The Tale of Gull-galad by Kaylee Arafinwiel

The Tale of Gull-galad

Read The Tale of Gull-galad

"Elrond, what is that?"

The King's Herald gave his cousin and elder foster-brother a measured look, doing his best to be very much on his dignity.

"It is a seagull, Ereinion," he said.

"I can see that." The High King arched an eyebrow. "What is it doing in my council chamber?"

Elrond was trying not to be lost for words. "It...followed me here." His expression suddenly reminded Ereinion very much of his elder twin brother's when Elros had wanted something. "May...it stay, if it promises to be quiet?"

Ereinion blinked. "You can understand it?"

Colour stained Elrond's cheeks briefly. "Ah...perhaps it is a..family trait?" he guessed.

Oh. "I see," Ereinion said neutrally, as the bird settled on the arm of Elrond's chair. "It might be best if you hid it under your cloak, hanno," he advised, and Elrond did so. "Does your...friend have a name?"

"Ah..." Elrond's blush was back, deeper this time. "I thought perhaps "Gull-galad?" he ventured.

Luckily Ereinion saw the humour in the outrageous statement, and took it in the spirit it was intended. He snorted with laughter, shaking his head. "You are incorrigible, vorondonya."

Elrond smiled ruefully. "Thank you."

The Council's Reaction

This is the chapter with the (mild) racism - from Gil-galad's chief Noldorin advisor to Elrond for his mortal blood.

Read The Council's Reaction

Elrond's eyes were beginning to glaze over, truth be told. There were only so many ways that Lord Naltanaro could think of to make tax sound interesting, and he wasn't employing any of them. The Peredhel was beginning to fidget somewhat, and only Gil-galad's hand on his knee caused him to subside.

 

Further down the table, too, he could see Lord Vehiron was having just the same difficulty, and his elder brother, Lord Oropher, was doing his best to keep him calm - and awake. So Elrond did his best to pay attention, if only because he would rather not shame his elder foster-brother and King, and the time for his own report would surely be coming soon, whenever Naltanaro's droning at last would subside. The droning of honeybees in a meadow of wildflowers would be a welcome change from this tiresome--

 

"Mine?"

 

Naltanaro snapped his mouth shut and looked pointedly at Elrond, as the noise woke the other advisors from their half-awake state and they shifted uneasily. "Listen, seldo, what gives you the right to sit there and mock me?"

 

"I didn't-" Elrond began, flustered.

 

"Mine?" A harried flapping sound made itself known as the erstwhile Gull-galad worked free from under Elrond's cloak.

Ereinion stared as Gull-galad made his way straight for Naltanaro. The fussily dressed Noldo ducked aside, barely rescuing his tidy folder of papers from being scattered.

 

"Mine?" the seagull demanded.

 

"Get that filthy thing out of here!" Naltanaro shouted.

 

"How dare you smuggle it in here, my lord?" Lord Rialcar, Naltanaro's hanger-on, sneered.

 

"Who knows what those with Mortal blood will dare," Naltanaro snorted. Elrond was shaking. Without quite realizing he was doing it, he stared at the gull.

 

Come here, he commanded silently and it obeyed. "Mine?" Gull-galad began preening Elrond's hair.

 

"Take him outside, Elrond," Gil-galad said wearily. "I will have your report later. And now, Lord Namindo, if I may hear your report on the state of the safety of Lindon..."