Chapter Text
“Careful Xornoth-” A light weight is pressed on the toddler's arms as dark red eyes meet the soft winter blue of his mothers,”-he’s delicate.”
His mother had the most beautiful snow white skin that anyone had ever seen. The dress she had chosen today was a midnight blue slim gown with immaculate gold trim. Her eyes were like the sky after a winter storm, clear and perfect. She was nothing if not gentle with the princes which she had borne. Xornoth sometimes wished he’d inherited something more from her, at the very least he wanted to hold her graceful demeanor.
When she walked, it was like her feet left the ground and her dress pooled around her in a display of perfection, every twitch of her muscles calculated and intent on spreading a calm demeanor, one that brought peace of mind to even the most frantic of minds.
She and his father had sat him down a long time ago, her stomach looked like a bowl was shoved under her peach pink dress, as she pressed her form against his father. They had spoken about how they were going to expand the family, how his mother was expecting, and she was due in a few months. Xornoth was a lot of things, but he was never an idiot. From the rush of the maids, to the sweat on the brow of the butler, no one had been prepared for this.
Before long, one of the many guest rooms was fitted to become a nursery. The king and queen went to Xornoth for questions of what kinds of toys he’d liked when he was younger, his time was spent in the libraries with the maids rather than in his mothers arms, and the king of Rivendell announced to the people that the queen was expecting another child. All the while, his mother’s stomach continued to expand. The Queen seemed to glow as the days continued. Very different from what everyone had told of her pregnancy with Xornoth.
According to one of the older maids, the Queen was practically bedridden for the majority of her pregnancy with Xornoth. He could see the outline of doctors stations on the walls, the much older trails in the carpets from rushing doctors and nurses. He could see it in the eyes of the nurses as they rushed him away from his mother, it was like they were afraid that he would hurt her, like his mere presence would curse her. When she was pregnant with Xornoth a sickness had ravaged her body for months on end, sapping her energy and leaving her in a horrible delirious state. This sickness had apparently carried on until he was born, many doctors had feared that he’d died in the womb.
Xornoth had heard the stories of his birth from his parents. He'd screamed as soon as he’d arrived, the nurses had compared it to a war cry. He had refused to quiet down until he was returned to his mother’s arms. He was born strong, ‘born to rule’ as his father had put it, this child was not like that. Where Xornoth had the intense dark red eyes and coarse maroon hair of their father, the baby in his arms had soft blue hair that was fluffier than any sheeps wool, their mother’s heart shaped smile and soft light skin. He slept soundly as he was passed off to him.
This child was also a boy, he clearly inherited their mothers skin and hair, but beyond that, he had her shy quiet demeanor. This baby had everything Xornoth wanted, but even as a child Xornoth couldn't find it in himself to hate the way the baby looked. He was so small in his brother's arms, and when the baby slowly blinked awake, he saw his mothers eyes looking back at him. Everyone was chattering excitedly among themselves, sending gleeful glances in the direction of the princes, or the little one in Xornoth’s arms. Xornoth was so transfixed by the baby's blue eyes, he hadn't heard the doors to the room click open.
“He’s going to need you, son.” His father appeared across the room, a prideful gleam in his eyes, as if seeing both his sons in the same room was the greatest thing to grace this land. “He’ll need protection, a leader. If you are to rule this kingdom one day, you'll need to be able to provide for both him and our people.” His father kneeled in front of him, a gentle hand resting on the baby's forehead. “He is your chance to prove yourself. Can you do that?”
Xornoth looked down at the baby. Deep blue eyes looked back at him with such wonder and innocence that Xornoth wondered if he’d ever looked like this. So helpless and small.
“Yes, Father.” Xornoth pressed the child closer to his chest, something warm blooming in it that he couldn't quite place, settling and refusing to go away. “I will protect him with my life.”
For the longest time, Xornoth kept to that promise. When the baby, now Scott, became ill Xornoth was right there the whole time, comforting his little brother. When Scott became older, Xornoth took it upon himself to play with him outside so his little brother would get the enrichment he needed to grow up as strong as him. This didn't last, as the legend of the great stags foretold, there was a fatal fallout between brothers but there is something the scholars never told anyone. Xornoth may have been cruel but he was far from heartless, the fallout, and his treatment of Scott tended to a deep regret that plagued the heir during his young years. Even if he didn't understand what that feeling was.
