Hello everyone! I am back with another chapter! Hope everyone is doing well! Please read notes at the bottom for translations to the 2 elvish phrases in here. Sorry that this chapter has some mentions of death.
With the arrival of early morning, Thranduil left a note for his father before running out to take care of one last thing. Getting down to a small store he had passed the day before, he saw the shop owner and begged to buy a book. The owner said yes and Thranduil grabbed the healing book that had caught his eye. Giving the money to the owner, he rushed threw the streets to find Andreth on his way.
"Andreth," Thranduil called out running up to him. "Can you please give this to Elrond for me?"
"Of course, but why can you not give it to him?" he asked looking at the book.
"My dad is making us leave. I do not have time or I would bring it to him myself," Thranduil explained trying not to cry.
"Stay strong, Thranduil. I will be okay," he told him taking the book. "Wipe those tears and hurry home. Do not forget what I told you yesterday."
"Thanks," he smiled wiping his eyes and rushing off to get back home.
He was very happy that he was able to sneak back inside without his father knowing and decided the destroy the note he had left. Upon doing so, he heard his father waking up and readied himself for the long day ahead.
Elrond woke up well after sun rise as he rolled over only feeling an empty bed. Sighing, he sat up determined to make the most of the day with Thranduil as he looked over to see the package from his brother, the book from him as well as another book on the table. Moving across the room, he picked up the unknown book to see it was another healing book. Opening it up, a letter fell to the floor with Thranduil's handwriting on the envelope.
Elrond,
I am so sorry about last night. My father insisted that we leave today. A large group of Silvan and Sindar elves are tired of Gil-Galad's rule and named my father their new king. By the time you get this, we will have already left. I promise to keep in touch the best I can. I really do have feelings for you and do not want to leave, but I have no choice. Please stay strong.
Till we meet again,
Thranduil
Elrond placed the letter on the table as he felt tears fall down his cheeks. His whole world was falling apart. Not thinking twice, he went back to his bed and curled up as he cried himself back to sleep.
The second time Elrond woke up, the sun was setting in the sky and Andreth was sitting in his room. Elrond simply closed his eyes and ignored him hoping that Andreth did not know he was awake.
"You know closing your eyes will not trick me," Andreth said calmly as Elrond stayed silent. "I do not care if you talk or not, but you need to eat dinner, Elrond."
Elrond refused to move or say anything as he heard Andreth stand up and walk across the room. Feeling him sit on the bed, Elrond felt more tears leaving his eyes.
"I know that today has been hard on you. Both Gil-Galad and I understand this, but know the last thing we want is you starving yourself or wasting away from grief," he said softly as he gently rubbed Elrond's back. "Your brother and Thranduil would both be very upset if they knew what you were doing right now. If you eat tonight, I promise to leave you be for the rest of today, but tomorrow you have to get out of bed. I do not care what you decide to do tomorrow."
Elrond simply wiped his eyes before looking up at Andreth.
"You can not possibly know what it feels like," he muttered.
"Believe it or not, I do," he said just as soft as Elrond's eyes widened. "There was someone... a long time ago... that I cared a lot for."
"Like how long ago and was this a love interest?"
"I met him probably five hundred years ago, if not a little farther back. I would not call him a love interest, but I do think if I was ever given the chance, then maybe I would have tried to have a life with him."
"I did not know you were interested in..."
"Males?" Andreth asked receiving a nod. "In a way. He was the first and only person I have ever been interested in, but I never admitted it to anyone, not even him. Anyway, I saw him everyday for many years. One day everything changed. There was a huge battle and every man stood to fight, that included him and me. When the battle was done, we had lost thousands and he was one of them. That was just over a hundred years ago and to this day I have to tell myself that there was nothing I could have done to prevent it. Because of him, so many people lived."
Elrond looked at him in complete shock as his tears stopped falling. He felt horrible for doubting Andreth now.
"Does Gil-Galad know?" Elrond asked as Andreth simply shook his head no. "I am sorry. Why did you tell me?"
"I am hoping by telling you that you will look at tomorrow as a new day and not waste away. Elros and Thranduil are still alive. You can write to them. Now I can not exactly do that, can I?" he asked receiving a head shake. "Now will you please eat dinner?"
"Do I have to go down to the dining hall?"
"I can bring it up here."
"Will you eat in here too?"
"I can if you want."
"Please," Elrond said as Andreth nodded.
"I will be right back with dinner," he said leaving the room.
