Thanks to everyone who read the first chapter. Special thanks to Calathiel. Erulisse, Holly, "Elrond Peredhel", Pansy, Cecília, Erfan Starlet, Khylea, Oleanne, Mystery Maiden, Yolanda, Patty P, Myriara, SilvanShemesh,TheRandomScribbler, and Crumpet93 for reviewing; and an extra thanks to Virtuella, my beta in this story and a very good friend. You are all really kind. Hope you like chapter II.

Sadie

THE SUNSET - CHAPTER II

This was love at first sight, love everlasting: a feeling unknown, unhoped for, unexpected - in so far as it could be a matter of conscious awareness; it took entire possession of him, and he understood, with joyous amazement, that this was for life.

Thomas Mann

Erestor was a good friend, but from that day on Elrond regretted having listened to those words. If he had begun lag behind with his paperwork since the arrival of Celeborn's family, he now seemed to have come to a complete standstill, only sitting in his chair daydreaming. Not even in his moments of rest he could stop certain thoughts from chasing him.

For this reason, he was almost grateful when he was called to resolve a dispute about a small structural problem that the architects were discussing in the main square. One of them seemed to see the necessity of extending a roof to use the rainwater for some local mills, but the other had slightly different plans. Elrond appeased their spirits as he could, offering an alternative that appeared good to both of them and came back home with the echoes of that discussion still occupying his mind. It was almost a relief to have something different to think about that was not that eternal look at himself, listing his own defects, seeking reasons and impossibilities.

That was when he noticed nightfall had come. Elbereth, he would meet her when he passed through the garden. That certainly made him reduce the pace, without knowing what to do. He could just take a different path. He could go to the house of healing to see to the members of a recently arrived caravan, who had been injured in an accident with one of the wagons. He could go to the training camp as well. He could... He could just disappear...

But his fears were suddenly swallowed by an unexpected image: a strangely empty bank. Elrond frowned, consulting the sky above him. It was past time for her being there.

But she did not come, neither that day nor in the following days. Nor she was at the dinner table on any of the following nights. When questioned the first time, Celeborn said his daughter was a bit tired; the next day, that she has found a good book to read and wanted to finish it; for the day after that, his excuse was that Celebrian was dedicating her time to a needlework she wanted to finish.

At any time, though, the questioning came from Elrond's mouth. He listened carefully to the silver-haired elf's response, saying: I'm sorry to hear that on the first day and simple raising his eyebrows on the following ones. His heart, however, was beginning to feel that absence more than he cared to admit. And that empty chair beside Galadriel started to visit his nightmares. One day Celeborn would return to Lothlórien or take any other path. He knew him very well to be sure that neither he nor his wife liked to stay in supporting roles for so much time in the same place.

It was then that the empty chair started to symbolize something that had not occurred to him: one day it would be definitely empty. And Elrond realized that he was actually spending his days not trying to forget Celebrian; he was spending his days waiting for an event, waiting for an extraordinary event, waiting for a single opportunity to see her... Yes, he has been waiting for her.

So, the next day, he found himself tired of waiting. However, better than anyone, he knew where to begin his search, where he should try to start his new battle to realize if he really deserved to be the winner of that special prize.

When Celeborn opened the door of his room in Imladris, there was no surprise in his eyes.

"Elrond." He bowed briefly.

"Celeborn." Elrond returned the gesture, putting a hand on his chest. "I ask your forgiveness for looking for you in your room. Could you, please, give me a moment of your time, if possible?"

The figure of Galadriel also appeared at the door, attracted by the tone that the host tried in vain to disguise. The beautiful tall elf's eyebrows were curved in a questioning look.

"Do you want to be alone?" she looked alternately at the two elves. Celeborn left the question in the air, knowing it was not for him to answer it.

"Actually, it is a matter for which your opinion would be of extreme importance," Elrond said, and his comment made a puzzled look appear in the elf-lady's face. She immediately took a step back and Celeborn saw in that act the permission he has been waiting to open the door wider and move the arm in an invitation to his friend.

Elrond entered, following the direction Galadriel took him. She pointed to an armchair in a small anteroom, and he waited until the lady had accommodated herself on a couch in front of him, before doing the same. Celeborn came with a wineglass, which Elrond accepted for courtesy, he just wetted his lips, but then left it on the small table next to him, no longer touching it.

"For how long have I known you, Elrond?" The silver-haired elf asked after sitting down next to Galadriel. His intention to start that intriguing conversation as soon as possible was really clear; he seemed to share his wife's concern.

"I do not know for sure if I can precisely answer this," the dark-haired elf replied. He had leaned slightly on the armchair, but kept his body straight. His eyes were focused on one of the windows.

"I think it is time enough for me to know when you are facing a difficult problem," the other elf observed carefully.

"Yes... Of course…" Elrond just said before taking a deep breath and looked back at the couple. "I am actually at an impasse in my life and to solve it I need an honest opinion of you both, an honest opinion I could always count on."

"As you can count on now," Galadriel said. Her gaze still quite puzzled. Elrond knew what was worrying her; sometimes she or her husband had feelings about what the future would offer them both and it was a good vantage in extreme situations. Maybe at that moment neither she, nor her husband could feel what seemed to be stealing the serenity from someone as balanced as the Lord of Imladris.

Elrond was looking at her now. He knew Celeborn quite well. He knew his principles, his virtues; he knew his opinions, his beliefs. But he did not know Galadriel; at least not as well as he would have needed to at that time.

"I must know, my lady Galadriel" he formally said. "What do you think of me?"

The blond lady felt the weight of that situation, even without understanding it completely.

"What do I think about you in what sense, Elrond?" she asked, her face still intrigued.

