I know my timeline is a bit off... ehm... sorry.

Elrond did not know why they had come to a halt, but according to the maps of Arda he had studied, they must be in a place called Ard-galen. There were elves and men and dwarves in front of Elrond, to his side and behind him. He could hear men whisper and dwarves talk. The elves remained uptight on their horses and watched keenly as far as their sight allowed them.

Suddenly, Elrond heard horns blowing. A few minutes later, the horses in front of him moved. Elrond followed. A bit worried he looked around but he could not spot Elros. He was surely farther ahead with the Men. It was only very late that Elrond realised that they had engaged the enemy: Suddenly, swords clashed and screams were carried far by the wind. Elrond drew his sword before he could see the enemy. Then he suddenly saw a gigantic troll appear out of the middle of nowhere. The elves in front of him were swept out of the way by the troll's club. Elrond could just avoid him in time. And then he saw it: the battle of all the battles, the War of Wrath. Just a few metres in front of him, there was a mild downward-slope, and in less than a hundred metres' distance, a fierce battle between elves and their allies and the enemy hosts was being fought. The river was already shimmering red and the grass was dyed as well. Elrond's stomach was turning in his belly. This was the first time he had seen such a massacre since the attack on his childhood home. Before he realized it, memories of his mother throwing herself from the tower and his best friends being slaughtered flashed back into his mind.

Elros. Where was his brother? Elrond could not spot him anywhere. No matter how afraid he was, no matter how much he missed his mother right now, the thought of needing to find his brother made him move. Slowly, he rode downhill onto the battleground. He did not grasp what it meant for him killing someone, but he had hunted animals before. Where was he to draw the line? Orcs, men, dwarves, elves? What law prevented him from killing Men but not animals? There was no time to think about it. He beheaded another Orc. He lost count. Some he wounded, some he killed on the spot. All he wanted to do was to find his brother. He heard the screams of his fellow kinselves, he heard the grunting of the Orcs whose only motivation was sheer bloodlust.

Elrond's vision was getting blurred from the tears that ran down his cheek. He did not want to kill. He did not want to take lives. But it was his only way to save himself, his brother, and the lands he lived in.

He lost any sense of time. Or direction. He rode forwards, to the sides, evaded trolls, killed Orcs and other creatures that attacked him. He rode over bodies of elves and men and dwarves and realised that actually, every living being was the same. There was no fundamental difference between the peoples. It made him sad. Why could they not live in peace and harmony? There was enough space for all of them.

It became dark and the battle spread over the plain. Elrond did not feel tired. Even though the Elvish eyesight was spectacular even at night, he had not yet found his brother. He also looked on the ground, trying to recognise the fallen soldiers. The battle was drawing north. Elrond followed the clashing of weapons. When the sun set, Elrond tried to encircle the battleground. His sole purpose was still to find his brother. He had cried the whole night while killing Orcs and staying alive. He could not see from one end of the battle to the other. He did not know how much blood he had spilled himself.

The fifth night, Elrond allowed himself to retreat over the red river and rest for an hour in the shadow of bushes near some Men who had also needed to lie down. Some soldiers were guarding those who slept, and sometimes Orcs would rush towards them and they had to grab their swords and defend themselves within seconds after waking up. On the morning of the sixth day, young women appeared at the south end of the battle field and brought bread and water. The rivers in these lands were poisoned. Some women joined the battles, others retreated to return with more food later.

With time, more and more elves joined, from peoples that Elrond had only read about. The further north Elrond rode, the more strange creatures he saw. He watched fiery shadows with whips, trolls three times the size of a cave troll, flying fire-worms, and Orcs that were half the size of an Orc but witty and agile.

He did not know how many days he had fought or where exactly he was. He had lost his horse days ago. He was tired and hungry. While he stumbled through the mud, his eyes suddenly fell on his brother. He was kneeing near a Man who was buried under a dead horse. Elrond rushed over, wanting to help remove the animal. But when he cowered down near his brother, he understood: There was no point in relieving the man from the horse. The Man was in his final breaths and Elros was just talking to him to ensure him some dignity while dying.