When Scott was writhing in his bed, begging for his brother's company as golden antlers grew out of his head, Xornoth was foolishly sitting in the caves, listening to the praises of the dark god. When Scott was celebrating getting his steed, a mighty stag that would carry for a lifetime, Xornoth had outright laughed in his face. When Scott was once again ill, this time with his wings coming in, Xornoth had sneered down at his little brother, calling him weak and practically spitting in his face. The bond forged between the brothers was all but destroyed through vanity and jealousy.
If the destruction of such a warm relationship upset the young prince, such tears were only ever seen on his pillow and the carpet of his bedroom. Such depressing thoughts later became far too fleeting for him to linger on. As the corruption of the demon spread, the hatred the demon felt for Rivendell, the royals, for Scott became mixed with Xornoth’s own emotions. Emotions that allowed him to tear through the castle on that dark winter night. When his parents breathed their last breath. That was when Xornoth broke his promise, when Scott approached him with a heartbroken fury and banished him to a long forgotten world.
It shouldn't have been a surprise when Scott banished him. Between the death of their parents, the abuse from Xornoth’s side, and the insane expectations placed on the young elf since his brother abandoned the crown. That didn't mean that Xornoth saw the simple logic in his brother's position.
It wasn't until he came back many years later, his brother's prophesied death on his mind, that he saw something… else. The Scott before, the one at his beck and call, was sweet. His little brother had been spontaneous and intensely passionate about anything he cared about. The Scott that stood before him right now was… cold, passionless.
Gone was the infinite youth that his brother once held. His deep blue eyes sunken and dark, deep lines etched in his face from sleepless nights. If Xornoth didn't know better, he’d say that he felt sorry for the elf. After all he was ment for this job. Xornoth was the one to go through all the classes and who got all the infinite knowledge passed from his parents. Scott was decidedly not the best choice for the hard work that came with running an empire.
For Xornoth himself, everything came in flashes of consciousness. His god, Exor, had long since taken charge. Xornoth took a backseat in his own mind. It wasn't so bad, Exor had made sure that Xornoth was comfortable in the darkness. The heat had once been unbearable, like fire running through his veins. Now, the flame was familiar, warm. Until he was put into the crystal. Like a door slammed in his face, the prince was forced to stare down at what he’d done.
It was like he was standing in a room of red glass. The demon remained at the back of his head, but whatever that witch had done must have muted his power to some degree. Xornoth could see… everything. The witch and her soft hands as the gem was passed to Scott. There was an argument over his head but it was hard to understand at the moment. At the end of it all, Scott walked away with the gem, a sour look on his face.
Scott looked worse than he did in his visions, the bags under his eyes were darker than they were before, his cyan hair was falling out of the tight low ponytail that he kept it in, and he somehow looked paler.
Scott held Xornoth close to his chest on the way to Rivendell. he cyan colored roofs and castle on the mountain held a heartbreaking resemblance to the one that had been burnt down all those years ago.
The empire was beautiful, sprawling in dots all over the endless mountains of Rivendell. Scott’s eye for detail showing in every building. Each of them had gardens in large windows, flowers ranging from all colors of the rainbow sitting peacefully on window sills and in corners. A cobblestone path webbing around the empire as if it could somehow connect all the small towns that seemed so far away, and in some whimsy way, it succeeded.
Xornoth was so focused on the kingdom that he almost didn't see the massive castle standing above it all. It sat comfortably, nestled in the mountain much like the buildings that surrounded it. Between the dark stone that made up the base, before slowly lightening up into a cloudy white. Xornoth would almost believe Scott if he told him that he’d found this place like this, not built it up from the ashes he left.A kingdom made by the gods to give rest to their people.
Scott brought him to the side of a mountain under the castle, to the naked eye that's all it was, but Xornoth could recognize the magic that surrounded the stone wall. Woven through it was the magic of his mother, and now his brother. Xornoth couldn't help the proud smile that crossed his lips when he saw it.
Just being here felt like he’d settled down in a warm bath after a hard day of work. He hadn't noticed how dirty he felt, every inch of his skin felt grainy and damp, as if he’d just spent the day rolling around in the dirt rather than trying to kill his brother.
