Chapter 40: Rivendell and Estel

Late at night, Allen, lying near Thorin Oakenshield, was not asleep.

He had been quietly observing Thorin Oakenshield, who was also unable to sleep and tossing and turning.

Previously, Allen had spoken those words in the cave without regard for the consequences, but there had been no other way.

This Dwarf Prince's resistance toward Elves was simply too strong.

Now, under Allen's interference, the plot had already changed significantly.

The Brown Wizard Radagast would certainly not be rushing his rabbit-drawn sled to come here to Eriador to deliver news of Dol Guldur to Gandalf.

Because as early as last year, under Allen's influence, Gandalf had already learned of this matter.

As for the Expedition, due to Allen's warning, the group's pace was far faster than in the movie; the Wolf Riders would not be able to catch up to Allen and his party in a short time.

So, whether Gandalf could still find an opportunity to get the entire Expedition into Rivendell had become an unknown.

Furthermore, if the group did not enter Rivendell, they would soon reach the edge of the Misty Mountains, at which point the group's travel speed would surely decrease significantly.

If these dozen or so people were caught by Wolf Riders in the mountains, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Allen was actually worried about another matter, which was that if, under his own interference, Thorin Oakenshield's map was not shown to Lord Elrond.

Then who would decipher the information on the map? Allen himself?

If the final result were that, then Allen would absolutely not tell Thorin Oakenshield at this time.

Beside Gandalf, he did not want to do this; it was too conspicuous. A Human could not possibly have enough time to learn so much knowledge.

He would rather wait until the final Durin's Day to tell Thorin Oakenshield this information at the Lonely Mountain.

At that time, at the very least, Gandalf would not be around, and these Dwarves would not pay too much attention to these details.

Moreover, Allen had a certain degree of confidence that Thorin Oakenshield would agree to his proposal.

This Dwarf Prince was neither stupid nor insane; did he not know that he needed the help of Elves?

It was just that Gandalf kept saying, "You need the help of Elves," which made his prideful heart unable to back down.

Facing someone with such strong self-esteem as Thorin Oakenshield, one must absolutely never point out his weak side directly.

At the very least, his dignity had to be preserved; otherwise, when Lord Elrond made the invitation at the time, Thorin Oakenshield could clearly have taken the Dwarves and left.

But he did not; instead, he went in with the group of Dwarves, which showed that what Thorin Oakenshield was seeking was merely a matter of face—as long as there was a way out, he would take it.

Therefore, Allen was now giving him a way out: he would not need to come forward, and the information on the map would be handled by Allen and Gandalf.

This could barely save his face while also obtaining the corresponding information; this was the best method Allen could think of.

If Thorin Oakenshield still refused to compromise tomorrow morning, then Allen would have no choice but to part ways with the members of the Expedition after leaving the Misty Mountains.

Originally, Allen had no intention of participating in the Mirkwood plot; being stuck in the middle of two big shots as a filling? He could only try his best to help them both maneuver.

After Allen returned to Wilderness Village, he would prepare for the matter of sending troops to Long Lake Town.

By that time, Thorin Oakenshield would also have almost found the location of the secret door; having a secret door but being unable to find the keyhole, he would have plenty to be anxious about.

When that time came, Allen would take a look at the map and then tell Thorin Oakenshield that he could barely understand it too, and the initiative would then come to Allen's side.

At that point, whether Allen would help him, when he would help him, and what price he would need him to pay to help him—wouldn't that all depend on Allen's mood!!

Allen spent the better part of the night thinking about these messy things, and in the end, he only managed to fall into a fitful sleep for a little while.

The next morning, Thorin Oakenshield, who had not rested much all night, stiffly handed the map to Allen.

His expression was extremely unpleasant, and when handing over the map, he emphasized multiple times that his party would absolutely not enter the gates of Rivendell.

Allen took the map and handed it to Gandalf beside him; the two exchanged a look and snickered behind Thorin Oakenshield's back.

Not long after, the entire group, led by Gandalf, walked onto a moor covered in heather, heading toward the location of Rivendell.

The weather was not particularly good, with light rain falling; although this would wash away the group's scent, it also caused great trouble for the group's progress, and the Dwarves were constantly grumbling and complaining.

