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Chapter Text

Across the Southlands a gentle wind drifted over farmlands and forests, softly whispering its secrets of ages long past. It wafted through the great pine grove of an ancient farm, sighing through the tops of the trees as it ruffled their silky evergreen boughs, murmuring its peaceful and timeless song. 

The sleepy farmlands of an old colonial estate rolled lazily under the hazy sun, unchanged in generations. Lovingly maintained, it was the perfect example of a Numenorean farm of ages past, intentionally planted in Middle Earth. Though time was beginning to show its hand as the barns and buildings were showing some wear, and many of the fields were no longer used for growing, someone still lived there, overseeing its preservation with love and great care. Now that two generations of colonists had lived out their lives, it was left to the third generation to uphold its traditions.

Wandering beneath the shadows of the forest amidst her beloved namesake pine trees, many thoughts went through Mirthoniel’s mind. The daughter and granddaughter of colonists, she remained happily settled on the old estate of her family. Though born in Numenor, she had for the most part grown up in the Southlands, the heiress to the property of the prominent Numenorean family who had founded the estate, which was known as Mirimar. Raised with a strong sense of its history and that of her people, she felt strongly attached to her generational home. Though not as prosperous as in the days of its glory, Mirimar was still a working farm with many employed helpers living on the land who kept it running.

It concerned her to hear about the recent events of trespassing in the nearby village of Tirharad. Other farmers and landowners had spoken of breaking and entry, missing livestock, damaged fences, torn up fields, and theft. Some of the rumors even came with the implication that orcs were to blame. Mirthoniel had never seen an orc, but from her education she knew that the word meant monsters. Yet she also knew to listen to the tall tales of the town with a critical ear.

She made the rounds today near the perimeter of the forest which surrounded the property, keeping a hidden vigil over the family home that she would do anything to protect. In her hidden place in the woods, she pulled her deep forest green cloak around her, a color she had chosen so that she would blend into the forest surroundings like a shadow, and covered her dark brown hair with its hood. The angle of the afternoon sun slanted through the trees, lighting her deep green eyes which had inspired her parents to name her after the pine forest. She squinted as she peered into the distance, trying to discern the source of the noise she had heard near one of the barns.

From her vantage point it appeared as if two rather clumsy youths in strange and ragged cloaks were running away from one of the smaller barns toward the southern border of the forest. She followed them, tracking their footsteps to see where they were headed.

She kept walking and was now in unfamiliar territory, yet determination drew her onward. Having ventured farther on this day than she had before, she found herself in the place just beyond the edge of the forest where the two trespassers had disappeared.

She walked on in the direction they led toward, finding an opening near the ground, deliberately excavated and covered with tarps. Upon further inspection she realized it was nothing if not the entry point to a tunnel.

After a moment of consideration, she carefully and silently tiptoed into its opening.

Chapter Text

The air was more still beneath the ground, and slightly dank, yet there was still ventilation as she felt airflow coming down from the makeshift tent-like ceilings which topped the tunnels and from the other tunnels nearby. As she ventured down one of them, she heard the occasional distant voice, gruff and guttural, speaking a rough language that was as of yet unfamiliar to her. And to the same extent that there was some flow of air, there was also some patchy light, dimly filtered through the tarps made of discarded animal skins and ragged cloth, meager yet adequate protection for very rudimentary rooms hollowed out of the earth. 

Mirthoniel gasped as she heard shuffling footsteps nearby. She saw the two trespassers she had followed as they walked by. One was taller and larger than the other, and both wore cloaks made of the same material that had made up the makeshift ceilings of the tunnels.

Undeterred by their proximity, she was able to take a good look at them for the first time. She realized then that the people living in this tunnel were orcs. They exactly fit the descriptions she had heard about from the people of the village. Drawing a breath and pulling herself deep into a shadowed crevice, her hand went instinctively to the dagger she kept with her at all times for self defense. She waited, slowing her breathing to nearly inaudible, not wanting to be caught. 

After the two had reached a reasonable distance from her hiding place, she ventured out carefully once again, following them at what she assumed was a safe distance.

*          *          *          *          *

After a quiet walk down the length of a tunnel, she followed the light toward a cleared area that was another hollowed-out room. Dim afternoon sunlight filtered through more tarps that were hung as a makeshift ceiling, much like the others she had seen, but larger. Nearby, there was an Elven soldier being held captive by two orcs. She had seen him before, along the ramparts a distance away when she had been watching. Why they had brought him here, she had no idea. But he had the look of the wood elves she had seen before. 

She saw the Elf look up at the sound of footsteps. Two more orcs were walking in from the shadows of another tunnel, along to the back of the cleared hollow hung with tarps that the imprisoned Elf was sitting in. And from behind them, a taller figure followed. 

At first, she could not tell whether he was a human man, an Elf, or an orc, for he was shrouded in darkness. She took note of the fact that the orcs around him regarded his presence with a great reverence. Others around the room also either stood, or bowed. The room grew quiet.

Then from the deep gray of those shadows, the figure came into enough light that he could be seen. Mirthoniel felt her breath catch in her chest. For the figure who emerged from these shadows was to her immediately recognizable. It was as if he had walked straight out of the dreams she always had of someone like him, even as a very young girl. Dark, long hair fell around his shoulders, framing his pale and rather gaunt face. He had high cheekbones and deep set eyes, and his overall stature was slender and tall. He wore dark garments, enhancing the effect that he was part of the very shadows he had walked out of. As he came into the center of the room and into the clearer light, she could see that his face was disfigured. Yet he had the most beautiful face and eyes that she had ever seen. Though he was dark and shadowy, he had a certain air of quiet benevolence about him. 

Mirthoniel stood enraptured by the sight of him, feeling as if she were recognizing her soulmate. 

She remained deep in her hiding place and observed what happened next. A mortally wounded orc was being carried to him and was finally laid at his feet. The shadowy Elf – she was sure now that he was an Elf – knelt on the ground, assessing the orc’s condition, and began crying over him. She could see the benevolence again in his eyes, and within those eyes, a glimmer like starlight. She was struck by the tenderness with which he handled the injured orc, and mesmerized by the light in his eyes, like no other eyes she had ever seen before. He was so beautiful. 

After a while the shadowy Elf withdrew a dagger, and tearfully, even lovingly, euthanized the orc. This act was shocking, and confusing to Mirthoniel, but also she felt a deep sympathy and sorrow for both the dying orc and the one who had ended his life. Who was he, she wondered, and how did he fall into such a state? How did an Elf come to this? 

After a long silence, she watched as the other Elf, the prisoner, was brought before him. Mirthoniel stayed in her hidden corner, watching and listening to the exchange between the two as they talked. Her eyes kept going to the beautiful shadowy Elf, who was apparently their leader. There was something about him that wouldn’t allow her to stop watching him and listening to him. 

The prisoner asked him why the orcs called him Adar, father. He asked the prisoner about his origins, confirming him to be from Beleriand. And she listened as Adar began to speak wistfully of his own memories of Beleriand, also his home. The mellifluous, half-whispered tone of his voice, the picture he painted with his words of a river with miles of sage blossoms on its banks, the way he spoke with such tenderness about his home was all spoken from where he sat still shrouded halfway in shadows. He seemed at once so dark, and yet so gentle. 

Mirthoniel’s life was changed in these moments. She was shaken to her core. She was already in love with this Adar, at first sight. 

At length, the Elven prisoner was dismissed and led away. No one was left in the dimly lit room except for Adar. He sat alone in the mixed light and shadow, rays of sunlight dimly slanting down through the tarps which created the ceiling. She saw that he was in deep contemplation. Again she slowed her breathing, but after a long while, he turned his head to the side, looking over his shoulder. 

“I know you are there”. He said it softly, but with a certain gravitas. Mirthoniel knew that the Elves had heightened senses, but she could assume that his were also sharpened by experience in battle, for he wore ancient Elvish armor upon which was engraved a pattern in the shape of a winding river, and a rather cruel looking gauntlet. And by his side he kept a beautifully ornate and ancient sword. 

“Come out into the light”, he continued. It was not a request, it was a command. 

Mirthoniel was uncertain, but somehow not afraid. If she was finally caught for prowling around these foreign structures without permission, then she probably deserved it. Slowly and hesitantly, she stepped out of hiding. 

 Adar regarded the woman stepping out of the shadows. She wore a plain dark gray dress and a dark pine green cloak, its hood pulled over her head so as to shadow her face. He gestured for her to come and sit by him. 

Mirthoniel drew back her hood, revealing herself to be human, but also to be polite to her host. She sat on the ground beside him. 

“Who are you,” he began, “And why are you here?”

Mirthoniel inhaled. She would need to think on her feet. 

“I was curious.” She nearly stammered, but not out of fear. For she felt as if her entire life was changing in this turn of a moment. 

“Curious”, he repeated, as slowly and softly as when he was interrogating the Elven warrior she had seen with him earlier. “Why?”

Mirthoniel softly cleared her throat. She would tell him the truth, assuring herself that this was the right thing to do, if for no other reason than out of pure respect for him. 

“I found the doorway to a tunnel near the edge of my family's lands”, she said quietly. “I wanted to see where it led”. She remained in control of her voice, but she could not stop the flood of emotions that was going through her. 

“Then, you are trespassing?” Adar asked, seeming slightly annoyed at the idea. 

“Trespassing?” she replied, slightly incensed but not losing her cool reserve. “I only took upon myself to find out why my own lands are being infiltrated by trespassers.” She inhaled, lowering her tone considerably, “Trespassers who came from the direction of your tunnels.”

Adar’s expression changed slightly, seeming to soften as he regarded her. He sat quietly and just looked at her for a time. He wasn’t sure what to make of her. 

“You came of your own doing”, he asked, a question spoken as if it were a statement. 

“Yes”, Mirthoniel answered. Her expression remained neutral, her tone of voice calm.

“What is your name?” he asked. 

“I am Mirthoniel”, she answered. “I live here in the Southlands, but my family and I are from Numenor”. 

“The Land of the Star”, Adar whispered. He knew of Numenor, and of Earendil, and the people who descended from the greatest leaders of Men in the First Age. He turned to look at her again, noticing that her human features had a certain nobility about them, yet also a certain softness and sincerity. Her dark brown hair fell around her shoulders, her skin was fair and her eyes were the color of deep emeralds, reminding him of pine forests. 

Mirthoniel smiled slightly. “Yes”, she whispered, nodding. 

Adar regarded her at length, before standing. He decided that she was no threat, at least not immediately. Mirthoniel stood, politely following his lead. 

“Then I release you, Mirthoniel”, he said, “tenn’ ennomentielva”. Until we meet again.  

Mirthoniel inclined her head slightly, the very subtlest hint of a bow, and turned to walk back down the path from which she had come. 

What she did not see was that Adar was watching her leave. 

Mirthoniel’s steps were light as she made her way home. The night would soon fall, and in the darkening sky the remnants of a typical Southlands autumn sunset still blazed, deep orange and magenta and purple. She smelled the hay in the fields, felt the cool evening air on her face as she walked back toward her small cottage which stood on the family property on the very outskirts of the town. She was surrounded by a feeling of glowing which was everywhere around her, in the sunset but also in the warm air, and from within her heart. Something had quickened within her that afternoon. She knew that now, her life would never be the same.                                 

Chapter Text

A few weeks had passed since Mirthoniel had entered the tunnels on the outskirts of the farmlands. Life had gone back to normal on the farm, and as the approaching harvest season deepened the leaves on some of the trees to the first shades of gold, it appeared as if it would stay that way. But in the town there were more rumors of property damage, breaking and entry, and missing goods from the owners of the surrounding farms.

Often at night she would lie awake with these things on her mind, not least of which was the memory of having met Adar, and she could not forget him. Everything about him stayed foremost in her thoughts: his dark Elven beauty, his soft, lilting whisper, his clear eyes which held within them unfathomable depths that she had yet to discover. She longed to see him again, longed just to be near him. Yet she also sensed a heavy sadness about him, as if his heart were longing very deeply for something he could not grasp. Though he gave the impression of having a veneer of strength, she could see through it, beneath his façade to what she knew was a tender and gentle spirit. Whatever it was he was doing in these lands, she didn’t want him to leave without her seeing him again. 

One day she just went, back through the woods near her home to the tunnel she had traversed on that day when she first met him. Her heart pulled her there, inexorably, back to the tunnel and back to where she knew he would be. Whatever connection he had to these incidents, she was drawn to him, as if there were larger forces than them that had orchestrated their meeting. Through the fading afternoon light, she made her way through the trees like a shadow beneath them, moving unseen. 

Now halfway through the tunnel, she once again hid herself from the orcs who moved through. There were more of them as she drew closer to their quarters. She could see the familiar sights again, the light filtering through the patchwork tarps into makeshift rooms carved out of the earth, and she heard again the sounds of the orcish language. As she pressed herself into the shadowy nooks of the walls, she listened, trying to discern words that she may eventually begin to understand. Along her way, she had picked up one of their discarded cloaks and covered her own with it, which allowed her to even better conceal herself within their environment. 

She then heard a conversation that immediately caught her attention. It was the voices which drew her in immediately. One was a typically guttural orc voice. The other was the soft and musical sound she had heard in her memory since she was last here, a somewhat raspy, yet still silky whisper, lilting in its tone. 

“It will be hidden”, Adar whispered. “But it must be found, at all costs”. 

Mirthoniel concentrated on listening to the quiet conversation. Adar was describing something of great importance to the orc, who was listening. 

“But if it’s not where you think it is, we may need to resort to violence”, the orc growled, somewhat under his breath, failing at concealing his agitated tone. 

“That is for me to decide”, Adar replied, quietly yet with a pointed tone that effectively silenced the other’s balking.

They went on at length for a time, completely unaware of the fact that Mirthoniel was there listening, only a small ways away, completely concealed in her hiding place. She gleaned from their conversation that it was a historical artifact, that it was part of a weapon, and that their survival depended on its being found. Finally the orc left the tarp-covered room, leaving Adar to sit contemplating by himself. 

Time felt as if it hung in the balance in the moments before Mirthoniel quietly walked out of her shadowy hiding place and went to stand within the room. She had nothing to lose if she failed. 

Adar was aware of a presence in the nearby tunnel, but had mistaken it for the presence of workers. He was completely taken by surprise to see Mirthoniel standing there, having once again boldly let herself into his tunnels. She stood squarely in the middle of the room, dropping the borrowed cloak to her feet, casually discarding her disguise. 

Adar slowly stood to his feet. “What brings you back here?” he asked. 

Mirthoniel brought to bear all of her ability to think quickly in the flash of a moment.

“I know what you’re looking for”, she offered, a direct statement. “And I may be able to help you find it”. She met his eyes with an unspoken promise in them that she had more to say.

Adar just stared back at her. This was the same Numenorean woman whom he had let go just weeks before. She had found them again. He had never quite forgotten her, and wasn’t sure what to make of her return. 

“Go on”, he said quietly, curiosity filling in where surprise had nearly undermined him. 

As during the first time, she decided that honesty would be the best approach.

“My property has once again been trespassed upon by your orcs”, she said, directly yet softly.

Adar exhaled, reigning in his patience. “Uruk is the proper name for my children”, he said quietly, with a tone which implied that he had needed to correct this many times.

“My apologies”, Mirthoniel said politely with a small and restrained bow. “Your Uruks.” The last thing she wanted to do was to insult him. “I would only appreciate some semblance of regard for my property boundaries.”

Adar stayed silent. Mirthoniel wasn’t sure whether she had pushed her request too far. She remembered her other reason for coming back, hoping this would help smooth over any missteps on her part. She garnered her courage and continued.

“But there is another reason I returned, and that is to offer you my help”, she said, remembering the idea that had come to her after her last visit which would open doors to her seeing him again. She courageously continued. “I overheard your description of the artifact you are looking for. I believe I may have the skills to help recover it for you”. 

Adar listened, considering. She was after all able to repeatedly sneak in to his tunnels without disrupting his Uruks. Yet as he listened to her describe how she did this, and how she could offer her assistance, he was somewhat distracted by his thoughts of her. There was something different about her, something that was blatantly sincere, and it made him feel almost as if he could trust her. 

He was silent for a time, considering, before he spoke again.

“Mirthoniel, was it?” he asked, confirming the name he had remembered. 

“Yes”, she replied, nodding politely. She couldn’t help smiling slightly at the fact that he remembered her name. 

Adar paused again before continuing.

“I cannot allow it”, he stated quietly, looking away.

Mirthoniel’s heart sank. Surely there was another way around this. 

Adar heard her disappointed sigh, and looked over to her again. As she stood before him, he could perceive that there was a boldness in her, but it couldn’t overtake her air of softness and elegant beauty. He wouldn’t want to risk her being forced into battle if things went wrong. 

He looked back to her eyes, the eyes he had remembered that were as dark and as green as a deep pine forest. 

“Yet I can use your abilities to help us with bringing supplies”. 

Mirthoniel smiled slightly. It was something she could do right from the farm. She agreed to this, knowing that this would enable her to visit the tunnels now on a regular basis. 

“Whatever you need, I will see to it that you have it”, she replied, the smile not leaving her eyes, bowing slightly in her customary Numenorean way. 

Adar thanked her and dismissed her once again. But he would still not forget her, and in the coming weeks he found her visits to be something he looked forward to.

Chapter Text

Mirthoniel walked quietly to the field toward the back of the old farm as the sun slanted down for the evening. She waited near the edge of the pine grove where she had found the tunnel. The evening was warm, as it has been the kind of autumn day that still felt like late summer. 

She stood amidst the edge of the towering pines, gazing over the property. So much was still as her parents and grandparents left it. They had been Numenorean colonists who had come to settle in the Southlands by way of the old route from Pelargir. They named the farm estate Mirimar, which means "treasured home" in the Elven tongue. Mirthoniel had grown up here, with both the Numenorean traditions and the lifestyle of the simpler Southlanders. She cherished the farm, with its barns and houses, its fields and forests, and all its memories. But aside from the employed helpers who lived farther out on the edge of the property, she was now for the most part alone. 

She lived in a small cottage to the western side of the farm, near the pine grove. But where she stood now was nearer to the back of an old field, where a large and now mostly unused barn sat by a row of old, majestic fir trees. The gentle wind of the early evening rustled through the nearby oak trees and softly whispered through the pines.

She thought back to the previous day, when on one of her visits to the tunnels to bring supplies she had invited Adar to the farm. 

"The farm where I live is on the other side of the pine grove", she had told him quietly. "It's a beautiful and hidden place, a little ways outside of the town. You may come there anytime you'd like".

Her eyes invited him, and in her heart she sincerely wanted to comfort him, and give him a place of refuge where she could take care of him and bring him peace. And in Adar's eyes she saw that his heart was moved by her invitation, and he felt the sincerity in her words and demeanor.

Her thoughts returning to the present, she turned around to look toward the area which led to the tunnel entrance, and upon doing so she saw a figure in shadow, one she would recognize anywhere from his black clothing and his shadowy dark hair.

She met Adar's eyes with a slight smile, and walked toward him, unable to fully conceal how happy she was that he had accepted her invitation.

"I'm glad you came", she said softly, as he took her hand softly into his. His touch was gentle, not what one would expect from an Uruk leader, but it did not surprise her as she could see into him, as always perceiving the Elven spirit within.

As she gazed up at him, she was captivated as always by the clear depths of his eyes. The sky behind him was deepening with the colors of sunset, which filtered through the shadowy pine boughs, creating an ethereal atmosphere.

"Come, let me show you around", she whispered.

They walked hand in hand as she led him out of the pine grove and into the open field through the slanting evening light, until they came upon the old barn. She led him inside a little ways.

"You are welcome to come and rest here, anytime", she said, with her usual slight smile. She wanted to give him a respite, a place to get away where he could find some comfort and peace.

"Thank you", he whispered. He considered that it wasn't very far, using the network of tunnels, to come here to visit her, and his children were never far away.

"Nobody uses this building anymore", she said quietly. "It can be yours".

Adar could once again feel the caring and the sincerity in her every mannerism. She accepted him, where others had always shunned him. And here she was now, giving him her trust and a place of refuge on her very own property.

"You are always welcome", she whispered, her hand tightening on his slightly.

They walked out again under the sunset sky, it's pastel shades of orange and pink creating a warm glow around the field as they headed back toward the pine grove.

They stopped in the center of the small field, where the row of fir trees which grew toward the barn began. Adar looked down into her eyes as he pulled her close to himself, gently and softly. And his lips met hers, tenderly and lovingly.

And this was the first of many such visits to the lands surrounding the old family farm. Mirthoniel kept him hidden, allowing him a safe place to get away and for them to have time together. 

*          *          *          *          *

The next weekend brought with it a sunny and warm autumn day. Farmers in the neighboring farmlands were baling hay, and the harvest had begun, with the picking of apples and pumpkins, and new corn was being dried and ground into grain. The village and its surrounding farms were, though busy, also surrounded in a nostalgic aura of peace.

One evening she heard a knock on the door of her cottage. She wasn’t expecting anyone. She picked up her dagger and hid it within her garments before going to answer the door.

“Good evening, Waldreg”, she said politely as she opened the door, standing somewhat defensively in the doorway. “What brings you here at this hour?”

The surly old man gave a twisted smile through rotting teeth.

“I just came to warn you that trespassers were seen again nearby”. His eyes always looked hollow. She didn’t know him well, but something about him always set her nerves on edge.

“I am quite alright, thank you”, she told him.

He gave her a vacant look that sent shivers down her spine.

“Don’t let anyone think that they’re being allowed to come through here”, he said with the hint of a grin.

Mirthoniel gave him a direct look that was sure to shut him up.

“I am quite equipped here to defend Mirimar, should the need arise”. She was grateful for the presence of the generational families of helpers and farmhands who lived on the land and were well aware of the recent intrusions. “Goodnight, Waldreg”.

The creepy old man nodded and walked away, shuffling into the night.

*          *          *          *          *

In the coming days, Mirthoniel was careful to keep her meetings with Adar hidden and quiet. Often he would come in the evening, after the farmhands had gone home to their small outlying cottages on the outskirts of the property.

That evening, she made her way over to the small field in back where the fir trees grew around the old barn, their towering shadows adding an ethereal feel to the deepening evening light. She carried with her this time a basket, and setting down a blanket just inside the large open doorway of the barn, she began setting out plates and cups. She smiled to herself, knowing that she was bringing something tonight that she didn’t know how long it had been since he would have experienced.

Adar stood in the shadows, watching the sunset near the doorway of the barn, nearly hidden by bales of new hay. He turned to look at Mirthoniel, who was busily setting out the contents of her basket.

A small black cat came to slink up against Mirthoniel’s arm from where it had been sleeping curled up in the hay. It purred as it rubbed its face against her hand.

“Ah, good girl”, Mirthoniel whispered to the cat, who began walking in circles around her as she set out a small pot of stew, a plate of bread and a bowl of baked apples, and a pot of tea.

The cat finally curled up off to the side as Mirthoniel set out the finishing touch, a small candle in a jar. As she lit it, she became aware of another presence there in the barn with her, and looked up. She smiled as her eyes met Adar’s. His eyes seemed to have a slight smile in them as he beheld what she was doing.

“Come and sit down”, she said, inviting him to this informal dinner on the floor of the old barn.

And they ate as the sun was setting, watching the colors of the sky change from orange to pink and purple.

After finishing, Mirthoniel packed nearly everything back into the basket, except for the candle and the tea. And they sat long afterwards, peacefully enjoying the quiet setting and one another’s company.

