little gentleman

On the way to Rivendell, Gandalf told Bilbo many stories about the magical elf habitat.Rivendell is the domain of the famous half-elf Lord Elrond. For hundreds of years, she has been the home of the elves who escaped from the world. Few reach the mysterious Rivendell.Bilbo believed that everything connected with elves was delicate and beautiful, and he longed to see this magical valley.

"Bilbo, you grew up in the green mountains and green waters of the Shire, and you have never seen the worst years in Middle-earth," said Gandalf. "Lord Elrond has lived for centuries, and he is the wisest and most A learned elf, he can tell you many things you don't know."

"Gandalf, what is a half-elf like?" asked Bilbo curiously.

"They are the offspring of elves and humans, with the agility of elves and the strength of humans," said the gray robe wizard, "but they all look as slender and beautiful as elves."

Bilbo said enviously, "That's great! All they have inherited is merit!"

"No, not always," Gandalf corrected him, "some half-elves have more human features, grow beards, and some become fully human, but so far no half-elves have become fully human. Elf."

"Then what does Lord Elrond look like?" Bilbo imagined a bearded Thranduil, and in a moment Gandalf in elf clothing.

"You'll know when you see him." Gandalf smiled mysteriously.

To get to Rivendell, you must take a long detour, otherwise you will have to pass through a territory of goblins.Half-orcs are one of the few races in Middle-earth who maintain a barbaric life, and civilized races are reluctant to deal with them.There had been wars between the elves and the orcs for many years, after the elves' civil war broke out, but these were long before Bilbo was born, and what Bilbo knew was a peaceful Middle-earth world.

The road leading to Rivendell is a white stone path that is easily overlooked, covered with wet moss. It is suspected that the front is a dead end, but after turning the cliff, it is discovered that there is something wrong.

Suddenly, Bilbo saw that the beautiful Rivendell was like a fairyland in legends.Waterfalls, streams and woods complement each other, setting off a peaceful and wonderful landscape. The elegant building located in it is the residence of Lord Elrond.Compared with the palace in Mirkwood, Rivendell is less gorgeous and more elegant.

Gandalf took Bilbo into this paradise and walked to the interior of the building.

The master of Rivendell was there to meet them, and at last Bilbo saw the half-elves, all of whom had long dark hair and faces as handsome as the Sindarin elves, and among them were those who were clearly superior to the others and were very aristocratic. That one was evidently the fabled Elrond.Bilbo found no bearded half-elves as he thought, and Elrond, like the rest, had dark brown--perhaps almost black--hair, but no beard.Accompanying Elrond was an elf with a rather immature face. He said something to Gandalf in Elven language, and Gandalf replied in Elven language.Bilbo looked at them blankly, with a feeling of being excluded.

Elrond spoke, using the Common Tongue: "I think we should speak a language that everyone can understand. Gandalf, would you mind introducing this new friend?"

Gandalf smiled and introduced to Elrond: "This is Mr. Bilbo Baggins from the Shire." He turned to Bilbo again: "Bilbo, this is the venerable Lord Elrond, I I told you his story."

Elrond was the first to say, "Welcome to the shelter, Lord Baggins, and I hope the shelter has not disappointed you."

"It is my honor to visit you, Lord," Bilbo saluted very gentlemanly, and he looked at the young elf beside Elrond. "Hello, ma'am."

Immediately the young elf blushed, looking very upset, but unable to attack.

Elrond said calmly: "This is Lindir, my assistant, and he is a male elf."

Bilbo wanted to swallow his own tongue.

Elrond broke the embarrassing scene in time: "Master Baggins, since this is your first visit to Rivendell, why don't you follow me for a tour."

"Er... thank you, thank you very much," said Bilbo, grateful to Elrond.

Gandalf laughed and said nothing.

Elrond's mansion is very large, with an ingenious structure, and the exquisite artificially carved parts are perfectly integrated with the natural mountains, rivers, plants and trees. The elves love nature, and the residence also reflects the closeness to nature as much as possible.But the hobbits who are best at taking advantage of the terrain should be the hobbits who live in caves. Although foreigners sometimes laugh at them as a group of rats digging holes everywhere, they are still proud of their way of life.Besides, as Pippin said: "Where are we digging holes? We only dig holes in our own village!"

Going up an elevated staircase, Bilbo saw many souvenirs on display. These old objects were well maintained, and it was obvious that their owners valued them.

A picture caught Bilbo's eye, and it contained characters he knew well.

"This is?" Bilbo stood still before the picture. "Thorin, Aragorn, and Legolas?"

"How many of them do you know?" Elrond stood beside Bilbo. "This painting is much older than you. It was drawn by the three of them when they lived in Rivendell. Gong is underage."

The three young men on the screen were smiling broadly, a smile that belongs only to a carefree age, and Bilbo often saw the same expression on the faces of young hobbits such as Frodo.The young Sorin was very handsome, his beard seemed not as thick as it is now, and his clothes were much more plain, but his extraordinary demeanor remained the same.

"Three happy friends, weren't they?" said Elrond. "It's a pity that they parted ways at last. I miss the time when they stayed together in Rivendell."

"Why did they break?" asked Bilbo. "Don't they value their friendship?"

Elrond looked at Bilbo thoughtfully. "If you knew the three of them, you must have heard some rumors?"

"I've heard different stories." Bilbo didn't know what to say. It's not polite to ask someone else's secret.

"I am not surprised, Master Baggins, that the further away the story goes, the more distorted it is," said Elrond, "but I believe no one knows the three of them better than I do."

