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Elf Academy 3: The Enemy Within  by Fiondil

15: What Happens in Edhellond Stays in Edhellond

Finrod returned home after his shift at the bookstore to find Edhellond in something of an uproar. Walking into the library from where the noise seemed to emanate, he found a number of Elves shouting and in their midst were Alex and Derek. And while it could not be said that either was being threatened by any of the Elves, Finrod found it suspicious that the two Mortals were surrounded by Amroth, Vorondur and Valandur facing outward, and their expressions were ones of frustration as they were obviously attempting to calm the others. Most of those he recognized as having followed him from Valinor though there were a few of the Wiseman Elves in the mix. All of them were shouting in either Sindarin or Quenya, with a smattering of English thrown in for good measure. Missing from the brew were the youngsters (thank the Valar!) and Glorfindel, nor did he see Daeron, or the Twins, but he knew the sons of Elrond were at St. Luke’s and would not finish their shifts until later.

“SILENCE!” Finrod shouted in English and the noise level dropped considerably. Before he could follow up with something scathing, he heard the front door open and then Glorfindel and Daeron were there, both of them looking bemused.

“What’s going on?” Glorfindel asked. “We could hear the shouting as we were driving up.”

“I was just about to find out,” Finrod answered. “If I did not know better, I would say that Vorondur, Valandur and Amroth were attempting to protect Alex and Derek from the wrath of everyone else, but I am sure my eyes were deceiving me.” He glanced at those in the room and was not surprised to see a few embarrassed looks. “Yes, well, why do we not see if we can get to the bottom of this, shall we?”

And it was amazing to see all the Elves straightening as Finrod adopted what Laurendil always referred to as his ‘king-of-Nargothrond-face’. Even Glorfindel took a step back and gave him a half-bow, as if he were in the presence of one of the High Kings… or Finrod’s cousin, Turgon.

Daeron, either less impressed or simply a better actor, gave them a brief smile and said, “I’ll just put the coffee on, shall I?”

Finrod flashed him a grateful look. “Coffee sounds good, thank you.”

“Won’t be long,” the loremaster said. “Anna, give me a hand?” He gestured to Melyanna, who hesitated for a second, looking first at Finrod, who nodded, and then joined Daeron. Finrod smiled as the couple went down the hall hand-in-hand, knowing that Daeron would get the story out of the elleth while they were fixing the coffee. In the meantime….

“Right, then,” he said briskly. “I am going to go freshen up. When I get back, I want to see everyone sitting quietly.” He turned to Glorfindel, making sure none in the library could see him wink. “Brother, I leave it to you to see that order is maintained.”

Glorfindel’s expression never altered. “Of course, Finrod. It need not be said.”

Finrod nodded and headed for the downstairs lavatory. When he returned to the library several minutes later, purposely lingering to give people a chance to cool down, he found everyone seated and Daeron and Melyanna were coming down the hall carrying trays.

“Heated up some scones left over from breakfast,” the loremaster said, “in case anyone wanted something to go with their coffee or tea.”

“Thank you,” Finrod said graciously and was not at all surprised when Daeron poured a cup of coffee and handed it to him with a short bow.

“Please help yourselves,” Finrod addressed the group in English as he found a seat and a few ventured to grab a mug of something for themselves. Neither Alex nor Derek moved from where they were seated with Amroth, Vorondur and Valandur sitting next to them, though Vorondur got up and poured himself some tea and snagged a scone. Glorfindel remained standing, leaning against one of the bookcases in a nonchalant pose, his ankles and arms crossed. He was positioned so he could see just about everyone and everyone could see him.

When all were finally settled, Finrod spoke. “Now then, what was the shouting all about? Valandur?”

Ingwë’s chief loremaster and spymaster raised an eyebrow but answered readily enough. “Our fellows were somewhat upset when we told them about the possible rumors.”

“Rumors? What rumors?” Glorfindel asked, forgetting that it was not his place to be asking questions when Finrod was the one holding court.

Before Valandur could answer, Finrod spoke. “The rumors that the Mortals are probably even now spreading based on the conversation between Erestor and Lindorillë that was overheard by some when they were at the Safeway.”

Glorfindel was not the only one to goggle at Finrod calmly sitting there sipping his coffee. “You know? Wait! What conversation?” he demanded, now looking to where Erestor was sitting with an arm around Lindorillë’s shoulders, both of them looking embarrassed. It was Lindorillë who answered.

