The Music in My Heart
folder
Lord of the Rings Movies › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
75
Views:
3,757
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
Lord of the Rings Movies › Slash - Male/Male
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
75
Views:
3,757
Reviews:
11
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings book series and movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 6 An Expeditionary Force
Title: The Music in My Heart, Chapter 6
Author: Sorsha
Fandom/Pairing: Elrond/OFC, Glorfindel/Haldir, Elladan/OFC, Elrohir/Legolas, others implied
Rating: NC-17 for later chapters
Warning: AU --- Story set 770 years after ROTK; Some slash but, mostly het
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive:
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Alex Cat for her help in betaing this fic.
Disclaimer: Any of the residents of Middle Earth and Aman that you recognize belong to Prof. Tolkien’s estate. The same is true about Middle Earth and Aman. I’m only visiting and admiring the “views”.
Summary: Sauron may be gone, but his legacy of evil still lingers. As Middle Earth faces the threat of another dark lord, a party of elves departs Aman on a mission for the Valar, a mission of mercy long delayed.
Chapter 6 --- An Expeditionary Force
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”
Robert Byrne
*****
Aman, Present (Middle Earth, Fourth Age, Year 773)
Glorfindel sat back in his chair to enjoy a sight he had not seen in far too long --- Elrond in his element. Since his lord’s return from Mahanaxar, Elrond had become like an elf reborn. Well, not in the literal sense, but he felt a little hyperbole was in order so great was the change.
When they had sailed from Middle Earth over 750 years ago, Elrond had been nearly broken. The strain of his many millennia of service had worn him down and the burden of so many losses had nearly smothered his spirit. The demands of Vilya had been almost too much for him to bear. By the time of the destruction of the One Ring, he had little left to give.
/I worried for so long that Arwen’s decision would be the final blow that would finish him, but the Blessed Lands has healed him for the most part. It was too bad that his relationship with Celebrian was sundered so completely by time and tragedy. He needed her quite badly when he got here. At least she let him heal before she left him. I suspect he was even a little relieved by the time it was over. A civilized, if rare, request to the Valar to end their union and it was over./
/It must have felt rather like the day he sensed Arwen had died, grieving for a loss for many long years before the loss itself occurs. Not that he did not grieve for both endings, he did and still does, but I always believed he had found some peace with both losses before their final end that ultimately saw him through. Still, I ache for all the losses he has had to withstand./
/Now we return to Middle Earth… to Imladris, the scene of many of his greatest heartaches. And yet, it was the only place I have ever seen he be truly happy, his valley, his home, his people, his. It will be a joy for him to see his sons and feel again the harmony, the connection he has with that valley,/ he mused.
/ I will enjoy seeing my old friends Erestor and Celeborn. I wonder if Erestor married Laurea as he was so set in his ways? Do they have children? What a thought! Erestor a father! And will either of the twins have settled down yet? What a thought, indeed!/
“Glorfindel!”
Looking up at his lord and friend, Glorfindel was surprised to see a look of annoyance directed towards him. “My lord?”
“So you finally decided to grace us with your presence at our little council meeting, Lord Glorfindel. I thank you for your sacrifice.” Elrond smirked hearing the discrete snickers from the rest of the assembled group and seeing the confused look on his friend’s face.
Letting the Elda off the hook, Elrond suggested “Perhaps our friend is making the point that we have been at this for a long time now. Maybe a break for lunch and fresh air will allow us to focus sufficiently to complete our planning. Go now, my friends and we will reconvene mid-afternoon.”
As the others gathered their scrolls and left, clearly ready for this break, Elrond sat back in his chair and smiled at his companion. “It has been a long time since we had need of such long meetings; you are out of practice.” he teased.
“Quite right. In the past, I knew how not to get caught daydreaming.”
“Yes, Erestor covered for you and I let it pass!” came the quick response.
/Yes, it was good to see Elrond like this again!!!/
*****
Leaving the last meeting of the day behind him, Elrond walked slowly through the gardens surrounding his home in Valinor. The serenity of the quiet paths was a welcome change after a day spent in long meetings. Plans were finally coming together; the logistics of moving almost two thousand elves from Aman to the Middle Earth required many hours to organize.
/Nothing I have not done many times before, but this time is different; I am enjoying it! I still marvel that I was the one summonsed to Mahanaxar to receive this task from the Valar. Well, two tasks really, but both short on detail; little things like the what, why and how!/
Still amazed by the little he was told “…You will recognize what you must do when the time comes…” he paused to look out across a tidy bed of roses.
