FicWad

*Disclaimer: I own nothing but my own characters; everything belongs to Tolkien the genius.
Chapter One: Yomenie Maranwë


The radiance of the Trees of Valinor brought great warmth and light across the lands of the Blessed Realm for all to look upon who dwelt there. The Children of Ilúvatar basked in the glow of Yavanna's creations while retreating at times through the Calacirya, beyond the Pelóri, to the hill of Túna where the great city of Tirion stood amongst the twilight of the stars.

Elrilya twirled and danced in circles beneath the twinkling heavens. Stretching her arms out and letting her head lean back, she gazed up at the circling lights as she felt her loose, dark hair fly out behind her with her dress swirling about her. She laughed to herself from the carefree fun she was enjoying. Eventually she stopped and let herself fall lightly to the green grasses below her feet. Out of breath for a moment, she sat back against the cool ground and stared up at the sky, her blue eyes reflecting the sparkle of the stars and her mirth. Another laugh, not her own, came close to Elrilya and she blinked her eyes when a bright, glowing head came into her vision.

"Do you need help to get up or shall I leave you there?" the golden haired elf maiden asked her.

"I can get up on my own, Idril," Elrilya answered, her blue eyes fixating on her friend. "I want to watch the stars for a while."

Idril sighed and then joined her on the ground to stare up at the skies. Their long locks of dark brown and bright gold mingled together as they lay side by side. Elrilya turned her head slightly so she could gaze at her companion out of the corner of her vision. Just beyond their elfling days, the two young elf maidens had been friends for many years before and found as much time as they could to spend time with each other. The Noldor and Vanyar living together in the "Great Watch-tower" city was a blessing to them both. Idril, being of noble lines of Noldor and Vanyar, had many responsibilities so the chance to have time to spend with Elrilya was sparse but the two of them made sure to make the time available. The two were so incredibly close, despite the separations at times, that they were practically considered blood kin by the other's family even though Elrilya's family was not of nobility.

After a few minutes of reminiscing in silence, Elrilya decided to speak.

"Was it always like this in the East?" she asked.

"Yes, or so Amil says," Idril replied as she let her eyes jump from each bright point to another.

"I wouldn't mind seeing the stars all the time," Elrilya said lifting her gaze back up to the skies.

Idril smirked, "I am not surprised, one would think you were born in the East. Nearly once a day you include a visit or run through the open fields. I fear all of Tirion finds you crazy."

Elrilya poked her in the side with her elbow eliciting a quick, high-pitched yelp of surprise. A jab in her own side by Idril was soon followed. She knew full well that the Eldar of the city were aware of her near obsessive constitutionals. Then again, she did have a strange quirkiness she picked up from the golden-haired princess.

"Do you think any Eldar might ever return?" Elrilya asked with wonder after a few minutes.

"Perhaps," Idril shrugged.

"Would you go if your family went back?" she asked.

"I have a duty to my family," Idril said. "Of course I would go with them if they made that decision." She paused and eyed Elrilya, as she seemed to wait with baited breath for her to continue. She held out for a moment longer and then smiled, her gray stormy eyes flashing. "Though, the West would be quite boring without you to keep me company. So I would have to drag you along with me."

Elrilya grinned along with Idril at her last comment. She knew that if they were to be separated by great leagues such as that, they would be fairly lonely as well as very bored. It comforted her heart to hear her friend's devotion.

"Why are you so full of questions today?" Idril questioned. "Especially about the East."

"I've just been thinking a lot lately," Elrilya answered.

"About what?" Idril said, turning to face her friend again.

"Little things and important things," Elrilya said vaguely then shook her head. "I don't know. I think I'm just cluttering my mind with needless thoughts. There is nothing to worry about here."

"I think you spun around one too many times," Idril teased. "And you must have hit your head on the ground, too."

Elrilya's eyes grew wide as she stared at Idril who then burst out laughing at her expression. Before she could say something to get back at her friend, a call from across the field came to them. They both stopped and looked up over the tall grass to see a tall figure coming toward them from the city. They recognized the dark haired male elf almost immediately and they stood, smoothing out their dresses, before walking to meet their visitor.