Elrond sat silently before standing and grabbing the letter from the table and placing it beside his bed. Going back he took the books and the package. The package he placed in his empty trunk where he could not see it before moving to the bookcase in his room and putting the two books together on an empty shelf. His fingers lingered on the book from Elros for a moment before pulling back and moving to the cleared off table, sitting down. After a few minutes, the door opened and Andreth entered with two meals. He placed the vegetarian meal in front of Elrond before placing his on the table.
"Thank you," Elrond said noticing lots of his favorites on his plate.
"Not a problem," Andreth smiled as he sat down across from the twin.
"Tell me about this person you liked," he said wanting to know.
"Not now. Maybe one day I will."
"Just one thing. Anything," Elrond tried not to beg.
"He was tall. Taller than you or me. Taller than Thranduil," he said with a sad smile as he took a bite of food.
Elrond smiled at the thought of Andreth with a taller male as he took a bite of food only to realize how hungry he was. He wasted no time as he ate his food, thankful that Andreth had convinced him to eat. He knew that by tonight he would have been starving.
"Do you want to talk at all?" Andreth asked as Elrond silently thought.
"About?"
"Elros, Thranduil, liking someone, anything at all."
"I miss Elros..." he started. "I know I said I wanted him to be happy, but it hurts. Thranduil did not have a choice in leaving. I do not think he would have if he had a choice. As far as liking someone... I do not want to talk about it."
"Is there someone?" Andreth asked only receiving a nod in response. "You do not have to tell me details. Are you afraid of me... or even Gil-Galad finding out or is it this person's family you are afraid of?"
"More this person's family, but I am also slightly worried about Gil-Galad's response to this person."
"My only guess is this person is not elven, you feel is a higher class than you, or a male."
"One of those," Elrond said not wanting to admit that he felt like it was two of them. "But I will not say which."
"All of these are of little concern to us. The one that is the biggest concern..."
"Is if it is a male," Elrond answered.
"Not at all. The one that is the biggest concern is if this person is not elven. Mortal men live shorter life spans and if that is the case, you need to act soon. Now if this person is a dwarf..."
"No. It is not a dwarf," Elrond laughed for the first time in two days. "And if it helps, this person is not mortal."
"Okay. In that case, we have a bit more time. We will work on it, I promise."
"And what about Gil-Galad?"
"If you do not want to tell him, you do not have to. I will not even say a word. I will say that he will not care," Andreth answered as Elrond muttered 'I doubt that'. "If you and your crush decide to take things farther than just being crushes, I do hope you will at least trust me enough to talk. The only time I am required to tell Gil-Galad anything is when it threatens my king's life. Now if I feel your life is in danger, I will determine what information is important enough to tell."
"Explain..."
"Let us say you tell me you are going to go and prove your love for your crush just as Beren decided to do. If I later found out that means that you were asked to go singled handed in combat against Morgoth..."
"Morgoth is dead."
"Morgoth is a valar and is not dead. So if you were asked to go one-on-one with him, I would step up and say you went on a mission and your life is in danger. Now if it is a task you could do or even one you and I could do alone, I would say nothing."
"I do not think anything I could do would prove to my crushes family that I love them," Elrond smiled. "Trust me, the day you find out who it is, you will understand."
"It can not be as bad as Oropher," Andreth laughed causing Elrond to drop his head and look down at his food without another word.
Andreth watched this as it dawned on him that he was right.
"Your crush is Thranduil," he said softly.
"Do not tell anyone," Elrond begged now embarrassed.
"I already promised you I would not tell. I guess that answers my question. It is a male you fell for."
"I did not want to say, but it is two of them. I am out of his league and I know it."
"Does he know?" he asked as Elrond nodded. "And how did he take it?"
"We may have already kissed... more than once," he admitted.
"Do you think he is the one for you?" he asked.
"I hops so. I know I am only eighty-eight... Wait... You lost the person you liked not long before I was born."
"I did," Andreth said, "but we will talk about that another day. Do you think Thranduil is the one for you? And I hope so is not an answer."
"I..." Elrond said thinking about it. "I believe so."
"How sure are you?"
"Like more than eighty percent sure. Andreth, if he had asked, I would have given him everything. No questions asked. I have not felt this way about anyone before."
"Then we better make sure that next time you see him, you are everything he could ever want," Andreth said getting Elrond to smile.
"Can I make a request?"
"Anything," he smiled.
"Next time you go to town and get supplies, can you see if the shop has any different scents in shampoo and soap?"
"I can. Do you have a scent in mind?"
"Something different. Every time I smell my current stuff it reminds me of Elros. I just need something different."
