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AelKennyr Rhiano
Olwe craned his head up to behold the Lord of Waters. "I am here, Lord Ulmo. What is thy will?" he asks, and he bends knee to the King of the Sea, his heart swelling with joy and reverence in the presence of this mighty Valar.
He closed his eyes for a moment, the salty smell of the sea mingling with the delicate scent of spring blossoms. Around him, in the Swanhaven, the land was coming alive again. Trees were flowering and the grass was again green. In the distance a bird broke into song. And closer by but still at a distance, he could hear Nole's and Elenwe's voices rising and dropping low in companionable conversation. He opened his eyes to see that Ulmo had shrunk in size and was now only a few inches taller than Olwe himself. Palm up, Ulmo gestured with his fingers for the Lord of Alqualonde and Tol Eressea to rise. As Olwe stood up, Ulmo regarded him carefully, and, his voice rumbling deep in his chest, remarked, "This is less frightful to the Children of Ulluvatar, " by way of explanation.
Olwe bowed his head in understanding, his eyes fastened upon the face of Lord Ulmo. "I meet you with joy in my heart, my lord."
Ulmo turned his deep and steady gaze upon Olwe; a penetrating look that caused the King of the Teleri to catch his breath. It was not fear that coursed through Olwe's being, but awe. The Vala slowly drew breath he did not need and spoke again. "Much you have been through, firstborn elf. Pain and torment such as no elf has known before you. A veil of hate and darkness sought to ever shield thy light from us."
Olwe's cheeks flushed at hearing the Aratar's worlds, and he dropped his gaze to the wood below his feat. In the brief silence, he could hear droplets of water drip upon the pier, a pattern of small plops. "I was saved, by the Valar, my Lord, " murmurs Olwe.
Ulmo's brow furrowed to see Olwe drop his gaze and reaches out to lay a hand that looked it would better suit a builder than a mighty Vala and squeezed Olwe's shoulder. "You were saved by yourself, Olwe," replied Ulmo. "For THY service, THY faithfulness, THY dedication. It could not be that you would be left in that Darkness so foul. Never doubt that any less than yourself could have survived such an ordeal."
Olwe glanced up at the touch of the Vala's hand on his shoulder. Hesitantly he reached up and placed his hand briefly on top of the Vala's. "In truth, I thought not to survive it, my Lord."
Ulmo nodded. "Your pearl circlet still rests upon thy head, Firstborn. King you have become, of such a people of steadfastness and peace. Love and tranquility you gave to your Teleri, Elven King. And in return, they gave unto you love equal in depth and measure. " The Lord of the Waters let go of Olwe's shoulder, and a deep rumble of mirthful laughter rose from the depths of his being. "Not only hast thou the soul and heart of a people, Olwe, Teleri Kin, but the soul and heart of a Maia, and such a one." Ulmo looked up at the bright day sky and his voice rolled over the whole of Alqualonde as a wave comes eagerly in to slap playfully at the shore. "Even the Moon's steersman has found himself forever a part of you and you him."
The mirth slowly faded from the visage of the Lord of Waters, and his voice dropped low, soft, so only Olwe could hear. "All across the whole of Middle Earth are elves scattered, Olwe. They are fading from the view of the Atani at a time when the Atani...men...need them most desperately. " He turned his sea gray eyes upon the Eldar elf but saw not him, but a distant past. "Long have I pondered if we did well or ill by the Elves when we sough to bring them into Aman, the paradise of our creation. For you who came to Aman are much different from your kin who stayed in Middle Earth. Perhaps it was part of the Great Song that you should have been with us all this time."
There was almost a sadness in the Vala's voice. "I cannot imagine my life, deprived of the nearness of the Valar and the Maiar, my lord," said Olwe, quietly. "The brief time I was walled away from it nearly broke my heart."
"And ours, Gentle Olwe," answered Ulmo. "But now, you must journey far and wide. Take counsel of such news as Elwing the White brings, and consult with thy kin, Comet of Sylvahara. You must seek in earnest the clans of elves who have scattered themselves through Middle Earth, seeking to vanish into history. They must see that history is but the part of the present that is the part known to them.
"Do no think that the Darkness has done with you, Hope of the Valar, for it has not. It knows you now, and it will seek out Alqualonde as the jeweled hope of all the Children, and just as the light of the morning star was extinguished, so it will seek to sink the Swanhaven beneath the waves."
"My Lord," asked Olwe, a look of deep horror on his face. "Has the morning star been destroyed? What about the Simaril?"
Ulmo shook his head. "Perhaps Lord Manwe can gaze into the winds of time and see the answer to your question, Olwe, but I cannot. " He looked over and saw the look on the Teleri's face, the widening of the eyes, the roundness of the mouth in a silent, "Oh."
"Take your allies as they present themselves to you, Hope of the Valar. For you will find unlikely allies and true friends in places where you never thought to look. Look with thy heart and with thy wisdom, Olwe, to gage the true temper of those who would present to you as comrades."
Olwe bowed his head. "The Will of the Valar be done, " he murmurred.
A breath and the Lord of Waters was gone, but his voiced filled the air. "As waters surround land, I am ever near, Olwe of Alqulaonde. I cannot lift the burden from your shoulder, but should you need summon the waters of this world to your will, to assist you on this perilous task, call out, and it shall be done."
"My lord!" answered Olwe, overwhelmed and he bowed his head. "Thank you, Lord Ulmo."
Ulmo's voice came back, soft, only for his ears. "I should have missed thee, Olwe of Alqualonde, had Mandos' gate been opened to you. I must leave you ...now..."
