60: Saturday Evening

It did not take Daeron long to find Alex and when he did he also found several other Elves already there, those who pretty much haunted the woods day and night, returning to the mansion only for meals and to change their clothes and take a hot shower, sometimes to sleep. Alex had gotten as far as the clearing where he and Derek had interrupted the Elves’ New Year celebration before collapsing. Now he was huddled in the middle of the clearing, his arms wrapped around himself as he rocked back and forth. Mithlas was crouched beside him, holding him and speaking soothingly to him while Legolas of Gondolin, Aldarion, Gilvagor and Haldir stood around them. They all looked up at Daeron’s approach.

“We heard him scream and came as quickly as we could,” Haldir told Daeron, speaking Sindarin. In the woods, most of the Elves tended to ignore Finrod’s edict to speak only English, reserving that for when they were inside the mansion or among Mortals.

Daeron nodded. “He had a confrontation with Glorfindel that did not go well.”

“Ah, well confrontations with that one rarely do,” Legolas of Gondolin said with a grim smile.

Daeron crouched in front of Alex and Mithlas and placed a hand on the Mortal’s knee. “Alex, why are you so upset?” He asked, speaking English. “Loren is only looking out for your interests. You cannot blame him for that.”

“Perhaps you should call Vorondur,” Aldarion suggested in Sindarin. “Is he not under the care of the nestar-in-innath?”

“I hesitate to do so,” Daeron said in the same language. “He should not have to be called for every little thing. Let’s see what we can do first.” He switched to English again. “Alex, look at me.” He put all the power at his command behind the words, knowing that the Mortal had little defense against it. “That’s it. Alex, I know you are upset by Loren’s attitude, but he is only looking after you. He’s very protective of people, it’s in his nature to be so.”

“I’m tired of being treated like a child,” Alex whispered, his arms still wrapped around his knees.

“Then you may want to stop acting like one,” Daeron couldn’t help retorting and then relented. “Stop and think, Alex. Farrell had help to escape. Is it not likely that those who helped him are still with him? Even if Farrell cannot be everywhere at once, he can still have you under watch.”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Alex protested, unwinding himself and standing with a little help from Mithlas. He began brushing the snow off him as Daeron also stood. “But I refuse to hide. What happened at the café was scare tactics on his part. He wants me to know that he can get to me wherever and whenever he pleases. He’s playing with me and I refuse to play back.”

“And what about Felicity or anyone else?” Daeron asked. “Do you wish to risk their lives as well?"

“Of course not, but lives are at risk whatever I do or don’t do,” Alex pointed out. “Farrell’s not going to make a move if I’m hiding in a closet in Edhellond. You’re never going to find him that way, and he’s only gunning for me. You forget. Farrell is highly trained. He’s not going to do anything that sends me into hiding, which means he’s not likely to start shooting indiscriminately. He wants me, no one else.”

“Yet, innocents could get killed,” Daeron said.

Alex gave him a cold look. “Innocents get killed every day.”

The Elves looked troubled by that announcement. Alex relented a little. “Look, I’ve managed to keep the body count to a minimum for the last fifteen years. I promise I will be careful, but I need tonight, Darren. I need to be doing something normal, like going out with a girl and having a good time. I refuse to allow Farrell or anyone else to dictate my life for me. My life’s been dictated enough by others for far too long and it’s high time I took control of it.”

“I certainly understand your need to do this, but…”

“There’s always a ‘but’, isn’t there?” Alex snarled and he pitched his voice into a sneering tone. “But Farrell is out there, but people can get hurt, but you didn’t invite the rest of us to tag along on your date.”

“I thought it wasn’t really a date?” Daeron asked, giving him a sly smile.

Alex shrugged. “Not officially, but…” He paused, looking at the ground, his shoulders slumped. “I’d better call her back and tell her it’s off.”

“No,” Daeron said firmly. “That you will not do.”

“But you just said—”

“What I said was that Loren is just looking out for you. I said nothing about you not going on your date that really isn’t a date. Now, let’s go back to the house. You’re shivering and the last thing you need is to come down with a cold or something and ruin Felicity’s evening.”

He hooked an arm around Alex’s left elbow to lead him away. The other Elves followed and Mithlas addressed Daeron in Sindarin. “What is this date of which you speak?” He was forced to use the English word.

“When Mortals in this culture are interested in one another beyond mere friendship, they will go on dates,” Daeron replied, also in Sindarin. Like Mithlas, he used the English word, as Sindarin had no real equivalent. “Usually they will go out to dinner and follow that with attending a concert or a movie.” Again he resorted to the English term. “It’s a courtship ritual, though it does not necessarily lead to a betrothal.”

“But why does Alex insist it is not a date?” Haldir asked, looking as puzzled as the others.

Daeron grinned. “Because he doesn’t want the woman to think he’s being too forward since they barely know one another. By declaring that it’s not really a date, they both can pretend that they are just friends and there is nothing more to the relationship or not yet. I know, I know. It’s very complicated and a rather messy way of going about things, but that’s how it is here.”

“And Glorfindel does not want Alex to go on this date?” Aldarion asked. “Is Alex not of age to decide these things for himself?”

“Glorfindel fears that Alex will be putting himself and others in danger if he goes out tonight because of Farrell,” Daeron supplied.

“Okay, I know you’re all talking about me,” Alex said, stopping. “At least have the courtesy to speak in English.”

“I’m sorry,” Daeron said. “The others were asking what dates were and I was trying to explain the concept, which is foreign to how things are done in Elvish societies.”

“So how do you get together, I mean, how do you find your one true love and all that?”

“We have a variety of venues where our young people are able to meet under the watchful eyes of their elders,” Legolas of Gondolin answered.

“Sounds boring,” Alex retorted.

“It is the way it is,” Daeron said with amusement. “Now, let’s get you inside and warmed up. When are you supposed to pick Felicity up?”

“We’re meeting at Rosalia’s at five-thirty for dinner and then going to the Grange Hall for the concert.”

“Well, then, you have plenty of time to get ready,” Daeron said.

They reached the edge of the woods where the other four Elves stopped, bidding them farewell before melting back into the trees. Alex shook his head. “Those dudes are insane,” he said and Daeron chuckled. Once inside the house, Daeron insisted that Alex go take a hot shower to drive the chill out, for the Mortal was still shivering. Alex agreed and went up the back stairs. Daeron went looking for Glorfindel whom he found sitting in the sunroom, obviously brooding.

“I’ve assured him that he is free to go out tonight with Ms Cohen,” he said as he entered the sunroom.

Glorfindel nodded but did not otherwise comment. Daeron took a seat opposite him. “I am assuming you’ll be sending people to keep an eye on things without him knowing it.”

“He’ll know,” Glorfindel said.

“Of course,” Daeron agreed, “but while he’s looking for the watchers…”

“He won’t be aware of who is actually watching him,” Glorfindel finished.

“You mean a Maia,” Daeron said, his eyes narrowing.

“Not necessarily,” Glorfindel retorted and then he stood up and walked out without another word, leaving Daeron sitting there in bemusement.

****

Alex took his shower and then, feeling somewhat fatigued by all the emotions of the last hour, he lay down for a nap, waking in plenty of time to dress for the evening. Coming downstairs, he was oddly disturbed by the utter silence. The house felt deserted, yet delectable smells wafting down the hall from the kitchen assured him that someone was around. He was tempted to go find someone to let them know he was leaving, but then decided not to bother. It wasn’t as if he needed their permission to leave the house or anything. Still, it would’ve been nice to have someone see him out and wish him a good time. Shrugging away that thought, he grabbed his coat and went out to the car.

Fifteen minutes later, he was pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant. It was not quite five-thirty. Stepping inside he was pleased to see that the place was not too crowded yet even though it was a Saturday evening. The restaurant was bright and cheerful with walls paneled in light-colored wood and the tables decked with red, green and white tablecloths under glass with floral centerpieces and candles. Quiet music played in the background.

Felicity was not there yet and when the hostess greeted him he explained that he was waiting for someone and he would wait to be seated. Looking around, he was surprised to see Finlay and Sakari sitting in a corner. He sauntered over to the table. Finlay and Sakari looked up.

“What are you two doing here?” Alex asked in English, trying not to sound suspicious and failing miserably.

Finlay gave him a knowing grin. “I’m introducing Sakari to Italian cuisine.”

“So you just happened to pick this particular restaurant instead of taking her to Pizza Hut or something?” Alex narrowed his eyes.

“Pizza Hut?” Finlay gave him a shocked look that Alex suspected was more for show than anything. “No one takes his bride to Pizza Hut, boy. I have more sense than that. No, I asked one of the Elves, um, Ken I think his name is—”

“Conan,” Alex corrected.

“Yeah, whatever. Anyway. I asked for his recommendation and he suggested this place, and really, it’s unique you gotta admit, with there being no fixed menu and all.”

“So you’re not here to keep tabs on me,” Alex said, still not convinced.

“I didn’t say that,” Finlay replied with a thin smile.

“Hi. Sorry I’m late.”

Alex turned to see Felicity and smiled. For someone who wasn’t strictly on a date, she had dressed up quite nicely, though given the weather, quite sensibly as well. She wore a calf-length gray worsted wool skirt and a cream-colored cashmere sweater graced with a cameo pendant. Her feet were shod in leather boots, the tops of which disappeared under the hem of the skirt. Her hair was neatly coifed and Alex thought perhaps it had been cut and shaped. He had to admit to himself that he couldn’t remember what her hair style had been the day before and realized that was something he was going to have to pay attention to from now on.

“You’re not late, you’re right on time. I was early. You look lovely.”

“Thank you,” she said somewhat shyly and then looked politely at the two sitting at the table.

“Oh, um, Felicity these are friends of mine, Ed Finlay and his wife, Sakari. Sakari doesn’t speak English, just French.”

“Oh, um, bonjour,” Felicity said to Sakari.

“Bonjour,” Sakari replied with a smile. “Comment allez-vous?”

“Oh, um, bien, merci, et vous?” Felicity replied. “And that is just about the extent of my knowledge of French,” she added.

Finlay and Alex both grinned and Finlay translated Felicity’s words for Sakari who giggled and then held out her hand and said in slow and careful English, “I am well, thank you.”

Felicity took the girl’s hand and shook it, the two sharing a smile. Alex gave Finlay a surprised look. Finlay just shrugged. “She’s a quick study,” he said.

Just then the hostess arrived asking if they wished to be seated or if they wished to join their friends. Before anyone else could respond, Alex shook his head, taking Felicity’s elbow. “That’s all right, we’d like our own table.”

“Hey, it’s not a big deal and there’s plenty of room,” Finlay said in protest.

But Alex just shook his head. “Enjoy your dinner,” he said in English and then repeated the sentiment in French for Sakari’s sake as he led Felicity away, following the hostess to another part of the restaurant.

“They seem like a nice couple,” Felicity said as she allowed Alex to seat her. “Have you known them long?”

Alex grinned. “Ed and I used to work for the same company.”

“Oh? Oh!” Felicity stole a look to where Finlay and Sakari were sitting, her expression thoughtful as she grasped what Alex was saying. “And Sakari?”

“I only met Sakari recently. They’re newlyweds, been married only for about a month or so, which is why I thought we should let them dine alone.” That wasn’t the real reason, of course, but it was a convenient excuse. In truth, he thought Finlay was there on Loren’s orders. He was tempted to feel resentful, but instead he felt sorry for Sakari, an innocent pawn in their cloak-and-dagger game.

Their waitress came over with glasses of water and introduced herself and asked for drink orders. Felicity ordered a rosé and Alex did the same. When the waitress left to fill the orders, Felicity asked, “How are you, I mean, since yesterday?”

“Better,” Alex replied, taking a sip of water. “Sorry you had to witness that. I’ve been avoiding dealing with having drowned a few months back and—”

“You don’t have to explain or apologize, Alex,” Felicity interrupted. “I’m just glad you’re doing better. It must have been a terrifying experience.”

“It was, and in some ways, it was more terrifying than anything I’ve faced in my years as a spy.”

“Do you regret giving up that life and settling down in Nowheresville teaching French and Italian to ungrateful children?”

Alex raised an eyebrow at the acerbic tone. “I take it you do.”

Felicity shrugged, taking a sip of water before answering. “This was not my first choice or even my second, but circumstances forced me to come here.”

“But you’d rather be somewhere else, anywhere else.” Alex made it a statement.

“I promised myself that I would look on the bright side of things,” Felicity said in answer, not looking at him. “I told myself that things could be a whole lot worse. Sometimes I convince myself that that is true, but mostly I just feel cheated by God or whoever dumping me here in the Frozen North away from civilization.”

“If you think this is the Frozen North, you should see where Finlay landed,” Alex said with a smile, but he sobered somewhat. “I won’t ask for details because it’s none of my business, but let me ask you this: where else could you have ended up where you would have met Elves? Wiseman may indeed be Nowheresville and I’m not arguing otherwise, but right now it’s the most exciting place to be because Elves walk the streets and you can’t get that anywhere else.”

“True, and that’s a consolation, but, really, had I been able to choose, I would be ignorant of all this and I wouldn’t care.”

“And ignorance is bliss, they say. Well, I agree that given my druthers I would prefer to be living elsewhere as well but I know I’m needed here and that’s enough for now.”

“Teaching French and Italian in a community college?” Felicity gave him a skeptical look.

Alex grinned, putting a finger to his lips and making a shushing noise. “Shh… that’s just my cover,” he whispered, giving her a wink.

Felicity laughed and her mood lightened. The waitress returned then with their drinks and then began reciting the menu for the day from memory. After a few minutes of deliberation and having the menu repeated, they both decided on the ravioli. There were several types of stuffing to choose from and Alex chose shrimp, crab, spinach and mushroom, while Felicity chose spinach, mushroom and cheese. As the waitress left she said somewhat apologetically, “I’m allergic to shellfish.”

“Sorry to hear that. I’m allergic to beets myself. Break out in hives.”

“So if you ever come over for dinner, I promise not to serve beets,” Felicity said with a smile.

“And I promise not to make shrimp cocktail,” Alex returned and he lifted his wine glass in salute and she copied him and they toasted one another.

The rest of the dinner was spent in quiet conversation with the two sharing memories of their childhood, Alex growing up in New Hampshire and Felicity growing up in New York and Tel Aviv. Her parents were archeologists specializing in biblical archeology. “After Dad retired from the army, they started going on digs. They’re still at it, and probably will continue with it until they die,” she said at one point. “Got a postcard from them not too long ago. They’re at a dig somewhere in Galilee, Huqoq I think they said.”

“Sounds interesting,” Alex said as he ate his ravioli. “But I take it you weren’t interested in archeology?”

“Oh, I was interested enough that I took it as a minor, but I was more into German Romanticism and was fascinated with the whole Northern culture. I studied a little bit of Old English and Old Norse and I can read Old High German fairly well. I was going to get my PhD in German Literature and teach at Heidelberg, and had all these other plans and then life got in the way and here I am.”

“Hey! I thought we weren’t going to go down that road again tonight,” Alex admonished her.

“Sorry, and you’re right, so let’s change the subject and, we’d better finish up soon because the concert will be starting in a little bit.”

“We can stop for coffee and dessert afterwards if you want,” Alex suggested.

Felicity agreed and a few minutes later they were leaving. It did not escape Alex’s notice that Finlay called for his check at about the same time. “I’ll meet you there,” he said to Felicity as they went to their cars.

“See you shortly,” she replied.

The drive to the Grange Hall took only a matter of minutes and soon the two were reunited as they met at the front door to the hall. Inside, they were given programs and found seats. On the stage where Finrod had held his Court, the orchestra was tuning up. Alex took a quick moment to look around to see if anyone was there who shouldn’t be. He half-expected to see Finlay and Sakari sitting nearby and was secretly pleased when he could not find them, though he did not doubt that others were there on his behalf. He figured at least one Maia had to be lurking about, but they didn’t really count. It was the Elves he had to deal with. He did recognize a few people from the town whom he knew and Felicity waved to friends but otherwise he did not see anyone from Edhellond. Sitting down he glanced at the program, noting that it appeared to be an all-Wagner concert. The first half appeared to be overtures to some of his operas, but the second half… He frowned, wondering at the significance of the selections.

“The orchestra tends to do thematic programs,” Felicity explained, perhaps mistaking his frown for disapproval or confusion. “Last time all the music had to do with water in some form or another. I wonder why they chose Wagner this time around? He’s a bit heavy-handed, don’t you think?”

“I guess,” Alex said with a shrug. “I can’t say I’ve ever gotten into opera all that much, just enough to speak about it intelligently at cocktail parties while on assignment. Or at least, that was how it was when I was stationed in Europe for a couple of years. The wannabe terrorists I hunted down in recent years weren’t all that interested in opera unless they were planning to blow up the opera house.”

The very drollness of his tone set Felicity chuckling. Then the lights began to dim and the concertmaster came out to applause and tuned the orchestra before taking her seat as first violin. A brief moment went by and then the conductor came out and soon the first notes of Wagner’s overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg were being played and Alex settled in to enjoy the music. This was followed by the overture to the Flying Dutchman and then the first part of the program ended with the haunting overture to Lohengrin. As the last note was played, the audience burst into enthusiastic applause and the lights came up.

Alex and Felicity joined the line to the concession booth to purchase something to drink. “They play very well,” Alex commented. “Better than I was expecting. Wagner isn’t easy but these kids pulled it off. It will be interesting to see how the other half of the program goes.”

“They work very hard,” Felicity said, “and they have very dedicated instructors. Jack Morley, the conductor, teaches music at the local high school.”

Alex nodded, and while outwardly he appeared calm, inside he was hyperalert. Something felt off and his spidey-sense, as one of his former colleagues at the Agency called it, was suddenly in play. He made a casual sweep of the hall, trying to find the source of his unease, but everything appeared fine on the surface. They reached the head of the line and bought some wine and retired to another part of the hall where Felicity met with a couple who turned out to be neighbors of hers. She made the introductions and they spent a few minutes chatting amiably about nothing of importance. All the while, Alex remained vigilant, half regretting not having brought his gun with him, but he had left it behind at the last minute, determined to just have a normal evening with a girl and Farrell be damned.

The lights flickered and everyone began drifting back to their seats. Alex saw that the line to the gents had diminished greatly and excused himself to use the facilities, returning to his seat just as the lights dimmed. The second half of the concert appeared to be devoted to music from Wagner’s Ring cycle, beginning with the Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla from Das Rheingold. That was followed by the ever popular Ride of the Valkyries and then the haunting Magic Fire music from Die Walküre. The final selection was Siegfried’s Funeral March from Götterdämmerung, the Twilight of the Gods.

Alex was not sure if there was a message in the music or not. As the first selection progressed, he couldn’t help equating the gods of Asgard entering the newly formed Valhalla with the Valar creating Valinor. The stirring notes of the Ride of the Valkyries brought to mind the coming War for which he and all of Wiseman were preparing. He wasn’t sure of the significance, if there was any, of the Magic Fire music, where Woden places Brunnhilde in a magic sleep that would ultimately make her mortal and surrounds her with a wall of flames that only a true hero could breach, but there was no mistaking the meaning of the last piece, the slow drum beats of death and loss reverberating through the hall. He did not fear death or dying, but he did have a healthy regard for it and wished to avoid it for as long as possible, however inevitable it might be.

When the final selection ended there was a hushed pause for a long moment and then the audience leapt to its feet, giving the young players a standing ovation. It went on for several minutes, but finally the audience began making its way out of the hall and Alex and Felicity joined the exodus.

“Thank you for inviting me,” Alex said to Felicity. “I enjoyed it very much.”

“I’m glad. If you’re interested, I’ll see about getting tickets to their next concert, which is scheduled for May or June.”

“That would be nice, thank you.”

They eventually made it outside and stopped to let their eyes adjust to the darkness while they were both fishing out keys and heading for their cars, which were parked near one another.

“Hmm, I seem to be missing a glove,” Alex said, checking his pockets. “I’d better go back and see if I dropped it. Can we do coffee and dessert another time?”

“Of course,” Felicity said, and if she was disappointed, she did not show it. “I should be getting home anyway. I have to get up early tomorrow and drive over to Coldfoot. Friends of mine are expecting their first child and she’s pretty much bedridden for the next three months. I visit most Sundays, give Jonathon a break from caring for his wife while I stay with Nora.”

“You’re very giving,” Alex commented.

Felicity shrugged as if dismissing his compliment. “So, I’ll see you on Monday?”

Alex shook his head. “I won’t be in until Tuesday. I arranged my schedule to allow me a couple of days to devote to my linguistics studies. There will be times when I have to go down to Fairbanks, to the university, to consult with my advisor, so Mondays are left free to allow me time to get down there and back over a weekend.”

“Ah, yes. Okay, then. I’ll see you Tuesday. Good night.”

“Good night. Safe trip home.”

Felicity climbed into her car and he remained standing where he was, watching her, watching everything, for his sense of unease had not diminished, but neither had it increased and that bothered him. Felicity waved as she drove off and he waved back and then returned to the Hall, telling one of the ushers who tried to stop him that he was missing a glove and could he go look for it? The usher let him back in and he made his way to where he and Felicity had been seated. People were in the process of stacking the chairs but his row was still untouched. He pretended to find something on the ground in case anyone was looking and then made his way past the stage as if to go out one of the side exits. He paused just before the door leading to the back stage, the very door from which Finrod had processed at his Court, and looking around to make sure no eyes were on him, he slipped inside the room, waiting to close the door behind him before turning on the light.

Sitting in a chair facing the door was Glorfindel.

****

Nestar-in-innath: (Sindarin) Healer of minds; psychiatrist [nesta-‘to heal’ + -r ‘agental suffix’, -in- ‘of the (plural form), innath ‘minds’ (collective plural).  The Quenya equivalent would probably be inwisti-envinyatar, literally, ‘mind-mood healer’.