Ilianor Illios and Shawn Daysleeper
In Manwe's hall, atop Mount Taniquetil, the Lord of the West enters one of the many spacious rooms within his great palace. Beside him was the Maia of the North Wind, Ainome, her melodious voice
speaking in soothing tones.
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| Ainomë and Manwë |
"You see and feel everything. Today I sense here a sweet heart, a noble heart, that feels all the suffering on Arda, so I will found a nice lovely song for your heart, m' Lord, for our country. I don't want your heart feel sad."
As Manwe listens to Ainome, Wind of the North, he feels more relaxed. "I would like to hear a song: your songs bring peace to me."
"My Lord, today, my heart feels sad," the Wind answers, and then she complies with the request of the Lord of the West and begins to sing:
"Ai! Laurië lantar lassi súrinen,yéni únótimë ve rámar aldaron!Yéni ve lintë yuldar avániermi oromardi lissë-miruvórevaAndúnë pella, Vardo tellumarnu luini yassen tintilar i eleniómaryo airetári-lírinen.
Sí man i yulma nin enquantuva?
An sí Tintallë Varda Oiolossëove fanyar máryat Elentári ortanëar ilyë tier undulávë lumbulëar sindanóriello caita morniëi falmalinnar imbë met,ar hísië untúpa Calaciryo míri oialë.Sí vanwa ná, Rómello vanwa, Valimar!Namárië! Nai hiruvalyë Valimar!Nai elyë hiruva! Namárië!"
Her song ends, and the Maia says to Manwe. "I have finished singing this sad song. Do you want me to tell you an elvish story?
Manwe nods, in thought. "Yes, I would like to hear your Elvish story."
"My story begins with the story of Ethne Maethyn, a human. She was sister to Belin, who was heir to the chiefdom of his clan. But Ethne fell in love with an Elf soldier (a scout, as you would call him). I don't know his name for sure. Now, such a match was frowned upon by both her tribe and by the elves too, so the couple ran away to find common work wherever they could. They settled in the north, in a country called Llewyn. There they came to Red Hill, a castle near to the sea, owned by the half-elf Lord Tieron. There Ethne found work in the kitchens, and the Elf signed up with the local militia. But within the year, the elf was dead, slain in battle.
"When he heard the news, Belin travelled north to comfort his sister. When he arrived at Red Hill he found that she was heavily pregnant with the elf's child, and a few weeks later she gave birth. Sadly, her child was stillborn. But before the day was over, a stranger arrived at Red Hill, with a baby girl, and a message to Tieron from an Elven King of the time, whose name was Obuirin. The message requested that Tieron gave sanctuary to the baby, who was to be fostered in secret at Red Hill, and her identity kept secret until she was called for. Since Ethne Maethyn had just lost her own baby, she was chosen to be the foster-mother. Ethne named the baby Shannagh. That child was me.
"Through my childhood I was mostly very lonely. Being the only elf among the servants at Red Hill, the other children would have nothing to do with me except to tease. Though I was raised as a servant in the kitchens, I did not enjoy the work. I much preferred to ride out across the moors to the sea, or into the forest where my favourite place to hide was a secret glade where a little waterfall tumbled into a pool. In retrospect I missed out on a lot by not being raised among other elves."
"My best friends were horses, but one friend I did have. He was an elf prince named Anadrael, who was a friend of Lord Tieron. The prince befriended me, and when I was very small I would sit on his knee and listen to his stories of dragons and heroes from times long past. As I grew older I fell in love with him in the infatuous kind of way that young kitchen girls fall in love with princes.
"When I was seventeen I saw a pegasus, a sky horse, in the waterfall glade in the forest. Sky horses have not been seen in Llewyn for over a thousand years, and they were almost never seen away from their remote island home. I knew this to be an omen of great importance, and so it was for shortly after, a terrible tragedy befell me. To this day I remember nothing of what transpired on that dreadful day, but later my father would tell me the truth about what happened.
"Barely three weeks after seeing the Skyhorse, Prince Anadrael returned to Red Hill for what was to be the last time. He did not stay long, and when I heard he was planning to leave again, I begged him to take me with him. The Yearning was strong in me; a desire for something I could not define, and I knew I would not find what I sought if I stayed at Red Hill. But Anadrael refused, saying he had other business to attend, in a place that was far too dangerous for a young girl like me.
"Now, Anadrael and Uncle Belin had both taught me to use weapons, and being a headstrong teenager I was certain that I could face anything. So after Anadrael left I stole a horse and rode off after him. But Anadrael's business was not in Llewyn, instead he passed through into the Ways that connect other worlds, and I followed after him. What happened to me there I cannot say, except that something must have attacked me, because Anadrael heard me scream and he rushed back to help.
