[The Silmarillion] Romimus

Glorfindel fell into a dream.

As an elf, he seldom sleeps so deeply, but now he can't get out of that dream, maybe because he hasn't fully recovered from the exhaustion after the battle, or maybe it's something deep inside him. In fact, I didn't want to wake up so soon.

Glorfindel is not a cowardly person, and he is never afraid to fight for Gondolin or even sacrifice himself. No, what is so terrible about death?It was just a moment of pain, while the long pain left by the dead was carried by the survivors and moved on, silently waiting for the moment when time digested them cleanly.

For Glorfindel, the blood and tears of his people weighed more heavily than the threat of death.

And in Lorien, the Blessed Land, he could forget those things for a short while.

The flowers in the Garden of Lorien are always in bloom. The fragrance of the plants and the gentle singing of the goddess Esther vaguely linger in it. If you search the whole of Arda, there will be no more beautiful and comfortable place than this place. Glorfindel took a deep breath. Taking a breath, he was almost intoxicated by the beautiful scenery. How long has it been since he has been to Lorien?Since he followed Turgon across Middle-earth—

His brain froze suddenly, and it was always difficult for people to completely control their thoughts in dreams.At this moment, Lorien's master, Vera who is in charge of dreams, and Ilmo, Mandos' brother, quietly appeared beside him as if they came out of the air.

"Glorfindel." Oneiroi called him, "Why are you still here? The trial is about to begin."

Glorfindel was amazed: "What trial?"

"Naturally, it is the trial of the souls of the dead." Irmo replied, "You are also one of them."

It took Glorfindel a moment to react.

"I'm dead?" he asked incredulously, "How could..."

Glorfindel's voice hadn't finished yet, and those images he didn't want to recall suddenly played in his mind again - the elf hostage who was brutally tortured/killed by Angband, who fought bravely to the last moment until he was killed by the Balrog's giant The High King of the Noldor whose head was smashed with an axe, thousands of warriors who never saw their homeland and died in peace...

So, he also died in this war?

There was no regret or resentment as expected. Glorfindel was ready to face death at any time when he chose to disobey Vera's order and leave Aman. In fact, for a soldier, fighting on the battlefield Death may have been the best ending.

He was contemplating himself, but when he raised his head, he suddenly realized that he was standing in the empty hall of Mandos at some point. The face of the judge was hidden under the black hood, and only the solemn voice was unremarkable. Emotionally read the merits and demerits since his birth, no matter big or small, public or secret, nothing can hide from Mandos' eyes.

"Do you have any objection to what I just said?"

Glorfindel shook his head silently.

"Although you will inevitably make mistakes in your life, but fortunately you are rarely sober in the face of big right and wrong, and there was nothing you could do when you fled to Central Continent. Looking at your life, you can see that your merits outweigh your mistakes." Mandus paused, "I ask you, do you desire to be reborn? "

It took Glorfindel two or three seconds to realize what the words meant.

"Can I?" he asked.

Even after death, the souls of the elves are still connected to Arda, and if they have not committed any unforgivable crimes during their lifetime, and they have the willingness to go back, then they are very likely to get a chance to be reborn. A fortunate thing, but there are a few elves who are weary of the world and would rather remain in the halls of Mandos until the end of time.

"You have the right to choose." Mandos replied, "but you have to think twice. Even if your soul is purified, the essence will not change. Your previous experience and memory will still be yours." part."

When talking about his past life, Glorfindel couldn't help but think of that fierce battle, those tragic images that he had managed to temporarily forget through Lorien's peace, now hauntingly appeared in front of his eyes again, following in his heart As he thought, the smoke in the hall of Mandos continued to roll and fill, turning into swords, blood and the cold eyes of Morgoth.

He felt that he was back on the battlefield again, fighting non-stop on horseback, but it was only a drop in the bucket, killing one orc, and in a blink of an eye, more orcs rushed up frantically, and the comrades around him fell one after another, unable to do anything anymore. Standing up again, someone was even thrown to the ground and bitten off by a wolf less than five meters away from him, and he could only watch helplessly.

After the battle he said to the elf's teary-eyed wife: "I am sorry he died a heroic death..."

He might have saved the elf if he had noticed what was going on over there a second earlier?What if he could clear the obstacles around him faster?If he had commanded the battle better then, would there have been fewer casualties?Even if one more person survived?

Glorfindel knew that he shouldn't get into such a corner, just like Exhirion said, people always die in war, no matter how powerful he is, he can't save everyone, let alone in such a chaotic battlefield In fact, it is not easy for everyone to keep themselves, and the deaths of those elves cannot be attributed to Glorfindel.

