I neither created nor own Valinor, Middle Earth, Imladris/Rivendell, Green Wood the Great, Glorfindel, Erestor, Elrohir, Elladan, Elrond, Estel/Aragorn, or orcs. Tolkien created them, and I am most grateful to him for doing so. However, I did create Mellolaes and Tilpithen.

This story is for entertainment purposes only, so please read and be entertained.

Sleep filled the manling's mind as fog permeates the air. Then, a breath warmed his face. Curiosity caused him to drag one eyelid up.

Mellolaes grinned down at him. "Good morning, Estel. Did you want to tell your brothers farewell?"

Estel flung the covers aside before leaping from his bed. "Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Mellolaes rose from her perch on the mattress and stepped over to his closet. Without realizing the uselessness of it, Estel stuffed a foot into one of his boots. Then his shoulders sagged.

His hanging head swayed to look over his shoulder. Moist, grey eyes pierced his nurse's back. "Melly, are you going to fight with Erestor again?"

The elleth spun to face him. Widened, green eyes stared into the boy's face. "Why would you ask me that, Estel?"

"It's just … aren't we all going to tell my brothers farewell together, and … and then see them off?"

Mellolaes turned back to his closet. She pulled out a pair of pants and turned back with a nod. "Yes."

"So … you and Erestor will be there together?"

Mellolaes clasped the clothing to her chest. She blushed, but turned to meet the manling's gaze. She gave another nod. "Yes, Estel." After apologizing to each other in Elrond's office, before his desk and the gaze of Imladris' lord himself, the Silvan elleth and Steward had mostly avoided one another particularly in Estel's presence. Mellolaes now realized that had been a mistake. "Yes, Estel, but we will be careful not to fight. We will be saying goodbye to both of your brothers after all."

A scowl etched itself into Estel's face. He turned fully around and back to his boot. "Why aren't you 'always' careful to not fight?"

Mellolaes' front teeth worried her bottom lip. She set the pants down on the bed's coverlet and smoothed them. Then she pulled the rumpled, skewed coverlet up into place and smoothed it as well. The elleth finally sighed. "I am sorry, Estel … I regret what I did, and what I said, to Erestor. I am also sorry you heard me say those things. Do you forgive me?"

Estel's shoulders drooped. When he turned back, his bottom lip stuck out in a pout. His grey eyes pierced again. Then he sighed and reached up and out to her. "Okay, Melly."

The elleth grinned, "Thank you Estel." Then she clapped and reached back out to him. "Come on then, we need to get you dressed so you can tell your brothers goodbye."

. . .

Melly held Estel perched on her hip. That way he was "almost" as high up as his brothers. They only had to bend down a little to embrace him. Despite his grinning lips, Elrohir has a slight crease above his nose and between his eyes. Elladan, however, beamed all over his face. "Farewell brother."

Elrohir gave Estel a nod. "We will see you as soon as we may."

"Likely, we'll return a few times before the frost settles."

"And between the first snow and the heaviest we'll return to stay until summer."

Elrond stared hard upon his sons as they spoke. Long before it had been decided the best time for them to hunt was from high summer to the heavier rains of fall, and then again from the first frost to heavy snow. At such times, the ground was firm beneath horse hooves. More importantly, their prey came out from beneath the mountains at night.

Orcs were not overly fond of rain or snow, neither was 'their' prey. However, during harvest time, prey was fattened and winter coming. The orcs attempted to "harvest" then as well.

Early spring, after the winter had forced them to starve, was prime hunting time for orcs as well. The powers of life though, were high then too. The spring was not a friendly time for dark things. That was why their masters tried to get decay, not new life, to settle-in during a thaw.

The ground was slick beneath horses' hooves then either way. Thaw weakened roads and rocks. Starlight was often veiled by the steam in the air. To tell the truth, everyone in the valley wanted their Lord's sons home during that time.

If they hunted enough before winter, there might be no to little need to hunt again in the spring. Orcs were as likely to eat each other as anything else. Large groups were the most likely to venture forth to attack others.

After saying goodbye to Erestor with a nod and wrist grip each, Golfindel with a half-embrace and pat on the back each, and Estel with a full, tight embrace each, the twins turned to their adar. Elrond stepped forward. He enfolded them in his arms one at a time. During both embraces, he spoke a blessing into an ear. Then he stepped back and watched his eldest sons mount.

The twins spurred their horses forward a length. Then they turned them back toward the group gathered to say goodbye. Elrond, Erestor, Glorfindel, Estel, and even Mellolaes raised a hand in farewell. The warriors reciprocated the gesture. Then they turned their mounts back to the road and spurred them forward. The swift start became a race.

Elrond gave a soft grin and shook his head. Erestor rolled and raised his eyes to the sky. Glorfindel chuckled. Estel stared and sighed. "When will they be back, Melly?"

She hugged him tight. "Soon Estel. In the meantime, we will keep ourselves busy, maybe make them surprises for when they return?"

Estel straightened in his seat upon her hip and turned a grin up to her. "Yeah!"

Mellolaes laughed. "Alright, let us begin then."

She turned and walked to the house. Estel spun in her hold. Over his nurse's shoulder, he stared after the dots on the horizon.

