Stars of Heaven's Dome by Cirdan

Chapter 2: The Scions of Kings

Elrond was a teacher and scholar by trade, and because the fox-elves communicated with him through music, he taught them the language of the Elves through song. Ruscowe and Ruscoel learned quickly, partly because they'd once, long ago, known the high Sindarin tongue spoken in Doriath and partly because they were of a great and mighty lineage, lending to exceptional intelligence. Amongst themselves, they would sometimes slip into body language or whines and yelps, but it was not long before they could converse regularly with Elrond, and they avoided the fox speech and the more primitive song speech that seemed inherent to the Quendi as much as possible. Some of what Elrond taught them, like true wisdom about the Valar in the West and the history of the Quendi, would gradually resurface in their minds even as Elrond spoke. Other things, like the plight of the Noldor and the events of the Second Age, were wholly new to them.

An unexpected side effect of the relearning of the Sindarin tongue was that the fox-elves began to slowly understand events in their own lives. They would remember conversations that had, at the time, been adult jargon to them but now made sense. Ruscoel told Elrond of the time he'd been in his Elven mother's lap, cradled protectively, as she and her husband had discussed the letter from the sons of Feanor. Apparently, the rumors that Dior the Beautiful had openly worn the Nauglamir with the shining Jewel of Feanor set in it was true, for Ruscowe and Ruscoel had seen the Light of the Silmaril in their youth. It explained the brightness in their eyes, which had seemed too bright even for descendants of Melian the Maia. Elrond tried to be impartial in his recounting of history, especially when they asked about the sons of Feanor. Elrond did not conceal the fact that they had later sacked his home at the mouths of Sirion as well in pursuit of the Silmaril which Elwing, Elrond's mother and the fox-elves' sister, had possessed, but neither did he withhold from them the fact that, after the Third Kinslaying, Maedhros and Maglor, the two remaining sons of Feanor, had raised him and protected him from the numerous servants of Morgoth roaming Beleriand.

Elrond continued to teach them history, language, and social behavior as they crossed the lands to Greenwood. Elrond's encounter with the werewolves proved to be a warning but not the norm. There were bands of Orcs abreast, but most were scouting parties and were easily avoided. Elrond explained to the fox-elves that he was the Lord of Imladris but had been sent as High King Gil-galad's messenger because the Wood-elves of Oropher did not like or choose to follow the rule of the Noldorin King. Some even believed that it was the Noldor that had brought evil with them from the West. Even those who knew this to be untrue could be persuaded to believe when offered a seemingly peaceful solution to war. Of late, Sauron had treated with the Elves of Greenwood and said that he would let them remain as their own kingdom, independent and free. Sauron had concentrated his attack on Gondor, and because he left Greenwood alone, Oropher had begun to believe that the war against Sauron was Gondor's affair and the affair of the Elves of Gil-galad if they so chose. As a descendant of Thingol, who had been the leader of the Teleri, from which was descended the Sindar and Nandor, Elrond hoped to win the alliance of Oropher, who was himself of Sindarin origin. However, the history of Elrond Half-Elven was known to Oropher, who did not wholly trust Elrond because he had been raised by Maglor, the second son of Feanor, and because he was the vassal of Gil-galad. Thus, Elrond was not wholly sure if he could accomplish his errand. The fox-elves listened to all this with great attention, for they were now Elrond's escort and their behavior and words would reflect on Elrond and the High King. Elrond also spoke to them about Oropher's personality so that they would not inadvertently offend the King of Greenwood.

As they neared their destination, Ruscowe began to speak more at the nightly campfires. Before, it'd always been Ruscoel, the younger, who had offered snippets of his memories or explanations of their lives and self- learning process as wild elves raised by foxes. Apparently, Ruscowe was of a wholly different nature, and now that he had good command of the Sindarin tongue and better grasp of his childhood memories, he began the tale of the fox-elves from the beginning.

Indeed, Ruscowe could now recall his given name and that of his brothers, though he spoke it not. They'd been born in Ossiriand, which was now Lindon after the War of Wrath and the changing of the shape of the world, but had moved to Menegroth after the death of King Thingol, the great-grandfather of the fox-elves. Ruscowe's father, Dior Eluchil, had then raised anew the glory of the Kingdom of Doriath, and success was only more impressive after he had received and donned the Necklace of the Dwarves, upon which was, of course, the Silmaril. Elrond knew all this, but he listened patiently as Ruscowe built the foundations for his own memories.

Ruscowe and Ruscoel had been too young to understand all that took place in the ruin of Doriath, but they had known enough to follow instructions and hide in one of the many caves as their parents and the guards of Menegroth had tried to protect them in the Second Kinslaying. In the end, though, the battle had been lost, and they'd been dragged from the secret room in a wine cellar. They had not cried or begged for their lives when the soldiers had found them. Their wrists and ankles had been tied, and they'd been left in the wild to die.

