Stories of Arda Home Page
About Us News Resources Login Become a member Help Search
swiss replica watches replica watches uk Replica Rolex DateJust Watches

Elf, Interrupted: Book Two: Glorfindel's Quest  by Fiondil

131: Lord Eärendil Weighs In

Lord Manwë sat back in his chair at the Council table and watched the Children yelling at one another with clinical interest. They were all back in the Council chamber which was still at Nienna’s. There had been a consensus that it would not be moved until certain matters had been resolved. It was the day after the fiasco with Selmacas and no one was in a good mood. Arafinwë had refused to even deal with the ellon until, as he put it, ‘I can look upon him without wanting to rip his throat out’. The attack on Vondo and the reason for it had been the topic of the day and no one seemed interested in resuming their work on Council matters, so Ingwë had disgustedly adjourned them, insisting that in the afternoon session they get back to the matter at hand.

But the arrival of Vingilot put pay to that plan.

Eärendil arriving with what he claimed to be the Aewellond delegation and calmly demanding a seat at the Council table sent half the Children into paroxysms of delight and the other half into near apoplexy. Glorfindel’s rather loud comment to Finrod that it was a good thing that Lord Manwë had sent him to straighten things out only added fuel to the fire. Finrod had buried his head in his hands while Glorfindel stood by smirking.

*Were you expecting this?* Námo bespoke Manwë as the Valar sat behind the Elder King idly watching the show. Oromë and Irmo were making bets on who would throw the first punch and at whom.

*Not really,* Manwë admitted with a rueful chuckle that none of the elves heard. *You have to admit, Glorfindel knows how to make an entrance.*

There were silent snorts of amusement from the other Valar.

*So do we intervene or let them fight it out amongst themselves?* Varda asked.

*We’ll give them a few more minutes,* Manwë answered. *I’m curious to see what Ingwë will do.*

They all glanced to where the High King sat stonily in his chair, a lone island of calm in the midst of the storm all around him. Even Arafinwë and Olwë had entered the fray. Olwë was actually shouting at Falmaron, who was shouting right back while the rest of their family looked on, most with expressions of pain. Olwen was weeping, but Beleg, they noticed, was staring at the shouting match with unalloyed amazement. As to what exactly Olwë and Falmaron were shouting at one another, even the Valar could not hazard a guess; there was too much commotion going on and the noise level was becoming intolerable. Arafinwë was busy trying to get everyone else to calm down without much success.

*We really need to get this under control sooner rather than later, Manwë,* Aulë growled. *Someone is bound to get hurt.*

Before Manwë could respond, though, Ingwë raised his right hand. "Enough!" he shouted, the force of his command cutting across the din, echoing off the walls.

The silence that followed was almost deafening. Everyone stared at the High King still sitting there with his hand raised in admonition, his expression still stony, though his eyes blazed with cold anger.

"When you children are seated, we will begin," he said in a conversational tone that made the words sound even more damning. Most of the elves blushed with embarrassment and began making their way to their seats, refusing to look at anyone. Only Eärendil and the other members of his entourage, including Glorfindel, remained standing, for there were no seats for them. They stood in a group in one of the aisles between the tiers facing Ingwë and the other High Kings. Eärendil bowed slightly to them.

"We were told that Lord Manwë specifically ordered Lord Glorfindel to come to Valmar," he said. "The rest of us decided to... um... tag along, but if our presence does not meet with your approval, we will return to Aewellond."

"By way of Avallónë," Falmaron muttered darkly as he glared at his atar, whose own expression was fraught with pain and remorse. "I mean to be there when my ship arrives."

"Nonsense," Ingwë said firmly. "You are all here and you are welcome, including you, Falmaron. Lord Manwë, we need another chair at the table for Lord Eärendil and some place for the others to sit."

The peremptory tone of Ingwë’s address to the Elder King shocked more than one person, though the Valar, Manwë included, did not appear unduly insulted by it. Manwë did not even raise an eyebrow at Ingwë’s tone, but gestured negligently and a chair appeared, on the back of which was a black onyx stone inset with a diamond.

"I’m sure if Findaráto and Morcocáno shift their chairs, you can squeeze in," Manwë said mildly. "We’ll expand the chamber at the next session, but for now the others will find some benches along the wall," he added, gesturing behind him.

Eärendil gave Elwing a light kiss and a smile, nodding to Glorfindel, who took Falmaron’s arm and led the way to the back of the room by the door where two long benches were found on either side of it. Once they were settled and Finrod and Morcocáno made room for Eärendil, Ingwë spoke again.

"We welcome the delegation from...um..."

"Aewellond," Eärendil supplied with a slight smile. "It means ‘Haven of birds’."