/No matter; it is the will of the Valar that we go back to Middle Earth and I will continue to trust that I will indeed know what to do when the time comes. Not much to work with though and not many ways to plan a strategy when I do not know the objective much less our options./
/But, for all that, I cannot seem to stop smiling! I must stop letting Glorfindel and Haldir catch me grinning like an elfling with a new toy for they will never let me live it down,/ he thought, a smile yet again gracing his face.
Arriving at the balcony to his rooms, Elrond found the cool breeze of the night too pleasant to ignore after hours at a conference table. Settling into a chair by a small dining table, Linder soon appeared with a light meal and a carafe of wine. Sighing with pleasure, he began to eat with more enthusiasm than he had felt in many hundreds of years. Relaxed his mind began to wonder.
/Soon, I will go home. I know Aman is supposed to be the true home of all elves, but I have never stopped missing Imladris and Middle Earth. I had thought I was the only one to feel this way, but, judging by the number volunteering to join me, I am not. I have not seen Glorfindel look so excited in many centuries, though I suspect our return is not the only thing that has captured his attention./
/That so many from Imladris and ‘Lorien have chosen to join us has made organizing and leading this expedition a privilege. Celeborn will be pleased to see his sons again, but then so will I! If only Arwen… no I will not let the grief take over tonight. I will see my sons again and I will meet my daughter’s descendants. /
Pushing his plate away with a contented sigh, he rose from the table to move to a comfortable chaise that faced the garden and settled down for the night, his head resting against the back. /I feel my blood pumping in my veins again! How long has it been since I felt like this? Since my days as Gil-Galad’s herald? The first years with Celebrian? I do not remember, but far too long by any reckoning! I stopped noticing the feeling was missing at some point. /
Once his mind had conjured their names, their images demanded attention. /The healing of these lands could never fully take hold of my fëa because of my two great disappointments --- Ereinion and Celebrian. I can find no one that knows what became of Gil-Galad and the end of my marriage to Celebrian was painful. /
/ That Ereinion has not been seen by any that knew him makes me doubt he has left Mandos Hall and this possibility fills me with sadness. Is he still there all these long years or has he chosen to go on to Eru Ilúvatar, his pain too great to continue? I had looked forward to seeing him again and possibly rekindle our friendship --- free from the stifling restrictions of court, of our time as foster father and heir, and the pressure of war --- and just be friends. Humm? Friends? Was that truly what I hoped to be? A question I could not answer then… why should I be able to now? /
/Would I have found answers had we not been interrupted the night before he died? That question plagues me still I have driven many mad with my obsession of never leaving things unsaid for another day --- there might not be one. I can find no hope that he will ever return and expect it not any more. Still, I crave the knowing of what he was thinking that night, what he wanted to tell me so fervently. For the want of ten minutes…/ a desire born in a whisper was carried forth on the breeze to the Valar’s ears.
/As for my marriage, were not the cracks in its foundation already showing long before the Yrch attack? Aye, they were, but we, nay I, chose to ignore them to the doom of our relationship. I know we loved each other passionately at the beginning… but we never bonded ….not on any spiritual level. I never expected a soul bond… those are too rare, but no bond at all… Without one, we began to drift./
/We had so little we shared beyond the children; no common interests or shared pleasures. Humph, not even the pleasure of a shared bed by the end. What hope did we have to survive the separations, the demands on my time, the trauma of the attack …and the loss of our daughter? … None, it would seem. It seems Celeborn was right in his objections. We had no spiritual depth only love based of physical desire./
/ I see clearly now that Celebrian had already decided it was over long before I arrived. She was only waiting for me to heal sufficiently to ask me to join in her petition to the Valar to end our marriage. At least she took me into her home and let me hope of a reconciliation long enough to recover most of my strength before she asked me to leave. I am grateful for that, at least. Weak as I was when I arrived, I would have faded had she been less generous; ...yes, there was real love there and what we had saw us through to the end. /
Having finished his wine, Elrond found himself beginning to fall into reverie. /Truth be told, Valinor is not what I expected, what I hoped for when I dreamed of coming here for so many years. My destiny seems to be tied to Middle Earth, not Aman and I feel like I am going home. The Valar be praised!/ With that thought soothing his mind, the dark haired elf lord fell asleep for the night, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
*****
Camp of the Last Alliance, Second Age, Year 3436
/It would seem Isildur and Oropher are determined to fill the few moments I have to myself with rancor and petty squabbling. I know I am to blame for much of this discord, but old hurts must be put aside for now. We do not have time for such matters. If only, I had handled… but the past is past. I cannot change what has gone before./
/I can no longer ask Elrond or Celeborn to attend these matters as they are ready to offer either or both to the enemy. How both have managed to ruffle Celeborn’s calm soul is beyond my understanding! Elrond is of the opinion that it would serve our cause well to turn them over to Sauron --- “if they survive they could wreak havoc there instead of amongst us and if they did not, well… this is war and we have to expect a few losses. “ I am glad he still can find humor in this unceasing nightmare, provided of course, he does not have to deal with those two!/
/The only reason I can still do so is his steadying presence close at hand. Not as close as I would wish, but better to have what I have rather than risk losing all. Now there is a thought fit for a leader in the midst of a war! Thinking such, tis surprising I have not packed up my tents and scurried back to Lindon! Aiya! Why can I not sleep??/
*****
Aman, Present, (Middle Earth, Fourth Age, Year 774)
Glorfindel and Elrond looked with satisfaction upon the fleet of twelve ships Cirdan had built that lay at anchor in the harbor of the White Havens. It was an awe-inspiring sight. As they watched, the last of the provisions and supplies to see them settled in Middle Earth were stored in the great holds of the ships. All was now ready for them to sail.
