Chapter 16-Oct 8, 3018

Elrond paced and Glorfindel simply watched silently. Êlenrana took Arwen’s hand in a gesture of comfort. Elrond sighed, noticing the ring of Barahir his daughter wore as a sign of her betrothal to Aragorn. And Aragorn was the cause, or at least part of the cause for their worry now.

“ We must find Aragorn,” Gandalf urged, “ He guards one who holds our fate.”

“ The Nazgûl are abroad. Aragorn has eluded our guards set. We know he entered the surrounding forests, but he could be anywhere,” Elrond ran a hand through his smooth ebony hair.

Glorfindel stood hastily.

“ I will-” he began.

“ Of course you will. You should have known without my saying. You, your son and my sons, I will send,” Elrond interrupted, then sighed, “ My heart is still ill at ease.”

“ As it should be,” Êlenrana replied, her voice as dull as an unused knife.

Elrond abruptly pulled out a parchment.

“ Arwen, fetch me messengers, please. I need to get these out to all the council members,” Elrond ordered.

Once the girl was gone, Elrond looked up.

“ Have you no word? Anything that will soothe my worried soul? Just one word of comfort,” Elrond asked, his frustration deep in his voice.

“ Ú-chebin estel anim (I have kept no hope for myself),” Êlenrana answered, “ All my hope has gone with Sauron’s uprising.”

Glorfindel’s worried eyes were attached to his wife. Êlenrana had slowly morphed back into the one she had been when she had first come to Imladris. Her eyes met Elrond’s and he was taken aback. They were wrought with even more sorrow than before.

“ Leave in the morrow, Glorfindel,” Elrond said, “ And tell Imuialion to ready his things also.”

Glorfindel nodded and then held out his hand to his wife.

Elrond caught the reassuring squeeze Glorfindel gave her hand. Elrond watched them go, his heart lying with Celebrian in Valinor. His eyes darkened to a storm-cloud gray. What Gil-galad had fought for had come around again. How Elrond wished his mentor were there to guide him again. His mind flew back to their first news of Sauron.

*~FLASHBACK~*

“ My lord, what bothers you?” Elrond asked.

The king had been leaning against the window for the last hour, simply staring out at the waters. Gil-galad slowly turned with a sigh.

“ Sauron. He seems harmless enough, but I just cannot believe him. Something tells me he will be the death of me,” Gil-galad said with a short laugh.

“ What are you saying?”

Elrond’s eyes conveyed immense worry. He had already lost one father; he couldn’t bear to lose another. Gil-galad collapsed in a chair across from Elrond leaning in seriously. The king talked on, but only one piece remained in Elrond’s mind.

“ And I swear, I will never let another dark lord try to take over the free peoples, not while I’m alive…I expect you, my heir, to pick up where I left off.”

*~END OF FLASHBACK~*

“ Good traveling, Herven,” Êlenrana said.

“ I will find them,” Glorfindel kissed her cheek.

“ Elrond expects no less,” Êlenrana’s eyes seemed to cry, though no tears fell, breaking up his heart.

“ Smile, Love,” Glorfindel gently touched her cheek, “ I will be back, and soon, sorrow will be no more.”

Êlenrana watched as he galloped off. She nodded to herself. Twould be a long time before evil fell completely.

~*~

Aragorn carefully surveyed the forest. His eyes darted around.

“ Strider,” Sam hissed, his eyes open big.

Aragorn quieted the hobbit with his hand and listened to the approaching hooves. He fingered his sword, sending up a prayer to the One and hoping that the rider was not one of the Nazgûl. Nazgûl never travel alone.

I know it’s a short chapter, but R&R so I know that someone’s reading this and it’s not a waste of my time. I’ll make up this short chapter hopefully next time.