Alfýkin: The Last of the Elves

A King and A Friend

A hand, scarred and bloodied, reached through bars of iron toward the stars in the sky. Moonlight turned the skin silver and the blood black. A voice, soft yet desperate, spoke his name.

Illeandir.

§§§

Illeandir froze when the vision filled his sight. As soon as it appeared it vanished leaving him reeling in shock. How soon would the dreams find him this time?

"Are you well?" Nara asked, lightly touching his arm with the tips of her fingers.

"I am weary," Illeandir replied. He was indeed, traveling with hardly a rest for days had taken its toll on him. Had he continued as he had been it eventually would have killed him. He looked ahead to the white throne and the figure sitting upon it. He was speaking with a small boy who clutched several scrolls of paper to his chest. The king looked up when the doors shut, sending a resounding boom throughout the corridor. Illeandir flinched at the noise. He was not used to such sounds.

Eldarion stood from his throne peering at the figure who walked beside his daughter, they were tall and lithe and still bore weapons. They had dark hair and green eyes that shone with an inner light. Joy lit Eldarion's face as he ran, stumbling, down the steps from the dias.

"Illeandir!" he cried as he rushed to meet his old friend. Illeandir laughed and stopped walking, letting Eldarion come the rest of the way. The man didn't seem to care as he gripped his forearm and pulled him into a tight embrace laughing with joy. "It is good to see you my friend!"

"And you as well," Illeandir studied his friend's face. He looked so much like his father but his eyes were that of his mother's. Growing age showed in the lines around his eyes and forehead but his eyes still shone. "You have changed, mellon nin," he said, feigning concern. Eldarion threw his back and laughed loudly.

"And you have not. At least not that can be seen. Long are the years of the Eldest."

"Aye, 'tis a gift and a curse," Illeandir said. Nara watched in puzzlement as sorrow filled the elf's eyes but quickly vanished. Her father seemed not to notice as he gestured for Illeandir to follow him.

"Come! The servants have laid out a meal and it is more than I alone can eat." He turned to the boy. "Send word to the council I am not to be disturbed until evening." The boy nodded vigorously and trotted off. Eldarion led Illeandir down a long hallway that branched off into various rooms of all sizes. He stopped in front of a dark oak door that stood slightly ajar.

"Hmm, thought I closed that," Eldarion mused to himself. Illeandir heard him and smirked.

"You grow forgetful in your old age."

"Old!" Eldarion exclaimed. "You call me old when you are more than twice my age!" He paused, seeming to think for a moment. "I forget how old you are."

Illeandir laughed. "I believe in a matter of days five-hundred ninety." Nara looked at him sideways. He was younger than he seemed, barely a full-fledged elf. If she were to compare his age to hers he would be younger than she. She had passed her thirtieth birthday two months ago though she was young still, having been granted the longevity of the Dunedain. She was brought from her thoughts by her father speaking to her.

"Nara, would you?" he asked giving her a look that she knew meant he wished to be alone. She dipped her head.

"Yes, father." She turned and left the two friends alone. Eldarion pushed the door open revealing a table laden on one end with an abundance of food. Illeandir swallowed hard, his stomach threatened to leap from where it rested inside him. Eldarion smiled knowingly as they sat down.