Faelon's cremation had to be observed, even with all the other issues plaguing Imladris. The ceremony was sparsely attended, at Elrond's request. He allowed that a memorial could be held by those who wished, but he requested that only a certain, privileged few, come to the cremation ceremony.
Erestor was surprised when he was asked to attend and, for a moment, thought to refuse. But the look in Elrond's eyes was his undoing and he consented. He stood well back from the small circle in his long black formal robes. He crossed his long arms in front of him and kept his expression blank. Surrounding Elrond were Melpomaen and Saelbeth and a few others who had been close to Faelon. Lindir stood quietly in the background and bowed his blond head. Elrohir and Elladan stood beside their father with Glorfindel beyond them.
The lord lifted a torch and touched it to the faggots stacked so carefully beneath Faelon's cold body. He'd been dressed in his formal robes of state and his long hair was plaited and brushed to a gloss. His hand rested over his chest, the fingers curled around a small locket that had been a gift from Elrond. Others had come and placed mementos on the pyre. Erestor did not.
The flames licked at the dry wood and danced around the edges of Faelon's robe. In no time the flames roared to a blazing life that forced the witnesses to step back. Acrid smoke hung on the air and ashes wended their way towards the pale sky. As the flames leapt skyward, Lindir lifted his head and his clear, sweet voice rang out in lament. Erestor quietly left before he was finished.
Saelbeth watched him go and wondered. The strain between Melpomaen and he had become so great that they rarely spoke any more and Saelbeth wanted to blame Erestor though in his heart, he could not. Erestor did not love Melpomaen and, therefore, Melpomaen's infatuation was moot. What lay between Saelbeth and the newly appointed Chief Librarian had nothing to do with Faelon's death or even Erestor. Saelbeth wanted to mend what lay between himself and his lover, but had no idea how to begin.
In his rooms, Erestor stood quietly and stared at the objects he'd accumulated over the years. Some things he'd gotten for himself, others had come from friends or family. His hand caressed the binding of the book Faelon had given to him. He could not believe he would never again see the dark haired librarian. Tears rolled down his cheeks for the first time since Faelon's death.
Elrond stared at the dwindling flames. His face was coated with smoke and ash. "What am I to do, Glorfindel?"
Glorfindel lay his arm over Elrond's shoulders. "One, you must forgive yourself. You did not kill Faelon. Two, you must also not turn your grief in to vengeance. I know you believe Erestor was responsible, but I have my doubts."
"You suspect Golrahir."
"I have no evidence to the identity of Faelon's killer, though woe betide them when I do. Erestor had no reason to kill Faelon. Maybe Celebrian, but not the Chief Librarian."
"How can you be so sure of him?" "Instinct, Elrond. My heart says he's innocent."
Elrond's face was set in a grim relief. "I am not interested in what your heart says, Glorfindel. The evidence says he is guilty. I want him punished."
"You believe he murdered Faelon, yet you allowed him to attend the services."
"He and Faelon were friends, besides, I wanted him to see what he had done."
"I think, whether or no he is the killer, that Erestor remains very much aware of what has been done. You wanted to hurt him, I think."
"Yes," Elrond turned his face away from Glorfindel. He shouldn't have wanted such a thing. He, a noble lord, should be above pettiness. He was not.
Glorfindel thought for a moment. "The High Council could easily be convened, however, we have not yet truly investigated this. Let us imprison him and suspend his duties while I complete my investigation."
"As you will."
The rest of the week, Elrond was cool towards his Chief Advisor. Erestor felt alone and bereft of friends. He could have sought the company of his assistant, Saelbeth or Golrahir, or even Melpomaen. But he did not. There was a feeling of hostility and expectancy in the air and Erestor's nerves were pulled tighter and tighter. He knew what was coming.
Meanwhile, Glorfindel turned Rivendell upside down searching for evidence. All he needed was one person to have seen Golrahir in the gardens and he would know he was on the right track. But the elf had covered his tracks well. This led Glorfindel to believe that maybe he was wrong. That, of course, only led to two possibilities. One of those, he had already dismissed. Erestor may engage in a bit of voyeurism but that did not make him a murderer. The second possibility chilled him to the bone.
"Elrond, have you considered another possible suspect?" Glorfindel propped his booted feet before the hearth in Elrond's private study, where he'd tracked down his lord.
"Who?" Elrond was not convinced of Erestor's innocence, but had allowed the warrior to pursue where he would.
"Celebrian." Glorfindel bit off the word and left it out there for Elrond to do with as he chose. He watched the still face and noted how the eyes went from gray to silver to gray as the noble's thoughts roamed through the possibility.
"No, I had not considered her. I do not know if she is capable?" He made the last sound like a question.