/ My personal items are safely stowed and we only have to board. It was a long nine months waiting while the ships were built and provisions organized. Thankfully, gladly, tomorrow we sail! / Elrond thought.
In the end, over two thousand had petitioned to go, a healthy mix of elves and elleths. Glorfindel had grown fond of joking that with that number, the elven population of Middle Earth was likely to grow more rapidly than planned, especially given the tight quarters on the ships. Elrond and the others smiled and made no comment though they had noticed that several new matches had already formed.
Standing in the waning light of Anor, Elrond smiled again, thinking /Finally, we are ready! Tomorrow we sail for the Grey Havens. In six weeks, we will again set foot on the shores of our birth and I will again be with most of those I hold dear --- if only Gil-Galad... Still, there is reason for anticipation. I am going home!/
*****
Imladris, Fourth Age, Year 774
She woke that morning with a smile on her lips, one that mirrored one she had seen in her dreams. /They are coming! They have set sail at last. I must tell Ada and Celeborn. They will be here in six weeks! They are coming. HE is coming!/
Author: Sorsha
Fandom/Pairing: Elrond/OFC, Glorfindel/Haldir, Elladan/OFC, Elrohir/Legolas, others implied
Rating: NC-17 for later chapters
Warning: AU --- Story set 770 years after ROTK; Some slash but, mostly het
Feedback: This is my first fanfic, so constructive feedback appreciated.
Archive:
Acknowledgements: Many thanks to Alex Cat for her help in betaing this fic.
Disclaimer: Any of the residents of Middle Earth and Aman that you recognize belong to Prof. Tolkien’s estate. The same is true about Middle Earth and Aman. I’m only visiting and admiring the “views”.
Summary: Sauron may be gone, but his legacy of evil still lingers. As Middle Earth faces the threat of another dark lord, a party of elves departs Aman on a mission for the Valar, a mission of mercy long delayed.
Chapter 6 --- An Expeditionary Force
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”
Robert Byrne
*****
Aman, Present (Middle Earth, Fourth Age, Year 773)
Glorfindel sat back in his chair to enjoy a sight he had not seen in far too long --- Elrond in his element. Since his lord’s return from Mahanaxar, Elrond had become like an elf reborn. Well, not in the literal sense, but he felt a little hyperbole was in order so great was the change.
When they had sailed from Middle Earth over 750 years ago, Elrond had been nearly broken. The strain of his many millennia of service had worn him down and the burden of so many losses had nearly smothered his spirit. The demands of Vilya had been almost too much for him to bear. By the time of the destruction of the One Ring, he had little left to give.
/I worried for so long that Arwen’s decision would be the final blow that would finish him, but the Blessed Lands has healed him for the most part. It was too bad that his relationship with Celebrian was sundered so completely by time and tragedy. He needed her quite badly when he got here. At least she let him heal before she left him. I suspect he was even a little relieved by the time it was over. A civilized, if rare, request to the Valar to end their union and it was over./
/It must have felt rather like the day he sensed Arwen had died, grieving for a loss for many long years before the loss itself occurs. Not that he did not grieve for both endings, he did and still does, but I always believed he had found some peace with both losses before their final end that ultimately saw him through. Still, I ache for all the losses he has had to withstand./
/Now we return to Middle Earth… to Imladris, the scene of many of his greatest heartaches. And yet, it was the only place I have ever seen he be truly happy, his valley, his home, his people, his. It will be a joy for him to see his sons and feel again the harmony, the connection he has with that valley,/ he mused.