While talking, several people walked to another painting.In this smaller painting, Legolas stands alone under a tree, facing a field of blooming flowers. He is wearing a long robe instead of the usual short dress, and his hair is completely loose, relaxed and flowing, looking It looks like Thranduil, but lacks Thranduil's aloofness.

"This was painted when he didn't know it." Elrond's serious face stretched a little. "At that time, he was often alone in a daze, which just gave the painter enough time."

"He's beautiful!" Bilbo admired heartily.

"Yes, he is a fair elf," said Elrond, "but he cares not for his looks, he considers himself a warrior, and he is stubborn in that, and Legolas is the most obstinate of the three. Competitive."

"It's unbelievable!" Bilbo pictured the three of them as teenagers in his mind, and found it difficult to think of Thorin as a young man who would laugh and romp with his friends.

The next painting is Sorin. When he was young, he was the same as now, with a little melancholy between his brows.The artist painted his blue eyes so vividly that Bilbo felt that he was being gazed upon.But the real Thorin seemed more affectionate when he looked at Bilbo alone.It occurred to Bilbo now that Thorin had often looked at him that way, and he thought it was a look of arrogance, and he ignored the deep admiration in it.

I almost became the lifelong mate of the King of the Mountain, Bilbo thought to himself.

"Sorin's father was a great king, but unfortunately he was too obsessed with wealth." Elrond commented, "In comparison, Thorin received more admiration, and he was called the greatest king under the mountain." King. Thorin once loved treasures as much as his father did, but fortunately he realized in time what is most important to be a king."

Bilbo listened fascinated, and his knowledge of Thorin was very limited: "People seem to think him arrogant, though."

"Arrogance?" Elrond shook his head. "The Sorin I know is not arrogant, it's better to say that he just doesn't know how to deal with people he doesn't know. Thorin's people love him, he grew up from the war and inherited Throne, who brought years of peace and prosperity to Iruber."

But he despises hobbits quite a bit, Bilbo thought to himself.

"But it's true that Thorin has had a hard time trusting other people since their friendship broke down unfortunately." Elrond's eyes wandered between the portraits of Legolas and Thorin.

"You mean the friendship of the King under the Mountain and Prince Legolas?" asked Bilbo hastily.

"Yes, after the two became fiancées, their relationship broke down completely." Elrond continued, "The engagement was an extremely unwise decision. The situation of Mirkwood was not good at that time, and Thorin As the crown prince, but not recognized, both parties need a covenant that makes them strong. In this matter, Sorin and Legolas are involuntary. As a king, Sorin may have accepted this arrangement, but Legolas is still repelling the marriage, as far as I know they haven't had any dealings for years."

"There are fiancées who are so bad that they don't deal with each other!" Bilbo couldn't help blurting out, "How could they get married after so many years?"

"Master Baggins, you probably don't know about royal marriages," said Elrond. "There may be many years between engagement and marriage among members of the royal family, just like my daughters Alwin and Aragorn..."

Bilbo looked at Elrond in amazement, for he could see no change in the noble father's face.He has long heard that the queen of Aragorn died prematurely. How many years ago was that?Was it long enough for Elrond to recover from the loss of his daughter?

Bilbo thought of another question: "Prince Legolas, was he taken as a hostage in the Lonely Mountain?"

"A hostage? Of course not!" Elrond categorically denied, "I'm afraid he is the only one who thinks so, but Thorin never thought of treating his best friend as a hostage."

Bilbo was silent and asked no more questions.

There were still some paintings to follow, but Bilbo had no interest in admiring them.

A group of people walked out of the mansion, ready to visit the garden.Thorin Oakenshield stepped up the steps calmly just as they walked out of the exquisite door.

Bilbo almost screamed, but it was too late to hide, and he could only stand there with his eyes wide open.

Thorin saw Bilbo too, and he stopped, equally astonished, but stepped forward a moment later, and said politely, "Mr Bilbo Baggins, good afternoon."

"My... good afternoon, Your Majesty..." Bilbo felt his tongue get stuck. "I didn't know you were here."

"I have just arrived," Thorin said, "and please call me Thorin, as before."

"Shorin, I thought you would arrive tomorrow." King Elrond expressed his surprise.

"I'm ahead of schedule. The others will arrive tomorrow." Thorin explained, "If you don't mind, let me show Mr. Baggins around. I'm as familiar with this place as you are."

"Of course, if Master Baggins agrees." Elrond looked to Bilbo for his opinion.

"Of course Bilbo will agree," interrupted Gandalf, who had been silent all this time. "I reckon we'll go and have some tea and catch up, Elrond," he said, winking at Bilbo.

Bilbo could only agree to this arrangement, and he followed Thorin into the garden in great embarrassment.

Thorin was as familiar with Rivendell as he said, and he graciously introduced every beautiful place to Bilbo. The two of them walked on the winding path, smelling the elegant fragrance of flowers, and a butterfly or two flew over from time to time. , landed on Bilbo's hair, and after a short rest flapped his wings again and flew away.Thorin's demeanor changed from his previous arrogance, and was so gentle and polite that Bilbo could hardly believe that this was the same Thorin he knew.

Bilbo soon grew weary from the fatigue of the journey.Thorin noticed the hobbit's problem, so he put out an arm for Bilbo very gentlemanly, and walked slowly back with Bilbo.

It was nearly dusk when they returned to the mansion, and Thorin needed to fetch his companions, so he took his leave first.

After Thorin left, Gandalf appeared at some point and stood behind Bilbo: "It seems that Thorin Oakenshield is not as annoying as you think, eh?"

"I don't know, how did he become like this?" Bilbo said blankly.

With so much on his mind, Bilbo thought he would lose sleep, but when he fell into the big bed, which was too wide for a hobbit, the soft and comfortable quilt soon lulled him to sleep.