After two days, Ruscowe managed to gnaw through the ties about his wrists, and he then set his younger brother free. Now that the Girdle of Melian was no more, the dark creatures of Morgoth crept into the woods. The boys wandered and found what food they could on the trees and bushes, and when they heard the rustlings of wolves or Orcs, they hid. Twice, they even saw a great wolf and ran for their lives. By chance, they managed to escape each time. Or perhaps it was not mere chance, for from their places of hiding, they often heard the sounds of battle and the death howls of the wolves or screams of the Orcs. Once, Ruscowe even saw a glimpse of a figure tall and fair in the woods, the shadow of an Elf perhaps, for its movements were too light and graceful to belong to an Orc or Troll. But if it was an Elf, the Elf never once approached them or offered them aid. It was Ruscowe's strength and force of will that pushed them onward and forced them to struggle to live when it seemed easier to just lay down and die. Then, after what seemed like eternity but must have only been twelve days, a fox approached them.

At first, Ruscowe continued as before and ignored the fox that came close to them and watched them. In the evening, she brought white peaches to the boys and left them on the forest ground and withdrew a distance. Ruscowe was proud despite his youth and refused to accept the charity of the fox, a mere beast. But Ruscoel had approached the peaches without hesitation, for the food that they found for themselves was never enough. Ruscowe allowed his brother to eat three of the peaches before chiding him and forcing him to stop. They were outlaws now, but they were still princes, not beggars. The food belonged to the fox, not them. They left the other four peaches and went in search of their own food. The fox watched them for a time and then disappeared.

She reappeared to them the next afternoon, and this time she offered them some grapes. Although she had carried them in her mouth and left fox saliva on the grapes, Ruscowe allowed Ruscoel to eat the grapes, for they had not found food since the fox's last visit. Again, in the evening, the fox came to them with food, two apples, and even as Ruscoel ate, she brought them more apples. Ruscoel pressured his brother to eat, and Ruscowe, driven by hunger, gave in. When the fox departed this time, the brothers followed her. They had to crawl on hands and knees to reach the den, and at that, Ruscowe had balked, but Ruscoel had already followed the fox down the tunnel, and so Ruscowe swallowed his pride and entered the fox den as well. There, they snuggled with two foxes, not one. That night was the first night that they were able to sleep without fear of attack since the Kinslaying, and more importantly, they were warm. When they awakened in the morning, there was food, for the foxes had fruits and nuts stashed in their den. From that night forward, Ruscowe and Ruscoel had stayed with the foxes and learned their language.

They had never questioned the elven equipment found by their fox father, but now that Ruscowe gave the matter more thought, he found it unusual that a fox had been able to find such things. Perhaps the mysterious elven figure had given these things to the foxes. This Elrond did not find unlikely at all despite the incredible nature of the tale. Celegorm was said to have known all languages of beasts, and Elrond himself had witnessed Maglor conversing with birds. It was theoretically possible that Maedhros had known the speech of foxes. But Maedhros was an ill-name in Middle Earth, for he had slain his kin three times and committed one of the two remaining Silmarils to the depths of the earth. Ruscowe was quick to understand Elrond's point, and though they apparently delighted in the bright red raiment with the emblem of the House of Feanor, they changed into brown riding clothes, which Elrond also recognized to have once belonged to Maedhros or Maglor. The riding clothes were less obviously of the First Age though, and there was no symbol of Feanor, so the Wood-elves would not take offense. Before long, shortly after Ruscowe concluded what he could of his tale, they arrived in Greenwood.

The guards waylaid them and brought them to the Halls of Oropher, King of the Silvan Elves, and before the King, Elrond spoke with great eloquence and urgency of the threat of Sauron, now returned to Barad-dur in Mordor, and the need for an alliance between Elves and Men.

"Your words are smooth, Half-Elven, but I will not join this hopeless alliance," Oropher said. "Gil-galad seeks to use the Elves of Greenwood as his shield, and while his forces march eastward, my people will be dying as they hold off the expansion of Sauron's forces." He held up his hand to stop Elrond from speaking. "I know what you are thinking, but I am not a fool. I do not believe that Sauron will leave my people alone and free as he has promised. When he has taken over all of the world with his dark forces, he will crush Greenwood as well. But for now, he has chosen to leave Greenwood in peace. It may be that the time will come when we must wage war against Mordor, but until that time, the time of my choosing, we will remain neutral in this fight."

"So you intend to sit on the fence and wait for Gil-galad and Elendil to exhaust their own troops and diminish the forces of Sauron before joining in the war?" Elrond said. He tried to keep his voice even, but his hand was clenched tightly.

