[ There are times, when he is particularly weary, that Elrond finds his patience with his wife's extended family wears somewhat thin. Do you not know how fortunate you are, he thinks to himself, though he would never dare say, to still have your family with you? To be born into a time of peace? But he understands, too, for however much the loss of his parents, his brother, and the experience of having borne witness to a great war, that proximity to such power as they have all been promised (in one fashion or another) is a dizzying influence. He pities Aegon, for that. The very same influence he wishes not to wield is what gives him the power to do as he wills otherwise, a dichotomy he does not seem to entirely understand.
Still, the thought is passing, for now, as he returns his mind and his attention back to Rhaenyra. He nods, adding, ] I think it best not to linger. [ There are too many people here, too many high emotions, and should the matter of Driftmark's succession require their vote or involvement, it isn't as though they'll be totally out of reach.
(And, blessedly, the night passes without event. In this life, with Rhaenyra yet to bear children, Vermax is given to Aegon; claim to Vhagar remains with Laena's daughters.)
His smile grows softer in response to hers. (That wrinkle of her nose is something he finds endearing each time the expression crosses her face. It's similar to the way he's grown fonder and less wary of Syrax — there's a distinct charm to watching a beast so great, so dangerous, indulge in its more playful or childish impulses.) The crash of the waves still sounds in his ears, but — such farewells are not all sorrow, though that can sometimes be difficult to remember. He nods again in answer, the gesture accompanied by a slight shrug of his shoulders. ]
I cannot deny that I am. It is strange, I would say that I sometimes feel split in two, except the words carry too much pain to be true to my meaning. My home is with you, that is what I hold most important in my heart. But there are threads, still, that tie me to my people, beyond the framework of political alliance, all of which I would share with you.
[ A little too earnest, perhaps, but he thinks it required given the delicacy of the subject matter at hand. He has a life here, now, with her, but that does not erase his connections to Middle-earth, to Valinor. To simplify things to some extent, he is glad that the occasion for their betrothal demands maintaining ties across the sea, and the occasion to see old friends again.
The precariousness of their position — and more pointedly, their impending absence — is not lost upon him, especially as Viserys' health shows no signs of improving. But, in the interest of ensuring his daughter's smooth succession, and to address matters in the most practical terms possible, he had done well to wed her to an elf. A slight against her would also be a slight against her husband, and the prospect of drawing the High King's ire, and moreover, the High King's action, is a powerful deterrent. In truth, Elrond does not believe Gil-galad willing to march to war over such a thing, but the Greens need not know that. ]
Are you looking forward to visiting again? Admittedly, your last visit to Middle-earth was painfully brief, nor do I believe you were given so much latitude as to explore.
no subject
Still, the thought is passing, for now, as he returns his mind and his attention back to Rhaenyra. He nods, adding, ] I think it best not to linger. [ There are too many people here, too many high emotions, and should the matter of Driftmark's succession require their vote or involvement, it isn't as though they'll be totally out of reach.
(And, blessedly, the night passes without event. In this life, with Rhaenyra yet to bear children, Vermax is given to Aegon; claim to Vhagar remains with Laena's daughters.)
His smile grows softer in response to hers. (That wrinkle of her nose is something he finds endearing each time the expression crosses her face. It's similar to the way he's grown fonder and less wary of Syrax — there's a distinct charm to watching a beast so great, so dangerous, indulge in its more playful or childish impulses.) The crash of the waves still sounds in his ears, but — such farewells are not all sorrow, though that can sometimes be difficult to remember. He nods again in answer, the gesture accompanied by a slight shrug of his shoulders. ]
I cannot deny that I am. It is strange, I would say that I sometimes feel split in two, except the words carry too much pain to be true to my meaning. My home is with you, that is what I hold most important in my heart. But there are threads, still, that tie me to my people, beyond the framework of political alliance, all of which I would share with you.
[ A little too earnest, perhaps, but he thinks it required given the delicacy of the subject matter at hand. He has a life here, now, with her, but that does not erase his connections to Middle-earth, to Valinor. To simplify things to some extent, he is glad that the occasion for their betrothal demands maintaining ties across the sea, and the occasion to see old friends again.
The precariousness of their position — and more pointedly, their impending absence — is not lost upon him, especially as Viserys' health shows no signs of improving. But, in the interest of ensuring his daughter's smooth succession, and to address matters in the most practical terms possible, he had done well to wed her to an elf. A slight against her would also be a slight against her husband, and the prospect of drawing the High King's ire, and moreover, the High King's action, is a powerful deterrent. In truth, Elrond does not believe Gil-galad willing to march to war over such a thing, but the Greens need not know that. ]
Are you looking forward to visiting again? Admittedly, your last visit to Middle-earth was painfully brief, nor do I believe you were given so much latitude as to explore.