Chapter Text
Leaving Ingwion to his fate for the moment (and Finrod, who would not leave his cousin), Earendil and Elwing returned to the Landamalle Valion, walking down the jewel-encrusted Avenue of the Valar until they reached the home of Tulkas and Nessa. The gates were thrown wide, and on each side a Maia stood, wearing the tabard of their lord and lady. Tulkas' Maia was garbed in blood-red, with the emblem of the silver sword on his chest, and Nessa's was dressed in yellow, with a deer embroidered on hers.
"Fair day, Ramandor, Ravenni," Melian greeted her brethren, and they exchanged kisses as between kin. "May I present my granddaughter, Elwing, and her beloved, Eärendil, as well as their children."
The Maiar of Tulkas and Nessa smiled, exclaiming over the little ones as they shifted from elfling to bird shape and back again.
"Eönwë?" Ramandor raised his eyebrows to see the Herald and Oathkeeper of Manwe actually blushing, then decided for his own sanity that he had imagined it.
Ravenni laughed at her brother in the Thought of Ilúvatar, and gave him a fierce grin. "It seems you have been busy, Captain," she said, turning to Eönwë.
"It was an accident," Eönwë protested, and the two laughed harder.
"There are no accidents, Eönwë," Melian reminded him with a shake of her head. "Thy children are as beloved of Atar as their siblings - and thee."
"I know," he replied, though he still sounded doubtful, and that shamed him. "I do not doubt Atar," he added, and accepted Melian's kiss of reassurance.
"Of course not, Brother, nor do we say so," she promised. "You may doubt yourself, but never Atar."
The Peredhil and Maiar - Ramandor and Ravenni included - entered the gates of Tulkas and Nessa's mansion, but they did not go straight in the front entrance. Instead, Ramandor led the way around to the left, via a stone-flagged path. In the distance behind the mansion they could see a grassy meadow where deer, cattle and rabbits grazed peacefully; beyond them was a forested area where wolves ran.
Eönwë knew that further on from there was the West of West, the Ekkaia where Lady Nienna held sway on the shores of the Endless Sea. But here and now, they were stopping before the doors of a training salle, which swung open at Ramandor's thought.
They entered together, and the Peredhil ascended the stairs with Melian to the viewing gallery, while Ramandor and Ravenni brought Eönwë to the lists.
"Wouldst thou like to play, sword-brother?" Ramandor asked, smiling fiercely.
"Why art thou giving him the choice, brother?" Ravenni asked Ramandor, and with a cry of triumph she fell on Eönwë with a sword of light.
The Herald of Manwë pulled out his own sword, and matched her blow for blow; when Ramandor joined the fray with a yell, Eönwë whirled to meet him. Two on one, Eönwë fought, and then it became four on one as Talmavar and Cassantur left off their own sparring match to join in.
"Is that fair, Daernana?" Elwing inquired, as all four of Tulkas and Nessa's Maiar who were present fell upon Eönwë.
"Melkor's troops never fought fairly either, daeriel," Melian said grimly. "But Eönwë is well matched, fear not."
Just as Eönwë was seemingly beginning to tire, two more Maiar appeared in the gallery, dressed in the light blue tabard of Lord Manwë with the emblem of an eagle in flight. One was raven-haired and the other had auburn locks; they had the same steel-grey eyes, though, and in all other respects they were clearly twins. They bowed before Melian.
"Greetings, Queen of Doriath that was. We heard our Captain was in need of aid," the raven-haired one said.
Melian laughed softly to herself. "Heard, or hoped, Manveru?" she asked, and he chuckled in return. "Go and help him then, Manveru, Erunáro, if you wish."
Erunáro grinned. "Race you, Brother," he quipped and thought himself down into the lists. Manveru was right behind him, and now there were seven Maiar, four on three, having a free-for-all below.
Earendil and Elwing watched, eyes wide. "Will they hurt each other?" the Mariner ventured.
"Oh no," Melian said, smiling faintly. "They are only playing, inyonya. You have no cause to fear."
When the Maiar finally called a break, Ramandor and Ravenni thought themselves up to the gallery.
"Eönwë is ready for a new opponent," Ramandor said.
"A new opponent?" Eärendil looked around, wondering if any more Maiar or perhaps even Lord Tulkas would make an appearance.
"Yes, sword-brother. A new opponent," Ravenni said gently, looking directly at Eärendil.
He let out a small gasp. "M-me?" he whispered.
"See how quickly our Perelda volunteers, Sister?" Ramandor asked slyly. Ravenni cuffed him lightly, then turned back to Eärendil with a sympathetic smile.
