Chapter 11

Elrond drove down the road, his hands holding tight to the steering wheel. It was strange, very strange how well he drove, for cars frightened him a little. It was just a matter of feeling the movements, feeling everything the mechanics, the gravity, the velocity, the friction, to feel it all and to bend to it, not against it; to become, in a way, a part of the vehicle. Legolas sat in the passenger's seat next to him, his cautious eyes scanning the road. The trees were a bright and beautiful green, and the sky was a deep blue with slow wisps of white clouds trailing across it. Frodo and Sam sat in the back, obviously nervous, but still rather excited about the concert ahead.

The road was rather worn, and he carefully veered around a large pothole. It seemed strange somehow; everything seemed so strange. The wind blasted in from the open window, tossing about his hair. He had braided it tightly over his ears, and yet, it flew mad and free.

'Where's this?' asked Frodo suddenly, as they drove down a rather steep hill to a small town set near the banks of a salt-water river.

'This is Addison,' said Legolas, looking up from the map.

'Is that the sea?' asked Sam.

'Yes,' said Elrond, 'that is a bay.'

Sam looked at the bay with fascination.

They drove through the town, which was gone soon enough, it was really just a few houses on either side of the road, and then on across a bridge.

'Turn left here,' said Legolas after a moment.

As they neared Jonesport, the air became cooler, and a sea wind stirred up, blowing the smell of mud and salt at them. Legolas stirred, and turned eagerly to the east.

The town was a small one, built close to the harbor, the houses pressed tightly against each other, stacked on the little hills. The water was a deep blue, spotted with buoys and crowded with boats, proud boats in bright colours bobbing peacefully in the silent sea.

Elrond had a rather hard time finding the church that the concert was to be held at, but finally he did, and they pulled into the dirt parking lot on the bottom of a hill. Elrond got out of the car and looked around. The air was much cooler there than it had been in Hamilton, cool and restless. He opened the door for Frodo and Sam, and they got out and looked about with wide eyes.

Legolas had immediately run over to a tall tree nearby, it was an elm, graceful and strong, rising up high with many twisted branches to the sky above. There were a few other like it, and the encircled a patch of brilliantly green grass. Elrond took an instant liking to the place.

'Look at that funny house,' said Frodo, pointing to a large white house with a brown trim that stood proudly, a three story tower looking out to the sea.

Sam turned around a bit nervously. 'Where are we going?' he asked.

'To that building,' said Elrond, pointing to the white church standing on top of the hill.

They went up the hill and entered the church, a woman in a pink shirt standing behind a small table that held a basket for donations greeted them and handed them the program schedule. Elrond placed some money in the basket and led the others in.

They settled down on the benches, which were rather small, they were long and narrow with thick red velvet cushions, and straight backs. The room was pleasantly warm, and had a high white ceiling, peaked in the center with straight beams, a carved flower at the base of each, painted a soothing grey. The walls were white with a dark brown wainscoting, and had thirteen marvelous stained glass windows that glowed beautifully with the sun. But the most astounding feature of the room was a massive pipe organ set at the center, with polished dark wood, and tall gold pipes; this was the reason for the concert, all donations were to help to preserve it.

Nevertheless Elrond soon found his eyes wondering back to two windows continuously, one was rather orangey in colour, with beautiful white flowers and a crown, the sun was slowly sinking behind it, and an orange line of dots across the pane glittered madly in the light. He would then look back and compare it with the other window, a bluish one with purple flowers on the other side of the room. The sun was not glowing so fiercely behind it, and it seemed somehow to contrast with the orange one somehow—one bright and noticeable, the other dark and hidden. Most of the other windows had people on them, and Elrond wondered who the people were and why they were commemorated like this. He had seen other buildings like it, white with a high rising steeple, they were called churches, and yet, he did not know what a church was.

He looked about at the rest of the audience, there were not many of them, and they all seemed old and grey or quickly heading there; there was one young couple with a boy, a tall woman with reddish hair, two teenaged girls and a blonde woman who seemed to be their mother, and another blonde woman who walked in a bit late, and sat down hastily. He recognized her as Joanne Norton, and gave her a smile. She smiled back and got up and sat down next to them.

'Hello, Edward,' she said. 'It's so nice to run into you again.'

He bowed his head. 'I am glad to see you as well. May I introduce my nephew, Edel, and my friend's children—Peter and Sam? I am taking them out to be educated.'

Joanne smiled. 'It's a pleasure to meet you.'

Legolas and the hobbits gave their respective greetings.

She looked around her. 'I love this building,' she said. 'It's so peaceful here.'

'Excuse me, may I have your attention?' asked a woman at the front, and soon launched into an introduction to the music and musicians; it was not a very long one, and after that, the music began.

Elrond lost himself in his thoughts as he listened to the music, back to the quiet days of his earlier years that he had spent on the shores of the sea. The sea was calling to him; it had called for so many years, begging him to cross it and join his family, everyone he had lost. He felt the pain again of loosing Celebrian, holding her frail hand one last time, as the ship was made ready. It sometimes seemed to him that his whole life had been one long series of losses and heartache. He closed his eyes, trying not to cry, the flute rose high and lost for a moment, and a tear fell.

He brushed it away before it could be noticed by anyone else and turned to see how Legolas and the hobbits were. Legolas was listening, smiling and swaying a little, his fingers dancing quietly. Frodo was staring up at the ceiling, watching the little white fans whirl around, and Sam was sitting still watching the musicians attentively, his hands folded on his lap.

Time slipped away, until the music stopped at the intermission. The audience filtered out of the church into the sunlight, and Elrond walked out slowly, and looked out over the ocean.

