“My Lord?”
“Today you are twenty, Estel; a time for coming of age among men. Today the telling of your story will change the course of your future.”
At length Elrond spoke of heritage and duty, the details slow, unrushed. Then gifted with the trappings of his destiny, the young man was left for a time to ponder - alone.
Girding on a new name and the shards of a broken sword, he surrendered hope with a look of grim determination.
It wasn’t the end of the world, but it certainly seemed like it.