Shawn Daysleeper and AelKennyr Rhiano
"I will pass on my judgment as needed...Go now, or I will set forth other action." Thus speaks the Lord of the West to the Vala of Compassion and to his Herald, and as Eonwe feels his brief rebellion shrivel and turn to dust within him, Nienna moves to obey the will of the Breath of Arda.Eonwe looks up and over at his sister Maia, Ilmare, throwing her a look that is part regret at being separated after an all too brief reunion, part plea for understanding from the one of his kind closest to him, the one who understands him best....the handmaiden of Varda. Blue eyes fixed upon her midnight skin, a night sky made flesh: he does not say a word of parting but sends to her -- wills to her-- a silent goodbye.
Go. Now. Eonwe nods and turns away. He raises his hands, palms up, looking at the calluses on his finger, his palms, a physical manifestation alone...yes...only a symbol to show how he has spent the eons caressing steel, not flesh. He catches sight of his shirt, and with a grunt, he wills himself shorn of the garments he was forced, by need, to wear while in disguise. Instead, he attires himself in such as warriors among the second-born of Eru's children would wear, though he would bear no sword in the presence of Manwe save by his Lord's permission. Not now. Especially not now, when he wants nothing more than to bury steel in the flesh of the perfidious Maker and send him to the void that houses the other traitorous Vala.
Now, dressed for the road, Eonwe spins on his heel, bows his head to Manwe and strides with purpose away from Manwe...away from Mandos...Away. 
Manwe looks with relief as Nienna departs. Finally, they were on their way to being cured. He then sees his Herald change his clothing. He was going to obey the Lord of the West. The Lord of Arda feels a sudden urge to catch Eonwe before he departs for the Gardens. Without clear thinking, he wills Eonwe to halt. Speaking only, "Eonwe. My Herald." as he raises his hands, his voice echoes in the now otherwise empty room.
The Maia halts in mid-stride. With his back to the Lord of the West, he catches his breath, his blue eyes flying wide open in surprise, his heart squeezing tight in his chest. His mouth goes dry, and he swallows a few times before he answers, turning smoothly and with the grace bestowed to all his kind, "My Lord." For the first time since he dismissed him, he is alone with Eonwe. Despite being the great 'Breath of Arda,' Manwe is having difficulty coming up with the best way to explain his longing. He wants to talk to him and to share in his concern. He also wants to confide in his judgment. He wants Eonwe to leave for the Gardens, not because of his command, but because he knows that Manwe cares for his well-being and recovery. After his healing, and when he is himself as he was, he will be reinstated as Herald. "I wish to speak with you about what it is we both desire," he says in a kind tone.
Eonwe dips his head in a bow, the long dark hair, curtaining his features as he does so. "As you wish, my Lord," he says, giving the answer that he has always given. Raising his head, he crosses the distance between them, back straight, gait sure. But he does not feel sure. Not in his heart, not in his mind. The Maker is free. Nienna has been dispatched to her brother and his wife's garden, and Eonwe...what of Eonwe? What, now, is his fate? He who is being called again, "My Herald?" He drops his hands, loose, by his sides and waits, wearing the calmness he used to feel like a shield.
Manwe feels some relief as Eonwe turns to him. He offers his hand as he speaks in his authoritative tone. "I.. I want to assure you that I understand that your first concern has always been for me. I do not doubt your loyalty in that regard. But there has been things happening here in Mandos that cloud the judgment of those affected by it. This dark power. This influence left by my malevolent brother that has been cast from this world." He spoke with a slight air of anger, but as quickly as it came, he dismissed his anger. "What I want is for you to go to Lorien, to be cleansed of this influence. After your healing you will be whole once again. I will come talk to you again, and this will be the scene of reconciliation and reinstatement of you, as Eonwe, the Herald of Manwe." He adds a slight smile to his tone of voice. He gestures his hand to the open doorway. "The sun is shining outside, and your future will be as bright, Eonwe."
