In the Garden

Title: In the Garden, Chapter 19 (betaed)
Author: Sorsha
Fandom/Pairing: Elrond/OFC, others implied
Rating: R
Warning: AU (Story set several hundred years after ROTK in Aman); Het.
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive: AFF; FF
Acknowledgements: Thanks to Lady Victoria for betaing this fic.
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Prof. Tolkien. A quick check of my bank account should prove I’m not making anything off of writing my stories. Sigh!
Summary: Life in the Blessed Land has not been so blessed for Elrond. Can the happiness that has long eluded him be found in the words of a red-bound journal, the help of his scheming friends, and the granting of a wish that none thought possible?

Chapter 19 --- Paying the Piper… uh, Flutist

It did not immediately alarm him when, two days later, Lissë [the Vanyar healer/attendant of Estë introduced in the last chapter] appeared at the edge of the forest during the evening meal. The Vanyar had become a frequent attendee at their meals, a place quickly made for her at Ereinion’s side. /I am relieved to see the last of the guilt and worry begin to fall away from his spirit, and I am more than willing to credit this to her soothing company./

The sudden appearance of both Melian and Mithrandir at her side, sent a shiver of premonition down his spine. Elrond felt his chest clinch, as he realized the day they had all been dreading had arrived. Seeing her grandson’s face pale, Melian glided over to rest her hands on his shoulders, keeping him from rising.

*Relax, pen vuil. You do not have to face this first day. Her parents, the twins, and his siblings will need to see them first. Worry not for we will be with them. The worst of Celebrian’s anger is from the guilt she still refuses to acknowledge. Sadly, the worst of that will be directed at you and Meril, not those I have named.* (dear one)

*Why so late, Naneth’ra? The day is almost over?*

Smiling at the question, Melian bent to press a kiss to the top of Elrond’s head. *Consider that my lady sleeps most of the day. Her calling is to aid those in need of rest and healing, thus the night is the time she calls us to her. The night is part of the very nature of Lady Estë, as it is part of me, her attendant. That is why the night speaks so strongly to your spirit, ion.* (son)

A ripple of amusement coursed through his mind at this unexpected insight into his love of the night before the seriousness of the moment reasserted itself. *My sons… my dear friends… are they ready to face this, Naneth’ra?*

*I believe they are… I do not believe my lady would allow them to face this challenge if they were not. It will be difficult for them, but I will be there and give them support in your stead. Relax, ion. Play your music with Lindir and our beautiful Meril. It will sooth us all, for it will carry to the place of their meeting,* she suggested, before pressing a final kiss to his head. (son)

In a gentle voice, the Maia announced, “Galadriel… Celeborn… gwanûn… pynneth, the time has come. They have seen what they must and are again alert. I know not how they will react when they see you, but you will not be alone in facing this moment. Come… you need to follow us.” (pair of twins) (young ones)

Looking at the others grouped around the table, she added, “I have asked Elrond to invite Lindir and Meril to play with him tonight. Perhaps, others of you may want to join them in song. The music will sooth us all for it touches us in ways words cannot. Worry not for our family and friends… we will keep them in our care.”

-----

Elrond’s fingers froze on the strings of his harp as he spotted his kin returning to the glade. Setting it aside, he quickly rose and hurried over to assist Celeborn and Elladan in guiding Galadriel toward the comfort of the fire. “Galadriel, dear one, was it that bad?”

Tear-filled blue eyes lifted to meet his. Feeling her despair as keenly as if it was his own, he bent to lift her trembling form into his arms, noting the toll the evening had taken on the other two. Calling to Lindir, he asked, “Meldir, would you gather herbs from my medical kit so that we can brew a soothing tea for our family? Meril, would you please request that a kettle of hot water be brought along with honey and cups?” (friend)

Seeing them hurry off, Elrond carried his charge to the comfortable chair his mother-in-law favored near the fire. Urging Celeborn into the chair beside her, he looked over to judge the state of his sons and the three siblings. “Come pynneth. Take seats around the fire and let us comfort you.” (young ones)

Elrohir settled near the fire pulling Himiel into his lap. Her brothers dropped wearily to the ground beside them. Pleased to see Maidhlos take Elladan by the hand and pull him to sit near his twin, Elrond refocused his attention on his father-in-law. “Celeborn, there was… no improvement in their condition?”

Sighing, the Sindar reached over to grasp his wife’s hands. “Nay, there was. They were both lucid. Haldir gives me great hope, for he was deeply contrite over his behavior. He fell at our feet, sobbing and begging our forgiveness. That alone was… exhausting.”

Knowing the answer before he asked, he pressed. “And Celebrian?”

In a soft whisper, Galadriel answered. “She is lucid, but filled with anger. She blames us all for her condition… shows no sign of taking responsibility for her actions. I am greatly worried for her spirit. Haldir and I took the brunt of her anger.”

