EP - Elrond Peredhel - Young, at court, and distraught

[starrydome]

The door opens, and Elrond walks through, stopping abruptly, once he realises where he is.

It is hard to gauge elven age. Unlined faces and hale bodies often look young to human eyes even when the elf in question is centuries old.

(And even centuries old elves can be young).

Elrond is dressed richly, in a finely embroidered tunic, far more form fitting than what he normally wears. Not to mention his breeches. Court clothes, fit for a King's hall. Which is where he is.

In Lindon.

Surrounded by people but this evening utterly, utterly alone.

He is holding a rolled up piece of parchment in one hand and his other hand fiddles with the fastenings at his neck.
The broken seal is that of Númenor. The message that the King of Númenor, Elros Tar-Minyatur, is dead.

He looks around and then he walks to the bar, his footfall soft and light.

His face is smooth and calm.
It's an act but he doesn't know how not to act. Not with the way his life is now.
With the responsibilities he is shouldering.


He remembers the Lady Kate. The one who told him that this place was magic.
Safe.

So at the bar, he asks for cocoa. Warm and sweet, like a childhood memory.

It stands before him, warm and fragrant. But he finds he cannot drink it.

Comments

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato can't put his finger on exactly what it is about Elrond that clues him in to -- sadness, grief, melancholy, something, but he notices it, and it's in his nature to be concerned.

"Hey. Sorry for, er, interrupting," he says, settling a little way down the Bar. "Are you okay?"

[starrydome]

Elrond starts - lost in thought as he was - but when he turns fully he is back to looking calm.
On the surface at least.


"I am well enough," he replies. "Tidings from across the Sea has reached me this evening but their message, sad as it is, has been known to me for some time already."

But seeing it in writing -

And then he adds,"Thank you," because a kind word from a stranger has value that should be acknowledged.

He greets him then, a hand briefly placed above his heart. "Well met here all the same. I am Elrond Peredhel."

And then he blinks because once they were Peredhil, two, and now that word has no meaning any longer. Half-elven is now set apart and singular.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"Nice to meet you too," Yamato says. "I'm Yamato Ishida."

He inclines his head. "I'm sorry. About the bad news. Even if it's something you already knew about, it's still -- ..." Yamato is bad at this. "... It can still be a lot."

[starrydome]

Elrond nøds and looks down at the rolled up letter in his hand.

He puts it down on the counter and says, in a calm and measured tone, "My brother has died."

He is the High King's Herald.
He must master himself that the people will have faith in him.
(There are those who disagree with his presence at Court, at his high station. He cannot falter.)

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato just about feels his stomach churn, because he can easily imagine how broken he'd be if his own brother died. He can understand the desire to give an outward expression of calm, but he's not sure he'd have the willpower for it in Elrond's shoes.

"That -- ..." he grimaces. "I'm sorry, losing a family member is never easy. Especially not a brother."

[starrydome]

"I thought I was prepared for it," Elrond says, as if talking to himself.

"He had grown old. Much older than anyone expected. But he was my twin and I feel his absence - "

He breaks off and is silent.

And then he seems to remember Yamato and adds, "We are twins but he chose a mortal life."

Present tense.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

Yamato's content to let him talk. He's no good at comforting someone, but he can sit and listen, at least.

-- And admittedly, he doesn't quite understand the details, when Elrond says his brother chose a mortal life, but he can get the gist of it well enough.

"He must've seen some value in a mortal life. A lot of it, even," he says. "But that doesn't make it easy for the people he leaves behind."

[starrydome]

Elrond looks at him with a fleeting, wry smile.
"I was so angry with him at first. But I thought I had made peace with his decision."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"I can understand why."

Being angry at him may not have been the right thing, but it's eminently understandable. If Yamato was in Elrond's shoes, he would have been angry too.

"I suppose there's a world of difference between making peace with it in theory, and actually living through the consequences."

[starrydome]

"So it seems," Elrond says,dragging his hand across his face.

And then he shakes his head.
"My apologies. It has weighed only mind and there has been little chance to talk of it."

As in no chance.

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"You don't need to apologise. I'm fine with lending an ear," Yamato says, with a quick smile. "I can hardly imagine what it must be like."

He taps a foot against the side of the Bar. "On the bright side, though, Bar's hot cocoa is pretty good."

That may be some gentle mother hen suggestion that Elrond should drink his cocoa.

[starrydome]

Elrond looks down at it.
"I remember coming here as a child. I had never tasted such sweetness."

He looks back at Yamato.
"I would bring food back for the both of us, but Elros never saw the door."

[angry_friendship_wolf]

"My brother's never seen the door either. It's finicky like that, I guess," Yamato says. "At least you brought stuff back for him, though. He could experience a little bit of this place, even if he couldn't come with you."

[childofrebellion]

Cassian's sipping his own hot chocolate and looks over at Elrond, his stillness is strange, "That smells good."

He's feeling tired and cold after a long night keeping watch on someone.

[starrydome]

Elrond looks at him and smiles.
It's a small smile, pale and fleeting.

"I remember it from when I came here as a child," he replies.

[childofrebellion]

"She's always made a good hot chocolate. How long has it been since you've been here?"

He remembers when Elrond was much younger but he doesn't know how his species ages.

[starrydome]

"Hundreds of years. I was but a small child then."

He pauses and looks at the Man.
"But I met you then, did I not? We spoke of spices?"

[childofrebellion]

"Yes, we did. My name's Cassian, it hasn't been that long here." Hundreds of years, that's a long life.

[starrydome]

"Cassian. Yes. I remember."
He nods.

"My brother and I were captives then. We were released eventually. Into the care of Erenion Gil-Galad. He is our - my cousin."

[childofrebellion]

Cassian nods and sips his chocolate as he considers what to ask, he remembers how scared young Elrond was, his clothes are nicer now, but that doesn't tell everything, "What's it like living with him?"

[starrydome]

"I would do anything for him," Elrond says with quiet intensity.
"He is the High King of our people and whatever I can do to lighten that burden for him, I will."

A pause.

"Even if it means living at Court."

[childofrebellion]

"He must be a good ruler to have earned such respect and loyalty. You don't like court?"

There are a lot of kinds of court, he's curious to know what Elrond doesn't like.

[starrydome]

Elrond smiles ruefully.

"It's a mutual thing I am afraid."

Normally, he would not speak so freely, but this place is outside Arda. There is little harm in it here.

"The High King is young. And I am younger still. It - ruffles feathers."

[childofrebellion]

"Young means new ideas and sometimes old ones need to change. Its good that you're friends."

Trying to change anything is difficult and having those you trust makes it easier, Cassian's grateful for Kay but misses all the friends he's lost.

[starrydome]

"I am grateful for it. Though some seem to believe that our friendship in itself is the root cause."