September 30th, 2986 T. A.

---

The rays of sun do not reach the valleys today, as if Arien would hear me back then, and took offense in my words… The last sunny days are over – the autumn came to the mountains: the sky is grey above them, a mass of leaden clouds from below, and from above, too… The wind howls between the sharp stones like playing some giant whistles. They are as unpredictable as the sea, the Hithaeglir. The weather can change from one hour to another.

I curse the clouds, although I wished for them a few days ago… I curse them, the heavy curtain, for they don’t allow me to see you! I hope for a small gap, just a little glimpse… I need to know that you are alright… Are you, Aragorn? I beg you, I beg the Valar: Please, be alright… O Manwë Súlimo, send your eagles for help! O Elbereth, may the light of your stars guide him to safety! Ulmo, great master of waters, may the rain whisper the words of comfort to him, the words that do not reach him from my mouth… Yavanna Kementári, merciful Earthmother, let all the things that grow in the valley shield him from the elements! Aulë, lord of stones, soothe the wraith of the mountains! O strong Tulkas, give him your strength and endurance to survive this ordeal… I beg you, brothers Fëanturi, you Irmo Lórien, to send him pleasant dreams in his suffering, dreams of light and beauty, and you Mandos… you I beg: do not call him to your halls yet! Vairë, do not end the thread of his life yet! Let him live… Let him live, please… O powerful Valar, I, Eärendil the Mariner, the bearer of the eternal light of Silmaril, beg you! Do you hear my voice?

Silence. Only silence answers me, and the howling of the wind… Maybe you hear, but you do not care… Once I called you, and you heard my calling, and you came! Now, those times are over… You do not meddle in the affairs of mortals anymore…. Now there is a new evil rising, and the only thing that you did was to send the Istari. In the disguise of old men, forbidding them to use their full powers… You do not intervene, but let the people of Middle-earth settle their own affairs, while you dwell in your peaceful realm, and enjoy its comfort and safety. The fate of one mortal is uninteresting to you… Where are your eagles, Manwë? For a whole age they didn’t fly above Middle-earth… Where are the Istari? Two have left to the east, and disappeared from all tales, even from my sight. One reinforces himself in a tower on the south, and one cares more for animals then for people… The last Istar I do not see. He is the last hope of my prayer, he would be the last sign that the Valar care… But he is not here. The miracles are spent. You are alone, my son. The Valar will not help you… Alone…

I curse you, Valar! I curse you! Where are the times when you walked the whole Arda, and cared for all things that came to life through your song? Where are the times when you acted; not only watched?! Watched… like me… Did you bring this fate upon me to match your own? This curse of helplessness… What have I done to deserve it? I have seen you and your realm. Is this a crime? Once you walked the paths of Middle-earth, and showed your face freely. Why do you hide now? Why is it that the one that has seen your realm can never return? What is there to hide? I curse you for this hiding, and for the fate that you condemned me to! I curse you for my son, lying alone in the mountains! I curse you for his pain! I curse you! I… I curse you…

***

You are alone… I cannot help you. They will not. If only the clouds would part for a while, and give me a short glimpse at you. I want to see you – I want to be with you, if only in thoughts and through the bond of sight. If you have to die here, you will not be alone. I will not allow it, even if all Valar would be against me. I am with you… So why do you shield my sight, heavy clouds? I must see him, don’t you understand? I must show him the light for the last time… How much time do you have? It could be days… it could be hours. But the clouds are as deaf to my pleas as Valar. They do not part, and still their leaden mass veils my sight. I will not see you today…

However, the heavens above Rivendell are clear. It is clear most of the year; such is the power of the hidden valley. Are you there, Elrond? Many times I have watched your house, and the merry twinkle of fires through the high windows, shining afar like a beacon of warmth into the cold night. I watch the warm light, and I must think of the one that lies in the cold darkness. Where are you, Elrond? Where are you when the heir of your brother needs you? You are there, in your safe haven. Like the Valar…

The lamps and fires of Imladris are lit, but their light is not steady. A dark silhouette paces back and forth before the window. Others run through the hallways. There is a commotion in the Last Homely House this night, it seems. Can it be because of…? Should I dare to hope? Maybe he was expected… and when he didn’t arrive in time… If it would be so, there is still hope… If it just would be so… Two horses are led out of the stables. Two riders mount hastily, and ride into the night. I know the riders, their raven hair and proud features… My grandsons… And I know the dark silhouette that stands in the window and watches after them. Elrond, my son… did you send Elladan and Elrohir to find him? Do you worry for him? May the horses of your sons be swift! May they find the one that is alone out there. I watch the two riders disappear from my sight under the veil of clouds, but in my heart, a new hope has woken. You are not alone, Aragorn. Hold on…