45: Return to Wiseman

Alex and Derek were the only ones yawning as they all met at the Chena Lodge the next morning. The two Mortals were throwing their bags into the back of the van as Elladan drove up. A minute later they were on the road, heading toward Route 2. They pulled into a diner in Livengood for breakfast, and an hour later were back on the road. When Elladan started to get into the car to drive, Vorondur came over.

“I’ll drive,” he said, holding out his hands for the keys.

“Why?” Elladan demanded, narrowing his eyes. “Do you think we plan to veer off into the wilderness, never to be seen again? For one thing, this car isn’t built for it, and for another, we know better.”

“I’m driving, child,” Vorondur reiterated, putting the younger ellon firmly in his place. “No arguments.”

“Don’t be like this, Ada,” Serindë said with a huff of displeasure where she and Elrohir were already buckled up in the back seat. “Honestly, you’d think we were all ten or something.”

“You’ve been acting as if you were ten, Daughter, all three of you.”

“But we were obviously meant to come here,” Elrohir pointed out reasonably. “Something would’ve driven us to leave, if not what happened to Loren, then something else, so you can’t blame us.”

“But I do,” Vorondur said. “All actions have consequences, good or bad, and you left in a way that was unbecoming of any of you, no matter how angry you were.”

“Ron! Are you going to stand there all day and argue?” Glorfindel called out from the van. “We’re ready to roll. Dan, get in the car. Ron’s driving and that’s the end of it.”

Elladan sighed with great exaggeration then practically threw the keys at Vorondur with a snarl. “I so cannot wait to leave these mother hens,” he muttered as he went around to the passenger side and got in. “I may not bother to come back to Wiseman if I have to put up with this kind of nonsense.”

“That’s your choice, of course,” Vorondur said reasonably as he turned over the engine and put the car into gear, following the van, now driven by Alex with Derek riding up front with him, back onto the road. “In the meantime, let’s talk about your precipitous actions that drove us to this point, forcing Loren to leave his sick bed early and thus endangering his health even more, not to mention having to drive on this wretched road in the middle of winter which no sane person would do unless forced to do so.”

All three younger Elves sighed as one. Vorondur only smiled.

Inside the van, things were not much better. Glorfindel was feeling moody and in pain. Laurendil asked him if he wanted something for it, but Glorfindel refused, saying he hated taking medication, as it made him feel woozy.

“Which is the whole point,” Laurendil said. “You are not driving and sitting here staring out the window is boring. You might as well sleep and not be in any pain.”

But Glorfindel still refused, insisting the pain was minimal. “I’ve been in worse pain and survived. If it gets really bad, I’ll tell you. In the meantime, I want to know what happened while I was in the hospital.”

“What do you mean?” Finrod asked.

“I mean, I want to know what happened. You’ve all been dancing around the issue and I’ve been willing to let it go, but I’m not going back to Wiseman without a clue. Now, tell me. I think I have the right to know how things stand.”

For a long moment, the other Elves sat there eyeing one another while Glorfindel glowered at them. Alex and Derek exchanged looks and shrugged as one, deciding it wasn’t their problem, concentrating on the road with Derek softly reminding Alex about the steep curve that was coming up so he could brake early. Finally, Daeron nodded.

“Things are quite a mess back home,” he said softly, speaking in Sindarin, thus effectively keeping the two Mortals out of the discussion. “In a way, I’m glad you got hurt because it forced people to come out and declare themselves. Now that we know where everyone stands, we can deal with it. It was all this hiding behind facades of friendship and loyalty and whatnot that was driving me crazy trying to figure out who was in which camp.”

“There shouldn’t be camps,” Glorfindel said with a snarl, replying in the same language. “That was the whole point of Finrod and me deciding on our respective leadership roles. I thought that had been resolved.”

“Apparently not,” Finrod said. “When you became injured, we pretty much split into factions: Wiseman Elves versus Valinórean Elves. Vorondur even attacked Eärnur.”

“What?!”

So Finrod had to describe the meeting between him, Vardamir, Eärnur, Vorondur and Kyle Stoner at the bookstore and what happened there. Glorfindel just stared at him in disbelief as he described Vorondur attacking Eärnur and the reason for it.

“Ron? Our Ron?” he demanded, momentarily reverting to English.

