Valdar and Astralis Posted December 25, 2003 Report Share Posted December 25, 2003 In the twilight of autumn it sailed out of Mitholond, until the seas of the Bent World fell away beneath it, and the winds of the round sky troubled it no more, and borne upon the high airs above the mists of the world it passed into the Ancient West, and an end was come for the Eldar of story and song. -The Silmarillion Yet the heart of Master Elrond Peredhil did not lighten nor smile touch his face as the white ship passed through the veil. To the aft instead he stood, eyes fixed in the grey mists of the east where the one treasure he held most dear was lost to him for all time. Hidden in the fog of Middle-Earth and bound by bonds stronger than steel, Arwen Undòmiel, Evenstar of his people yet lingered. Bitter was the final hour of reckoning, and heated the words. A tear stained his cheek at the memory of their farewell, when she entwined her fate fully with that of King Elessar on Midsummer's day. It was the seventh day, and his sons worried. On the eleventh day, as the ship rode swiftly under the growing darkness there rose a great thunder in the west. Louder, it grew by the day until on the fifteenth, the sight of the great abyss rose to greet the company of Ringbearers. Clouds of smoke and mist from depths unfathomable rose, and a howling wind issued from within carrying fell voices from the caves of the forgotten where those who dared to challenge the Valar lay trapped until world's end. 'What is that, Gandalf? asked the smallest amongst the ringbearers said in fear and wonder. 'In ages past, the east and west were one world. Before I came to middle-earth, one could stand on the peak of mount Meneltarma in the east and behold the shores of Avallòne from afar.' He sighed. 'And then the Valar sundered the world and removed Aman from the confines of Middle-Earth. Only the elves now know the way now.' 'What happened?' asked the ringbearer. 'The pride of men.' The bitter answer came. It was not Gandalf who spoke. Elrohir heard this and spoke it to Elladan, sensing a darkness falling on their father's mind, but to him they spoke not. The white Swan-Ship came at last to the ends of middle-earth, and was borne by the winds of Manawe beyond, and into the gray twilight. Sometime during the timeless fog, the sons of Elrond spoke their concern to Galadriel to which she replied, 'Your father is a kind man, he has no place in his heart for the hate to fester inside. He is confused by his love of the two kindred, and his perceived betrayal of Aragon, whom he regarded as a son, for allowing your sister to choose mortality. I fear for him as well, for wounds like these are slow to heal--if ever. But do not despair! We come now to new lands, and perhaps with it new counsel. Let us see what the dawn brings.' Elrohir and Elladan took scant comfort in these words, but tended to their father's needs as best they could. The silver veil parted, and the sun returned with renewed intensity. It was the twenty sixth day since the parting, according to Cirdan the Shipwright, and the chill winds from the east gave way at last, even as the last tendrils of fog vanished from the sea to be replaced by a warm breeze from the west carrying scents of wild flowers and distant song. Frodo Baggins, until recently bearer of the one ring and generally acclaimed savior of Middle Earth was busy stuffing down his second breakfast of the day when the ship gave an almighty lurch and began to rise from the water. Startled, he headed for the deck, where he found the ocean had risen up into a gigantic wave, with the ship at its crest. Overhead, the star of Earandil lingered no longer to the west, but instead blazed in the midmorning sky like a small sun with Gwahir and his kin by its side. "Ulmo! Ulmo comes!" the crew cried in surprise, reefing in the sails. To the stern, he spied Elrond, face bathed in the light of his father's star. A look of wonder crossed his face, and his eyes lost some of it's darkness as the first smile since summer dawned slowly. And so it was, on shoulders of the Valar and flanked by birds and stars of the sky that the company of ringbearers passed victorious into Avallonë. *** The company's first sight of Port Avallonë, home of the once exiled Noldor, was a fair one. A town of slender towers and gardens surrounded a single stone pier, lined with hundreds of elves, and the city filled with a festive air. Standing impressively at the head of the column, unmistakably was Manawe himself, the Valar's impressive wings unfurled in welcome. The fire of Vinglot flared proudly overhead, and sped on ahead to settle over the city. As the ship pulled alongside, other figures became apparent. Standing to his right was Earandil, with the light of the trees bound to his brow and Elwing beside him, her body framed by white wings. But it was not his parents who drew Elrond's eye. Standing next to them in raiment of jet black and wings of the same hue was Celebrian, whose eyes were not on her mother