"Yes, Child. You. He would cross swords with you now. Fear not, he will fight on your level, not his."
Eärendil licked his lips, which were suddenly dry. "I have no fear that he would harm me, my lady, but I am not armed for such a thing." Eönwë, after all, went clad in mail and helm, while Eärendil was unprotected at the moment.
Ravenni closed her eyes and summoned her power, a soft glow surrounding the Mariner. When it faded, he was clad in a mithril hauberk, the mail tunic shining brightly. He bore a rune-scored shield before him, and his sword, also of mithril was sheathed in a scabbard inlaid with chalcedony. His helm was inlaid with adamant and plumed with eagle feathers.
Beside him was his bow of dragon-horn and a quiver full of ebony arrows fletched with eagle feathers.
"I am not matching Lord Eonwe in archery," Eärendil protested, even as he thanked Ravenni for arming him.
"No, but you will match Cassantur, Child," Ravenni said with a grim smile.
Elwing looked pleadingly at Ravenni. "Is this necessary, my lady?"
Ravenni merely nodded. "It is."
Elwing gathered her children - chicks, again - in her lap as Eärendil followed Ravenni down to the lists. Ravenni and her brother, Ramandor, took up marshal's positions at the corners of the lists, and the other Maiar returned to their duties, leaving only Melian and Elwing to guard the little ones.
"To first blood, lay on!" Ramandor commanded, and the fight - for no game was this - began in earnest.
Eonwe was using a mithril blade now, too, and as he crossed swords with Eärendil the two blades flashed in the light, armor glinting. They whirled and spun, dancing round each other, parrying and thrusting blows.
To first blood. Elwing shook, and Melian put an arm around her great-granddaughter to comfort her. "Why, Daernana?" she whispered.
"Because it is needful, my dear," Melian whispered back.
Elwing didn't see what was needful about a fight she knew her beloved must lose. There was no way even Earendil could best a Maia, she thought, shaking her head. Was this just a way for them to humiliate the Peredhel?
Eärendil's eyes narrowed behind his helm, studying his opponent as the Maia whirled and spun, matching blow for blow. They were, it seemed, evenly matched, even if it was only because Eönwë was dampening his inherent power.
Then, he saw it. Eärendil feinted one way, and as the Captain of the Valar's host moved, Eärendil swung back and struck, getting through the chink in Eönwë's hauberk; a crooked disc of mail that allowed Eärendil's sword to nick the Maia's arm, forcing him to drop his sword.
Ramandor put a stop to the fight at once.
"This bout belongs to Lord Eärendil," he announced, and Eönwë nodded, giving the Mariner a shallow bow.
Eärendil felt winded. His mind was spinning as he stared at Eönwë. "I...I won?" he asked unsteadily. "But...how?"
Eönwë took Eärendil into his embrace, giving him the three kisses of the warrior. "Because thou'rt skilled, sword-brother, and won on thy own merit," he told Eärendil gently. "Fear not, I am well, and all shall be well with thee. Master thyself, and make ready to match Cassantur."
Eärendil breathed slowly and deeply, held in the Maia's embrace, then finally nodded. When Eönwë released him, he stepped back and found Cassantur watching him.
"M-my lord."
"Now, none of that, Child," Cassantur said with a laugh. "Our Captain names thee 'sword-brother', but I will test thy skill with arrows. Come."
Eärendil obediently took up his bow and arrows and followed the Maia. Elwing and Melian followed too, with the elflings, as Cassantur led Eärendil out into an empty field.
"Let me see what thou'rt capable of, Child," Cassantur directed.
Earendil gave him a perplexed look.
"Thou knowest how to shoot, I hope," Cassantur said dryly, and blushing, Earendil nodded. He took his stance and tested the draw of his bow before nocking the arrow.
"Very good. Now, show me how far thou canst shoot the arrow," Cassantur said.
"There is no target," Eärendil said doubtfully.
"Fear not, my brethren shall mark where the arrow falls," Cassantur assured Eärendil. "I am not asking thee to strike a target yet. Just show me how far thou canst expect to shoot."
Earendil nodded, drew the arrow back, and loosed it straight ahead, not looking to hit anything in particular.
The black arrow flew, and where it fell a Maia in Lord Tulkas' tabard appeared, marking the spot with a flag.
At Cassantur's order, his brother Maia placed a target on this spot, and then Cassantur ordered Earendil to try and strike true.
The first arrow missed the target, though not by much. The second struck an inner ring.