Laurendil scowled. “When I saw what he did to Eärnur, I wanted to strangle him myself. Eärnur did not deserve…”

“It is done with,” Finrod said decisively, still speaking Sindarin. “Vorondur tendered his apologies to Eärnur and Vardamir and they forgave him. Eärnur was on the road to recovery when we left and he should be well by now. As it is, Kyle banned all the healers from the hospital until further notice. Only non-healers were allowed to keep watch over you.”

Glorfindel sighed, closing his eyes. “This is all wrong. You coming here was supposed to help not hinder. I think the Valar made a mistake sending so many with you at once.”

“Perhaps,” Finrod allowed, “but we are here now and we must deal with it. As Daeron said, this incident brought out the worst as well as the best of us and now it is time to repair the damage. You were very foolish, Brother, to do what you did, endangering yourself in that manner. The ones who attacked you took your ring. That has put you in double danger. As it is, I have had to ask Lord Námo for a loan of one of his Maiar who has been charged with keeping your fae from leaving your hraw.”

“I haven’t sensed anyone, not even the two who apparently followed the Twins and Serindë,” Glorfindel said with a frown.

“Which just shows you how weak you are, that you are unable to sense them,” Finrod pointed out.

“So who did Lord Námo send?” Glorfindel asked.

“I have no idea,” Finrod admitted. “He did not say and it is beside the point. Until we can recover the ring you are in danger of slipping your leash. Do not scowl so, Brother. It is as good a description of what happens as any.”

“Still doesn’t mean I like it,” Glorfindel muttered darkly, wincing noticeably when Alex inadvertently hit a pothole that had been covered with snow.

“Sorry,” the Mortal said, not taking his eyes off the road. “Do you think we could fly down to Fairbanks next time when we have to go there for Farrell’s trial? I really don’t fancy having to drive this road again until spring.”

“We’ll talk about it later,” Glorfindel said. “For now, just take it a little slower. We’re not in any hurry.”

Alex nodded and everyone lapsed into silence for a time. After about twenty minutes, though, Glorfindel sighed. “Randall, I think I’ll take that codeine now.”

Laurendil fished about for the pills in a small bag he kept by him. “One or two?” he asked.

“Make it two,” Glorfindel replied.

Laurendil nodded, handing him two tabs and passing over some bottled water.

“Why don’t you put your seat back and try to sleep,” Finrod suggested, handing him a pillow and blanket.

Glorfindel complied without argument and as he settled himself, Daeron started singing softly. Finrod and Laurendil joined in and even Derek was heard to be humming along after a bit. Soon Glorfindel was asleep and the singers subsided into silence.

****

They pulled over three times to let people stretch and go off to relieve themselves in private behind trees and bushes if needed. Glorfindel stirred when they stopped the second time to join the exodus, but went straight back to sleep as soon as he returned to the van. Vorondur continued to ride with the Twins, but allowed Elladan to take the wheel for the last part of the journey. Both the Twins and Serindë looked a bit glassy-eyed when they got out of the car at the first stop, but everyone forebore to comment on it. Vorondur’s expression was one of satisfaction and amusement as he watched the Twins sprint away. When they asked if they could ride in the van, Daeron and Finrod both said no since Glorfindel was still asleep and even the Twins knew better than to disturb him, so they were forced to climb back into the car. Serindë refused to speak or even look at her father the entire trip back. Alex and Derek wisely kept to themselves, having the sense that the Elves would not welcome their comments.

Glorfindel began to stir about the time they reached Coldfoot and was sufficiently awake as they came into Wiseman to take notice of his surroundings. It was well after three in the afternoon when they pulled into the drive at Edhellond and everyone breathed sighs of relief at the sight of the mansion.

“Good to be home again,” Glorfindel said quietly as he allowed Laurendil to help him out of the van. Alex and Derek grabbed their bags and went to their car, thanking the Elves for the ride. “We’ll catch you all later,” Alex said and then they were on their way, leaving the Elves to themselves. The front door opened as everyone was pulling out bags and Amroth was there to greet them, giving them a smile.

“Welcome back. I see you managed to find the lost and bring them home,” he said. “Here, Loren, I’ll get that. You shouldn’t be lifting anything heavier than a mug of tea at this point. In you go. I’ve got some lentil soup on the stove if you’re interested.”

