To Lose Hope, is To Give Up

A/N: As always many thanks to my beta Erulisse.

Chapter 13: epilogue

Early the next morning Elrond removed the cast from Arahel´s leg. He had received a message from King Valandil thanking him for rescuing his son and promising to visit over the next summer.

Later that morning they said farewell to the royal group. When the procession was out of sight Elrond turned and for the first time, he really looked at his house and the damage the fire had done. He rounded the house hesitantly yet eagerly to assess the state of repair. Absentmindedly he trailed his fingertips over the long gash on his forehead, knowing full well how narrowly he had escaped this chaos.

Walking inside, he headed toward the kitchen where the fire must have started. They would never find out exactly what had started it. He turned left and hesitated as he looked at the blackened door of his library. Fearing the worst he slowly pushed the creaking door open and looked into a room no longer recognizable.

The many tables and chairs usually lining the wall were no more. The book shelves had crumbled under their heavy load as the fire had licked at them. The walls were blackened and the draperies smoke-soaked beyond any hope of repair. Everything was ready to be torn down.

When he felt a hand on his shoulder he jumped, so absorbed had he been in his thoughts. Looking at Glorfindel, he frowned when the blond elf smiled at him. He was more in the mood for crying not laughing. Sensing Elrond’s inner turmoil Glorfindel grabbed the Elf-Lord’s arm. “Come,” he said softly, “I will show you something.”

Puzzled Elrond followed his seneschal down the corridor until they reached a door. With a bow Glorfindel smiled and opened the door. “After you!” he said. Raising an eyebrow Elrond moved past Glorfindel into the old storeroom beyond and gasped at the sight that greeted him.

Blinking rapidly he could hardly believe it. He saw long rows of books and scrolls, maps and tomes neatly piled up along the wall. Many elves were simply sitting on the floor cleaning what was still of worth from the ash and dirt the fire had left. “Most of the books could be rescued, albeit a few were destroyed or beyond repair,” Glorfindel whispered in the Elf-Lord’s ear.

Unable to say anything and not trusting his voice right now, Elrond walked along the rows and let his fingertips wander over the books. He was neither aware of the smiles that followed him nor the grateful nod Glorfindel sent toward the many helpers. After a while Elrond swallowed twice and looked around. “Thank you all. This means so much to me,” was all he could manage at the moment, and it was needless anyway, for the elves saw the joy in their Lord´s face. Literally fleeing from the storeroom to save the last of his dignity, Elrond was gone, leaving bemused smiling elves and a satisfied Glorfindel.

Standing at an open window Elrond wiped the tears from his eyes never aware of the two elflings watching him in awe. After a tug on his robe, he knelt and scooped his sons into his arms. “Why are you crying, Ada?” Elladan asked anxiously.

Elrond smiled. “I am crying because I’m happy. These are tears of joy not of sorrow.” Satisfied with the answer the twins snuggled close. Yes, all was well again.

The end