As soon as the small group and their elven escort rode beyond sight, Elrond ushered his offspring and close friends into his study, where he told them the full extent of the news that Galadriel had imparted to him the day before.
Somehow, the kingdom of Mirkwood had found out about the twins and King Thranduil had raised the call for a ' Council of Judgement'. Delegations from from Mirkwood, The Gray Havens and LothLorien were already on their way to Imladris, where the council would convene when Ithil next shone full upon the night sky.
In the pall of deadly silence that followed, all eyes turned to the twins, who had suddently become as pale and still, as two marble statues...
that evening, a somber Elrond called all the denizens of the Last Homely House toguether within the vast Hall of Fire and there, he told them of the coming council and of the reason for it.
Beside him, stood the twins.
Though still shaken from the private meeting in their Ada's study, the two were resolute as they met the shocked stares of the gathered elves. Their time of hiding had irrevocably ended and in truth, the brothers could not help but to feel a small measure of relief, even as the weight of apprehension threatened to crush their spirits.
Flanking one side of the twins, were Arwen and Aragorn. While behind them, Glorfindel, Erestor, Ja-zel and Melpomaen all lent their comforting presence in an undeniable show of support.
It was a potent message, this show of unity. One that deeply affected the other elves, as they struggled to weigh their own love for the twins, against their growing revulsion at learning that the two were in a bond explicitly forbidden by their laws.
The fact that neither their Lord, nor their beloved Evenstar showed any signs of disgust swayed more than a few elves, most of whom had been in Imladris since its inception. While for others, especially the warriors, it was the sight of the Balrog Slayer - The one elf who had been to the Halls of Mandos and returned - placing his hands upon the twins' shoulders as he staunchly regarded the crowd that brought for them, a needed resolution. Still, many others showed their deep conflict as their struggle continued.
It was in this troubled atmosphere that one elf arose to speak.
" That such debauchery has been allowed to fester within the realm of Imladris is unconscionable!."
Lord Hallaorn's voice thundered off the walls in the Hall of Fire, stilling the murmurings of the crowd.
" I urge all good and decent elves to turn away from the perpetrators of this abomination!." The tall elf continued, the blaze of righteous indignation smouldering in his hard eyes. " For surely, their foulness is a stench beneath the very nostrils of the Valar!."
The Mirkwood elf's voice then dropped, omminously.
" They must be imprisoned until the Council of Judgement, lest they further corrupt this once-fair realm... Or would your Lord continue to disregard the very laws of our kind in order to indulge behavior that is clearly the result of a bloodline stained by human weakness?."
Even the ever-burning flames in the giant hearth of the great hall, seemed to come to a shocked stillness at the viciousness of that statement.
Glorfindel's hands tightened their hold upon the twins' shoulders. Shoulders, that were tensed in preparation to fight. Elladan and Elrohir would withstand any and all insults directed at them, but Lord Hallaorn's last insinuation had been an offense against their sister and Ada and their Peredhel heritage as well.
Both Ja-zel and Erestor growled deep in their throats, turning eyes that had gone feral towards the pale-haired elf, who could not help but stagger back a step in fear. Aragorn, too, brought his gaze to bear in that direction, his countenance reminding all that the Dunadan Rangers could be very dangerous folk, indeed. Behind the human, Melpomaen's face had suddently gone white, as the image of an elaborately-embossed scroll came into his mind.
Before the hall could erupt in anger, another elf stood up, his dulcet voice proving to be the soothing balm that managed to stave off a potential disaster.
" Lord Hallaorn. I can see how you, as a guest in Imladris, would have trouble understanding the dilemma that those of us who live here are faced with. Most of us have known Lord Elladan and Lord Elrohir since the joyous occassion of their birth. And we have watched them grow up, in spite of tragedies faced, into brave and honorable elves."
Here, Lindir paused. His sea-green eyes sweeping across the room, to find many heads nodding in agreement. Those eyes briefly met with the Lord of Imladris and in that moment, Elrond let his lover see the deep gratitude he felt. The minstrel's eyes finally came to rest upon the twins and he bowed respectfully, before continuing.
" Lord Elladan, Lord Elrohir. You have not denied the griveous charge that has been laid upon you. Yet I sense that there is more here than meets the eye and so I ask you; Will you not speak of this and tell us what is in your hearts?."
It seemed that all in the room held their collective breath as they awaited the twins' answer. Elladan and Elrohir stepped forward and as their hands entwined, a soft, pure light began to emanate from them, bringing a gasp from those in audience.
" We will speak, if you will listen." Elladan said.
Lord Hallaorn's face twisted in rage.
" I will not stand here and..."
" Then leave!." Ja-zel interrupted, growling menacingly.
With a look of bravado that could not quite conceal his fear of the Lyoness, the tall Mirkwood elf did just that, exiting the Hall of Fire with shoulders squared in ucompromising intolerance.
As soon as his figure receded from sight, the rest of the elves turned expectantly back to the twins who, after taking a moment to collect their thoughts, began to speak...
Much later, after most in the Last Homely House had retreated into troubled sleep, Glorfindel crossed the treshold of his own quarters. His brow furrowed as he glanced around.
Melpomaen was not there.
The Balrog Slayer left the rooms, going first to the library, then to the kitchens, before finally stopping outside the door to the assistant's old chamber. Melpomaen had not returned to it since the day all of his belongings had been moved into the seneschal's quarters, but as Glorfindel touched the doorhandle, he knew his young love was within. He opened the door to find Melpomaen sitting on the floor at the far end wall, with knees drawn up to his chest, arms wrapped around them and his brow resting atop as his shoulders shook from the force of his heart-rending sobs.
" Melpomaen!." An alarmed Glorfindel exclaimed, rushing to his lover's side.
Dropping to sit on the floor, he gathered the slender form in his arms. Melpomaen resisted for a moment, then melted into the Balrog Slayer's embrace.
" M-m-my f-fault!... T-this is all m-my fault!." He cried, disconsolately. " I s-sent it away. I... I...gave it to the m-m-messenger w-with my own h-h-hands!."
" Gave what?." Glorfindel asked, confused.
" T-t-the S-s-scroll!." The assistant wailed.
For one moment longer, Glorfindel's confusion remained. Then, comprehension dawned with brutal clarity, as his mind's eye connected Lord Hallaorn's vitriolic words in the Hall of Fire, to the image of a hand tossing a lavishly-decorated scroll case onto the desk in Erestor's study.
" Oh, meleth nin..." He murmured. " This is not your fault."
" But..."
Glorfindel tilted the trembling chin up, looking deeply into the tear-stained face.
" Listen to me, seron vell. There is no way you could have gleaned the contents of that scroll. None of us were aware that Hallaorn had found out about the twins, so I repeat; this is not your fault!."
Melpomaen let out a deep sigh, as if suddently relieved of a great weight, then laid his head to rest upon his beloved's chest. For a long while all was silent, as the two elves continued to sit on the floor of that dark, empty room. But at last, Melpomaen's soft voice broke the stillness.
" What is to become of them?." He asked, tremulously.
Now it was Glorfindel's turn to sigh, as he tightened his embrace and leaned his head back against the wall.
" I do not know..."
TBC...