Scott approached the base of the mountain, a pale hand coming up to touch it as large sapphire colored runes glowed softly in the dimming daylight. A door appeared in front of them, one that looked like it had been carved into the stone long ago, rather than one that had appeared in front of them moments ago. The edges were smooth and glittered softly in the low light. Scott stepped through the door, revealing a meeting room of sorts.
There were six chairs surrounding a long table, a pair of golden stag antlers standing above them, much larger than the ones that sat on Scott's head, the ones that should not be able to sit there anymore, not after what Xornoth did. These antlers looked like they had been plucked off one of the statues outside. Part of Xornoth wondered if those were the antlers of the god himself, gifted to Scott after his years of hard work and dedication.
Scott sighed, slowly putting the gem on a table, before slipping off the antlers and putting them next to it, Xornoth felt his heart shatter as the stumps on his brother's head made a brief appearance before his hair covered them again. Scott stumbled over to one of the chairs and practically collapsed into it. He glared at the gem before laying his head down on the table and taking a slow deep breath before sitting back up and rising from the chair. He stepped up to the gem and if Xornoth where standing in front of him, in all his glory, he would have cowered under that glare.
Instead of saying anything, Scott just turned away from him and turned towards the table, his eyes practically sunken in at this point, he looked more mortal every time Xornoth looked at him. If he looked close enough he could have sworn he saw silver streaks in his little brother's hair, much like their mothers own hair during the darkest times of their empire.
Scott let out a soft scoff, flinching when a soft hooting echoed through the room. With a shuffling sound, Scott stood up and walked out of Xornoth’s line of sight.
The gem was odd, Xornoth didn't have a physical form so to speak, but he was able to move through the gem. The ‘air’ inside the gem was thick and stuffy, making it hard to look around and try to keep his eyes on the worn out king.
Luckily for Xornoth, Scott appeared once more, this time holding a yellowing piece of parchment and a sour expression. Scott glanced at the paper, then the crystal before sighing.
“It's from Kathrine and Gem, they were wondering how I’m planning on celebrating your defeat…” Xornoth felt like someone had just taken a knife and jabbed it into his gut. Was he really so terrible that they needed to celebrate his apparent death? ”They want to invite everyone, so I can't exactly leave you here, but I can't go around wearing a demon around my neck either…” Scott sighed through his nose and dropped the paper on the table, he rubbed his hands over his face before shaking his head.
All Xornoth could do was stare as Scott crumbled in front of him. His brother, the only family he had left, the one he promised to protect with his life, was slowly falling to the floor; clearly holding back tears as he leaned against the leg of the stone table. Scott's hands fell from his face, dropping to his lap as he looked back up at the crystal.
Xornoth pushed away the demon at the back of his head as he started pounding against the walls of his prison, his little brothers face was flushed and pale at the same time, his forehead and chin a pasty white while his cheeks were the same red as the poppies that covered the nation that the- he called home.
“Why couldn't you just be my brother?” Scott looked away from Xornoth’s prison, pulling his legs to his chest and burying his face into his knees. “I don't even remember what life was like before all of this. I need someone who knows what life was like before… I need my brother.”
For once in his life, Xornoth wanted to be there, he wanted to wrap his brother in his arms, to take away his worries. Their father had never known of Xornoth’s treacherous meetings with the Exor Scott had never seen a reason to go to the classes that Xornoth took. For their entire lives, there was an unspoken acceptance that Xornoth would be king, that Scott would be his loyal right hand man. Xornoth should be the one crumbling at his brother's feet, it wasn't supposed to be like this.
Xornoth choked back a cry, scratching at the prison, something told him that Scott would know that his brother was crumbling, and he didn't need that. Scott needed a strong pillar to hold him in this trying time. Crystal or not, he had a feeling that Scott would find some way to know. Scott was always the smarter of the two.
So instead of crying, Xornoth focused on his brother. It had been years since Xornoth had used elven magic, years spent with the demon, learning how to corrupt and destroy. So, instead of using the magic of corruption, Xornoth looked down at his hands. A soft yellow light illuminated from them, a simple spell that helped calm a racing mind, one his father taught him.
With a deep breath, Xornoth pressed his hand against the wall.
The magic was pure of any malice or corruption. While Xornoths’ voice would never be able to escape the crystal without a willing vessel, the magic was able to slowly leak out of the crystal, soft golden light split across the table, resting at Scotts feet.