Glorfindel's shoulders lifted shortly. "I am not married to her, Elrond. I am asking you, who should know her best. Is she capable of sticking a knife in someone's throat?"
Elrond considered his wife. Her ethereal beauty was an illusion. She was as tough as any other elf, and maybe more than some, considering her parentage. "I would not like to think so."
"What you would like and what are can sometimes be totally different animals. She's been unhappy for some time with the arrangement between you and Faelon. Is she finally unhappy enough to do something about it?"
"Why do we not find out?" Elrond rose stiffly from his chair.
"Now?"
"Why not? You want to know and, frankly, so do I. The time is not so late that she would not be awake." He walked to his door and stared back at Glorfindel.
Hesitantly, the blond warrior climbed to his feet and approached. "Well, the humans say there is no time like the present. Shortly we shall see if they are right."
Elrond led the way to Celebrian's rooms and knocked lightly on the door. It opened rather quickly, as if his wife were expecting someone. From the expression on her face, he wondered if perhaps she had and his presence was a potential problem. "I am sorry to disturb you so late, Celebrian. May we come in?"
Celebrian's eyes shifted past Elrond and even past Glorfindel, searching the corridor. "Certainly. To what do I owe the honor?"
"I fear Glorfindel has a question for you. I doubt it will please you, but it must be asked."
Glorfindel cleared his throat as the door closed behind him. "I'll be brief, Celebrian. As I was going over the list of people who had something against Faelon—"
"I would imagine that list is quite long," she interrupted.
"Not really," Glorfindel did not miss a beat. "You are one of them."
Celebrian managed to look affronted and Elrond gave her points for that. "Me? Why me?"
"Please, Celebrian, it is too late for melodrama." Elrond sighed loudly.
"I did not kill Faelon, you poisonous snake. Search you somewhere else for your lover's murderer."
There was just enough conviction in Celebrian's
voice that Glorfindel believed her. Yet something did not ring true. Her eyes
shifted around the room and her hand plucked nervously at the skirt of her
gown. She was frazzled and tense, expectant, even. He
wondered why. Aloud, he said. "Thank you, Celebrian."
She seemed stunned. "That is all?"
"Yes," agreed Glorfindel.
"You are not going to ask me my whereabouts at the time of Faelon's death?"
"I presume you have an alibi?"
"No," she looked down at her feet and frowned. "I was in my solar, alone, I think. I am not sure. By the time I heard the commotion, I know I was quite alone."
"Fair enough, Lady Celebrian. Thank you for you time." Glorfindel saluted and twisted the door handle. His quick ears caught a sound on the other side of the door and he wrenched it open. He knew he heard footsteps, but when he poked his head in to the corridor, there was no one present.
"What is it?" Elrond asked with alarm.
"Nothing. I shall say good night, Elrond." He turned down the corridor, not in the direction of his rooms, but in the direction he thought he heard the footfalls.
*~*
Melpomaen watched Erestor move quietly through the library like a ghost. His fingers roamed bindings and shelves. His feet made no sound as they led him easily between tall shelves. Melpomaen studied the sadness surrounding Erestor and realized that, in part, he was to blame.
"Erestor?"
Erestor paused and kept the frustrated sigh deep inside him. "Yes, Melpomaen?"
"I wanted to tell you that I was sorry."
"Whatever for?" Erestor was weary and in no mood to play guessing games or engage in melodrama.
"For what I said the night Faelon was murdered. I did not mean it. I knew you did not care for me, but I hoped. Perhaps that was wrong of me and it's caused me to hurt some people who did not deserve their pain."
"Saelbeth cares deeply for you, Melpomaen. You should not throw that away."
"I do not know how to fix what I have broken."
"Hiding in the library won't do it. You must go to him and tell him that you are sorry and that you love him, even tell him you behaved foolishly, if that is what is needed. You should be happy that someone loves you."
"I am. Erestor? Were you in love with Faelon?"
"No, Melpomaen. He was my friend and I mourn for him every day and I will continue to mourn every day for the rest of my life. He is dead and I am here and I do not know why."
Melpomaen stared at Erestor. He could not imagine the level of hurt that Erestor felt and he knew, in some ways, he was to blame for that pain. Melpomaen wanted to throw his arms around the Chief Advisor, but knew if he did the gesture would be misconstrued. "Thank you for your kind advice, Erestor."
Saelbeth sat in his room and brooded. He felt lonely and bored and restless. There was a hole where his heart had been and only Melpomaen could fill it. A knock at his door revived him and he shuffled from his seat by the window. When he opened the door, he blinked in surprise.
"May I come in?" Melpomaen pleated his robes nervously.
"Yes."