“What was it like to grow up in these lands?" he asked quietly. He was intent upon her, listening, for he truly wanted to know more about this lady who had awakened his heart. 

“It was peaceful", she began. "My family were colonists. This property has been in the family for generations". She sipped her tea, her eyes looking for a moment as if at something far away. "I have always loved the pine forests", she said with a wistful expression, gazing out toward the great pine grove which surrounded nearly half of the property. "And all of nature.”

The black cat stood up again and, stretching, walked over the blanket to where Adar sat, purring and jumping into his lap. Against his black clothing, she was as a hidden shadow, only her green eyes showing as he gently stroked her glossy black fur.

Adar looked at Mirthoniel, noticing again that her eyes were the color of the pine trees which were so beloved of her heart. He felt again a softening of his own heart, as if stirring within him was the memory of having once been truly alive.

Mirthoniel went to sit beside him, pulling a blanket over their laps against the chill of the evening that was beginning to fall. She looked up at his eyes, and they were so clear, more so than the little stream which ran behind the farm through the ancient groves. She sighed to herself, a quiet gesture that did not go unnoticed. She smiled again slightly.

Adar looked at her with such tenderness. The caring she was showing to him was something he had never imagined could be for him, not ever again, and he was struck by the unfathomable depth of her ability to love unconditionally.

Mirthoniel rested her face against his shoulder, and Adar softly took her hand, gently entwining his fingers with hers. And in this way, they passed the hours, until the moon rose high, and Adar walked back to the edge of the forest, where beneath its shadows the tunnel would bring him once again back to his children.

Chapter Text

It had been a few weeks since Mirthoniel had begun her regular visits to the Uruk camps. The weather was beautiful now, the sunny autumn days having taken over the last of the summer heat, yet each day was still warm and pleasant.  

She had committed herself to the task of helping the Uruks. She had found that there was nothing to fear, for the Uruks paid little attention to her. Today she would once again bring them necessary supplies, as she had done several other times since she had returned. It gave her the chance to show them that her own people weren’t all the same, and also gave her the chance to see more of Adar. She had spoken with him a few times in passing since the day of her return, and she always stood in awe of him, yet she could always see beneath his rather fierce and haggard surface to the soul within. There was a tenderness there that he could not hide. How could anyone think him evil, when his heart was so full of love for the Uruks, whom he called his children. They were not a pretty race, they were rough and at times even brutal. But she knew by now that they were simply a nomadic people, looking for a home. 

Today she walked through the woods outside of the town, carrying a somewhat large bundle. She had brought some yards of remnant rough burlap and linen from the weaver. The Uruks always needed tarps and cloaks, which were constantly becoming worn and torn as they moved about.  

The sunlight slanted through the trees in the mid afternoon, bright shafts of light coming down through both pines and beeches. The soft air was warm, and a gentle breeze put Mirthoniel in a calm mood as she carried her bundle through the woods. And knowing where she was headed, it felt practically weightless. 

After about a half hour’s walk through the trees, she came to a slight clearing at their edge. Nearby were the Uruk camps, and the sites of the tunnels they were building. She still could not discern their purpose for those, other than perhaps a type of home building in their culture. She knew she still had much to learn.

Standing not far from her in the center of the clearing, surrounded by the greatest of the trees, was Adar. She stopped and admired him from her distance. This apparently dark being was standing in the sunlight, reveling in it. It was at once confusing yet beautiful, and Mirthoniel perceived that it was yet another piece of the puzzle of who he was. 

She quietly moved towards him, shifting her bundle so as to minimize any sound of her feet in the fallen leaves. As she drew closer to him she could see that he was lost far away in thought. Yet as she stepped closer, his sharp senses picked up her presence. 

“Hello, Adar”, she said quietly, with a slight smile on her lips. His eyes looked so clear, more so than she had ever seen them. How they changed with the light, from starlit sky to sunlit water. She controlled the instinct to sigh at the sight of him. “I have brought you some linen and tarps, as promised”. She placed them near a small outcropping of rocks on the ground near their feet. 

“Annon allen”, he said, thanking her in proper Sindarin. 

Mirthoniel was not at all surprised at this point that he still spoke the Elven tongue, for she had heard it now many times. It was as natural to him as it was for him to be here standing in the sunlight. 

“My children thank you”, he continued, in a half whisper that betrayed any hiding of tenderness that he may have been attempting.

Mirthoniel nodded, inclining her head slightly. She noticed that not only did he still have a certain distracted air about him, but that he also held something in his hand protectively. 

“As you know, I wish to know your children better”, she ventured. “What is it that you carry?” Her eyes glanced subtly to his hand, which he had closed tightly around something as if it were very precious. Her curiosity was peaked. 

She thought she saw his countenance soften slightly at her inquiry. She tilted her head to the side, as if encouraging his answer. 

“What I hold is not something of the Uruk people”, he said quietly, “but of the Elves”.

She listened, even more interested, for she always had known that beneath it all he was still an Elf. She could always see it. She smiled in her slight, quiet way, a tiny turn upward of her lips, as if encouraging him to go on. 

Adar opened his hand, showing her what he had been holding. It was a small quantity of seeds, like none she had ever seen. Small, white, and looking a bit like tiny pearls. 

“What are they?”, she asked, curious but also longing to know him better. 

 “Alfirin seeds”, he quietly replied. Alfirin. She had heard of them before, maybe in a distant memory of her childhood from the stories of her mother, who was always faithful to the old ways. 

Adar continued. “They symbolize new life”. He stood a bit taller, breathing in the autumn air, which was sweet with the scent of leaves that had fallen and leaves that were losing their color, yet becoming more beautiful with each passing day. 

“We plant them before battle, in defiance of death”.

Mirthoniel’s heart ached suddenly. How could anyone ever think him evil, she thought yet again. For here before her was a beautiful being, an Elf from long ago, one who not only loved the people that he called his children, but who also loved the natural world. She could see that he had a truly deep appreciation for all life. Whatever had happened to him, whatever had forced him into the existence he was living now, it was not his fault. 

“That is a beautiful custom”, she answered. Her heart was deeply moved by this. If she even needed any more reason to feel towards him as she did, this only added to her deepening love. “Thank you for sharing it with me”. 

She smiled again, in her slight way, meeting his eyes. They were so clear in the sunlight. She could feel the purity in his spirit. Beneath it all, he was still an Elf of Beleriand. 

“I hope the materials I brought will be useful to your children”, she said. “I will leave you to your custom”. She nodded again with the same slight nod of her head in acknowledgement. But her eyes did not leave his, and his eyes kept her riveted in place. She found that she couldn’t leave, she couldn’t move from his gaze. She drew in her breath, despite herself. 

Adar stepped closer to her and extended his hand, which she took, tentatively and softly. At the first touch of his hand, her heart raced.

 “Mirthoniel”, he whispered, his whisper was always somewhat raspy. “Would you stay for a moment?”

She nodded. “Of course I will”, she answered. She would stay forever if he asked.

“I’d like to show you something”. He led her toward a larger clearing in the woods, where the sunlight streamed down, flooding the plants below with clear and warm light. Below the shallow hill a little ways, she could see grass that was still green, and the last few flowers of summer, purple and yellow in the afternoon sunlight, accompanied by several tiny white butterflies. It looked like a field in spring, amidst the deepening of autumn.

Mirthoniel beheld the sight with a lightened heart. No wonder he enjoyed coming here, with all the burdens he must carry. And along with the gentle warmth of the sunlight, she felt her heart filling with joy and love.

She looked up at Adar, whose clear blue eyes looked for a moment as if his deep cares were lessened. She smiled up at him faintly, and he saw in her eyes once again the colors of the forest, and could see the love for him in her gaze, and his heart was moved. She had opened his heart a little more with each of her visits.

Mirthoniel’s hand was still in his, when he took her other hand, and lowering his forehead to hers, he kissed her softly.

And at the touch of his lips on hers, she felt herself swoon slightly. He caught her gently with one arm behind her waist, and his other hand behind her head. He looked down into her eyes before kissing her again.

And here in the warmth of the afternoon, beneath the sprawling arms of a great ancient oak tree, they stayed lingering in this loving moment. He then led her to walk with him down the hill to the middle of the flowered field, where they spent an untold length of time lying amidst the flowers as they kissed and held one another, lost in each other’s eyes and in the growing love that they felt for one another, in the sweetness and light of a perfect afternoon.

After a time, she reluctantly parted from him and went back through the woods toward the old farm on the edge of town. Despite the fact that she knew that unrest was inevitably coming, her heart was surprisingly light. Such a beautiful spirit, she thought. She was flooded with what felt like the blessing of the afternoon sunlight, which was now slanting closer toward evening as she walked the rest of the distance home. 

Adar turned to face the sunlight directly, letting it flow through his being. He was reminded of his days on the River Sirion, his days of innocence and peace when as a pure Elf he would stand on its banks among the thousands of sage flowers. His memories were as clear as if they were of yesterday. He stood there for a long while, lost in his dear memories but also musing on how he felt so safe with this woman, enough to trust her with his heart. He could feel her care for his people, as well as her sincere love and affection toward him, a love which he now knew he felt also. He was so moved by the care and the understanding that she had shown to him, the tenderness and love that he never, ever thought he would feel from any living soul. The stirring in his heart was pleasant and welcome. Yet he had many cares also. His people needed to do whatever it would take to secure for themselves a permanent home. 

After a while he called to one of his Uruks to come over and take the bundle that Mirthoniel had left for them, the two conversing for a moment beneath the slanting rays of the sun. 

Chapter Text

Mirthoniel saw the tower of Ostirith fall. She had followed at a distance, having been as usual hidden from sight. She often did so to look out for Adar and to be there to tend to him if necessary.

She had chosen for her hiding place a lower rampart wall a small distance away. She saw Adar lead his Uruks over the pass and into the tower’s shadow. He had not yet come out from its destruction. 

She felt as if she had stopped breathing. Such a collapse should have been deadly to anyone unfortunate enough to be beneath it. She was sure that he had been. As usual, a shred of hope led her on, and perhaps denial, but she was determined to find him. 

Silently she climbed down from her hidden watch. She moved in the direction of the destruction, heart pounding, her single-minded goal urging her on. She didn’t even feel herself move. She just went. 

With her feet on the ground at last she ran through the nearby woods, hidden by their canopy. The night was so dark, there was no moon nor stars. The only light was from the fires that had been set, and the torches of his children. 

She moved along the ground for what felt like a very long time. She could hear the distant battle going on. Eventually the sounds subsided. She saw Uruks coming back through the trees. She pressed herself against a slim pine tree, leaning against its darker side. She tried to listen to the Uruks’ voices, only a little ways away. She could now understand a few of their words. She also knew that she needed to keep herself safe. Though she knew that some of them were aware of her presence by now as she came and went, she also knew that Uruks were rather unruly and simple, and they had just been fighting. 

At length, she peered around her tree to see a dark figure standing like a shadow against the dim light of the Uruks’ campfires. A presence that was dark, yet benevolent. She crept silently from around her tree toward where he stood. When she was finally standing beside him she looked up. His eyes met hers in the same quiet, timeless moment.

“I saw the tower fall”, Mirthoniel’s voice was a half whisper. “I was fearing the worst”. 

Adar’s clear eyes always showed what he kept hidden. In their depths she could see his soul. A gentle and tender spirit beneath the outer façade, yet with a resilience that was formidable. She could only imagine what he had been through in the past to bring him to this state, but at the same time she could only admire the fact that he was such a survivor. 

Right now his eyes also showed the defeat that this night brought him, but she could see something else as well. She could see his mood change somewhat as recognition dawned. 

“I am still here”. As he said the words that seemed so simple, they held for him a great weight. 

Mirthoniel stepped a bit closer, nearly close enough to touch him. None of the Uruks were nearby, they had all gone down the hill to their camp. She turned to look down at them, then back to Adar. He was always looking after them with so much care. 

“They will be alright now”, she said quietly, reassuring him. There was a peace now in the air, a calmness despite all that had happened. The darkness of the night seemed welcoming, almost like a quiet embrace that enveloped them and the Uruk camp in a sense of safety and peace. 

Adar looked down to the Uruks, then back to Mirthoniel. How could this woman be so caring towards them? He still wasn’t sure how to take it all in. 

Mirthoniel stepped even closer in that moment, and quietly reached out her hand. Her eyes did not leave the clear depths of his, enraptured for a moment by their color, and his Elven beauty which she could always see beneath it all, something so pure that not even the Great Enemy could take it from him. 

After a long breath, Adar reached out his hand to take hers. And in this nearly complete darkness beneath the edge of the trees, no words were needed in this quiet exchange. At the touch of his hand, Mirthoniel felt a great longing in her heart. Their eyes stayed suspended within one another’s gaze, and she felt his hand tighten softly on hers. She wanted to stay here with him forever. She could see in his eyes that it was as if he could understand all of the unspoken words that were in her heart. 

She knew that she couldn’t stay forever, though, not yet. At length, she nodded, softly breaking the intensity of the moment, but none of its tender magic. Perhaps the world may end tomorrow, and she would tell him everything that was in her heart. But tonight she was still a lady who needed to get home. 

“Goodnight, Adar”, she whispered. She couldn’t help but smile at him slightly. 

His eyes took her in. The softness in her tone, the very slight smile, the comparatively small hand in his that didn’t seem to want to let go. 

“Fuin vaer”, he whispered. 

Mirthoniel nodded again, recognizing the Sindarin tongue. 

She then very softly withdrew her hand, and, turning from him and this place quickly so as not to change her mind about leaving, she swiftly disappeared again into the darkness. 

Adar watched her shadow slip into the night. He knew she would return again, she always did, and at the least expected times. But he hoped she remained safe as she returned to her home. 

Mirthoniel got to the edge of the town limits, where the pine trees grew. A soft wind had taken its place among their boughs, the mingling of the night air and the soft pines creating the softest of nature’s music. She stopped at one of the trees and leaned against it, taking in the night. All of her being wanted to run back to him. She would not forget his eyes, or the touch of his hand, or what happened between them when they touched. She blinked back the tears that were threatening to overwhelm her, not all of them sad. 

She looked up to the darkness of the sky through the trees. She never wanted this night to end. Her heart ached. She was overcome by deep, undeniable emotions. Her heart sobbed. Tears streamed from her eyes silently as the sobs came. She could not go on, she could not go home. She drew a deep breath, looking into the direction from which she had come. Was he still there? Would she find him still standing there, or had this moment come and gone, disappearing into time as if it had never happened, without being honored. 

She stepped away from the tree which supported her, and with all that she had left, she ran, back through the short distance through the woods. Back to where she knew she had left the love of her life standing alone in the peace of this dark night. 

She came back to the clearing before the edge of the hill. And to calm her aching uncertainty, she saw that he was still there, as if time had stood still and she had never left. A few feet away from him, she could see that he knew of her presence, she knew this shift in his posture by now, when someone was near, specifically when she was near. 

“Adar”, she called out to him softly. The slight wind that had softly blown through the trees in the deep hours after midnight now tousled her hair and garments. Tears still streamed down her cheeks, silent yet from a place that wracked her with sobs from deep inside. Her soul within her trembled. 

He turned to look at her. How did he know that she would come back? She seemed so fragile standing there, yet so strong. He could sense everything that was in her heart, for he felt it as well, feelings that had not been stirred in him until she showed him such care and affection in these recent days. 

Mirthoniel walked to him and extended her hand again, and he took both her hands, meeting her eyes deeply with his own. This moment seemed to balance on the very edge of all time. 

“Adar, I love you”, she whispered, through shaking sobs. 

He pulled her closely at this, tightly against his heart, looking deeply into her eyes before gently pulling her against himself, his hand softly and instinctively cradling her head, his fingers deep within her hair. She sobbed against him as he held her there, both of them softly surrounded by the shadowy embrace of the night. 

At length she looked up at him. His eyes were so tender, and he softly pushed her hair away from her face.

“I could not leave you”, she whispered, sobbing. “I couldn’t leave you here alone”. 

He took her face in both of his hands, looking down into her eyes, his forehead almost touching hers. 

“Mirthoniel…”  He whispered her name with such tenderness. Every touch of his hands was gentle and loving. “You alone have shown me such love”. 

“I could not leave you,” she whispered again. “I love you so much”. 

And in this moment his lips met hers, tenderly, softly at first, then more deeply. She longed for him, longed to give him her entire heart and soul. No words were needed, as neither of them could hold back any longer. 

And there beneath the whispering pines, in the soft grass on the edge of the hill above the Uruk camp in the faint light from the lingering fires, Adar and Mirthoniel were as one. She held him tightly, clinging to him, her eyes still stinging with tears as she loved him with all that she was. And he loved her with an intense passion, but also with all the gentleness she knew was within him. And they remained in this embrace for what was left of this darkest of nights, until the depths of the hour before dawn.

Mirthoniel looked into his eyes, her fingers still entwined in his dark hair. 

“My beautiful Adar”, she whispered. “I never want to let go of you”. 

He met her gaze with one of such tenderness.

“Nor I of you.” His whisper was soft and passionate, and he held her closely and lovingly.

She found the strength to finally whisper, “But I need to look as if I have been at home”. She blinked small tears. If anyone found out about them, both of their lives would be in danger. 

He nodded in understanding. She continued. “I will come back to you”. His eyes were so beautiful, like a clear river in the morning sun. She stroked his hair away from his face, tracing its contours with her fingertips. “I always will”. 

“I know you will”, he whispered, drying her tears gently with his fingertips, kissing her softly and pulling her closer again. He did know. He always knew. 

“I will come and find you again, tomorrow”, she whispered, never leaving his eyes. The very faintest evidence of the coming of dawn was now all around them. “Today”, she smiled very faintly. “I will not wait”. She said that last with absolute conviction. She wanted to lay here with him forever and never leave his embrace again. 

Her fingertips strayed to his lips, and they kissed again, deeply. But the shadows could only hide them for so long now, as the daylight was coming. 

“I love you”, he whispered. 

And with this, he kissed her again, passionately, and they lingered as long as they could, not wanting to let one another go. 

Eventually, reluctantly, she stood and readied herself to go home by placing her cloak around her shoulders and pulling its hood over her tousled hair. Softly and quietly she made her way through the woods, as if walking in a dream.

Adar watched her again as she stealthily disappeared, her deep green cloak melding into the shadows of the pines. He had never been shown so much love. It was enough to break his heart. 

When Mirthoniel finally laid her head down to sleep, the faint blue light of the dawn was filtering through the sky. And as she drifted to sleep, she was still lost in the dream of the dark night, and the precious moments that were shared.

Chapter Text

Mirthoniel walked down the now familiar tunnel to where Adar was staying with his Uruks. The weather had taken a turn for the worse. It had been raining, cold and damp. She chose her warmest cloak, a deep charcoal gray the color of shadows, which would hide her perfectly as she made her way through the woods to the nearest tunnel. Beneath her cloak she carried two thick black blankets that she had intended for Adar, so that he could stay warm. 

Along the tunnel, she could see areas of dampness and leakage where water was trickling down its walls. Her feet were quiet as she made her way down its length, to the cleared area where she knew he would be. Uruks were all around, some of them wearing heavier tarps around them to protect themselves from the leaking rain. A few of them were working on the tunnels to prevent further damage from water. They were used to seeing her around by now, and thought nothing of it when she made her way into the area where some faint daylight and the light of a small fire lit the room. 

Adar was standing in the doorway of the room, speaking to a large and tall Uruk, who nodded and, carrying his tools, went away down the tunnel to the left. After the Uruk departed, Adar looked over to where Mirthoniel was standing. 

His hair was somewhat wet and hanging over his face. And it looked like he was shivering slightly. Her heart grieved at the sight of him, at the life he needed to live down here. And she knew that her purpose for being here today was especially timely. Yet her heart also leaped at the sight of him, the beloved soulmate she had recognized the very first day that she saw him, though it was so saddening to see him in this environment. 

“Sweet Adar”, she whispered as he came toward her to where she waited in the shadows and embraced her. She lingered against him for a moment before gazing up into his eyes. “I brought you these”. 

She handed him one of the blankets, reserving another, which she very tenderly wrapped around his shoulders. She could feel that he was shivering, and pulled it close around him as she sought to keep him warm. The ends of his hair were wet, so she softly dried them with the end of the blanket. 

“Thank you, meldanya”, he whispered. My love.

“You knew I would come to you soon”. 

“Yes, I knew”. 

And they kissed softly, before Mirthoniel looked up again to his eyes. 

“You need respite from this cold place”, she said quietly. “Come home with me”.

Everything in his gaze spoke of his wanting to go with her, but there was some hesitation as well, which she knew was concern for his children as he glanced down the tunnel toward where the Uruk had departed. She motioned to the same tunnel.

“Leave Uglok in command. He can handle them as well as anyone can”, she encouraged. “Just for one night”. She wanted him to have a warm place to rest, for once, and a comfortable place to sleep, and the feeling that he was in a real home. 

“I will come”, he conceded willingly, though knowing that he would need to be very careful not to be seen. 

She smiled slightly up at him. “We can go back through the tunnel, the one that I use to get here”. She very reluctantly stepped back a bit, tightening her hold on his hand softly and not leaving his eyes as she gave him the space to do what he must in order to leave. “I will be waiting right here”. 

After a short while, Adar returned to where Mirthoniel was waiting, and they made their way down the tunnel. They emerged above ground near the woods by her home and walked the short distance through the darkening pines. The evening light and the shadows of the dark trees were enough to hide them. It had stopped raining, but she knew it would come back by the heaviness of the clouds and the direction of the wind. 

Yet through the clouds a warmer light slanted through the boughs of the trees. The sun had broken through, and Mirthoniel could see that just beyond the trees there would be a beautiful sunset. 

"Adar, look", she exclaimed softly, squeezing his hand and drawing his attention to where the light was coming through the trees in soft, golden colors. "I know where we can see it from", she whispered. He smiled down at her slightly, for he also knew these lands well and knew they were close to a clearing. 

They followed the slanting light towards where it could be seen more brightly, almost hurrying through paths beneath the pines. The soft pine needles were still wet with raindrops, which caught the colors of the sunset like jewels, some of them falling up on their hair and clothing as they made their way through the soft pine boughs. 

As they reached the clearing, both were awestruck by the beautiful sight, for they had reached the rocky ledge over the clearing just in time to see the most beautiful and peaceful sunset. The glow bathed the landscape of the beautiful valley in softly diffused rose-gold light, illuminating its many soft pine trees. And the sky above was resplendent in purple, pink, orange, and gold. 

Adar led Mirthoniel to where they sat watching the sunset, and she rested her head against his heart as he held her, surrounded by the soft pines. She looked up at him and saw the light and purity of his spirit in his beautiful clear eyes. Her heart ached deeply with love for him. She touched his face softly, and he looked into her eyes with love and tenderness. 

"I love you, Adar", she whispered, and they kissed very softly. And he held her there for as long as they could stay, and they watched the sun setting over the peaceful and beautiful landscape of the Southlands. 

At length the sky began darkening around them, and they continued on through the pines to where Mirthoniel's small thatched cottage stood, hidden by the soft and shadowy boughs. 

She led him to the cottage, and just before they arrived, sure enough the rain returned. Though the soft colors of the sunset were still lingering in the deepening sky, a sudden gentle cloudburst rained down upon them. Mirthoniel covered her head with her cloak hood, but not before feeling the cool droplets on her face. She smiled, and looking over at Adar she noticed that his hair, though it had dried, was getting wet again. She reached for his hand, motioning for him to come toward the door, but he didn’t seem to care. Instead he pulled her close, kissing her passionately as the rain fell down upon them. And they lingered in this moment, unaware of the passage of time. 

