"Ah, yes, I had heard of Arwen, Elrond's brave daughter who fell in love with Aragorn, the bold descendant of Elros. I suppose it is always a shock to the relatives and friends of one who loves a mortal. Elros had chosen a mortal destiny, and anyway, Aragorn was so far distant from his Elvish ancestors that he couldn't be considered half-Elven. Arwen was Elrond Half-Elven's daughter, and therefore definitely of the Half-Elven kind. She chose to become mortal herself, did she not? And therefore, her life will end when her husband's does, or not long after. And then she will be lost to Elven-kind, for she will never sail to Valinor nor slip across the Sea in spirit-form and join her relatives in the Halls of Mandos, nor be chosen by the Valar to be one who walks the Earth again in living form. And still, the love is real, and for its sake such things must occur."
"I had heard of the Hobbits, too. Is it not grand, that sometimes the smallest people are the bravest? I certainly agree that Frodo should have been allowed to spend his last years in Valinor, if he wished it. Nobody could have deserved it more."
"I do envy you, who were in Middle-earth when all the great events of the Second and Third Ages were occurring." For a moment his eyes flickered away to another time, as he thought of Celebrimbor and how much he wished he had been able to defend him in the War of Sauron and the Elves.
But then, he was drawn out by Glorfindel's next question. "Gil-Galad, scion of the Noldor clan and our last King. He said that he felt that I was watching over him?" Curufin pointed at his own chest in surprised humor. "Well, perhaps he had reason. I lingered in spirit-form in Beleriand until after the War of Wrath, when the shape of the lands was changed forever, the country we died for inundated by the Great Sea. All that was left of Beleriand was that green stretch of country at the foot of the Blue Mountains, much of which was once Thargelion and Ossiriand, the land of the Seven Rivers. They began to call it Lindon, and it became Gil-galad's country. I wandered there sometimes, as it had become well-known to me when I was trying to do my part in the war, stealthily leading groups of refugees across the mountains into Eriador where they would be a lot safer than they would have been in Beleriand. After the end of the war, I was still drawn to that lovely green land. I sometimes saw Gil-galad out hunting with his friends." He smiled a little sadly, a little grimly. "Needless to say, I didn't walk up and introduce myself. I didn't think he'd appreciate being accosted by the ghost of one of the notorious sons of Fëanor. I was different, though, after my death. And Gil-galad was reputed to be wise, which often means highly sensitive to the emotional emanations of others. Maybe he could sense my presence."
"I heard that you gave your life defending Turgon and all his people. I am very glad that you weren't stuck forever in those dim Halls. But then, I can well imagine that the Valar would have found you innocent of any crime, and thought you well suited to return as a living Elf to the Earth we all loved and continue to be a guardian of the Elvish people and of mortals. I would call that justice." He grinned back. "No, none of us are untouched by our deaths. We are changed forever by them."
He chuckled and indicated Glorfindel's purple clothing. "You're Team Purple, and that's a valiant team. They'll appreciate you, I'm sure. I would."
"Well, that's what some of us believe -- that the train itself is an entity. It does seem to be a personality, and it does choose us, so we know it has extraordinary powers. I think you'll find that its choice of missions is well-intentioned, as I was saying. We've saved a lot of people, and last time, we even saved a whole planet. Not bad for a bunch of chance-met strangers on a train." Another grin. "And I am looking forward to renewing our friendship. This is an example of why I think this VoidTrecker experience is not to be missed. Many happy meetings." He allowed Glorfindel to squeeze and let go of his arm, and he smiled at him once again. "I certainly will introduce you to some people. Whom have you met so far?"
no subject
"I had heard of the Hobbits, too. Is it not grand, that sometimes the smallest people are the bravest? I certainly agree that Frodo should have been allowed to spend his last years in Valinor, if he wished it. Nobody could have deserved it more."
"I do envy you, who were in Middle-earth when all the great events of the Second and Third Ages were occurring." For a moment his eyes flickered away to another time, as he thought of Celebrimbor and how much he wished he had been able to defend him in the War of Sauron and the Elves.
But then, he was drawn out by Glorfindel's next question. "Gil-Galad, scion of the Noldor clan and our last King. He said that he felt that I was watching over him?" Curufin pointed at his own chest in surprised humor. "Well, perhaps he had reason. I lingered in spirit-form in Beleriand until after the War of Wrath, when the shape of the lands was changed forever, the country we died for inundated by the Great Sea. All that was left of Beleriand was that green stretch of country at the foot of the Blue Mountains, much of which was once Thargelion and Ossiriand, the land of the Seven Rivers. They began to call it Lindon, and it became Gil-galad's country. I wandered there sometimes, as it had become well-known to me when I was trying to do my part in the war, stealthily leading groups of refugees across the mountains into Eriador where they would be a lot safer than they would have been in Beleriand. After the end of the war, I was still drawn to that lovely green land. I sometimes saw Gil-galad out hunting with his friends." He smiled a little sadly, a little grimly. "Needless to say, I didn't walk up and introduce myself. I didn't think he'd appreciate being accosted by the ghost of one of the notorious sons of Fëanor. I was different, though, after my death. And Gil-galad was reputed to be wise, which often means highly sensitive to the emotional emanations of others. Maybe he could sense my presence."
"I heard that you gave your life defending Turgon and all his people. I am very glad that you weren't stuck forever in those dim Halls. But then, I can well imagine that the Valar would have found you innocent of any crime, and thought you well suited to return as a living Elf to the Earth we all loved and continue to be a guardian of the Elvish people and of mortals. I would call that justice." He grinned back. "No, none of us are untouched by our deaths. We are changed forever by them."
He chuckled and indicated Glorfindel's purple clothing. "You're Team Purple, and that's a valiant team. They'll appreciate you, I'm sure. I would."
"Well, that's what some of us believe -- that the train itself is an entity. It does seem to be a personality, and it does choose us, so we know it has extraordinary powers. I think you'll find that its choice of missions is well-intentioned, as I was saying. We've saved a lot of people, and last time, we even saved a whole planet. Not bad for a bunch of chance-met strangers on a train." Another grin. "And I am looking forward to renewing our friendship. This is an example of why I think this VoidTrecker experience is not to be missed. Many happy meetings." He allowed Glorfindel to squeeze and let go of his arm, and he smiled at him once again. "I certainly will introduce you to some people. Whom have you met so far?"