"Pen-neth? Can you recite the names Elrond has asked you?"
The elfling swung his legs alternate of each other on the bench he sat on with his head bowed and his nose scrunched in thought. Celeborn gave him a few moments more and then said, "Haldir, the sons of Feanor. You know this," he prodded.
Continuing to stare at the ground, Haldir continued swinging his legs.
Celeborn sighed and said, "He is really not this shy, normally. Much of the time, we cannot silence him."
"Perhaps he does not remember me, but the last time I saw him he did not appear so withdrawn," whispered Elrond. "I do not normally have such a negative effect on children." He smiled at Haldir, hoping to get him to speak, but the elfling hunched over even further, letting his blond hair fall over his face.
Saying nothing, Celeborn was not about to admit that it was his elder child who was taunting the younger one and causing his foul moods. "Haldir, do you not remember this from your lessons? Come now, I shall give you a hint, there were seven children of Feanor. Now do you recall them?"
Making a poor attempt to shrug one shoulder, Haldir gripped the bench seat tightly with his tiny hands. Shaking his head, Celeborn looked to Elrond apologetically. "Perhaps tomorrow he will be more amiable."
Elrond gave a nod, and he and Celeborn began to walk away from the elfling. Behind them, a tall elleth with silver-gold hair caught Haldir's gaze and frowned at the child slightly.
"Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amrod, and Amras!" Haldir swallowed after saying the names altogether as fast and as loud as he could without shouting. Both older elves turned and looked at him with mild surprise, while the elleth smiled her approval and gave him a nod.
"Well, now," laughed Elrond. "Better late than never, I suppose." He came back around and crouched down in front of Haldir, who had stopped kicking his legs. "What other facts of history do you know?" His little hands clutched the bench and he looked again into his lap.
"Haldir has had all of the annals read to him as bedtime stories," said Galadriel, finally speaking for the elfling, who had remained silent. The smile was still on her face and she nodded approvingly to Haldir when he looked up and met her gaze with huge grey eyes. "He can recall many of the great Elves, as well as the great Men who fought beside them."
"Is it battle which is of the most interest to you, pen-neth?" questioned Elrond. Haldir glanced down at his feet before looking up and nodding.
"Yes, my lord," came the small voice.
"Mmm. And which of the battles is your favorite to hear recalled?"
"The Fall of Gondolin," he answered. "Lord Glorfindel tells me of it whenever I ask."
"Ah, a popular choice," winked Elrond. "If I had but a tale from that time, I would tell it to you, but all I know of it are the same stories you have probably heard."
Haldir fidgeted and chewed at his lip nervously, then asked, "You would tell me a tale?"
"If I had one," nodded Elrond.
"Lord Elrond has a hall in his house just for telling stories and singing songs," Celeborn said. "Perhaps he might tell you a tale during his stay here."
"Might I tell him one now?" offered Elrond. He was pulling himself up onto the bench next to Haldir now, and the elfling was looking sideways at him with wide eyes. He had not moved away, and Elrond took this to be a good sign.
Celeborn nodded. "Haldir, would you like it if Lord Elrond were to tell you a tale? It is a most generous offer," he added, but Elrond waved the comment off.
"I like to tell stories, just as you do," smiled Elrond. "Now, Haldir, would you like to hear a tale?"
Haldir nodded and said uncertainly, "Can it be a tale of a certain elf?"
Chuckling, Elrond said, "It would depend if I knew the elf or not."
"Oh…" Galadriel sat down on the other side of the bench. "Haldir," she said quietly, and he hung his head, knowing what was to come.
"Nevermind," he said, and he stood, thanked Elrond for the offer and declined, then asked to be excused for the night.
Celeborn nodded slowly, and watched as his son bounded to the steps of the Great Mallorn and began the task of climbing them to the flets high above. "Did I miss something?"
Galadriel glared at her husband, before turning to face Elrond. "You must pardon him, he is still quite young," she said. Celeborn seemed to have suddenly understood the reason Galadriel had silenced Haldir, but Elrond did not.
"What was he about to ask for?" questioned Elrond. When Lady Galadriel did not answer, he turned to the lord. "Come, surely whatever it is will not upset me as much as you would lead me to believe. Who is it? Feanor? Maeglin? Eol?"
"Nay, none of those does he have interest in," said Celeborn. "But my lady did not wish to burden you to hear the name spoken of so soon."
"Ah." Elrond nodded. "Then I should have guessed a nobler and wiser elf and named Ereinion instead."
"And so you have solved the riddle," replied Galadriel, content to leave it at that, but Elrond stood and watched as the elfling retreated into a doorway in the great tree above.
"What does he know of the high king?"
"Only that which he has read in books and been told by Glorfindel," answered Celeborn as the lord of Imladris stepped toward the tree.
"Elrond," called Galadriel, and he paused and turned. "You do not need to do this," she said.
The sorrow he had pushed aside and left buried within him began to surface, and for a moment, Elrond nearly sat back down again. "No," he finally said, approaching the Great Mallorn once more, "I do need to do this."
Story Notes:
This also won 2nd place at the BC&M group.