For nutterzoi

***

"Adar."

Elrond turned to her and there was a tear in his eye. Arwen stepped back - her father never cried. But he held out his arms and smiled at her, so she stepped into them.

"I wish things were different," she said.

"We cannot change the past."

Arwen said nothing, wishing she could hold on to childish fantasies.

"I should not have let your mother go, but now I must, though I do not want to."

"Neither do I."

But they both knew he would do what was best for Celebrían, not Elrond. He always had and always would.