"Thou'rt tensing too much, Child," Cassantur said. "Relax. Thou'rt not fighting my fallen brothers...yet."
"That is not comforting," Earendil murmured, but he took a deep breath and tried to relax. After calming his mind as best he could, he resumed his stance and shot a third arrow.
This struck the edge of the center ring.
Cassantur's fellow Maia, Talmavar, retrieved Earendil's arrows, and placed a malinorne leaf on the center of the target.
"Aim for the leaf," Cassantur commanded Earendil, and he did his best to obey.
This time, Eärendil struck the edge of the leaf with his first shot.
"Try again, Child," Cassantur urged.
The second arrow struck the leaf near the middle.
"Good, very good," Cassantur praised Eärendil. "Thou'rt doing well."
The third arrow struck the exact center.
Talmavar came to stand by the target, eyeing it critically. "Do it again," he said.
Earendil looked at Cassantur, who nodded. "Do it again, Earendil. Thou canst, I know."
Resolve strengthening, Earendil shot a fourth arrow. This knocked the third from its place as it lodged in the center of the leaf.
Elwing, watching the proceedings with wide eyes, turned to look at Melian. "I did not know my beloved could shoot like that."
"Shooting at a leaf is all very well, daeriel," Melian replied. "But seest thou." She gestured for Elwing to turn around again, and Elwing did, in time to see the Maiar replacing the leaf with a mithril disc that was half the size of the leaf.
Elwing sucked on her lower lip as Earendil began firing arrows at the target again. None of them missed the target itself, but the first two struck around the disc.
The third struck the disc with a metallic ping.
Now Talmavar moved the target further back. "Shoot again."
Earendil stared. "But--"
"That was an order, sword-brother," Cassantur said calmly.
Earendil swallowed, and obeyed, sensing the Maiar were not playing with him. What this was about, he was unsure, but he knew they would only accept his best.
One. Two. Three. Four. One missed the target entirely, another struck the target, the third tapped the edge of the disc and the fourth, finally, struck true.
Talmavar kept the target where it was, exchanging the disc for an even smaller one, and the two Maiar had Earendil shoot at it until he was able to hit it, then kept him working at it until he was able to hit it reliably.
Finally, Eärendil was permitted to take a break, and he exhaled slowly. "I must return to Vingilot soon, to prepare for...for my duties," he said.
"Thou must return to Vingilot, but thy duties shall for the nonce take a different shape, sword-brother," Cassantur said. "Rememberest thou thine oath to our lords."
"Oaths are what started this Eru-forsaken mess in the first place," Eärendil grumbled, but nodded reluctantly.
Elwing ran to Eärendil as he spoke about leaving. "Melethron nin, please--"
He kissed her in reassurance, then sighed as he found their four youngest children - chicks - swarming him, trying to nest in his hair. "Annael, Glorfinniel, Ulmondil, Elentáriel," he said, as he gently removed each of them. "I vow it, hinyar, I will do all in my power to return to ye, and to thee, my beloved Elwing." With gentle words of reassurance he coaxed them back into elfling form, and gave them each a kiss in blessing.
"And we will do all in our power to see thy lord husband keeps that promise," Talmavar, as Tulkas and Nessa's Chief Maia, spoke for his brethren. "May Atar hear us."
Melian gathered Elwing in her arms and kissed her brow. "I will stay," she said gently, "though many of my brethren must go."
Eönwë came to give the children his own kisses of farewell, and turned to Elwing. "Fear not, Elwing, but keep thy trust in Eru. I shall see Eärendil suitably guarded until we return," he promised. "But we both must go."
Elwing wished she could hold Eärendil forever, but she farewelled him, and Eönwë, reluctantly. The Maiar of Tulkas and Nessa, too, left her alone with Melian and the elflings.
"I should go back to Aewellond," Elwing said quietly. "But remaining there alone, knowing Earendil will not be coming home..."
Melian nodded in sympathy. "Then what does your heart tell you, child?" she asked her granddaughter.
Elwing shook her head. She wandered back up the Landamalle Valion, chicks clinging to her dark tresses, and turned onto the Rómenya Tëa, looking toward Tirion.
On foot or horseback, it would take some time to reach it, for ordinary Elves. However, they weren't ordinary Elves...
Melian called forth a carry sling, and looped it around her neck, tucking the chicks inside. She shifted into her albatross form, and Elwing ensured the sling was fastened properly to account for the new shape before taking her own bird form.
Together, the little family set off East toward the city of the Noldor.
Above them, Vingilot, too, was heading East - but its destination was much further away.