Oropher smiled, and though it was not a malicious smile, there was a certain amount of grimness to it. "No, Half-Elven, I intend to stay out of the war entirely, even to the end, and if Sauron is defeated, then Greenwood will benefit from it. If it is not, then Sauron will have been weakened enough for Greenwood to wage its own war against Mordor and win. I will not follow the leadership of the self-styled 'King of the Elves.' Here, I am the King." Elrond knew at that moment that his errand had failed. He bowed curtly and prepared to leave, but Ruscowe stepped forward.

"What of your loyalty the ancient High Kingship of the Teleri, King Oropher?" Ruscowe said in a clear voice. His words were of the high Sindarin tongue and gave no indication that he had not even known the language just weeks before. "Would you follow the descendant of Elu Thingol, once King of the ancestors of both the Sindar and the Nandor?"

Oropher laughed. "I know of the ancestry of Elrond Peredhil, but I will not be persuaded by one who follows his Noldorin blood, for he looks after the interests of Gil-galad before those of the Silvan Elves."

"I do not speak of him." Ruscowe drew out a ring of silver with a large diamond-shaped crystal. A moon of pearl was set in the crystal, and thin slivers of blue topaz were set around it as rays of moonlight. Between the moonlight were small stars of sapphire and diamond. Ruscowe held it up for all to see with their keen elven sight.

"The winged moon!" Oropher exclaimed.

"It is," Ruscowe said. "This is the Ring of the Elu Thingol." Later, Elrond would learn that Dior had given it to Ruscowe before leaving to defend Doraith from the sons of Feanor, and Ruscowe had swallowed it before being captured by the soldiers of Celegorm. "And I am his heir, Elured Nelyaelwe, son and successor of Dior Eluchil. I have been in the lands farther east than even Mordor, but I return now to fight the threat of Sauron, who will lay all of Middle Earth in ruin if he is not stopped. In this, I ask for your aid, King Oropher."

Oropher stood from his wooden throne and came forth to look in wonder at the fox-elf before him. "What veil was over my eyes? I had only seen the resemblance to Elrond, but now I begin to perceive the blood of Thingol, which runs more strongly in you than in the Peredhil." He looked to Elurin, who inclined his head to the King of the Silvan Elves.

"I am Elurin Elmaiadan, second son of Dior the Beautiful and Nimloth the Fair," said Ruscoel.

"The sons of Dior live!" Oropher exclaimed.

Ruscowe smiled. "Indeed we do. I remember you, Lord Oropher of Doriath, from the time when I first arrived from Ossiriand, for it was you who made for me a wooden top and taught me to use a sling ere I was old enough to learn the bow."

Oropher's voice was full of glee as he said, "I need no further proof, Elured, Heir of Elu Thingol. I have no great love for Gil-galad, the Last High King of the Noldor, but you. you I would follow as the High King of the Teleri. And if you choose to enter into alliance with Gil- galad, then I will obey."

Ruscowe clasped arms with Oropher. "I thank you, King of Greenwood. I must depart now with my nephew and see to the arrangements with Gil- galad, but I will return when I can."

Diplomacy with Oropher proceeded much more smoothly after that point, and Elrond shared with Oropher, Ruscowe, and Ruscoel the plans that Gil- galad and Elendil had set into motion. They accomplished more than Gil- galad could ever have hoped for Elrond's errand, and the three began their journey back to Imladris before the second week of their visit passed. Oropher offered armed escorts, but Ruscowe refused and asked instead for three good horses so that they might travel swiftly, and this Oropher gladly granted to them. All seemed to be going smoothly, yet, when they were again in private, Elrond perceived that a shadow had come over his fox- elven brethren, for they had named their own right names and the doom that Thingol had called upon himself in that moment when he named the Silmaril as the price for his daughter's hand was stirred from its long slumber.

Chapter End Notes

Elured means "Heir of Thingol." Elurin means "Remembrance of Thingol." This is part of the canon. As for Nelyaelwe, I made that one up, and it means "Third Elwe," as in the third Thingol (who used to be named Elwe) in line to rule. Elmaiadan is also my invention, meaning "Elf-maia-man," and I suspect it is the inspiration for the name of Elrond's eldest son, Elladan. The horrible puns involved are on the names of Maedhros, their indirect savior, though Dior and Nimloth obviously didn't choose these names because of Maedhros. Nelyafinwe is Maedhros's father name and is echoed in Nelyaelwe, and Maitimo, "beautiful body," is Maedhros's mother name and is echoed in Elmaiadan's name since "maia" is derived from the same root and means "the beautiful." My most sincere apologies to people who are of superior Elven language skills.