The secret

Light subdued

Elrond was standing on the balcony, staring out at the valley. The first green sprouts of spring covered the ground and the sunlight turned the stronghold into a very inviting sight but the lord's face was a bit grim this morning. There was nothing he could do about it, he didn't like the situation even a bit. He sighed and tried to smile at his counsellor who came walking along one of the paved paths, his hands full of parchments ready for signing. Erestor saw him and nodded his head in respect and Elrond nodded back. The crisp morning air usually filled the peredhel with cheer and energy but not this morning, too much was at stake.

He still remembered it, the conversation he had had with his eldest son, the angry words and the resentment Elladan had felt. It was all for a higher cause, they had to remember this. Sacrifices were needed if they were to survive the rising darkness, they all had to do their fair share. Elladan had been fuming with a rather volatile mix of emotions and he had been far from willing, claiming that he already did enough fighting orcs. Elrond knew that his son was right, he really shouldn't have to do this but there was none other who were suitable. Elrond had to sigh thinking about it, the way Elladan's flint grey eyes had been flaming and the stern look upon his handsome face. "I will not do it ada, no way. I am not going to marry some...sinda! And absolutely not the daughter of that insufferably arrogant...piece of wargdung!"

Elrond rubbed his temples, his head ached and he wished that the situation was avoidable but it wasn't. The relationship between Imladris and Lothlorien was good and they cooperated well, but Mirkwood was a different matter. Over the years of the late second age and the early centuries of the third age that realm had started causing problems, and over time they had gotten worse, much worse. Thranduil was extremely suspicious towards anyone who wasn't of his own population and of the noldorin elves in special. Elrond wouldn't say that Thranduil hated them but it was pretty close to it.

Mirkwood had been isolated for centuries and he felt that Thranduil was becoming more and more paranoid, he refused any help and even though there wasn't officially war between that realm and the other elven settlements it wasn't far from it. Elrond could almost be tempted to call it a sort of war, if any elves from the other realms were caught within the borders of Mirkwood they were imprisoned and interrogated and treated in a rather cruel way. Nobody had died but over the years the relationship between the Noldorin and Sindarin and Silvan elves had become very hostile and strained. Elrond was sorry it had come to this, the noldor regarded the sindar of Mirkwood as haughty and aggressive and the silvan as primitive and barbaric. They in turn regarded the noldor as naught but lying manipulative power hungry and greedy relicts of the first age not worthy of any trust.

But finally some sort of peace had been created through a lot of diplomatic work and not a small amount of sweet talk and promises. And to seal the deal so to speak marriages were to be arranged. One of Galadriel and Celeborn's foster sons were being sent to Mirkwood to marry one of Thranduil's daughters and another daughter of the monarch was being sent to Imladris to marry one of Elrond's sons. Elrond shook his head and tried to think straight, he had been offered the elleth at first but he had no intention of ever getting married again, his Celebrian was waiting for him across the sundering sea and he knew he would meet with her again. But his sons were not married and so the duty fell upon Elladan. Who was truly and honestly aghast to say the least, he had almost thrown a tantrum when Elrond told him of the decision and only his great respect for his father had prevented him from doing something truly stupid.

Elladan had been sulking for quite a while and Elrond couldn't say that he blamed his son for it, the eldar usually never married like that, to strengthen political bonds, but this time it had to be done. They were walking along a razors edge when it came to Mirkwood, they needed the support of the king, to know that he would aid them against the rising darkness. The silvan elves were perhaps less wise but they were extremely skilled warriors and there is strength in numbers. Elladan had claimed that Thranduil were trying to insult them, that he regarded them as unworthy and below him and his people and Elrond knew why. Thranduil had always regarded the peredhil as tainted with human weakness and it was not at all unthinkable that he used this as an opportunity to mock them. He had a rather peculiar sense of propriety and Elrond sighed once more. The elleth and her entourage were expected to arrive this morning and he didn't quite know how to greet her. He had accepted this out of a sense of duty and also out of pity, he knew a few things his son didn't.