“How have things been here?” Glorfindel asked as they all trooped into the house.

“Quiet,” Amroth assured them. “All too quiet, actually. The youngsters moved out on Saturday and I told them that they were not to come back here until next weekend. They need time to get used to being around the Mortals and making new friends. I gave them permission to call you on Wednesday, Finrod, to let you know how they’re getting on.”

“I bet that didn’t go over well,” Daeron said with a smile as they made their way into the kitchen after dropping their bags by the stairs and divesting themselves of coats and boots.

“Actually, they took it better than I expected, considering that I am not their parent and not from Valinor. Valandur, though, backed me up, so there were no arguments. Frankly, I think they were all relieved to be out of here.”

“That bad?” Vorondur asked with a frown.

Amroth shrugged. “Some of the tension dissipated once Kyle allowed the healers to return to the hospital. They went in this morning. Randall, Kyle says he’ll see you tomorrow before morning rounds to discuss your duties. Dan and Roy, if you’re still interested you can join him. Oh, and Loren, you have a follow-up appointment on Wednesday at three with Geoff as Kyle won’t be in until the evening.”

“Any word on the attackers?” Finrod asked.

“Actually, yes,” Amroth replied as he dished up some of the soup into bowls and passed them around. “Dave called this morning to say that they think they have a lead. The police put out a description of Loren’s ring throughout the district and a pawnshop in Nolan may have it. Carl’s sent someone to check it out. Dave said he would call if he had any news.”

“That would be a stroke of luck,” Vorondur said. “The sooner you get your ring back, Loren, the easier we’ll all feel.”

Glorfindel nodded as he sipped the soup but did not comment.

“So, what exactly has been going on here?” Finrod asked.

“Not much, really,” Amroth answered. “Friday night the Wiseman Elves all went to the Blue Petrel and would still be there, I imagine, if Stan hadn’t thrown them out. From what Della told me later, he gave them the typical ‘You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here’ speech and they apparently took him at his word because they showed up at our house at three in the morning and they’ve been there ever since.”

“What?!” more than one voice exclaimed in surprise.

Amroth gave them a mirthless grin. “Della and Holly fed them breakfast and when I spoke with Della this morning, Barry, Alpha and Conan were busy making baby quilts and the others were helping Holly embroider Sarah’s wedding linens. Also, they’ve been apparently doing a major movie marathon. I could hear Star Wars in the background when I was speaking with my wife. Della was complaining that if she had to hear someone say ‘May the Force be with you’ one more time, she was likely to scream.”

“Oh, man, that’s rich,” Elrohir said with a laugh. “Wish I’d been here to see it.” His twin nodded in agreement and Serindë giggled.

Glorfindel and Daeron exchanged amused looks, though Finrod and Laurendil appeared to be a bit bemused, obviously not understanding the reference. Vorondur rolled his eyes and they heard him muttering, “I’m going to need a bigger couch.”

Amroth snorted in amusement. “Well, as I said, it’s been rather quiet, but even those still here in Edhellond are barely speaking to one another. I think the only person with whom I’ve actually had a conversation has been Valandur. Oh, by the way, you may have a fight on your hands when you decide you’re well enough to go back to teaching, Loren. Val has been in seventh heaven with your Quenya class.”

“Oh?” Glorfindel gave Amroth an amused look.

Amroth nodded. “He’s like a kid at Christmas. If I were you, I would either let him continue teaching or find him a class of his own.”

“I may just do that,” Glorfindel said. “The classes at the adult education center take up more time than I really have to devote to them. I’m glad Val’s enjoying teaching the class. Maybe we can get the others to offer classes as well. That should help keep them occupied and out of trouble.”

“Something that can be discussed with everyone later,” Vorondur said, as he pulled some fresh-made bread apart to dip into the soup. “Right now, I’m more concerned about the atmosphere here. We need to address it as soon as possible before it gets out of hand.”

“To that we can all agree,” Finrod said. “How is Eärnur?” he asked Amroth.

