12 An elf who commands fire?
The heart is a mysterious thing, and it has a mind of its own. Yearning, sadness, love, courage, fear, and so many other emotions... do they come from the heart? If not why do we feel them there?
Elion's chest felt tight as if it could not hold his heart in place. He wondered, 'What am I doing? Where am I? Is this really my world? Am I... dreaming?'
For a moment, all things seemed false. What was real and what was not? Perhaps he was in a coma and had not died, and everything was just a very realistic dream. All felt Surreal.
He returned to the gathering of elves, dejected yet firm of will.
He looked at the sky above, beyond the sun and the moon, where lay the stars, and beyond them, perhaps, someplace far far away was earth.
He stretched his hand towards the sky, it felt so close, yet so far. He was a traveler, lost... Yet he had a new chance at life.
He was filled with the desire to live and prosper even if he was lost in another world. He was determined to live a glorious and great life this time. To make this world of magic his own, and for that, he had to defeat Morgoth and make sure the Noldor did not go the same path it had in the story.
He had to change everything for the better, and he knew that well. So he tried to put his feelings into words.
And words just came out of his mouth on their own as if on instinct.
"In this land, beyond the stars, across the sea;
Far from the dreams I seek;
I am lost, in search of home, lonely yet free;
Weary of travel, of woe I speak;
Sad is my heart, hope is my future, for I see;
Atop the high mountain peak;
The glory of days to come, and elder days of the tree;
For as long as I breathe, the fate of the Noldor shall not be bleak."
His words in Quenya may not have been accompanied by great music, nor did they change the world with magic, yet all elves could feel his determination and will.
They did not know he was thinking of Earth when talking, so they thought he spoke of Valinor which used to be the home of elves. And all these elves had come from Valinor, and indeed life was better at Valinor and they were blessed there.
For all the Noldor were lost in these lands, woe was their company, and weary were their souls due to battle with the darkness in the north. Yet they had hope for the future, of great glories and kingdoms of their own, they had come here to change their fate in a way.
Elion's words resonated with them, even if they were not as powerful as Maglor's. His words caused the sorrowful mood of before to slowly diminish, motivation and hope came to their hearts, the hope of a glorious future.
Maglor approached him slowly, Elion did not know what to do so he waited. Maglor's temperament was calm as the sea and he was unreadable. He put his hand on Elion's shoulder and said with a smile.
"I feel your desire for the good of the Noldor. I spoke of sorrow past, and you spoke of the future to come. Let it be known that I, Maglor, henceforth acknowledge you as a friend of the house of Feanor."
The elves cheered, and Finrod sighed in relief with a bright smile.
And yet not all were happy, for in the corner were the three brothers, Curufin, Calanthir, and Celegorm. One had a frown, one a cold smile, and the other a face of fury.
That day ended with the celebration of the elves in light of the new friendship between Elion and Maglor, the two travelers were much welcomed and no winner was announced for the Battle of the poems.
At the dawn of the next day, the two accompanied by 10 elves, food, and medicine headed for Lammoth atop horses. Maglor took archers and warriors, then he headed to the plains of Ard-Galen to scout for any orcs carrying captured elves because of Finrod's request. He soon found Fingon and the two rescued the captured elves.
Fingon learned of Maedhros's capture and felt great sadness, for Maedhros, the eldest of the sons of Feanor, was his dear friend. He set off to the dark lands in the north to rescue his friend.
Elion and Nilendil's elder brothers who were scouting the mountains in the east returned to the camp at Lake Mithrim and learned of what had transpired. They quickly left for Lammoth.
Elion and Finrod reached the main host by the time night came, and the wounded were cured.
...
As the moon lay high in the sky, I walked into the tent of Nilendil.
She rested in the middle of the tent, medicine in a bowl by her side. Nothing else was in sight. I put the flowers I had picked beside her, their scent seemed to brighten her mood as she smiled in sleep.
I did not want to disturb her so I walked out, "How is she?" Finrod asked as I left the tent.
"She will become better soon," I said with a faint smile, feeling a little better at last.
"Don't worry, let's walk a little I have something I want to talk about." He said and I followed him.
"What do you plan to do after we reach lake Mithrim?" He asked out of nowhere.
"We are marching on Morgoth soon after we regroup at Lake Mithrim. So..." I said, a little puzzled by what he wanted to say.
Finrod returned at looked at me, "What after that? Let us say Morgoth is either defeated or not, and we return. What do you wish to do after?"
I thoughtfully replied, "I want to explore the land, hone my skills and power, and perhaps journey south."
Finrod smiled, "Let us journey together for as long as our path remains as one."
I asked in confusion, "Why? Is our path one and the same?"
Finrod's smile widened, "Curiosity and wonder will drive us to explore this new land, of that I am sure. Friends we have become during this journey, is it wrong of me to wish to explore this land with my friend?"
I felt touched and nodded, "As friends, we shall then for as long as our path is the same."
He cheerfully and briefly hugged me and then suddenly said, "I have a few ideas about your fires... Do you have free time, perhaps?"
I was curious and decided to humor him, "Sure."
...
A group of orcs entered a dark and sinister gate, within rested many horrors. The orcs walked within the black halls, on each side were many other orcs staring at them with ridicule, and sometimes even roared at each other with bloodlust.
They entered a great room, tall were the pillars, on each side flaming demons larger than any to walk on the land, and to the front was a great Throne.
Atop the throne sat a giant with eyes of lava and a body of darkness, his very being struck terror into all things. On his head was a crown, and three glowing gems were on the crown, their light pure and lovely. It was a great contrast. The orcs dared not even gaze at the figure on the throne as they talked.
The figure waved his hand as the orcs turned to ash, and the flaming demons laughed, their voice shaking the mountains.
"An elf who commands fire?" The figure on the throne muttered in interest.
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