Young Earendur sat on the edge of the chair in his room, his fingers deftly braiding his long hair, the third braid he had done that morning before clasping it with brown leather before he moved to stand. He walked away from the etched mirror and moved to dress, pulling on leather breeches and soft leather boots, a light weight poets shirt and a matching brown vest before he moved to head out the boor. He moved quickly across the hall taking the stairs two at a time as he heads for the main foyer, having to spin on his feet to miss his smiling mother as she watched him just miss running into her very pregnant from.

"Slow down Earendur least your father has your head," Lossefalme stated softly to her son, pushing her blond hair over her shoulder.

"Can't stop now mom, gotta met Alcarcalimo by the river," he stated, "I'm late," he added as he hurried across the yard, feeling his mother's good humored eyes on his back as he rushed into the stable and collected his bay gelding and saddling him he pauses glancing at his fathers silver war horse, thinking on stealing the horse for the day and looking around to see if anyone was near he moved to the stallion's stall grinning as the horse snorted at him, allowing himself to be lead into the aisles.

He removed the saddle from the gelding tossing it back in the tack room and grabbing the bigger saddle and throwing it over the stallion's back before sliding the bridal in place and leading the animal from the barn, mounting in one swift motion, heeling the horse hard for the path, seeing his father descending the house stairs and shout a few choice words at his unruly son. Earen didn't dare pull his horse up, instead he drove the horse all the faster from the house. He reigned in once he was at the river, the dark haired elf was already there and grinned as Earendur pulled up.

"Your father is going to nail your feet to the floor," Alcarcalimo grinned as the blond elf dismounted and moved to cross to him.

"Only if he catches me," Earendur answered with his own grin.

"Did you see Isilwen this morning?"

"Isilwen?" Earen glances at his friend.

"Yeah," he laughs "Isilwen, cute little shorter then use, great hair, sweet little body," he grins at Earen.

"I know who Isilwen is, why would I have seen her? And what are you doing looking? She's what twenty, thirty at most," he states.

"Doesn't stop you from looking Earendur," he glances at the young elf then grins, "that is if you would rise your head from your father's horse flesh long enough to notice her hanging off the fence rails watching you."

"I notice her plenty, she gets in the way is what she does, and wont leave me alone most the time, how I'm suppose to work horses with her on my heels is beyond me," he answers and sniffs, "What did you bring with you?" He asks and grins when Alcarcalimo pulls out a pastry from his pack.

"Last ones from last nights class," he offers it to his friend who takes it half greedily.

"I know elves are suppose to be proper with out wants, but man, I love food," Earendur moves to sit across from Alcarcalimo who dropped to the log behind him smoothly.

"Your father said something about you needing to cut back or being too lazy to hold a sword."

"My father spends too much time trying to mold me to his image," he growls around the bite of pastry.

"Another fight last night?"

"Last night and every night," he mutters, "need to escape," he added finishing off the last of the sweet and licks crumbs from his fingers, "I'm ready to strike out on my own, but he wont let me, one day he'll wake up and I'll be gone," he rumbled.

"I'll believe it when I see it," Alcarcalimo answered watching his friend then looking at his hands, "Ready?" He looks at Earendur once more who wipes his hands together and nods.

"How cold is it?" Earen asks as they both stand.

"There was frost this morning," Alcarcalimo answers as they both start stripping out of their vests and shirts.

"How cold do you suppose it will be?" He mutters, his shirt joining his vest, his boots next.

"Close to freezing," the dark haired elf answers as his pants join the rest of the clothes and both elves stand naked for a minute, side by side.

"Who's first this time?"

"You are."

"Right," Earendur mutters nodding, "okay, here goes," blowing his breaths a few time before inhaling deeply and running, hearing his friends footsteps just slightly behind his then he's airborne and his hands are over his head, his body slicing into the water, forcing his lungs to hold the air at the sharp sting of the freezing waters and bursts to the surface with a shout of exhilaration, his voice joined by Alcarcalimo.