Ingwë nodded. "At any rate, I am a bit confused as to your presence. You say that Lord Manwë specifically ordered Lord Glorfindel here?" He turned to give the Elder King an enquiring look. Manwë merely smiled enigmatically.

"So we were told," Eärendil replied when the Elder King remained silent. "The Reborn who was injured... he is....?"

"He is well," Finrod spoke up. "Lady Estë has assured us that he will be completely healed by tomorrow."

"And this Selmacas? What has been done with him?" Eärendil enquired.

"He is presently in my custody," Námo answered from the tiers, a dark smile on his lips. "His ultimate fate has yet to be decided."

"So why exactly am I here?" Glorfindel called out from the back. "What does Selmacas’ attack on Vondo have to do with anything? I thought you were supposed to be deciding on what form of government the Tol Eressëans should have, or am I mistaken?"

"You are not mistaken, Glorfindel," Manwë answered. "But you are not the only one who needs to be here. We Valar felt it was important that others beside yourself be present."

"To what end, though?" Ingwë asked. "Do not mistake me, I do not question Lord Eärendil’s right to be here, nor that of these others. While the primary purpose of this Council is to determine the shape of the government on Tol Eressëa, I deem another equally important purpose is for all of us of Eldamar and Aman to come together. I am thinking that it is high time that we institute such a council as this on a regular basis to discuss those issues which may affect us all."

"All well and good," Morcocáno said, "but I fail to see what business it is of these people. If they were so important, why were they not here from the beginning?"

"We weren’t invited," Eärendil said. "Of course, I doubt if any of you gave us a thought, and I blame you not for it. My people and I have been at pains to keep ourselves separated from the rest of you, but the fact remains that everyone in Aewellond, with the exception of myself and Elwing, originally resided in Tol Eressëa. So we do have an interest in knowing what is happening there."

"And Lord Glorfindel?" enquired Gilvagor, smiling up at the ellon.

"As I said, he is here at Lord Manwë’s behest," Eärendil answered. "You’ll have to ask him."

All eyes turned to the Elder King, who sat there calmly. "My reasons for asking Glorfindel here are my own, but in truth, he was the lure to bring the others here."

"Bait," Glorfindel muttered angrily. "That’s all I am to you, aren’t I?" He stood up and gave the Valar an angry stare. "That’s all I ever am to you. Well, I’m finished with all that. Find someone else to be your goat." He stormed towards the door, intent on leaving, though where he thought he would go was anyone’s guess, including his.

"Glorfindel!" Eärendil shouted forcibly. Glorfindel stopped, reluctantly turning to face the Mariner, his expression surly. "Sit down and be quiet," Eärendil said, his voice still commanding.

Glorfindel hesitated, still defiant. "Now," Eärendil said, his tone cold, his expression stern.

The Reborn sighed, plopping down gracelessly between Falmaron and Elwing with ill-concealed disgust. Elwing patted his arm sympathetically.

Finrod stared at Eärendil in amazement. "How did you do that?" he asked with honest awe in his voice.

Eärendil gave the prince an embarrassed smile, though there was a glint of humor in his eyes as well. "It helps to be Turgon’s heir," he said softly.

Finrod blinked a couple of times, as if trying to assimilate what Eärendil was truly saying, glancing up at Glorfindel still sitting there glowering at nothing and then grinned. "Of course," he said, giving Manwë a knowing look. "Now it all makes sense." But what exactly he meant by that remained a mystery, for before anyone could ask, Ingwë spoke.

"At any rate, allow me to fill you in on what has happened with the Council, Lord Eärendil. Over the last week there has been much discussion as to what form the government on Tol Eressëa should take. The consensus is that it is impossible at this time to choose a king that everyone can agree should rule them. While many would welcome Prince Findaráto, he refuses to accept the crown, and none of the former kings of Beleriand have yet been released from Mandos."

Eärendil nodded. "I can understand people’s reluctance to accept one of the kings over the others. The Noldor would, I deem, accept one of their high kings but that cannot be said for the Sindar and Nandor. So what has been decided?"

"Lord Morcocáno of Avallónë has offered the best solution," Ingwë replied. "He has suggested a two-tier system consisting of local councils, which are already in place, and an island-wide council which we are calling the Assembly, for lack of a better term. The local councils will concern themselves with local problems while the Assembly, composed of representatives from the various communities, would concern itself with those issues which may affect everyone on the island as well as having the authority to deal with the three mainland kingdoms. There is little or no dispute about that. What is now under consideration is the manner in which the Assembly will be constituted, specifically, whether the head of the Assembly should be chosen from within the Assembly itself or should he or she be an outsider with no ties to anyone within the Assembly."

