The Chief in a Village by Himring

Bonus ficlet: A Dog Called Mellon

A small incident at Gil-galad's court in Lindon.
On elvish memory and animals' life spans.

Warning for reference to death of a pet.

It was a known fact that all Gil-galad's dogs were called Mellon.

'I guess it's because you elves live so long,' said a member of the Numenorean ambassador's staff, in a misguided attempt at empathy. 'You've probably had so many dogs that you can't tell them apart anymore!'

Berion, on one side of the hall, froze. Erien, on the other side, felt her eyebrows trying to rise up almost to meet her hairline. Both of them remembered the time when the original Mellon had died. Young Ereinion had been utterly devastated and the whole of Barad Eithel had been plunged into mourning with him for three days.

For many elves, if not most, the time came when, the first time, a loved animal companion died and the elves came face to face with how incommensurable its natural life span was to theirs and the long Ages of Arda. They all dealt with it in their different ways.

The Numenorean ambassor, by the expression on her face, was aware that an apology was in order, but was trying to work out where the focus of the apology should lie so as not to, somehow, make matters even worse.

But Gil-galad's face remained calm.

'No,' he answered. 'They are all called Mellon because they are all true friends of mine. And I remember all of them perfectly well. I don't need a different name to distinguish them by.'

The current bearer of the name, hearing Gil-Galad mention his name, came bounding up to him and sat on his master's feet, his tail thumping the floor.

Chapter End Notes

"Mellon", of course, means "friend"--and the word is best known for being inscribed on the Gates of Moria