Disclaimer: Refer to Chapter 1
Chapter 7: Sunset
Gaerdhal gazed out the large window of his office, watching the pebbles of hail shrink beneath the onslaught of unexpected sun. His lunch sat on the wide windowsill, barely picked at. He ate lunch with Celebrían often, when her eyes and hands needed a break from painting. They had not eaten together since her husband had come here. Husband. The very word hurt his insides when he thought of it.
For years, Gaerdhal had fought how he felt for Celebrían, tried to turn his attention to other women, but it had been futile. But, caring for Celebrían was just as futile, for she had always belonged to another. He had tried to brace himself for Elrond's inevitable arrival, but now, two days later, he was still reeling. Five hundred years Gaerdhal had spent with Celebrían, but now all he could wish was that he could have one more day before Elrond appeared from the east.
"That was some storm, wasn't it?" Tellora said without preamble as she came through the front door. She looked first at Gaerdhal, and second at his untouched lunch congealing in the light coming through the cloudy window.
"Gaerdhal, you must eat. Things will get better, I know they will."
Tellora's eyes were wide with uncharacteristic concern and Gaerdhal sent her a crooked grin, "You shouldn't worry, it doesn't suit you. It is supposed to be me worrying about you."
"Those days are past...I think I'm starting to mellow in my old age. Can you even remember the last time I got hurt doing something stupid?"
"Yes, last week when you decided to try and knock that hornet's nest out of the eaves—"
"All right, let's not discuss that again," Tellora snapped, unconsciously rubbing a barely-healed welt on the back of her hand. Gaerdhal rolled his eyes, reaching behind him for a small jar of balm. He slapped it into his sister's palm with a raised eyebrow. With clear reluctance, Tellora mumbled, "Thanks."
She sat in a chair, dabbing the cream onto the numerous wounds. She did not look up as she said, "I saw them both today."
Gaerdhal fought a frown, but lost the battle. "Is that right? What do you think of him?"
"Tall, stiff. Good hair. I don't think I like him."
Tellora was quiet for a long time, recapping the jar with unnecessary care. "She looks terrified, but..." she sighed, knowing she was not good at lying to anyone, let alone her eerily perceptive brother, "But, there's something between them. I can't even name it, but you can feel it at 100 paces. It's like these people in the old poems and songs, fate jerked them around, but they're drawn back together. It's the way he looks at her, the way—well, what am I talking about? What do I know of love?"
"What do any of us know of it?" Gaerdhal agreed with a sad smile.
Celebrían and Elrond walked down the same street they had traveled that morning, past the murals and the shops and the statues. One storekeeper stood on the stoop, surveying the hail damage to his windowbox of geraniums in annoyance, palms firmly planted on his hips. The couple steered wide around a circle of broken glass from a gas street lamp on the street corner.
Celebrían had fallen a step behind Elrond and she studied him in silence, realizing that his appearance had changed little from how she remembered him. His shoulders spanned wide beneath his dark blue overshirt, and his black hair lay in stringy clumps down his back, some of it still wet from the rain. His hands swung easily at his sides, the rough and scarred hands of a warrior. But he had always been a reluctant warrior. She loved that about him.
She took one large step and caught his hand. She meant for them to keep walking, for it to seem natural and right, but Elrond paused mid-step, glancing down at their joined hands with a hooded expression. He met her gaze then, his gray eyes clouded with vulnerability. She smiled at him, the smile was a tiny enigmatic smile that not even she knew the meaning of. Then, she walked on, tugging Elrond with her.
After a few more silent moments, Elrond said, "We are staying at the governor's guest manor, you mother and I. You should stay for dinner. They're serving baked apples for dessert."
Celebrían laughed at his earnest attempt to convince her, "Of course I will stay for supper, you don't need to lure me there with promises of dessert. The company is reason enough...although baked apples do sound quite good."
The pair stepped aside as a carriage passed them and a spontaneous grin popped onto Celebrían's face, the dimple on her cheek visible for the shortest instant, "Do you remember when we got the boys their first horses?"
Elrond shook his head, unable to resist a smile of his own. "Elladan named his mare Tariel after his history tutor that he was so hopelessly infatuated with."
Celebrían snorted with laughter, "And he saw the original Tariel walking while he was out for a ride, so he tried to jump the stone wall to show off—"
"And fell and broke his arm and howled like a warg until I came and set it."
"Wasn't it about that time you started hiring male tutors for him so he would concentrate?"
"Yes, but he just turned his attention to visiting dignitaries' daughters, which was a whole new batch of complications." Elrond's smile was somehow both tired and amused.