"Last one to the other side and back, walks home," his friend challenges and Earendur laughs.

"Right, on three," Earen pauses, "THREE!" He shouts, he did that too often, Alcarcalimo was off at the same time he spoke the words taking off with his cheating friend as they raced through the river.

Earendur had crossed to the barn as fast as he could, his father was standing by the barn door watching him, just shaking his head as his son had rushed to get the horses ready so they could get going. His mother saw them off as they had mounted, speaking soft words to her husband, the look that crossed his face was priceless as he glanced at Earen then nodded to his wife, who kissed him softly. The two horses headed off side by side.

Trips into town were rare, and never lasted very long, only on the rarest of occasion would they stop to have something to eat or drink at one of the local taverns. Earendur looked forward to every trip, he loved watching the mortals, they had a different way about them, as if they were always in a rush. Compared to his father they were, his father was never in a rush to get anywhere or do anything, unless of course he declared it needed doing right away.

As the horses crossed into town his father's stallion was turned down a side street and the two started skirting the edge of the town heading for the docks. Earen was looking around him, children watching the well bred horses tromp their way through the streets, shoes ringing on stone as they went, chewing softly on their bits, and pinning ears at anyone who drew to close. Buck was a war horse, he didn't much care for crowds, unless it was of elves or men in armor, regular dressed human's he was unaccustomed to, but he put up with it, giving a flick of the tail and a pin of ears as a warning to stay back.

Earen's gelding was calmer, though his ears were pinned, it was more because of the stone and close buildings then the people. The brown horse had never seen a battle field, he wouldn't know the first thing to do in on, he liked kids, they always had something surgery in their hands that he could snatch when they leaned in to pet him. He was glutton for sugar candies and chocolate, most likely why his stomach was so round.

Atanvardoe watched his path before pulling up on the docks, "Now stay here, no sense in getting into trouble, I'll get what we came for and we'll go," he stated as the two dismounted.

"Were not staying for a meal?" Earendur asked, disappointment ringing in his voice. Up until this point the journey had been silent and his father turned a frustrated eye on him.

"No, were not staying for a meal," he turned away from Earen only walking a couple steps before he sighed and looked back at the look of utter disappointment on the young elf's face. "But we are going into the market so we can get you a couple new journals, your mother tells me your running out," he answers and sees the boys face light and smiles softly. As hard as his son was to control and as much as he tested the old elf's patients, he was is son, and he held a great pride for the boy.

Smiling he turned away and moved to head across the dock as Earen stood with the horses, his hands brushing gentle patterns over his gelding head, the horse pressing his cheek against his chest and smiling softly. Earen spoke softly to the gelding as he leaned on the horse as much as he was leaning on the elf. He watched his father talking to one of the sailors as he rested his arms on the drozy horses topline, his fingers playing over the horses ears and foretop as he waited.

It wasn't long before his father returned with a paper wrapped package glancing at Earendur and smiled softly. "I swear Earendur, you hypnotize those horses sometime," he states softly and his son beams, any words like that was a complement, no matter he looked at it. "Come lets get moving," he moves to mount his stallion as Earen nodded and moved to slide away from the geldings head and moved to mount swiftly and the two started off once more.

Earendur and his father rode home in virtual silents, like the ride to town, the young elf's mind on the encounter in town and the sickening feeling it left in the pit of his stomach. He had heard his father's advisers speak ill more then once of the rash of human kind, driven to strive for power, a lusty need that had almost destroyed the small land of Middle Earth, and power willing, would come again, as each age passed.

Earendur never spoke the whole trip until they got home, dismounting his father left him with the horses to put them away. He looked after both animal's needs before leading the horses to their stalls and heading into the house. He could hear his sister's and father's voice's not far off and moved down through the main house till he reached the main library stopping there to look in the door at his mother who was reading quietly.

"Mother?" Earendur spoke softly and his mother looked up from the book she was reading and smiled.

"Earendur, come in," she motioned him to cross the threshold of the room and into the library, he moved to do as he was told dropping into the chair across from her.