When Elrod closed the Man's eyes, Elrond hugged his brother. "I never want to have to do this for you," he cried and a river of tears ran down his cheeks. "I've been looking for you ever since the war started."

Elros did not respond. The brothers lay in each others' arms for a while longer until the battle became fiercer in their region and they stood back up to fight.

Later, the Eagles joined the fight in the sky and the burning became less. Then suddenly, a huge ship appeared out of nowhere, like a star descending onto the Earth. Elrond and Elros stopped and looked up, watching the majestic Vingilot take on the dragons of the North. And there stood their father, brave and flamboyant. With his sword gripped with both hands he took on the blackest of all dragons and slew him. The mighty creature fell down and broke off the tower of Morgoth's dark fortress. Fuelled with new courage, the elves stormed forwards to take over the rest of the enemy's lair.

But Elrond and Elros stayed on the plain field and watched their father leave back high into the sky again. Just before he disappeared out of sight, Elrond believed to catch a glimpse of his mother, having joined her husband on the sky-ship.

The aftermath of the battle were yet more weeks. Elros joined some Men he had gotten to know on the battle field and spent the nights at their bonfires. Elrond was picked up by an elder blonde elf called Celeborn. At first, he did not recognize him, but then he remember having saved his life from a fire-dragon less than a dozen days before. He was introduced to his wife Galadriel, and spent nights in their company.

On the seventh day of the aftermath encampment, the news were brought that Morgoth had been found and would be trialled by the Valar. Gil-galad also reappeared and joined Celeborn, Galadriel, and Elrond. Somehow, Elrond felt drawn to Gil-galad, even though he hardly knew him.

The Silmarils were ripped of Morgoth's crown and taken by Eonwё to the camp that was erected by host of the Valar. It was the following night that suddenly a shriek and the fear of a new fight woke up half the camp. The guard who had been protecting the Silmarils was found slain. At first, mischief by Morgoth himself was suspected, but soon Maglor and Maedhros were found trying to steal away.

"We all know of your oath and I admire your will to keep it," Gil-galad loudly said to the thieves, "but the Silmarils are not your right. Their history is blood-soaken enough, do not burden yourselves to carry on its ominous fate."

"The Silmarils are rightfully our fathers. And thus our heirloom," Maedhros shouted.

"Then why can you not hold them without pain and suffering, which is what you have brought upon everyone else in your deadly quest?" Gil-galad asked.

At first, Elrond did not realize what he meant. But then suddenly the sons of Fёanor began to scream in agony. The Silmarils were burning their hands!

"It's not worth it," Elrond muttered, knowing that at least Maglor could hear him.

"You don't understand," Maglor hissed. With his last hateful glance at Elrond, he turned and ran. Maedhros followed him. They pushed the elves standing in their way aside and climbed on horses and disappeared into the night.

"You cannot let them get away," Elros said upset.

"They won't," Galadriel said. For she had seen their fate.

It was only years later that it was told in Arda that neither Maglor nor Maedhros could live with the pain and bloodtrack of the Silmarils. Maglor had cast his jewel into the Sea and gotten lost himself, while Maedhros had thrown himself and the Silmaril into a fire of the Earth.

But now, once again, the Valar bid the Elves to join them and sail west. Elrond was tempted by the offer, but Gil-galad explained, "there are yet many who are not ready. As a King of my people, I cannot forsaken those who still wander and search. I need to guide them. Will you be by my side?"

"When will you join our kinsmen in Aman?"

"When the time is ready and the last perils of this world have been fought, the age of the Elves will pass and a new era will dawn. You and I will both know when this time comes. And thus we will sail into the West. Now, do you join me?"

Elrond nodded. "I want to make this world a better place. For Men and Dwarves and Elves and all beings."

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