Allen had discovered that these Dwarves really loved to complain, especially after encountering unpleasant things.

The noise was as loud as hundreds of ducks quacking at the same time, making Allen feel incredibly irritated.

Their personalities were simply too straightforward, to the point where they were unable to hide their thoughts.

Even Fili and Kili, these two young royals, were no exception; by comparison, the conduct of the two kings, Thorin and Dain, could be said to be much better.

That afternoon, Gandalf led the group into a very hidden path.

This place was extremely secluded; if not for someone leading the way, Allen would never have seen that this was actually an entrance.

The group walked to the entrance, and what greeted them was a narrow valley, the width of which could at most accommodate two people walking side by side.

They trekked through the valley for a considerable amount of time before coming out; by this time, it was already nearing nightfall.

The group rested for a night in a slightly wider area before setting off on their journey again.

The road ahead was much easier to walk than the one before; it was clear that someone maintained the road regularly.

Soon, the group walked out of the winding passage and arrived above Rivendell.

Rivendell, located within a canyon on the Wilderness, was a very hidden and beautiful home opened up by Elrond in the Second Age leading the Elves.

Once, this place also faced the threat of darkness and was besieged by an army led by Sauron; the Elves living here launched a stubborn resistance and ultimately were not conquered.

So after that, this area became the largest Elf gathering place in the eastern Eriador region.

Now, Allen was following Gandalf along the stairs on the cliff, heading toward Rivendell.

The Dwarves remained behind Allen, camping there and waiting for them.

What could Allen and Gandalf say? They could only let them be.

Allen, following behind Gandalf, admired the scenery here as he walked.

He looked at the several roaring waterfalls adjacent to the Elven living area and did not quite understand.

How did these Elves live in such a noisy place? Could they sleep well at night? Would they not have a nervous breakdown?

Many records stated that this was a beautiful and peaceful place; it was indeed very beautiful, but as for peaceful, Allen did not know how to describe it.

As the two walked into the canyon, the roaring sound of the waterfalls gradually grew quieter, leaving only the murmuring sound of a small river flowing over the rocks.

Immediately after, the two crossed a stone bridge and entered the gates of Rivendell.

Lord Elrond had already promised his help last year, so the remaining matters proceeded very smoothly.

Kind-hearted as he was, he even personally dispatched messengers to invite the group of Dwarves into Rivendell.

With the invitation from the Elf lord, Thorin Oakenshield did not continue to be stubborn and settled down in Rivendell.

That same evening, Lord Elrond obtained the map; being a man of profound knowledge, he recognized the moon-letters on it at a glance, but because the timing was somewhat off, he asked everyone to stay for a few more days.

The group, having traveled wearily, naturally could not ask for more, and even Thorin Oakenshield expressed his gratitude to Lord Elrond.

After all, Lord Elrond had not only refrained from stopping them but had also helped them, and this Dwarf Prince was not a person lacking in manners.

Not to mention the others, Allen was resting very comfortably in this place with its pleasant climate and beautiful scenery.

He liked to spend his time near the waterfall, watching the water flow down from the heights and splash into the pool.

Yet the sound it produced was not noisy at all; on the contrary, it was very melodious.

Regarding this, the only word that came to Allen's mind was Magic.

During this period, Lord Elrond also came to chat with Allen many times, covering a wide variety of topics.

Most of the time, Allen could only listen quietly, because there were some things he felt he could not say, and some matters he was not clear about either.

But there were also many times when Allen could manage to exchange a few words with this great figure, such as about the many great wars the Humans participated in during the Second Age.

Or, for instance, the war between the Kingdom of Arnor and the Witch-king of Angmar during the Third Age; Allen had a good understanding of this, so he spoke a bit more about it, while also expressing his regret for the Kingdom of Arnor.

Soon, the two began to talk about the kings among Humans, the Numenorean.

Allen was, of course, aware of the connection between the Elf lord before him and the Numenorean.

As a descendant of Earendil, this line of Half-elven possessed the right to choose; the life-loving Elrond chose to become an Elf and has lived from the First Age until now.

Yet his twin brother chose to be a Human, becoming the first king of the Numenorean.