"You look confused," Isilwen stated softly and looked at her son as he nodded.

"I am," he answered reaching for the book she had been looking up, reading the title.

"Something to do with your trip to town?" Isilwen asked softly watching Earendur with the book as he flipped through it stopping on an illustration and running his fingers over it.

"A man in the market, he treated me like some young street urchin, but I am an elf, I thought we were respected and revered for our strengths."

"Some humans do, others will hate us for those strengths," she answered.

"I don't understand that," Earendur muttered, "would it not be better to keep us as allies then?"

"That is what would make sense, but sometimes jealousy and fear destroy reason, and they lose their comprehension of it."

"Human's are so confusing," Earendur muttered. Isilwen smiled brightly at her son before moving to stand.

"Some would say so," she moved to a shelf of books, one hand resting on her swollen stomach, the other moving over the book bindings as Earendur watched her. "Ahh here it is," she pulled free a book and turned back to her son, "one of the elven histories on the human race, read it, it might help."

Earendur moved to stand, taking the offered book as he set his mother's back on the table, "Thanks, I hope it helps," he muttered and moved to head for the door.

"Earendur," Isilwen's voice cut into his thoughts once more and he looked back at his mother.

"Yes."

"Don't take it personal son, not all people are bad, and not all people are good. Remember, orcs were once elves," she pointed out and saw her son wince but nod.

"Thanks mom," he disappeared out of the room, and headed for the stairs to take him back to his own room.

Earendur and Alcarcalimo were still talking softly when the kitchen door opened, the dark haired lord stepped into the room looking over the two boys his eyes judging the two as Earendur looked up from finishing one of the fresh pastries, licking crumbs from his fingers. "Father?" He asked softly and the old man's stern look melted as he smiled at his eldest son.

"Its a boy, beautiful baby boy," he grinned.

Earendur was on his feet, "Can I see him?" He asked Atanvardoe.

"Not right now, both he and your mother need rest, but soon my son," Atanvardoe answered and moved to join the two at the counter pausing to pick up one of the warm treats as others entered to collect the breakfast from the kitchen to take to the rest of the household. He took a bite of the food as the two watched him curiously and after a minute he smiled, "Very good Alcarcalimo you have learned you trade well."

"Thank you sir," Alcarcalimo answered with a bow.

"Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to steal my son from you, we need to talk," he turned to leave motioning Earendur to fallow. The young blond elf quickly moved to fallow his father as the older elf finished off the pastry and glanced back at his son, "Walk beside me Earendur, I wish to speak with you." Earendur quickly caught up with his father walking beside the elf.

"Now that your brother has been born," Atanvardoe started, "you have a great responsibility to look towards my son, the taking over of our home and looking after all of those who reside here, but that is many years away. You must learn respectability, you need to learn how to be a lord, to grow up quickly, you are no longer a child Earendur, it is time you start listening to what you are told and allow me to groom you for the part."

"But father, I do not wish it," Earendur answered softly.

"It does not matter if you wish it," he snapped, then clamed himself again. "Earendur you have been nothing but obstinent for a very long time, very unelf like, and I have had quiet enough of it. You will see your sixtieth year soon, that makes you grown up, but not an adult," he pointed out strongly as Earendur walked beside him, his eyes on his feet. "I've had enough of you fighting with me and not listening to what you are told, you will be groomed to this position, you will do as your told, and you will do it with out argument."

"Why father? Why are my feelings not considered?"

"Because you are the oldest son, it is you job to take over this position, and you will do it," he snapped and turned to grab Earendur's upper arm, "You are my son, and you will not disappoint me, if you love me at all, you will do as your told."

"I do love you father, but I do not wish this," he muttered softly.

"Your wishes matter not," Atanvardoe snapped softly, "so long as you appose me they never will. Tomorrow I will see you bright and early in my study, you begin your learning then," he turned walking away from his son, leaving Earendur to stand in silents, confused and angry at his father's actions. He had to get out of here, growling he turned and stormed back to his room.