"In every sense, milady. In every sense you would feel necessary to judge me."

This time Galadriel sought Celeborn's eyes and Elrond notice him tense a bit. She used to call her husband the Wise, just because there were extremely rare moments when his opinion was really needed, when the powerful daughter of Finarfin needed someone to help her to understand something.

"Tell us what is happening, Elrond" he tried to change the course of that conversation then, looking for a way in which they could feel safer.

The dark haired elf took a deep breath; he was looking for the right words now, because he knew the moment would demand that. But he felt again searching for something which seemed to escape through his fingers.

"Just say it, mellon-nin." Celeborn tried to help him when he felt his anguish.

Just say it... Just say it... Just say… It was a new phrase to echo in Elrond's mind.

"I wonder if you consider me worthy enough."

"Worthy enough?" Celeborn showed a confused face he rarely exhibited.

"Worthy of…" Galadriel put it into a questioning tone.

"Worthy to woo your daughter," Elrond finally said and in his life he had never felt himself in a situation like that. Staying straight and steady at that moment was for him almost as difficult as facing the first major battle of his life. Celeborn was silent for a moment, but Elrond had the opportunity to see the silver-haired elf pale for the first time. Beside him, his wife has a very similar look.

"Has she told you something?" the lord elf asked, but Elrond noticed that Celeborn did it just to get himself some time to reorganize his ideas.

"No, she hasn't. She does not know of my intentions or feelings, and it will remain like that if it is her parents' wish. "

Galadriel took a deep breath when she heard this.

"Do you love her, Peredhel?" she asked and Elrond heard himself called by a name he had not used for so long... Half-elven, yes, it was how people called him... It was how he called himself. He tried to remain calm though, even feeling the slight warning in the questioning.

"I know little about that feeling, my lady. But the image of your daughter occupies my mind and my heart, alerting me about the emptiness inside me that, until then, did not bother me. Her absence in the recent days only made such an empty space wider and worse."

Galadriel's face moved slightly, and her attention fell upon Elrond's figure through the corners of her eyes. Her face was proud, her lips tight, her jaw hardened. She did not seem at all pleased with the response received.

"If this is your sentiment, will you accept our decision without any discussion even so?"

"Yes, I will" Elrond replied without moving and Galadriel rapidly let the air out, without even loosening her lips. She was really unhappy.

"How could you love her and leave such a decision at our hands?"

"This is what should be done."

"If Beren had done that you would not be here, you fool."

Elrond took a deep breath and then, for the first time, the couple saw a different brightness in his eyes.

"Beren did what he thought was the correct thing to do" he finally said. "He did as I do now. We both acted on our principles, and counting on the understanding of those who are dear to us, and on our Creator's help if this understanding was not as effective as we needed to."

The answer softened slightly the lady's chin and Elrond had the impression of seeing her trying to contain a small smile. However, soon her face regained the austere aspect, but she looked away from him at last, meeting her husband's eyes. The couple looked at each other for a while and Elrond realized they were exchanging some important information. After that Galadriel moved her head a little and he felt that she finally left the decision to her husband, or at least the revelation of it.

Celeborn took a deep breath before lifting his eyes to the dark-haired friend.

"I know that the ties of your ancestry are what brings you here and I know that you are aware that this is the only obstacle we see to this relationship, considering that you are among the best and bravest and noblest warriors who I had the pleasure of fighting beside."

Elrond looked down for the first time.

"Is this your answer?" he asked.

"No, Elrond" the lord elf seriously said. "There is no definitive answer to this question that can be given by us, because this decision is not ours."

"Celebrian has full knowledge of your history" Galadriel said. "In fact, in recent years, you were the focus of her studies and attention for longer than I wished it had been," she then revealed, pressing again her lips when she saw the elf lord's surprised look. "She knows what children you can give her, Peredhel. She knows what fate such children may have. She knows to where such a relationship could lead. I think our part ends here, our obligation ends here. We gave her all the knowledge she needed to have, as soon as we noticed her interest in you. We can only wait to see how she will use this knowledge."

Elrond lowered his eyes again. The fact that Celebrian's parents simply would not interfere and nothing else did not seem motivating at all.

"What we have not expected was that the interest might be mutual" Celeborn said then, receiving back his friend's attention. "This information fate did not reveal to us."

Elrond continued watching the couple for a moment longer, but nothing else occurred to him to say. None of the little certainties which had brought him there seemed as solid as they were before, even after some important discoveries. Maybe ... Maybe she felt something for him ... Maybe ... Maybe she loved him or at least she thought so... Maybe... Maybe he could make her happy... Maybe... Maybe...

Elbereth, he had come there in search of answers and would leave full of other questions... It was what he thought, before realizing he was also being analyzed by the couple he was visiting that morning. At that moment he felt too sick to imagine what those old friends would be thinking of him, he was unwilling to imagine what they expected of him ... Him... the half-elven who longed for their daughter's hand.

Elrond stood then, almost driven by a feeling of doubt and regret he did not remember having ever felt before. With a brief and polite request to leave he walked away, without even receiving a confirmation for it. Celeborn overtook him at the door in time to hold him by one arm.

"Do not think we have no affection for you, Elrond" he said, when their eyes met.

"I know. I know, mellon-nín." Elrond replied, slightly pulling his arm to get out of that place, but Celeborn was not satisfied with that answer, turning his friend and holding him by the arms so he could look into his eyes. Behind him Galadriel watched the scene mindfully.

"And do not think the power of that decision is yours alone, Elrond," was her observation. "If you want justice to be in fact done, go to the backyard. It is there Celebrian has been spending much of her days."

"You have shown us much respect; and for that we are grateful," Celeborn added. "Do the same for her."