Dear Mercury, Mary Sue, Arian and Author Unknown, thanks for keeping up with me in spite of my long update pauses. I really appreciate your reviews and I would love being able to update more often but since I don't even own a computer any more it usually takes me two days off and all in all 500 kilometres to update. I moved out a little more than two months ago and apart from my mobile phone a (not electrical!) typewriter is as modern as it gets with me. I will continue writing ( I am way too stubborn to let a story of mine go unfinished!) and if you'd like to find my updates sooner, you can always have a look at Thanks for reading still!
Chapter 16
Legolas and Eldarion failed to
hide their grins as a very ill-tempered looking Himli entered the
great hall in the morning. Curious looks followed the scowling dwarf,
who was already wearing his helmet.
"Why my dear friend,"
Legolas smiled broadly as he feigned surprise, "Are you already
feeling hot and bothered this morning? Maybe your age is starting to
get to you... I have been told so often that one can never be sure
with all these beards and..."
Eldarion'a laughter was cut
short as Legolas suddenly found a lot of growling dwarf and sharp
axes on his chest. Aragorn, Arwen and the royal guards stared in
shock as the cold metal of a throwing axe pressed against the tender
skin of Legolas' throat.
"There's only one thing bothering
me, you nancing, flower-picking menace," he hissed, "And
that's you! How could you do that to me?"
"Me?"
Wide blue eyes blinked innocently, "I haven't done a thing!"
"I
know it was you!" The axe pressed closer.
"My dear
master dwarf," Legolas glared at his friend, making no effort to
get the dwarf off him, "I have no idea what you could be talking
about."
"You have till tonight to rectify this
situation. If you do not I will consider your actions," he
paused briefly to glare at Eldarion, "A decleration of war. Have
I made myself clear?"
"Absolutely." Legolas smiled.
"May I get up now?"
Aragorn released a breath he
did not know he had been holding and smiled apologetically at Arwen
as he let go of her hand. "How are we to make it through their
visir without blood-shed in our halls?" he whispered to his
wife, still shaking his head as elf and dwarf got up, grimly staring
at each other before marching off to different ends of the breakfast
table.
Arwen frowned as she noticed the half-hidden satisfied
smile on Legolas' face and the guilty look on her son's face.
Something was wrong. Everyone was acting out of character this
morning. Even Aragorn, whose moods were usually easy to read. Sighing
she reached for the bread, keeping an eye on the others during the
silent meal.
"Glorfindel?" Erestor
asked, tiredly rubbing his eyes. With a sigh he put the last
parchment with inventory lists away. Why did they have to do this
every year? Imladris had enough of everything, why bother wtih
counting what would be there anyway? A frown marred his brow.
Glorfindel had spent the whole morning in the library, browsing
through the shelves at first and then settling down on the rug in
front of the fireplace with s pile of books and innumerable rolls of
parchment. The blond had barely moved all morning and had still not
reacted to his name.
"Glorfindel?" he repeated, "What
in Eru's name are you doing?"
"Hmmm?" Startled
blue eyes stared at him.
"I'm sorry for bothering you,"
Erestor crossed his arms in front of his chest, "But I'd like to
know what is interesting enough to grab your ususally rather
short-lived attention for so long."
Glorfindel smiled. "Stop
scowling, Restor."
"I am not scowling and my name is not
Restor. And you haven't answered my question."
"Haven't
I?" That infuriating smile again. "It must have slipped my
mind."
"Glorfindel!"
"Yes?"
"Stop
these games or I'll call you Glorfy for the rest of your
life."
"Restor!" Glorfindel pressed his hands
against his heart, "So cruel to me? What have I done to you
today?"
"You," Erestor glared at the blond, "Havent
answered my question."
"Which queston?" Glorfindel
teased, smiling innocently as he set a book away, "I only
remember hearing you insult my intelligence."
"I asked,"
Erestor's eyes burned into Glorfindel's, "What you were doing
before I supposedly insulted your intelligence."
"Oh
that," somehowe Glorfindel managed to speak without letting his
smile fade, "I'm trying to teach myself the letters of the
common tongue."
"You what?" Erestor's eyes were
wide.
"I want to learn the common tongue," Glorfindel
stated calmly.
"But why?" Erestor frowned in irritation
as the seneschal got, crossed the room and sat down on the edge of
his desk. He relaxed into his chair, arching an elegant eyebrow at
the blond. "Well?"
