"Ah, Arthain...so you would answer a question with a question? Very well. You seem ill at ease as though heavy things were on your mind. When we go into battle, we cannot afford to be distracted by our emotions. It would be better for you to share the burden, if burden it be." He watched Arthain's eyes closely, but he seemed shut away, closed to Melost as he had never been before.
Melost gestured for Arthain to follow him and they walked silently for a time out across the balconies and down the multi-tiered levels of the gardens gracing the western face of Elrond's House. Arthain gasped in wonder as he beheld the beauty of the valley in which this Elven refuge lay. Melost glanced at him side-long, hoping the sights and smells of this peaceful place would soothe Arthain's troubled spirit and his own as well.
Suddenly, the memory of Arthain's covetous stare sprang into full relief into Melost's mind and he had to stop. Arthain continued on down the path, oblivious to his friend's pain. "How like a human to desert a friend in need..." a small voice in the back of his mind whispered, planting a tiny seed of poison in his soul. Melost himself was totally unaware of the small shift within him as he straightened, watching Arthain suddenly notice he was alone, then turn and look back up the path for his friend. With long, swift strides, Melost caught up to him. "What ails you, Melost? I have never seen you this solemn." Melost gave him a long look, then bowed his head. "I haven't yet told Anwenelme that I am not going to marry her yet. How can I when we go to war, possibly not to return?" Arthain looked at him, stricken. Then a thought blossomed in his mind and he held his peace.
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