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“O what is this vision, my old eyes see before me,” a soft tongue, his throat raw from the suppressed sobs so desperate to accompany the silent tears, “Have they plucked a star from the dark set realms of heaven to lay you here before me? I would beseech that were not so, for little one, could I not keep you, to hold you tight, feel you softly sleeping, I fear my heart would break. A ray of purest light from the Twin Trees, set in crystal prison could not even contend with you little dreamer. Were the greatest smith himself here he would beg me on bent knees to set you in imperishable glass to ever preserve you ever after, so all might behold this pinnacle of glory. No, a cage is no place, for no one could bear to set a song bird such as you captive. They would sooner see you soar to the furthest reaches of the clearest blue, to see you set amongst the very radiances where you surely fell from to lie before this tired old fool.”

Sinking down beside Ryn, Glorfindel never took his eyes off her’s. Just Glorfindel wrapped his arm around Ryn, the child closed her eyes and settled into a down and peaceful sleep, content everything was as it should be. As for Glorfindel he was free of all doubt and fear, for now he knew where he belonged. Closing his eyes to Glorfindel let he deep lengthy sigh, expelling the last of the tightness from his chest.

“You need to know,” he sighed, “There isn’t any excuse of the way I have been. You are probably sick of hearing this, tired of being let down by me, but I’m so sorry. I may have gone, but now I’m back. How did I miss it? Bah, what’s the point of self loathing or questioning, I’ll handle it…we’ll handle it. The point is…”

Raising his head from Ryn’s shoulder and met those same beautiful brown eyes which had saved him so long ago now and finally he smiled.

“The point is that, she has your eyes.”

“He’s lucky,” she sighed, “you all are. To have people who care so much about you all. Thank you, thank you all, I know Glorfindel doesn’t say very often but he needs you all. It’s his greatest fear to lose you all. That is what fuels this irrational rage, he fears to be close.”
Her head slowly turned from one side to other, taking in the assembled group: Samen to Brenna, Amarie to Erestor to Lante, Hiligan to Morwen and finally back to the dark and far off figure of Elemak.

“A dream,” Ailia continued, then suddenly she was momentarily racked with a burst of highly inappropriate snigger, but this was the laugh of someone who has come to expect something all too often, “A dream…yes that makes sense. He has them a lot, ‘nightmares’. That’s all my fathe…his father said they were, but this one was different. He wrote it down in the book, the one I found. Of course, true to tradition, he closed up about it, never said a word. I think he’d forgotten until you came along Samen and this whole sorted affair began.”
Gaze now fixed on the bleary eyed form of Samen, Ailia appeared now to be speaking solely to him. However her eyes held no hint of anger or revenge, which Samen had come to expect from Glorfindel, there was only pity.
“You had no idea what you were getting into,” the lecture continued, elven arrogance laced around kind words to sweeten the ears of contemptuous mortals, “How could you? However because of you Krev came looking, and the words from the dream returned. ‘The End of All Things,’ now tell me gallant and noble heroes, after hearing what I know and the motives behind the madness of Glorfindel Ingold now do you see what potent lies in those five imple words?’ ‘Kind words for kind ears Skyla, that’s all your saying. Meaningless comfort, but necessary I deem it. If my brother is to tell us what he truly fears, to confirm what I suspect, then we must be ready. Whatever’s going on, none of us have ever seen anything like it before, and no amount of clever words is going to change that.”

Glorfindel slowly leaned forward, laying one finger on Ryn's gabbling lips.

"Typical," a broad smile spreading from ear to ear, "Why must you always question? After all I have put you though and all that she has put you through," he leaned forward and gently caressed the cheek of Kayla's sleeping form.

The young elfling stirred slightly and reached at tiny hand to enclose it around Glorfindel's thumb. For the merest drop of time, Glorfindel paused, and silenced by the tide of happiness which engulfed him. However, when lecturing Ryn, he scarely stopped long.

"You still think of others, so Lady Rynwyn of Fingolfin's House, I command you now to sleep long and fitfully, so as you have not done in years. Be content in the knowledge that you have brought such a treasure into my life that I would never do anything to threaten it. Not for all the wealth of a thousand kings,"

"Now," very slowly the finger was removed and he planted a tender kiss, "Sleep."

However it was not all over, for in the distance, could be heard the approachign sound of justice, mounted a host of steeds riding to confront one who they thought to be an ally. Glorfindel merely stood up and retrieved the Book from the table in front of him, before walking over to the bed and standing at the foot of it, merely staring at Ryn and Kayla.

"I think it's time," he merely said.

“If you could only know the agony it causes me to see that expression,” Glorfindel whispered hoarsely, tears welling up, “If you could only understand how much it tortures me to know that I’m letting you down, again. Please Ryn, do not stand there and play the part of the innocent, you know what I speak of. Since the day we met you have known of my other life, this realm of duality in which I am entrapped, the legacy of the Curse of Mandos lives on in my veins. For insolence of my forebears I must carry this burden which they fell trying to defend, because of their rebellion a price had to be paid. A price to match the debt of blood spilt on both sides.’

‘In ages gone by, the one who sought to hold the greatest beauty of all to himself, but the lust for what they were denied. You know of what happens, how from the moment I entered into this Middle-earth I was thrust into the middle of a blood feud by those who should have mentored and shielded me. You know of how I have strived to break away, to be free, to shape my own destiny, but every time an evil arises a good must be there to meet it.’

‘The words spoken by our comrades, our friends back in Rivendell were true, they don’t know how to carry on and they don’t want to carry on. For them the Road ends here and now, to grow old in peace and quiet then to leave this world in whatever manner or fate befalls them. For us…for me something else is there, something which still drives me ever onward down that Road, past the twilight of my people, even past yours until the very End of All Things. That one fact is clear, from all the madness and the pain, it has to be me.’

‘Please, I would implore you, for I love you more than any merely worldly comparison, so much that the heavens themselves are dulled and the brilliant eyes of the Lady Varda are but dwindling embers, not to ask me why. As, my dearest Rynwyn, you know that too, if it does not end with me then it will continue, as a pox upon our family to our little girl. She would take up this iron weight, as I did from my father and him from his. She would be forever bound to fulfil to a malevolent craving from a time and age which should have faded long ago. That I could not bear, but if you wish it of me, lady of my heart, I will stay, as know my own deepest yearning is, here with you, and fight even single guard until my blade is hewn and the ground runs red with my own blood.’

‘But lady, you know my mind better than any, and all I have ever done, whether it be misguided or not, I have done for, what I judged to be your best. From here Ryn you can make it without me, you can carry on. For my part I am still caught in the past, held back by shadows of former deeds and shades as yet unknown. For you I would do anything, but for the sake of Kayla I will do yet much more.”