"But the prince was too late, because when he found me I was already dead. He fell to his knees and wept with grief for he knew what I did not; that I was really Arhuaine, daughter of Obuirin, and Anadrael's sister. He picked up my body and carried it back to the King, believing that I belonged with my father in death if not in life.
"Now at this time King Obuirin was the most powerful healer in all of Elphame, and he refused to accept that I was lost. So he used every last ounce of power he could summon, and though he managed to repair the damage to my shattered body, he could not restore the spark of life. In the end, he pleaded with the Goddess to bring me back to life.
"The aspect of the Goddess in which my family believes is known as the Dana and is most often portrayed as a dragon, who brought the world into being by the magic of her singing. Three times She told my father that if She brought me back to life there would be a price to pay. Three times Obuirin accepted, believing She would demand his life in return for mine. So the Dana sang the Song of Creation and brought me back to life, but the price was paid by me, not my father. In return for giving back my life She took my sight, so from that day onwards I was blind."
Ainome pauses in her tale to sing an ainulindale song. As the last note in her song faded away, she continues her tale.
"I did not return to Red Hill. Instead I was sent to live with a recluse called Haildar, who lived deep in the Great Forest. Haildar was known as the Wise Woman. It was rumoured that she was older than the Elves and that the Great Oak itself had grown from a sapling under her tender care. I stayed with her twelve years, and during that time I learned much of the Magickal arts, particularly that which you would call "green" magick; healing, and other magic pertaining to the natural world. Most important, I learned the magick with which I could compensate for my loss of sight. I learned to sense my surroundings as accurately as anyone else can with their eyes, and by the time I left Haildar's tuition I was so good at it that I could hunt with a longbow, run through the forest without stumbling, and none who saw me would even know I was blind unless I told them. But though Haildar herself was a good healer, she always refused to make any attempt to heal my blindness no matter how much I begged her to. Even when I tried to heal myself, I was unsuccessful. I did not know it then, but now I understand that if ever I am cured of it, my bargain with the Dana will be broken, and She will take back the life she granted me."
"After leaving Haildar's tutelage, my time was split between life at Court and life on the open road. At court I joined the military. You call them Scouts, I call them the Elite Guard. They work in units of five, each of which is called a Hand. I soon speciallised in Cavalry, and over the next hundred years or so I developed the Airbourne division, based on the Skyhorses, and also dragons. You have to be careful not to fly the dragons and the Skyhorses together; a Skyhorse is a dragon's favourite snack! As daughter to the king I also had a lot of diplomatic duties, which I didn't enjoy so much.
"And on the road, when the Yearning had a hold of me, I would be plain old Shannagh Maethyn again, instead of Princess Arhuaine ni-Buirin. I travelled from one tavern to another, singing for my supper to anyone who would pay to listen. It was on the road I met Cas, another bard. I fell in love with him, but he was killed in an accident some years later.
"In the end, I left Elfhome for good and never went back. I don't remember anything after that. I left because of a blazing row I had with my father, because of someone he trusted and I didn't. It came down to an ultimatum; 'either they leave or I do'. Well, one thing I know for sure is elves are so STUBBORN, and because neither one of us was willing to compromise, I walked out. By this time it was certain the elves were dying out; the birthrate had dwindled so much that the population was in serious decline, and 'marriages' between elves were largely infertile. Those elves who married humans were more successful, but that thinned the blood still further, and each time a half-elf was born, the Elves were diminished."
Ainome looks at Manwe's face, and she halts. "The ainulindale has saved the elves but is better I think to tell this tale another time. I feel heaviness in the heart of the Lord of the West."
Manwe nods but does not speak. His mind is concerned for Eonwe and whether he made the right decision to send him to Melkor's Chambers. He listens to Ainome's harp music.
"I feel your thought, my Lord. I think this is the song that is right for your mind at this moment." She materializes a harp and begins to play and sing, first in the tongue of the Atani, the Men who came into the world after the elves:
May it beAn evening starShines downUpon you.
May it beWhen darkness fallsYour heartWill be true.
You walk a lonely road.Oh how far you are from home!"
Mornié UtúliéDarkness has come.Believe and youWill find your way.
Mornié AlantiéDarkness has fallen.A promise livesWithin you now.
May it beThe shadow's callWill fly away.
May it beYou journey onTo light the day.
When the night is overcomeYou may riseTo find the sun.
Mornié Utúlie.Darkness has come.Believe and youWill find your way.
Mornié Alantié.Darkness has fallen.A promise livesWithin you now.
A promise livesWithin you now...
Manwe nods as the music fades."Thank you, Ainome, for your music and story. My thoughts are heavy."
The gentle Maia looks at him, and idea come to her mind. "Would you dance with me, My Lord? Maybe your heart can find more happiness in such delight, your breath upon Arda more lovely still."
Manwe rises and smiles. He dances with Ainome. Together, they are in the thought of creation...flying, dancing...but Ainome still feels the heaviness of the heart of Manwe.
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