Elrond, Erestor, and Glorfindel remained rooted where they were. When he thought his youngest son sufficiently far away, Elrond's chest rose and fell in a sigh. Glorfindel laid a hand upon his shoulder. "They will be well, I think, my lord. Each in their own right is a fair warrior. I would think one of them unlikely to fall except against a great horde. Together, they are three times as deadly. Only an army could finish them then. Armies of orcs have not been seen even in the darkest parts of the Misty Mountains for some time. They themselves have been witling their numbers down for centuries.

"I know." Yet, after saying this, Elrond did not smile, nor did he seem to blink. Mortal eyes could no longer see the dots upon the horizon. Estel had long since given up and turned away, but Elrond could still see the forms of his sons. Even when he no longer could, he refused to look away.

Erestor glared grimly in the same direction. "At least they are wiser than some."

He turned and marched back into the house, thinking he'd given the Silvan nurse a sufficient head-start. They had years still before them. Likely they couldn't avoid each other all that time, but this was all the more reason for him to do his part to avoid her when possible.

Glorfindel turned to stare after Erestor. He raised an eyebrow. Then he looked back to his lord. Elrond might not have heard or understood for all he had reacted. Glorfindel sighed and laid a hand on his lord's shoulder again. "They are not their mother. But they will likely get help from her mother's people and your brother's too. Have faith, my lord. Your house has been preserved for a purpose."

Elrond swallowed as tears sprang to his eyes. "I wish I had your faith, Lord of the Golden Flower."

The other ellon sighed and raised his own gaze to the horizon again. "Mine was a long time coming." Glorfindel patted his lord on the back next, turned, and went into the house himself. There was a time others had to be left alone. He knew this well.

The golden Noldo went in search of Erestor. Him he had to confront rather than comfort. Glorfindel found the steward in his own chambers going through papers. The Balrog Slayer stepped over the other noldo's threshold. "What were those words you gave our lord?"

Erestor's eyes went from scanning a page left to right to scanning the ellon in his doorway up and down. "To what do you refer specifically?"

The taller ellon stepped inside and slammed the door shut. "'At least they are wiser than some?' You truly thought that helpful?"

Erestor looked back to the paper, putting it down and scanning the one beneath it. "It is true enough, and comforting enough."

Glorfindel crossed his arms. "Sometimes, mellon nin. I do not think you know what 'comforting' means."

Erestor looked up from the paper and met Glorfindel's burning gaze with his frigid one. "What was I supposed to say? 'Nothing shall happen to them.' 'Much' can happen to them. They are only better off than many, because Elrohir is wise, usually. And Elladan is at least serious upon the hunt for that which hurt his mother. They perform their task grimly for all they pretend it is not so before others."

Glorfindel sighed. The fire went out of his blue eyes. He shook his head. "There is no 'joy' in you most of the time, mellon. And too little hope."

Erestor looked back to his papers setting another aside. "And what, do you suppose, caused me to be so without both?"

Glorfindel dropped his arms and went to the other elf laying a hand upon his shoulder. Erestor stiffened. He did not look up as Glorfindel spoke in a hushed tone. "You do not know you will not see him again."

Erestor's voice cut like the letter-opener on his dresser. "I know 'you' didn't."

Glorfindel flinched and removed his hand. He tried to meet Erestor's gaze, but it would not rise to meet his own. The warrior tried again. "Erestor … I have told you I am sorry …"

Erestor's stare finally snapped up. It was enough to make most wish it hadn't. "Let us get this straight once and for all, 'if' that's possible. Nearly the last age has indicated it isn't. I don't blame you for not looking. Whyever once released back in Valinor should it have occurred to you to do so? You had Ecthelion and others among your own friends with you there. 'We' ourselves, were not then 'friends.' Our shared goals this age are all that make us thus now. However, if you ran across his brothers there, you should have run into him accidentally as well. Or at least seen him with his parents at great gatherings."

"I should have asked them then for you. I don't linger often in the midst of crowds or …"

"Yes. You were never fond of places you have no room to stretch your enormous legs. I know. I do not blame you for these things. But I now know. He is not there. He is not here either. His fate was not yours. His fate was not mine." Erestor's voice, so cold and crisp, finally cracked. He gave up the charade and slapped the papers back onto his desk. "Blast! I know I wrote the dwarves of the Blue Mountains we no longer want gems from them in trade! Tiny, useless things for all but the most miniscule of decorations are those they've traded in ever since they lost Erebor! We have all those we need."

Glorfindel stared with a sheen of moisture over his blue eyes. He bent sideways to meet the stabbing gaze of the other. His voice came out as gentle as before. "Erestor …"

The ellon looked back into his eyes and clenched his jaw. "Don't look at me like that!"

Glorfindel rose to his full height and sighed. Then he took a step toward the door. He opened it before turning slightly to look back. Now his own face was grim. "Just don't punish Mellolaes for another's sin."

Erestor's mouth dropped open. It snapped shut almost the next instant. "Get out."

Glorfindl slowly nodded, then turned back, and stepped out while shutting the door behind him.

Erestor leaned upon the bannister of his bed. He allowed the shaking to begin, but not go on for too long. He took deep, concentrated breaths and went back to his search through the copies of letters he'd sent to the Blue Mountain dwarves. He found the line he looked for on the second page he'd put down. He frowned. How could he have missed that the first time around?

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God Bless

ScribeofHeroes