After they stepped inside the cottage, Mirthoniel led him toward a small table where he could sit down, and lighting a lantern, she began boiling water for tea. She grabbed a dry cloth, which she carried over to where he was sitting, and began tenderly drying the ends of his hair with it. His hair was fine and soft, just as any Elf’s would be. 

“I wanted you to come here and be warm”, she said lovingly, “And I wanted to take care of you”. 

Adar’s heart was touched by this. The love she had shown him in these recent days was like no other he had ever been shown before. He couldn’t remember when anyone ever cared about him this much. His Uruks in their own way loved him, but as children love their father. Even as an Elf, he was for the most part alone. As a quiet soul, few even took notice of him. Yet it felt as if Mirthoniel could see through him, straight to his heart. This kind of love was something he never knew could be his. 

She went to pour two cups of hot tea and brought them to the table. He needed warmth tonight, and getting this into him would help. She sat in the chair next to him and sipped hers. She noticed he had put his blanket back on, letting him wear it as long as he needed. They sat quietly there as the night fell around the cottage, the wind whispering in the pines outside. 

As they talked, he eventually asked her to tell him more about her background. 

“My mother departed years ago, after my father passed, to live with the Elves", she began. "As I am of Numenorean ancestry, I am one of the Faithful, just like her”. 

Adar nodded, understanding her. “You keep the old ways that were taught to your people by the Elves”. 

“Yes”, she answered. 

“I knew when I showed you the Alfirin seeds that day”.

Mirthoniel smiled slightly, her eyes meeting his. “And I saw in you then that you are in your own way faithful”. And in that moment she held his gaze for an untold amount of time before she continued.

Adar’s heart was touched yet again. He had a deep understanding of what it was like to hold dear the ancient traditions. 

“Let’s go and sit where it’s warmer”, she said, standing and leading him to a comfortable sofa with more blankets and pillows. 

They sat for a while as the night darkened, held close and warm beneath the blankets. It was as if nothing else in the world existed. Adar had stopped shivering, which she was happy to take note of, and he seemed to be more at peace here than even on that day in the woods, more peaceful than he had perhaps felt in long, long ages. He eventually rested his head against her shoulder. His soft dark hair was now completely dry, and she stroked it lovingly. 

“Do you know when I first loved you?” she whispered. “As soon as I saw you.” 

Adar heard this and the sincerity in her voice, and he believed her with his whole heart. He listened as she went on. 

“I saw the starlight in your eyes, and I knew…” 

His eyes met hers. She really did understand the Elves, and how meaningful the starlight is to them. 

Mirthoniel stroked his hair away from his face, looking into those eyes now with so much love. “Silith nin”, she whispered. My starlight. 

His heart was so moved by this. His forehead rested against hers, and finally their lips met softly and lovingly. After a time she looked up into his eyes again. 

“Come and keep me warm”, she whispered. 

They moved through her small house to her room, where a comfortable bed was covered in soft forest green blankets and pillows. The rain had stopped outside, letting the soft moonlight through her windows through the shadows of the pines. The soft sound of the wind in the pines made a peaceful setting around them as they lay under the blankets.

Mirthoniel lay in his arms, looking up into his eyes. His dark hair was hanging down over his face, making him look exactly as he did on the very first day that she saw him. She embraced him tenderly, stroking his hair as it fell forward. He was so beautiful to her, dark and beautiful, like a shadow in her arms, yet with the light within him always in his eyes, the light she always knew was there. 

He kissed her tenderly and lovingly, at first softly then more deeply, her fingers entwined in his dark hair as they kissed passionately. 

"Oh, beautiful Adar", she sighed, whispering, "hold me..." 

And all through the night, Adar held Mirthoniel, embracing her tenderly and loving her passionately and softly. Until finally they slept in each other’s arms, not ever wanting to let go, as the moon rose over the pine forest and the gentle song of the wind whispered through the pines.             

*          *          *          *          *

In the soft stillness of the new morning, Mirthoniel looked up into his eyes, tenderly stroking his hair away from his beautiful face. He sighed at her touch, looking down at her with so much love.

"I love you, Adar", she whispered.

"I love you", he whispered, with a very soft and tender kiss which lasted an untold length of time. His fingers were still entwined softly in her hair, which fell on the pillows mingling with his, brown and black woven softly and inseparably. 

She looked up into his eyes, gently pushing away the stray lock of hair that kept falling down over his forehead. She could stay lost in the clear river of his eyes until the end of all time. 

“Sweet Adar”, she whispered, smiling slightly. “I never want you to leave”. 

He very softly stroked the side of her face and hair, lovingly. 

“My Mirthoniel”, he whispered, losing himself in the cool shadows of her pine forest eyes. He never knew that love like this could be his. “I will always return”. 

And they kissed again lovingly and softly, lost in the tenderness of the moment as the sun came up around the little cottage, filling it with gentle golden light. 

Chapter Text

Adar was mentally exhausted. After striving to make sure that the artifact he was pursuing, the sword hilt, was in his possession and in the hands of his servant, he was beset by many conflicting emotions. 

He walked far outside the town alone, seeking the one refuge he knew of where he could get away from it all. Beneath the rising moonlight he felt nearly as if he were once again an Elf as he neared the now familiar lands of Mirimar, the sight of its great and peaceful pine groves on the horizon giving peace to his severely troubled heart. 

As he found his way toward the old barn where he and his beloved had often spent time, he sat beneath one of the tall and shadowy evergreens. He thought of his children, so beloved of his heart, that he would do anything for. And yet he looked around at the farm, and it's rolling lands and peaceful forests, and wondered to what extent they may survive what was coming. He exhaled deeply, letting go of pain from deep within his heart. His children needed him, they needed a home. And his only way of giving this to them was to turn his enemy's weapon against him. 

He stood his sword before him on the ground, staking it into the damp earth slightly and holding it with his ungauntleted hand. He remembered when that sword was given to him, as an instrument of keeping the peace and not as an instrument of war. He sat mesmerized, far away in his memories as he beheld the bright moonlight glimmering on its curvilinear forms, tracing them in sinuous patterns of silvery blue. 

*          *          *          *          *

The moon was full, the night warm and soft, filled with the music of crickets and the scent of leaves. As the weeks went on, the autumn deepened, and the nights grew longer.

Mirthoniel walked out carefully and quietly into the cool autumn night. She wore a light cloak to keep out the night's slight dampness, and her arms were full of things that she was bringing out to the old barn in the back of the property, beyond near the small field that was edged with tall fir trees. She could hear the crickets and small creatures of the night singing their song as she made her way through the long grass. Her soft boots barely made a sound on the fallen leaves as she walked the short distance from her cottage to the field to where she knew that, every night around this time, her beloved would be waiting for her. 

Reaching the edge of the clearing, she neared the old barn where she had always told him to hide. Nobody ever knew that he was there except for her, and she assured him that he would always be safe there and that no one would find him. And as always she wanted to give him some comfort, and a place to rest amidst everything that was going on. 

Tonight she waited a bit longer than usual for his arrival, but knew that he had important business in the town.

The smell of hay greeted her senses as she neared the old barn. She could see everything clearly because of the light of the moon, and the soft light revealed that he was already waiting there, half shrouded in shadow.

She walked closer to where the ethereal silver blue light of the moon lit the area beneath a great dark fir tree. And beneath the tree, like a shadow bathed in moonlight, sat Adar. He was surrounded by the lower branches of the tree, a few of which were bare and snarled, and yet above him the tree was full of life, dark and strong. He was staring at the ground, pensively, and he held in front of him his ancient and beautiful sword. He stared at it, and it seemed as if a certain sadness surrounded him.

Mirthoniel stepped quietly toward where he sat, and she beheld him, as in this moment he looked every bit the ancient and beautiful Elf that he was, and her heart was pierced with longing as every time she saw him she fell in love with him yet again.

She at last went to him, sitting at his side in the shadowy moonlight, curled upon her knees on the ground before him. She smiled at him, meeting his eyes. As ever he was the most beautiful being she had ever seen. She came closer, bringing her bundle with her and setting it down, taking her place beside him.

"Adar", she whispered. He looked so sad. She could see in the soft moonlight that his eyes held unshed tears. Her heart broke for him, for she knew that he held unfathomable burdens. She wanted nothing more than to be there for him and support him.         

At length he looked to her. She met his eyes with her own lovingly, leaning her head to the side slightly as if to encourage him to open up to her.

"Mirthoniel", he whispered, almost inaudibly, "I am grateful for your presence here".

She moved a bit closer to him, taking his hand into her own, grasping it tenderly and reassuringly.

"You seemed so far away, Silith nin", she whispered.

"I was, meldanya", his whisper was gentle and musical, yet with that bit of raspiness that he always had. "I was far away in the past... In another age, a simpler time".

She could only listen, and be there for him, for she knew that he was referring to a time long before her own existence.

"You seem so sad", she whispered, and his eyes met hers again.

Adar held her gaze for a time, before closing his eyes, and as he did so, silent tears trailed down his cheeks, looking deep blue in the shadowy light of the moon. Mirthoniel's forehead touched his, before she very lightly and tenderly kissed his tears away and then kissed his lips softly, before her eyes met his again.

"I bear heavy burdens, meldanya", he said quietly, and with gravity. "The decisions I need to make are never easy". He lowered his head again, whispering, "Especially for one who is both Elf, and Uruk".

Mirthoniel's heart was stirred to great compassion, and she went closer to him and reached up to touch his face tenderly. She looked deeply and lovingly into his eyes.

"For whatever it is worth, beloved of my heart", she said, sincerely and softly, "I see you as an Elf".

Mirthoniel's forehead touched his, and she kissed him softly, before her eyes met his again.

“Come in from this chilly night”, she said, and they went into the old barn, which was now such a familiar place for them to spend time alone.

"I brought you some blankets this time", she whispered. Every night that he came since he began visiting the farm, she had brought him something comforting, whether food or a warm drink, or a cloak. Letting him come here in hiding was the only way they could meet without it being dangerous. They had spent these evenings talking, or just enjoying the quiet of one another's company.

She handed him one of the folded blankets and she took the other, and they pulled them over themselves. She rested her head against him, the quiet of the moonlit barn was so peaceful. She didn't think that tonight she would leave. 

“I would love to hear more about the past that you so loved”, she whispered lovingly, hoping to hear more about the beautiful river bank full of purple flowers, and to listen to his soft and musical whisper until she almost fell asleep, dreaming of another time.

He looked into her eyes, and their pine forest depths in the light of the moon reminded him of a moonlit forest of long ago. He would tell her everything, eventually, because he trusted the sincerity of her heart, a pure sincerity that he had not encountered in literal ages, and because of his love for her and the pure love that she had for him.

She sat closely to him, holding him, her face resting softly against his shoulder, and his eyes met hers in the moonlight. In her heart was a longing that was deeper than she could understand. All she knew was that she wanted to comfort him, and to love him so much that all of his sadness and pain would be forgotten.

Adar pulled her closer beneath the blankets, and their eyes stayed locked for a suspended moment. She looked into them, utterly lost. He was so beautiful.

"You care so much for me", he whispered. His heart was moved by her caring.

"Yes", she replied. So much. If only he knew how much. 

He lightly touched the side of her face, tenderly pushing back her hair. At his touch, she sighed, a soft shiver going through her that was not because of the cold.

"Adar", she whispered, softly rubbing her cheek against his hand, before looking into his eyes again.

And in this tender and quiet moment, his lips touched hers, at first very softly. The night was so peaceful and quiet around them as she gave in, and he kissed her more deeply. He held her closer, and she softly touched his face, stroking his dark hair and pushing it back from his beautiful features. 

"Adar", she whispered. She let him lay her down against her cloak upon the soft hay, and he pulled her softly against himself, lying closely against her. She held him closer, letting his dark hair fall down upon her and giving herself more deeply to his kisses. She wanted to give him her whole self and her whole heart. No words were needed as they both felt the same.

As he kissed her, her heart ached, and a tear rolled down her face. His embrace was something she always dreamed of and desired.

He kissed her more passionately, and she held him closer. And she surrendered to him, there in the peace of the moonlit night, until they were truly as one. She held him lovingly, her fingers entwined in his soft dark hair as he loved her with all the sweet tenderness and passion that he ever yearned for since she warmed and awakened his heart.

Holding him tightly, her forehead against his, looking into his eyes, she saw their beautiful clear color in the moonlight.

"I love you, Adar", she whispered. And tears fell again from her eyes, quietly and softly, warm tears from the innermost place of her aching heart. Her heart would always ache with love for him, for she loved him with the very depths of her soul, and she always would.

“I love you”, Adar whispered, kissing her tears away before kissing her again, very deeply, softly and passionately. And she rested in the warmth of his embrace, as beneath the comfort of the thick blankets that protected them against the damp chill of the night, they fell asleep together in the peaceful moonlit night in the old barn.

Chapter Text

The next night was warm, the air was soft and the breezes flowed gently through the pines. As Mirthoniel went out into the little clearing near the forest it appeared to her that the light of the many bright stars was coming down from an ancient time, shining through the ages. The pine trees seemed to welcome her as they always did, and through their branches the stars twinkled. Her heart was full with the reason for her outing. For tonight she would meet her beloved here beneath the light of these stars.

As she neared the place of their meeting, her steps quickened. Finally at a distance she saw him, a benevolent shadow amidst the trees, lit by the soft moonlight and the light of the bright stars. His back was to her, and he looked up at them. But he turned when he sensed her near. 

“Adar”, she called out to him softly. And as she ran toward him he caught her in a tender embrace, and as he did so she whispered, “Silith nin”. 

He looked down into her eyes, his own eyes lit from within with the very same light of those beautiful stars. 

He held her tightly. Tears filled her eyes as his embrace surrounded her. She began to sob into his shoulder softly. 

He held the side of her face softly, and she looked up at his eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. His eyes always held that starlight in them. “I couldn’t wait to see you again”, she sighed. 

He brought his forehead to hers first, then kissed her softly. More tears fell as she felt his lips touch hers, and he wrapped his arms around her more tightly, holding her lovingly. 

“Mirthoniel”, he whispered. “Why so many tears?” 

“Because I love you”, she whispered. “And I missed you”. She wanted nothing more than to take him away from all of the danger he was in, and for them to just be happy.

He held her against his heart, his fingers lovingly caressing her hair. She couldn’t help sobbing. She only wanted to protect him, and comfort him, and for all the troubles to be over so that at last they could just be together. At length she looked up at him, at the sweet caring expression in his beautiful starlit eyes. “I want you to come back tonight”, she whispered. “And just hold me”. 

“Meldanya”, he whispered, so softly. He held her so softly, before looking into her eyes again. “I will hold you”, he whispered tenderly. “Right here”. 

She knew he was right. It was too risky now for him to be coming to the farm, even though it was far on the very outskirts of the town. She looked into his eyes and nodded. 

He kissed her again, very softly, before whispering, “Come with me”. 

 Adar took her hand and led her to where he had been standing earlier, looking at the stars. There was a small ledge overlooking a hill, and in the distance the camps of his children could be seen. But they were far enough away that their dim and distant light did not take anything away from the brilliant light of the stars.

They sat quietly there together, enjoying the beautiful night sky. He held her close to himself, holding her hand, and she rested against his shoulder. Whenever she looked up at him, he would softly squeeze her hand, reassuringly. Their dream would someday be forever. And he kissed her forehead softly, and then her lips, lovingly and sweetly. 

At length the night air cooled around them, and they shared her cloak, lying closely beneath it, holding one another lovingly beneath the stars. 

“I love you, Silith nin”, she whispered. Her eyes still had little tears in them, but they were happy ones. She saw the same in his beautiful starlit eyes. 

“I love you”, he whispered. 

And they softly held one another for the duration of the beautiful night, finally sleeping there beneath the shimmering stars.

*          *          *          *          *

Days later, Mirthoniel awoke to a day that was brighter than usual, almost intrusive to her dreamlike state. She closed her eyes and buried her face in her pillow, wanting nothing more than to stay lost in dreams of her beloved, longing for the day when they would never need to be parted again, when she would wake up in his arms every morning and fall asleep holding him each night. 

She finally rose for the day, knowing that she needed to get back to him because today would be eventful, and that he and his children would need her help. As always her plan was to follow at a safe distance, hiding herself in the trees until he needed tending to.

Almost as an afterthought, she went to her jewelry box and pulled out a small yet meaningful item that she had been given as a young girl as a gift from her Faithful mother. As she withdrew the delicate silvery necklace from its carefully hidden place, the early daylight glistened and reflected off its small charm. Her mother had explained that it was made of mithril, a precious metal found in Numenor. She fastened it around her neck, whispering a prayer to the Valar, and tucked it beneath her clothing. 

She went out, trying to stay out of the way of everything that was going on in the town. There was talk of battle and preparation for more defense. She made her way to the edge of the settlement and finally found herself on the border of the woods again. She remembered the sweet encounter in these very same woods not too long ago. Alfirin seeds. Would the Valar protect him today, she found herself praying, hoping with all her heart that they would.

*          *          *          *          *

Later that same day, Mirthoniel found herself in a hiding place where Adar had been chained as a captive. She had followed from a short distance, unseen, as he was brought to an old barn on the outskirts of town as a prisoner. She resolved to do everything in her power to help him. Staying only a few feet away, she was hidden in the shadows of a dilapidated stall.

She slowed her agitated breathing so as not to be detected from her hiding place in the barn. Just a few feet away, the Commander of the Northern Armies stood, her expression full of anger and hatred, staring down at her captive. And at her feet, that captive looked up at her with all the same disdain, yet also with an inner dark fire that was undeniably unassailable.

She watched and listened as the golden-haired Elf slung insult after insult at Adar. With each whip of the captor’s tongue, the captive delivered a parry that was stratospheres above her in elegance and intelligence. Yet with every word she heard from the lips of the Commander, Mirthoniel grew more furious. How dare anyone treat him like that. She witnessed the entire onslaught, biting her tongue because she wanted to scream.

Adar was heavily shackled, tied to a post. They had attempted to remove every shred of his dignity. He sat there looking so broken, even as he cut her down, strike for strike.

Mirthoniel could see, even from her distance that in his eyes he looked so tired. He was bleeding from his head and from a ghastly wound on his hand. She had a plan. As soon as this huil left the barn, she was going to set him free. She silently felt for the items hidden in the layers of her clothing, among them her dagger, and another, softer bundle that she had brought with her, a gift she had planned to give to Adar when she saw him again. This last was wrapped in the softest cloth and tucked very carefully into her garments, near her heart.

Finally, the Elven commander and the sullen soldier who was with her both went away. Mirthoniel watched as Adar sighed, looking down at the ground. He looked so forlorn, and yet somehow so strong, like a caged panther. But he also looked so, so very sad. So broken, and yet so beautiful, she thought. She admired how his long, shadowy hair framed and almost hid his face, making him appear to be one with the interplay of light and shadows in the barn. She felt such deep sorrow for him, but never pity, for she beheld before her a being of such ancient grace, with a beauty that she could always see behind the brokenness and the scars. There was something so ethereal and strong within him that could never be taken from him.

After a few moments which felt like centuries, she quietly emerged from her hiding place. She slid silently beside him, sitting on her knees closely, facing him.

“Adar”, she whispered. He had been looking off into the other direction, but at the sound of her voice he tiredly yet immediately turned to face her. The wound on his forehead was still bleeding, and the one on his hand was especially messy.

“My beloved”, she whispered, “I’m here”. Her eyes filled with tears as she touched his face with her hand. “I’m here to help you”.

A slight smile graced his lips as recognition dawned in his clear blue eyes.

“Ah… Mirthoniel.” She smiled as he said her name. He always said it so tenderly.

“Silith nin”, she whispered, sniffling. “I’m going to get you out of here”. Her tone was determined, yet soft.

She worked quickly to tear off a few rags from the innermost hem of her garments. First she very softly wiped the blood from his face. There was no water, but the soft texture of the fabric did well all on its own. She then looked to his hand, working to wipe and bind that wound and seal it with salve for the pain before tying the makeshift bandage tightly enough that it would stop the bleeding.

She finished working and moved in closer as she looked deeply into his eyes.

“I love you”, she whispered. She softly touched his face, very softly tracing its contours which were by now familiar and loved. Though he was disfigured, she had never seen a more beautiful face. His eyes didn’t leave hers. She couldn’t take her gaze away from his eyes. They were so beautiful, the very color of the waters of the river he had spoken of, that time when she first saw him. She then placed her forehead very softly against his. Her voice trembled ever so slightly as more tears began to fill her eyes.

“I love you”, she said again, as if for emphasis. “And I always will”.

She knew it was time to give him the gift she had brought. She had spoken with one of the healers in the village about sage blossoms, the ones that grew by riverbanks, so that she would be able to find just the right kind. She had found them, and carefully wrapped them and tucked them into her clothes for just the right time.

She now pulled the precious package from within her garments, very carefully unwrapping it to reveal the soft purple flowers within. Her tears were now dropping from her eyes, and a few fell on the petals of the flowers, looking like clear jewels from a sacred otherworld, reminding her of the tears of Nienna. She very lovingly handed the tender blossoms to him. “These are for you”.

When her eyes met his again, she saw that he had tears in his eyes, too. She had reached his heart once again with this gift. She wiped his tears softly with her fingertips, before placing her hand very lovingly against his face again.

“I love you, so much”. And she kissed his forehead, and then his lips, very lovingly and softly.

Mirthoniel could not hold it all within her any longer. She placed her head softly against him and held him, crying from the depths of her soul, for she had never felt anything so strong, and yet so pure, and so overwhelming. He held her close, and as they stayed like this for a long time, she could feel the quiet sobs within him as he nestled his face into her hair.

After a while, she looked up at him, not wanting to let go of this moment but knowing that she needed to release him from his chains. They were both distracted by sounds around and beneath them of the trickle of water, as if far below, from deep within the ground. Adar looked as if he knew what was happening. She instinctively moved away slightly so that he could listen closely to the ground. He lay down flat against the wooden floor, listening intently.

At this moment, silently and stealthily, Mirthoniel came around from the back of the post that he was chained to, and released the locks. Almost as quietly, his chains fell swiftly to the ground.

“Thank you, meldanya”, he whispered. She trusted him with whatever would happen next, because he seemed to know.

“It will be a while yet”, he whispered, “But within a few hours, the tunnels below will be filled with water”.

Mirthoniel didn’t fully understand, but she was intent upon not only getting them both out to safety, but also keeping him hidden as much as would be possible.

“Hide with me”, she said, and reached out her hand. “Come with me to this side”. She was not about to let the Northern Armies find him ever again. She then whispered, a little more lovingly, “Come and stay with me”.

He got up and, as she began making her way toward the darker end of the barn where there were more shadows but also a lot more room to avoid being seen, he followed her. She found a dark yet comfortable place for them to sit, well hidden behind yet another wooden wall, and Adar sat beside her against the innermost corner.

She curled up closely against him, knowing that there would be time now to spend with him without needing to run just yet. A few hours, he had said. It would be after sunset before they would need to be gone from here, maybe longer. And they held one another and talked until the night began to fall around them, and at length about his past, the one thing she really wanted to know more about.

“Tell me more about your life before”, she quietly asked him.

