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Gil-galad walked up the small hill, holly branch cradled in one arm, Aiglos leaning against his other shoulder.
He did not have much time. Soon they would march south and into battle. But he could not leave Imladris without having visited his friend’s grave one last time. Elrond had understood, he would keep people away for an afternoon. He stopped in front of the grave and leaned the branch against the marker. Celebrimbor’s favourite tree, the leaves and berries he had chosen as the sign of his city. Gil-galad touched his ear-tip, where the same leaf and berries sat. Celebrimbor had made the jewellery for him, long ago, as a sign of their close friendship.
Gil-galad closed his eyes as tears began to run down his cheeks. He’d loved him so much. Not in the way other people seemed to understand love. He had not wanted to be in a sexual relationship with him and what people meant by romance was a mystery. But he’d loved him as family — they both had so little of that left — and as friend. And Celebrimbor had understood. Gil-galad touched his other ear. He had designed the colours, but Celebrimbor had made the art. For most of their lives they had only communicated by letter, but that had not made them any less close to each other.
“I miss you so much, my friend. You were always there when I needed you.”
And he had failed him, when it mattered the most. When Celebrimbor had accepted Annatar into Ost-in-Edhil despite Gil-galad’s warning, he’d felt so betrayed, he hadn’t tried hard enough to stop it.
“I will take revenge,” Gil-galad whispered. “I will make Sauron pay for what he did to you.”
He would never forget the sight of his friend hanging from a spear. In that moment he had understood the fury that had made Fëanor attack the Balrogs on his own, that had made Fingolfin challenge Morgoth to single combat. He would have fought anyone to get to Celebrimbor.
They had won with the aid of Númenor but Sauron had escaped that time. Not again. He would not let him get away again. He would pierce his black heart with the weapon Celebrimbor had made! He would revenge him or follow his friend to Mandos trying.