When Scott felt his heartache melt away, and his destructive thoughts puttered to a stop, he slowly let his head rise from where it had been hidden.
The room was bathed in a soft golden light, magic like liquid gold shimmered on the ground, splashing at the corners and resting at his feet. His eyes moved from the ceiling that shimmered with the golden light, down to the shelf where he had placed his brother. The golden light was spilling out of the crystal like a waterfall. Scotts eyes sparkled in the light as he slowly got back to his feet and made his way back to the crystal. The magic had slowed to a trickle, and as Scott picked back up the crystal it came to a full stop.
As the soft light of the magic faded from the room, Scott stared blankly at the stone. The Xornoth Scott and the other emperors knew would have wallowed in his misery, they would have watched with glee as their brother crumbled in front of them, seeing it as a win. The magic that fell from the crystal didn't do that, this magic calmed and healed, he recognised it from his father’s teachings. A hazy memory of tearful nights and a never ending headache. The gem in his hand was noticeably foggy with a light red haze, the light reflecting on it seeming to be muted and almost gray. Scott put it back on the shelf, taking a step back and bringing his hand up to his chin in thought.
Scott glared at the crystal on the shelf. After everything Xornoth had put them through, why would they take the time now to try and calm someone that they had previously tried to kill? Scott walked up to the crystal and swiped it, dropping it in his pocket before making his way out of the caves.
His people were already all in a rush. Word of Xornoth’s demise had made its way to Rivendell, with mixed reactions. Most everyone cheered and celebrated at the news. The elders seemed to grieve the prince and sent pitying glances in the king's direction. Scott's advisors had come to him with questions about the late prince's funeral. Rather than join one of the many parties in Rivendell, or make conversation with some of the people like he normally would, Scott made a beeline for the chapel.
With the gem still in hand, Scott could feel a light thrum of activity. It was painfully similar to Scott’s own heartbeat. When he entered the church, the beating stuttered to a stop.
The grandeur of the church would have taken Scott’s breath away, if his hands didn't ache at the reminder of all the work he put into building it. After Lizzie and Joel’s wedding in Sausage’s church, Scott had taken it upon himself to build a place of worship for Aeor. Who knows, if he gave them permission, maybe the happy couple would have a little redo of their wedding in Rivendell. Scott was smirking at the memory of those red sheep that he ended up killing before Lizzie even started walking down the aisle.
The golden antlers of Aeor stood above him as Scott made his way down the soft blue carpet of the chapel. The eerie silence of it screamed in Scott’s ears as he kneeled in front of the altar, the carpet digging into his knees as he sat. The yellow and blue light of the stained glass above him glittered across the floor and over his hair as he took a deep breath and brought the crystal out of his pocket.
“We have him secured in the crystal, Aeor…” The rock was warm in his hand, it was almost comforting when compared to the icy exterior that it had when Scott had first taken the crystal from Gem. “He’s still in there, Aeor. Is there any way to help him get rid of the demon? Help me.” Scott pressed his forehead to the ground as he pleaded to the god. Aeor had yet to not listen to him.
Similar to every other time he’s prayed to the god Scott was met with silence. The crystal in his balled up fists seemed to have taken a moment to pause, almost like it had taken a breath and was holding it with him. Scott sighed as he rose back to his feet, looking down at the crystal.
“Aeor will answer me tomorrow. There better be some of my brother still left in there.” The gem suddenly shook, like someone was screaming inside of it. Scott rolled his eyes and shoved his fist into his pocket before strutting out of the chapel. He just had to go to bed.
Apparently, Scott thought as he layed in his bed, fighting your demon brother before locking him away in a crystal really keeps you up. The roof of his bedroom never looked more interesting than on that evening, apparently. He had been staring at it for what seemed like hours. With a light huff, Scott rolled out of bed and went to sit at his desk. If he was going to be kept up, he was going to spend this time getting some work done.
Unfortunately, his desk was no longer just the home of his paperwork and assortment of quills. The crystal glowed back at him. The light pulsing red almost seemed to mock Scott as he tried getting some work done, knowing what kind of person Xornoth was from some of the older elves though it was probably making fun of his nightdress. A simple cyan nightgown, his hair was drawn back into a loose braid.