"I will see what they have and will bring you back a few options."
"Thanks," he smiled, thinking for a moment. "Let me show you something."
Standing up, he crossed the room and picked up the note from Thranduil. Knowing in his heart he could trust Andreth, he turned and moved back to the table, handing it to him. Andreth took it carefully and read over it.
"That explains a lot," he said softly.
"What do you mean?"
"Thranduil ran into me early this morning and he seemed very rushed and upset. He said his father was making him leave and when they did, there was a large group with them. I didn't know what was going on at the time, but this answers a lot of questions. I only hope Ororpher does not plan to start a was with the Noldor. That would not end well for anyone."
"Why would he start a war?"
"Oropher believes only the Silvan and Sindar elves are pure. He also believes any family line that mixes blood with another race or line of elves is tainted. The fact they named Oropher their king means those that left have to agree with his ideology in some form or fashion."
"Is this something Gil-Galad should know about?"
"Probably. I won't tell him all the details of this letter though," he said handing the letter back to Elrond. "Thank you for showing me."
"You are welcome. I do have another questions for you," he said as Andreth motioned for him to ask. "Do you think Oropher will believe his own line tainted if Tranduil and I... you know..."
"He would," he laughed. "Which, no offense, I find hilarious after he has tried for so long to keep his line pure. I believe you are the first non-Sindar elf anyone in his family has ever kissed."
"Have you known Oropher for long?"
"A bit..." he admitted. "I met him soon after Gil-Galad took the throne."
"How long ago was that?"
"One hundred and ten years ago," he answered. "What else do you want to know?"
"Too much. We would be here for many days if I asked you all I wanted to know."
"That does not surprise me," he smiled.
"Do you know why Oropher believes what he says about some elves being pure?"
"Sadly, I do not. I wish I had an answer for you."
"But there really is not a difference in the elves. We all came from the same place."
"Technically you are correct. In the beginning, there were one hundred and fourty-four elves. Eighty-eight crossed from Cuiriénen and became know as the Eldar. Sixty-one refused to leave and became known as the Avari. Of the eighty-eight, fourteen became known as the Vanyar. They loved the light of Valinor so much that they decided to never return to Middle-Earth. They were ruled by Ingwë. Of those that went back to Middle-Earth, twenty-three came to be known as the Noldor. The Noldor were, and still are, known for their knowledge and skill. Their first ruler was Finwë. The last fourty-six were the Teleri. The Teleri got split into three groups. The Falmari, lead by Olwë, went to Aman. The Sindar, lead by Elwë, that remained in Beleriand. The Nandor, lead by Lenwë, that left the march east of the Misty Mountains. The Nandor are also known as the Silvan."
"So the Sindar and Silvan never made it to Aman."
"Correct."
"In other words there is little difference in us and there is no reason why Oropher should believe what he does."
"You are correct."
"I am sorry, but that makes me want this to work out with Thranduil even more. I really wish I could rub it into Oropher's face," he said causing Andreth to laugh hard.
"You have no clue how much I want the same. If nothing else, but to see his face when he realizes his son fell in love with a half Noldor, half mortal man," he replied watching Elrond laugh. "Now if it does not work out, please do not give up on finding someone."
"I will not, but I can not guarantee that I will ever find someone else. I also can not say that if I do, that it will be a woman."
"Just know that many may not accept you if you love a man. I do not care either way. I am sure Gil-Galad will not either."
"I hope not," he admitted. "Thank you by the way."
"For what?"
"You did not have to spend this evening with me. I am sure you have tons of work to do."
"I have a bit of work, but not too much."
"Book keeping?" Elrond questioned.
"Some of it is, but also a few other things Gil-Galad asked me to complete tonight."
"I am sorry, but I hate book keeping. I am not good at it."
"I personally feel for you. I pray to the valar that you find someone that can keep books to help you. If not, you will have long term troubles."
"I do not want to rule so I will not have that issue," Elrond smiled at him.
"And what happens if you do end up ruling?"
"Then I will make sure I find someone to help with book keeping."
"One of these days I am going to do another lesson on book keeping and really work with you on it."
"Good luck," Elrond laughed picking up his tea and finishing it.
"Would you like another tea or more to eat?"
"I am okay. I may not stay up much later once you leave."
"You promise to have a semi-normal day tomorrow."
"I promise I will do my best," Elrond responded.
"That is all I ask. Minimum leave your room even if that means sitting in the library all day."
"That I think I can manage," he smiled.
"You never know, I may stop by and suggest a book or two."