"That was the boys though, wasn't it?" Celebrían sighed, "Endless complications. Arwen was so easy to raise compared to them."
"Yes, but I wouldn't have had the boys any other way, would you?"
"No. Of course not." Celebrían replied. She was quiet for a long time, going back over in her mind all the things Elrond had told her in the tool shed, trying to reconnect with her children in some small way. She felt a little closer, now that their father was here.
Galadriel was waiting on the wide porch of the manor as they approached, as if she had been expecting them. Celebrían did not appear perplexed at all, she was used to her mother's gifts. "Hello, Mother," Celebrían said as she pulled Elrond up the stairs. She glanced away and Elrond and Galadriel took the opportunity to exchange a look. Elrond shrugged, but his eyes were smiling.
A few hours later, Elrond and Celebrían were back on the porch. Celebrían hopped up on the wide porch rail, then laid flat on her back, eyes closed and holding her stomach, "I am so full," she groaned, "But that was so good."
She paused, a thoughtful look crossing her face, "I nearly forgot what it was like to have someone else cook for me. Except when Gaerdhal..."
She trailed off, staring up at the inside of the porch roof with her hands clasped together over her stomach.
Elrond sat carefully on the porch rail near her feet. "You and Gaerdhal...when I first found you...it just seemed..."
"Spit it out Elrond."
He smiled at her directness, but then sobered. His gray eyes were deep and terrified, staring intently at the dusty bottom of her shoes as he asked, "Do you love him?"
"He's my dearest friend. I love him in that way." She sat up, crossing her ankles and frowning, "Are you asking if we're in love? Because no, no of course not. I'm a married woman."
Her voice had gotten higher and more uncertain and Elrond studied her profile, set off by the golden glow of the setting sun beyond her.
"But, you've thought of it?" he asked.
"No. Never. Yes." She sighed, swallowing a sudden lump of nervous distaste that was lodged in her throat. "I didn't think you'd ever come here." Celebrían jumped down from the rail, crossing her arms tightly around herself. She stared into the setting sun, even though it hurt. I deserve the pain, she thought. Her voice dropped to a whisper, "I didn't think you would ever come here. I thought even if I was still in love with you, maybe he could love me enough for the both of us. But, every time I got too close to him, thought too long about it, every time I almost said something I thought of you. I swear I could smell you, it was like you were right next to me. It used to make me angry. I thought, 'If he will not come to me, why won't he just leave me alone?'" She shook her head, knowing she had said more than she should already. But, it did feel good to be honest. Long ago, in another life, they had told each other everything. Now, five centuries worth of secrets were between them, built up into a wall they might never tear down.
Elrond stepped behind her, placing his hands lightly on her shoulders. "You should be angry. I should have come here years ago. But, I swore to you we would be together again and I kept my word." He gently turned her to face him, "I'm here now."
"I'm sorry," Celebrían murmured, "I'm sorry I doubted you."
"And I'm sorry I ever gave you reason to."
He kissed her then, gently, and she stretched onto her toes to get closer to the tall elf. He smiled against her mouth as he pulled away. "Can I see you tomorrow?"
"No." Celebrían quickly replied.
Elrond frowned deeply and Celebrían grinned in response, "I will be spending the day with my mother," she explained.
Elrond's eyes softened, "As well you should."
Celebrían almost winced in deep reluctance as she said, "I should rest. Mother and I are going sailing tomorrow."
Elrond's eyes flashed as he pulled her to him, like a spark of gray-black lightning to rival that they'd seen in the field. He held her as the sun dipped below the soft hills. He kissed her once, quickly, then bent from his substantial height to whisper in her ear, "I love you, Celebrían."
She twisted a fistful of his shirt in her hands, her fingernails digging into the fine fabric as she pressed against his body. Against his shoulder she said, "I love you too. You could never know how much."
Elrond stepped back and slipped into the building. Celebrían hovered near the top porch step for several awkward, shaken seconds, then half-ran, half-fell down the stairs. She had forgotten how her husband could throw off her equilibrium with little more than a fiery glance from his smoke-colored eyes. A huge, stupid grin spilled over her features and she spun in a single circle over the rough cobblestones, her braid whipping around as she twirled for the pure joy of it.
Thank you always to my reviewers: The Last Temptation of Homer, Lord Elo, Oo, delumacar, Good work, Linwe lossehelin, Isabella Raven, Tigerlily, Faerchithiel, Rocco, Lady Cantara, EmySumei, and Ellfine. For everyone who sticks with me even though I don't update often enough, you are awesome!