The light of Mindon Eldaliéva's silver lamp in the Tower of Ingwë shone out to them and to the nearby sea beyond the valley. Elrilya always felt moved by the greatness of the city and its grand towers that rose above the land. She loved the city, her home, very dearly but she would feel the urge every now and then to escape the confines of the city to take a walk through the surrounding meadows. There was also that underlying urge to go further than just the meadows.

"Good afternoon, Atar," Idril greeted as they came close to the visitor.

"Are you two finished gallivanting about beneath the stars for today?" Turgon asked his daughter and her friend with a chuckle, and then turned somewhat serious. "You do know that you should have brought one of the city guards with you."

"Oh, Ata!" Idril said exasperatedly. "I do not believe there are evils that could traverse these lands without the Valar sensing it as soon as it came near. Manwë saw to that when he held Melkor in bondage."

"Yet, he was pardoned, then created more evil within the heart of our kin, Fëanor, making him take up a weapon to your grandfather," Turgon pointed out. "And has since taken flight once more."

"I believe Amil has been worried too much today and has talked with you about this a lot," Idril sighed.

Elrilya could not help but snicker at her friend bantering with her father. She understood he was simply being protective of them but she also knew their kin of the Vanyar were extremely wary of Melkor's deeds. The Noldor were not nearly as cautious as their friends when it came to the former dark lord. Most believed his intentions good for the Eldar since he had served his time and repented. Noticing Elrilya finding humor in their conversation, Turgon decided to turn the subject back to what he had come out there in the first place to do.

"We should not talk of such things in the open," Turgon cautioned then took his daughter's hand and placed a protective arm around Elrilya's shoulders. "Come, one of our kin long gone away has surprised us with a visit."

Elrilya narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment as she tried to think of who might be visiting Idril's family. Most of her kin lived within the city and very few had been away.

"Who has come?" Idril asked excitement in her voice. "Has he returned from his travels?"

"There is no fooling you, yende," he said and placed a kiss on her forehead as he led them back to the city gates.

"Who is it?" Elrilya asked, still completely in the dark.

"Do you not remember Glorfindel?" Idril asked. "He is cousin to my Amil."

Elrilya racked her mind for many quick seconds and could remember vaguely a chance meeting a few years earlier. It was before she and her family were to take an extended visit to the havens of the Teleri where friends of her kin lived. Glorfindel had arrived back in Tirion for a time before setting out on travels across the Blessed Realm from which he now returned. Turgon, having met Glorfindel through his wife, Elenwë, had become great friends with him so the two of them had been engrossed in deep conversation while Elrilya had been wrapped up in saying farewells to Idril. She had only seen Glorfindel in passing, not having formally met. A shining golden mane of hair, similar but so much different from Idril's, remained in her mind.

The three of them finally approached the tall white walls of Tirion and ventured inside. Turgon led them inside the great halls of the noble families and ascended the steps to where one would assume he had kept Glorfindel waiting. They arrived at one of the parlor rooms in one of the towers. Elrilya searched the room with her eyes to at first find it empty. The sound of light laughter and soft-spoken words caught her keen ears and she glanced to the wall where one of the wide balconies opened up to the outside courtyards.

There stood Elenwë and Aredhel, Turgon's sister, with another elf. He stood tall next to the two elf ladies with his hair flowing freely and untied. It was a stronger tint of golden brightness than Elrilya remembered or could ever think of seeing on another Vanyar. She felt a flicker of memory flash through her mind and it reminded her that Glorfindel was not just Vanyar but had Noldor blood flowing through his veins as well, a fine mix of the great Eldar races. This point became moot as she felt the strong power of the gaze of green irises settle on her for a moment when she approached with Turgon and Idril.

"Elenwë, I was able to track down our dear Idril," Turgon said triumphantly.

"It was about time you two returned home," Elenwë said; trying not to scold but also let the two elf maidens know her displeasure, yet hide her fear for their well-being. "You have kept Glorfindel waiting."