“Better, but both he and Mir are somewhat subdued. They both almost didn’t go back to the hospital. Val and I convinced them that was not the right attitude to take. I wish you’d been here, Ron. I’m not sure we did a good job of it with either Ernest or Mir. Ernest has been jumping at shadows and Mir…” He shook his head. “There’s a lot of anger there, but I’m not savvy enough to know if it’s self-directed or other-directed. I just know that he’s close to exploding.”

“We’ll need to deal with that sooner rather than later,” Vorondur said with a sigh.

“I’ll speak with them when they return from the hospital,” Glorfindel said. “What about Helena? How is she doing?”

“Not too well, I’m afraid. Both Holly and Della have tried to talk to her, but she’s shut most of us out. Anna is the only one with whom she’ll have anything to do. If I didn’t know better, I would say she was fading. I know she’s feeling guilty about what happened but so far no one’s been able to convince her that it wasn’t her fault you acting stupid.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Glorfindel said. “And I was stupid. I was angry, more at myself than at her, and I was feeling… well, it hardly matters now.” He closed his eyes and sighed. “I think I need to lie down again.”

“You should,” Vorondur said firmly. “Time enough to solve the world’s problems later. We should be going,” he gestured to Amroth who nodded. “Sarah, you’re still welcome to come home with us. I’m sure your nana will want to see you.”

Serindë sat looking indecisive, glancing at Elrohir, who shrugged. “It’s up to you, my love. I’m fine with whatever you decide.”

“I’ll come home with you, Ada,” she said softly, “at least for a bit.”

“You may stay as long as you wish,” Vorondur said gently.

“What about the SCA thing?” Elladan asked. “Shouldn’t we be doing something about it?”

“Well not this very minute,” Daeron said with a grin. “We have a council meeting scheduled for Saturday, right? So why don’t we bring it up then?”

Everyone agreed to that. When Amroth asked what they were talking about Vorondur said he would explain on the way back home, so Amroth ran upstairs to gather his things while everyone else finished their soup and then went back to the front to see the three off with many thanks to Amroth for keeping an eye on things while they were away. Vorondur promised to send the Wiseman Elves back home. “The house is too damn small for all of them to be there cluttering up the place,” he said and no one argued otherwise.

After seeing them off, Glorfindel asked not to be disturbed even for dinner. “If I wake up, fine, but otherwise, just let me sleep.”

“I’ll check in on you later when it’s time for your medication,” Laurendil said and Glorfindel just nodded as he began trudging up the stairs. Finrod followed him, declaring he wished to lie down for a while as well. Daeron said he would be working in the library, catching up on things, while the Twins decided they needed some fresh air and headed out the back and made their way into the woods behind the mansion. Laurendil ended up washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen before wandering into the library and choosing a book to read, taking it and a cup of tea up to the sunroom.

****

Glorfindel woke to find that it was nearly seven in the evening and he had slept for nearly three hours, only vaguely recalling Laurendil coming in at some point to give him his medication. He felt refreshed and after taking a shower and donning a pair of lounging pants and a long-sleeve T-shirt, shoving his feet into slippers, he made his way downstairs to the kitchen where he found Daeron and Melyanna sitting in the breakfast nook drinking coffee together and sharing a newspaper. They looked up with smiles as Glorfindel entered.

“Have a good nap?” Daeron asked.

“Yes, thank you.”

“There’s meatloaf in the fridge, if you want some, and I can whip you up some potatoes to go with it.”

“I’ll just make a meatloaf sandwich, thanks,” Glorfindel said. He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the plate of meatloaf and some mustard and opened the bread box and was soon making a sandwich. “Where is everyone? It’s very quiet for being so early in the evening.”

“If by everyone you mean the Twins, they went with Sarah to the movies. Several of the others went with them, including Finrod,” Daeron explained.

“What’s playing?”

“No idea. I think they just wanted an excuse to be out of the house for a time. Even Finrod was feeling antsy for some reason. I think he’s anxious about Finda and Nell, wondering how they’re getting on, but he’s forbore to call them on their cell phones, not wanting to appear like a…um…”

“Like a concerned parent?” Glorfindel said with a knowing grin and both Daeron and Melyanna nodded. “So what about the ones camping out at Ron and Amroth’s place?” Glorfindel stowed the leftovers back into the fridge and poured some coffee for himself before sitting across from the other two with his sandwich.

Daeron grinned. “Haven’t seen them. Ron called while you were napping and said he and Amroth kicked them all out, but that was two hours ago.”

