- Orofer probably couldn't look into the eyes of those whose loved ones died because of him... And decided that his voluntary care would be paid for his mistake. He was right about the epiphany that had come to him at the turn of two worlds. Wisdom is not brought on a silver platter. Everyone reaches an understanding on his own, on mistakes and bitter lessons, suffering, and rejoicing, gaining and losing... But for Eldar, there is always hope of meeting with the untimely departed...
- Yes... And I hope very much that my mother will wait for my father to return... - Tranduil whispered. - But the vast forests they both loved so much, the land they had invested a lot of their souls in, they lost forever.
- Arda Iskarda's inexorable law is to find and lose. The lands that the kvandis loved and decorated, the lands in which they grew all the roots, woven their fairy tales, plunges into the ashes of a merciless time. But these edges continue to live forever in the bitter memory of the immortal... And the souls of Eldar, who were torn away, continue to bleed forever... Forgive me, friend, my... See you tomorrow! - Ellerian stopped at the doorstep of her room, gently clenched Sindh's hands and quickly disappeared outside the door.
And the Forest King returned to the garden and sat for a long time, going through all the moments of conversation, rethinking the revelations of Ellerian, albeit fragmentary and incomplete, but really relevant to the true knowledge. Then he suddenly thought how far apart the two of their people, how little they knew about each other, and it is difficult for them to find common ground. How easy it was to offend the girl, to hurt her, just because of misunderstanding, ignorance of all the subtleties ... But he wanted to learn to understand Ellerian... Very, very much wanted to!
* * *
And the next night, Trandeil rushed to the garden first. He had to wander between the trees for a long time, waiting for Ellerian. It rained tediously in the morning, but by evening there wasn't a cloud left in the sky. Finally, the light figure flashed against the background of greenery, silently slid in the shade of the trees. Nolde gently shook her faithful friend's hand and silently carried her to their beloved clearing, hidden from strangers by thick thickets. There she sank into the thick silk grass and lifted her eyes to the clear sky.
- What a wonderful night tonight... - Ellerian whispered softly, - velvet black, warm and quiet... And in the air one can already hear the breath of the autumn...
- Yes... In August, the air is made dry and transparent, there is no dust and summer overheated haze left in it, - Tranduil responded quietly and thoughtfully, - and one can see the myriad of stars, from the brightest to the smallest, invisible in other seasons.
- And from the swirling starry flow of the sky seems to be silver-gray, unthinkably deep, against the will of attracting the eye ... And there Earendil rises... Did you know, my friend, that Faenaro, living in Valenor, has never seen the stars? And the silmaril he created became the brightest star in the evening sky...
- All this is strange for me... It's hard to understand, to feel... The stars are alive, they sing. The first quarterfinals heard the music of the stars and learned to sing. The most beautiful songs of elves are dedicated to the stars. And the stones... They are dead...
- How can you say that?! - Ellerian even jumped on her feet and stopped in front of Trandyl, tall and thin, all penetrated by the light of the Evening Star. Bright hair poured a golden waterfall over the girl, and her passionate speech, too, fell on the head of poor Sindh, - The stones are also alive, each of them has its own melody, you only need to be able to hear her! Who doesn't hear, says: "A simple cobblestone!" And a real master of the stone will take this cobblestone into his hands, look around, listen to what the stones whisper to him, and start working. You'll be surprised if you look at it: part of it will generalize with a hammer, then half of it will run off, polish it... And suddenly this stone will play with all the colors of the rainbow, as if laughing... It sounds like it's never dead again! The stone treated by the real master always shines from the inside, catches the slightest ray and immediately returns it with wonderful, unique tints... The chrysolite will burst into golden-green rays and will lead you to spring freshness permeated by the sun with young foliage. Aquamarine splashes with the sea wave, dies in the face of the wind of distant wanderings. And you are even afraid to take the fire opal into your hands: it seems to the one who looks at this stone, that under a thin shell raging fierce flame ...