“We did not think anyone would—”

“Understand Sindarin?” Finrod supplied, giving them a cold look. The elleth visibly cringed and Erestor gave her a comforting squeeze, kissing her on the temple.

“So what are these rumors? What were you two talking about?” Glorfindel asked, stepping forward to stand beside Finrod. “And what do Alex and Derek have to do with it?”

Before anyone could answer that, Finrod held up a hand, and looked at the two Mortals, both of whom sat with blank expressions on their faces, as if they knew that none of this was their affair and they were just there by sufferance.

“I am sorry,” Finrod said to them. “I fear I was unduly abrupt with you both when you were only attempting to show concern. Please forgive me.”

“Hey, not a problem,” Derek answered with a wave of a hand. “We were probably out of line.”

“Alex?” Finrod said.

Alex shrugged. “It’s cool.”

But Finrod could sense the anger within the Man and resisted a sigh. He glanced at Vorondur who gave him a brief nod, as if to assure Finrod that he recognized the anger and would deal with it. Finrod left it at that and turned his attention to everyone else. “To answer your question, Brother, it appears that Erestor and Lindorillë were discussing my… episode and your reaction to it. I do not know the particulars of their conversation, only that Alex and Derek came to the bookstore, having overheard something of it, and tried to warn me about it.”

“And you two were speaking Sindarin at the time?” Glorfindel asked, looking at Erestor and his wife, both of whom nodded. “And you just conveniently forgot what I told you about not assuming that the Mortals around you would not understand either Sindarin or Quenya because quite a few have been taking lessons in both languages over the last couple of years?”

Neither Erestor nor Lindorillë answered.

“So you were deliberately talking in public about something that was private between us?” Finrod asked, gesturing between himself and Glorfindel.

Again, neither gave an answer, which was an answer in itself. Finrod found himself counting silently backwards from twelve before he felt sufficiently calm enough to speak. “I see,” was all he said but the disappointment in his tone was enough and Lindorillë looked away in shame. Erestor scowled.

“It was not deliberate, Finrod, and no, we did not forget, Glorfindel, but we were honestly concerned about what was happening between you two and the rest of us. We were merely speaking about it between us. I did not think the Mortals would be so crass as to actually eavesdrop on our conversation.” He shot a dark look at Alex and Derek.

Alex leapt up, throwing off both Derek’s and Amroth’s attempts to stop him as he glared at Erestor. “You were standing there by the meat counter, not speaking all that softly. There were two women pretending to be checking the chicken selections further down. A stock clerk was idly rearranging a display of this week’s special on hot cocoa that didn’t need rearranging. An elderly couple were lingering two feet away, staring at cereal boxes with the man putting a box in the cart and the woman taking the same box and returning it to the shelves, plus there was the butcher setting out steaks and taking his sweet time doing it and….”

“And you saw all that?” Derek asked in surprise, looking a bit chagrined. “I only noticed the stock clerk.”

“I am surprised a Mortal could notice all that in how short a time?” Gilvagor commented. He now went by the name Gavin. Several other Elves nodded, obviously of the same opinion.

Alex shrugged. “Oh, in about the time Derek and I turned the corner and saw these two yapping. Maybe ten seconds, fifteen tops.”

“Fifteen seconds? You saw all that in fifteen seconds?” Now there was absolute disbelief on the faces of most of the Elves.

“If he hadn’t, I didn’t teach him properly,” Amroth retorted. “It’s called situational awareness, in case you want to know.”

Alex flashed Amroth a tight smile before addressing Erestor. “You had a whole store full of people listening in on your conversation. Derek and I could hear what you were saying an aisle away, though, admittedly, neither one of us understood more than one word out of three, but we understood enough that as soon as we checked out we went straight to Finrod to warn him.”

 “And I do appreciate you coming to warn me, Alex, Derek,” Finrod said. “What I do not understand is how you happen to be here and why were Amroth, Vorondur and Valandur protecting you?”

“As if I need protection from you sorry excuses for Elves.” Alex sneered and even Finrod raised an eyebrow at the Mortal’s words.