As Eonwe stands before his Lord, as he listens to the words falling from the lips of the Breath of Arda, his mind spins with thoughts that cartwheel and tumble about. The anger and resentment he has come to bear against the Smith roils and boils inside him...like a storm, and for the first time he can ever recall, he can truly understand his fellow Maia, Osse, he who serves the Lord of the Waters of the World. Ill tempered, brash, a tempest wthin himself as much as upon the coastal waters, Osse does not deal with honeyed words.
Memories are like pages in a book, for Maia, no matter how long ago the page was written or last read. Eonwe can locate the chapter, page, and paragraph where it is stored in the book of his memory. And, now, he remembers when Manwe first called the Ainur together to discuss the matter of Olwe. Seasons have passed in the mortal world, but he remembers now. With a clarity, he also recalls how Osse and the Maker clashed during that council. He feels his entire being grow still and chilled. Did Osse sense in the Maker something Eonwe missed? Has Aule been planning all this time to betray the Lord of the West?
Reconciliation, says the Lord of the West. Reinstatement. Eonwe by his Lord's side again. His heart leaps, and he takes a step forward, his own hand extending to clasp the hand of the Breath of Arda, even as he sinks to his knees. What does he say to this? His heart responds to the words of Manwe, even as his mind spins with the realization that even then, there was discord between one of his brethren and the Maker. Did it mean much? or little? Was it Osse being no more or less than the maelstrom he has eternally been, or was he shrewder than anyone else?
Eonwe murmurs the words that have been the mark of his service since first he knelt at Manwe's feet. "My Lord speaks, and I obey." He looks up, still kneeling. "I shall go to Lorien, because my Lord and King bids me. And there is no greater hope I could have than to be received back into my Lord's service." His voice wavers a little with the intensity of that desire. "But, my Lord, I have never spoken untruth to thee, and I shall not now. You can command anything of me, and Eonwe shall strive to obey. But you cannot command me to wipe from my mind or my heart, my feelings towards the Smith." He looks about the room and back at Manwe. "See, Lord, how Lady Yavanna has left us, without a word. Feel you not how her heart is torn, her pride shredded, her honor shorn from her, tattered? Can you not feel how she has left here? Nothing can ever be as it was for her. Betrayed twice by her Lord husband." He turns his gaze to his Lord, and his eyes held both sadness and a hard glint. "But, My Lord, I hear and obey. I am your Eonwe."
Manwe urges Eonwe to rise, turning over his words in his mind. Would he always hold resentment against the Smith? He made a mental note to discuss this further with Ulmo when he arrives. But for now, Eonwe is his concern. "The Lady Yavanna has left us. She has likely gone back home. I.. I think being here has been difficult for her. While she was not in the chamber, she has been influenced by the dark power through the actions of the Smith. Remember the source of this power. Melkor," he says sternly to Eonwe. He then begins to speak in his kinder voice. "I will not detain you any longer. You will be by my side soon. Go swiftly now to the Garden and seek to become whole. When you are cured, the silver light shines upon us and you will be reinstated, Eonwe." He urges him to rise. "Go forth, seek out Este, she will help you, and I will come," the Lord of the West finishes with a slight bow.
Eonwe rises to his feet, blue eyes locked upon the radiant face of the Lord of the West. "...you will reinstated, Eonwe." Thus was the promise of Manwe, who is constant, always caring for the Maiar, for his Herald, who is always and ever his Lord. "Yes, my Lord. I go with a heart lighter," he answers, and then a small frown creases his brow at the slight bow. " But my Lord, I am but Maia, and the Lord of the West should never incline his head to his Herald, but welcome always his Herald's bow to him." And here Eonwe bows from the waist and slowly straightens, adding in a shy and deep, quiet voice," For it is with love that he gives his bow, always, Manwe."And quickly with the strengthening of the wind before a rainstorm, Eonwe thinks of Lorien and is gone, running, ever running, but now, to healing and comfort, and not from shame and pain.
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