Gildor stood outside the chamber door and tried not to weep with the other members of the family and household. He'd arrived only moments before and had been led straight into the family's private quarters. At his side stood Elrohir and Elladan, elves full-grown, dressed in forest greens and magnificent elven armor. They looked so like their father that, from a distance, they quite fooled Gildor.
He felt Lindir behind him and looked over his shoulder at the lovely blond. He offered a tentative smile, knowing how much the sensitive elf hurt. Gildor turned and embraced his old friend. A door opened and Erestor, followed by Elrond, came into the antechamber.
"She wishes to speak with you, Gildor," Elrond said.
Surprised, Gildor released Lindir and stared for a moment. The elf with whom he had fallen in love so many years before looked tired and worn. He longed to put his arms around Elrond, but such a display was not appropriate, even in friendship. At last, he found his voice. "Me? Why does she wish to see me when her sons and daughter wait for her?"
Elrond shook his head. "She would not say. Be at peace, Gildor, she bears ill will to none." He stepped away and motioned Gildor through the door and then closed it gently behind him.
Gildor stood quietly with the door at his back and stared aghast at the large, canopied bed that occupied much of the room. Centered on the feather mattress was a small, beautiful elf with flowing blond hair. Her thin hands rested atop the silk sheets and her eyes remained closed.
"Come closer, Master Gildor," she whispered.
Hesitantly, Gildor moved towards the bed, feeling as though he profaned sacred ground. He could only imagine what Lord Elrond's wife wanted of him and his heart shrank in his chest. "Lady Celebrian, I came as soon as word reached me."
Her lips ghosted into a smile. "Thank you. Sit beside me and let us talk, while my strength lasts." Her hand lifted and settled lightly on the bed beside her and then she moved it again.
The bedding was soft and Gildor sank easily down upon it. "Your children," he began.
"Will see me in their proper course. For the moment, I wish only to converse with you."
Gildor's face flamed and he looked everywhere but at the pale elf. He could think of nothing to say.
"Do not fear me, Gildor," Celebrian chided. "I have brought you here not to ridicule or chide. I know your heart, as I know my husband's."
"Our love is pure and chaste, my lady," Gildor defended Elrond with quiet vehemence. "We agreed long ago that we would never dishonor you or your children."
Celebrian clasped Gildor's hand in her own. "I thank you for your kindness, Gildor, but it was unnecessary. I knew my fate long ago and accepted it. Elrond has been everything a husband and lord could be and has provided well for his children. He treated me with respect and duty all the days we have been together and I shall always bear him good will. Long have I known where his heart lay, and I did not begrudge him. Nor do I begrudge you, for you are not my enemy. Rather, you are the one who will stand in my stead, once I leave here. In the days to come, you will be to Elrond everything I could not. You will be his lover, his confidant, and his ears and eyes. He will rely upon your counsel and that counsel will be wise. And, when at last his destiny is fulfilled, so shall yours be and together you will go across the sea. You will be his comfort in those dark days, for there is much sorrow he must endure. Gildor, you will also be his strength, where I could not be." She stopped and her face grew more wan as fatigue overcame her.
Alarmed, Gildor started to rise and call for Elrond, but she stopped him with a shake of her head. "Please, my lady, allow me to call your husband to your side. I fear this has tired you."
"The poison flowing through my veins tires me. I will not fade before your eyes." She offered a smile and the radiance of it melted Gildor's heart. "What passes between us must not leave this room, Gildor."
He nodded as fear overcame him. Long had he felt a destiny looming darkly before him. Now he knew the time had come when he would discover it.
"Yours will be, for a brief time, the guardianship of Isildur's Bane. You will bear the ill tidings to all the elves when it again comes to Middle Earth. Upon you will rest the fate of Middle Earth. If you fail, so shall the Ring Bearers fail. This is why I must go and you must remain. I cannot do this thing for Elrond."
"I shall remember your words, my lady," Gildor whispered. Long had he hoped for the ring's destruction.
"There is one boon I will ask of you, as a friend," Lady Celebrian continued.
"Ask it."
"Lean closer," Gildor placed his head close to her mouth and she whispered for a brief moment in his ear. As he lifted his head, his face was flushed crimson and a smile tugged at his lips.
He nodded once and then leaned down once more and placed a light kiss upon her fevered cheek. "I shall send Lord Elrond to you."
She closed her eyes and did not reply as Gildor slipped from the bed.
*~*
The cool sea air ruffled Gildor's face as he stared towards the horizon. Rumors of travelers had reached him and he hastened to the Gray Havens from Lothlorien. He was one of the last elves to leave that place, one of the last guests to cross her borders and come out again. Already it was abandoned and the woods took on a cold and gloomy air, as if resenting the departure of the Silvan elves.
"They come," said Cirdan as he walked past Gildor and up the gangplank. He gave orders and sailors raced to prepare the ship.
The first person Gildor saw was Erestor and beside him rode Lindir. Behind, came Glorfindel and Gandalf. Between Elrond and Galadriel trotted a small pony bearing a bare-footed rider. Gildor nodded to himself as he recognized Frodo. He was glad that the hobbit had come, for it was only fitting that the last of the ring bearers should go with Elrond. Three more ponies bearing Frodo's companions, Sam, Pippin, and Merry, brought up the rear. (Bilbo was with Elrond and Galadriel when Frodo arrived at the ship)
Elrond's face was filled with sorrow and Gildor realized that the twins, Elrohir and Elladan, were absent from the company. None of Elrond's beloved children would ever see the Undying Lands.
"And so it ends," Galdor spoke quietly in Gildor's ear.
"Aye, so it does. But we are all together, at least."
"Not so, I fear. Glorfindel will remain behind with Celeborn. And I shall stay, as well."
Gildor turned with such a look of horror upon his face that Galdor stepped away from him. "Peace, my friend. We tarry but awhile longer. Not all of the ring bearers are ready to depart Middle Earth. Samwise Gamgee must remain behind, and so we stay to guard him until his time comes."
"But you will sail, eventually?" Gildor pleaded. "I could not bear to be parted from all my friends."
Galdor smiled serenely. "Aye, Gildor, Glorfindel and I will carry the last ring bearer over the sea."
The party at last reached the wooden dock and dismounted. They carried little with them, for they would need nothing of their old lives. Gildor smiled when Elrond took off his cloak and revealed blue leggings and matching tunic. His hair was braided away from his face and seemed much darker than normal.
"So Aikanaro will also sail west." Gildor teased.
"However could I leave him behind?" Responded Elrond as he linked his arm through Gildor's and led him up the plank. "He is the reason you and I are together."
"Perhaps Lady Celebrian had some small role."
Elrond paused. "Not really," he said after a moment. "She was there at his birth, but it was you who gave him life."
As the elves boarded the ship, Cirdan gave final orders and the gangplank was raised. The sails filled with wind and slowly the ship pulled away from the dock.
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