even I would have dreamed; and I quote: ' At the rate you are going, you might as well throw yourself into the deepest part of the Sea and be done with it'."
Ereinion waited. He did not understand what Elrond found so moving or even humorous about them. Elrond's lips turned up slightly.
" I am too good a swimmer to do that."
Ereinion shook his head with a chuckle and then outstretched his arm.
" Tis good to have you back, Minë."
Elrond caught it, clasping Ereinion's forearm.
" Elros would have beaten me for mourning so long."
" Yes he would have," Ereinion circled back to his own desk, " Now, onto the business you have missed in your absence."
Elrond leaned over, drinking in the words and news.
*I did not know how much I missed my books and papers and this. Tis good to be back.
Elrond glanced out the window to the West.
*I hope you found the Halls of Men to your liking, Elros.
A gentle wind full of the incense of Valinor served as an answer.
~*~
Elrond blinked through the rain, entering the cave again. He crossed his arms sternly.
" Go on a simple hunting trip, eh?"
Ereinion shrugged helplessly, holding his tunic to his head.
" Is it my fault things always go wrong?"
" You just seem to have a knack for it," Elrond put out a hand to count off the points, " First, we cannot find a decent target. Second, we are separated from the group. Third, we are shot at by stupid Mornquendi who know not the king of Elves. Actually, it was probably good they did not know. Their aim may have been better," Elrond turned, motioning to the cave, " Oh, and let's not forget the greatest part of this all. We are stranded in a cave with no food, while the waters rise with the rain."
Ereinion chuckled.
" Anything less would be unacceptable for me."
Elrond shook his head.
" Things can only get better," he responded dryly as he crouched beside Ereinion.
Elrond took the tunic and was greeted by another onslaught of blood. Ereinion grimaced, his eyes unfocused as a side effect of the loss of blood. It was not a fatal wound that graced Ereinion's head, but Elrond worried all the same.
" They barely nicked you. Heads wounds always bleed a bit more and this one will a little more than that. They hit a temporal artery. The bleeding will desist soon enough."
" Is that a fact?"
" If you wish to bleed to death, then by all means, tell me and I will slice a couple more arteries."
Ereinion shook his head.
" You are always irritated when things fail."
" I did not fail. We are both alive still, majesty," Elrond's voice held a sharp note.
Ereinion held up his free hand.
" I did not mean-"
Elrond waved it off.
" I know. I am a bit on edge. My quiver is nearly empty. You will be unable to fight or stand for at least a day and it is raining. What id the cave floods or-"
" By Eru, Elrond, stop being so gloomy. Now join me in a prayer. I believe we will need it."
Elrond nodded, bowing his head.
" Eru Ilúvatar, galu estan. Tírach I presto ned habar. Ú-awartha amen (Eru, blessed is your name. See the trouble of mine. Do not forsake us)."
~*~
" Glorfindel, there are only caves around here. If they flood, we are all dead," Celeborn yelled.
*Exactly, you die. I get your wife.
Celebrimbor's lips lifted slightly, but he quickly pushed the thought away. Glorfindel turned his head, his eyes deep with worry.
" Let's go in-"
Glorfindel froze, staring at the sword at his neck.
" Elrond, tis me."
The Elf visibly relaxed.
" Thank Eru. Come inside to our humble camp. I hope you have food or we will be eating an Elf tonight."