AelKennyr Rhiano
At some point, waiting for the rosy fingers of Dawn, Olwe slipped into a fitful sleep, sitting up in his bed. He had pulled the coverlet off and wrapped his shivering body in the downy quilted fabric and slumped back against the highly polished headboard. His chin dropped down, and his eyes shifted beneath his eyelids as he stole precious moments of rest, soft snores coming from his half-open mouth.
She must not be dead. She cannot be dead. In his dreams he wonders a long palace corridor, filled with endless rows of closed doors. The door handles were of ivory and carved to resemble faces...elves...orcs. dwarves..human...Valar, even creatures so alien to Olwe that would stop and stare at them, unable to fathom the body upon which that head could rest. He reached out a hand to open one door, his fingers curling around the knob, and jerked his hand back in time to see the mouth of the figure give a bloody, tooth grin. Stepping back in disbelief, he cupped the injured hand for a moment in his other hand and stares at the door knob.
Muffled voices from another door, further down, drew him to move further down the hall. He paused a moment, staring hard at the doorknob, but the figures carved upon it seemed lifeless. The voices behind the door grew to shrieks of pain and despair, prompting the Teleri Lord to grab the door knob, turn it and rush in...
...to his bedchamber, bathed in midnight and dappled by errant moonbeams that found their way in through the curtained windows. Instead of a bed in the center of the room was a raised stone dias, and there, before, kneeling on the stone of the raised dais, was Comet. Not the silver-haired Queen of the Sylvan kin, but Comet the maid, the princess, with honey gold hair flowing unbound, framing her face. Olwe's brow furrowed, and he looked at her in open puzzlement. She, dressed in a light, flowing translucent fabric that billowed and floated about her in a swirling of wind. Stretching out a hand, she beckoned him. Something in her gaze made him take a step forward, then another. She smiled at first, then, slowly, the smile slid from her features. She opened her mouth, as though to speak, but her voice is more like....
The cry of an owl...the flap of wings, and Olwe jerks out of sleep, staring vacantly around the dawn lit room until he locates the sound that woke him.
It was Aloysius. Olwe threw off the warm coverlet and sprung out of bed...calling to the little owl and raising his arm up , beckoning the bird to land, uncaring how deeply the owl's talons are to dig into his flesh. The owl circled the room once more. and tracking the circuit the bird made around the room, Olwe could see the window through which Aloysius had squeezed through. The small owl landed upon his outstretched arm, the creature trembling with exhaustion. Looking, Olwe saw that the faithful owl had a message tube tied to his leg. Carefully Olwe retrieved the case and liberated the message contained therein. The owl flew off his arm and over to a small table, from which he regarded the Teleri Lord with uninterested eyes.
Olwe had trouble reading the dreaded message. The letters seemed to move and slid of their own will, but grimly he pushed on, his lips moving as he read the words he hoped would go unsaid.
Comet ....sweet Comet...Oh. Eru..how much more! Olwe sunk to the floor and let his head hang down.
He read the message again, slower. Then, slowly, deliberately he raised himself up off the floor, straightened his back and strode to the door of his bedchamber. Olwe remembered the doorknob in his dream and hesitated before grabbing the knob firmly and throwing open the door. On the other side, Nole was coming up with the Teleri Lord's breakfast. Grimly, Olwe clapped the sailor on the shoulder. "Prepare," he commanded, even as he felt the Voice stir and slither. "We set sail within the hour. Make all ready." Olwe's voice was raspy and grim. His red eyes held a resolve Nole recognized as hallmark of the Lord of Alqualonde.
Olwe gave Nole's shoulder a brief squeeze of one hand. "We must hurry. Time is slipping, like water, through our cupped hands."
> Next
She must not be dead. She cannot be dead. In his dreams he wonders a long palace corridor, filled with endless rows of closed doors. The door handles were of ivory and carved to resemble faces...elves...orcs. dwarves..human...Valar, even creatures so alien to Olwe that would stop and stare at them, unable to fathom the body upon which that head could rest. He reached out a hand to open one door, his fingers curling around the knob, and jerked his hand back in time to see the mouth of the figure give a bloody, tooth grin. Stepping back in disbelief, he cupped the injured hand for a moment in his other hand and stares at the door knob.
Muffled voices from another door, further down, drew him to move further down the hall. He paused a moment, staring hard at the doorknob, but the figures carved upon it seemed lifeless. The voices behind the door grew to shrieks of pain and despair, prompting the Teleri Lord to grab the door knob, turn it and rush in...
...to his bedchamber, bathed in midnight and dappled by errant moonbeams that found their way in through the curtained windows. Instead of a bed in the center of the room was a raised stone dias, and there, before, kneeling on the stone of the raised dais, was Comet. Not the silver-haired Queen of the Sylvan kin, but Comet the maid, the princess, with honey gold hair flowing unbound, framing her face. Olwe's brow furrowed, and he looked at her in open puzzlement. She, dressed in a light, flowing translucent fabric that billowed and floated about her in a swirling of wind. Stretching out a hand, she beckoned him. Something in her gaze made him take a step forward, then another. She smiled at first, then, slowly, the smile slid from her features. She opened her mouth, as though to speak, but her voice is more like....
The cry of an owl...the flap of wings, and Olwe jerks out of sleep, staring vacantly around the dawn lit room until he locates the sound that woke him.
It was Aloysius. Olwe threw off the warm coverlet and sprung out of bed...calling to the little owl and raising his arm up , beckoning the bird to land, uncaring how deeply the owl's talons are to dig into his flesh. The owl circled the room once more. and tracking the circuit the bird made around the room, Olwe could see the window through which Aloysius had squeezed through. The small owl landed upon his outstretched arm, the creature trembling with exhaustion. Looking, Olwe saw that the faithful owl had a message tube tied to his leg. Carefully Olwe retrieved the case and liberated the message contained therein. The owl flew off his arm and over to a small table, from which he regarded the Teleri Lord with uninterested eyes.
 |
| Olwë Receives the News |
Comet ....sweet Comet...Oh. Eru..how much more! Olwe sunk to the floor and let his head hang down.
Olwe gave Nole's shoulder a brief squeeze of one hand. "We must hurry. Time is slipping, like water, through our cupped hands."
> Next