/ I will enjoy seeing my old friends Erestor and Celeborn. I wonder if Erestor married Laurea as he was so set in his ways? Do they have children? What a thought! Erestor a father! And will either of the twins have settled down yet? What a thought, indeed!/
“Glorfindel!”
Looking up at his lord and friend, Glorfindel was surprised to see a look of annoyance directed towards him. “My lord?”
“So you finally decided to grace us with your presence at our little council meeting, Lord Glorfindel. I thank you for your sacrifice.” Elrond smirked hearing the discrete snickers from the rest of the assembled group and seeing the confused look on his friend’s face.
Letting the Elda off the hook, Elrond suggested “Perhaps our friend is making the point that we have been at this for a long time now. Maybe a break for lunch and fresh air will allow us to focus sufficiently to complete our planning. Go now, my friends and we will reconvene mid-afternoon.”
As the others gathered their scrolls and left, clearly ready for this break, Elrond sat back in his chair and smiled at his companion. “It has been a long time since we had need of such long meetings; you are out of practice.” he teased.
“Quite right. In the past, I knew how not to get caught daydreaming.”
“Yes, Erestor covered for you and I let it pass!” came the quick response.
/Yes, it was good to see Elrond like this again!!!/
*****
Leaving the last meeting of the day behind him, Elrond walked slowly through the gardens surrounding his home in Valinor. The serenity of the quiet paths was a welcome change after a day spent in long meetings. Plans were finally coming together; the logistics of moving almost two thousand elves from Aman to the Middle Earth required many hours to organize.
/Nothing I have not done many times before, but this time is different; I am enjoying it! I still marvel that I was the one summonsed to Mahanaxar to receive this task from the Valar. Well, two tasks really, but both short on detail; little things like the what, why and how!/
Still amazed by the little he was told “…You will recognize what you must do when the time comes…” he paused to look out across a tidy bed of roses.
/No matter; it is the will of the Valar that we go back to Middle Earth and I will continue to trust that I will indeed know what to do when the time comes. Not much to work with though and not many ways to plan a strategy when I do not know the objective much less our options./
/But, for all that, I cannot seem to stop smiling! I must stop letting Glorfindel and Haldir catch me grinning like an elfling with a new toy for they will never let me live it down,/ he thought, a smile yet again gracing his face.
Arriving at the balcony to his rooms, Elrond found the cool breeze of the night too pleasant to ignore after hours at a conference table. Settling into a chair by a small dining table, Linder soon appeared with a light meal and a carafe of wine. Sighing with pleasure, he began to eat with more enthusiasm than he had felt in many hundreds of years. Relaxed his mind began to wonder.
/Soon, I will go home. I know Aman is supposed to be the true home of all elves, but I have never stopped missing Imladris and Middle Earth. I had thought I was the only one to feel this way, but, judging by the number volunteering to join me, I am not. I have not seen Glorfindel look so excited in many centuries, though I suspect our return is not the only thing that has captured his attention./
/That so many from Imladris and ‘Lorien have chosen to join us has made organizing and leading this expedition a privilege. Celeborn will be pleased to see his sons again, but then so will I! If only Arwen… no I will not let the grief take over tonight. I will see my sons again and I will meet my daughter’s descendants. /
Pushing his plate away with a contented sigh, he rose from the table to move to a comfortable chaise that faced the garden and settled down for the night, his head resting against the back. /I feel my blood pumping in my veins again! How long has it been since I felt like this? Since my days as Gil-Galad’s herald? The first years with Celebrian? I do not remember, but far too long by any reckoning! I stopped noticing the feeling was missing at some point. /
Once his mind had conjured their names, their images demanded attention. /The healing of these lands could never fully take hold of my fëa because of my two great disappointments --- Ereinion and Celebrian. I can find no one that knows what became of Gil-Galad and the end of my marriage to Celebrian was painful. /
/ That Ereinion has not been seen by any that knew him makes me doubt he has left Mandos Hall and this possibility fills me with sadness. Is he still there all these long years or has he chosen to go on to Eru Ilúvatar, his pain too great to continue? I had looked forward to seeing him again and possibly rekindle our friendship --- free from the stifling restrictions of court, of our time as foster father and heir, and the pressure of war --- and just be friends. Humm? Friends? Was that truly what I hoped to be? A question I could not answer then… why should I be able to now? /
/Would I have found answers had we not been interrupted the night before he died? That question plagues me still I have driven many mad with my obsession of never leaving things unsaid for another day --- there might not be one. I can find no hope that he will ever return and expect it not any more. Still, I crave the knowing of what he was thinking that night, what he wanted to tell me so fervently. For the want of ten minutes…/ a desire born in a whisper was carried forth on the breeze to the Valar’s ears.
