— something new begins to take

[ziryla]

— I need my golden crown of sorrow, my bloody sword to swing; I need my empty halls to echo with grand self-mythology —

( a little place for our feral little hearts. )

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[osanwe]

[ 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.

[ziryla]

( Perhaps such reminders would serve them well; or fall on deaf ears. It has been enlightening to watch Elrond's perspective, at times. To know that even his adamantine patience wears thin. Easy thoughts do not follow — instead, she wonders if it will ever wear so thin it will break. It is not in his character as much as in her anxieties, those weaker moments fueled entirely by culminated frustrations. (She knows, at some degree, that it is a fault of her own, too. The fractured remnants of her friendship with the Queen Consort laid out the foundation of the relationship between her half-siblings — or rather the complete lack thereof, but she cannot bring herself to try and mend it all. They are all guilty of being stuck in their stubborn ways.)

And still, it has taken an outside perspective looking in to have Rhaenyra realizing how messy things have truly gotten. The thought goes unvoiced, but she has to wonder, at times — this will not settle with her ascension, should it even be allowed to occur. Petty quarrels bleed longest.

But — to lighter matters at hand. Especially now, it feels akin to chasing the sun. As they walk the halls — blissfully away from higher emotion, higher tension (and thus, history rewritten), it's easier to ease her shoulders, the tension of her arm lessening, sliding instead to thread her fingers through his as she listens.

My home is with you he says and no matter how many times he speaks of such things, or passes small compliments, it is said so wholly it always catches her breath. But she has an end. A startling thought, though not entirely irrelevant, given the funeral at their backs. She cannot bring herself to ask where he intends on going after her death (or if their children will follow, because that is a conversation that hangs closer and closer as Viserys' strength wanes and his needling persists). That isn't how she wants their adventure to begin.

There's a hum, thoughtful. ) It has been your home for far longer than we've known one another. I do not blame your sentiment. To some degree, I even hope I understand it. ( Targaryens held a history lost to flame; many of them had yearned for a return to something that was no longer there. She saw it in Daemon, at least. She saw it in how they held their traditions, their tongue. It isn't the exact same, she knows that too. ) I'm happy you want to share such things.

( He has had a life without her for far longer; and for far longer, gods willing, will he have it beyond her. Middle Earth had served as his home through it all and despite his absolute devotion, is this political union not a short breath when held up to the year before and to follow?

It is a benefit to them, that the elven alliance (in whatever capacity it was) was one of high privacy. Hardly any could claim to know elven nature, and that Gil-galad was unlikely to send any contingent to march for them was not an assumption many would know of, regardless. That, she hoped, would need to be enough.

Before long, the worry of what they left will be replaced by the thrill of the journey, the wonder of things she's yet to see. An adventure to a world not even Daemon had ventured to, to think! All for them, to quell a dragon's hunger.

She smiles, and it wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. ) I am, yes. Very much so. I've no marriage to be rush to, ( said with love. )

Admittedly, I was thinking of gifts. I could not very well come empty handed.

[osanwe]

[ There are a few conversations he knows yet await them: the question of children, whether they desire them at all, and if so, then when, given their still tentative steps into intimacy; and the matter of whether or not she would desire, when the time should come, to sail into Valinor, let alone whether or not his kin would permit such a thing. It is, in theory, a less pressing matter, but he cannot deny that the issue of time is not one that plagues him. The idea is one that appeals to him — that the end of her mortal time should not preclude the ability for them to spend more time together — but he knows it to be selfish, too. Even at death's doorstep, it would be difficult at the best of times for a queen to leave her people.

(It is strange, too, to admit to himself just how quickly he has become fond of her, how attached he feels. He looks for her when she is not present, misses her when they are parted. He had never thought himself to be so easily affected by anything before, but with her— the years seem to fall away. He does not relish the idea of losing that feeling, knowing that what they have is finite. He understands better now the tales of those from whom he is descended, of the kinds of emotions that spur such great tales. It makes him wonder, in the moments he allows for his ambition to take true hold, how they will be written of; if the marriage will be purely characterized by its political significance or if they will manage something greater.)

But, for the moment, he smiles in return, a soft laugh escaping him. It is a relief that their journey is one she's eager for, rather than solely an obligation. He knows, already, that there'll be some work to be done — the missives he receives hint at some unrest, though he does not know yet if he'll be able to be of much use — but, as per their conversation already, he does not intend to let such things monopolize their time. Time is such a precious thing, after all. Day by day he grows more conscious of the waste of it.

He also imagines there'll be some to-do given Syrax's presence (and some more thoughtfulness required should they travel with the beast outside of the Elven realm, particularly if they intend for their trip to be free of any potential violence), but that's a bridge they'll cross when they come to it. ]

I think you will very quickly become the apple of every eye that perceives you, [ he says, of her inclination.

In fairness, he'd think so even if gifts weren't on her mind, but there are few better ways to prove oneself a considerate guest, and more than that, he finds himself touched by the thought, that she should think that one step further for the sake of those he calls kin and kindred. ]

May I ask what you had in mind?