By this time they were lying quietly against the corner of the stall where they had hidden in the shadows, holding one another closely beneath her cloak. 

“It was long ago…in what you call the First Age…”. His whisper was something she could listen to forever, musical and soft. “I was a Marchwarden on the river Sirion, from Eglarest, in Beleriand”. She listened eagerly, wanting to know everything about him, the one she loved so dearly, but she also sensed that it may be a bit painful for him to remember. She encouraged him, but was patient.

“I am listening”, she assured him softly. Her hand reached out to his good hand, and she just rested against him. He went on.

“I spent many years there, overlooking the river. It was peaceful...Usually”. She could sense the tone of his voice changing at the end of his sentence, but squeezed his hand softly as if urging him to go on. She wanted to know more, yet was sensitive to the fact that he would need to go at his own pace.

“Then Morgoth came…”

This last was said with gravity and care. She could feel the change in his tone, as if this was where he could not go on, and understood. She had known, or guessed, what may have happened to him so long ago. Though he still looked like a beautiful Elf, his disfigurement was at the hands of his great oppressor. She let him take a few moments to return to the present.

“Adar”, she whispered, “Think not on those times. Think only of the good ones.” As she said this last, she placed her hand against his face again, seeking his eyes. She sought his spirit, she longed to be close to his heart. Finally he looked back into her eyes, their foreheads touching once again.

“Tell me all about the river…”

As if in a distant answer from nature, they heard yet another far away sound of water entering beneath the ground. But she was waiting on his cues, so she knew there was still time to stay here. She settled back into his arms, listening.

“Sirion, the Great”, he began, and went on at length painting beautiful pictures with his words. She could see it clearly, the sunlight glittering on its waters in midday, the blossomed banks that he held so dear. And as she listened to his memories, she experienced both pangs of sadness for his lost home and deep longing growing in her heart. Finally she asked what she always wanted to know most of all.

“What was your name?”

She rested her head softly against him, and he cradled her, gently caressing her hair. They both had nothing left, nothing except each other.

“My name was Oren”, he said softly. Oren. It was so perfect for him. In that moment she was transported to the First Age, and to Beleriand, and even farther away in time, beneath the stars of Cuivienen where the first Elves had awakened. She looked to his river-colored eyes, and they looked dark in the dim light, but still lit from within with that very same starlight. She would treasure this moment and hold it in her heart forever. For she felt that he had just trusted her with his very soul.

"Oren", she whispered lovingly, touching the side of his face, looking deeply into his clear and starlit eyes, “I love you so much”. His eyes didn’t leave hers, looking into them with so much love as he stayed there lost within them, mesmerized as always by their pine forest depths. And they kissed sweetly and tenderly, without stopping for a suspended moment. 

The emotions that flooded them next were too great to bear. They held one another tightly, there in the darkness. Mirthoniel softly caressed his face, feeling the silent tears as they fell from his eyes, as sure as they fell from her own. She held him lovingly, as always offering her heart as a place of refuge where he may escape his suffering. And they kissed tenderly until finally, they fell asleep in each other’s embrace, hidden there in the shadows in the quiet peace of the barn. 

*          *          *          *          *

As the sun was dawning on what would normally have been a bright autumn day, sounds from beneath the ground awoke them. Those sounds of water, they were no longer just a slight distant sound. The water was rushing now, and the sound was something that demanded their attention.

 “Mirthoniel”, Adar whispered, “meldanya… it’s not safe to stay here any longer. We must leave this place now”.

She blinked, now fully awake as she looked up into his eyes and saw the urgency in them. He knew what was going on, after all, and she trusted his lead. “Where will we go?”

“The tunnels”, he said. “Some of the tunnels were dug not for water, but for evacuation”. By this time he was holding her face in both his hands. The deep green rag that had been torn from her dress was still tied around his wounded hand. “We will use the north west tunnel, the one that leads toward your cottage”.

She looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears. She could feel more than just the water moving in the tunnels beneath them. Great tremors were also shaking the ground, becoming stronger.

“We must go, meldanya”, he said, in that musical whisper that she could listen to every day and night of her life.

“We won’t ever let go of one another” she said, both a question and a reassurance, both to Adar and to herself.

“No, we won’t”. And he kissed her deeply, a long parting kiss that neither wanted to end.

“I love you”, she said, not letting go of his eyes, or his hand.

“I love you”, he whispered, his eyes full of both love and sadness.

They began to hurry into the tunnel, descending through the doorway that he had opened near the floor.

Now the sounds around them of rushing water intensified, and the great tremors beneath the ground were becoming louder and more ominous with each one. Something was happening that Mirthoniel never thought she would ever see or hear in her lifetime. Orodruin was erupting.

They ran faster toward the opening of the tunnel, where they could see daylight. But the very daylight itself seemed odd. It was a different color, as if a great red storm were hovering over the sky. She stared in disbelief at the tunnels edge, stunned by all that was suddenly happening.

Outside, the situation grew worse. The sky had grown very dark, and all around, red ash poured down. All around, just outside the tunnel, people ran, panicked. She saw farmers with carts, horses acting as if wild, mothers herding their children to safety.

As she and Adar were coming out of the tunnel, a great downdraft of debris and red ash blew down toward them, obstructing their visibility and covering them in ash. Mirthoniel pulled her cloak around her for shelter as the world rocked around her, but only too late, as debris borne by the wind struck her unconscious.

Some time later, she opened her eyes. She didn’t remember when she had lost consciousness, or for how long she had been there. But the light that was filtering through the ashes stirred her awake. It was an eerie, reddish light, like nothing she had ever seen before. She looked around her, hesitantly at first, into an altered reality.

The red glow permeated the atmosphere, which was still thick with dust. She held her cloak over her face. Red ash was everywhere, covering everything. She didn’t see anyone else around, and hoped that the people of the town were all somewhere safe. But in the pit of her heart, her own feelings told her that she was indeed very much alone.

She looked back toward the tunnel to see if her beloved was anywhere in sight. Nothing. No sign of him. In the chaos of the disaster, they were separated.

The tunnel had led her far out to the very edge of the town. She walked to the edge of the forest, the pine forest that she had once known and loved. Its once familiar trees were now sticks, covered in thick reddish ash. The entire world looked, and felt, like an entirely different place. A desolate, desolate place. And in that moment she realized that her beloved had gone missing, taken so suddenly from her, perhaps never to be seen ever again.

Mirthoniel sank to her knees in the ash of the devastated pine forest, surrounded by her beloved trees, who by their looks now she knew that they had shared in her desolation and pain. The dull throb in her head was nothing compared to the deep ache in her heart. All around her was nothing but emptiness, as far as her eyes could see. And in this place, in this vast and desolate emptiness, she wept, from the very depths of her heart and soul.

She didn’t know how much time had passed there, grieving their parting. She knew only that, now and forever, he was the love of all her life.

*          *          *          *          *

Days passed before Adar made it into the area he had planned for his children. He found groups of them along the way, which joined him. His plan for their new homeland, Mordor, had finally transpired. But, he thought to himself, at what cost. For as he sat in deep contemplation, his thoughts kept turning to the woman who loved him, whom he deeply loved, the only being who had ever shown him love to the extent that she had. He had been powerless to find her, and though he had searched for her tirelessly, she did not answer when he called out to her. He would never forget her eyes the color of pine trees, or her heart in all its purity as she ran back to him on that dark night and embraced him, loving him with her entire being. He held near his heart the sweet gift of sage blossoms that she had so meaningfully given to him, and the memory of holding her through the night, warm and close, their souls as one. She had given him all of her boundless, unconditional love. He hoped that she had survived, and that he would see her again, but he would never forget that he was so deeply loved.

Chapter Text

Whether hours or days had passed, Mirthoniel did not know, for she was utterly exhausted. She had collapsed there in the ashes beneath the skeletons of the trees, having cried herself to sleep. But when she raised her head again, it was at the touch of a firm hand on her shoulder, urging her to awaken.

Opening her eyes slowly, her eyelashes heavy with red ash and eyelids swollen from sheer torrents of tears, she regarded the person who had come to make sure that she was among the survivors. From the white-golden gauntlet he wore, and the look of the armor that her blurred gaze followed up to his face, she knew that he was one of the Numenorean soldiers. She swallowed, her mouth and throat as dry as the ashes surrounding her. Please, don’t wake me up. She wasn’t sure whether she had spoken it aloud. Please, don’t wake me up from this dream.

Blinking, ashes fell from her eyelashes to the lengths of her hair and the forest green hood that had covered her. She saw that the soldier’s face was elderly, yet of noble bearing with a short beard of white, and that the badge he wore on his chest marked him as a senior member of Numenor's army, and one of the Faithful.

As the officer realized that the woman on the ground was indeed alive and conscious, he extended his hand to help her to her feet. Mirthoniel just stared at him blankly, seemingly bewildered, feeling altogether stuck to the ground. The officer introduced himself.

“I am Alandil”, he said, his steely blue-gray eyes having a rather piercing quality that seemed to emphasize the urgency in what he was doing, trying to find and gather survivors and bring them to safety.

Mirthoniel wanted nothing more than to be left there alone with her grief. Yet she found his voice to have a cheerful note to it, and his mannerisms seemed kind and fatherly.

Alandil went on. “I recognize the look of one of our own. You are of Numenorean race yourself, are you not?”  

Mirthoniel looked up at him, unable as of yet to find her tongue. She was still in shock from everything that had transpired. Her head still ached, and she felt dehydrated. She looked away, tears stinging her sore eyes once again, and began to cough.

Alandil gave her some water, which she took gratefully and then handed it back. When she could speak again, her tone was as dry as the landscape, as heavy as the atmosphere.

"I won't leave this place", she answered 

Alandil squatted near the ground to meet her eyes. 

“And I will not force you to”, he replied, his tone softening to reveal the kindness behind his steely outer reserve. “I only need to see that you’re alright.”

Mirthoniel shook her head, meeting his gaze again. She still felt disoriented.

“I need to find him”, she coughed, her hair still stuck to her face with ashes and tears.

Sensing her grief and her determination, he felt a sudden pull to want to help her. He was also reminded of his own daughter, whom he had lost before her time. He nodded, for what could he do in this moment, except not make matters worse?

“We shall try”. The sigh that escaped him following his words was resigned, and a bit sorrowful, for he knew that this woman was likely talking about one who was dear to her and was now lost.

Alandil’s clear eyes scanned the horizon, seeing small groups far off in the distance gathering things and other forlorn survivors with the goal of bringing them away from the ruins of the town. Whether or how he could possibly help was not clear at this time, but for now he needed to concentrate on convincing her to move forward.

“For right now, let’s try to get up”, he said, his tone encouraging. He wanted to make sure that she was not terribly injured, so allowed her to stand up on her own. He offered his hand again.

Mirthoniel felt that this man was sincere and wanted to help her. And she knew that she could not find her beloved unless she took the next step, which was simply to try to get up.

After a few moments passed, she resigned herself to the next chapter in her journey. As if digging deep down within herself, into the deepest part of the resilience of her very spirit, she took Alandil’s outstretched hand. And there amidst the broken stems of her beloved pine trees that were bereft but still living, from her place on the ground covered with ash, she garnered the strength and the courage to stand.

Chapter Text

Mirthoniel awoke one morning after several days of traveling. She had chosen to follow Alandil and his small party as they traveled west, away from the ruined town. By now they had covered a lot of ground and were heading toward the cities of the Elves. Alandil, being one of the Faithful, knew that the survivors would be welcome there and receive care for their wounds and a respite where they could plan their next moves.

Mirthoniel’s eyes were always sad, and she didn’t speak much to anyone, always lost in her thoughts. Alandil didn’t pressure her to speak, for he knew that everyone in their party had been through a traumatic experience, each in their own way.

One day they were stopped near a river, and the sunlight of the clear morning danced like diamonds upon its surface. Mirthoniel had gone down to the water’s edge alone to gaze upon this sight. And she sat there as if transfixed, as if she were looking far into the past into dreams of her beloved and the stories he had told her about the river in Beleriand long ago.

Alandil saw her and thought this may be a good time to ask her for a bit more information. He would never be able to help her find her missing loved one if he didn’t even know who they were looking for. He sat near her, addressing her with a caring authority, as a father would speak to a daughter.

“Would you like to tell me anything more about the person you are looking for?”

Mirthoniel had come to trust Alandil during their travels, that trust having formed because she knew he was also one of the Faithful. She knew it was time to tell him.

“My beloved and I were separated”. She spoke quietly in an attempt to keep her voice steady, finding her strength in the resolve within her heart. “And I will not give up on finding him.”

Alandil nodded, giving her the space now to speak.

Mirthoniel continued. “He loved the sunlight on the river”. She paused, feeling the tears welling in her eyes. At length, as Alandil listened, she went on. “His eyes looked just like that”. She turned her own eyes back to the sparkling clear water, unable to keep her tears from falling. 

Alandil nodded, still giving her time. But he would need a name, a description, before he could help her look for someone. “What else can you tell me about him?”

“His name is Oren”, she said, a near whisper. “And he’s so beautiful”.

Alandil knew that he was being trusted now. “Is he a Numenorean?” He recognized the name as being of Elvish origin.

“No”, she whispered, and turned her face away.  She sniffed as tears streamed down from her eyes. She wiped them, and then remained silent for a long while.

Alandil knew he would not get anything else out of her today. He left her sitting there at the water’s edge for as long as she needed to, as he could tell that it was comforting her. She had so much determination, but what he saw in her now was a completely different mood, and he recognized it as mourning.

As Mirthoniel sat staring at the water, her heart swelled with the dear dream of seeing her beloved again. They had promised one another that they would be together forever one day, and she would always hold herself in hope for that moment. It was all she had left. And driven by this unyielding hope, she pressed on, day after day.

Along the way there were rumors. She heard from the other travelers rumors of orcs on the move near the outskirts of one town or another. His people, the ones he called Uruks. His children. And with each rumor, she felt closer to knowing that she would one day find her beloved, even if it took her the rest of their lives

*      *     *      *      *

Over the coming months, Mirthoniel had formed quite a strong friendship with Alandil. She saw him as one who was like a father to her, and she trusted him in confidence. She was able to tell him more about her missing beloved. Alandil now knew that they were looking for one who would also be traveling, that he was tall and dark-haired, and that he was of Elven birth. But Mirthoniel would not offer him any more than that.

Alandil had led them up through the lands toward Eregion. The long journey yielded new sights along the way. Every time she saw a beautiful river, or a lovely pine forest, she was given fresh hope and a new resolve. And that steadfast dream remained within her, growing greater with each sunrise, and stronger with each lonely nightfall. I will see him again.  

*      *     *      *      *

One evening they passed through an area where Halflings were encamped. They sat with them, and listened to their stories by the fire until it was dark.

They were a cheerful people, calling themselves Harfoots, and Mirthoniel had spent a good deal of time talking with one of them, a woman named Elora.

She was in her late middle years, and a widow. There was an easy bond between the two women, and Mirthoniel sat apart with her as they told one another the stories of their lost loves. And they cried together, Harfoot and Numenorean, bonded by a common experience. Yet Elora knew that Mirthoniel still had hope.

“Be encouraged”, Elora told her. “For your beloved may yet live”.

Mirthoniel smiled faintly. Though she was physically and emotionally exhausted, this encounter had filled her with a certain lightness that she needed in order to carry on.

Elora was herself well versed in the stories of the Elves and of the beginnings of Numenor, and though Mirthoniel knew not how she had come by them, she was heartened by every story she told. For she spun tales of Earendil the Mariner, and how he became a star, the very star that would lead her people to Numenor. And of Earendil’s bride, the lady Elwing, who became a bird so as to join her beloved high in the air.

And as Mirthoniel went to sleep that night under the stars, she was reminded by their light of the sweet starlight in her beloved’s eyes, and the constant glow of the moon beside them was like her steadfast heart, ever lighting the path along her way. 

Chapter Text

Alandil led their little party through the woods until the city of Eregion loomed in the distance. Their numbers had dwindled, as many of the survivors had left to go and stay in other Elven cities, or in the strongholds of Men where they had living relatives.

The landscape and forests were beautiful, and the nearby river reminded Mirthoniel of the Great River that she had only known in stories from her beloved. And as the weeks turned into months, Mirthoniel grew somewhat restless, but not any less resolved. If anything, her determination to find her beloved grew stronger with each passing day. At times she could even feel that the day was drawing nearer when she would finally see him again.

Another dream was also growing in her heart alongside that of finding him again. She still had with her the heirloom necklace made of mithril from Numenor. She had heard more about mirhtil in their travels, of its healing and protective properties and its ability to heal corruption to living beings done to them by evil means. She knew then that she would give this precious piece to her beloved, which she hoped would be a gift that could also bring healing. The bright warmth and lively breezes of the day kept her mood buoyant, as did the growing hope in her heart.

*          *          *          *          *

Late one afternoon, Alandil came and sat by Mirthoniel. He often went to check on her, feeling a sense of duty and responsibility for her wellbeing. He knew she could handle herself, but she had been through a lot, and after all he was charged with looking after the survivors of the disaster. But she had also become like a daughter to him, so his concern was at this point also personal.        

Alandil ventured a caring suggestion, for he wanted to see her happy. It had been nearly two years since they had set out from the ruins of the Southlands.

“Would you ever consider someday moving forward with your life? It would be good to see you smiling, and to see you talking with someone other than me”.

Mirthoniel blinked back small tears that were already filling her eyes.

“I cannot…” she whispered, lowering her gaze for a moment before addressing him again. She wiped the tears from her eyes before she could go on.

“I know you care about me as if I were your own daughter”, she said, quietly and reverently, forgiving his suggestion, for he was caring and she knew that he meant well. “And I am thankful for that. But there is only one that I love, for all of my life, and forever. And my heart is his alone, for the rest of all time”.

Alandil looked at her with great care. He only hoped for her sake that her life wasn’t being wasted on a hope that might never come true. But he could also see that she would never be swayed. He left her alone with her thoughts, understanding that she was still in mourning, and knowing that from her words that there was nothing he could ever say that would change her undying devotion.

*          *          *          *          *

Mirthoniel had kept the mithril necklace hidden well within her garments, as if it were a lifeline of hope that she could tangibly touch and see. She pulled it out from its hiding place, gazing upon its beauty. It reminded her of her childhood, her nostalgic days on the farm when, as a young girl, she would dream of Numenor and the history of her people, and of the Elves, but also of a far away future that had yet to unfold for her own life.

The sun now caught its tiny charm like a daytime star on fire, and Mirthoniel looked upon its shape, which was modeled after a very small pine branch. And upon the little bough, like the tiniest drop of dew, was a small emerald, set within the shape of a delicate star.

She thought of how perfect it was, for he would always be her starlight, ever and always held within her heart.

*          *          *          *          *

Mirthoniel was now feeling hopeful as she made her journey away from the lands near Eregion with what remained of Alandil’s party.  He had heard of trouble coming, and thought it best that they left the area surrounding the Elven city before anything happened, and his plan was that he would go toward the direction of Lindon.

“I am heading for Lindon right away”, Alandil told Mirthoniel as they parted ways, as it had been in her heart to continue back toward the south. “Send for me there, if you need me for anything”. And he clasped her to himself in a fatherly hug.

“You have been so good to me”, she said, “and I shall miss you.” She smiled in her slight way. “And you know I will tell you the good news when I have found him”.        

With the mithril necklace tucked closely within her garments, close to her heart, Mirthoniel lightly made her way back through the woods outside of Eregion. 

Chapter Text

Adar stood in the heart of an ancient pine forest, alone. During his time in Eregion, he had acquired the Elven ring, Nenya, made from the purest mithril and encasing a brilliant clear white stone. Though he knew of its power, he was not prepared for what happened when he finally put it on. For the emotional and physical effects of many years of heartache and suffering began to melt away, leaving in their place a new healing.

He noticed color returning to his pale, white hands, and when he touched his face he felt that his many scars were disappearing. At a certain point he went to the edge of a stream and looked in at his reflection, seeing what he had not seen in ages of this world. His face appeared symmetrical and even, and his skin had reacquired its original radiant, warm glow.

In the bright sunlight that reflected off the clear water of the stream like a river of stars, he was immediately brought back to a peaceful memory from his former life. Suddenly he was again a Marchwarden, standing on the edge of the river Sirion, surrounded by the delicate purple blossoms that grew wild all down its banks. And the sunlight glittered on its waters, reflecting in the clear depths of his blue eyes. His armor and gauntlet were new and untarnished, and the silver stars of his mail glittered like the reflections on the water. And he gazed out across the river to admire the sight he loved most of all, the soft purple blossoms on its banks as far as his eyes could see, swaying in the gentlest breeze.

As he stood up from the stream, he brought this precious vision with him in his heart, the reminder of who he really was. And the many effects of trauma upon his heart were leaving him, and the bitter desire for revenge. No longer did he seek it, for his gentleness and love of life had taken over, and he was returned to the soft and tender person that he was before his captivity.

After this, he went to be with his thoughts, for there were so many. He pulled something out of his clothing that he had kept with him all this time, hidden safely under his beloved river armor. A soft green cloth, once blood-stained but it had been carefully washed and folded, and within it, now dried, the tender sage blossoms that had been given to him in a barn so long ago.

Though lost in his thoughts, he was not so distracted as to not notice the nearby footsteps that were coming up quietly behind him.

*          *          *          *          *

When Mirthoniel stepped into the light that filtered between the boughs of the pine trees to see who was standing there, she was completely overwhelmed. For she recognized him, the Elf she always knew.

Tears filled her eyes as she beheld the beautiful Elf standing there, only a few feet before her. For she would know him anywhere: his dark hair framing his beautiful face, falling around his high cheekbones and delicate features… his beautiful face that was still pale, yet not the sickly pale of before, for a glow like the sunset around them was now in his skin, which no longer bore its many scars. And his eyes, those eyes the very color of the river Sirion, which danced from within like the stars which greeted the Elves when they awoke at Cuivienen, she would know those anywhere too. It was as if her every dearest dream had suddenly come true.

“Oren, my beloved!” she exclaimed, falling to her knees onto the ground. This was unmistakably the one she had loved since she first ever saw him, the one she had searched for through the last few years, the only one she had ever truly loved, that she had watched beautiful sunsets with and held so close to her heart beneath the canopy of stars, now distant memories but as dear and close to her as if they were earlier this day. Here standing before her, fully redeemed, pure and whole, was her beloved Adar.

She drew a deep breath, already shaking with sobs.

“Adar, Silith nin…” My starlight. Her whisper barely escaped her trembling lips before he was on the ground with her, kneeling near her. His hand went to her face, wiping her tears, holding her soft brown hair away from her eyes, and recognizing their deep green color, the same as the pine trees which stood all around them like an ancient cathedral.

“Mirthoniel…” His voice was a tender whisper, no longer filled with the cares of the ages, for his healing was throughout his being. “Meldanya…” He sat in disbelief, tears beginning to fill his eyes. “I thought you had died”.

She was saddened by the idea that he had given up all hope of finding her again, for she knew the pain and the uncertainty all too well, the vacant and aching hole in her heart when every night fell with her arms all too empty.

But they were empty no longer. She hugged him tightly, right there on their knees in the soft pine needles, and sobbed as if her life were leaving her indeed. Every bit of emptiness and pain, every hour of uncertainty, all of the cares of her journey, they all were left here in this place as she sobbed against his heart. He held her gently yet tightly, tears falling from his eyes and into her hair. This was the one who had cared so much for him and for his children, who loved him beyond all boundaries, who had defied everything and even risked her own life not only to save him from imprisonment, but from literal ages of loneliness and despair.

