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Elros smiled. "To be honest ... it is both wonderful and terrifying. Knowing that the creature I'm befriending could, if it so wished, eat me in a single bite. But they are peaceful creatures by nature, though they are used for war ... and yet I feel strangely drawn to them. They are beautiful creatures, absolutely magnificent ... as they were originally created, as if they are one of the only creatures other than the unicorns that Melkor was unable to subvert at all."

His eyes shone brightly as they walked down the street. It was clear that he liked the rocs very much.

At that question, Elros had to think for a bit.

"Well," he murmured softly, his expression thoughtful, "I suppose I could compare it to being on a ship for the first time ... at first, I felt a bit of motion-sickness, but after a few days I was fine. And now I find that I enjoy it quite a bit."

He looked down at her. "I understand Lord Earendil continues to have trouble with motion-sickness?"

Elros smiled. "I can't say as I blame him. It is most unpleasant to be sick."

He looked up at the houses they were passing. "Now ... I believe that he resides somewhere here ..."

The stone houses here were very old, and had ivy growing so thick on the walls that the stones were hardly visible. Only the windows were uncovered, and that was only because the plants had been cut back. Still, small tendrils were again making their way along the window ledges, showing that the land was still trying to take over.

A few of the yards had people in them: a woman tending a small garden, a young girl watching over small children as they played; but there was one yard that had a man in it who was sitting at an outdoor desk and reading a scroll. He seemed quite old: his fiery hair was thin, cut short, and looked as though it had been singed a time or two, and his spine was slightly curved as though he had spent decades - or longer - sitting over a desk rather than walking around.

"I believe that might be him," Elros murmured, heading over in the man's direction.

Elros led Lin over to the man reading the scroll, and when they came close enough, he called out, "Please excuse the interruption ... are you Astor, the roc historian?"

The man looked up from his scroll and blinked slowly, staring at the two of them. His green eyes were tired, rimmed with red as if he had been straining his eyes trying to read in dim light, or as if he had simply gone quite a while without blinking.

"I am," he replied slowly, as if he had to think about each word that he spoke. "And you are ... Sir Elros, husband of Lady Alena, are you not?"

He looked at Lin thoughtfully. "And I am afraid that I do not know who you are ..."

The man nodded. "I see, I see ... yes, come to think of it I believe I have heard about you ..."

He looked back and forth between Elros and Lin. "How may I be of service to you?" he asked them, his head tilting curiously.

Elros smiled and nudged Lin forward gently.

"Indeed?" The man hardly seemed to react to Lin's statement, but continued to look at her thoughtfully. "Well then ... I must ask you, how much time do you have? It is a deep topic, one on which I might speak for several hours, or even several days if you wish to learn that much. Or would you prefer a brief overview? That would be much shorter, though it would gloss over many of the most interesting facts and tales ..."

Elros looked down at Lin, and though his face was expressionless, his eyes were sparkling, showing that he was trying not to laugh. He had heard about this man - and it seemed as though everything he had heard was true.

The man nodded, and though he did not smile, his eyes shone brightly, showing that he was pleased.

"Please," he murmured softly, motioning towards the ground. "Take a seat. I can get some chairs for you if you like, or pillows if you prefer ... but I do like to be outside when I can."