“Such babies,” Melyanna muttered with a sniff. Daeron gave her an indulgent smile.

“Oh, for goodness sake!” Glorfindel exclaimed in disgust. “This is getting ridiculous.”

“I agree,” Daeron said, “but until and unless they come home, there’s precious little anyone can do about it.”

“Well, I can do something about it right now,” Glorfindel said, putting down his sandwich. “Fionwë!”

The scent of apples and mint permeated the air and then the Maia, dressed in his Finn disguise, appeared. Only Melyanna gasped in surprise at the sight. “You rang?” Fionwë asked in a deep voice.

“Yeah, Lurch, I did,” Glorfindel retorted and Daeron bit back a laugh while Fionwë practically glowed with amusement. Melyanna just looked puzzled. “I need you to hunt down some errant Elves who are probably wandering about Wiseman like lost sheep. I want you to put the fear of the Valar into them and send them back here. This nonsense has gone on long enough.”

“Do I look like a sheepdog, Glorfindel?” Fionwë countered. “I’m not in the business of herding wayward Children.”

“Well, you can now add it to your resumé,” Glorfindel said, giving the Maia his best glare. “You have your orders. Find them. I don’t care what you have to do to convince them to return to Edhellond posthaste, but remind them that if I have to go looking for them, they will regret it for a very long time.”

“Ooh, I love it when you talk dirty,” Daeron quipped and then started laughing as Glorfindel snarled a swearword at him. Melyanna blushed and Daeron put an arm around her shoulders, giving her a hug and a kiss on the temple.

Fionwë, obviously trying not to laugh himself, sighed somewhat dramatically. “Well, just this once,” he said and then he was gone, leaving behind the fresh scent of apples and mint.

Glorfindel went back to his sandwich and Daeron got up to refresh his and Melyanna’s cups of coffee before settling back down to finish reading the paper with her. No one spoke and the silence between them was companionable. Once he finished his sandwich and had tidied up, Glorfindel gave the other two a rueful look.

“Sorry about that,” he said as he wiped his hands on a towel.

Daeron waved away the apology. “No problem.”

“I didn’t know you could actually order a Maia to do anything,” Melyanna said, somewhat in awe. “It’s usually them ordering us about.”

“I have special dispensation,” Glorfindel said with a smirk. Then he raised his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. “I think I need to speak with Helena. We need to settle some things between us before things get too out of hand.”

“Do you want us to leave then?” Daeron asked.

“No. I think she might feel less threatened if you’re both here, especially you, Anna. I wish Ron were here as well. He has a way of diffusing tensions and making everyone feel good about themselves.”

“He certainly has a gift, I can’t argue with that,” Daeron allowed. “Helena is in her room. Anna, you want to see if she’ll come out?”

“I can try,” the elleth said without much conviction.

“Tell her she can either speak with me face-to-face or I will just stand outside her door and talk to her that way and I don’t care who else is listening,” Glorfindel said.

Melyanna nodded as Daeron stood to let her out and then he resumed his seat, folding up the paper. Glorfindel remained standing by the sink. Perhaps five minutes went by before Melyanna returned with Helyanwë, looking as if she’d been crying. She also looked too pale to Glorfindel’s eyes and he scowled. Helyanwë visibly flinched.

“Fading isn’t the answer, Helyanwë,” he said somewhat sharply, speaking in Quenya. “You should ask your great-great-grandmother Lirulin about that.”

“Come sit,” Melyanna said softly in the same language, leading the other elleth to the breakfast nook. “Can I get you something? Tea, perhaps? You haven’t eaten in days, either. Let me make you some broth.”

Helyanwë just shook her head and Glorfindel said, reverting to English, “Heat up some soup, Anna, and maybe make some toast. Helena’s not leaving here until she’s had something to eat.”

“I’ll help,” Daeron said, getting up, thus allowing Glorfindel to take his place, which he did.

While Daeron and Melyanna busied themselves with preparing something for Helyanwë, Glorfindel gave the elleth a searching look. Helyanwë refused to look up. After a moment, Glorfindel sighed, running his hands through his hair.

“I forgive you,” he said.

Helyanwë looked up in surprise. “What?” she whispered.