"You mean, someone who is chosen separately to head the Assembly and then chooses those who will sit on his Council?" Eärendil asked, looking for clarification.

"That is one option, though not the most favored one," Ingwë answered. "It is believed that the people themselves should choose who in their community should sit in the Assembly to represent them, but whether the person who sits at the head of the Assembly is then chosen from among those representatives or is chosen separately, that is the main issue presently under discussion."

Eärendil nodded, pursing his lips. "Yes, I can see where this is going. If the person is taken from within the Assembly, then ultimately, he or she is hostage to the goodwill of the rest of the Assembly, for they could simply give a vote of no-confidence and choose another more to their liking."

"In which case, the Assembly can easily become deadlocked with personality battles and nothing constructive is ever accomplished," Morcocáno stated. "That is sometimes the case with the city councils which is why I think with the Assembly someone from outside should lead."

"Someone who does not even live on Tol Eressëa, you mean?" Eärendil asked. "Someone who has complete disinterest in your affairs?"

Morcocáno blinked, as if the thought had never occurred to him, and indeed it was obvious when he spoke that it hadn’t. "Someone not of Tol Eressëa? Why would we want that? Why would we want a stranger ruling over us who has no interest in our problems?"

"I think you are confusing ‘uninterest’ with ‘disinterest’," Finrod said to Morcocáno. "The former speaks of apathy towards something, but the latter speaks of impartiality towards something, and I believe that is what Lord Eärendil means. Someone who has no real ties to Tol Eressëa would be completely impartial."

"Yet, would that not cause its own problems?" Brethorn asked. "Impartiality without sympathy towards its subject could lead to tyranny. At least, if the person is chosen from the Tol Eressëans we will be assured that he or she will be sympathetic if not completely impartial."

"The ideal, of course, would be someone who is both," Manwë said, "but as we do not live in an ideal world, we will have to work with what we have."

Barancheneb raised his hand and Ingwë nodded to him. "My question is this: assuming that the head of the Assembly — and we really need to come up with an appropriate title for the office — is not chosen from within the Assembly itself, how do we go about choosing such a person? What criteria do we use?"

"That is certainly something that needs consideration," Ingwë averred. "Perhaps we need to take this one step at a time though. Lord Eärendil, you have heard the consensus of this Council as to the structure of the government to be implemented on Tol Eressëa. Do you have any comments before we go on to the subject of who will lead the Assembly?"

"I think what has been decided so far is acceptable," Eärendil replied. "I have spoken with those who have found their way to Aewellond from Tol Eressëa and certainly the various city councils have proven viable up to a point. The primary complaint I have heard from others is that sometimes personalities get in the way of actually governing and things do not get done as they should. This problem could be compounded on the Assembly level if there is not a strong enough leader whom everyone will acknowledge as such to guide them and see that personalities do not get in the way of right government. The people of Tol Eressëa deserve better."

"Thank you," Ingwë said with a bow of his head. "You brought up the possibility of having someone who is not from Tol Eressëa leading the Assembly and Master Barancheneb is correct that we do need a title for that role. Perhaps, for the purposes of this discussion, we can refer to this person as ‘Cáno’."

There were murmurs of consent among the delegates.

"Then, Lord Eärendil, if you will, tell us your thoughts."

"It seems to me that deciding who among the Tol Eressëans would be Cáno is fraught with the same problems as you have with deciding who should be king. I am sure there are many fine people with leadership capabilities, some of them right in this room, but I suspect you will have a fight on your hands as soon as anyone is put forth as a possible candidate for the office."

There were nods and murmurs among a number of the spectators. Galadhwen sniffed disdainfully, but did not interrupt Eärendil.

"Having someone from outside Tol Eressëa act as Cáno might present its own problems," Eärendil continued, "but perhaps fewer than the alternative. Also, I am thinking that perhaps in time one of the kings will come forth and claim suzerainty over the people of Tol Eressëa. If the Cáno is a Tol Eressëan, he might not wish to give up his position as readily as someone who is from the mainland." He shrugged. "At least, that is how I see it."

"You think then that the Assembly and the local councils are a temporary measure until a king comes forth to claim the crown?" Marthchall asked, looking somewhat dismayed. "If so, then I can foresee a time of war between those who desire this hypothetical king and those who wish to keep things as they are."

"Yet, is not a monarchy the proper form which a government should take?" the Jewelsmith Master, Gelloneth, enquired. "Why would anyone object?"

"Power," Finrod replied before anyone else could answer. "It is a sweet drug that few can resist without great effort. Once held, few are willing to give it up. No. I agree with Marthchall. There is a danger in thinking that the Assembly and local councils are a stopgap measure until the right king comes along to solve everyone’s problems for them. The Assembly has to be seen as a legitimate form of government and the Cáno must be seen as having the same status as the High Kings, with concomitant rights and obligations to treat with them and the Valar as any ruler should."