"That would make it more enjoyable," he smiled as Andreth laughed.
"You rest," Andreth said standing. "I am going to check on Gil-Galad before working on my tasks for the night."
"Thanks, Andreth," Elrond smiled watching his mentor pick up the empty dishs.
"Anytime," he said leaving the room.
As soon as the door shut, Andreth made his way down the hall. Seeing another servant, he asked him to take the dishes. When he said yes, he rushed off the other way towards Gil-Galad. He did not slow down the entire way until he reached the king's door where he knocked awaiting an answer that came quickly.
"May I enter?" he asked politely knowing the answer, but insisting on asking every time.
"You may," cam Gil-Galad's voice.
Andreth entered the room to find Gil-Galad alone before closing the doors behind him.
"Aran nîn," he said bowing like always.
"Something must be bothering you. Sit and let us talk."
Andreth rose and moved across the room to sit in the chair offered to him. As soon as he knew he had permission to speak, he did.
"I got confirmation that Oropher has left the city with no intent on coming back. With him he took his son as well as any Sindar and Silvan elf that would come. It's believed that they believe his ideology and confirmed they named him their king."
Gil-Galad sat silently as he let this information sink in.
"This could prove to be problematic in the future or this may not affect us at all," he said calmly.
"That is exactly my thoughts on the matter, but I felt this needed to be brought to your attention immediately."
"Any idea as to where they will head?"
"There is no telling," he admitted.
"Give them time. When they settle, I may have to do trades with them. I know they will need a bit to get going and depending on where they end up, some items may be hard to come by. I know for a fact that Oropher will not trade with a dwarf even if it meant survival."
"You are not wrong there."
"How is Elrond doing?"
"Not as bad as he could be. I got him talking, but I promised to keep that between us. I may have mentioned one small piece of my past to get him to speak, but it worked."
"You mentioned him?"
"Vaguely, but not by name. It did the trick. I got him to talk and he ate dinner with me. I also got him to promise that tomorrow will not be spent in his room, even if that means spending it in the library."
"That is definitely a start," Gil-Galad nodded.
"He also showed interest in a different scent shampoo and body wash. I am guessing his old stuff brings back too many memories."
"That is understandable."
"He mentioned yet again that he has no intent in ruling. This may be an ongoing battle with him. I personally do not want to push him, but do not know what else to tell him."
"Maybe he needs to get out of the city and travel to clear his head. Let him think some."
"Maybe, but I am not positive that will work. That may make him even more definite in not ruling. You never know, he may enjoy life on the road too much. He is half mortal after all," Andreth replied.
"Very true. Any other ideas?"
"Not immediately, but if I think of anything, I will let you know," he said thinking.
"Anything else that I should know of?"
Andreth shook his head muttering no as Gil-Galad shook his head.
"Sorry. No, there is nothing else you should know of."
"It is okay. Why don't you head to your room for the night. The work can wait till tomorrow. Rest while you can."
"Are you sure, aran nîn?"
"Positive," he answered.
"Then I will see you tomorrow," he said. "Good night and rest well."
"You too, Andreth," Gil-Galad said as Andreth left the room muttering as he moved down the hall.
Reaching his room, he opened the door and entered before lighting a candle and closing the door. Setting the light down on a small table, he sat down muttering still and pulling his hair back in a high ponytail to keep it out of his face. Pulling out multiple ingredients, he tossed them into a mortar.
"No... That will not work... I know it won't..." he muttered as he crushed the ingredients and smelled it before grabbing another ingredient.
Adding the additional ingredient, he crushed it not really paying attention to what he was doing.
"Now that could work. If he is serious about Thranduil and Oropher is king, the Thranduil is next in line. That would mean technically Elrond could rule beside him. That would give me a reason to push his training."
Glancing down at the mixture, he smelled it before pulling back and looking at the ingredients he pulled down.
"Maybe... Why not try..." he said to himself.
Opening a drawer, he paused seeing a bottle. Picking it up, he opened it, smelling the sweet smell, as memories cam flooding back from hundreds of years ago, in a city that no longer was. Memories of an elf that would smile his way daily and brighten his day. Memories of a time when the world seemed a different place and he was not any one of importance. Closing the bottle, he felt his own tears fall from his eyes as he questioned the valar once again why he had to die, knowing there would be no answer, only silence.
"Savo hîdh neñ gurth, mellon nîn," he muttered softly.
Aran nîn - My king
Savo hîdh neñ gurth, mellon nîn - Have peace in death, my friend.