Accepting a cup of the tea liberally sweetened with honey from Meril, Elrond knelt in front of Galadriel and gently freed her hands from their grip on Celeborn’s. Easing the warm mug between her stiff fingers, he soothed. “Drink this for me, pen vuil. It will calm your spirit and allow us to consider this first meeting with a little more detachment. Celeborn, please drink yours too. It will comfort Galadriel to see you do so.” (dear one)

Settling back, he watched to see his sons and the three Lorien siblings begin to sip from the mugs being pressed into their hands by their concerned family. Knowing it would take the herbs a little time to work their magic, he rose and moved over to talk with Mithrandir, Lissë and his grandmother. “Was it as bad as they say?”

Sighing, Olórin nodded his head. “Aye, it was exhausting and not all we had hoped, but it was not all bad. As Celeborn noted, Haldir gives us great hope for his recovery for he seems ready to accept any and all responsibility for his conduct.”

“And, Celebrian remains unwilling to accept any blame for hers?”

Catching his hand, Melian reminded him, “This is not unexpected. She has been very reluctant to acknowledge the wrongs she has done in the past and has fought us since her arrival. I greatly fear it will take stronger measures than the loving attempts of her parents and sons. While she has wounded them greatly, their worry for her survival may well prevent them from being able to force her to see the truth. This may require sterner stuff… someone that can see the need to shock her out of her complacency.”

A grim smile came to his lips. “I take that to mean me. I must confront her.”

Speaking for the first time, Lissë proposed, “Consider this, my lord. Your relationship with her is sundered beyond redemption. I see this clearly… and I suspect my lord and lady know this too. With the exception of your sons, your house has no reason to be overly gentle in confronting her conduct. She needs to hear this from those that know the truth… and who will have no qualms about challenging her self-delusions. Sadly, she still believes you desire her and that… she is an object of passionate regard from the ellyn of Middle-earth, highly regarded by all.”

A bitter snort of laughter from behind them alerted them of Ereinion and Glorfindel’s arrival. “Tis a delusion she has long had. She tried many times without success to… seduce me and others of our house, convinced we found her irresistible. I never told you this Elrond… though you may have guessed. I saw no reason to add to your grief at her lax conduct.”

“Lax conduct! A married elleth attempting to seduce her husband’s closest friends goes well beyond such an innocuous description,” Ereinion muttered, his arm settling on his foster son’s shoulders in silent support.

“There… that is the type of reaction to her conduct that we must force her to acknowledge. Elrond, it need not be you that must bear the entire brunt of this effort, though much will fall to you and, perhaps, Meril… if she is willing. I feel quite comfortable that any of our family would gladly offer their opinion to her, as much for their own healing as hers,” Olórin suggested. “And yes, Lissë, the House of Elrond is my family. I am more than willing to offer my opinion of Celebrian for she has hurt many I hold dear!”

Smothering a grin at the Maia’s comments, she glanced up at the tall elf standing to her side, the sparkle in his blue eyes pulling at her heart. “I well understand, Lord Olórin. I too find this family most... endearing.”

-----

“Meril… may we talk to you, pen vuil?” (dear one)

Glancing back over her shoulder, she paused at the foot of the talan she was sharing with her aunt and uncle. “Yes, Mithrandir? What can I do for you, mellon nin?” (my friend)

Taking her hand, he bent to press a kiss to it before tucking it into the crook of his arm. “I would ask you to join us for a brief conversation before your retire for the night… or what is left of it, my dear.”

As he guided her back to the small group waiting near the dying fire, Meril was not surprised to see her uncle and aunt follow them. “Mithrandir, is this not something that can wait for the morn? We are all tired and have many difficult days still to face,” Gildor observed.

“Indeed we do, old friend. That is what we wish to discuss. We wish to speak with Meril tonight to give her time to decide how and to what extent she wishes to involve herself with the healing of the two fading elves,” the Maia replied. “Meril has already suffered greatly at their hands and has been a source of great comfort to us all these past days. We would not ask more of her than she feels comfortable offering.”

Confused, Meril scanned the group. Finding Elrond’s gentle, worried gaze, she asked, “I do not fully understand what you are asking of me? I… assumed I would need to see them at some point if they must take responsibility for their conduct. Is there more I can do?”

Holding her gaze, he suggested, “That is for you to decide. I feel you should be exposed to this situation as little as possible, for Celebrian has shown no ability to control her emotions and is lashing out at all those around her. She has already shown her willingness to target you for her cruelty and I would spare you more of that if it was my decision to make, but I have no right to bar you from assisting in their treatment.”