“If I'm going to be up late, I might as well make myself useful.” He repeated to the crystal, not that it seemed to listen. Scott glanced at it, only to see a light yellow glow poking at the prison's walls. “Oh no you don't—” Scott scooped up the crystal, holding it tight in his hand and bringing it close to his face, “...you can't just do that every time I get stressed! I need to figure things out for myself sometimes.”
Apparently the crystal didn't agree, as it violently vibrated against Scott’s hand. With another huff, Scott put the crystal back on the table. He would just have to ignore the, apparently doting, brother that was locked in a crystal. Taking a quill out of its ink, Scott began reading through the paperwork until a rhythmic tapping stopped him in his tracks.
The crystal had gone back to its immobility, apparently frozen under Scott’s glare. This repeated a few more times than Scott would ever admit. The king would go back to paperwork, and try as he might, the insufferable sound of the knocking rock refused to knock itself into the background. The sound only stopped when Scott turned to glare at it.
There were so many things he could say to them right now, so many different curses, facts, anything, that would probably quiet them down. Sure Aeor might look down on Scott a bit for cursing out his demon brother, but who could blame him?
“You’re the one who did this to me you know…” Scott hadn’t meant for Xornoth to hear him, but apparently they did. The rhythmic vibrating quieted down as Scott slowly looked away from the parchment on his table and instead looked down at the crystal.
The soft red glow had dimmed down significantly so it wasn't too far fetched to think that they might be sulking. The king sighed, dropping the quill back into its holder and leaning back into his chair. The ceiling of his bedchambers was intricately carved with pictures of flowers and stars, a soft gold trim accenting the floral pattern in delicate strokes. With one more huff, Scott rose from his seat, giving one more stern glance at the crystal before slowly making his way back to bed.
Dreams were always weird for Scott. Sometimes he would be running through grass with someone else, or the dream is too much of a jumbled mess for him to make any sense out of it. On the better days, Scott wouldn't even remember his dreams. Tonight was different.
He was standing in Rivendell, not the one he sees in his dreams of his apparent childhood, but the one that was etched in his scars and bones. It was his empire, and Gem was standing next to him. The scene was eerily similar to a situation they had gone through, but part of Scott knew that there was no way to change the outcome of the dream. Gem had been talking, but now she had gone quiet. She wasn't looking at Scott, but she was looking at something next to him, or maybe behind him?
Joey showed up, like he had on that bright spring day, all smiles with the black crown on his head and his eyes emanating a dark red color. Scott’s eyes moved on their own when a shadow appeared next to him. The odd foil of the dream slowly became distorted to the point that all of the colors and emotions became little more than a blur. Joey approached Scott and Gem with Sausage, Scott couldn't see it, but he felt it. He was being taken away again, and Jimmy wouldn't be there to help him this time.
Tears started falling from his eyes when he saw the pair coming closer, his heart felt like it had tried escaping through his throat as he tried getting away from them but Scott couldn't move. His legs were trapped where they were, as someone screamed in his ear.
“SCOTT WAKE UP!”
It was like someone had physically snatched his soul and tried to rip it out of his body, a blur of red overtook the confusing yellows and blues that had overwhelmed his vision, before it all went black, and then he was on the floor.
Not the cobblestone ground of his dream, or even trapped in a cell to rot like he thought he would be. Blankets had tangled up his legs, and pillows were strewn across the floor, it was almost as if a tornado had come through here and thrown Scott off his bed. His heart was beating furiously against his ribcage as he lay gasping on the ground, his arm was supporting his head like a pillow, while his other arm was outstretched and covered in blankets, his sleeve was soaked… he’d been crying, and if the burning sensation at the back of his throat was any indication, he hadn't been very quiet about it.
Scott sat up on the ground, taking deep breaths as he took in his room. The moon had reached its full peak at this point, casting a soft blue light over everything as Scott stared blankly at his lap.
It wasn't the first time Scott had dreamed of that day, and it wouldn't be the last, but this time was different. Normally the dream would last for what felt like forever, sitting in that cell with no one but Gem as company, and even she seemed to go quiet after a while. Scott had found himself trapped in that cell for what seemed like years.
In a world where Jimmy never came over to gloat, Scott rotted away in a prison of his brother's creation.
This time, something stopped him. Something red blocked Joey and Sausage from him, and pulled him out of the dream. Someone had helped him out. With a long sigh, Scott pulled his arms closer to his lap, only to stare wide eyed at the arm that had been outstretched.