Of course Glorfindel understands these principles. If he was just an ordinary elf soldier, then his heart would definitely not be as heavy as it is now. It is enough to be lucky that he survived, but he is a lord. He and the elves who admired and followed him became dead souls in one day. Even if the sacrifice was really inevitable, how dare he say that he didn't have the slightest responsibility?

In addition, what is particularly frustrating is that the elves paid such a high price, but they were still completely defeated. Morgoth's power became stronger and stronger. Perhaps in the future, there will be countless "battles of tears". Will he get used to death?He regretted the sacrifice of his compatriots, but he no longer had time to feel heartbroken about it, and tears could no longer splash in his heart, which was gradually numb from the day-to-day fighting.

If the future is going to be like this, what's the difference between being alive and being dead?It's better to be happy and straightforward when it's over.

"The time has come for you to make up your mind and make your choice." Mandos interrupted Glorfindel's meditation with a loud voice, "Are you willing to be reborn, even if there is little hope for the future of your people? "

If Glorfindel is sane now, he should have discovered that the shadow is not Mandos. The real Mandos will never say half a superfluous word when judging the undead. That thing should be the darkest thing in Glorfindel's heart part.

Of course, everyone has a pessimistic side more or less hidden in their hearts, but strong and cheerful people are rarely affected or even controlled by it. Glorfindel's character is already quite optimistic, even so, after going through such a situation After a brutal war, those negative emotions that were buried deep in his subconscious and almost ignored usually broke out in his dream.

Glorfindel, however, was not so easy to defeat after all.

Glorfindel didn't answer the shadow right away, he continued to look at the mist in the temple with ecstasy, and they also faithfully reflected what he was thinking.

First appeared the white walls of Gondolin and the colorful banners fluttering on the towering towers. The fountains in the city gushed out cool and crystal clear springs day and night. Before the tallest tower of Gondolin, Turgon himself built The gold and silver trees are shining brightly in the sun.

None but the dark creatures of Angband could fail to marvel at the splendor of Gondolin, but none loved her more than the Elves of Gondolin, not only because it was their city, but because All the bricks, tiles, plants and trees are designed and built by them, and they all embody their painstaking efforts and wisdom. For the things they create, probably every Noldor has more or less experience. Obsessed with.

Glorfindel also witnessed and participated in the construction of Gondolin at the beginning. His love for Gondolin is no less than anyone else, but for him, the significance of Gondolin to him is not limited to these magnificent buildings superior.

The mist surged and rolled, and gradually gathered into a human shape.

"Lord Glorfindel." This was the maid working in his home, and the young girl had a shy smile on her face every time she saw him.

"My lord." That was the attendant beside him. Glorfindel still remembered his frizzy appearance when he swore allegiance to him, and now he became stable and reliable.

"Lord Lord." "Lord Lord." "Lord Glorfindel..."

……

Glorfindel dared not say that he could call each one of them by name, but he knew that these were the elves of the Golden Flower family who followed him, their eyes followed him, and each of them had a look on their faces Love and respect.

"Glorfindel." Turgon appeared, looking at him with eyes full of trust.

"Glorfindel." Princess Idril's smile was sweet and moving.

Exilion walked past him and looked back at him with a chuckle: "Why are you in a daze, Laure?"

"Maybe I'm dreaming in broad daylight." Agamos and Duilin still love to hurt people with their mouths as always. After making a face at Glorfindel, they laughed and disappeared. Galdo and Peng Rhodes followed closely behind.

……

Finally, the mist finally took shape and condensed into the maple tree in the garden of Glorfindel's home. That tree was planted by Glorfindel himself when Gondolin was first built. After hundreds of years, Now it is already full of branches and leaves. Every autumn, the leaves of the trees become fiery red or golden. From a distance, it looks like a cluster of burning flames, which complement each other with the glow of the sky.

The slender girl stood under the tree with her back to Glorfindel, leaning on the trunk with one hand, quietly watching the sunset by the mountain, her long black hair draped softly over her shoulders.

The surroundings were quiet with only the breeze blowing, Glorfindel could clearly hear the beating of his own heart, beating again and again, sonorous and forceful, it was definitely not the sound that would come out of a dead man's chest.

He finally couldn't help calling her out: "Anna."

Lan Wen and his Iluana looked back at him, even though the sunset glow and red leaves were rare sights, they paled in comparison with her bright eyes, she just stood there without saying a word, It was enough to make Glorfindel feel safe and relieved.

