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Fidelity

By Lily Frost

Chapter I: Broken Peace

              "So there is nothing else you can tell us?" Elrond asked gently, facing the three guards across the table, "Nothing else you saw?"

              They shook their heads and diverted their gazes, uncomfortable under such close scrutiny, but obviously not withholding any information. The murder was strange, and not the first though he had tried to keep that fact under cover until they knew more. Behind Elrond on either side stood his sons, and seated also across from the guards was the female captain, Bregelwen, his advisor, Erestor, and Elebrin, an elf who had witnessed the first of these deaths and the only to have also had a clear look at the murderer. There had been three of them, all humans, and the first had been a close ranger friend who had been staying with Elebrin in Rivendell. He was intent on finding his friends murderer, and would not be removed from the room. One problem about their leads, and indeed the most confusing part of all of this, was that none of the descriptions matched, though all had been killed in the same manner, a slit at the side of the neck after a strike to the head. They had all been allowed to bleed to death -- the slow drain of their life had made quite a mess to clean up, and made the cover up of this latest case, which had taken place in a rather public place, difficult.

              Erestor sighed deeply and rubbed at his temples; it was his opinion that the people of Rivendell should know about this so that they may be able to protect themselves, but to this all the others were opposed -- not just yet, said Elrond, and maybe when we know more, said Elrohir.

              "You are dismissed," Elrond told the guards and their captain, "and please, remember what you have been told of keeping this secret!"

              They all stood and nodded, making a respectful gesture before leaving.

              "What are we going to do, adar?" Elladan cried, "Murders in Rivendell!"

              "I settled this valley as a place of peace, a refuge from the woes of the rest of the world, and I am deeply grieved to see it broken as such, to see these things leaking in." Elrond said, "Yet what is it that we may be able to do besides wait for other clues to present themselves?"

              "Wait for another murder you mean." Elladan said distastefully.

              "Not necessarily." Elrond amended, speaking slowly for his head spun a little, "We wait for anything that might be related to this, keep our eyes and ears open to all, in case they let something slip that would be related to what has transpired. Our murderer obviously does not like humans, and probably is opposed to allowing them to stay in Rivendell. Many elves here also are, including yourself Elladan, I heard you say once."

              "Opposed to some of the ones that had come with the rangers, ones little better than bandits if I recall."

              "We have all heard this before..." Elrohir groaned.

              "I have not." Said Elebrin, sounding interested.

              Elrohir grinned, glad to have an audience, "A few years ago Elladan was convinced that two swarthy men who had come with the rangers were stealing from the armoury and coming too close to his lady at the time. He got into a little tussle with them, but they left before he could prove anything."

              "They were evil men, ada." He turned to Elrond, "I know that you close your doors to none who come empty handed with no ill intent, but these were not the sort that you would want here. They behaved nicely enough, but they spoke ill of you behind your back."

              Elrond shook his head, the age-old argument coming back to life and back to haunt him, as most of them did. He did not think there was any situation which could not provoke some argument between his sons, so he allowed them to continue arguing, getting involved as little as possible.

              “Ada, please, make Elrohir see rightly… we cannot allow people like that in!”

              “I am not going to get involved in this, Elladan. Maybe you were justified, maybe you were not, but we cannot just cast off men because they look a little rough.”

              “You are too afraid to make the murders public.” Elladan said sharply. “You are afraid that the people will think you have let someone evil in.”

              “I fear that they will think that, yes, and that innocents may be accused.”

             “Always, ada, you do not act early enough, you think to much. Another murder will happen, and it will be the direct result of your timidity!”

             “You are too brash!” Elrond stood up, shouting at Elladan. “How dare you accuse me of such!”

             “But you are!” Elladan insisted, standing up.

             “I will not accept such words in my own home. Elladan, I am lord here, and your father, and you will not speak as such to me.”

             “Enough!” Elrohir stood up, coming between Elladan and their father. “Enough of this. We are all troubled, and it is nearly dawn. We were caught unawares of this, and it has shattered our security. But rather than argue, we must stand together and be vigilant.”

             “The last thing we need is to panic or cause panic.” Bregelwen agreed, inclining her head. “So tell none, understood?” She asked the guards, who all nodded.

             Elladan left, lead out by Elrohir, and Elrond turned to the guards too, “Also, this… ah… disagreement should be kept to this room, if you please.”

             “Yes M’lord.” They all replied.

             “Thank you.”

             They dispersed, the guards and Bregelwen, and then Elebrin, leaving Elrond with Erestor sitting next to him still.

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             Elrohir tumbled onto his bed with a yawn, talking off-handedly to Elladan, “You know, I was having a very nice dream before we were woken up for this.”

             “Oh?”

             “Mhmm.”

             “Did it involve a lady?”

             “Indeed.”

             “Whom?”

             “I think that I am not going to tell you...”

             A pillow hit Elrohir squarely in the face just before he drifted into elven dreams again, intent on a nap before having to face the rest of the day. Maybe an idea as to the culprit of the murder would come to him while he rested.

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             The swirl of voices returned in the night, in memory, when it was the darkest.

             …Sirion,

             First age…

              Metal clashed and there were shouts, yells, coming from all directions. I cowered beneath the table, hiding.

              “The havens of Sirion are under attack – hide your children and those who cannot fight, and all else arm yourselves and join us outside! Gondolindrim, stand proud!”

              “Is it Morgoth?”

              “They are elves! Elves are attacking us!”

              “It is the sons of Feanor!”

              “They know the Silmaril is here!”

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              Elrond sighed and shook his head, absolutely unable to shake away the feeling of dizziness that had overcome him. He had managed to get Erestor to give him a few minutes worth of peace, but there was a headache tingling at his temples, not permitting him to think clearly. And he needed to be able to think clearly now of all times. A wave of nausea passed over Elrond and he had the sudden, nagging, thought that perhaps this was not a normal headache, before he fell into darkness.

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To be continued…

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