Whispering Winds

******
"Ada!" cried Ninglorrīn joyfully as she launched herself into her
father’s waiting arms.
"My child, my dear child,"
whispered Doroniaur as he
hugged his only daughter fiercely. "How have you been?"
Ninglorrīn smiled a sad smile against
her father’s shoulder, "As well as can be," she answered.
Before Doroniaur
could question his daughter further regarding her strange answer, a clear laugh
in a rich voice rang out in greeting. "Greetings, lady Ninglorrīn,"
said Maglor as he turned his eyes, so like and unlike his brother’s, towards
her. "How delightful to see you. But
where is Caranthir, was he not travelling with you?"
A sad shadow fell over Ninglorrīn’s
face. "He has gone to your brothers, Amrod and Amras. That is why I convinced
my people to join with you here, for we no longer have the numbers to protect
ourselves should an attack occur."
Maglor’s eyes hardened. "Caranthir
left you defenceless."
"I hardly call the departure
of a company of Noldorin warriors leaving us defenceless," Ninglorrīn pointed
out patiently, "but our company is much weakened."
"My forgiveness, lady, and
to you as well, Doroniaur,"
Maglor replied smoothly, "I did not mean that the Laiquendi could not defend
themselves without the aide of the Noldor, merely that my brother should not
have left as he did."
"We understand, Lord Maglor,"
replied Doroniaur. "We
know you are not one of those who look down upon us."
Maglor laughed a sad laugh. "What’s
the point?" he wondered of no one in particular. "We are all Quendi,
are we not?" he asked himself.
‘More grief, more joy, greater
pride but little arrogance, confusion, more guilt, more wisdom and less vanity
but perhaps more essentially greater power, yet little thought of domination,’
thought Ninglorrīn as she compared Maglor’s eyes to that of Caranthir, yet it
also occurred to her that though perhaps more clear sighted than all his brothers
put together, Maglor would never move against them, and so all his wisdom and
insight would be for naught.
Ninglorrīn shivered as a vague
foresight of doom came to her, but she ignored it and turned to her father.
"I have missed you," she told him.
"As have I, my child, as have
I."
***
She sat on a rock staring towards
the eastern horizon where the sky and the stars met the forest and the trees.
A smile of longing was on her lips. Movement next to her, and Doroniaur
came and sat down beside her. For awhile they sat in silence, then she spoke.

"I would like to return to
the east, to Eriador, where we walked before our Lord Denethor brought us to
Beleriand, hearing of the majesty of King Thingol," she declared.
"Why do you wish to do that?"
asked Doroniaur.
"I wish to see the woods of
my birth before the end and I fear the end of us is coming soon," confessed
Ninglorrīn.
"Ninglorrīn, you are old enough
to remember the reason why the great Lord Denethor gathered all that he could of our wandering people and bring them here.
Do you think the danger is less now in the east when even the west is no longer
safe?" he asked her.
"No, I do not believe that.
Yet not all our people have entered Beleriand, some no doubt still remain in
Eriador. More still might linger in the south or further east, where the reach
of the power that troubles us might be less," she reasoned.
"Perhaps," agreed her
father, "Yet the yrch were created somewhere in the east, nearer to Cuiviénen,
and they have multiplied and no doubt trouble our folk beyond the Ered Luin
as much as they do us."
"Maybe," replied Ninglorrīn,
"But I will not be swayed. I am sick at heart of these lands and would
see the stars shining down upon the woods where I walked with you and nana once
more."
Doroniaur sighed. "Would you than have me lose you to the yrch as I did
your mother?" he asked, no anger just curiosity.
Ninglorrīn looked grieved, but
her resolve did not waiver. "It need not come
to that," she replied, "I may be safer across the mountain then here,
so near to the fell power. Please Ada,
let me go."
Great grief and resignation laced
Doroniaur’s voice as he told her, "You are beyond the age when I can forbid
you to do anything that you truly desire, but my daughter, I wish you would
not go."
Ninglorrīn embraced her father
tenderly. "Do not worry father. All will be well," so she hoped.
***
"I do not wish to go to Maglor,"
snapped Caranthir even as his and the Ambarussa’s men got ready for the march.
"Then tell us all that took
place between you and Ninglorrīn," challenged Amras. "Why would she
not accept you? From all that we heard, she loved you greatly."
Caranthir stood a moment in silent
contemplation. Of all his brothers, he feared Maglor the most, more even than
Maedhros. Caranthir could always read Maedhros; even after everything Maedhros
had gone through, Caranthir could tell what Maedhros was thinking, what he was
going to do, but Maglor, Maglor was different. One minute he was fey beyond
reason, ready to strike down all who stood between him and his goal; the next
moment he was a broken man, riddled with guilt and ashamed of his lineage. He
was unpredictable and had the skills to discern other’s thoughts. Caranthir
would not be able to hide his shame from him; thus he really did not want to
face is songbird brother. "Go to useless Maglor if you must," he snapped,
"I will travel for a time on my own."
Amrod and Amras looked at him disapprovingly.
"You should not say such things of Maglor, nor ride alone. Morgoth’s forces
are everywhere and we do not wish to lose you."
Caranthir whistled and called his
horse. "Go to Maglor, since it obvious you need to be coddled by him. I
fear not Morgoth and will ride where I will," with that he turned and rode
away, heeding not the calls of his brothers.
******
Translations:
[i] Ninglor = golden water-flower,
rīn = crowned lady, so Ninglorrīn means golden water-flower crowned lady.
[ii] Laiquendi = green elves
[iii] Yrch = orcs, singular form
is orch
[iv] Ada = father
[v] nana
= mother
[vi] Doron = oak, iaur = old, so Doroniaur = Old oak (okay oak old if you want to be
literal)
Author’s note:
Thanks goes to Lady Legrace for beta reading
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