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Cinnamon Raymaker
As she plummeted to the earth below, the swan plumage she wore when flying shimmered and was lost - just as it was hidden when she walked on the deck of the shining Vingilot or with the ground firmly beneath her feet. In her dazed and weakened state, she had no control over the thoughts flitting through her mind. Like ants scurrying around looking for scraps of food, though tucked away deep within the darkest recess of her memory, she felt a growing sense of dread and loss. This feeling magnified a hundredfold when she came to the stark realisation that something precious had been taken from the world. In her mind's eye she replayed the moments before those physical assaults, first from the immense surge of energy and then from the crushing force of darkness. There was the smallest seed of hope that she had been wrong. But it was hopeless. She recalled the blackness of the sky and then the rosy fingers of dawn. Something exceedingly precious, that hope of all elvenkind - the Morning Star carried by Vingilot through the early skies before the dawn-- had not appeared before the start of this day. A cry of anguish escaped from her parched lips, "Earendil, my beloved - what has become of you? What will become of us all?"
With that she again blacked out unaware of anything else around her.
*********
On her way, flanked by the great hawk Voronwe and one of the great swans of Alqualonde, Linfea sped to Lord Manwe, to report her observations. But the Ocean Wind, Linfea Nensule, spied yet another most unusual occurrence. The great white swan of Alqualonde became agitated and started to leave her side, veering slightly away from the Ainu.
"This day has been filled with strange happenings," the Ainu murmured to herself. "Firstly the great hawk, Voronwe, then a great white swan of Alqualonde, the burnt parchment message, and now something else ... What is that?"
As her eyes followed the swan of Alqualonde, yet another swan appeared in her sights. But this one was acting very strangely. It was falling at great speed towards the water, its wings tucked in by its sides as though tied to its body! And even more strangely, its feathers were somehow disappearing, and there, in front of Linfea, was an elven maiden plummeting to the waves below!
Linfea realised that something was terribly amiss and swiftly skimmed the waters to reach out tendrils of air to softly cushion the fall of the maiden. The great swan of Alqualonde hovered nearby, peering at the elven maiden and chattering away in its birdlike language. For several minutes it chattered, as though trying to communicate with the elven maiden, then it gently prodded her with its beak.
With a deep sigh, the maiden opened her eyes and looked about her in a most dazed state. She shielded her eyes from the bright light of the sun. Slowly and carefully, she chattered back to the great swan of Alqualonde. "Well met, my friend, how may I thank you for your timely rescue?"
The swan replied, "Dear friend, look around, and you will see that it is the Ocean Wind, Linfea Nensule, who has come to your rescue. Strange events are taking us all from our safe havens these days."
With great effort, the maiden lifted her head. In her weakened and dreamlike state, she fancied she spied the Ainu who had saved her. "Thank you, Lady Linfea. You have arrived at a most opportune time. Methinks this poor wretch would have been lying at the bottom of Lord Ulmo's watery domain had you not rescued her. Though I do recall he mentioned I could call on him at any time during my quest should I need help. It would seem that providence has somehow brought us together at a very opportune time! Please forgive, me Lady Linfea, I have not introduced myself. I am Elwing the White, friend of seabirds, daughter of Dior Eluchil and Nimloth, of the Sindar Elves. I was on my way to the lands of my Uncle's, King Olwe's, cousin, Queen Comet. My Uncle is in dire need of help, and Lord Ulmo charged me with reporting back to him on his condition." The Lady Elwing paused for breath.
Becoming a little agitated, she continued, "I fear I have not carried out my duty. 'Tis the second time I have been attacked, though this time I am sure the consequences will be more dire. In my attempt to fly to those lands, I believe I witnessed the disappearance of the vessel Vingilot, which carries the morning star, and is navigated through the early skies by my beloved Earendil. What is to become of us all? What can I do to help further? So many questions needing answers."
As she felt another wave of despair overcome her, the Lady Elwing laid back and allowed the pent up tears to flow and mingle with the salty seas around her. The great swan of Alqualonde bobbed up and down with the waves alongside the cushion of air supporting the lady Elwing. It again pushed its beak towards her and nestled alongside as if to comfort her in this outpouring of grief.
Allowing her a little time to recover from her emotional outburst, the Ainu Linfea whispered in Elwing's ear, "Well, Lady Elwing, I shall find the nearest landfall and set you down. You need time to recover from this shock, and I need to travel with great haste to the Sacred Mountain as I have much to report to my Lord Manwe."
With a stifled sob, Elwing replied, "Thank you dear lady. I fear we will need much help from Lord Manwe. Please set me down as soon as you can and continue your journey. I am so thankful that you passed this way at this time."
The Ocean Wind gently skipped across the waves, taking the Lady Elwing on her way. As they journeyed to the nearest island, the Lady Elwing was trying to sweep all the cobwebs of despair from her mind in order to better understand the nature of the dark force that had crushed her. Her sense of hope started to return, knowing that the friendly Ainu would soon be traveling on her way to Lord Manwe.
With this thought, she looked up and spied a warm and welcoming sandy beach in front of her, a small rowing boat lying on the shore. She stepped lightly down from the safe, cushioning winds and bid farewell and safe paths to the Ainu who had rescued her. With a last chatter to the great swan of Alqualonde, she waved goodbye and reluctantly watched her rescuers leave. Then turned to face her immediate future.