Reforged 2.1– Gold

hello sorry i have been v absent from the fandom i took a minor detour (fell off a cliff into stranger things) but i am back and excited to participate in the Rewatch Reforged event over the next couple of months!! here’s my ficlet for this week: season two episode one.

inspired by Gold by Imagine Dragons

First comes the blessing of all that you've dreamed

But then comes the curses of diamonds and rings

Gil-galad dreams of a flourishing realm, the restoration of the glory of Lindon. The Great Tree is bare, only a mere handful of golden leaves clinging to the branches. He waits, the limits of his patience tested and pushed.

When Galadriel and Elrond return from Eregion, they bring both good news and bad. They have a chance to halt the fading and preserve the elven lands in Middle-Earth; however, the Enemy, Sauron, has successfully infiltrated their ranks and influenced Celebrimbor in the making of the rings.

Rings. An elegant solution, if they are deemed pure. Gold and silver from Valinor itself, gems handcrafted with power, a triangle of balance. And yet… Will they prove to be a blessing? Or a curse?

Only at first did it have its appeal

But now you can't tell the false from the real

Galadriel is stubborn. She is willing to admit it, at least to herself. The rings seemed the perfect solution, the idea of three holding balance to correct her mistake in trusting Halbrand. It would work. It had to work.

Yet part of her quailed under the weight of Elrond’s words. What if Halbrand did influence Celebrimbor? Influenced her? Could she really know her own mind in this?

She doubles down. If she is wrong about the rings, what else might she be wrong about? She has to trust in something.

Who can you trust? (Who can you trust?)

Elrond backs toward the cliff edge. The waterfall roars beneath him. Gil-galad’s expression is a thundercloud waiting to break, fingers outstretched with demand to be obeyed. Galadriel’s eyes hold betrayal, fear, anger.

Who can he trust, now that Sauron has poisoned their minds? How much of the last few months has been lies and manipulation?

He cannot allow the rings to remain here, twisting reality even further. He cannot trust anyone so long as their influence remains.

He jumps.