In other words, all the royal families of Gondor and Arnor were his descendants.

But Allen did not say much; he was unsure which information was top secret, so he could only offer some comments on the current Kingdom of Gondor and the Dunedain active in Eriador.

Even so, the information Allen revealed was already too much.

Finally, in one conversation, Elrond asked about Allen's age.

He was curious why Allen, who looked only in his early twenties, possessed so much knowledge.

At the same time, Elrond also had some guesses about Allen's background.

At this time, Allen looked only about twenty years old from his appearance, but in reality, he was already in his early forties.

Allen did not want to lie to this Elf lord, and he could not deceive this wise Half-elven either.

Therefore, Allen truthfully told Elrond his age.

That conversation ended just like that.

In the following days, Elrond did not come to look for Allen.

Allen also believed that he had gained Elrond's trust during the chats of the past few days, so he gradually set his mind at ease.

But soon, Lord Elrond introduced a young boy to Allen; that was Aragorn, though of course, at this time he was still called Estel.

Lord Elrond referred to him as the only son of his good friend, currently living in Rivendell.

At that time, the boy, who was only ten years old but already heroic in bearing, stood beside his mother Gilraen, looking at Allen with elegance and confidence.

Although Allen had always wanted to see Aragorn as a child, the fact that he was receiving sanctuary here was a secret, and even Aragorn himself did not know his own lineage yet.

Therefore, Allen did not know how to bring this up to Lord Elrond, and he had even abandoned the idea.

Now that the boy had suddenly appeared before his eyes, Allen instead did not know what to say.

But this slight surprise did not prevent Allen from liking the boy before him.

In conversation, his words were clear and logical, containing reason, already showing the beginnings of Elven wisdom.

Yet his heart retained pride, and he acted with boldness and decisiveness, fearing nothing.

After meeting Allen several times and becoming familiar with him, he actually proposed a request to spar with Allen in swordsmanship.

Who told Allen to keep telling him stories about fighting Orcish?

This caused Gilraen's dissatisfaction, but Allen did not mind and agreed to it.

Because Allen was leaving Rivendell tomorrow to set out on his journey again, and the next meeting might be decades later; this was just a small request.

It was just that Allen did not know any swordsmanship at all; he had always relied on senses and physical fitness far exceeding ordinary people, as well as his understanding and proficiency with various weapons.

This led to Allen not knowing how to hold back or parry, and often it took only one move to force this proud boy into a desperate situation.

The result of several spars was the same, making Estel feel somewhat dejected; he was surrounded by Elves of great age, and no one could spar with him.

He had also always thought his swordsmanship was quite good, never expecting that today, in front of Allen, he could not even pass a single move.

In fact, he had always thought Allen was a young man under twenty.

Looking at the dejected Estel before him, Allen pondered for a moment and made a decision.

Actually, Allen had always wanted to give something to this boy, but after searching his entire person, he could not find a suitable gift.

But today, he drew the Noldor Rune Longsword from his waist and casually performed a few sword flourishes in front of Estel.

The silver-bright blade reflected several sharp rays of light in Estel's eyes, and the runes inlaid on the sword seemed to be emitting a faint silver glow, which attracted the boy's attention.

Allen held the longsword vertically before his eyes, looked at it, and said to Estel: "This longsword has not been with me for very long, but the number of evil beings who have died under its sharp blade is countless; because there was nothing worth commemorating, I have never given it a name."

As he spoke, Allen handed the Rune Sword to Estel; Estel took it blankly, and Allen patted him on the shoulder.

He smiled and said: "Today I gift it to you, and I name it 'Expectation' after your name. I believe you will surely obtain a weapon more suitable for you in the future, but until then, I hope it can always protect you and serve you."

The boy was stunned and looked at his mother to the side; strangely, Gilraen did not express opposition but instead asked Estel to thank Allen.

Allen waved his hand, said goodbye to Gilraen and her son, and ended today's meeting.

The next morning, the members of the Expedition were packed and ready to leave.

Elrond told Allen that if he had time, Rivendell would always welcome his arrival, and at the same time, he prepared three bags of Miruvor as gifts for Allen, Gandalf, and Thorin Oakenshield.

Just like that, the group left Rivendell and set out on their journey once again.