"I told you about the creature
we were hunting because it abducted Elrond?"
"Yes?"
"On
our first evening in the wild I found a book in my saddlebags,"
Glorfindel explained slowly, staring off into the dancing flames in
the fireplace, "There were some drawings and watercolours in the
book and one of them comes very close to what the creature must look
like."
"That still doesn't explain your desire to learn
the common tongue."
"the texts in the book were written
in common."
"I see," Erestor nervously interlaced
his fingers as he got up, black robes fanning out behind him,
"Perhaps I can be of assistance to you. I have some knowledge of
human languages and the like."
Glorfindel frowned. Was that a
tremor in the advisor's voice? His eyes narrowed. And why was Erestor
acting like they barely knew each other?
"Are you sure that you
don't want to talk to me?" he asked. Shadows parted, making it
appear as though he just appeared in their midst.
"You said
you would not pressure me or ask any further," she ceased her
frantic pacing.
Celeborn winced at the flat tone in her voice. "I
know, but it pains me to see you like this. The last time I saw you
in such a state was after the attack on Celebrian."
"Please
don't remind me." Galadriel stepped away from her husband and
rested her cheek against the intricately-carved wood of the window
frame. She wrappped her arms around herself. "I cannot help
being this way. I sense evil gathering again and I know that I have
to do something against it but I don't know what to do because I'm
not even able to find out what this new evil is!"
"But
what if there isn't anything you can do about it?"
"There
has to be," Galadriel insisted shivering, "How can there
not be?"
Robes rustled as Celeborn embraced her. A silver
tear escaped from the corner of her eye and dampened her husband's
hand.
"Because some things are bound to happen and if the
mirror didn't show you a way to prevent these things, then they are
probably the will of the Valar and cannot be stopped."
"No,"
Galadriel shook her head weakly, "The things I have seen cannot
be the will of the Valar."
"But what if they are?"
"No,"
Galadriel insisted, "The Valar could never be that cruel."
"I
cannot judge that," Celeborn gently reminded her, "Since
you haven't told me what you have seen."
"I know,"
she sighed, "But I cannot. I feel that talking about this
visions will make them more real. He's still talking to me...
whisperinf to me..."
"Who?"
"Always warning
me..."
"Galadriel!" Celeborn shook her shoulders,
"Answer me! Who is warning you?"
Galadriel's gaze was
lost in the golden light of the wood. "In my dreams... wings
everywhere... wings... always wings... can't you hear him whisper? He
always whispers of things yet to come... darkness all around... and
wings..."
"Galadriel!"
"Offering so much
knowledge... wisdom in the dark... can sense it..."
"Orophin!"
"My lord?" Orophin
asked as he stepped into the room. He frowned at once as he saw how
tight Celeborn's hold on Galadriel was.
"My wife is feeling
unwell," Celeborn rushed out, "Go fetch a healer. And
quickly!"
"Yes my lord." Orophin bowed curtly and
ran off, hands clenched to fists at his sides. Many strange looks
followed him.
"What is it?" she
asked, crossing her arms and staring at her husband. Startled grey
eyes looked up at her.
"What is what?"
"Don't
ypi dare try this game with me Aragorn, son of Arathorn!" she
hissed, "I may only have been married to you for ten years but I
know you and I know Gimli and Legolas as well. Something is
wrong."
Aragorn shuffled through the parchments on his desk,
moving a few of them out of her sight.
"I have received some
very disturbing reports."
"What about?" Aragorn
looked up again as Arwen's hands firmly planted himself on his desk.
"I want to know what has you and your friends behaving like
this!"
"Fine," Aragorn sighed heavily, "If you
insist..."
"I do!"
"I'm getting more and
more reports about Orcs moving back into our lands and there are also
tales of other dark creatures being seen again."
"And
that is all?"
"All?" Aragorn's laughter was
mirthless, "No, it's not all, it's everywhere. Imladris,
Mirkwood, Lothlorien... even Eomer hints at Orcs and maybe even
Uruk-Hai terrorizing isolated villages!"
"I thought we
had defeated them," Arwen whispered, her face pale, "I
though they were all dead..."
"So did I." Aragorn
suddenly seemed years older. "And above all this seems to be
more than a simple return of darkness."
"What do you
mean?"
"Some of the reports claim that tthe Orcs are
also much faster than even Saruman's Uruk-Hai were... and
stronger."
Arwen gulped. "Stronger?"