“That’s enough, Meriwether,” Amroth said coldly and Alex actually reddened at the reprimand. “Now sit down and keep quiet.” Amazingly enough (or perhaps not), the Mortal complied. Derek patted him on the shoulder. Amroth turned to Finrod. “To answer your question, Alex called Ron and told him about what he and Derek had overheard. I was there at the time and decided that the Wiseman Intelligence Agency should begin earning its keep. Ron went and rustled Val in and then the five of us discussed our options for containing whatever rumors might be circulating, because I assure you, they are.”

“What exactly are the rumors, though?” Glorfindel asked. “Has anyone heard them?”

“That’s when Fionwë and Olórin showed up,” Valandur said. “Olórin said he would wander about, find out what the rumors were and see if he could diffuse any negatives. I’m not sure what Fionwë was planning to do, as he failed to inform us.” He cast them a sardonic look.

“They do that sometimes,” Glorfindel said with a mirthless grin.

“And then you obviously came here,” Finrod said, “and that is when I came in. But why the shouting?”

“As to that, I’m afraid when we attempted to speak with Erestor about it, people got a little upset,” Vorondur replied, “and someone accused Alex and Derek of spreading the rumors themselves. After that, it simply got ugly.”

Finrod nodded, then looked at Daisy sitting in a corner. “Alex said you were there as well.”

“Yes. I told Eric and Linda to speak more softly or, better yet, change the subject, but they ignored me. After all, I’m just a Wiseman Elf,” she gave them a sneer, and Finrod realized that she was using the term pejoratively. “What the hell do I know about anything?”

“And there we have it.”

Everyone turned toward the doorway where someone was standing and, even though he was in his Finn disguise, there was no doubt as to who it was. They all started to rise.

“My lord?” Finrod enquired.

“Peace, Children,” the Maia said, gesturing them back down as he entered the room. “My fellows and I have been keeping a close watch on you all, to see how well you are adapting to your new environment and how well you Elves and Mortals of Wiseman are adjusting to the situation. We have noticed a decided lack of respect between you and are concerned.”

“Don’t you think we know this?” Glorfindel demanded. “Do you think us that blind or stupid and don’t you think we’re all old enough to figure these things out for ourselves and deal with them, as we’re dealing with it right now without you lot barging in and throwing your weight around?”

If Fionwë was upset by Glorfindel’s words, he did not show it. It was Vorondur who spoke next. “Take a deep breath, Loren, and let it out slowly. Come on, don’t stand there glaring at me, do it. That’s it. Again… and once more. We really need to deal with your anger and soon. You are too dangerous to others otherwise, Mortals especially.”

“I would never deliberately harm anyone, however richly they deserved it,” Glorfindel countered, giving him a sniff of disdain.

“Tell that to Kyle Stoner and see if he doesn’t laugh in your face,” Vorondur countered and Glorfindel had the grace to blush.

“Getting back to the discussion at hand,” Finrod said, giving Glorfindel a sympathetic smile before turning to Fionwë, “do you know if there are any rumors out there and what they are saying? Has anyone actually heard such rumors or is this all hypothetical?”

“Oh, no, not hypothetical at all,” Fionwë said. “Even now I believe Olórin is sitting in the Blue Petrel listening to a couple of men having a three-martini lunch and discussing… hmmm….” He closed his eyes and then he was speaking again but they could all tell that he was quoting someone or two someones, for he pitched his voice, alternating intonations as he spoke. “Can you believe these crazy Elves freaking out over a stupid romance novel? Must be they don’t get enough sex or something… I heard he got upset over one of those vampire novels that are so popular, you know, that kitschy teenage stuff my daughter gets hot over, imagining she’s Bella and wishing her latest beau was as mysterious and debonair as Edward…. Imagine getting all hot and bothered over something like that… Like I said, they probably don’t get enough sex… But there are all those female Elves living at Edhellond. You can’t tell me there’s no hanky-panky going on there. It ain’t natural.”

The Maia opened his eyes, giving them all a sardonic smile.

“Oh for the love of….” Glorfindel groaned, shaking his head. “That’s great, just great. And if that’s a typical conversation we’re all in the hole.”

“It may not be as bad as that,” Vorondur said. “If what Lord Fionwë—”

“Just call me Finn,” the Maia interjected with a grin, “I’m in disguise.”

Vorondur rolled his eyes. “If what Finn reported is an accurate description of that conversation, then the two Men weren’t saying anything that wasn’t true.”