either. Out of the corner of his eye, the half elf saw Galadriel frown thoughtfully. Then the Valar spoke, and bowed deeply as the ship moored. "Hail, Ringbearers, and welcome. Long have we awaited your return. Know that our thoughts were with you though our hand often was not." Disembarking was a leisurely affair, with each member of the company speaking briefly with Manawe before ascending the stone pier to meet their kin or company. Before he could reach the Valar, however, a flutter of wings and a firm grip spun Elrond around into an alarmingly passionate kiss from his wife. "The ceremony will take a few days, and Manawe will have many questions for the ringbearer and wizard. Your turn can wait till tomorrow" she crooned. He could not but nod in mute agreement, and they were gone in a whisper of soft wings. Across Tol Eressea Celebrian bore her husband, to the white tower where she lived with Elwing who had adopted her, and given the gift of wings. Lost deep in her embrace, Elrond noticed naught of the journey nor their arrival. The ominous 'clang' of the door shutting went unnoticed as they tore at each other's clothes. Naked at last, Celebrian dragged her husband down into the dark basement, guiding his warm hands. 'click' The cold clasp of steel around his wrists jerked the breathless half elf from his passion. 'Celebrian?' A grin was the only answer as his wife pulled a thong from a nearby rack. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valdar and Astralis Posted December 25, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2003 Somewhere, a whip cracks Merry Christmas, Peredhil. Sorry it took so long, but I had to pull my act together at the end and finish up. I hope you like it! You may have noticed I took several creative liberties with this work. Just thought I'd clarify a few things. I wanted this to be a happy story. -- There should be more to this tale, much much more. But I cannot bring myself to write it, preferring to leave the ending (perhaps a bit cheekily) open Peredhil never hated man -- Just a minor creative liberty! Celebrian did not officialy grow wings, nor live with Elwing -- AoA influenced, sorry! Finnaly, thanks for the semi-secret reviewers, assists and feedback, esp:Merelas Zadown Falcon2k1 Salinye SteelDragon Peredhil for allowing me to write about him And assorted others in #thepen Finnaly, Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion are copyrights of JRR Tolkien, and this fanfiction (I think) is based pureley on my and Peredhil's own ideas and is not sanctioned in any way by Mr. Tolkien. *Insert male screaming and more whipcracks here* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peredhil Posted December 25, 2003 Report Share Posted December 25, 2003 A look of wonder and awe on Peredhil's face gives way to a protective covering of, well, more private parts as he begins helplessly laughing. Worth waiting for this one! Heh, I noticed the AoA influence! As far as I can tell, Elrond never hated mankind, but only the effects they had, so you're safe there. Elrond Peredhil, 31 Polite Ancient of the Pen is Mightier than the Sword Earthbound Angel of Apocolypse, Final Reset Edition Plus too many more not-immediately-applicable titles to list Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandias Posted December 25, 2003 Report Share Posted December 25, 2003 In the immortal words of Dr. Hank McCoy: Oh my stars and garters... Great stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyvern Posted December 30, 2003 Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 I really liked this piece, Valdar, and thought that you captured the elements of both Peredhil and Tolkein very nicely throughout. I particularly liked when Elrond interrupted Gandalf's speech with his embittered response, and also thought that the shocking twist ending was great. In addition, while my knowledge of Tolkein history is limited and I didn't pick up on all the references littered throughout, I think you did a stunning job of incorporating the plot and characters of Tolkein into your writing. The only potential improvement I can think of is the tone of the ending. You mentioned that you wanted this to be a happy story, and while the ending was great, it had a certain negative tone to it. ("dark basement," "cold clasp of steel," etc.) Then again, this was probably done intentionally to leave the ending somewhat ambivalent to the reader... Good stuff! With that, Wyvern grins and nods to the notion of a certain AoA influence, snickering as he notices that Steeldragon is amongst those who reviewed the piece behind the scenes... ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valdar and Astralis Posted December 30, 2003 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2003 You're right--the ending was intentionally left open to the reader's imagination. Besides, who's to say if Elrond _liked_ it or not? I mean, several thousand years later, he DID join AoA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts