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━━━━»•» act one. age of ruins

11. these sunlit days «•« ━━━━

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ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ third age ━━ year 2949

𓇻 eriador; imladris {rivendell}

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THE SUN ILLUMINATED THE SEA OF COLORS IN THE RIVENDELL GARDENS. The peaceful air of a lazy afternoon surrounded the two figures seated on the bench beneath the willow tree. Elgarain was leaning her back against Estel's side, her knees drawn up to her chest, a parchment placed in her lap as she carefully drew delicate lines. A small smile was playing at her lips as the lines slowly started to form the face of the boy seated beside her.

Estel was lost in a book, playing absentmindedly with a strand of Elgarain's hair as the two of them sat together in the sunlight.

Several days had passed since Elgarain had come storming into his room, the happiest days of her life. She couldn't recall ever feeling as calm and happy before, like she'd come home. The two of them had barely spent any time apart from each other. Like two love sick teenagers, as Elladan liked to call them. Not that he was wrong. But there wasn't a single part of Elgarain that wished to change the way it was now.

However the dark cloud of her departure was drifting closer towards the sun shining down on them. Any day now Gyda could return and she would have to leave. Every morning she woke with a knot in her stomach and dread in her heart. They both knew it and yet they hadn't said a single word about it, afraid to burst the blissful bubble they found themselves in.

With that dreaded day ever edging closer, Elgarain had expected her lessons to be over. But she couldn't have been more wrong. Lord Elrond seemed determined to impart her with as much wisdom as possible. In the last few days, when she was not spending time with Estel that was, she'd spend every waking moment in the Healing Rooms. Elrond had asked her to restock the herbs, to rewrite books filled with hidden healing secrets that were close to decay and to treat even the most minor of injuries. She wasn't sure why though, she'd proven herself to be quite a capable healer by now. Of course she could use the practice, but she wondered if there might be more to it...Or maybe Lord Elrond simply wanted to make use of his assistant while she was still around.

"What are you drawing?" Estel's voice pulled her out of her musings.

She pulled the parchment to her chest. "Nothing."

That annoying smirk of his tugged at his lips. The one that made her all warm inside and absolutely incapable of lying to him. "Do not make me beg."

She held his gaze with a small smile of her own. "I absolutely will make you beg."

He leaned closer and a thousand butterflies broke free inside of her. "Please?"

"You are going to have to do better than that," she whispered against his lips.

He didn't have to be told twice. Their lips met, soft and warm like the sunlight that surrounded them. She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek, happily greeting the feeling of her heart glowing in her chest.

"So, anarinya, can I see your drawing now?" He murdered against her lips.

With a soft giggle she pulled away. "Fine."

Suddenly a little unsure of herself, she held the parchment out for him to see. With a nervous smile she watched as he studied the drawing she'd made of him. She trusted her own abilities enough to know it was by no means ugly, but still, showing it to him made her nervous.

"Mmm."

"What is it?" She asked, worried.

"The nose isn't quite right."

She hit him against his arm. "Rude."

He grinned. "Just an observation."

She frowned, eyes going from the parchment back to his face. She felt like hitting him again when she realized he was right. She'd drawn the tip of his nose much rounder than it actually was. She scoffed and turned away from him, going back to work. Without even looking at him, she could picture the self-satisfied smirk on his features. She ignored him though and focused on her drawing.

The peaceful quiet soon returned, only interrupted by the soft scratching of her pencil. She realized though that Estel hadn't gone back to his reading but was watching her instead. She made herself comfortable against his side and in response he hung his arm around her shoulders.

"It's looking much better," he murmured in her hair as she worked on correcting his nose.

"I do listen to you sometimes," she replied, smiling widely.

Like when he told her his birthday was coming soon and that the last time he celebrated it was when his mother was still alive. Elves did not celebrate the day of their birth and so the tradition was not very known to her. But she did know it was important to humans, especially the one where they turned twenty years old, which was when they were officially considered grown-up.

Considering all of this, she'd decided to do something special. His birthday was tomorrow, which did not give her much time to think of what she wanted to do, but she did have an idea who to ask for help. She wanted to celebrate at least one thing together before she had to leave for home...

"El." He nudged her, making her look up from her parchment. She watched as Lindir came walking across the garden towards them.

She sat up a little straighter, half expecting him to come calling for her. But as he got closer, she realized his gaze was focused on Estel instead.

"Forgive me for interrupting," Lindir spoke with a small bow. "But Lord Elrond has requested your presence, Estel."

Elgarain watched as he closed his book and stood up from the bench.

"I will see you tomorrow," she said, smiling at him.

He nodded, then pressed a kiss to her forehead before turning around and leaving with Lindir.

With a frown on her face she watched them depart. She knew she wasn't the only one under the tutelage of Lord Elrond but usually he didn't give lessons at this time of the day. What other reason did he have to call Estel to him?

Whatever it was, she probably wasn't going to figure it out. The Lord of the Imladris liked to keep his reasons to himself. Maybe she should make use of this time to plan her surprise. With a sudden determination she got to her feet. Carefully she folded her parchment before leaving the gardens behind. She followed the stairs and hallways until she arrived at the library, where she knew the Evenstar could often be found at this hour.

As always Arwen looked as beautiful as a starlit sky. She was wearing a purple dress that hugged her figure. Her long, black hair was waved in difficult patterns and crowned with a silver tiara.

She must've been making more noise than she thought she did, because several heads lifted as she came rushing into the silent room, including Arwen's. But where most of the Elves looked annoyed, Arwen simply smiled with amusement.

"Evening, mellon nin," she greeted the Elleth as she sat down beside her.

Arwen's smile widened. "Evening. What has you rushing in here so late?"

She straightened her skirts and smiled. "I am planning a surprise and I need your help."

A knowing spark glistered in Arwen's eyes. "Does this surprise happen to be for a certain human staying with us in Imladris?"

"Who else?" She grinned.

Arwen got to her feet. "Come on, let us not disturb the peace here any longer." She hooked her arm through Elgarain's and together they left the library behind. They strolled down the hallways, heading towards the gardens. Only when they were out of earshot of the Elves they left behind the library did Arwen speak again.

"You should be more careful, mellon."

Elgarain frowned at her, waiting for an explanation.

"Not all of our kin agrees with the Aranel of Lindon being in a relationship with a human."

She stopped in her tracks, a sudden heavy weight having appeared in her chest. She hadn't even considered the opinions of others about her relationship with Estel. Why should she? No one had a say about who she loved or not.

Arwen seemed to realise what Elgarain was about to say and spoke before she could. "Think about it, Elgarain. What future do you truly have with him?"

She pulled her arm free and took a step back from her friend. She knew she meant well but that did not mean she just had to stand here and listen to it. "I'm not a naïve Elfling anymore, Arwen. I am to return to Lindon soon and I know Estel will not be able to come with me. But that does not mean I will ignore what I feel for him as long as I remain here."

A saddened look appeared on Arwen's features. "I know dear Elgarain and I believe you are very brave for making such a choice."

A small sigh left her lips and she let herself be pulled into a hug by her friend. She'd known giving into what she felt would mean she'd get hurt in the end. But being reminded of made her heart ache more than she liked to admit. Everyone around her could see this relationship was not meant to last and the inevitability of it all was too heavy to carry.

"I finally understand what it means Arwen," she mumbled into her dress, as she let herself be held like she was a small Elfling again. "The meeting of souls, I finally know how it feels. I cannot ignore it."

Arwen took a step back to look her in the eye and Elgarain could tell she was genuinely surprised. For a moment she remained quiet, as if searching for the right words. "I did not think what you felt for him was that serious."

Elgarain smiled sadly. "I'm afraid it is." She took a deep breath. "Which brings me back to why I came to you in the first place. I need your help finding a quiet place in Imladris, one that not many know about."

"You have some serious plans I gather?" Arwen smiled serenely.

"This might be the only time I get to celebrate the day of his birth. It's important to humans and I want it to be special."

Arwen nodded in understanding, making Elgarain think she might be familiar with the strange human tradition. "I know a place," she begins. "There is a cave, beneath the waterfall on the northside of the valley. Ada uses it to read parchment written with Moon-Runes. You won't be disturbed there."

With a thankful smile, Elgarain pulled the Elleth into a hug. "Annon allen! Please tell Estel to meet me there."

"I will," Arwen promised.

With one last thankful smile at her friend, Elgarain left Arwen behind in the gardens and made her way to the kitchens to gather all she would need for an evening meal. She wanted to watch the sunrise on the day of Estel's birth, a celebration of first sunlight and this day that was so special to humans.

The Elves in the kitchen were happy to help her choose the most delicious of meals, grateful their cooking skills were accepted with such enthusiasm. Soon she had gathered a basket filled with enough food to last the entire night. With skip in her step she followed the path that led to the northside of the valley. Just before the path bend to the right and disappeared into a courtyard, there was a small stepping stone leading towards the river down below. Elgarain followed it, walking carefully as the sky grew darker above her.

The path disappeared into the cliffside. On both sides, attached to the wall, were torches to light the way. As she walked on she could hear the roar of the waterfall. With a curious frown she stepped out into the moonlight. The silver light illuminated the entire cave, as well as the waterfall that formed the fourth wall of the cave. The water seemed to glitter when touched by the light. The sight took her breath away.

She walked forwards and held out her hand, gathering the water in her palm. Her ivory skin seemed even paler in the light of the moon. It reminded her of her mother, who always seemed like a moving sculpture beneath the night sky.

Above the roar of the water her ears caught the sound of approaching footsteps. She took a deep breath and placed the basket on the ground, then waited with a nervous smile as Estel approached.

In the moonlight his hair almost appeared silver and his eyes shone like jewels, making her heart stutter in a way that no nature spectacle could. But as he got closer, she realized there was something different about him. The usual spark in his eyes seemed to have disappeared. Instead a weight seemed to have been put on his shoulders. It was as though he had aged years in the few hours since she last saw him.

"Estel?" She whispered, reaching for his hand. "Is everything all right?"

Her heart felt close to breaking when he replied, his voice heavy and more serious than she'd ever heard before. "I have something important to tell you, anarinya."

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𝕬𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝕹𝐎𝐓𝐄 . . .

The start of this chapter made me realize just how single I am...Before all the angst happened. I'm so sorry for putting you guys through this. Estel and Elgarain deserve the world. They're literally the cutest babies ever. Oh and they're officially called Ararain now!

I wanted to thank you guys for the amount of love this book has received so far. I never imagined so many people reading this book and leaving so many sweet comments. I love you all so much!

Also, if you caught the Tangled reference in this chapter, you deserve a cookie.

xx Nelly

ELVISH TRANSLATIONS:

Mellon nin ― My friend

 Annon allen ― I give thanks

Anarinya ― My sun