“But you’re not having orgies every night, are you?” Derek asked, his expression deadpan. “Of course, who knows what you really do in those woods behind the house… at night… without any of us Mortals about.”

The Elves just glared at him but Alex actually snickered. “You have such a dirty mind. But we all know about sailors, don’t we?”

“Hey, mate,” Derek said with a disdainful sniff, “That’s Greek sailors. The American version of the species is upright, clean, noble and better looking.”

Alex laughed. “Yeah, right.”

“Getting back to the matter at hand,” Finrod said, deciding he needed to reclaim control over the conversation or they would get nowhere, “and ignoring the puerile imaginations of certain Mortals, why do you think that that conversation is not detrimental to our image?” He looked at Vorondur.

“I didn’t say that. I said that what they were saying was true, at least the part about the book, not about the sex, and we won’t go there, will we?” He gave both Alex and Derek a meaningful look but the two Mortals just leered back at him. Amroth leaned over and whispered something in Alex’s ear and everyone saw him reddening. He muttered an apology, not looking at anyone. Derek wisely settled down, adopting a neutral expression. Amroth gave Vorondur a nod and the psychiatrist resumed talking.

“Where was I? Oh, yes. Their speculation about what goes on behind these walls is fairly typical of Mortal males and symptomatic of the present culture where sex is readily available and people are generally open and above-board about it.” He shrugged. “I’ve overheard similar comments and am keeping tabs on it. If I feel it’s an issue that needs to be addressed, I will come to you. In the meantime, I’m more concerned about wilder rumors. Those two Men in the bar have an accurate account of what happened to you, Finrod, but there may be other rumors that are wildly out of proportion to the truth and those are the rumors that we need to address.”

“Assuming that we can,” Glorfindel said. “You know that people tend to believe whatever fits their preconceived notions of reality rather than the unvarnished truth, which often appears less interesting, exciting or titillating than whatever their imaginations have conjured up.”

“True, but if we present them with an unconcerned front, if we respond to the rumors with shrugs and tell them the plain truth, that Finrod, having actually fought against vampires and died at the hands of a werewolf, when he learned about these paranormal romances that are so popular now, became upset over the thought that anyone in their right mind would want to have sex with such creatures, who in reality are anything but romantic. And I know he’s not the only one here to have fought in the wars of the First Age and can attest to that.”

“That’s certainly true,” Gilvagor said with a nod. “So do we go out and start spreading rumors of our own to counter whatever rumors these Mortals are bandying about?”

“Not by my counsel,” Fionwë said. “Certainly address them if you are asked about them, though I suspect few of the Mortals will be brave enough to do so, but more important, cease to speak about what happened where any Mortal might hear you. Erestor and Lindorillë are not the only ones guilty of that. It’s natural for you to speak about things which are of concern to you, but limit yourselves to speaking of them only within these walls. To paraphrase a popular phrase, ‘What happens in Edhellond stays in Edhellond’.”

There were nods all around. For a moment, no one spoke. Then Finrod looked at Alex and Derek. “Are you two fine with this?”

Alex looked surprised. “Of course. Why shouldn’t we be? It’s your call. We’ll keep our ears open and if we hear anything detrimental to you we’ll set the record straight but we won’t go out and deliberately look for rumormongers. Besides, my spying days are over with and I have to get ready for the next term.”

“And don’t forget the trial coming up,” Derek added. “You think we’ll be involved in it for too long?”

“God I hope not,” Alex said fervently. “I’ll give them my testimony and that’s it. I’m not interested in sticking around to find out what the verdict is. Anyway, the trial’s at least a month away, longer if either the defense or the prosecution asks for a delay and the judge grants it. Take it as it comes.”

“A wise philosophy,” Fionwë said, “and the same can be said for you all. My fellow Maiar and I think you are trying too hard and too fast to integrate yourselves into this society.”

“But most of us do not even have proper employment,” Gilvagor protested. “I’m beginning to wonder why the Valar even allowed us to come if they knew that we would just be idling away our time here. I could have remained in Aman and trained with the other warriors. There is no training here, at least not yet.”

