I Choose a Mortal Life by Uvatha the Horseman

No Armenelos For You!

The gangway was guarded by a silver-haired man at a makeshift desk. A ledger lay open in front of him.

Elros made a beeline in his direction, and Elrond hurried to keep up.

They passed a settler who did a double take and made the sign of the evil eye. "You'd think he'd never seen identical twins before," said Elros.

Elrond was hit with a wave of sadness. With Elros gone, he would be a twinless twin.

A line had formed in front of the gatekeeper's desk. The gatekeeper dipped his pen in an inkpot. "Name."

The colonist at the head of the line stepped forward. The gatekeeper wrote in his ledger and directed the man to join the rest of the settlers waiting to board.

Elros left him to stand in line. It crept forward slowly. Finally, he reached the front.

"Name?"

Elrond watched his twin step forward, the happiness showing in his face. "Elros son of Eärendil."

The man took in Elros' slender height, embroidered silk robes, and hair that hung to his waist. "I'm sorry, but Númenor was created as a gift to the race of Men. Only Men are allowed to be colonists."

"I'm half-Elven. I have ancestors from both races."

The man raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you do, but I'm afraid there's not a place for you on this expedition."

Elros turned away, his shoulders sagging.

Elrond threw an arm around his brother's shoulders. "I'm sorry, I know how much you wanted to go. Let's get the horses and get out of here."