“Elrond, what do you mean when you say ‘treatment’?” Silael asked. “This term worries me for it implies Meril would be exposed to… Celebrian at her worst. We all know just how bad Celebrian at her worst can be. Our niece has suffered enough at her hand.”

“Perhaps, I should answer that. We feel, having seen the lack of success her parents and sons had in prompting her to accept responsibility for her actions, that a more aggressive approach may be required,” Lissë responded. “Our lady feels she must be shocked into awareness. The confrontation you had with her in the park in Valimar triggered her current crisis… as did your confrontation with her at her parent’s home, Elrond. Her parents and sons fear for her survival too strongly to be able to challenge her. She is unlikely to respond to their approach for it allows her to continue to hide and evade responsibility for her actions.”

Feeling the color drain from her face, Meril gasped, “I am responsible for this!”

Reaching out to catch her hands, the healer soothed, “I said that not to blame you. She brought this crisis on herself by her continued willful disregard for the welfare of others. You did nothing wrong by standing up for yourself. You bear no guilt in this, Meril. I merely meant that your spirited response got through to her and rattled her composure. This must happen if she is to be saved. It was a good thing that confrontation happened when it did or she would have continued to fade past the point where she could be helped. You did her a great favor by refusing to accept her cruelty, so stop blaming yourself!”

Taking a steadying breath, she asked, “You wish for me to… argue with her as I did that day in the park?”

“In a manner of speaking… more correctly we would propose you confront her with your unvarnished opinion of her conduct and refuse to let her get away with her attempts to turn the conversation away from her actions. Can you do this, Meril?” Lissë pressed.

“I…”

“I see no reason for Meril to be subjected to this, my lady! She has suffered more than enough from her cousin’s conduct and I fail to see the need to open her up to yet more! As both Ereinion and Mithrandir have noted, most of members of our family would relish the opportunity to confront Celebrian about her behavior. Meril owes Celebrian nothing,” Elrond asserted, his worry for the elleth clear in his eyes.

The group fell silent as all eyes turned to Meril to hear her response. Sighing, she looked around her at the concerned faces watching her. Letting her gaze again lock with Elrond’s, she observed, “I do not feel I owe Celebrian anything for Celebrian’s sake, but I do feel I owe her parents and sons my full support. I think it is also likely I need this chance to… purge my own anger and hurt. If she fails to respond to the others, I will do what I can. I do not think I could live with myself if I failed to help… and she fades.”

-----

Elrond paced the confines of the lakeside pavilion like a caged mountain lion. He had not slept well the night before and the wait until nightfall had done little to settle his nerves. /I am not nervous in the sense I fear her… or perhaps I do. She has always had an unfailing ability to find my insecurities and use them against me. Then too, I wish this matter to be resolved so that I can move on with my life and petition the Valar. I need to know their decision so that I can make plans. In either case, I will put my marriage behind me./

“So, regardless of our decision, you consider your marriage to be over?”

Stunned that he had not heard his approach, Elrond turned quickly and dropped to his knees before the Vala. “Forgive me, my lord. I did not hear your approach.”

Smiling, Irmo motioned for the peredhel to rise. “Though you possess a great deal of the magic of you ancestress, none, but one of my kindred could hear a Vala approach, so no apology is needed. You fascinate me, I must confess, penneth, for you are such a wonderful blend of Maia, Eldar, and Edain.” (young one)

Embarrassed by the comment, Elrond felt a faint blush creep up his throat to color his face a bright red. Laughing with genuine affection for his companion, the Vala motioned for Elrond to walk with him. “You have not answered my question… do you consider you marriage at an end regardless of whether or not we grant your petition?”

Nodding his head, Elrond responded. “I do, my lord. While I will not be free to pursue another relationship, I have no desire to share my life with Celebrian ever again. She has betrayed my trust and the trust of all I hold dear. Without trust, there can be no meaningful relationship. Tis better for us both to acknowledge this and make separate lives for ourselves.”

“Can trust not be rebuilt over time if sufficient care and respect nurture it, penneth?” Smiling as he saw Elrond’s reaction his calling the peredhel ‘young one’, he added, “And, to us, you are quite young, Elrond. You are but a small fraction of our age.” (young one)

Returning the smile, he observed, “It is all a matter of perspective, my lord. I feel… very old some days. As for trust, it can, perhaps, be rebuilt if the offense is within certain bounds. But, when it stretches over millennia and involves the repeated reoccurrence of the same behavior… the habitual disregard for the feelings and welfare of others, not just mine… I see no basis for trust. I find what she did to my children… her parents… Meril, the hardest to accept. The most I hope for is to put this matter behind me sufficiently so that I can move on with my life.”

“We often find it harder to forgive the wrongs done to those we care about than those done to ourselves. We feel helpless in the face of others grief, while we can stoically bare our own.” Smiling, he answered the unasked question in his companion’s eyes. “And, yes, the Valar feel the pain of those we love when they grieve… feel pain when one of our charges turns their anger against us.”