At length she looked up into his beautiful eyes as he gazed again into hers. “I am never letting go of you again”, he whispered.

His lips met hers, very tenderly and softly at first and then more passionately. There was so much depth of emotion between them as she held him close, the soulmate she had recognized so long ago from the very moment she had seen him emerge from the shadows. And for him, he held close the lady of the pine forest who had come to save him both physically and in spirit, for he had never been the same since having been so loved by her.

“I love you so much”, she whispered. And she gazed lovingly into his clear river-like eyes as she stroked his hair away from his beautiful face, seeing that twinkling Elven starlight within their clear depths.

“Silith nin”, she whispered. And she kissed him softly, with all the tenderness and love for him that she ever held within her heart.

“I love you, meldanya”, he whispered, holding her closely against him, and she looked up into his eyes again.

“Meluvanye, tye tenn ambarmetta, Oren Adar”. I will love you until the end of the world. For she knew that he was now entirely the Elf of the river Sirion that he had been once and that she had seen within him all this time, and yet still the loving Father to his Uruks that she had first known.

And here they stayed, holding one another as if indeed they would never let go until the world might end, until the sunset sky deepened around them and the stars began twinkling down from above them through the boughs of the trees. A soft wind whispered through the pines as they promised forever to one another. And there in the starlight beneath the trees, they were as one, throughout the peaceful night.

*          *          *          *          *

The morning came, a beautiful and soft pastel sunrise. Mirthoniel was still lost deep within her dear Oren’s eyes, transported to Beleriand and his beloved river with its blossomed banks, as the sun came up over the surrounding hills, its gentle light filtering through the trees.

He looked back into her eyes, his whisper tender and gentle.

“I never want to leave you, Mirthoniel”. He held her closer, but there was a different urgency now in his intention. “Though I must, only for a little while, so that I can pray to the Valar and seek full redemption and peace”.

She nodded, tenderly tracing the lines of his face with her fingertips. The idea of letting go of him even for a moment brought tears to her eyes again. But she could never deny him this.

“You may, my beloved” she said softly, kissing him. She knew that as an Elf, this was absolutely necessary for him.

“I will return to you”, he whispered, tenderly and lovingly. “I always will”. And he kissed her again, passionately and softly. 

She held him tightly again, feeling his warmth around her, her face against his and stroking his hair, as if she wanted to keep these moments going for all that was left of time.

But she finally did let go, knowing that he was not going very far. She stayed back at their little place beneath the pines, and after he left she began rolling up the cloaks that they had slept on and that had covered them. For they would move on now, to a place that she knew of deep within the forest where no one would ever seek to harm him again.

Chapter Text

After a while, Mirthoniel had rested in their little place for what felt like hours. She at first was pleasantly entranced by the memory of their beautiful night, when it felt as if time stood still and that all of time and all dimensions were met in those moments. But at length, she started to feel concern. At first she considered the difference between them, Elf and mortal, and how time must feel so different to him. She continued to wait, until finally, she heard noises within the wood, from not too far away.

It sounded like a skirmish, a scuffle of feet, and cries. Angry cries. It sounded like the Uruks. Were these the voices of Uruks? She then heard the sounds of weapons being drawn. Something was very wrong.

She left their belongings behind a tree and moved toward the sounds of the skirmish. She felt an ominous presence, a sickening feeling in the air as she came closer. And then it was gone, it had moved off almost as quickly as she had perceived it. But the cries of the Uruks remained, and the sounds of steel weapons in the air.

She knew where he was going, so she quietly and stealthily moved in that direction. All of her experience with hiding, all of her ability to move like a shadow and hide in plain sight, was with her now. She needed to find him, she needed to know that he was safe. She came to the place that he had called sacred, where he would be going to pray.

He was not there.

A few feet away there was an Uruk lying on his side… dead. Oh Eru, what has happened, Mirthoniel thought. Her heartbeat started pounding within her throat, her breathing becoming shallow as she noticed that there were more fallen Uruks lying around, and weapons scattered, and then finally, the sight that greeted her when she turned the next corner was one she never wanted to see as long as she lived.

A few feet away from her now, and in the midst of  the circle of dead Uruks lying on the ground, was her beloved. The Elven ring of power was now gone from his hand, and his Elven form had now reverted back to his dark Uruk form, which she loved no less, but that was not what struck her nearly as much as what she realized just after.

The contrast of the scene could not have been more striking. The morning had become so bright, the sun slanting through the trees with the brightness of the middle of the day. And there lay her beloved, on his back and staring up at the sky, looking as if he were bleeding from a hundred gaping wounds.

She must have cried out. She could not feel the ground beneath her, or the heat of the sulight around her, or hear the birds; she could not feel anything except her breath catching within her throat, the suppressed sobs that she knew would surface, and the tears that were stinging her eyes. This is not happening. Despite the brightness of the still early day, she felt so cold. Her feet hurried, and before long she drew near enough to throw herself down on the ground onto her knees, next to his broken body.

“My Oren”, she whispered, “my sweet Adar”. She tenderly stroked his face, looking down into those beautiful eyes the color of the river. “What happened?” Her eyes poured silent tears. She took his hand as he related the event with what appeared to be his last strength.

“It was my children…” he said, in a broken whisper. “They came to betray me”.

Mirthoniel just shook her head. She couldn’t wrap her mind around this. “Why?”

Adar breathed a rattled breath, and again whispered, barely audibly.

“Sauron…”

Mirthoniel felt the true weight of what had happened now. The Uruks had been tricked by Sauron’s lies into betraying their Father. She could not speak.

She looked down to where his body was slashed by many ghastly wounds. Her tears flowed as she squeezed his hand tighter, yet with all the tenderness that she had ever held him with. She saw that his beautiful armor from the First Age was torn open with holes, and that some of his wounds were pouring with black blood.

She looked back up to his eyes and saw that they were glazing over.

“Oren, no..!” She brought her face closer to his and caught his gaze in a lucid moment. “I am never going to leave you”, she promised. “I am going to save you.”

And in a last effort to save all that she adored and the love of her life, she pulled another gift from her pocket, just like when she had given him the sage blossoms in the barn so long ago.

“This is for you”, she sniffed. From the shadows of her garments she withdrew the heirloom mithril necklace, the gift she had intended for him since the very beginning. Made by the Elves of Tol Eressëa long ago with mithril from her homeland of Numenor, its glistening silvery chain glittered in the sunlight, a ray of hope within the darkness of the surrounding scene. Its tiny charm dangled as it also caught the light, sparkling like a silvery-white star. There was something so strong, so pure, and so invincible about this small mithril object, something absolutely unbreakable, as timeless and unbreakable as their love that she would hold so dear for the rest of time.

As if it could have been her very last act of love toward him in this lifetime, she very tenderly unfastened the delicate chain and, placing it softly and lovingly around his neck, she whispered a prayer to Nienna. Her Faithful mother had taught her the words to the prayer for a last hope to the Weeping Vala long ago. And she whispered them now.

After this, Mirthoniel placed her hand on his heart, her face close enough to his that she could feel his faint breathing, feeling also that it was growing fainter by the minute.

“Nienna, please…” she whispered. “Eru, please…”

Her tears flowed now, and she rested her face against his chest, and from the bottom of her heart, heavy, heaving sobs wracked her entire being. Her tears fell into the wounds of her beloved, and his blood had stained her clothes, for which she cared not. And then finally after what felt like an Age of the world, she felt his hand tighten on hers.

“Oren, beloved, I’m here”, she sobbed.

She then grasped his hand tighter, and looked into his eyes. Those beautiful, river-colored eyes that she had seen the Elven starlight in even the very first time she had seen him as an Uruk, those beautiful eyes that had inspired her to call him Silith nin. She continued praying, in a barely audible whisper.

“Eru, please… Nienna, please...”

Her fingers lovingly trailed to the mithril necklace, the hope of his redemption never leaving her heart, now bound with the hope of saving his precious life.

“I will not let you be lost”, she whispered. A tear fell silently, and she sniffed.

“Oren, I love you”.

At this last, it was as if the mithril finally started doing what it was meant to do. For Mirthoniel began seeing the color return slowly to his skin. The gaping wounds, they began to stop their bleeding; the smaller ones started to shrink and close. It was such a slow, yet natural process, almost like watching flowers growing toward the sun. She drew a deep breath, sitting back for a moment and observing as the mithril did its work.

At last, his face was once again a softly warm color, and the light was returning to his eyes. He drew a few deep breaths as he looked up at the sun, which warmed his face, its midday light streaming now between the soft boughs of the tall pine trees.

He was fully alive.

“Oren”, she cried out softly. “My beloved Adar”.

He turned his gaze toward her, taking in the sight of her. And again in his heart, he felt the warmth of her presence, his lady of the pine forest who had cared enough to come and save him when no one else would.

“Mirthoniel”, he whispered, still sounding weak but no longer broken. “You have saved me now, twice.”

She leaned over his body, which was no longer bleeding, noticing also that his breath was now even and soft, no longer pained and rattled.

“I will never leave you, my beloved”.

And in her own weakened state, she lay against him, letting the fullness of the miracle sink in. And she kissed him, tears still streaming from her eyes, but now these were a new kind of tears, relieved and happy tears.

And they lay there in the streaming sunlight for an untold amount of time. And again, all around them it was as if time stood still. And around their embrace it felt as if the comforting peace and protection of the Valar was all around them, protecting them from all darkness and all harm.

Chapter Text

Mirthoniel held her beloved, stroking his hair softly, feeling his warmth beside her and the healing warmth of the sun. And along with the sunlight, they felt a sense of peace and safety all around them, as if they were being held softly by the light that surrounded them. In this peace they were able to rest for a long time.

After a while, Adar stirred and looked over to her. His eyes were a clear and warm blue, like a river in midday, and his entire being was filled with peace. He smiled faintly at her, and she smiled back, tenderly pushing a straying lock of his soft dark hair away from his beautiful face.

“My sweet beloved”, she whispered to him. “I am here for you, always”, she promised, her hand softly resting against his heart.

She then felt a presence behind her, nearby. A benevolent presence, for it did not feel at all like the unwelcome and evil presence that she had sensed earlier. She noticed Adar looking over behind her shoulder, sensing the same, gazing calmly. She turned, carefully, looking towards the source of what seemed to be an extra amount of light.

Sitting on a rock nearby, as if watching over them, was a figure of light. It was a gentle presence, and undoubtedly a female form. The light obscured the individual features of her face, yet from where her eyes would be, silver tears made of light seemed to flow silently.

Mirthoniel sat up, astounded, for the being before her could only be Nienna, the Valar who wept for all the sadness that had ever come to pass on Arda, to whom she had prayed so fervently. She got up slightly, enough to move herself onto her knees, and bowed.

“My lady”, she whispered. “Thank you”.

There was no sound except that of the breezes which flowed through the sunny clearing

Nienna turned to look over to where Adar was still lying on the ground, resting quietly. She moved over to settle on her knees beside him, reaching out her hand slowly, and touched his wounds. He sighed peacefully, as if all pain and emptiness was gone from him. Her silver tears fell upon him softly, and in her great compassion for what had befallen him by the work of Morgoth, her gentle touch completed the healing of those wounds which otherwise would have been mortal. 

After a time, Nienna stood, moving back toward the light from whence she had come. Mirthoniel bowed her head again from where she still sat on her knees on the ground, watching the being of light retreat back into the many rays of sunlight that fell into the clearing all around them.

Returning to her beloved’s side, Mirthoniel lay close against him once again, holding him. She was still in awe of what had just happened. Never did she expect to ever see a manifestation of one of the Valar here in Middle Earth. Yet she knew that her heartfelt prayers had been heard, and that Nienna, having seen the undying devotion and purity of Mirthoniel’s love for Adar, felt pity and compassion for them both.

Mirthoniel looked into her dear one’s eyes yet again, those eyes like the river Sirion, that she would never tire of looking into for the rest of time.

“We need to move on from here soon, my beloved”, she whispered, as ever thinking ahead of what may happen next. “We will go south again, and find ourselves a nice pine forest”, she said, smiling sweetly into his eyes, tenderly stroking his hair. “We will build a cottage, just like my cottage in the Southlands”. She blinked, a few tears still falling. So much had happened since then. “We will be safe, and we will be together”. 

Later that same day, Adar was well enough to get up and move, though carefully. Mirthoniel looked after him, and they made their way through the secluded forests toward the South.

Chapter Text

Months had passed since Mirthoniel and Adar had left the lands outside of Eregion. He became stronger all the time, because of mithril, and the blessing of Nienna, but also because of Mirthoniel’s tender care. And because of her skills with hiding stealthily in the forests and moving like a shadow unseen, they were able to make their way far to the south, back to the lands of the old colonial Numenorean farm of Mirthoniel’s family.

When they arrived, they were relieved to see that much of the great old pine forest was still intact and thriving, because it stood so far to the west of the old ruined town. And they went deep into its most hidden heart, where it would be very difficult for them to be found.

Tall fir, cedar and pine trees grew, thick and fragrant in the ancient and beautiful pine forest. This is where they decided to settle, for the pine trees grew so tall and their canopy so full that they were always covered, and a lovely breeze would surround them with their scent and with their lovely and timeless music, whispering overhead in an enduring melody through time.         

And in time, Uruks came along and had followed them. Straying bands, now estranged from their kin who had followed Sauron, wound their way through the woods in lonely and aimless wandering. They had run away, fearing that they had lost their beloved Father, only to be relieved when they had found that he was still alive and traveling with the human woman that was his companion. Eventually, there were more than fifty assembled in their camp, with a few more coming by word of mouth each day.

The Uruks had grown used to their Father’s gentler demeanor and true Elven appearance, though at first a few were confused by it. He would lovingly take them aside and explain to them that he was indeed born an Elf, and that he would always and forever still be their Adar, but that he was healed from the cruelty of the Great Enemy by one of the Valar. He told them nothing of the mystery of the Elven ring, or of the mithril necklace, which was a secret between himself and Mirthoniel.

With the help of Uruk laborers who were all too eager to do something meaningful for their Lord Father, they were able to recreate as closely as possible a cottage like the one that had been left in ruins. Mirthoniel did her best to create a refuge for her beloved, where he could rest and continue to recover.

The Uruks also took it upon themselves to become the guards over their place in the forest. Surrounding their small settlement, most of them took to living in huts on the perimeters, watching over the area for any danger that may threaten the peace of their sanctuary. Yet in the central part of the forest stood the cottage, with ample acreage around it for privacy and for peaceful walks and enjoyment of the quiet natural setting. There were small clearings where flowers of all kinds grew in the sun, and clear streams flowing through between the banks of the trees, all of it softly shaded by the softly whispering pines. And far beyond the forest was a small lake of great beauty, beyond which was a deciduous forest which was already turning the warm golden colors of autumn, and at night the lake’s calm waters reflected the peaceful brilliance of the stars.

In these simple and quiet days, their main focus was on making their permanent home but also on resting and staying hidden. Adar could not be kept from looking after the Uruks, as they were so beloved of his heart, and often during the day he would go out and help oversee the creation of their encampments. They felt secure with their family living on the outskirts of the forest, knowing they would be safe. Uglok had resumed his role of second in command, having been one of the first to return with his large family which included two tall sons, Aglok and Oglok, who were almost grown. The guard was ready, all along the perimeter of the forest, and they watched over the lands of the little cottage as knights would protect a castle.

One evening, with at least a hundred Uruks in attendance, Adar addressed them publicly, just as he had on the night of the fall of the tower of Ostirith so long ago. Mirthoniel stood by him, simply dressed in dark green linen with a dark gray cloak around her shoulders.

“My children”, Adar announced, with as much authority as ever, but now with a gentler tone. “The lady you see beside me is my consort”. Several Uruks looked around at one another, and a few who were standing toward the front bowed in acknowledgement.

Adar continued. “From now on, she is your Mother”. His eyes met hers, and in that moment, when she saw the firelight from the camp reflected in them, Mirthoniel’s eyes filled with tears as she was taken back to that night long ago, when in the firelight of the hill above the Uruk camp, she and her beloved were as one for the first time.

Adar came and wrapped his arms around her in that moment, kissing her lovingly before all the assembly. And after a tight and loving embrace, he stepped away just enough to let his children come to her in acknowledgement. One by one and in small groups and families, the Uruks came to the front, bowing to Mirthoniel, some of them taking her hand and bowing their forehead. She smiled quietly, allowing them to pay respect to her. She then turned to look at Adar.

“I love you”, she whispered, sniffling, her eyes still glistening.

“And I love you”, he whispered back. He came and embraced her again, and they both stood there, looking over the assembled Uruks, their new family.

Chapter Text

Time went on in the forest as if it were endless, with weeks of peaceful days and nights blending into one idyllic dream. By mid year, they had established their hidden forest home, and the Uruk community continued to grow.

In the coolness of an autumn evening, Adar and Mirthoniel walked through the green and quiet shadows of the great pine grove. There was a gentle breeze softly moving the boughs of the tall and ancient trees which surrounded them, making a whispering sound. The sun was setting, and a soft mist of fog from the lake beyond the forest wafted all around, creating a dreamy and magical effect. 

They reached the lake as the night was falling. The sun had just set, leaving soft fingers of purple, blue, and orange clouds far out on the horizon, and a full moon rose over the pine grove behind them as the early night sky was beginning to fill with thousands of silvery-white stars.

His hand tightened softly on hers as he glanced down at her, the softest smile and slightest mischief twinkling in his clear eyes as they reflected the gentle starlight. It was enough to make her swoon. She smiled back up at him in her slight way, a flirtatious sidelong glance with her forest green eyes.

"What are you thinking, Silith nin?" she asked. 

Two dragonflies flew around them, one blue and one green, before swirling up into the darkening sky as if partners in an arcane and lilting dance. 

They stopped in front of a large pine tree, its dark branches and majestic height soaring into the soft evening sky as the clouds moved slowly and peacefully. 

Adar held Mirthoniel around her waist, pulling her gently against him in a soft embrace. 

"I was thinking of making you my bride", he whispered, lowering his forehead to hers and gazing deeply into her eyes before his lips met hers in a tender and soft yet passionate kiss. 

She sighed as he pulled her closer, his embrace and the touch of his lips on hers having no less of an effect on her than they did the very first time, and if anything more. 

"Oren, my beloved.." she whispered, the same phrase she had said when she saw him again after having been parted for so long. She sighed and gave in to more kisses and his gentle embrace. 

"My lady of the forest", he whispered, his forehead touching hers again as he looked into her eyes. "Marry me". 

She was captivated, as always, by his eyes and his voice and by everything about him, the soulmate she had recognized so long ago. 

"Yes", she whispered, tears filling her eyes as she kissed him again. 

Adar looked down into her eyes again, continuing.

"I never forgot you, during all that time", he whispered. And stepping back slightly, he pulled something out from within his clothing. It was a small green cloth, now softened with time. And very carefully, he unwrapped it to show her what was inside. 

Tears rolled from Mirthoniel's eyes as she recognized what it was immediately from so long ago. Now delicately pressed and dried, it was the little sprig of sage blossoms, the ones she had given to him in the barn. He had kept them all this time. 

She sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes. She was speechless, and deeply and emotionally touched. 

"As a poor Uruk for so long, I have no ring to give you", he whispered, "but we will always keep these, together, as a symbol of our promise to one another". 

Mirthoniel touched the side of his face, looking into his eyes. 

"My beautiful Adar", she whispered, "I love you forever". 

"And I love you, Mirthoniel", he whispered, kissing her tenderly, "Forever". 

And as the sunset had given way to the blue of twilight, they stayed there, embracing and kissing one another with the softest and most tender and sincere love. And around them the silvery moon had risen far above them in the sky from over the trees, reflecting its serene silver-blue light over the waters of the lake, which was now also shimmering with the softest reflections of the stars.

All the while, the Uruks prepared a great celebration in honor of their Lord Father and the Mother he had chosen for them. 

Chapter Text

Adar and Mirthoniel were then startled by a great rumbling sound from beyond the lake. Turning to see what the source of that sound was, they were greeted by a burst of explosions high in the sky above the lake, followed by cascades of glittering sparks falling into the water like rivers of sparkling gold stars. 

Chapter Text

~ PART 2: Song of the Havens ~

A soft wind whispered across the land, flowing peacefully over countrysides that refused to give up their eternal right to flourish. It swirled gently through the majestic canopy of pines in the Uruk forest, carrying the hope of new life along with its ancient song. 

Mirthoniel carefully arranged the last of the fresh pine boughs she had collected for decorating the little cottage beneath the pines. She placed a few soft boughs upon the mantle and stood back, looking at the few things she was able to salvage from the ruins of her old home: blankets, some clothing, and a few other useful items which she had placed here and there. She arranged some of the blankets softly over the bed, knowing by the cool breeze flowing through the windows that tonight would be chilly.       

She went back outside beneath the shade of the trees, venturing into the forest a little ways where the canopy grew thick and dark. The fragrance of the evergreens and their soft, whispering song filled her with peace and hope as the late afternoon sunlight slanted down through their feathery boughs. Standing from where she had gathered a few sprigs of dark fir and soft cedar, she felt a presence behind her. Turning carefully, she all but fell into the arms of her beloved.

He caught her softly, supporting her, as she smiled up into his eyes. They were as clear as the nearby stream, with a soft smirk of mischief in them as he looked down into hers.

“I knew I would not find an Uruk here”, he teased, and kissed her lovingly. She sighed, giving in fully to the kiss and the sweetness of the moment.

“Oren…” she whispered, embracing him, burying her face against his soft dark hair. “I missed you today”. He cradled her softly against himself for a moment, and she kissed him tenderly once again before asking, “How are the children?”

“More of them have returned and found the encampment”, he said softly. “They are bringing their families. We must be over two hundred strong”.

Mirthoniel smiled upon hearing this. “And you must be a proud Father”. She kissed him again softly, adding in a slightly mischievous whisper, “…Adar”. 

She pushed his hair back softly from his face, and he sighed at her touch and kissed her more deeply. Tonight would be beautiful, she knew.

As they walked hand in hand back to the cottage, Mirthoniel carried her collected evergreen boughs in one arm. The sun was slanting towards sunset, and the peace of the pine forest surrounded them, as if carried within the atmosphere of a dream.

*          *          *          *          *

On a quiet evening, after having spent time outside the little cottage, they brought the small lanterns which had been brought outdoors in for the night and placed them by the fireplace, safely extinguished. Mirthoniel then dressed for bed and slipped in under the dark green blanket where Adar was already asleep. She curled up against his back and sighed, resting her face against his hair, her arm around him, holding him softly. She didn’t want to disturb him, but softly stroked his hair and kissed the side of his face and his shoulder. He was so beautiful. She whispered “I love you” into his ear, before softly closing her eyes and going to sleep, listening to the peaceful sound of his quiet breath.

Mirthoniel awoke deep in the night, finding herself to be alone. She got up, and, finding her way through their small cottage, found that Adar was sitting awake in their small living room. He was wrapped in a dark blanket, staring deeply into the embers of a small fire.

“Beloved”, she whispered. “Are you alright?”

As she went closer to him she could see that his eyes looked so sad, and his face was trailed with tears. She sat close to him, softly curling herself up under the blanket at his side.

“Meldanya”, he finally whispered, a bit tearfully.

“My love”, she whispered, wiping his tears, touching her forehead softly to his. 