*~*
"I know you are convinced, as is your father, that Erestor is guilty of this terrible crime," Glorfindel began as he stared across his desk at the twins. "However, the evidence against him is scant and until we have proof or a confession, we must assume he is innocent."
Elladan nodded, as if he agreed with Glorfindel. "Indeed, we should. Then when we have the proof we will sent him before the High Council and let them do with him as they will."
"Forget the High Council, brother, we shall turn him loose in a nest of orcs." Elrohir snarled. He did not like the pain he saw in his father's eyes and only wanted to punish the one who put it there.
"No," Glorfindel sighed. "This solves nothing, my princes. And it takes us away from the point of this meeting. "Erestor is to be arrested and he will be confined here in Imladris. I think confining him to his rooms with a guard should be enough. In the meantime, I am going to turn Imladris upside down looking for the killer."
Elrohir's eyes widened. "You believe the Chief Advisor is innocent."
"No," Elladan snapped and leaned forward in his chair. "You could not."
"Yes, I do. Shall I present my reasons or are you two so stubborn that nothing I say will penetrate your outrage?"
Elladan leaned back in his chair. "I am listening."
"And you, Elrohir? Are you ready to listen?" Elrohir withered slightly under the warrior's blue gaze. "Good. Firstly, there is Erestor himself. He was an Advisor to the High King and, though I did not know him, his reputation as a rational and dedicated elf precedes him. There was never any hint of scandal associated with him in Lindon. He served Gil-Galad and, yes, to some degree, even your father, well. He fought in the War of the Last Alliance with distinction. That is a bit of his history. Let me move on to the present. When Erestor came to the Last Homely House, Faelon resented him, yet he managed to win the Chief Librarian over. He has never displayed any sort of violent tendency. He has never displayed a jealous nature. He and Faelon were friends. Even here, Erestor never allowed scandal or gossip to touch him."
"Yet," interjected Elrohir. "He spied upon Faelon and Father."
"And do you think he was the only one to do so?" Glorfindel's eyes glowed with knowing amusement. "I know that your Father and Faelon sometimes were less than discreet. I've seen them at their games. I know you two have seen them, as well. In fact, I recall two elflings peering from the tops of a tree once."
Elladan's face turned scarlet at the reminder. He and Elrohir had been outside playing when they heard noises. Seeking the source, they had seen Faelon and their Father creeping into a copse of trees. Curious, they followed and climbed nimbly to a vantage point. There, they received one of the more interesting lessons of their lives. Later, after Faelon and their Father left, they were discovered by Glorfindel.
"You have made your point," shrugged Elrohir. "A voyeur does not a killer make. There is no deny that he continued to engage in his habit. Mother said-"
"Yes, Celebrian said. Do you think him also capable of rape? I do not. I am not sure what happened, but somehow, Erestor in the role in which she placed him seems absurd. If he were in love with Faelon, then why would he molest Celebrian? If Erestor was in love with Celebrian or intended to use her to gain advantage in Imladris, why murder Faelon?"
"Faelon found out?" Supplied Elrohir.
"Maybe," acknowledged the elder. "What more could Erestor want? To rule the Last Homely House? On what grounds? None would have followed him, if anything should happen to Lord Elrond. His position as Chief Advisor is one of great importance and responsibility. He answers only to Elrond. What advantage could he have?"
"Perhaps it is as Mother says and he spied on Father in order to gather evidence to take to the High Council." Elladan argued.
"Again, I ask you, to what purpose? Elladan, Faelon was not a dark secret that your father kept carefully hid. Most of us here knew about it. And what advantage was there to Erestor? None, I tell you, for the High Council would not have acted unless Celebrian spoke. She would not have, I assure you. I believe, nay, I know, that she was not happy with the arrangements between Faelon and Elrond. However, she would not risk public humiliation or her position. She would not risk having you disinherited."
"Therefore going before the High Council would have solved nothing." Elladan rubbed his chin. "Then why did she say that Erestor had molested her? Why get rid of someone?"
"To replace them with someone else?" Elrohir replied. "Or, because she simply saw him as another rival for Father? I do not like this train of thought, Glorfindel."
"Then let us not follow it," the warrior agreed. "Let us concentrate for Faelon for the moment. He is dead and we must discover the identity of the murderer. We have the knife, which belonged to Melpomaen, but we also know that anyone could have taken it. Including Erestor. Now, we have to figure out who else was in the gardens that night. Someone saw or heard something but has not yet come forward."
"And what of Erestor?" Elladan was not comfortable with the idea of the Chief Advisor freely moving about Imladris, despite Glorfindel's belief in his innocence.
"He is to be arrested." Glorfindel sighed. "You two are charged with standing guard."
"What?" Elrohir burst from his chair. "You cannot be serious."
