Chapter Text
Outside in the little garden of Elrond´s new home in one of the valleys of Valinor sat an Elda, with sun kissed skin of the Noldor, deep brown hair, also of the Noldor, braided in two braids, which was not the costume of the Noldor. A clasp of gold held both braids closed where they were lying beside him on the bench. He wore grey, the mourning colour of the Elda, and no jewelry, which was very unbecoming of a Noldor. As he came closer after closing his door, he could see that small braids were woven into the Elda´s hair, although some still were loose, so he was right. He was an Elda and not an Avari.
“Can I help you?”
The Elda looked up, and Elrond stared into cold, harsh blue eyes. Old eyes. Eyes that had seen too much. Eyes Elrond could help, “I have not yet begun building my new valley home, but you can stay here while it is built if you need rest?”
The Elda looked confused, before beginning to laugh, almost manically, and Elrond winced, a hurt Fëa, no doubt.
“Is it not a home you stand in front of?” he asked.
“Well yes, but there is only room for me and my wife at the moment, and you, of course, if need be. We are still designing a home for many hundreds who need a place to rest and heal.”
“Ah,” the Elda said, looking down and letting his hand stroke his hair, “I see, so a city then?”
“Not a city, a resting place for travelers and the wary.”
“I have not come to heal, I need no healing!” the Elda hissed, and Elrond took a step closer, humming before stopping as the Elda looked up sharply at him, glaring. Sometimes you had to take it slow.
“Then what have you come for?”
Sighing, the Elda looked down at his hand, and Elrond looked down at the soft, slim hands too, then darting to the dagger strapped to the Elda´s waist, an old swordsman who had returned to an unscarred body that didn´t feel like his, maybe?
“Stories,” the Elda whispered, and had Elrond not had the gift of birds, he would not have heard him.
“Come in, it must have been a long way up here, I have a lot of stories I can share with you, but it would it not be better told inside?”
“Yes,” the Elda said, looking up at him with something akin to regret, “for I want the most evil.”
“And you will have those I know, now come in, your feet must be tired.”
“I didn´t walk up here,” the Elda laughed, but rose and walked in, as Elrond looked around for a horse but could not find one, what he could find was one of Manwë´s eagles circling his little home.