“I was dreaming of Beleriand”, he whispered softly. “I was at the river,” he sniffed. “Then the sky grew dark”. He held her tighter, burying his face against her chest and sobbing quietly.

“Oh, my love”, she whispered. She kissed his soft dark hair, holding him very lovingly, and pulled the blanket tighter around him. She held him tenderly, still stroking his hair, holding him until finally his sobs subsided. 

“Be at peace”, she whispered, kissing his hair again. By now she had tears in her own eyes. She knew that he still had emotions to work through regarding his Elven past.

She lovingly and softly pushed his hair away from his beautiful face. She would always treasure him, and love him, more deeply with each passing day.

“I love you, Oren”, she whispered. She kissed his forehead, resting her own forehead against his. She too was sniffling, but right now she just gazed into the most beautiful clear eyes she had ever seen. “I think we should take some time to go away from here”, she whispered. “Not forever. Just go away for a little while”. She had an idea, one she had been thinking upon now for quite some time.

“The children…” he whispered.

“Uglok will take care of them”, she assured him. “We would be back soon”.

She met his eyes deeply with her own, and he looked back into them with so much love. She was his lady, his soulmate, and the sight of the love in her pine green eyes gave him peace. He dried her tears lovingly.

“Where will we go?” he asked.

She had held an idea in her heart that she knew she eventually wanted to happen, and she knew it must happen now, especially after the events of this night. 

“We will go to the Grey Havens”, she whispered. “We will go to visit Cirdan”.

Adar’s spirit was lifted at the mention of this. He had considered it before, when wondering whether he could be pardoned and accepted by any of the Elves. And he knew that if anyone would accept him, it would be Cirdan, the leader of the clan that he had belonged to so very long ago.

 Mirthoniel continued, her voice soft yet urgent with her plans. “We will leave immediately, just before dawn”, she whispered, hope returning to her heart as surely as it was returning to her beloved’s. “We will arrange it with Uglok. We will travel west as soon as we can”.

Adar smiled sweetly into her eyes. “You are a treasure, meldanya”, he whispered.

“As are you, Silith nin”, she whispered, returning the small smile as she lovingly caressed the side of his face, dreamily getting lost in the gentle starlight in his eyes.

And he held her closely, kissing her with gentleness and intensity. She sighed, remaining in his embrace until they heard the first birds of the hour before dawn.

*          *          *          *          *

While it was still before daylight, Mirthoniel dressed in traveling clothes and went out, carrying one of the lanterns. Adar was right behind her, having closed up the house, bringing their belongings. He would catch up with her on their way to meet with Uglok.

They were met by the tall Uruk and his two sons in the small clearing in front of the cottage, not more than a little ways away.            

“We have a favor to ask of you, Uglok” Mirthoniel questioned. She noticed the Uruk seemed a bit distracted. 

“I’m sorry, Mother”, Uglok said with sincerity, bowing deeply. "There was a small band of our brothers traveling east”, Uglok explained. “Troublemakers. They saw our huts on the edge of the forest and were harrying us, for sport”, he said.

Mirthoniel immediately understood what may have caused her beloved to have nightmares. 

“Heconna”. The Elven slur was whispered by Adar, who had come up behind them. He said it with a tone dripping with disdain, almost as if he had spat the word out. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for”, Mirthoniel said kindly, addressing Uglok. “As I believe you may have saved us”. 

Mirthoniel took her own bags and turned back to Uglok, who looked at Adar. 

“Don’t worry, Father, my boys dealt with them,” Uglok said, smirking. “There were only a few of them, and they’re not coming back from where we sent them”. And he laughed, with a hissing, gurgling sound. 

“We plan to travel”, Mirthoniel said, focusing on the task at hand. “I feel that Adar needs to get away for a while". And in light of what she had just heard about what happened during the night, she knew it was probably for the best that they left now.

Uglok bowed. “How can I help?”          

Mirthoniel continued. “Can you please keep watch over our cottage in our absence, as well as the forest borders, as you always do so faithfully?”, she asked.

“I shall, Mother”, Uglok said, bowing again. 

Mirthoniel turned to Adar, who nodded.

“You will be in command in our absence”, he said, with a quiet authority. 

Uglok bowed to him in deep respect. “I will do well, Lord Father”.

Adar’s hand tightened on Mirthoniel’s, and they looked at each other. There was one last detail to the plan.

“Uglok”, Mirthoniel ventured, “Would you be so kind as to allow us to have two Uruk scouts with us, who can help in case we need them?”

Uglok looked behind him to where his two sons were pushing each other around in the walkway, laughing and sparring. He called to them abruptly in Black Speech, and they came over.

“Aglok and Oglok will accompany you”, he said. The boys pulled themselves together and stood up, as well as two young Uruks could, looking ready for the task. Adar nodded at the boys, and they bowed.

“Thank you, Uglok”, Mirthoniel said. “They will be safe, we promise you”. 

“And our home will be safe”, he promised in return.

She nodded to him, with a slight bow in Numenorean fashion, and they bid him farewell.

At the first sign of dawn, their little party left the clearing, heading through the forest to the great woods beyond. They traveled west, while Uglok and the Uruks kept watch all around their encampment.

Chapter Text

Mirthoniel awoke to a clear cool morning. The sounds of the soft breezes in the trees and the coo of doves greeted her senses along with the scent of the dewy earth and distant flowers and the rosy glow of sunrise far above in the sky. 

The trip west to the Havens was long but blessedly uneventful. Yet they were grateful for the presence of Aglok and Oglok, who were a great help along the way with carrying the heavier bundles and keeping watch.

The last evening had been pleasant, and she had curled up closely against her beloved and slept peacefully, knowing that the boys were looking after them. Now she rose, wrapping a soft green shawl around her shoulders and walking down to the nearby river. 

She followed the slightly beaten path down to the water's edge, where she knew her beloved had gone. And as sure as she had known, he was there, sitting on a low rock by the water, quietly gazing over its cool blue surface. She slowly and stealthily slipped into the clearing from behind him, emerging from behind a few soft pine branches. She tiptoed around the rock and sat on her knees in front of him. 

She sighed as she looked up to his eyes and saw that they reflected the clear light color of the water. She softly placed her hands over his.

"Oren", she whispered. He looked down at her and she smiled up at him sweetly in her slight way. "You were awake early". 

"I had more dreams", he answered quietly, not moving his gaze from the water. "My memories of Beleriand keep resurfacing". After a pause he added, "They're so real, it's as if I am still there". 

Mirthoniel could sense the sadness in him. She moved up to sit on the rock beside him. She reached up to softly touch his face, and he looked down at her. She smiled up at him sweetly, her fingers lightly trailing over the precious mithril necklace which, as he wore it when not otherwise injured, restored his original Elven appearance. 

"When we are in the Havens you will make peace with it all, Silith nin", she whispered lovingly. And she knew in her heart that they were doing the right thing. He needed this. He needed to reconnect with his past. And she so wanted to give him back this part of himself, she always had.

She rested her head against his shoulder. He slid his arm around her and held her warmly, and when she looked up to his eyes again he took her face into his hand and kissed her very softly, as gently and tenderly as flower petals. And they lingered in the softness of the moment, as the sun continued its ascent over the river.

*          *          *          *          *

At last on a bright day in early summer they arrived at the Grey Havens. The quiet city was ancient, yet comfortable, with its Elven architecture spaced out in a way that followed the natural contours of the land. The sounds and scents of the sea were all around, and they breathed the sea air in deeply. The sky above seemed to have its own graceful, magical atmosphere. Looking up, she noticed high bands of clouds, nebulous and misty in the soft blue sky, like wings stretched over the peaceful city as if welcoming them.

They had let Aglok and Oglok find a place to set up camp outside of the city in the woodland where they would not be found. They had been told that this would be where they were staying for the entire summer, and they agreed with them that it would not be wise for them to enter a dwelling place of the Elves. They would also be keeping watch for any unwanted attention surrounding the city, as an extra precaution.

Adar gave Aglok a small, dark horn. “If you come to any harm, blow this. I will hear it and come to you”.

Aglok bowed, his younger brother following suit. “Thank you, Lord Father”.

The sounds and scents of the sea were all around, and she breathed the sea air in deeply; and the sky above seemed to have its own graceful, magical atmosphere. Looking up, she noticed high bands of clouds, like outstretched wings of the ainur, stretched over the peaceful city like mist in the soft blue sky. Mirthoniel was reminded of being in Numenor as a child, and having seen the Elven-inspired architecture on the western shores of Andunië, she was filled with a sense of nostalgia. She looked over at Adar, who by the look in his eyes was similarly affected, and she smiled slightly at him, sensing what he must be feeling in these surroundings. His eyes met hers and he smiled back softly, gently squeezing her hand before returning his gaze toward the far off sea.         

Mirthoniel had sent word to Alandil while they were along the road, telling him that she had found her Oren and that they were together, traveling toward the Havens. She had also told him a little about their plans while they would be there, which most importantly involved meeting with Cirdan, and finding the links to her beloved’s distant past. She had filled him in just enough, explaining that he had been through a traumatic experience and was estranged from his homeland, and that she knew he would find peace and healing in Cirdan’s ancient Elven city.

She smiled to herself now, knowing that Alandil had arranged for them the appointed place and time to meet with Cirdan. She also knew from his return letter that by mid summer Alandil would be arriving, to spend time there with them and to finally meet Oren, the one so beloved of the woman he had come to regard as his own daughter. She carried the letter with her today, in case she would need it.

They walked toward a large building near the seaside. Though larger than the others, it was still of a comfortable scale, and of ancient beauty. The property was surrounded by vast and varied gardens, sprawling with many places to walk and studded throughout with very old and large trees, leading to the woodland to the south beyond, with beaches and forests that sprawled toward the edges of the sea.

An Elven acolyte greeted them, one with the air of a scribe rather than a guard, and walked them to the back of the house where there on the terrace stood Cirdan the Shipwright. His steely blue eyes regarded the Elf and Numenorean who walked toward the low steps that he stood upon. His silvery white hair and long beard were offset by the golden tones of the robe he wore, and his demeanor was steeped in ages of wisdom. Yet there was also a rather comfortable informality about him, as he was still a Shipwright after all.

As they walked up to where he was standing, Mirthoniel bowed in the custom of the Numenoreans, and Adar bowed in the manner of the Elves, remaining quiet. When they looked up at Cirdan, he had a relaxed smile on his face that was enough to put them at ease immediately.

Chapter Text

Cirdan led them into a main hall, which was great yet comfortable, surrounded by dark wooden columns carved with curving natural motifs, topped by pointed wooden arches. The entire feeling of the building was calming and shadowy, yet also filled with light, a beautiful nod to the natural world. Mirthoniel looked over at her beloved, and noticed something entitely different emanating from his being, a lightness of spirit and a deepened sense of peace and calm. He was here in the ancient halls of his beautiful Elven culture, a place where he belonged since he was born. She could see how well he fit in, and she sensed his spirit relaxing as he looked around, a natural sense of belonging that was both contagious and tangible, and she saw him as if he were here in an ancient time amidst the beauty of surroundings like these, in Beleriand long ago. He appeared to be part of all of this. It was both beautiful and undeniable.

Mirthoniel noted that Cirdan likely saw this too, as she noticed him stealing glances at Adar. The Shipwright’s bright and perceptive eyes flashed from one to the other, and he seemed to know and recognize the dark haired Elf who walked at her side. She couldn’t help noticing that he also was looking at the way they held hands, and the glances of love between them.

Cirdan walked them into the next room, a somewhat brighter room filled with manuscripts and books, and on its walls between the bookshelves tapestries were hung, great and ancient, from wooden floor to vaulted ceiling, artistically recalling the events of the First Age and the story of the Sindar.

He motioned for them to sit, which they did, on a comfortable loveseat covered in woven fabrics pattered with birds and flowering plants in deep red and earthy green and brown colors. Cirdan sat in a large chair across from them, next to which was a sturdy and beautifully carved end table, upon which was a pile of large and ancient manuscripts. He regarded the couple seated across from him with his calm yet twinkling eyes, and Mirthoniel recognized a certain look in them that was decidedly Elven, an inner light which shone always from their immortal spirits, the same light that she had seen in her beloved’s eyes. She looked up at him, and he tightened his grasp on her hand ever so softly. She could see that light in his eyes now, that Elven starlight which she loved so much.

Cirdan addressed them in his wise yet relaxed manner.

“Oren”, he addressed Adar directly, using his Elven name. “I believe I know what you seek here in the Havens”. He went on calmly, “Alandil came ahead of you, and told me why you were both coming.”

Mirthoniel smiled in her slight way at the mention of Alandil, he was ever so faithful. Cirdan continued.

“And Mirthoniel”, he addressed her next. “Alandil has told me all about you. He will be returning later in the season”, he said, then addressing them both, “but you are both welcome to stay here until then. I have arranged a room for you, and you may stay as long as your purpose requires”.

He looked keenly at Adar, who was looking at him as if he were looking at someone he thought he would never see again. “And for you, my friend, I have things that you will treasure, and that will give you peace”.

Adar acknowledged this with a slight bow of his head in Elven fashion. His eyes looked very sad, and Cirdan then looked at him in a way that could only be considered fatherly.

“I never thought I would see you again, after that fateful night”, Cirdan went on, and then lowered his voice to a near whisper. “Mae tollen na mar”.

Adar’s eyes filled with silent and unshed tears. He was home. He was here in the Havens, the new home of Cirdan, the leader of his clan from so long ago. He exhaled quietly, as if letting out all the tension from literal ages of this world. At long last, he had made it home.

Mirthoniel squeezed her beloved’s hand tightly and softly, encouragingly. She wanted nothing more than to hold and comfort him in this moment, but remained an encouraging presence as he reunited with his ancient acquaintance.

Cirdan picked up one of the ancient books he had at his side. They were bound in soft leather, and this one was a blue and gray color with intricate knotwork motifs around its corners, not unlike the beautiful knotwork borders which graced the tapestries. He opened to a time-worn parchment page which looked like a family tree.

“You seek to find your past, and make peace with it”, Cirdan said, not without a typically Elven sensitivity.

“Yes”, Adar whispered.

Cirdan carefully leafed through the pages, placing his hand on one of them, on a family tree which seemed to go very far back. “I remember when your mother brought you to Eglarest”, he said nostalgically, “a young dark haired elleth with a tiny baby boy”. Cirdan recalled the small bundle in her arms as she came to him, looking for refuge and safety. “She loved you dearly, and your father”. Cirdan noticed Adar’s slight smile as he listened. Cirdan went on, “And you grew into such an intelligent and sensitive youth.” Cirdan smiled too as he recalled the young Oren. “You were kind and loving, with a deep love of nature”.

Mirthoniel smiled to herself also, knowing these things to be true, for she knew her beloved’s heart.

Cirdan carefully turned another page. “And your father… you so badly wanted to be like him”. His eyes stared at the page, and it looked as if he were almost looking back through time at this little Elven family. “He had gone away to fight in Thingol’s army, and you admired him so. Yet we could not imagine that it was a job for one with such a tender spirit and love of life. So we arranged for your post at the river as a Marchwarden”.

Adar sighed at the memory of his beloved river, immediately recalling once again the treasured image of Sirion’s banks in bloom with delicate purple sage flowers in the spring.

“I was so happy there”, he whispered.

Mirthoniel’s heart swelled with love, for she knew this was her beloved’s dearest memory. Her eyes filled with loving tears, and she held his hand tighter, resting against his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her, kissing her hair.

Cirdan saw the love between them and his heart was warmed. He knew in this moment that Oren had found his true love, and that she loved him dearly.

“I am sure we will discuss many things at length while you are both here”, Cirdan said, “but I have one more thing for you, Oren. You will treasure it”.

Cirdan put the book of family trees down beside him and reached for another. This one was bound in deep red parchment, decorated as beautifully as the last one in deep green knotwork. He opened its cover to display a piece of artwork, carefully drawn in deep and rich colors and symbolism. He turned it around so that they could look at it and take it, and Adar brought it to his lap to gaze upon it, the ancient crest of his family.

Mirthoniel beheld it from beside him. It was a beautiful piece telling a story in pictures. It was in the top left corner a deep dark red, with entwining knotwork symbolic of an ancient family. In the top right corner was the image of a great tall fir tree, its dark green pendulous boughs extending down toward green grass. On the bottom left corner was a wide blue river, undoubtedly the river Sirion, and in the bottom right corner was in silver and gold with details of deep blue, the sigil of the Marchwardens.

Adar looked upon it peacefully and lovingly, if a bit sadly and nostalgically, yet his heart was soaring. This was who he was, and who he would always be.

Cirdan smiled, his Elf eyes twinkling again. “You may keep it”.

“Thank you”, he whispered.

Cirdan finally stood, and they followed.

“This library is yours while you are here”, Cirdan said. “Enjoy all that it has to offer. I will see you again soon”. And he bowed to them, and smiled, and disappeared through another doorway.

Mirthoniel looked up at her beloved. She knew him now, more truly than she ever had. And her heart was full to bursting with love for him, love that until now she never knew could grow any greater or deeper. She sighed, looking into his beautiful starlit eyes as he embraced her.

“My Oren”, she whispered, “I love you so much”.

He leaned down toward her, holding her, his forehead against hers.

“And I love you”, he whispered, and then and there they kissed, fully and deeply, right in the center of the ancient library, in the slanting light of the fading day.

 *         *          *          *          *

The lovely blue room that had been set aside for them was quiet and comfortable. They retired early, seeking some time to themselves.

Mirthoniel looked up into her beloved’s beautiful eyes, those eyes the color of his beloved river that she loved so much. As always she noticed and cherished the soft starlight in them. All she could think about was everything they had learned from Cirdan about his earlier life, and how it felt as if she were falling in love with him all over again, this time even more deeply. She had always seen and loved the beautiful Elf within him, that she now held in her arms.

“Meldanya,” Adar whispered. There was so much on his mind. Though welcoming, Cirdan kept looking at him as if something were bothering him. He hadn’t told him about the Uruks, or that he was in fact the same Uruk leader who had caused so much trouble for the Elves. All he ever wanted was a home for his children. And he already missed them. But he knew he needed to speak with Cirdan in greater depth.

"Do you think that if Cirdan knew everything, that he would forgive me?"

She was overwhelmed with many emotions. She softly stroked his hair, and the side of his face, and delicately traced his high cheekbone and the outline of his Elven ear lovingly with her fingertips. She lovingly ran her fingers through his soft dark hair, the gentle glow of the light in the room bringing out red tints in its color. 

"I think you should try. He remembers you so fondly" she whispered, supportively, but her eyes looked sad. 

"I need to settle this", he said softly. "I need to earn the kindness he has shown to me". 

"Then I stand behind your decision", Mirthoniel answered. She was willing to support him in whatever he needed to do. 

Adar looked at a far away point across the room. "I often feel that I will never again be worthy of being counted among the Elves. Not after everything I've done."

Mirthoniel's heart broke upon hearing these words. 

"That isn’t true", she replied, quietly yet emphatically. "You were born an Elf, and you still are one and always will be."

She lovingly looked up into his eyes again. Everything about him was so beautiful to her. His beautiful Elven features, the warm glow of his skin tone, the soft twinkle in his eyes that was always there, as if they were lit from within with the light of the timeless stars. 

She blinked, tears filling her eyes. 

"Meldanya", he whispered again. "What is wrong?" His eyes were filled with tenderness.

“I love you, Oren”, she whispered. “And I wish that I had been there to save you.” Her whisper was soft and loving, yet tearful. “And that I was there to love you, long ago".

He listened, his eyes not leaving hers. He held her face in his hand, tenderly drying her tears. 

"Oh, meldanya", he whispered, holding her softly, lovingly stroking her hair. "You are here to love me now". He kissed her forehead before gazing into her eyes again. “And you have saved me.” He would never forget the day she had visited him in the old barn, on her knees in the dust and hay, tending to his wounds, and to his heart. Nor would he forget the day she saved him from the attack on his life, or her inexhaustible prayers to the Valar on his behalf. He would cherish these memories forever. “You have been there for me, more than you could ever know”, he whispered softly.

His whisper was the sweetest sound she had ever heard. She embraced him, and her tears felt silently against his heart as he held her, stroking her hair softly. “Na i sidh”, he whispered tenderly.

At length she looked up into his eyes.      

"Take me back there with you", she whispered, her heart breaking with love for him. "Let me know you as you were then". 

“Meldanya”, he whispered softly, pulling her closer and kissing her again, gently and passionately.

“Oren, Silith nin” she sighed, her heart breaking with desire as she embraced him.

And he embraced her, loving her gently and tenderly as the soft silver light from the moon and stars came through their windows and bathed them in its ethereal glow.

Chapter Text

In the coolness of a green summer evening, Mirthoniel and Adar stood in the downstairs hallway of Cirdan’s mansion before going separate ways for the evening. Her eyes were encouraging and filled with love as she held his hands in hers.

“I know this will go well”, she said, smiling with her eyes. “He loves you like a son. He will listen, he will understand”. She kissed him again, her eyes not leaving his, and she sighed as she remained pleasantly lost in their starlit depths.

“Pray for me”, he whispered.

“I will, beloved”, she whispered, and they embraced, holding one another close against each other’s hearts for a long time.

At length, Mirthoniel gave him another encouraging smile before turning to walk outside into the cool green evening for a walk amongst the garden of great trees.

Adar inhaled the summer evening air, asking the Valar for their help as he turned to join Cirdan in the great library.

The room was lit with the cool evening light, and a few lanterns were lit, which gave the library a gentle glow. Cirdan was already waiting for his kinsman, and when Adar entered the room he motioned for him to sit down. He sat in the same place where he had sat only a few days before with Mirthoniel, with Cirdan in the same place where he had sat across from them.

“You have things to tell me”, Cirdan gently encouraged with his tone of voice, settling into his big chair as if he had all the time in the world.

 “Yes”, Adar whispered. “I came to you to ask for pardon”.

Cirdan nodded slowly, allowing him to open up to him at a pace he was comfortable with.

“After my capture by the Great Enemy, I was changed”, Adar began, not wanting to revisit all the pain and torment, but needing to confess to Cirdan. “I went through unspeakable torture. And it changed me.”

Cirdan was saddened by hearing these things, but not at all surprised. He nodded again in encouragement, listening.

Adar continued. “After such a long time there, I finally broke free. But the trauma, and the changes inflicted upon me, they stayed. They marred me. The darkness still existed within me, like a parasite I did not want. But, I fought it. I fought to keep my memories, and to hold on to the ways of the Eldar”.

Cirdan, nodded again, gravely, acknowledging that these things were dire, and the pain his kinsman had endured. His eyes looked sad.

“I am sorry that you of all Elves needed to go through such things”, he sad quietly and sadly, for it truly pained his heart, “You who were always so gentle”. His eyes met Adar’s. “Of course none of it was your fault”.

Adar knew the next words he would say would be the hardest, but he went on.

“During that time of darkness, during those many long years, I was forced to sometimes use the darkness, in order to survive. I destroyed lands, and people, in the name of keeping safe the race I began to see as my own children.”

Cirdan began connecting it all together now. He remembered the scarred and dark Elf leading armies of orcs, the one they called Adar, who was responsible for so much destruction.

Cirdan exhaled. He didn’t understand how it were possible, that such a gentle and quiet Elf could become so fierce. Yet he knew that the Enemy’s methods were ruthless, and it pained him to think of how broken he must have become to commit such atrocities.