After unwrapping his hand from all the blankets that it was tangled in, Scott found a bright red crystal that was beating erratically in his palm. They were scared, scared for Scott. There was no way for the king to know what his brother had seen, but whatever it was had put Xornoth into a frenzy.
“It's okay,” Scott's voice was worn and quiet, almost as if he was afraid that someone would hear him. “…it was just a dream, Xornoth. I’m okay…” Despite this, the crystal only became more erratic, the yellow magic from earlier once again pressed up against the crystal walls, but Scott wrapped his hand around the crystal with a fond smile.
“Don't try it, you're only going to wear yourself out, Xornoth.” In classic Xornoth fashion, all the crystal did was press the magic even harder against their prison. Scott just closed his fist even tighter and let out an exasperated sigh. He stood up from his place on the floor, glancing at the balcony window, then the door that led out of his room, then the crystal. “Looks like neither of us are going to be able to sleep tonight… I'm going on a walk if you want to come with me.”
The crystal immediately died down, the light heartbeat thrumming pressing on his hand as Scott let out a sigh of relief. Knowing himself, he wouldn't be able to sleep for the rest of the night anyway, but it would be nice to have some company, even if said company was literally a pet rock.
After snatching up one of the lanterns off its pedestal, Scott made his way through the empty halls of the castle. Everyone would be in bed by now, if he went to the kitchens there might be some leftover sweets-- No, he was going on a walk to clear his head, not gorging himself on sweets until he felt better.
The blue light of the lantern reflected like moonlight against Scott's face as he glanced at the rock that was sitting in his open palm. Had they ever gone out and stolen sweets from the kitchens together?
The streets of Rivendell were silent as he made his way down one of the many paths that led to the city. The autumn wind tried to bite into his nose, but all it accomplished was a nice cool chill that seemed to soothe the tension on Scott’s shoulders. His house shoes tapped softly on the cobblestone road as he wandered around the empire with no end destination in mind.
The lanterns shrouded the walkway in a soft blue light as Scott walked up to one of the stone benches, sighing as he sat on the chair and placed the crystal under the lamplight.
“Rivendell has been doing well, I’ve rebuilt a settlement here, everyone has a house, and wool sales are pretty good right now.” Scott glanced at the rock before looking back down at the ground, pulling his legs up to his chest. “I’ll be honest, I had no Idea what the hell I was doing…” Understandably, the rock didn't talk back to him, but it did thrum softly in place. Scott could almost imagine someone was sitting next to him, nodding attentively. “I like to think I've done well, but I wasn't given any advice. After you left, I guess everyone just expected the second prince to pick up the pace.”
Silence fell over Scott as he stared blankly at the ground again. He must look like he’s gone mad, sitting in the dark, talking to a rock of all things. Despite his best efforts at getting it off his mind, that dream still seemed to push itself to the forefront of his thoughts, Scott finally starts thinking of something else for a moment only for the dream to come back up in his mind. It would probably be easier if he had some real company… Scott glanced at the rock with a scoff. He was such an idiot.
Inside the crystal, Xornoth could only watch as his little brother tried speaking to him. Xornoth scowled when Scott talked about the expectations placed on him after… that night. The trapped man could only stare in shock as his brother failed to recount parts of their lives that had been pivotal moments for both of them, every memory of their relationship gone, part of Aeor’s gift, Xornoth supposed. It was probably for the best, Xornoth would talk to Scott about it later. He could lie to him if he wanted, after all it's not like someone else would call him out on it.
Scott talked about other things as well, apparently there was already a banquet being planned. It was due to happen in less than a month, giving Scott only a couple days to reel in the demon so he could bring Xornoth without much issue. Having your estranged brother around your neck is one thing, the worst that could happen is everyone gives him weird looks, but if the demon was still able to possess Xornoth, it might be able to use the crystal as a focal point and possess Scott through it.
Taking a deep breath through his nose, and exhaling through his mouth, Scott leaned back on the bench. He would need to go back to bed soon, at the very least to make it up and get all his blankets off the floor.
The walk had helped him ease his nerves, and whether it was through the help of his sedimentary company was still up for debate, but despite the way he protested any idea of caring about them, Part of Scott hoped that his brother was still listening.
Scooping back up the rock, Scott took one last look at the starry sky of Rivendell before beginning on his way back to the castle.