“I forgive you. I know, or rather, I hope you did not mean to be cruel. I was stupid to do what I did, I admit, and what happened afterwards was entirely my fault. You had nothing to do with it.”

“I drove you away,” she said.

“I drove myself away,” Glorfindel countered. “What happened after that was entirely my decision. I admit I was angry, furious even, and very hurt by your words, but it was no excuse for endangering myself in that manner and thus putting everything we’ve been working for at risk.”

“I’m sorry, too,” Helyanwë said softly, not looking up. “I didn’t mean what I said.”

“Yes you did,” Glorfindel retorted mildly and when the elleth started to protest, he raised a hand to stop her. “You did mean it. You see me as not having the same social standing as Finrod. You’re right that he’s a prince and once, a long time ago, I was a lord of a House that no longer exists except in memory. Your problem, Helena, and it’s the problem that many of the others from Valinor have, is that you are projecting your social expectations upon a situation that is radically different from what you know. Wiseman is not Valinor. We operate under a different system of rule here. You don’t have to like it, but you need to accept it, you all do. Finrod and I consider ourselves brothers, along with your great-grandfather, Sador. Arafinwë and Eärwen all but adopted Sador and me when we were first released from Lórien and had nowhere to go. I was accorded every courtesy… um… well that’s not strictly true, but we’ll forget about that. The point I’m trying to make is that Finrod considers me his equal and he expects everyone else to do the same.”

“Glorfindel speaks truly, Cousin,” Melyanna said as she brought Helyanwë a bowl of chicken noodle soup and some toast. “You and your family have always been treated by the Noldóran and Noldotári as family and Uncle Sador still calls them Atya and Emya even though his own parents were reborn ages ago.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that,” Glorfindel said, “but there never seemed to be a good time. So Sador’s parents died, and his sister?”

“She actually survived the attack at the Havens,” Helyanwë answered. “She eventually sailed at the end of the second age after her husband and one of her sons died before the gates of Barad-dûr.”

“When I first came back to Middle-earth, I tried to find out what had happened to Sador’s family, hoping to be able to send back news,” Glorfindel said, idly taking a piece of toast and chewing on it, much to the amusement of the others, “but I could never discover their fate. So many people were lost or displaced along with most of our records when Beleriand sank, at least according to Gil-galad. He and the survivors practically had to start all over again from scratch.”

“Well, getting back to the original discussion,” Daeron said, “it seems to me that Helena’s viewpoint is fairly typical of the others from Valinor, with a few exceptions. I think it might be wise if Finrod categorically declares you his equal in some kind of ceremony.”

“Seems rather pointless, though,” Glorfindel protested. He started to take another piece of toast, but Melyanna slapped his hand, and he gave her a surprised look while Helyanwë actually giggled, which was a heartening sound.

“If you want some toast, I’ll be happy to make some for you,” Melyanna said, “but this toast is for Helena.”

Glorfindel blushed, suddenly realizing what he’d been doing. “Sorry,” he muttered, clasping his hands together on his lap. Daeron chuckled as he pulled some bread out of the bread box and threw a couple of pieces into the toaster. Before anyone could say anything more, they heard the front door opening and the sound of several people speaking.

“Hmm… I hear Vardamir,” Daeron said softly, giving Glorfindel a significant look, “and if Mir’s here…”

“Ernie can’t be far behind,” Glorfindel ended. He sighed. “Guess I’d better deal with them now.” He glanced at Helyanwë. “Are we okay?”

She nodded, though her expression was somewhat doubtful. Glorfindel stood up and leaned toward her. “Finish your soup,” he said gently and kissed her softly on the forehead before sidling out of the nook and making his way out of the kitchen. Daeron spoke softly to Melyanna, asking her to keep Helyanwë company, and then he followed Glorfindel out, leaving the two ellith to themselves.

****

Words are Quenya unless otherwise noted:

Fae: (Sindarin) Cognate of the Quenya fëa: spirit, soul.

Hraw: (Sindarin) Cognate of the Quenya hröa: body.

Noldóran: King of the Noldor; in this case, Arafinwë.

Noldotári: Queen of the Noldor; in this case, Eärwen.

Atya and Emya: ‘My father’ and ‘my mother’, respectively, generally used by children when addressing a parent.