'It's beautiful, isn't it?' asked Joanne, who had followed him.

He nodded slowly. 'It has been a long time since I have last beheld the sea.'

She brushed a lock of her pale hair behind a smoothly rounded ear. 'You grew up by it, didn't you?' she asked.

'Does it show?'

'Yes.'

Elrond fought back the tears that were filling his eyes. 'I did.'

'Where are you originally from?'

'I…' he did not know how to continue, he drove back the bitter memories surging through his mind and forced a smile. 'England.'

'I love England,' she said.

'As do I,' he said.

'But I love it here too,' she continued.

He nodded. 'It is beautiful, I suppose.'

He looked towards the elms, their leaves dancing in the wind, the two girl were standing amongst them, talking and dancing a little when they thought no one was looking, the little boy was running up and down the hill. Frodo and Sam were standing near Legolas, whispering, and Legolas was standing still, his eyes fixed on the sea.

'My father was a sailor,' he said. 'And one time he went out and never came back, my mother was so distressed, she threw herself into the waves; I have not seen either since.'

Joanne seemed utterly startled. 'I'm so sorry,' she said.

He nodded. 'It was a long time ago.'

There were a few painful moments of silence. 'My wife is overseas now,' he said. 'She got ill and is being treated at an excellent hospital in Switzerland.'

'Is she very ill?' asked Joanne.

'She was, but she is getting better.' Elrond marveled at how easy it was to turn his life into a story that someone there could understand, and believe. 'I miss her.'

'Why aren't you with her?' asked Joanne.

'I…' he was again unable to speak; perhaps it was not so easy. 'The hospital does not allow anyone, even family, it is a rather delicate issue.'

'Oh, I'm sorry,' she said silenced most likely not wanting to pry; perhaps it was easy.

'It is quite all right.'

He looked up at the sun. 'Ten minutes have passed,' he said. 'We should go back in now.' He called to Legolas and the hobbits, and they went in and retook their seats. Joanne Norton, however, did not sit with them.

For the second half, the music was lighter, dance music, actually. He let the music sway him and lift his spirits, and was rather surprised when it ended so swiftly. He got slowly to his feet, feeling conspicuously tall. He placed a gentle hand on Frodo's shoulder and led him towards the door. The isle was clogged however, and they had to wait a few minutes before they could be let out. Elrond occupied this time by listening to the explanation of the harpsichord that the harpsichordist was giving to the woman with the two daughters.

One of the girls turned to him, and something about her face reminded him of Gil-Galad, perhaps the fated determination in her quiet eyes. He caught her gaze for a brief moment, and read in them despair and hope, the blazing contradictions that nothing would ever work out and that everything would be just fine; that all would fail and ruin was certain and evil would take everything and turn it to its own wicked purposes, and that yet, somehow, good would still prevail, that you might hurt and ache and burn, but somehow, when the fight was over, and you were down on your knees bleeding in the dirt, all would be set right, and you would at last find peace. She turned away, looking towards the dark window. And what of Elros? He wanted to ask her. I will never see him again, is that right? Or Arwen, what when I lose her? Where will the peace be there? But he said nothing.

She turned back to him I cannot answer you. I do not know. I am just trying to understand. Help me.

I fear that I cannot; I am sorry. It is not my place, nor my time.

'And where do they get the measurements?' asked the girl's mother. 'Are there harpsichords that they can look at in museums?'

The girl turned to the instrument; their connection broken.

'Edel, we should go,' Elrond whispered.

They somehow managed to leave the church, and then Elrond stopped and studied the elms, trying to compose himself.

'Elrond, is something the matter?' asked Legolas.

The hobbits looked up at him worriedly. 'I am just rather…' He could not think of an excuse.

'What is it?' asked Frodo.

The sea.

'I will be fine, you need not worry,' he said gently. 'Come, let us take a walk to the water.'

The road sloped gently down to a pier that jutted out into the sea, beside which floated two long docks, bouncing gently on the waves. Elrond stepped out onto one, his feet had not forgotten how to walk on the waves, and he walked down to the end gracefully, and looked down at the rocking water.

Legolas followed him less certainly, looking about him in awe.

'We'll just stay here!' called Frodo from the safety of the shore.

Elrond did not reply, the sea breeze loosened his braids, playing through his hair. He let it blow against him, he stood quietly at the edge of the dock his arms loose at his sides.

'And this is the sea.'

'Yes. Do you feel it calling you?'

'Yes.'

'And why will you not go?'

'I have promises to keep.'

'You should not make promises. What if you could not keep them?'

Legolas did not answer him.

'I am sorry, Legolas. I do understand. And yet…' He turned to Legolas and pulled him into his arms; he was warm and smelt of wood and water.

'It all seems so futile at times, and yet, there is still hope.' He tilted Legolas's chin up and looked down into his shining, trusting eyes. 'There are some mortals who do not believe in the world that they have made, there are some that will still fight for good, and we must trust the world in their hands, for it is their turn now. And if Iluvatar made it this way, then it is the right way, and we can only trust to his judgment. For, in the end, the music will be greater than we could ever have imagined, because each played his part.' He pressed a kiss on Legolas's forehead.

Legolas nodded and smiled, his fears abated. And yet, as Elrond followed him back to the shore, his mind was filled with uncertainty and a million burning questions, he could ask another to trust, but he was himself filled with doubt. And thus as he walked back to the van, he was filled with despair and hope, and the dull pain of past sorrows coming once more, as they always did. And as they always would, it seemed, for even should all their hopes come true and should they return to their home and destroy the ring, and should good prevail, even then, he would have lost so much, so much that could never be regained, not even past the end of the world.