"Yes,
and there are also bands of Moria Goblins closing in on the Golden
Wood."
"Moria? But what if..."
"No, there
was only one Balrog in Moria and it has been defeated. But who knows
what evils may still lurk within the twisted mines? Balin's Tomb
seems to have opened its gates."
Lindir was close to crying and
screaming with frustrazion as they finally reached the rosegardens.
Bellmaethorion had been as flirtatious and courteouos as always, but
had studiously avoided saying anything too personal or important.
He
forced a smile, glanciung quickly at the blond elf walking next to
him.
"You have been with us for quite some time now," he
tried again, vowing that it would be the last time, "How long
are you planning to stay now that you know Prince Legolas isn't with
us?"
"I don't know," bellmaethorion plucked a rose
from th bed of flowers, "My king is not always... just. And my
failure to find his son will not sit well with him."
Lindir
smiled nervously, hopefully, "So you might decide to stay?"
The minstrel blushed as Bellmaethorion reached for his hand.
"I
will if your lord Elrond permits me to stay." Bellmaethorion
smiled weaklly, "I doubt that I'll be allowed to stay much
longer if your lord doesn't return soon."
Lindir frowned.
"Why?"
"Because Erestor obviously doesn't want me
around, that's why."
"You must be mistaken," Lindir
gave Bellmaethorion's hand a squeeze, "Erestor never harbours
unjustified grudges and you haven't done anything he could take
offense at."
"He still doesn't want me here."
"Has
he told you so?"
"No, but the way he acts around me says
it clearly enough."
"Erestor has not been himself
lately," Lindir aceeded, "He'll be back to his usual
cheerful self as soon as Elrond is home again."
"Perhaps,"
Bellmaethorion threw the rose away, "But I am not mistaken when
I say that Glorfindel doesn't like me at all."
"Glorfindel?"
Lindor stopped, eyes wide, "Glorfindel doesn't like
you?"
"Yes."
"That can't be! Glorfindel
never dislikes anyone!"
"Please take me with
you, Sir." the young elf in front of him begged, green eyes
almost wet with tears, "It's too dangerous for you to go alone!
If you do not wish to take an escort with me, let at least me come
with you."
"No," black riding gloves slid into
place as the dark elf turned, "I told you that I have to do this
on my own."
"But you cannot! It will kill you!"
"And
it will kill you as well if you ride with me," Erestor pointed
out, glaring at the green-eyed elf in front of him, "You may be
my squire but I am not going to throw away your life."
"But
Sir!"
"I said no, Luthiel."
Helplessly Luthiel
stared at his commander, thoughts racing, "I know how much you
care about Gondolin and how far you would go to protect it, Sir,"
he said finally, his voice shaking only a little, "But I will
not allow you to die for the city."
"You will not
allow?" Erestor snorted, "You are hardly more than a child,
Luthiel. How are you going to stop me?"
"I don't know,"
Luthiel tried to glare at Erestor but failed miserably, "But I
will try and if I fail and you still refuse to take me with you then
I will follow you."
"You will not."
"I
will. Do you want me with you, where you can watch over me or
somewhere behind your back, watching you and wide open for
attack?"
"Luthiel..."
"No," the young
elf crossed his arms in front of his chest, "I have been your
squire for over a decade now and I know you. You always take more
risks than necesseary. Sometimes I even think that you're looking for
a way to kill yourself and I won't allow that. Gondolin still needs
you."
"Luthiel..."
"I need you." This
time the blond elf managed to glare .
For a moment Erestor stared
silently at his squire. "Very well," he said finally, "Go
get your sword and bow."
"Erestor? Erestor
answer me!"
"Sorry meleth(love)," Erestor smiled,
gently cupping the anxious hand on his shoulder, "I was lost in
a memory."
"From the absence of blood and the look on
your face I almost daresay that it was a pleasant one."
Glorfindel
grinned as Erestor answered.
"Not necessarily a pleaseant,
but at least a happy one," the advisor's gaze returned to the
notes in his lap, "I think I managed to translate this
paragraph."
"Oh really?" Glorfindel peered over his
shoulder, "So fast?"
"Yes."
"What does
it say?"
"It's indeed a journal," Erestor paused,
"And who ever wrote this seems to have been some sort of soldier
in Gondolin.ö"
"Gondolin?" Glorfindel
repeated, "Really? I might know him then. He is probably
long-dead, though."
"Probably," Erestor agreed,
hating himself for telling Glorfindel yet another lie."