Adar’s eyes grew very sad, and almost tearful. “I have come now to ask forgiveness from you, as my clan leader, and one who was always a mentor to me”.

Cirdan paused, in a moment of deliberation. He could of course have him punished for his crimes, yet he felt strongly that what he had already been through was punishment enough. And yet here he was sitting here, just as he remembered him, fully healed and repentant, redeemed and whole. 

“What can I say, except that I must, and do, forgive you.”

Adar nodded slightly, his eyes teary. “Thank you, Cirdan”.

Both were silent for an extended moment, before Adar went on once again, explaining how his encounter with an Elven ring cleansed him of all darkness and brought him redemption, and how he almost died were it not for the precious gift of mithril given to him by Mirthoniel, as well as her ceaseless intercessory prayer to Nienna, which brought him the Vala's touch and complete restoration and healing. 

“Mirthoniel saved me”, he said, his heart once again feeling calm as he thought about their love. “And I am here now with you because she brought me here”.

Cirdan understood so much in that moment. “She brought you out of darkness”.

Adar nodded. “She loved me even in the darkness. She saw the light in me.”

Cirdan smiled. “I saw the love between you right from the moment I saw you together”. In all of his time in Middle Earth, he could still be moved by such a story.

Adar continued. “We are given to one another. And we would love to celebrate this here, with you, in this place.”

Cirdan’s smile widened and his eyes were no longer sad, but bright and sparkling with hope for the renewed future of his kinsman.

“Upon the return of Alandil of Numenor, we will do just that”, he promised.

Adar smiled gently back at Cirdan, his own eyes sparkling.  

*          *          *          *          *

As Mirthoniel walked out into the cool green evening, the breezes in the many trees seemed to sing a soft and peaceful song. And as she walked, she prayed to the Valar that her beloved would be pardoned, and that all would be well. But she was not afraid. And she also knew that he would be talking with Cirdan about their union, and the chance to make it known.

As if the breezes were leading her, she walked to a wide yet very secluded part of the garden on its west side, the last light of the day surrounding the many great trees with soft green shadows. She found peace here surrounded by the trees, and was particularly drawn to one great tree, a tremendous weeping beech. Its long, pendulous branches were weighed down to the ground with a copious fullness of small green leaves, which made beautiful fluttering music in the breezes of the evening.

Mirthoniel walked around the giant tree, its scale overwhelming her. It took her a while to feel as if the tree were going to allow her to come closer, for at first its ponderous size gave it a certain air of reticence, and her reverence for great trees made her feel as if she needed to wait before coming any closer. But then she saw it, what looked like a doorway between its great fluttering branches, inviting her to go in.

The first thing she noticed was the size of its trunk, and its many branches made a cool green curtain all around, which softly swayed in the breezes. And then she saw something that should have surprised her, but did not, as she had seen many similar things on trees, especially great ones. The trunk seemed to have a face. And as she looked upon it at length, it revealed to her that it had a benevolent and calm gaze from the one gray and woody eye that she could see, and that the rest of the face seemed to yawn as she came closer.

Mirthoniel blinked, at first in disbelief, but then she smiled. She should have known that among these great trees, in this ancient and beautiful and magical place, that there would be Ents.

“May I come in?” she asked it softly. Its face was gentle, and definitely had a female look, as that of a great great grandmother, wise and all knowing.

“You may, Dunadaneth”, the Ent replied. Woman of the West. Mirthoniel smiled as she realized that the ancient being perceived her correctly. The Ent's voice was definitely female, and old sounding, and yet its sound was backed by the sound of the wind, and a certain soft roar, as if ages of the earth were behind that sound.

Mirthoniel stepped closer, at first tentatively, and then came in closer to the Ent’s face and trunk as it seemed to invite her into her canopy and allow her presence there. She stood under the great green canopy as the many heavily leafed branches swayed softly around her in the gentle summer wind. It was as if she had stepped into another world, a world of endless green.

“I am Mirthoniel”, she said quietly. “What may I call you?”

The Ent replied in that ancient and ponderous voice. “I am Summergreen”.

Mirthoniel mused for a moment over the fact that she was talking to a tree. But she had long known about the Ents, she just never thought that she would actually meet one. She stood in awe of the being, knowing that when Ents spoke, it meant that they deemed it important enough to say what needed to be said.

“You will understand one day, not very long from now”, she went on. “Your people will thrive through the Ages. They will seek the safety of exile, and live a hidden life in the woodlands of Middle Earth, much like you have done.” After she said this, a breeze ruffled through her great long branches, making the many leaves of her canopy resound in a concurrent song.

Mirthoniel looked around at the moving canopy, allowing the Ent’s message to sink in, feeling in that moment as if she were just told something very momentous that she did not yet have the capacity to understand.

The Ent looked at her as if she could see through her, the ancient face all but seeming to smile. “Yet your first responsibility is to the Elf who holds your heart. Go to him, and love him, for he needs you as he fulfills his own destiny.”

Mirthoniel smiled. “I will,” she promised. “He is my soulmate, and I will love him always.”

The Ent looked at her as if smiling knowingly with her one visible woody gray eye. “May the blessing of the Ents be upon your union”, she said, and as she finished, her face seemed to sink back into the smooth gray bark of her trunk, her eye seeming to smile off into the direction of an even greater tree, another beech, who seemed to bow slightly in the summer wind in acknowledgement, its many lower branches swaying in unison.

Mirthoniel bowed to the Ent. “Thank you”, she said quietly, and backed out slowly from beneath her great green canopy.

As she walked back toward Cirdan’s mansion, she stopped halfway and stepped back, looking back into the direction she came from. The great silhouette of the Ent sprawled and all but dominated the entire corner of the property. And a short distance away, the other larger tree seemed to even more effectively dominate another nearby corner. And as she walked away, her heart was light and refreshed and filled with a new sense of purpose.

It was just getting dark when she arrived at the mansion, near the doorway where she had left from just a little while before. Adar was waiting there for her, a sweet smile on his face and in his starlit eyes.

“He will perform the ceremony”, he whispered, embracing her, and they kissed joyfully, and he brought his forehead down to hers, looking into her eyes. “And he has forgiven me”. This last was an even softer whisper.

“This makes me so happy”, Mirthoniel whispered back, softly touching the side of his face, before they kissed again.

And they went together upstairs to their lovely blue room, where she told him all about the Ent, and as the same breezes flowed through their window that were wafting over the gardens filled with ancient trees, the sound of the leaves were as a lullaby, and they fell asleep peacefully with lightened hearts and ethereal dreams.

Chapter Text

On a bright day in late summer, Alandil arrived in the Havens. It had been a while now since hearing from Mirthoniel that she would be here with her loved one, with whom she had finally been reunited. He walked up the flat stone steps of the house of Cirdan, knowing that this is where they would be waiting to greet him.

Before going in, he turned toward the sea, taking a deep breath. His clear eyes seemed to pierce the horizon as he was reminded of Numenor far away, and of all the trouble that was brewing in the island country. During his time in Lindon, news had come to him of the rise of the King’s Men, and the oppression of the Faithful which was becoming more and more prevalent. But he would not think of these things right now. As a friend of the Elves himself, his extended time in Middle Earth was a welcome respite.

Walking up to the arched doorway which led through to a shaded courtyard, he followed an Elven footman through to where Cirdan was standing to greet him.

Cirdan’s bright Elven eyes smiled as Alandil walked toward him, and after Alandil bowed his head in customary reverence, the two clasped hands in greeting.

“Mae govannen, my old friend”, Cirdan said, smiling. “They are waiting for you”.

Cirdan led him into the courtyard, where Mirthoniel and her beloved were sitting beneath the shade of a tree. Alandil smiled as he looked at them together, seeing the love between them as they seemed to be all but oblivious to the goings on around them. Mirthoniel looked happy and at peace, dressed in deep green and sitting beside her Elf, who was dressed simply in a light brown Elven robe. He couldn’t help but smile, seeing how happy they were and in their own world.

As Alandil and Cirdan walked closer, Mirthoniel looked over to see them. She stood, smiling, a certain lightness in her eyes and in her demeanor that Alandil had never seen before. She walked over to him, taking Adar’s hand as he followed her.

As she came closer, she and Alandil exchanged a familial hug.

“It’s good to see you again, Alandil”, she said, and turning to her left, she met her beloved’s eyes with a sweet smile before turning back toward Alandil.

“Alandil, this is Oren”, she said, as they finally met one another at long last.

Alandil observed the Elf standing before him, and he was exactly as Mirthoniel had described him, tall, dark-haired and fair, with eyes the color of a river in the sunlight. Alandil smiled, so happy that Mirthoniel had found him and that they were together at last.

“Mae govannen”, he said, “I have heard so much about you.”

“Mae govannen, Alandil”, Adar said quietly.

Mirthoniel smiled at both of them, and addressed Alandil. “We have a lot to catch up on, and a lot to celebrate.”

And for the remainder of the afternoon, they sat in the courtyard, talking about their journeys since parting ways. Alandil filled them in with stories about the time he had just spent traveling among the Elves, and while Adar listened you could see the wistfulness in his eyes when hearing about the Elven lands as they reminded him of his earlier life. Mirthoniel sat aside, allowing them to get to know one another, and was happy that they got along so well. At length, they told him the good news of their betrothal, and about their plans to wed in the Havens.

“This is wonderful indeed”, Alandil said, beaming. He looked over at Cirdan, who had reentered the courtyard after having left the three to talk amongst themselves.

“It is news worth celebrating”, Cirdan said, joining them to sit and talk for the remainder of the afternoon as his household prepared a special dinner to welcome Alandil and to celebrate the upcoming wedding.

*          *          *           *          *

Later that evening, Mirthoniel walked with Alandil in the garden while Adar stayed behind to talk with Cirdan. They walked out toward the edge of the grass, where the sea could be seen. Both Numenoreans enjoyed the sea air and the lovely evening, yet the thought of Numenor was in the backs of their minds.

“What have you heard from Numenor?” Mirthoniel asked. She had not lived there since her early childhood, but had been many times since to visit. She remembered in vivid detail her first sight of her ancestral homeland looming on the horizon in a soft morning mist. The bustling port city of Romenna, with its towers of white marble above a lively scene of ships coming and going, and far beyond the silver peak of Meneltarma which could be seen in the distance from everywhere in the land crowning the sight with its majesty, reminding her of how her forefathers must have felt when they first set their eyes upon this glittering land. The thought of Numenor made her feel like a little girl again.

She inhaled deeply, the evening air filling her lungs and bringing her back to the present.

“I’m afraid it isn’t good”, Alandil said, a bit gravely. He didn’t want to go into too many details now, so as not to overburden her at a time that was already uncertain.

“It is as I have guessed, then”, she said, with a bit of resignation. She had heard stories about the way the Faithful were being persecuted there.

Alandil exhaled. “I’m afraid so”.

Mirthoniel gazed over the sea, and then turned around to face the beautiful gardens of Cirdan’s property, which were studded with great and ancient trees like great emerald jewels on a pillow, the deep green of their garden bed calm and serene beneath the deepening blue of the evening sky.

“I am glad that Middle Earth is my home now”, she said quietly. “Here, with Oren, is where I belong”. She smiled slightly, her gaze moving over the landscape to where the Ents peacefully slumbered as the stars began softly twinkling in the darkening sky.

Alandil nodded. “It is a wise choice to stay”, he said, deterring her just in case she had any thoughts of one day revisiting Numenor. “A choice that I may ultimately make myself.”

Mirthoniel could only encourage him in this. “Yes. It is our destiny to live in Middle Earth. I feel it, I know it”.

Alandil listened, for he realized that her wisdom had grown since last he saw her, and he knew that she was now healed from the grief that had followed her.

“Exile, here, is the safest choice for our people”, Mirthoniel went on, quietly, yet urgently. “It is our only choice now.” And she told him all about the way she had lived in the Southlands, and how she stayed hidden, living a simple and quiet life in the forest, yet holding the ways of the Faithful in her heart.

Alandil listened, considering her every word. And he looked out over the sea again, and then back over the land. And with the modest gift he had of foresight at times of great need, he saw a vision of Numenoreans dressed much like she was, living in safety in hidden lives beneath the trees.

He looked back at her, and there was a slight smile in her forest-colored eyes. And he knew in that moment that her words were wisdom that he would carry back to the Faithful.

A misty moon began to rise over the sea, casting a silvery blue glow over the gardens and reminding them that they should get back to the mansion. Yet Mirthoniel had one last thing to ask of Alandil.

“You will give me away, won’t you?” She smiled, yet there were tears in her eyes.           

Alandil smiled. “Of course I will”, he said, smiling. He wiped a stray tear from her cheek with his thumb, as one would for a child, and clasped her into a fatherly hug.

And they walked back together toward the mansion of Cirdan, and though bittersweet, their conversation gave joy to their hearts.

Mirthoniel stole a last glance over toward the distant green shadows of the Ents, sending them an acknowledging smile before heading indoors where her beloved was waiting.

Chapter Text

The full moon's light made the coastal landscape look an ethereal shade of silvery blue. The slightest cool breeze softly rustled the treetops, its whispering sound gently adding to the night's timeless song.

Mirthoniel and Adar had left the house of Cirdan at nightfall to go walking. The secluded woodlands, and the serene landscape of the sea, called them often to explore, and this night they ended up on one of the many peaceful beaches of the Havens.

Mirthoniel sat at the water's edge, feeling the ebb and flow of the shallowest waves as they softly rolled over her feet. She was reminded of her childhood in Numenor, when she had always been enchanted by the sea. She was calmed by the rhythmic pounding of the distant surf, its deep sounds echoing softly over the rocks and the expanse of the water. 

The night was warm, and the gentle wind touseled her hair and her skin felt the soft coolness of the night air. 

She looked over at Adar, who had come to sit closely beside her. His eyes were as clear as the moonlight, and his hair as dark as the surrounding shadows. She sighed to herself at the sight of him. He was quiet, lost deeply in thought, but now that she met his eyes with her own she saw the sweetest slight smile in them. 

"Surely you won't sit by yourself all night, meldanya", he whispered, with a slightly flirtatious and affectionate tone which was enough to make her swoon.

"Not any more than you would, Marchwarden", she whispered back, matching his flirtation with a glance from her pine forest eyes.

Adar gazed over the moonlit sea. “I am reminded of my early days in Beleriand in the haven of Eglarest, when I was a very young Elf.”

Mirthoniel smiled. “We are feeling the same, then”, she said quietly. “I was just happily remembering Numenor.”

Adar looked at her again. “I was always enamored of the sea, as all Elves are”, he whispered. “And now I have another reason to love it, for it has brought you to me.”

She met his eyes for a very long time. At length he very softly took her face into his hand and brought her chin up to his, kissing her delicately, but not without passion, lingering in the tenderness of the moment.

His eyes were filled with love as he looked into hers, the Elven starlight in them enchanting her as much as ever it had.

“The day draws near”, he whispered.

“Yes”, she whispered back.

“I have enjoyed this time here with you”, he said quietly. “I’m glad you convinced me to come.” He smiled slightly, and in his eyes was a peace and calm that Mirthoniel had only seen recently. It was as if much of the weight and the sadness that he had previously carried were being lifted, a little more every day.

“I knew it would be good for you to come here”, she replied, with a slight smile of her own. “I have always wanted to give you back your lost past.”

“It’s not lost anymore, meldanya”, he whispered.

Mirthoniel sighed, content that she had done for him what she had sought out to do since the very beginning.

“I love you, Oren”, she whispered. 

"I love you", he whispered, and they kissed again, lovingly and softly.

There were no words for what they felt as they remained in the soft coolness of the ethereal moonlit night at the edge of the water. And it felt to them as if they were in a realm outside of time as they held one another, softly resting in each other's arms, watching the rising moon and listening to the timeless song of the sea.

*          *          *           *          *

The next day was sunny and bright. Mirthoniel left their room early and sought Cirdan’s whereabouts, for she had an idea for something that she wanted to do for her beloved. She was directed out to the back terrace where they had met him on the day of their arrival.

Cirdan was standing on the terrace, overlooking the cliffs of the sea that graced the back of his property. Mirthoniel came up alongside of him, standing there and looking at the sea next to him when he became aware of her presence.

“Mirthoniel”, he addressed her a moment before turning his eyes from the sea to look at her.

“Mae govannen, Cirdan”, she said, nodding with her customary small bow. “I’ve come to ask something of you.”

Cirdan regarded her, thinking upon how much she had done for his kinsman. “How can I be of help?”

“My beloved’s armor is in tatters”, she said, with a note of sadness in her voice. “It is old, and, still it suffered even more damage on the day that he…” she trailed off, almost unable to say what she was thinking.

Cirdan came to her rescue with his swift reply. “I know of what you speak”, he said, with compassion in his tone.

Mirthoniel nodded. “I was hoping that you would know where I could get it repaired for him.” Her eyes pleaded, despite herself. 

Cirdan smiled. “I can arrange for my smiths to have a look at it”, he offered. “I will send someone to collect it later this morning”.

“Thank you, so much”, she replied, bowing this time in a full curtsy.

“You are most welcome”, he said, still smiling.

*          *          *           *          *

Later on the next afternoon, Mirthoniel and Adar were invited back to the library to meet with Cirdan. Upon entering the great room, they saw their host already seated in his customary place, amidst the bright midday sunlight which flooded the room through its tall arched windows. He gestured for them to take their usual seat.

“It would seem as if I have a few things for you to take with you when you leave”, Cirdan said, smiling. Mirthoniel and Adar looked at one another, and then back at him.

“My artisans have been hard at work”, he went on, addressing Adar directly, “and we have made it possible to make serviceable again your armor from the time of your appointment at the River”.

He motioned to a young Elf, who brought an item to the seat beside Cirdan, wrapped in fine silver-gray cloth.

Carefully he lifted the wrapped item and placed it in Adar’s lap.

Adar unwrapped the cloth and gasped quietly, unable to believe his eyes. For there in the gray sheen of the cloth lay the dark silver breastplate, the one he had worn since he was taken from his former life, etched with the sinuous pattern of a great winding river. And beneath it, dark silver mail, upon which glittered bright silver stars. Its surface was polished, looking nearly as it had when it was new. And more surprising was its condition, for it no longer had the holes and gaping tears in it that it had sustained on the day that his life had been spared.

He looked at Cirdan with tears in his eyes. “Thank you”, he whispered, barely able to speak. Mirthoniel looked on from beside him, smiling slightly, her own eyes filling with tears. 

Cirdan smiled. "Your beloved came to me and asked for this to be done". 

Adar looked at Mirthoniel, they eyes meeting in a tender moment. 

"Meldanya", he whispered, and she smiled as he kissed her forehead softly. 

Cirdan motioned to the young Elf who had brought the packages to take care of the first gift. He reached for another cloth-wrapped item, which had been hidden from sight. It was longer, and carefully handed it to its intended recipient.

“My historians have been hard at work looking through the artifacts”, Cirdan went on, addressing Adar directly, “and we have found that some things from that time have survived in the vaults, one in particular that you will be grateful for.”

Adar unwrapped the next item, and was stunned to silence as he saw what it was. A beautiful and ancient, ornate sword, just like the one he had lost on the day of the attack on his life, glimmered against the silken gray fabric. Yet this one was not tarnished, and its hilt glittered in the sunlight, dark silver to match his armor, giving the effect of starlight in midday. He held its hilt, unsheathing it slightly. Its blade glimmered.

“This piece has never seen battle”, Cirdan said. “It is, essentially, new”, he explained. “A new sword for a new life. Not of waging war, but of keeping peace. And it is yours.”

“Thank you, Cirdan”, Adar said quietly, still stunned. He didn’t know how to thank him enough.

Mirthoniel smiled sweetly up at her beloved, her eyes meeting his. She couldn’t help thinking that the armor and sword matched him perfectly, as if they were made for him. He smiled back at her with his eyes, and as always she was enraptured by the sweet starlight in them.

Chapter Text

The appointed day was bright and clear. Mirthoniel awoke that morning to the sounds of the waves as they softly rolled upon the shore. The very air seemed calm and light, and there was peace in the atmosphere in the way the sunlight filtered into the room. She looked over at her beloved, who had just opened his eyes. She sighed softly as she met his gaze. He was looking at her so sweetly, the clear blue of the morning reflected in his beautiful starlit eyes. She cuddled up to him, her face against his cheek first and then resting against his chest as he held her close to his heart.

“Oh Silith nin”, she whispered. His embrace was so gentle and warm. Her heart was full of the purest love for him, a love that would last forever and be celebrated on this day.

“Meldanya”, Adar whispered, kissed her hair, holding her for the longest time closely against his heart. She looked up to his eyes again and they were so blue, and so beautiful, and she lost herself in them as he kissed her gently and tenderly.

At length they rose for the day, going their separate ways until the ceremony.

*          *          *          *          *

Mirthoniel went about readying herself for the day. Cirdan had kindly sent her an Elvish attendant, a woman to help her arrange her hair and gown. She had chosen a very simple and flowing gown in a soft shade of blue, the color of the sea at dusk when it is first kissed by the moon. Her hair was pulled up off her face and allowed to hang simply in the back, held at the sides with silver combs with delicate blue ribbons and tiny blue and white flowers.

She was seated at a dressing table when the attendant entered the room with the fresh bouquet of flowers she would carry. She placed it down in front of Mirthoniel, and when she looked at it she gasped softly. It was perfect, with soft blue and white flowers tied with the same delicate ribbons that were in her hair, and the important details she had asked for were also there, sprigs of soft pine, and the softest purple sage blossoms.

Her eyes filled with tears as she saw it. “Thank you”, she said to the attendant, who encouraged her to stand so that she could arrange her modest train.

Mirthoniel walked out into the hallway, followed a small ways by the attendant, who bowed her head and walked away as Mirthoniel was joined by Alandil, who took her arm.

“You always knew this day would come”, he said, smiling.

“Yes, I did”, she said quietly, still sniffling.

“You look beautiful”, Alandil said, beaming with pride as if she were truly his daughter.

Arm in arm, they walked out toward the lawn, and all the way down the path toward the edge of the sea.

*          *          *          *          *

They arrived at the edge of the lawn near a hill which ended in a graceful cliff, overlooking the beaches to the southeast. The afternoon sun glimmered off the sea, and and as Alandil walked her to this place, she saw Cirdan standing there, wearing robes of blue and white, smiling in his welcoming way as he watched them arrive. And beside him, a more beautiful sight she had never seen.

Adar stood to the right of Cirdan, looking more radiant than ever before. For his dark hair was softly billowing in the gentle breezes, and his eyes shone brightly like the clear waters of the River Sirion, sparkling from within with the light of the stars. His hair was crowned with an Elven circlet of dark silver embellished with subtle Sindarin knotwork. And he was clad in traditional Elven clothing, along with his renewed armor, its silver river and stars gleaming in the sunlight. And he was a brilliant vision of the Marchwarden he had been in the First Age.

As transfixed upon the beauty of the sight of him as Mirthoniel was, Adar was captivated by the sight of his beloved, simply and elegantly dressed as she was, like a vision of the gentle waves of the sea that brought her to him. He noticed her flowers, smiling when he saw the sage blossoms.

As she walked up to him, they smiled at one another sweetly, immediately lost in one another’s eyes. He reached out his hands to hold hers.

“I love you”, he whispered to her very softly, so that only she could hear.

“I love you”, she whispered back.

Cirdan then proceeded to perform the ceremonial vows. And with each acknowledgement of every vow, Mirthoniel and Adar never left one another’s eyes. And they said their vows sweetly and with all the love and sincerity in their hearts, to love and cherish one another, for all the rest of time.