"I am, indeed, young one. You may pull what guards you wish to help you, of course, and I recommend that you and your brother work in shifts, rather than as a team. He will be confined to his quarters and none may visit him. His meals will be delivered by me personally to insure his safety and that no escape attempt is made."
"Why us, Glorfindel? Surely there are better suited guards than us. Let someone else do it while we help you with your investigation."
"Nay, Elladan. You and Elrohir are perfect for the task as you are incorruptible."
*~*
Erestor seated himself in the chair before Elrond's desk. Their meeting the previous week had been disrupted by Faelon's death and the advisor had waited with growing apprehension for the next summons. He was well aware of the mounting evidence against him and had no defense save the truth. Whether or not anyone would believe the truth remained to be seen.
Elrond's fingers drummed on the desk and he gazed out the window for a long moment, composing his thoughts and pushing his anger to the side. He needed to be calm and rational, despite his desire to draw a sword and run Erestor through. "I believe, Erestor, that you and I have unfinished business." He said at last.
Erestor glanced down at his hands and then back up. "I was in the process of answering Lady Celebrian's accusations. Now, I am sure, I have to also answer for Faelon's death."
"The evidence stands against you."
"Circumstantial evidence. I realize Lady Celebrian's accusations bear weight, if only that she is your wife and daughter of the rulers of Lothlorien. However, the presumption that I would be so callous as to assault her and then murder my closest friend is absurd."
"Then tell me why you spied on us? Oh, come, Erestor. I am well aware that Faelon and I were sometimes indiscreet and there are many who, at some time or other, witnessed our games. You took the observation too far. Why?"
Erestor took a deep breath and considered his words carefully. "I apologize, my lord, for I know what I did was shameful. I intended no harm."
"Intended no harm? I want an answer, Erestor, and I do not want to hear contrite apologies and platitudes. I want an honest answer."
Elrond's anger washed over Erestor like a deluge and he instantly retreated from it. The silence that was his habit enveloped him and his thoughts turned inward and his face became blank. He knew he owed Elrond an explanation and he wanted to give him one, but he could not tell his lord the truth for the truth would prove him guilty of murder. "I never before witnessed such a thing as was between you and Faelon and I was intrigued."
Elrond's eyes narrowed dangerously. He knew he wasn't being told the whole truth and Erestor's response angered him even further. "You are hereby charged with the murder of Chief Librarian Faelon of Imladris and placed under arrest." His voice was cold and harsh and his body trembled with suppressed rage that his sentence did little to abate.
Erestor rocked back in his chair, letting the rage and anger that was Elrond's wash over him in waves and flow around him as though he were a rock in a stream. A numbness came over him as he listened to the words that were a death sentence and he could not for a moment think. Distantly, he heard a knock on the office door and he was aware of Elrond moving to answer the door and he heard voices speaking, but made no sense of them. A touch on his shoulder forced him to turn his head and he looked up in to Glorfindel's eyes. He knew what Glorfindel wanted and he obeyed without thought or feeling. Standing on shaking legs, he faced the warrior with his head high and his eyes clear. "My lord."
"Glorfindel, see that he is properly confined until he can be transported to the High Council for judgment." Elrond's voice dripped with ice.
Glorfindel faced Elrond for a moment. "I had intended to confine him to his rooms while my investigation continued."
"Confine him anywhere you like, but see that he does not leave. If you wish to pursue your endeavors, you will do so on your own time."
Glorfindel bowed and said nothing. He could not argue with Elrond in the lord's current state. He had no idea what Erestor had said to set Elrond off so, but he knew that his friend and lord hurt in ways that precluded the use of logic. "As you will, my lord." Turning to Erestor, he placed his hand under the advisor's elbow. "Come."
Erestor followed meekly, his feet moving forward of their own accord. He was incapable of thought or speech. He felt hollow and there was s dull ache in the middle of his chest, where his heart used to be. The nightmare continued on and on and he did not know if he could endure much more humiliation and sorrow. He only wished to wake up or perhaps die. At last he noticed the twins and the grim lines of their faces. They did not smile at him or offer him any encouragement.
Saelbeth stood beside his desk, his eyes large
with fear and surprise as Glorfindel escorted Erestor from Elrond's office.
Elrohir and Elladan followed close behind. Behind Saelbeth, Golrahir stood
silently with his head down. The quartet walked through the halls and elves
stepped out of their way. Silence grew before and behind them as word spread
of Erestor's fate. Melpomaen rushed from the library and watched the mute
procession. Tears filled his eyes as he witnessed the last bit of Erestor's
humiliation. In his heart he felt that some travesty had taken place. He did
not feel that Erestor was capable of committing cold-blooded murder, despite
the evidence. He turned back to his library with a heavy heart.
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