Recalling his own, often angry thoughts, Elrond felt shame for his actions. “I am sorry, my lord… I did not think…”

A warm hand came to rest on the peredhel’s shoulder. “Thank you, penneth, but you never lashed out at us. It grieved us to see you feeling so forsaken and alone, for you never were. Our creator set heavy burdens upon your shoulders and you saw them through… even when you wanted to rebel and impose your own will. We have great pride in you, penneth. Your unique heritage lent you skills and insight that were not possible for one of only one race. You are indeed special.” (young one)

Seeing the affect his words had had on the peredhel, Irmo turned the conversation to a new topic, giving him a chance to compose himself. “We very much enjoy your music. It is refreshing and full of life. The song you and Meril played last night was especially poignant. Does it have a name and when did you write it?”

Relieved to have a new topic to occupy his thoughts, Elrond answered. “We have not yet named it, my lord. I often hear music… that has no obvious source. It comes to me from my very spirit. Lindir has the same experience and has produced works of unimagined beauty. We recently discovered Meril also hears music in this manner, but does not yet know how to retain the memory. We are working with her to develop this skill. The music you asked about was one that came to us both unbidden, but which shared harmony and balance, so that the two parts wove together without effort. I remember her part, as well as, my own, so I committed the music to paper before retiring last night.”

Startled, a rare occurrence for a Vala, Irmo came to an abrupt halt. “That lovely music was… spontaneous and unrehearsed?”

Puzzled by the reaction he was getting, the half-elf nodded. “Aye, my lord. Lindir and I have long done this; it is the source of many of our best compositions, both alone and in collaboration. Meril does this as well, but has not yet learned to connect the music to her conscious memory so that she may retain it once the moment passes. Both Lindir and I have taken to recording her music in case it only comes to her once, but have not yet shown them to her wanting her to learn to do this without our aid.”

“Is this gift common among the musicians of Middle-earth?”

“Common? Nay, it is not, but I know of several others that have this gift. Lindir’s youngest son, Melpomaen has it and my foster son, Estel had the talent, as well. My twin and I discovered we had it while learning music from Lindir during our youth in Lindon. Elros produced many lovely pieces during his lifetime. Some of his line displayed it, especially among the Dúnedain that sheltered with us in Imladris after the throne of Gondor was lost. There are also minstrels from Mirkwood and the Grey Havens that heard music from their spirits. More rarely, there were musicians thus gifted among the other peoples of Middle-earth. I obtained copies of their works when possible and added them to our collection in Imladris… brought them with me to Aman,” he concluded.

“Indeed! I would enjoy hearing them,” the Vala confessed. Looking deep into his companion’s eyes, he asked, “Estel… King Elessar of Gondor?”

“Aye, my lord. I named him Estel when he came to live with us as a young child, hoping to keep him safe from Sauron until he reached his majority and was ready to accept his destiny,” Elrond offered, his eyes misting over with memories of those days. “He reminded me of my twin in many ways, including his talent for music.”

‘You will see them all again, penneth, when Eru has finished his song, so grieve not. As for this gift, I suspect… and I will discuss this with my brethren, that your music is a part of his song… Eru’s way of touching your lives and keeping his children engaged in his vision. If I am right, tis a greater gift than you realized, for he has made you singers in the great choir,” the Vala proposed. (young one)

Pausing, he seemed to be listening. After a moment, he looked down into his companion’s stunned eyes. “I have enjoyed our conversation, penneth, and we will talk again, but my wife informs me she is ready for you to attend her. Have faith. These difficult days will soon pass away and you will have the chance to rebuild your life as Eru wills it.” (young one)

-----

*Did you hear our conversation, meleth nin?* (my love)

*Aye, I did, beloved. I have long suspected Elrond bore such a gift, but that others might likewise hear the Song in this manner… Manwë will know, and likely Varda as well,* Estë replied. Pausing for a moment, she suggested, *If they have this connection to the One, is it possible we have found the source of their dream… the one you did not gift them?*

*Tis a possibility, my wife. It seems we will have much to discuss with our kindred when we are called to hear Elrond’s petition at Máhanaxar. There is much that we had not expected, that must be considered,* Irmo concluded.

*Indeed, melme… indeed.* (love)

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A/N – Máhanaxar is the place of council and judgment for the Valar. Located near the gates of Valimar; it is also called the Ring of Doom.

A/N - 'Attala the Pun strikes again' - aka seansbeanie! Sorry that was bad! Glad you liked the chapter, even if it did make you cry. *offers a kleenex* Thanks for reading and reviewing!

A/N - Hi MarzBar! I'm hoping the Valar are beginning to ask themselves that same question! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. More soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!