Here ends the story of Elenluin, for those who are interested in more First & Third age perspective, you can read Tale of a Smith ('solitude' takes place about 6-9 months after CH13 of that story) –They can be read independently, so there might be some repetition in themes/general atmosphere.

Music is an inspiration, always, below a summary of pieces that feature in some chapters and others that just served as a background when writing, evoking the atmosphere that I was aiming to create with this story…

- "Lumi potete piangere" Giovanni Legrenzi (1675) - (and I repeat myself I know), there is a wonderful version available of L'arpeggiata with Philippe Jaroussky and Nuria Real. Highly recommended as well is the rest of the 'Via Crucis' series, with "Voglio morire" as an instrumental highlight

- Monteverdi – Orfeo, with its choir 'Lasciate I monti' & subsequent 'Vieni Imeneo' - you can almost feel the spring dances

- If you are wondering what a 'wordless lament' would sound like (CH 25) – I was listening to 'Lachrimae Caravaggio' – Deploratio I and Deploratio III by Ferran Savall, Jordi Savall & Hesperion XXI - and if you like those, the full Lachrimae Caravaggio is fantastic, as well as the haunting "Mireu el nostre mar" - sang by Ferran Savall, as the 'encore' number in the full Lachrimae concert version...

About timings, ages and distances:

Elenluin was born in 465 first age, which makes him roughly twenty years younger than Gil-Galad and sixty-seven years older than Elrond. (their birth dates I took from the encyclopedia of Arda's timeline – and they seem realistic enough given their presumed age at f ex the fall of Sirion/the Nirnaeth which are hinted elsewhere).

At the fall of Eregion, the smith is about 1822 years old. He moved there right at the beginning with Celebrimbor, around 750 SA and fell in love with his wife long after that date. They married about 350 years before the fall, and their son was born just before the betrayal, in 1568 SA, at the height of their power, when no one suspected what would come to pass.

Gil-Galad will be forever Fingon's son in my head-canon, even if I am well aware of the 'evidence' that exists against that approach. Still, it makes him a stronger king in my mind and somehow what we hear of him as a warrior in Lotr/Silm seems to be matching better with Fingon's temperament than Orodreth's…

I have tried to respect as much as possible the timelines versus the distances traveled, if any seem inconsistent, do not hesitate to let me know.

Thank you for reading – and please leave your opinion as a review or a message – feedback on style and content (or English as it is not my mother tongue) very much appreciated!