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Ereinion sighed. The pile of diplomatic post that required his immediate reply was enough to make his eyes cross preemptively. He’d just settled in to the first--a load of overblown diplomatic fluff from Oropher that preceded what was likely at least a dozen complaints, challenges, and nitpicks--when a page darted into his office looking deeply alarmed.
“Sire,” he panted. “There’s a seal in the fountain in the Royal Courtyard!”
Ereinion stared at the boy. “Is he okay?”
“Sire?”
“The seal,” Ereinion said. “Is he okay?”
“Y-yes sire?” the boy stuttered.
Ereinion said, “Okay?”
“Sire he’s in the fountain!”
“Yes?” Ereinion said slowly. “Leave him be,” he sighed tiredly. “He’ll get out when he’s done.”
“Yes sire,” the boy said, and bowed his way out of Ereinion’s office, looking deeply confused.
Ereinion grumbled wordlessly and went back to Oropher’s letter. He’d read it and gotten out a parchment and quill to draft his reply when his door burst open again.
“Sire, there’s a seal in the fountain!” This was one of Cirdan’s captains, one who till this moment Ereinion had considered quite sensible.
Ereinion closed his eyes. “Yes, and?”
This seemed to take the captain aback. “It shouldn’t be in the fountain?” he said, quite uncertainly.
“He’s fine,” Ereinion said flatly. “He’ll get out of the fountain when he’s done.”
“Yes sire,” the captain said, and bowed politely out of the room.
Ereinion dipped his quill and had written four graceful lines of tengwar when his door burst open again.
“Is this about the seal in the fountain?” he asked one of the minor Noldor courtiers.
The ellon stuttered a moment, startled, and then managed, “Yes, sire?”
Ereinion sighed. “I know he’s there, he isn’t hurting anything, and I’d like him to be left alone.”
“Uh, yes sire,” he said, and fled.
Ereinion scowled at the letter on his desk. Then he gathered up his inkpot, quill, diplomatic post, a pile of parchment, and a massive ledger, and decamped to the royal courtyard.
“If anyone needs me,” he told the scribe working in the corner of the outer office, “I will be in the courtyard.”
Elrond was swimming loops around the base of the fountain, but he circled around to Ereinion as soon as he noticed the king sitting on the lip of the fountain. His head emerged from the water and he barked once.
Ereinion waved him off. “It’s a lovely day,” he said dryly. “I thought I’d enjoy the sunshine.”
Elrond chuffed quietly and disappeared under again. Ereinion was glad to see him taking time for himself; his herald did too much, but hadn’t yet chosen a staff to assist him.
Ereinion had written his reply to Oropher and was about halfway through deciphering Amdir’s thin and crooked tengwar when the first of his advisors found him outside.
“Sire,” Mithon said politely.
Ereinion nodded to him, looking up from the letter.
“Lord Cirdan sent the fishing reports for the week, sire.”
Ereinion reached for the offered sheaf of papers, but found them just out of his reach.
Mithon had frozen, staring into the fountain.
Ereinion sighed again. “Yes,” he drawled. “There’s a seal in the fountain.”
Mithon jerked his gaze back to Ereinion and bowed slightly. “Of course, sire,” he said in a squeak, and handed Ereinion the reports.
Ereinion waved a dismissal. “Thank you Mithon.”
Mithon bowed away and vanished.
He had barely finished reading when the next person showed up, a page with a glass of water and a biscuit. “Celairphen says you look thirsty, sire,” she offered.
“Thank you,” Ereinion answered, taking the water but waving off the biscuit; he was thirsty, and the treat wouldn’t help.
The girl recoiled from the dark sweep of Elrond, passing on his current lap. “Sire,” she cried, catching his sleeve to pull him away.
“He’s a seal,” Ereinion told her, trying to keep his exasperation out of his voice as he fumbled not to drop anything. “And he’s fine.”
She eyed him dubiously. “Yes, sire,” she agreed, sounding very skeptical.
Ereinion drained the glass and handed it back. “Thank you,” he said firmly.
She bowed, and left.
“I blame you,” he called to Elrond, and turned back to his paperwork. Ereinion had finished his reply to Amdir by the time the next interruption came.
It was one of the librarians, a Valinorian Noldo who was quite unpopular with the courtiers. He came from Feanor’s household originally, and he was better read than most of Ereinion’s advisors. He rode well but hated horses, and he got terribly seasick every time he went on a boat. He had a sharp tongue, a weakness for sweets, and a soft spot for children, and for some reason Ereinion knew all of these things and couldn’t for the life of him remember the ellon’s name. “Forgive the interruption, sire,” he said politely.
“Forgiven,” Ereinion replied promptly. “What can I do for you?” he let the question hang enough to prompt the other to give his name.
“Erestor, sire,” he said, bowing his head. “The chief librarian would like to expand into the adjoining sitting room and asked me to make the request.”
“You don’t think it’s necessary?” Ereinion asked, catching Erestor’s distaste.
Erestor scowled. “Sire, it’s wasteful. The library is actually oversized for the collection, but that,” Erestor checked himself, exhaled once, and then bowed his head. “Nonetheless, it is his request, and I am here to make it.”
“Hm,” Ereinion murmured.
Elrond’s nose appeared.
Erestor scowled at the seal.
“It’s a seal,” Ereinion said.
Erestor sent him a dry look. “Obviously, sire,” he said dryly. “The library?”
“I’ll have to think about it,” Ereionion replied. “But I thank you for the request.”
Erestor bowed politely as he backed out of Ereinion’s space. As he stepped back, he said to the seal, “Elrond, tell him I’m right!” And then he was gone.
Ereinion blinked after him in faint surprise, and then looked down at Elrond, who chuffed. “Is the chief librarian wrong?” he asked his friend.
Elrond nodded very clearly.
“Should I make Erestor the new chief librarian?” he asked
Elrond shook his head quite vigorously.
“No?”
Elrond shook his head again, and then disappeared under water and swam away.
“You can’t just run off because you don’t want to answer me!” Ereinion called after him.
The splash of a tail into water was his only response.
“You just want him for yourself!” he accused.
There was another splash, as good as confirmation. Which, fine; Elrond could have Erestor if it meant he started hiring staff to help him.
Ereinion looked down to resume his work and growled. Elrond had gotten water drops on his letter to Amdir.