And there in the bright and glittering afternoon, they kissed, and the soft sea breezes wafted through their hair, brown and black billowing with the delicate blue ribbons, and the train of her gown was as the soft waves of the sea, and the ribbons of her bouquet softly surrounded them in the lightness of the wind, and they were a vision of happiness in soft silver and blue.

Chapter Text

Late in the evening, after the wedding celebrations had ended and the sun went down, Adar and Mirthoniel went to sit in Cirdan's library to find some peace. As the night fell it became a bit chilly, so they sat together with a soft velvety blanket over their laps, a small fire in the fireplace. Mirthoniel rested her head against Adar's heart, and as he softly stroked her hair she looked up at him. 

"With all these ancient books, we should find something to read", she whispered, a bit of a glimmer in her eyes. 

He smiled slightly at her, a bit dreamily. 

"Come with me", she said, somewhat playfully, as she stood from the blanket. She walked over to the wall of bookshelves nearest the fireplace, the dancing light glinting on silver and gold lettering on the ancient leather bindings. 

Adar stood and walked over to her, sliding his arms around her waist. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment and rubbing her face against him, until the light caught upon the silver lettering on a dark blue leather book. It stood out to her, not only because of its colors, but because the name of the book stopped her in her tracks. Her fingers went instinctively to its spine, and she pulled it out, curiosity along with coincidence aiding her in making her choice. 

She took the book and, turning swiftly back to the sofa, she curled her legs under the blanket again with the book in her lap. Adar joined her. 

"What did you find, meldanya?" He asked quietly, legitimately interested in why she was so drawn to this particular book. And as he joined her again under the blanket and saw it's title glimmering in delicate silver lettering in the gentle firelight, he knew what she had seen. 

They looked at it together. Mirthoniel smiled, a little bit in disbelief, but thinking it was meant to be, meant just for them. The title was written in both Quenya and common: Song in the Dark, The Tale of the Maia and the Marchwarden. 

Mirthoniel ran her fingertips over the words. And the painting on the cover was drawing her in just as much as the title. It was a beautiful and calm winter scene, with northern lights shimmering above a snowy boreal forest. She lost herself in the image for an extended moment before looking up at Adar. 

His clear eyes looked peaceful, and he still had a slight smile in them, the firelight reflecting in their starlit depths. 

"I can always count on you, meldanya", he whispered. He lovingly caressed her hair and kissed her forehead. "Let's see what it has for us". 

Mirthoniel careful opened the ancient book, leafing through the first few soft yet crisp pages which were illuminated with fine red and blue knotwork along their edges. It was truly a gem from another time. A brief introduction began, "True Love is stronger than the darkness, evil cannot withstand its presence."

They took turns reading passages aloud to one another. The story was about an angelic being who loved an Elf more than anything, treasuring him beyond all things and taking physical form so that she could be with him. As they read, they cuddled together as the night fell around them, feeling peace and contentment. 

Then the story took a sad turn as the Elf was captured by the forces of the Great Enemy. Mirthoniel read aloud the passage where the Maia set her beloved Elf free. 

"At her light touch, his chains fell to the ground", she read in a whisper. She looked up, staring for a moment into the glow of the firelight, before meeting Adar's eyes with her own.

Their eyes met for an extended moment, both of them filled with emotions that there were no words for. It was truly meant to be that they found this book, for its fairytale-like symbolism was perfect. 

"My beloved", she whispered, and Adar's lips met hers very tenderly and softly. 

His eyes didn't leave hers as he very softly took the ancient book from her hands and carefully placed it on the table before them. 

"We can finish reading tomorrow, meldanya", he whispered, kissing her again, this time with a little more intention. She responded by kissing him lovingly, and as their kisses became deeper they were no less gentle and delicate. 

"Silith nin", she sighed, and after kissing her more deeply and with greater passion, he lovingly wrapped his arms around her, scooping her up from the sofa as he stood. She wrapped her arms around him tightly, and they left the library. 

Adar carried Mirthoniel through the hallway silently, carrying her up the stairs toward their lovely blue room. 

*          *          *          *          *

Adar carried Mirthoniel into their blue bedroom and softly placed her down upon the bed. A small silver filigree lantern was left lit in their room, creating a dim yet ethereal and diffuse light. The pillows and coverings were soft as silk. 

She looked up into his beautiful almond-shaped eyes, her fingertips straying to the side of his face, tracing his high angled cheekbone up to his Elven ear and delicately pushed his hair away from his face. There was so much love in his river-colored eyes, as well as desire. He lowered his forehead to hers, kissing her very softly. 

He lovingly held her, his fingertips softly touching the side of her face and her neck, causing her to shiver. She rubbed her face softly against his hand, and he kissed her again, this time more passionately, but with tenderness. Their lips parted, his tongue delicately caressing hers. They lingered in the sweetest kisses, until he very softly began kissing her behind her ear and down the side of her neck. She lovingly stroked his soft hair. 

"Oren", she whispered. He very softly unlaced her gown, gently pushing it aside. His fingertips delicately caressed her skin, making her shiver with desire. She felt his breath warm against her skin as he kissed her collarbone and continued downward toward her heart. She held him closer, lovingly. 

He once again looked lovingly into her eyes, softly and delicately tracing her face, her lips, and letting his touch stray downward again as he kissed her. She held him closer, feeling the warmth of her skin against his, every delicate touch, every sigh drawing them closer, until they could hold back no longer. 

"Mirthoniel", he whispered her name with such tenderness and love. His eyes held her gaze deeply. 

"Oren", she whispered again, then, "Adar". And she surrendered to him, giving herself to him willingly as he began to take her, tenderly and softly. And he held her close, taking her deeply, loving her gently yet passionately. 

And they were closer and more deeply as one than they ever had been before. Throughout the peaceful night, they gave themselves to one another fully and deeply, until they were overcome by the sweetest ecstasy. 

Afterward they lay for a long time in a dreamy, wordless embrace. Adar looked into her eyes with so much love. 

"My beautiful bride", he whispered, with all the tenderness in his heart. 

"My beloved soulmate", she whispered, her eyes filling with emotional tears. "I love you". 

"I love you", he whispered. And they kissed tenderly, deeply, lovingly. And there in the peaceful and quiet night, they didn't let go. And in the warmth of this embrace, they quietly held one another, drifting off into peaceful dreams. 

Chapter Text

The afternoon sunlight was slanting toward evening as Adar and Mirthoniel walked through the great and ancient gardens of Cirdan’s property. Mirthoniel had often come to this end of the garden, drawn here to the west corner where the trees were the greatest as the afternoon gave way to sunset and finally to dusk. It was one of her favorite places.

They came upon a great beech tree that was so immense in its size that it seemed to be like a small mountain comprised of many trees. In the soft and slightly misty air of late summer, the tree’s great boughs seemed to sway lazily in the gentle breezes.

As they came around to the side of the great tree, where it seemed to have an opening of its boughs that seemed to invite them in, Adar turned to look at Mirthoniel, taking her hand and leading her in to where the tree’s great canopy seemed to form a veritable cathedral above and around them.

Both of them were silently in awe, looking around the great rounded canopy as the late summer breezes wafted through thousands upon thousands of tiny fluttering leaves with a pointed shape, their color a light yellowish green. The light summer wind fluttering through the leaves and softly swaying the boughs, and the slanted golden light of early evening, created an impression of both summer and autumn as the sun’s light illuminated the many leaves with gold. Great boughs like welcoming arms hung all the way to the ground, trailing all the way to rest upon the long green grass. And in the center stood its trunk, raised slightly on a mound, its silvery brown bark mottled with many shades of dappled light, a light which changed from shadowy to bright with the flowing of the wind within the tree’s great atmosphere. And adding to the mixed seasonal impression were the many smaller trees all around, attached to the main tree, which stood around the perimeter of the great canopy, as if keeping silent watch around its circle. These younger shoots were all tall, as great as separate trees themselves, each enough in its own way to create their own leafy shadows, melding within the great green and gold cathedral of shadows and light.

Adar took both of Mirthoniel’s hands now, and their eyes met for a moment. She noticed as the soft evening light touched his hair that it brought out deep auburn tones amidst the black, and she saw him for a moment as if he were once again an Elf of Beleriand, the beautiful spirit within him showing brightly as it always did, especially now since his redemption. She sighed, for she had always loved his Elven spirit, and would forever.

They looked around, unable get over the immensity of the atmosphere inside of the canopy of this tree, nor the feeling that it seemed to have its own realm here within the spacious spread of its arms.

They were at length distracted by a sound near the trunk, the soft sound of a moving of the earth, and an even softer groan of an earthy voice, as almost a yawn, coming from the great trunk. Looking at the trunk, they noticed that it seemed to have several woody, knotty faces that seemed to peer at them from the mix of light and shadows. One of these in particular seemed to regard them, as if sentient. They stood back, realizing that they were in the company of an Ent.

Mirthoniel smiled, of course there were Ents here in Cirdan’s ancient gardens, she had already encountered one. And now, here in this very special place beneath this even greater one, she knew that something extraordinary was about to take place.

The Ent’s knotty eyes regarded them both, with an air of deep wisdom, yet it seemed to focus on her beloved most of all.

“Adar…” the Ent was addressing him, in a profound and earthy tone. Adar stood a little taller, not expecting to be addressed in quite this way as he had become reaccustomed to hearing his Elven name while in the Havens, and especially not by an Ent. Yet he knew that Ents only spoke if it were about something very important. He nodded in respect, acknowledging the great and ancient being with reverence.

The Ent continued, “That is your name, is it not?” Adar didn’t know what to make of it, but there was an understanding in his eyes, and he nodded his head yet again, this time with more of a bow. The shadows of the golden evening were deepening around him, yet around and above these shadows danced the light play of the golden dappled light which filtered through the great canopy of many tiny leaves, with a light like many golden stars.

“Yes…” he acknowledged, taken a bit by surprise that the Ent seemed to know him, and know his history.

The Ent seemed to breathe and stretch, and seemed even greater, before settling again. And as he did so, the smaller surrounding trees seemed to do the same.

“I am Goldenbough”, the Ent intoned slowly. “And I know a father when I see one”. His smaller trees seemed to sway in agreement. “You see, I too am a father”.

Adar looked around at the smaller trees, understanding. He listened to the Ent, who went on.

“These offshoots that you see beneath my canopy, they are my children”, the Ent explained. “I am a father of many… Just as you are”.

Mirthoniel stood back a bit, allowing this conversation between them unfold, and was struck by the beauty of it all. She looked around at the offshoots, each one of them a great tree in its own right, growing out of the ground in a circle around the great Ent and creating the perimeter of its canopy. Each of them was shrouded in green evening shadows at its base, and yet dappled with golden light at its leafy crown, an effect that gave the impression of summer when it’s turning into autumn.

She looked at Adar, standing there in the center of the canopy in his brown Elven robe trimmed elegantly in bands of red and green knotwork. His eyes were clear and pure, lit from within with the Elven starlight, yet as she saw him surrounded by the shadows of the trees she could also see him as Adar, the father of the Uruks whom she had first met outside of a Southlands town, now long ago. She felt a pull in her heart, and she knew from the look in his eyes that he felt it also. It was time to go home.

“Your destiny is with your children”, Goldenbough’s deep, earthy voice continued on. “And you have done things to provide for your children”, Goldenbough continued, “yet some of those things were not befitting of an Elf.”

Adar knew this was true. The ring Nenya had shown him the errors of his ways, and exposed the darkness within him so that he could repent, yet he had never repented to the land. He sunk to his knees in the fallen leaves, bowing his head.

“I know that I have done things that were… unforgivable”, he said quietly, his eyes filling with tears. He had hurt countless trees and living things, he had hurt the land itself. He had done everything in the name of protecting his children, and though he had felt great conflict at the time, he still allowed it to be done, all the while having felt at times as if fate was forcing his hand. “Yet if I may, I will ask for your forgiveness right now.”

Goldenbough regarded the Elf on the ground before him, from whose eyes tears now fell silently. Mirthoniel remained at a respectable distance, knowing that this needed to happen without her and yet wanting nothing more than to go to her beloved and comfort him. And she watched as a long thin branch leafed in green and gold slowly swayed over to touch his shoulder.

“I release you from your guilt”, Goldenbough intoned reassuringly, his deep, earthy voice continuing on. “Your children will flourish, as the trees of the earth, and those who are true to you will one day fight on the side of good. Go to them now, and be with them, and lead them. And, one day, you will know when it is time to move on, and leave another in charge in your place, who will lead them to that destiny.”

Mirthoniel was prayerful all the while, and with her own very modest gift of foresight, she was granted a vision of the Uruks, led by Uglok and his two sons, fighting in a great and lofty battle against Sauron. After the vision had passed, she saw the role that she and Adar would play in ensuring that this would take place.

Adar nodded, understanding the Ent, acknowledging. This was his destiny. He always knew it. And he knew that whatever happened, that Mirthoniel would be there at his side. He looked over to her to see that tears had formed in her eyes.

The Ent was wise, and he looked over to see them look at one another.

“True love will stand the test of time”, Goldenbough said slowly and with a tone of great sincerity, addressed toward Mirthoniel, as well as to them both. She nodded, the tears beginning to roll down her cheeks. She looked up again to the Ent’s woody eyes, which were so kind and understanding. 

“May the blessings of the Ents and of all the creatures of Middle Earth be upon your union”, Goldenbough then said to them in a somewhat lighter tone.

“Thank you”, Mirthoniel whispered, bowing in reverence, with a slight smile. She looked up at Adar, who had come a few steps closer to her, taking her face gently into his hands.

“I will always put you first”, he whispered in his soft and lilting tone, looking deeply into her eyes. “We will watch over our children together. And when the time comes, I will follow you”. His starlit eyes filled with unshed tears. “We will be together forever”.

Mirthoniel knew what he meant by when the time comes. He was referring to their inevitable end one day, when her human life would be at its end, that he would in his time follow her. They had spoken already about that time, and they vowed that whatever happened, that he would in the end make a choice to meet her where she would be in the afterlife.

She looked up into his clear and beautiful eyes, and he looked so radiant and beautiful in the golden evening light, and everything about him was so gentle and beautiful. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks, and he lowered his forehead to hers, looking deeply into her eyes before kissing them away.

“I love you”, he whispered, with quiet sincerity.

“I love you”, she whispered back, with all the love in her heart. And they kissed lovingly, and she embraced him, resting against his heart as the soft late summer wind wafted around them, and the swaying of the trees’ boughs whispered in their evening song.

At length they looked back up at Goldenbough. His great eyes had closed, and he seemed to be nearly in slumber. The evening shadows were deepening to green, and the tops of the trees were still edged with an ethereal light of gold.

They bowed again to the great Ent, thanking him, and then hand in hand they took their leave, regretfully, of this beautiful canopy where both could have stayed forever in its heavenly, shadowy light.

As they walked back around the great tree, the light of the sunset, gold and orange as well as pink, came through the many leaves of the top of the great tree’s crown. And its children, the many smaller trees surrounding the main one, seemed to wave goodnight as they swayed in the soft breezes of an ethereal summer evening.

Chapter Text

Standing on the terrace of Cirdan's mansion, Mirthoniel's thoughts wandered. She gazed out into the afternoon sunlight, her eyes fixed in the distance as if she were looking at a place far away, or a point in the future. Her fingers strayed to the delicate silver ring now on her finger, bringing her back to the present. 

Chapter Text

Cirdan stood smiling at Adar and Mirthoniel as they were about to make their way toward the woodland road which led away from the Grey Havens. It was a bright morning, and all the preparations had been made in advance for their departure.

Chapter Text

PART 3

Melody of the Forest

A soft wind whispered through the tops of the tall pine trees of the Uruk forest. It rustled through the immense cathedral of their canopy, carrying the stories of the ages in its breath, sighing in its timeless melody. 

Adar walked out from the area around the cottage early in the day and went down the hill to the south, where the encampments of the Uruks lay hidden beneath the dense grove of pines. As he ventured down the hilly landscape beneath the forest canopy, he came upon the homes of his children, from the rustic cabins of the larger families to the simplest little huts made of pine branches. The breezes wafted through, moving the little pine sprigs on the tiniest huts. Small fire pits dotted the spaces in front of the homes and lean-tos, as few of their buildings had dedicated chimneys. 

He came upon the house of Uglok, where the Uruk was already waiting for him outside, sitting on a stump. 

"You're early today, Lord Father", Uglok said in his gutteral tone, yet more quietly than he normally spoke. 

"Yes. There's something we need to acknowledge". Adar's half-whisper was calm, yet it thinly veiled the hint of concern in his voice. 

Uglok got up and, following Adar, they both walked away from the small group of houses where Uglok's extended family were still sleeping. He waved to the watchman on duty, who waved back with a nod, and the two wound their way through the fire pits and away from the center of the encampment. 

"What's on your mind, Father?", Uglok inquired. 

Adar stared into the distance to the south, as if squinting at something he didn't want to see, yet needed to keep an eye on. 

"You and your sons guard this place well", he said in his quiet tones. "Yet there is still a threat in the East." He let the thought pass his lips and fall heavily, as if a stone had fallen on the ground in front of them. 

Uglok nodded, always the realist. "We can double our defenses if you want", he grunted. 

Adar sighed. "Not yet, but stay alert. When the time comes for that, we will know".

He looked down at his boots, then back to his trusted second in command. He had carried with him the prophecy of the Ent in the Havens, who had awakened in him the longing for home and his children when he had been off with the Elves. He knew he had a responsibility, first and foremost, to the Uruks, until which time as it was appropriate to leave them to their own. But thoughts of that time were already beginning to form in his mind, thoughts of preparing them to stand for themselves against the threat of Sauron. 

"One day I will leave you in charge, Uglok", Adar said quietly. "And your sons will follow."

Uglok bowed. "I am most honored, Lord Father", he said. "Does this mean that you are leaving us?" 

"Not yet", Adar replied. "Not for a long time. But you will need to be ready. Sauron will inevitably come against the free peoples, of which our number are now part. But when that time comes, I would be honored if you and yours would stand to defend everything we hold dear."

Uglok bowed yet again, more slowly this time. 

"We shall". 

*          *          *          *          *

Walking quietly out from the little cottage in the pines, Mirthoniel breathed in the crisp air of an early autumn night. The timeless natural beauty of their peaceful forest home was pleasant and calming. They had settled into their quiet home life and the daily routine that they had started when they first settled in the forest, and just as in the earliest days of making their home here, Adar had spent the day with Uglok and his sons, going through the camps. 

She walked the path from the cottage through the pines, the full moon's light filtering down through their shadowy boughs. The fragrance of the pines and the fallen needles of the forest floor mingled in the clear night air. Her soft boots made barely a sound on the path. The bright full moon illuminated the shadowy forest, creating a peaceful and magical atmosphere of deep greens and blues. 

She came to the clearing where they often met after dark, just as they had always done long ago in the early days of their courtship. And having come back to the south to make their home was the perfect decision, because the landscape was so familiar, and it filled them with a sense of nostalgia. 

Just on the edge of a little hill she could see her beloved's shadow, standing just outside the taller trees in the moonlight. He was looking up at the great full moon, and watching the shadows of wings fly by as night birds came and went. The peace of the night was otherworldly, a peace that they would now enjoy together. As she walked up to him, she saw that he had a slight smile in his eyes as he watched the birds fly over the moon. His dark hair fell around his face like shadows, and in this moment beneath the moon he looked once again as he did on a similar night long ago. She beheld him with an ache in her heart. She would love him forever as she did then, and with a love that could only grow deeper and stronger through time. 

"I didn't think I'd find an Uruk here," she whispered, with a mischievous slight smile, teasing him with the same phrase that he had used once  when sneaking up on her in the forest. 

He turned around, smiling softly at her. 

"Meldanya", he whispered. 

She went to him, and he readily caught her in his arms, and as she rested her head against his shoulder and her heart against his, he lovingly stroked her hair. 

"I hope the children are all well", she said, looking up at him. 

"They are", he whispered back. "Uglok outdid himself with taking care of things. I would not hesitate to leave him in charge again if ever the need were to arise". 

She was happy to hear this, and even happier to see that he was at peace. She smiled softly, reaching up to touch his face. His eyes in the moonlight were beautiful and peaceful. 

"I'm so happy to see you here in your element", she whispered, "both with your children and at peace". This state of being was long fought for and hard won. 

"It's because of you, meldanya", he said, looking down into her eyes with tenderness and love. She could see the depth of his spirit in his eyes. And she saw him as being both as peaceful and gentle as the moonlight and yet as shadowy as the birds of the night that he had been watching.

She reached softly into his hair, her fingertips finding the fastening of the mithril necklace which he still wore. And as she looked lovingly into his eyes, she unfastened the chain, tenderly taking the necklace off of him. 

And as she gazed up into his clear and beautiful eyes, he looked to her again just as he did on the first night that they spent together, now so long ago. 

She spent an untold amount of time gazing up at him. She pushed his hair back from his face, allowing the moonlight to outline his cheekbones and the contours of his face, which her fingertips traced lightly. 

"You will always be as you were to me", her whisper was as light as her touch.

He brought his forehead down to hers, meeting her eyes deeply. 

"Meldanya", he whispered. 

She continued. "I will always love both the light and the darkness in you", she whispered, "but yours is a benevolent darkness. Just like the peace of the night". 

He understood her. He covered her hand with his own, his lips nearly touching hers, as she went on.

"I need this part of you." She blinked, an a few tears fell onto her cheeks from her eyes, warm against the coolness of the night. "Just as your children need it, I do too, but in a different way."

He embraced her closer, kissing her softly, before she whispered, nearly inaudibly, "Hold me, Adar." 

And he didn't wait to go home to hold her. And right there in their forest, they lay down on their cloaks in the cool autumn night, and he held her closely, lovingly, and there were no words for how they felt. 

And at first she was tearful, and he held her against himself and let her cry. 

At length she looked up again into his eyes. They were silvery blue in the moonlight, and his hair was like the shadows. He was more beautiful to her in this moment than ever. 

She softly, very lovingly caressed the side of his face, her touch as tender as the moonbeams. And she saw all the love in his eyes, love that he would have only for her, for all time. And he saw in her eyes the same eternal love, as well as the deep and unconditional acceptance that she had shown to him since the very beginning. 

He brought his forehead to hers very softly, kissing her with gentleness and passion. 

And after a length of time lost in one another's eyes, he embraced her fully, kissing her with unbridled passion. And they were overcome with their memories and a deep love that started long ago and would endure forever, a love that had come full circle. He held her close, and she surrendered to him, there in the moonlit night, beneath the warm glow of the moon. 

Resting in one another's embrace in what was now the deep hours of the night, Mirthoniel once again gazed into the eyes of her beloved. A stray lock of black hair tumbled over Adar's eyes, as it had done so many times before, and as she always did she lovingly pushed it back. She could stay right here, in her beloved's embrace, in the peace and sanctity of the moonlit pine forest forever. She sighed softly. 

"I love you, Adar", she whispered, with all the love in her heart. 

"I love you", he whispered, and then more sweetly, "my lady of the forest". 

And his lips met hers again, kissing her sweetly and tenderly, with all the love that ever was between them. 

And they eventually slept peacefully there in each other's arms, together held softly in the embrace of the night, as the peaceful night wind murmured through the pine forest, whispering its timeless melody as the midnight shadows surrounded them, and the night birds' wings soared over the harvest moon.