/As for my marriage, were not the cracks in its foundation already showing long before the Yrch attack? Aye, they were, but we, nay I, chose to ignore them to the doom of our relationship. I know we loved each other passionately at the beginning… but we never bonded ….not on any spiritual level. I never expected a soul bond… those are too rare, but no bond at all… Without one, we began to drift./
/We had so little we shared beyond the children; no common interests or shared pleasures. Humph, not even the pleasure of a shared bed by the end. What hope did we have to survive the separations, the demands on my time, the trauma of the attack …and the loss of our daughter? … None, it would seem. It seems Celeborn was right in his objections. We had no spiritual depth only love based of physical desire./
/ I see clearly now that Celebrian had already decided it was over long before I arrived. She was only waiting for me to heal sufficiently to ask me to join in her petition to the Valar to end our marriage. At least she took me into her home and let me hope of a reconciliation long enough to recover most of my strength before she asked me to leave. I am grateful for that, at least. Weak as I was when I arrived, I would have faded had she been less generous; ...yes, there was real love there and what we had saw us through to the end. /
Having finished his wine, Elrond found himself beginning to fall into reverie. /Truth be told, Valinor is not what I expected, what I hoped for when I dreamed of coming here for so many years. My destiny seems to be tied to Middle Earth, not Aman and I feel like I am going home. The Valar be praised!/ With that thought soothing his mind, the dark haired elf lord fell asleep for the night, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
*****
Camp of the Last Alliance, Second Age, Year 3436
/It would seem Isildur and Oropher are determined to fill the few moments I have to myself with rancor and petty squabbling. I know I am to blame for much of this discord, but old hurts must be put aside for now. We do not have time for such matters. If only, I had handled… but the past is past. I cannot change what has gone before./
/I can no longer ask Elrond or Celeborn to attend these matters as they are ready to offer either or both to the enemy. How both have managed to ruffle Celeborn’s calm soul is beyond my understanding! Elrond is of the opinion that it would serve our cause well to turn them over to Sauron --- “if they survive they could wreak havoc there instead of amongst us and if they did not, well… this is war and we have to expect a few losses. “ I am glad he still can find humor in this unceasing nightmare, provided of course, he does not have to deal with those two!/
/The only reason I can still do so is his steadying presence close at hand. Not as close as I would wish, but better to have what I have rather than risk losing all. Now there is a thought fit for a leader in the midst of a war! Thinking such, tis surprising I have not packed up my tents and scurried back to Lindon! Aiya! Why can I not sleep??/
*****
Aman, Present, (Middle Earth, Fourth Age, Year 774)
Glorfindel and Elrond looked with satisfaction upon the fleet of twelve ships Cirdan had built that lay at anchor in the harbor of the White Havens. It was an awe-inspiring sight. As they watched, the last of the provisions and supplies to see them settled in Middle Earth were stored in the great holds of the ships. All was now ready for them to sail.
/ My personal items are safely stowed and we only have to board. It was a long nine months waiting while the ships were built and provisions organized. Thankfully, gladly, tomorrow we sail! / Elrond thought.
In the end, over two thousand had petitioned to go, a healthy mix of elves and elleths. Glorfindel had grown fond of joking that with that number, the elven population of Middle Earth was likely to grow more rapidly than planned, especially given the tight quarters on the ships. Elrond and the others smiled and made no comment though they had noticed that several new matches had already formed.
Standing in the waning light of Anor, Elrond smiled again, thinking /Finally, we are ready! Tomorrow we sail for the Grey Havens. In six weeks, we will again set foot on the shores of our birth and I will again be with most of those I hold dear --- if only Gil-Galad... Still, there is reason for anticipation. I am going home!/
*****
Imladris, Fourth Age, Year 774
She woke that morning with a smile on her lips, one that mirrored one she had seen in her dreams. /They are coming! They have set sail at last. I must tell Ada and Celeborn. They will be here in six weeks! They are coming. HE is coming!/