"I did not mind the wait," Glorfindel spoke as he turned completely to his new companions, his voice light and quick but powerful and sure in delivery. "We had a most enlightening discussion about one of my adventures."

"I do hope you have more to tell us," Idril added in.

"All in due time," Glorfindel replied, a twinkle in his eye radiated as he chuckled at his young relative. He then turned his full gaze upon Elrilya. "And you my dear lady are?"

"Elrilya, my lord," she said, shifting her eyes from his and then quickly turning her pose into a deep curtsey. Turgon, Elenwë, and Aredhel watched with surprised faces and Idril had the most peculiar expression with an eyebrow raised in wonder.

"Orta," Glorfindel said, not the least bit in a commanding tone. "You are like kin to me through your friendship to Idril. You need not curtsey to me."

Elrilya brought her eyes to meet his finally as she raised herself. His emerald eyes were filled with kindness and comfort. She felt her tight knots inside ease away and she let a small smile spread across her lips.

"I think we should sit and relax while we listen to Glorfindel's tales," Aredhel said drawing everyone's attention to the seating available in the room.

"Yes, let's," Elenwë agreed as she led the way to the comfortable chairs and sofas.

The six elves sat themselves upon the cushions: Elenwë and Turgon together on a sofa, Idril and Elrilya on another opposite of the couple, Aredhel in a chair, and Glorfindel in another chair opposite Aredhel but centered to either side of the sofas so that he was the center of subject. Once they were all settled, Glorfindel began into his first story of the lands he visited while he made his way to Taniquetil and the surrounding flower gardens beneath the Trees of Valinor.

***
A few hours later, after taking a break between tales for supper, the group decided it was time to retire to bed. Elrilya said her goodnights to all and Idril offered to walk her home. After they were well out of earshot and beyond the main halls, Idril finally spoke to her friend.

"What was going on with you in there?" she asked more out of strange curiosity rather than out of demand.

"What do you mean?" Elrilya answered.

Idril rolled her eyes and scoffed, "You mean to tell me you do not remember your curtsey? You practically had our mouths drop to the floor with that one."

"I thought it appropriate that I show him that respect on our official first meeting," Elrilya confessed, though Idril did not seem impressed with the answer.

"What about you hanging onto every word Glorfindel said all night long?" she asked innocently yet it dripped with a touch of sarcasm.

Elrilya felt her face redden slightly and she hoped Idril could not see it in the darkness.

"I was very interested in what he had to say," Elrilya answered, though not very convincingly.

Idril thought that the comment had some half-truth to it and looked about ready to call Elrilya's bluff.

She sighed, "Well, if you were to bind with him then we would truly be kin."

"What?!" Elrilya cried in surprise, shock registering on her face as she stopped in mid-stride. "I'm starting to wonder if I did hurt my head out in the meadow with all these strange questions I think I'm hearing from you."

"It's merely an observation," Idril teased with a flip of her hand in the air, purposely letting the subject at hand build up.

"I'm not going to honor that with a response," Elrilya said with annoyance as she began their walking again.

"Denial is a hard thing to overcome," Idril continued.

"I'm not talking to you anymore," Elrilya said with an exasperated sigh. "Besides, an elf lord of a house of princes would never want a maiden not of noble blood."

At this, Idril stopped her friend and forced Elrilya to face her. Her face had suddenly become deadly serious, her eyes turning nearly silver in color.

"Do not lower yourself, Elrilya," she said, seeing that her joking had turned the wrong corner. "You are a wonderful friend, the best anyone could hope for in eternity. In my eyes you are as high as the greatest nobles of the Eldar. You know that I do not hold many with such high regard or trust."

Elrilya brought her hand to rest upon Idril's that held her shoulder. Idril could sense in her friend's blue eyes that she understood. Silently acknowledging and thanking the other in the unsaid communication, they turned to continue their way in quiet.


Glossary
Amil: Mother
Atar: Father
Yomenie Maranwë: meeting destiny
Orta: rise
Valmar: city of the Valar
Yende: daughter