[ziryla]

What flattering bias you have, husband, ( dryly, though with a pleased little smile before her expression turns a bit more thoughtful, a twist to the moue of her mouth.

it is easiest, perhaps to address the more pragmatic side of their journey, lest they spend more time dwelling on it than she’d like: ) In the interest of keeping an appropriate message, I thought to present the High King with a sapling of our Weirwood. Viserys wishes to pass some letters along, a continued confirmation of maintaining our political agreements and we need to ensure that, despite what Gil-Galad might hear on the matters of succession — should he — Targaryen word holds steadfast. ( she knows it sounds terribly droll, in some way. Impersonal, nuanced. Necessary. Setting the right pieces in motion for when they might call for Elven support in return (if by promise alone, and not sword). It almost feels petty, in some way, but her hope lies in the sapling, then. A reminder perhaps, of growth. Of peace, of appreciation. A living thing to tend the life of, as they have done here. It would send a different message if she were to present any sort of armament, ceremonial or no (even if more fitting with their history of conquest, but that is certainly not how she wishes to tend this history. Her whole lifetime, as it were).

With that out of the way, she sighs, lets the silence linger a little while as they turn to their guest chambers. A chance for him to speak in agreement or against while she tosses a brief look at the tapestries hung around the quarters. They show victories of the Sea Snake, ever persistent reminders of conquest and survival and pride in equal measure. Her eyes pass along them without much hold, though it is Corlys’s errant remark that lingers — history remembers names.

She turns a softer attention back to Elrond (at times, she has to wonder, if she has her love for him, why she would need anything else, but those are thoughts best reserved for poets, and not future queens) ) — As for Durin, and Lady Galadriel — ( absently, her hand rises to the Elessar, held precious in so many ways, more and more with the tales Elrond had shared on its significance.

As with many things around her, this too felt bigger than she was. Could anything ever come close?

Truly, there had only ever been one thing to ever try. ) — I thought Valyrian Steel to be most fitting. It is a metal that has not been recreated since Valyria’s fall. The edges never dull, the steel never tarnishes.

The pieces we have carry that significance. It is the only thing we have that might boast the same longevity. ( There are things in that she doesn’t say. How she wishes for them to know how much significance Elrond holds. How he had changed everything. And how, no matter what may befall her house upon these shores, that there may be keepsakes scattered within Middle Earth, free of what the futures might hold. The last bastion of memory.

Of course, there is no shortage of the greed of infinity, around him. And of course, it works in such brittle dichotomy to her father’s health, to the inevitability of time and the duty to her house and kingdom that she has thus far ignored for the sake of indulging in the warmth of a slow development.

She had approached one of their packs, to remove a slender wrapping of deep red. ) For Galadriel — it would be a gift from myself as much as Viserys. I do not think I’ve ever seen him parted with it before. ( In her hands sits the dagger of the King, an elegant sweep of a blade that sings of old history.

To some degree, she knows it pains him to part with it, near as much as it pains her to see him parted. But just the same, it would have been Rhaenyra’s one day, to do with as she pleases. And If their lives are to interweave with the elves, who better to hold to prophecy of kings than the Lady Galadriel herself?

Perhaps Viserys knows he would not outlast this ailment to an age that would have fit him.

Rhaenyra extends the dagger, holding the steel above the flame. Its warm on her skin, against her fingers, but she had never minded the heat. Valyrian script soon alights itself across the swirling metal and she keeps her gaze upon it. ) Do you think a safekeeping of prophecy would be a fitting gift, or an obvious burden?

[osanwe]

[ To a certain extent, Elrond has always known the colors of the tapestry that could come to be his life — an early interest in and talent for politics had led to a place in the High King's court, and his rise to the position of herald had shaped what sort of avenues would be afforded him next. He had known, before his marriage to Rhaenyra had been arranged, that his life would never be purely of luxury, that to be a representative of his people, to play some role in stewarding their future, demanded a degree of personal sacrifice.

And so this discussion now, of what will best maintain the relationship between House Targaryen and the Elves, of what kind of gift will make the best impression and suggestion as to their intertwined futures — as much as it may be a chore, there's something heartening in being able to share it with her, in being able to track the course of her thoughts. Bias, she says, which isn't strictly untrue, but that's hardly a problem in his mind. ]

I imagine the High King would take kindly to such gifts, [ he says in agreement. A sapling would be appreciated, he knows, and suits the Elves' affinity for nature, and some correspondence from the King would likely set Gil-galad's mind a little more at ease. (They are similar in some ways, Elrond thinks, though he does not give voice to it.) As for whether or not Gil-galad has yet heard of the conflict brewing within Viserys' court, the burden rests largely on Elrond's shoulders as his people's main emissary; there'll be no avoiding it, he expects, though his prognosis is somewhat more positive than his wife's.

(As for Viserys — there is a part of him that wonders if the King would not benefit from the medicine of the Elves, if they might not somehow be able to turn the tide of the illness that ravages his body. But that is not a decision for him to make, and, nascent as the thought is, he has yet to bring it up to Rhaenyra. The moment has not yet presented itself, but perhaps soon—)

The sight of the dagger is the first thing to give Elrond pause. Even without it said aloud, he recognizes the importance it holds not only in terms of prophecy but as to Rhaenyra and Viserys' attachment to it as a marker of their legacy. It's strange — the design is not dissimilar to what the Elves prefer in their arms, especially in short-swords and daggers, though its colors are somewhat more striking than the more celestial palette of his kin.

Gently, as he watches the letters come to light upon the metal: ] We do not see prophecy as a burden. I think she will see it for what it is, as a signifier of trust.

[ His gaze finds hers, then, searching her features. He knows well that she would not even bring it up if she weren't certain, if she hadn't already spoken of it with her father, but still: ]

Are you certain you wish to part with it?