Like that, the voice was gone, only the water upon the docks to mark where the Lord of the Seas had been.
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He closed his eyes for a moment, the salty smell of the sea mingling with the delicate scent of spring blossoms. Around him, in the Swanhaven, the land was coming alive again. Trees were flowering and the grass was again green. In the distance a bird broke into song. And closer by but still at a distance, he could hear Nole's and Elenwe's voices rising and dropping low in companionable conversation. He opened his eyes to see that Ulmo had shrunk in size and was now only a few inches taller than Olwe himself. Palm up, Ulmo gestured with his fingers for the Lord of Alqualonde and Tol Eressea to rise. As Olwe stood up, Ulmo regarded him carefully, and, his voice rumbling deep in his chest, remarked, "This is less frightful to the Children of Ulluvatar, " by way of explanation.
Olwe bowed his head in understanding, his eyes fastened upon the face of Lord Ulmo. "I meet you with joy in my heart, my lord."
Ulmo turned his deep and steady gaze upon Olwe; a penetrating look that caused the King of the Teleri to catch his breath. It was not fear that coursed through Olwe's being, but awe. The Vala slowly drew breath he did not need and spoke again. "Much you have been through, firstborn elf. Pain and torment such as no elf has known before you. A veil of hate and darkness sought to ever shield thy light from us."
Olwe's cheeks flushed at hearing the Aratar's worlds, and he dropped his gaze to the wood below his feat. In the brief silence, he could hear droplets of water drip upon the pier, a pattern of small plops. "I was saved, by the Valar, my Lord, " murmurs Olwe.
Ulmo's brow furrowed to see Olwe drop his gaze and reaches out to lay a hand that looked it would better suit a builder than a mighty Vala and squeezed Olwe's shoulder. "You were saved by yourself, Olwe," replied Ulmo. "For THY service, THY faithfulness, THY dedication. It could not be that you would be left in that Darkness so foul. Never doubt that any less than yourself could have survived such an ordeal."
Olwe glanced up at the touch of the Vala's hand on his shoulder. Hesitantly he reached up and placed his hand briefly on top of the Vala's. "In truth, I thought not to survive it, my Lord."
Ulmo nodded. "Your pearl circlet still rests upon thy head, Firstborn. King you have become, of such a people of steadfastness and peace. Love and tranquility you gave to your Teleri, Elven King. And in return, they gave unto you love equal in depth and measure. " The Lord of the Waters let go of Olwe's shoulder, and a deep rumble of mirthful laughter rose from the depths of his being. "Not only hast thou the soul and heart of a people, Olwe, Teleri Kin, but the soul and heart of a Maia, and such a one." Ulmo looked up at the bright day sky and his voice rolled over the whole of Alqualonde as a wave comes eagerly in to slap playfully at the shore. "Even the Moon's steersman has found himself forever a part of you and you him."
The mirth slowly faded from the visage of the Lord of Waters, and his voice dropped low, soft, so only Olwe could hear. "All across the whole of Middle Earth are elves scattered, Olwe. They are fading from the view of the Atani at a time when the Atani...men...need them most desperately. " He turned his sea gray eyes upon the Eldar elf but saw not him, but a distant past. "Long have I pondered if we did well or ill by the Elves when we sough to bring them into Aman, the paradise of our creation. For you who came to Aman are much different from your kin who stayed in Middle Earth. Perhaps it was part of the Great Song that you should have been with us all this time."
There was almost a sadness in the Vala's voice. "I cannot imagine my life, deprived of the nearness of the Valar and the Maiar, my lord," said Olwe, quietly. "The brief time I was walled away from it nearly broke my heart."
"And ours, Gentle Olwe," answered Ulmo. "But now, you must journey far and wide. Take counsel of such news as Elwing the White brings, and consult with thy kin, Comet of Sylvahara. You must seek in earnest the clans of elves who have scattered themselves through Middle Earth, seeking to vanish into history. They must see that history is but the part of the present that is the part known to them.
"Do no think that the Darkness has done with you, Hope of the Valar, for it has not. It knows you now, and it will seek out Alqualonde as the jeweled hope of all the Children, and just as the light of the morning star was extinguished, so it will seek to sink the Swanhaven beneath the waves."
"My Lord," asked Olwe, a look of deep horror on his face. "Has the morning star been destroyed? What about the Simaril?"
Ulmo shook his head. "Perhaps Lord Manwe can gaze into the winds of time and see the answer to your question, Olwe, but I cannot. " He looked over and saw the look on the Teleri's face, the widening of the eyes, the roundness of the mouth in a silent, "Oh."
"Take your allies as they present themselves to you, Hope of the Valar. For you will find unlikely allies and true friends in places where you never thought to look. Look with thy heart and with thy wisdom, Olwe, to gage the true temper of those who would present to you as comrades."
Olwe bowed his head. "The Will of the Valar be done, " he murmurred.
A breath and the Lord of Waters was gone, but his voiced filled the air. "As waters surround land, I am ever near, Olwe of Alqulaonde. I cannot lift the burden from your shoulder, but should you need summon the waters of this world to your will, to assist you on this perilous task, call out, and it shall be done."
"My lord!" answered Olwe, overwhelmed and he bowed his head. "Thank you, Lord Ulmo."
Ulmo's voice came back, soft, only for his ears. "I should have missed thee, Olwe of Alqualonde, had Mandos' gate been opened to you. I must leave you ...now..."
Like that, the voice was gone, only the water upon the docks to mark where the Lord of the Seas had been.
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