"Do you desire rebirth?" the shadow asked him a third time.

"Yes, I wish to go back," Glorfindel replied.

The dead are gone, and the living are his faith to move forward. If the future is really gloomy, he will do his best to protect the people he loves until the last moment.

It was evening when Glorfindel woke up, the house was empty, and Lan Wen was nowhere to be seen.

Finally, Glorfindel found her in the kitchen following the smell of oatmeal. Lan Wen stood by the stove, peeling potatoes carefully, and the orange-red afterglow of the sun slanted on her face through the window. On the face, let that beautiful face that should not belong to the mundane world show a bit of warmth in the world.

Glorfindel stared at the scene in a daze for a while before walking over: "Shall I come?"

Lan Wen looked back at him in surprise: "Are you awake? I thought you would sleep a little longer."

Glorfindel took the potato from her hand, glanced at the porridge cooking in the pot, and joked, "It's rare for you to cook something a normal person makes."

Lan Wen pouted unhappily: "What do you mean?"

Romemos doesn’t dislike cooking, but she hates all boring preparations including choosing vegetables, chopping vegetables, washing dishes, and washing pots. She rarely cooks honestly according to recipes. In her words: all Why is she doing what anyone can do?

Romimus cooks more as an experiment than a cook. Once in hundreds of years, she tried out a recipe that was circulated wildly throughout Gondolin. Because she accidentally sprinkled a small amount of salt as sugar into the flour for making biscuits, the other maids persuaded Romemus to throw away the dough and make it again, but Romemus insisted on baking them, and the final result Surprisingly good.

Of course, every success must be accompanied by 99 failures, but Romimus is never afraid of failure... Anyway, she is not the one who tried those dark dishes.

Glorfindel was bitter.

Because of this, when all the elves were full of praise for Romimoth's butter biscuits, Glorfindel had already blacklisted the butter biscuits, and even within a few weeks, he would ask if he saw the butter. Nausea reflexively.

Seeing that Lan Wen was going to be reluctant, Glorfindel smiled and quickly changed the subject: "When I fell asleep just now, I had a dream."

"What dream?" Lan Wen asked casually.

"I dreamed that I went to the Temple of Mandos," said Glorfindel.

Sure enough, Lan Wen was stunned, she raised her hand, then hesitated to put it down, not knowing what to say.

"Don't worry, I'm fine." Glorfindel comforted her softly, "Lan Wen, do you still remember what I said to you before the battle?"

"Of course I remember, you said that even if we are temporarily separated, we will meet again one day."

Glorfindel looked at her expression: "Don't you believe it?"

Romemos was silent for a moment: "Yes, of course."

Goodbye will always be seen again, it's just a matter of time interval, no matter how bad it is when the world ends and all the Valar, Maia, elves and humans gather together, they will meet again; or the Valar At last it came to Middle-earth again to defeat Morgoth and take her back with her, and she might see Glorfindel again when she was judged at Mandos.

But apart from these two circumstances, Romemos thought it impossible for the two of them to have a chance to see each other again.

Glorfindel put down the peeled potato in his hand.

"It's beautifully cut." Romimos raised his eyebrows, "The skin hasn't been broken from the beginning to the end."

But Glorfindel didn't respond to her compliment, but took her hand.

Romimos looked up at him in surprise.

"Lan Wen," Glorfindel said seriously, "I swear by the name of Elbirus, I—"

"I'm back, can I pick so many?" Meglin suddenly walked in with five or six carrots in his arms.

"Okay, cut three first, and put the rest over there." Lan Wen gestured to him with one hand.

"I see." Meglin still had that expressionless face, walked to Glorfindel's side, picked up the knife he had just peeled potatoes, and began to cut carrots, "Don't worry about me, you guys continue."

Glorfindel's face was about to contort: ​​"Why is he here?"

"The cook at Meglin's family asked for a day off, so I invited him over for dinner." Lan Wen replied, "Is it not possible?"

"It's not impossible..." Glorfindel was speechless, "It's nothing, I just didn't expect him to be here."

"I'm sorry, I should say hello to you, but I thought you would sleep for a long time." Lan Wen smiled apologetically, "By the way, what did you want to say just now?"

Glorfindel stared at Meglin, and Meglin thumped and thumped without changing his expression before finally raising his head: "Do I need to avoid it?"

"...Forget it, it's nothing." Glorfindel sighed.

I swear by the name of Elbirus, I will come back to you no matter what happens in the future.