"Certainly I do not claim that monarchical rule is the only legitimate form of rule there is," Eärendil stated. "I am not a king, yet it is given to me to rule over those who live in Aewellond, for they look to me and my lady for guidance in all matters which affect the community as a whole. Keep in mind, though, that for the majority of the people of Tol Eressëa, kingship is what they desire and they may see this Assembly and its Cáno as a stopgap measure even if we here do not. That has to be considered as you are deliberating on this matter."

"Lord Eärendil is correct," Manwë said with a nod of approval to the Mariner. "If I may suggest that we all adjourn for the day and discuss among ourselves in an informal manner what has been said here. Lord Eärendil’s arrival has caused you to miss the noon meal. Go, and refresh yourselves and meet again in the morning with fresh minds and ideas."

Ingwë gave Manwë a bow from his seat. "An excellent suggestion, lord. If everyone is agreed, we will adjourn now and resume this discussion in the morning."

There were nods and murmurs of consent among the delegates.

"Then, it only remains to determine where Lord Eärendil and his people are to be housed," Ingwë said to Manwë.

"I see no reason why they cannot stay at the townhouse with us, Ingwë," Arafinwë said before Manwë could answer. "I know Glorfindel will not wish to be anywhere but where his otornor are." He flashed Glorfindel a smile and the ellon nodded. "And the Aewellond delegation cannot properly be called a Tol Eressëan delegation even if it isn’t strictly an Amanian one."

Ingwë nodded. "If no one objects and if Lord Eärendil is amenable, then you and your people are welcome to join us at the royal townhouse while you are with us."

"If it won’t be an imposition, your Majesty," Eärendil said, "then on behalf of myself and my people, I accept your kind offer, but what of my crew?"

"They will be welcome to stay at my mansion so they are close to your ship," Ulmo said. "Lord Morcocáno’s delegation is staying there, as are the members of the Maritime guilds so they will not be alone. I’m sure they will be quite happy trading sea stories with Captain Celebaear’s people." He smiled at the captain, who nodded.

"Then, it seems all is set," Ingwë said. "Let us adjourn." With that he rose, as did Olwë and Arafinwë. Everyone else followed suit and began to make their way out, talking softly in small groups.

Olwë and Finrod went directly to where Glorfindel and Falmaron were standing waiting for Eärendil who was speaking with Ingwë, Arafinwë and Manwë. Olwë gave his son a sad look.

"Can we speak to one another without shouting, do you think?" he said. "You know how upset your emmë gets when we’re shouting."

Falmaron eyed his atar for a moment and then nodded. "I would not want to upset emmë," he said.

"Why don’t we go and talk as a family away from everyone else," Olwë suggested. "You have not met your cousin, Beleg. He is your Aunt Olwen’s son and is a Reborn like yourself."

Falmaron’s expression could only be described as incredulous but he nodded and allowed Olwë to take his arm and lead him away, the king motioning for the other members of the family to join them.

Finrod, meanwhile, was speaking to Glorfindel. "Would you like to meet Vondo?" he asked. "The elflings, Vorondil and Laurendil are keeping him company. I know they will all like to see you again. The elflings are constantly asking me where Unca’ Glorfi is."

"I would like that," Glorfindel said in a subdued voice, "if Eärendil doesn’t mind."

Finrod gave him a surprised look and turned to Elwing with questions in his eyes, but she merely smiled. "I’m sure Eärendil would not mind at all, Glorfindel. You go with Prince Finrod and visit with your friends. We’ll see you at the townhouse later, shall we?" She directed the question to Finrod who nodded. "Then off you go," she said, making shooing motions at them both.

The two ellyn could not help grinning, and after giving her respectful bows, they made their way out of the chamber while Elwing and the rest of the delegation from Aewellond joined Eärendil and were introduced to Ingwë and Arafinwë who invited them to lunch with them, an invitation that was gratefully accepted.

Eventually, only the Valar remained behind.

"That went better than I had hoped," Oromë said. Several others nodded in agreement.

"Interesting about Eärendil and Glorfindel," Varda said, giving Manwë a meaningful look.

"Yes, it is, isn’t it?" the Elder King replied, giving nothing away. "There may be hope for our favorite elfling yet."

There were knowing smiles from the other Valar and then one-by-one they divested themselves of their fanar, thinking themselves elsewhere until the chamber was empty.

****

Cáno: (Quenya) Commander, but also ‘ruler, governor, chieftain’, usually as a title of a lesser chief, especially one acting as the deputy of one higher in rank.





<< Back

Next >>

Leave Review
Home     Search     Chapter List