958gildor25and_company

> Gildor:
> "hm-hum... I believe that to take the way to the Baranduin, and
then
> the Green Way. We can go through Nan Curunir, and visit old
Saruman,
> once we're going that way."


Walking ahead, Ragnor was looking forward to asking many things to
Gildor. It's true that Inglor's son was usually at the Havens, but he
used to stay always very little time, once his home was Imladris.
Therefore he was always to return as soon as he could. As one of
Elrond's main captains, together with the twins, Glorfindel, Gwindor
and Aegnor, Gildor always had many affairs, but Elrond trusted noone
else to escort the groups that left or passed through Imladris away
to the Havens.

Ragnor and Rauros had been born after the fall of Gil-galad, the last
of the great Kings of the Eldar. After Gil-galad, noone had been able
to gather all the elves under a banner. Thranduil of the Sindar now
ruled in the distant Greenwood, and Celeborn, a Sinda, too, of Elu
Thingol's house, was lord at the Golden Forest of Galadriel of the
Noldor, the daughter of Finarfin, and perhaps the greatest elf on
Middle-earth, in these days, but, perhaps Cirdan, although Cirdan did
not put himself in the affairs of war, since his youth.

(It was said, and known, they say, by some, that Cirdan had passed
the red ring of the elves, the ring of fire, to Mithrandir, soon
after his arrival in Middle-earth, which quite made sense. Cirdan
would make whatever role he had to endure with the ring of water in
his hand, but of fire he knew nothing, and had never known.)

(And it was known that Elrond mastered the ring of air, and Galadriel
had the ring of water under her keep.)

"But why was it, what do you think, captain," asked Ragnor, "that
master Elrond did not take the stars of Gil-galad to put on his
forehead, at the proper time, but that he prefered to let Cirdan shut
them for long, and now noone knows what happened with the royal
emblem of the high-king?..."

"The stars, my quite curious friend," answered Gildor, "were kept by
Cirdan for the time necessary. They are now at Imladris, under
Elrond's keep. But Elrond has no intention at all of taking it out of
its box, o, no: I think the next elf to put such stars on his
forehead, Ragnor, will be Finarfin, by the day Elrond takes the box
through the Sea to the West, and gives it to Gil-galad's uncle.

"The Eldar will have no more high-kings at this side of the Sea: our
time, some say, has come to the end. We're living the very end of our
days here."