“Wiseman is not so large that it can easily absorb all of us,” Glorfindel pointed out, looking at Fionwë. “While I and the other Wiseman Elves appreciate the company, this many Elves all at once is putting a strain on more than our relationships. So far, the only ones who have found a purpose are the healers, and even they are in a precarious position because they are practicing medicine illegally, at least as far as the State of Alaska is concerned. Geoffrey Harris is walking a thin line on this and he could easily lose his own license. It only takes one phone call or email from some Elf-hater to ruin his and Kyle Stoner’s careers.”

“Oh, we are well aware of this,” Fionwë said, giving them a feral grin. “I’ve assigned one of the Maiar to the task of intercepting all such attempts, and so far there have been no fewer than three phone calls and five emails sent to the State Medical Board. Oddly enough, the emails never arrived and the phone calls were, oh, shall we say, intercepted and the callers never knew they were speaking to a Maia. It’s all rather amusing.”

“And you were going to tell us this when?” Finrod shot the Maia an amused look.

“I think I just did,” Fionwë shot back with an innocent look. “And no, I do not think you need to worry Geoffrey about this. He and Kyle Stoner are diligently working to get all the healers state certified and we are helping in that. None of the phone calls or emails came from anyone working in the hospital. Everyone there, from the administrators to the janitors, is behind the project and the patients are seeing positive results in their recovery. As for the rest of you, be patient. Opportunities will arise, I promise you. Remember this: time is on your side. Mortals die every day and job vacancies open up. It may not be what you would want to do, but it will give you legitimacy and purpose.”

He looked directly at Finrod. “Working in a bookstore may not seem like much, and it certainly is not heroic, but then you know that nothing done in love is ever menial and I think you truly love what you are doing.”

Finrod nodded. “I do. Of course, it helps to be working next door to a bakery.” He gave them a sly grin and there were chuckles all around.

Fionwë simply nodded and then turned his attention to the two Mortals. “Alex, Derek, be vigilant. All is not as it seems and there are many forces, most of which are unseen, at work here. You did well to alert Finrod and the others of what was happening, but remember, the Eldar have been at it a lot longer than you. Trust them. They are arrogant to a fault, but they are not your enemies.”

“Never said they were,” Alex rejoined in a tight voice. “But they have to remember that we Mortals weren’t born yesterday, either, and we’re no less competent than they. We don’t appreciate being dismissed out of hand.” He gave Fionwë a mirthless grin. “Maybe Eönwë should come have a little chat with this lot like he did with the Wiseman Elves.”

“Or that Námo dude,” Derek put in. “I bet he’s really good at setting people on the straight and narrow.”

“Oh, you have no idea, Derek Lowell,” Fionwë said with a rueful chuckle. “Your point, however, is well taken. Unless you all want to have a little chat with the Lord of Mandos, either singly or collectively, I suggest you get with the program, as the Mortals like to say. And now, I will leave you.”

Before anyone could respond, the Maia was no longer there, leaving behind the scent of apples and mint. For a long moment no one moved or spoke. Finally, Glorfindel stirred, looking at Alex and Derek, giving them a smile.

“As long as you’re here, why don’t you stay for dinner? It’s pot roast tonight.”

The two Men looked at each other and shrugged almost as one, then turned to Glorfindel and nodded. “Sure, thanks,” Alex said.

“Good,” Glorfindel said. “Well, I’d better get started on dinner. We’ll eat around seven.” He headed for the door.

“We’ll give you a hand,” Daeron said, nodding to Melyanna, and the two followed Glorfindel out. That seemed to be the signal for everyone else to stir from their seats.

“Where are the youngsters?” Finrod asked no one in particular as he stood up. “I thought they would be here.”

“Laurendil and Manwen wanted to spend some time with Cal so Conan and Alfa agreed to chauffeur them,” Daisy replied. “Finda went with them as did Alan and Nell. I think they’ve gone to play in the ice maze or something.”

Finrod nodded and then waited as Erestor and Lindorillë came to tender their apologies to him. Some of the others milled about, softly talking, while the rest left to pursue their own pleasures. Alex and Derek just stood there, not sure what they should do next. They were saved the trouble of deciding when Vorondur suggested they go up to the sunroom.

“It’ll be quieter and we can talk,” he told them.

“About what?” Alex asked, giving him a suspicious look.

“Why don’t we play it by ear?” Vorondur rejoined with a smile, taking them by their elbows and steering them out the door. “I’m sure we’ll find something to talk about.”

Alex and Derek exchanged grimaces but did not contradict the Elf as the three made their way up the stairs.





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